Reckitt Benckiser RB is left wiping egg off its face as it abandons its proposal to acquire part of Pfizers Consumer Health Care business. The CEO finds himself squirming with some embarrassment as he tries to wriggle his way out of a situation which he seems to admit they should not have got into in the first place. He says that RB only believes in organic growth but fails to explain as to why on earth they then went and got themselves involved in a proposed acquisition, Then he goes on to admit that in the end the proposal to acquire part only of the business, became impossible and again offers no explanation as to why they went for the impossible without realising that it would be impossible.
Crest Nicholson CRST updates that the trading environment continues to be generally robust with demand for new houses continuing to be strong. Deference is paid to the government for its role in supporting the housing market to such an extent that in great swathes of the country, homes have become so expensive as to be unaffordable except for the wealthy despite price inflation having moderated.
Ted Baker plc TED reports another year of continued progress and success as profit before tax for the year to the 27th January produced a rise of 12.3% in profit before tax. Revenue grew by 11.4% and basic earnings per share by 12.6%. It is proposed to increase the final dividend to 43.5p. per share bringing the total for the year to 60.1p., a rise of 12%
Sanne Group plc SNN Group revenue for the year to 31st December rose by 77% and profit before tax by 49%. The final dividend is recommended for an increase to 8.4p per share, bringing the total for the year to 12.6p compared to 9.6p for 2016
Safestyle UK plc SFE found its market becoming increasingly challenging as 2017 progressed. Its financial performance was impacted as raw material prices increased at the same time as finance subsidy costs and lead generation costs. Profit before tax for the year to the 31st December fell by 28.5% and basic earnings per share by 31.1%. The final dividend remains unchanged at 11.25p per share. Market share grew by over 10% during the year but perhaps this is a classic case of increasing market share irrespective of profitability. 2018 has not brought any improvement and the year has got off to a difficult start. Order intake is below management expectations as the company’s market continues to deteriorate, whilst competition increases and consumer confidence continues to fall.
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