Tarsus Share News (TRS)

Shares in testing specialist Intertek, up 95p to £19.94p, have been very strong over the past couple of weeks and have almost recovered to their £20 peak of early December. They are by no means cheap, changing hands on 20 times' this year's earnings, but the company is a strong play on the strength of the world economy and on the oil and gas sector after the purchase of Moody, and the shares are a strong long-term hold says the Times.Attendance at exhibitions is a clear economic indicator, as this tends to be one of the first expenses to be cut when money is tight. So it is encouraging to report that Tarsus had its most successful January ever in 2011, and the company has about 63% of this year's revenues already booked, as against 58% at this stage last year. Tarsus shares sell on a relatively inexpensive multiple of less than nine times' this year's earnings. Worth picking up says the Times.Bus and train group Stagecoach will have little to complain about in its latest travel statistics, even if the rate of growth did tend to tail off as last year progressed, even before the awful winter weather kicked in. Longer-term questions remain; government subsidies will be cut by 20% from spring 2012 and the effect of this is hard to quantify says the Times.Services groups such as Petrofac are increasingly vital to both international majors and national oil companies, regardless of the kind of government that is holding the reins. But at this stage, the climate is dangerously unpredictable. Even the much-delayed go-ahead for the second phase of the South Yoloten gas project in Turkmenistan finally signed off in December does not tip the balance. Take profits says the Independent.Arcus' latest bid proposal values Forth Ports at about 29 times expected earnings - and it's hard to see a counter-bidder, given Arcus's chunky 22.8% stake. It's noticeable, too, that Arcus is only doing "confirmatory due diligence", implying a deal is not far away. There's a risk, of course, of a final slip. But it looks only a matter of time before Forth's boat comes in. Investors should not have long to wait. Hold says the Telegraph. The business of Michael Page is recruitment and business is good. Full-year pre-tax profits for 2010 of £101m were nearly four times higher than the previous year, while gross profit per employee, despite the hiring of nearly 1,000 new staff, was up about £25,000 at £155,300. With the dividend back at a healthy 21.1p, from 3.8p in 2009, and a share buyback programme well underway, Michael Page looks like a good yield play for the time being and therefore remains a good hold for investors. This is one recruiter that is worth keeping on retainer, the Telegraph reports.The only issue for Michael Page is that, at more than 24 times forward earnings, the shares already appear to be factoring in much of the good news. The results mean that this is not a sell but a solid hold says the Independent.Conveyor belting specialist Fenner's update yesterday was upbeat. The key point was that, despite traditionally finding the second quarter challenging, the engineering group said it had managed to maintain the "sharp increase in profitability" it saw in the first three months of the year. Hold says the Independent.Please note: Digital Look provides a round-up of news, tips and information that is impacting share prices and the market. Digital Look cannot take any responsibility for information provided by third parties. This is for your general information only as not intended to be relied upon by users in making an investment decision or any other decision. Please obtain a copy of the relevant publication and carry out your own research before considering acting on any of this information.