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☆ Ocado hits five-month high after return to profit, keeping guidance
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ocado shares surged on Tuesday after the British online supermarket and technology group kept its financial guidance for the year as it reported a return to underlying profit in its first half. Shares surged 15.3% to their highest since February, beating the four-month peak set in June after a report of possible takeover interest from Amazon boosted the company's stock. Its Technology Solutions revenue jumped 59%. Ocado said there was no change to the financial guidance given at its full-year results in February. Ocado shares surged 32% on June 22 after The Times newspaper reported speculation of possible bid interest in the online supermarket from more than one U.S. suitor including tech heavyweight Amazon.

Persons: Chris Beauchamp, Ocado, I've, Tim Steiner Organizations: Technology Solutions, IG Group, Tech Solutions, Ocado, Marks, Logistics, Kroger, Casino, Jefferies, U.S, The Times Locations: United States, Japan, France, U.S

The timing of the listing was still unclear as money-losing PayPay needs to first demonstrate a clear path to profitability, the source said. SoftBank has previously set a PayPay listing as a goal, with one executive saying in November it was worth just under 1 trillion yen ($7.17 billion). Representatives for PayPay and SoftBank Group's (9984.T) domestic telecoms business, SoftBank Corp (9434.T), said they would not comment on speculation. PayPay is owned by SoftBank Corp, its internet business, Z Holdings (4689.T), and the group's second Vision Fund. PayPay booked a loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of 11.9 billion yen in the year ended March, compared to a loss of 43.2 billion yen a year earlier.

Persons: SoftBank, SoftBank Group's, Kirk Boodry, Son, PayPay, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Scott Murdoch, David Dolan, Muralikumar Organizations: Companies, Z Holdings, PayPay, SoftBank Corp, Vision Fund, SoftBank, Syla Technologies, Rakuten Bank, SBI Sumishin, Bank, Astris Advisory, Mobile Marketing, Cambridge, Thomson Locations: . New York, Tokyo, New York, U.S, Astris Advisory Japan, Japan, England

☆ Exclusive: Live events group Superstruct readied for sale – sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Amy-Jo Crowley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Providence carried Superstruct through the COVID-19 pandemic when concerts and other public events came to a sudden halt, heavily impacting the company’s revenue and earnings. It has since grown by swallowing up festivals across Europe and Australia, and now operates 80 large-scale festivals and 200 smaller events. The rebound in live music and festivals following the end of lockdowns has also encouraged investment in the sector. Private equity owner Silver Lake is advancing towards a sale of Australian live events and ticketing group TEG, which could be worth A$2 billion dollars, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The sale of TEG could serve as a yardstick for putting a price on Superstruct, as well as gauging buyer interest, one of them added.

Persons: Superstruct, James Barton, Silver, TEG, Amy, Jo Crowley, Jan Harvey Organizations: Superstruct Entertainment, Providence, Live Nation, Thomson Locations: Superstruct, Providence, Europe, Australia, lockdowns

☆ Israel launches privatisation of revamped postal service
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, July 11 (Reuters) - Israel on Tuesday put its postal service on the block after completing a recovering and financial stabilisation process and formulating a strategic plan for the coming years. The state's privatisation agency said it would sell 100% of Israel Post Co. to an investor or group of investors. In addition to traditional mail and fast delivery services, Israel Post includes the Postal Bank, which has some 1 million active customers. Israel Post also owns 278 real estate assets valued at around 600 million shekels ($162 million), it said. In the first quarter, the company posted adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 67 million shekels and it estimated adjusted EBITDA of 235 million shekels in 2023 after a 36 million shekel loss in 2022.

Persons: Michal Rosenbaum, Mishael Vaknin, Steven Scheer, David Evans Organizations: Israel Post Co, Israel Post, Government Companies Authority, Postal Bank, Thomson Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv

☆ UK could borrow a leaf from Canada’s mortgage book
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The amount of mortgage debt rose even more sharply. This would require lenders to fix total monthly payments – of both interest and principal – relative to the outstanding mortgage balance. When interest rates rise sharply, as is happening now, repayments might be less than the monthly interest bill. The amount of mortgage debt outstanding would then increase as unpaid interest is added to the principal – a situation known as “negative amortisation”. Since borrowers always hand over a proportion of their income, mortgage payments wouldn’t shrink when interest rates decline.

