ABF.L - Associated British Foods plc
| Previous close | 2,659.00 |
| Open | 2,680.00 |
| Bid | 2,680.00 x 0 |
| Ask | 2,684.00 x 0 |
| Day's range | 2,669.00 - 2,692.00 |
| 52-week range | 2,078.81 - 2,704.27 |
| Volume | 1,059,215 |
| Avg. volume | 1,087,264 |
| Market cap | 21.051B |
| Beta (5Y monthly) | N/A |
| PE ratio (TTM) | 24.03 |
| EPS (TTM) | N/A |
| Earnings date | 21 Apr 2020 |
| Forward dividend & yield | N/A (N/A) |
| Ex-dividend date | N/A |
| 1y target est | 2,786.87 |
- Stockopedia
Why the Associated British Foods share price could go higher
Stockopedia’s own data points to a jarringly simple stock market truth amidst the daily whirlwind of financial data: share prices that have gone up tend to kee8230;
- Simply Wall St.
Why Associated British Foods plc's (LON:