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Merrill Lynch downgrades John Wood Group from buy to neutral, target price cut from 770p to 650p.

Citigroup downgrades AMEC from hold to sell, target price cut from 1250p to 900p.

Finncap upgrades LSL Property Services from hold to buy, target price raised from 250p to 270p.

G4S, which notched up a resilient performance during the recession, is growing steadily in most of its markets, and that is likely to continue, according to the Investment Column at the Independent. Just look at the UK: the FTSE 100-listed business has lost its contract to transport prisoners to and from British courts. But it has picked up plenty of new work to offset that. With a coalition Government keen to outsource more work to the private sector, together with the fears created by the recent riots, the company’s business has good prospects. Looking at the stock, we said buy at 258.6p in March and the shares are little changed from that, having found some momentum over the last few days having been caught up in the recent turmoil which hit shares indiscriminately. G4S shares should serve investors well over the coming months, according to the Independent, which recommends to buy.

Segro has 92 per cent of its UK portfolio in London and the South East, or 70 per cent of the group total, notes the Tempus column in the Times. In Europe, it is in Paris and German industrial cities such as Frankfurt and Hamburg, and in Poland. As the London economy apparently decouples itself from the rest of Britain, Segro sees the benefit of this. Vacancy rates across the group fell from 12 per cent in end-December to 11.4 per cent at end-June and are on track to reach an unofficial target of 10 per cent. Segro is benefiting from the lack of speculative building of industrial space since the economic downturn started, which has meant a shortage in sought-after locations. Again, its London and South East bias helps. The shares have been among the worst hit in the sector and even after yesterday’s 2.7 per cent rise to 224.75p are on a discount to net assets to about 35 per cent. That looks overdone, if you are reasonably sanguine about the macro-economy, says the Times.

FTSE 250 company Spirax-Sarco Engineering is a solid business that, unusually for an engineering group, proves relatively resilient in a downturn, writes the Questor team in the Telegraph. Spirax has a hugely diverse customer base, spanning breweries to oil refineries, paper mills and dairies. The company has grown sales by an average 9pc a year over the past 25 years – even the tougher past five years it has managed an average 8pc a year. It is a hugely cash generative business, and has held or increased its dividend for the past 44 years. With that track record, the shares look cheap on 12.5 times next year’s earnings, particularly for a company that beats its peers in a downturn. A strong buy, says Questor.

24th August 2011 Analyst: Ross Jones Email: ross.jones@gecr.co.uk Tel: 020 7562 3350 Ai Claims Solutions: Initiate Coverage at 25p with a stance of buy and 43p target

Commenting on today's results, Ivan Dunleavy, Chief Executive, said: "The first half of the year has delivered a positive performance across the business with good demand from big budget films and large scale TV productions. Despite the current economic uncertainties, the Company is performing strongly. Trading since the 30 June has been buoyant and is expected to continue to perform well for the year as a whole. Our investment in infrastructure to support growth is ongoing and we look to the future with confidence".

Pinewood Shepperton plc (the "Company"), a leading provider of services to the global film and television industry, today announces its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2011. Highlights · Revenue £26.1m (2010: £19.0m) · Operating profit before exceptional items £6.6m (2010: £2.9m) · Profit before tax £1.5m (2010: £1.5m) · Basic earnings per share after adjusting for exceptional items and deferred tax 9.8p (2010: 1.0p) · Commenced development of additional 30,000 sq ft stage capacity at Pinewood Studios · Progress on: independent UK film investment, Project Pinewood inquiry and energy reduction infrastructure programme

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201108240700109143M

Peel Hunt initiates buy on Close Brothers, target price 961p.

Geoff Davis, Chairman of Medusa, commented: "The Co-O Mine continues to expand, the more we drill the more we find, and we still cannot see an end to this extensive epithermal vein system. It is currently approximately 1.6 kilometres long and open to the east, and around 750 metres wide across the strike of the veins and still open both north and south, and as shown by drilling, it is also open at depth. The size of the alteration envelope suggests there is the possibility of more vein systems contributing to this very large argillic alteration zone. Drilling will continue with the six surface rigs and five underground rigs for the foreseeable future." ** The potential target size and grade is conceptual in nature, and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being defined as a mineral resource.