Persons: Irving Fisher, ”, “, Neal Hudson, Michael Gove, Patrick Macaskie, Victor Dodig, Edward Chancellor, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Bank of England, Office, National Statistics, Bank of, Fiscal Studies, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, CIBC, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: United Kingdom, ”, Britain, England, Bank of England, United States, Canada

☆ Accor plans to add more than 1,200 hotels
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 27 (Reuters) - Accor (ACCP.PA) plans to open more than 1,200 hotels in the next five years, increasing the number of its resorts by more than one-fifth, Europe's biggest hotel group said on Tuesday. Accor also raised its outlook at its capital markets day, forecasting its 2023 revenue per room (RevPAR) to grow by 15% to 20% amid reorganisation plans that were implemented in January. Accor said it plans to return around 3 billion euros to shareholders in that period via dividends and share buybacks. "We expect a positive share price performance today and we will probably upgrade our recommendation on Accor as the updated mid-term guidance is stronger than expected," said analyst Yi Zhong at AlphaValue. ($1 = 0.9153 euros)Reporting by Tristan Veyet and Gaëlle Sheehan in Gdansk; editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Accor, Sébastien Bazin, Yi Zhong, Tristan Veyet, Gaëlle Sheehan, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: Europe's, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Accor, AlphaValue, Gdansk

☆ Global watchdog seeks action on 'too little, too late' corporate goodwill writedown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - Tougher accounting rules may be needed that force companies to write down goodwill faster and stop "overly optimistic" calculations, a global securities watchdog said on Thursday. Goodwill refers to the premium a company has paid for another company, above the net value of its assets. Too little, too late refers to companies suddenly slashing goodwill when major profitability issues emerge. IOSCO is an umbrella group for securities regulators from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Since the financial crisis, total goodwill of S&P 500 companies in the United States has more than doubled from $1.6 trillion in 2008 to $3.7 trillion in 2021, IOSCO said.

Persons: IOSCO, FASB, Huw Jones, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: International Organization of Securities Commissions, European Union, Accounting, EU, ., Thomson, & $ Locations: United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Britain

☆ Orsted to invest $68 bln in power capacity by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Phil Noble/File PhotoOSLO, June 8 (Reuters) - Renewable energy group Orsted (ORSTED.CO) will invest 475 billion Danish crowns ($68.3 billion) to achieve a 2030 goal to install 50 gigawatts (GW) of power capacity, it said ahead of an investors' update later on Thursday. The Danish company said the plans were fully self-funded and it expected to exceed goals set in 2021 for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) as well as for return on capital employed (ROCE). "We're on track to outperform our previous EBITDA and ROCE targets for 2020-2027, confirming the significant value in our portfolio of renewable projects," Chief Executive Mads Nipper said in a statement. 1 offshore wind farm developer by gigawatt capacity, operates 15.5 GW of renewable energy assets. Capacity of 4.9 GW is under construction and projects representing another 10.6 GW have been awarded, it said.

Persons: Orsted, Phil Noble, Mads Nipper, Bernstein, Terje Solsvik, Essi Lehto, David Goodman, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Walney, Blackpool, Britain, OSLO, Danish

☆ NZ's Infratil to buy stake in One New Zealand for $1.1 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Navya Mittal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - New Zealand's infrastructure investor Infratil (IFT.NZ) said on Wednesday it will acquire Canada's Brookfield Asset Management's (BAM.TO) stake in One New Zealand for NZ$1.8 billion ($1.1 billion) to strengthen its digital and renewable portfolio. Infratil will have full control over the country's second biggest mobile market operator by market share after buying the 49.95% stake. One New Zealand, previously known as Vodafone NZ, has 2.7 million connections of its mobile and broadband networks. "Since acquiring One New Zealand with Brookfield in 2019, we have invested meaningful capital to support network expansion, including the roll-out of 5G, and are pleased to now assume full ownership of the business," said William Smales, chief investment officer at Morrison & Co, which manages Infratil. ($1 = 1.6466 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese, Lisa Shumaker and Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jason Boyes, William Smales, Navya Mittal, Chris Reese, Lisa Shumaker, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: NZ, Vodafone NZ, Morrison & Co, Zealand, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Zealand, Brookfield, Bengaluru

☆ UK's Asda to buy EG petrol stations unit in $2.9-bln deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Asda, Britain's third-largest grocer, and EG are both owned by brothers Zuber and Mohsin Issa and private equity group TDR Capital. The unit of around 350 petrol stations and over 1,000 food-to-go locations will be valued at 2.27 billion pounds. The deal will help spur Asda in its drive to overtake Sainsbury's (SBRY.L) and become Britain's No. 2 supermarket as it rolls out the Asda Express across the EG petrol estate. The Issa brothers bought Asda in 2021 and have already converted 166 EG sites to the "Asda on the Move" format.

LONDON/LISBON, May 19 (Reuters) - Portuguese insurer Fidelidade is exploring a potential stock market listing of its private healthcare subsidiary Luz Saude, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Luz Saude reported operating income of 599 million euros in 2022, a 10.6% jump from the year before, driven by growth in private healthcare services. They come after Fidelidade acquired the remaining 49% of Luz Saude it did not already own from parent Fosun in September. An IPO would mark a return of Luz Saude to the stock market after the healthcare group stopped trading on Euronext Lisbon in 2018. It could also awaken Europe's IPO market, after activity levels plunged last year on the back of soaring interest rates and economic uncertainty.

☆ UK's Boohoo profit halves as shoppers squeezed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - British online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOOH.L) reported a halving of annual core earnings as shoppers were hit by a cost-of-living crisis and many returned to physical stores post-pandemic. Sales at Boohoo and rival ASOS (ASOS.L) surged during COVID-19 when high street rivals were closed by lockdowns. But supply chain issues, higher product returns, competition from rivals like Shein and accelerating living costs have hit them hard. Boohoo does, however, expect an improved performance in its new financial year. It forecast 2023/24 revenue would be flat to down 5%, with a focus on profitable sales, and adjusted EBITDA of 69-78 million pounds, in line with market expectations.

LONDON, May 4 (Reuters) - Blackstone (BX.N) is weighing options for Spanish gambling company Cirsa, including an initial public offering (IPO), people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. buyout group recently invited proposals from investment banks to manage a possible share sale and refinancing of Cirsa's debt, said the people, speaking on condition of anonymity. An IPO would follow a public share sale by Italian peer Lottomatica (LTMC.MI), backed by Apollo Global Management (APO.N), whose shares began trading in Milan on Wednesday. Cirsa, a casino operator, posted 552.5 million euros ($609.24 million) in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for 2022. Based on Lottomatica's valuation, Cirsa could be worth several billions of euros, including debt.

☆ Leonardo posts lower Q1 profits and earnings, but orders rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, May 3 (Reuters) - Italy's state-controlled defence and aerospace group Leonardo (LDOF.MI) on Wednesday posted lower first-quarter profits and earnings, but reported a jump in orders and confirmed financial targets for 2023. Net profit stood at 40 million euros ($44.2 million) compared to 72 million euros 12 months earlier, while earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation (EBITA) fell year-on-year by 20.5% to 105 million euros. Revenues were flat at around 3 billion euros, while new orders rose by 28.5% year-on-year to almost 4.9 billion euros "in particular thanks to the excellent performance of helicopters," the company said in a statement. In a company-provided consensus forecast, they had expected a quarterly net profit of 48 million euros and EBITA of 120 million euros, but revenues were correctly predicted at around the 3-billion-euro mark. The 2023 guidance includes a forecast for new orders at around 17 billion euros, revenues in the 15-15.6 billion euro range, EBITA at 1.26-1.31 billion euros and group net debt of about 2.6 billion euros.