Co-O MINE CONCEPTUAL EXPLORATION TARGET ENHANCED BY DRILLING 24 August 2011 Medusa Mining Limited ("Medusa" or the "Company"), through its Philippines operating company, Philsaga Mining Corporation, advises that the release of the new resource model for the Co-O Mine and on-going exploration drilling results have significantly increased the support for the Conceptual Exploration Target ** for the Co-O Mine of: 3,000,000 ounces in 9,800,000 tonnes to 7,000,000 ounces in 23,500,000 tonnes using a grade range of 9 to 11 g/t gold with a preferred average grade of 10 g/t gold. The combination of past production of approximately 450,000 ounces and the current global resource of 1,960,000 ounces indicates the deposit size is approaching the lower end of the Conceptual Exploration Target size range. Detailed mapping and data compilation of the Co-O Mine vein system has been completed. It is a well preserved, intermediate sulphidation epithermal vein system with a large near surface, mushroom-shaped argillic alteration zone measuring over 1,500 by 1,500 metres in area and which grades into propylitic alteration to the east and at depth. The alteration and mineralisation trends indicate that the source of mineralising fluids is likely to be from beyond the current eastern end of the vein system.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201108240715019018M

CONT Elsewhere in Vietnam, we were granted an extension to the appraisal period for Te Giac Den ("TGD") where exploration drilling has thus far produced mixed signals. A focused 3D seismic acquisition programme will be conducted over the area in the second half of this year. Should the seismic offer encouragement, we would expect to drill another well before the extension expires at the end of October 2012. The first well of up to a three well exploration programme offshore Congo (Brazzaville) is expected to spud in early September and drill a pre-salt target on the Marine XI Block with estimated pre-drill unrisked mean recoverable resources of 165 million barrels. The rig is currently under tow, following a refurbishment in South Africa. A 2D seismic acquisition programme on the Nganzi Block, onshore the Democratic Republic of Congo, is planned for the fourth quarter 2011, focusing on the Chela formation. Should we get encouragement from the seismic interpretation, we anticipate phase II drilling to commence in the summer of 2012. First half 2011 after tax profit from continuing operations was $6.8 million. This compares to $3.7 million after tax profit from continuing operations for the same period last year. Capital expenditures were $65.0 million for the first half of 2011 ($51.6 million in the first half of 2010). As we are in the early stages of production from TGT with work just starting on Phase II development and beginning another extensive exploration cycle, the Directors do not recommend a dividend.

CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S STATEMENT The primary focus for the first half of 2011 was preparation for the start up of production at the Te Giac Trang ("TGT") field, offshore Vietnam. TGT is by far the largest production project that the Company has ever been involved in and no small project by any metric. The fact that initial production began on 22 August 2011, just days from the targeted date set two years ago is a testament to the hard work invested in the project by SOCO, its partners and the staff of the Hoang Long Joint Operating Company, which is operator of the project. The TGT field development and product characteristics differ considerably from the Ca Ngu Vang field ("CNV"), also offshore Vietnam, which has been producing for the past two years. CNV produces a highly volatile oil from Basement with a high gas to oil ratio ("GOR") via the facilities at the Bach Ho oilfield. Field exploitation depends on fracture interconnectivity to efficiently deplete the reservoir. TGT by contrast has a significantly lower GOR and produces from a much shallower Clastics sandstone reservoir, with a series of sand/shale intervals. Oil is produced into a dedicated Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel ("FPSO"). Gas will be sold via the same Bach Ho interconnection as that which handles gas from CNV. TGT is currently producing at approximately 16,000 barrels of oil per day ("BOPD"). Production is expected to ramp up to test the name plate capacity, 55,000 BOPD, of the FPSO by year end. A sales contract has been signed for the first two cargoes of TGT pre-assay crude to be sold to Vitol at a modest premium to Brent. After assay results are confirmed, expectations are that the crude would fetch a higher premium.

HALF YEAR RESULTS SOCO International plc, an international oil and gas exploration and production company with interests in Vietnam, the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) and Angola, announces its Half Year Results for the period ended 30 June 2011. HIGHLIGHTS · Te Giac Trang ("TGT") produced First Oil at 06:55h local time on 22 August; plateau production during Phase I is expected to be approximately 55,000 barrels of oil per day ("BOPD") · The TGT Full Development Plan has been approved by PetroVietnam; including preparations for Phase II development drilling in the second half of 2011 which should add approximately 40,000 BOPD to TGT plateau production when it comes on stream in August 2012 · The Te Giac Den licence extension has been granted by the Government of Vietnam; seismic acquisition will commence later this month · A three well exploration campaign is due to commence offshore Congo (Brazzaville) in early September 2011 · SOCO's cash and cash equivalents at 30 June 2011 were $213.1 million

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201108240700109135M

In a trading update LiDCO Group (LID), the cardiovascular monitoring company, announced it expects to show a revenue increase of 18% to 3.1 million pounds for the six months ended 31st July 2011, as well as a narrowing pre-tax loss, when it releases its interim results in October. The board added it expects revenue to increase significantly in the second half of the year, following the recent signing of three distribution and licensing arrangements, which will extend the reach of the group's monitoring product range across the world

Decent update - should allay some worries re the proposed rumoured changes.