It may explore a private sale alongside a stock market listing, they added. An IPO might not take place until next year, as market conditions remain challenging for new listings, one person said. LimaCorporate, which designs orthopedic implants, posted revenue of 248.6 million euros ($274.5 million) for 2022, and adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 66.2 million euros. It also reported a yearly loss of 27.9 million euros after taxes. EQT was reported in 2020 to be working with advisers on a possible IPO or sale of the business, but a transaction never materialised.

☆ Indonesia's GoTo reports narrower Q1 loss, expects core profit in Q4
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Like many other tech companies, GoTo has been reducing its spending and laying off staff this year to ride out the global economic uncertainty. Group CEO Andre Soelistyo said in a statement the company was halfway towards becoming adjusted EBITDA positive in the fourth quarter. "A lower cost base will provide us with additional flexibility to allocate capital for the acceleration of growth in the future," GoTo Group CFO Jacky Lo said. GoTo posted a net loss of 3.9 trillion rupiah in the first three months of 2023, versus a loss of 6.6 trillion rupiah a year earlier. GoTo shares closed up 4.21% at 99 rupiah per share on Thursday before the earnings announcement.

☆ Universal Music reiterates AI concerns as quarterly profit slumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Universal Music Group (UMG.AS), the label representing Drake and Taylor Swift, on Wednesday posted a slump in first-quarter core profit due to compensation expenses, and reiterated concerns over AI-made music. Core profit, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), slumped 43.4% in constant currency to 261 million euros ($288.04 million), due to non-cash, share-based compensation expenses, part of an equity compensation plan announced last year. Excluding these expenses, adjusted EBITDA was 522 million euros, up 13.0% on the same basis, and beating a consensus cited by Credit Suisse which had expected 513 million euros. UMG's CEO, Lucian Grainge, has come under shareholder pressure over an "excessive" $100 million pay deal, The Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Labels now face challenges like slowing global revenue growth in recorded music, particularly in established markets like the U.S, while the emergence of AI-generated music adds to their concerns, as many laws do not currently deem the replication of artists' voices as strictly illegal.

☆ Jeronimo Martins' first-quarter profit jumps 59%, margin narrows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Patricia Vicente Rua | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, April 26 (Reuters) - Portugal's second-largest retailer Jeronimo Martins (JMT.LS) on Wednesday posted a 59% jump in first-quarter net income as higher prices to offset soaring inflation boosted sales, though its margins narrowed. The company booked a net profit of 140 million euros ($154.71 million) between January and March. Consolidated sales in the first three months of the year rose 23.4% to 6.8 billion euros, driven by its Biedronka chain in Poland, where sales increased 26% to 4.8 billion euros. Consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew 20.1% to 446 million euros in the quarter. The company plans to invest around 1 billion euros this year, 45% of which in Poland where it wants to open between 130-150 stores and remodel about 350 stores.

☆ Deutsche Boerse posts stronger-than-expected Q1 profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, April 26 (Reuters) - German exchange operator Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) on Wednesday said it posted a 12% rise in first-quarter net profit, a better result than analysts had expected, and that it may exceed its forecasts for 2023. Net profit attributable to shareholders was 473 million euros ($522.05 million), up from 421 million euros a year ago, the company said. Analysts had expected a profit increase of nearly 10% and a revenue increase of almost 14%. Deutsche Boerse was rosy on its outlook, saying that 2023 earnings would be at the upper end of its projected forecasts or "even slightly exceed it." Those forecasts are for full-year revenue of 4.5 billion-4.7 billion euros and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of 2.6 billion-2.8 billion euros.

☆ Portugal NOS' quarterly profit drops 15% as 5G capex ups amortisations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sergio Goncalves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, April 26 (Reuters) - Portuguese telecommunications firm NOS (NOS.LS) posted on Wednesday a 15% fall in first-quarter net profit as amortisation costs rose after strong investments to bring its fast-speed 5G network to almost everyone in Portugal. NOS, whose businesses include cable television and cinemas, made a net profit of 34.9 million euros ($38.55 million) between January and March. Consolidated revenue rose 2.2% to 381.4 million euros in the quarter from a year ago, of which 369.2 million euros were from its core telecommunications business. Its 5G network covered 88% of Portugal's population in March, said NOS, which a year ago was in the initial phases of the new technology roll-out. Operating costs rose 7% year-on-year to 869.9 million euros in the first quarter due to soaring inflation.

☆ Philips makes $631 mln provision for recall litigation costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Koninklijke Philips NV FollowAMSTERDAM, April 24 (Reuters) - Dutch health technology company Philips (PHG.AS) on Monday said it had set aside 575 million euros ($631 million) for possible litigation costs related to its global recall of respiratory machines. Amsterdam-based Philips is grappling with the fallout of a global recall of millions of respirators used to treat sleep apnoea, announced in June 2021 over worries that foam used in the machines could become toxic. The recall has knocked off around 70% of Philips' market value over the past two years as investors fear the costs of a string of lawsuits launched by concerned patients. Philips is still working on a settlement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is subject to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Philips also reported much better-than-expected first-quarter results, as core profit jumped almost 50%, to 359 million euros, and comparable sales were 6% higher than a year before.

☆ Philips’ convalescence has way longer to run
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation of 359 million euros beat analysts’ average estimate of 226 million euros, per Visible Alpha data. The recall of faulty breathing devices and ventilators means Philips needs to set aside another 575 million euros for lawsuits on top of over 1 billion euros last year, but that’s less than Bernstein analysts’ expectation of 2.4 billion euros. Still, probes by the U.S. Department of Justice and further claims from injured patients mean Philips may need to cough up more money. Jakobs still faces some fundamental questions: Philips’ 7% EBITA margin last year was way off rival Siemens Healthineers’ (SHLG.DE) 18%. That explains why the latter trades on 28 times its 2023 earnings, versus Philips’ 19 times.

Europe's biggest meal delivery company expects adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 275 million euros ($301.6 million) in 2023. It had in January forecast adjusted EBITDA of 225 million euros. Furthermore, the company said it expected its gross transaction value (GTV) growth to be in a range of -4% to +2% year-on-year in 2023. Just Eat Takeaway also said it launched a share buyback programme of up to 150 million euros to be completed by the end of the year, citing an improvement of future earnings per share and covering the company's obligations. Since its IPO in 2016, Just Eat Takeaway's share price lost close to 30% of its original value.

☆ Russia's Ozon reports 55% jump in 2022 revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, April 6 (Reuters) - Russian online retailer Ozon (OZON.O) on Thursday said its 2022 revenue jumped 55% to 277.1 billion roubles ($3.4 billion) but costs related to a major fire a fulfilment centre pushed it to a larger annual loss. Ozon's gross merchandise value (GMV) - the total value of goods and services sold by the platform - jumped 86% to 832.2 billion roubles ($10.30 billion), the unaudited financial results showed. Losses rose 2% to 58.2 billion roubles. For the fourth quarter of 2022, Ozon's GMV was up 67% at 296 billion roubles and losses shrank by 46% to 11.2 billion roubles compared to the same period of 2021, Ozon said. Revenue was up 41% year-on-year during the three months to 93.6 billion roubles.

☆ Ascential's consumer data unit draws interest from Apax, BC Partners - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Amy-Jo Crowley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Private equity firms including Providence Equity and Carlyle are also evaluating an offer for WGSN, two of the people said. Apax, Ascential, BC Partners, Carlyle, JPMorgan and Providence declined to comment. BC Partners has experience in owning information assets including the financial media and data firm Acuris, which it sold to Irish software firm ION Investment Group in 2019. Ascential generated 121.1 million pounds in adjusted EBITDA last year, up 36% from a year earlier. Revenue rose to 524.4 million pounds from 349.3 million pounds.

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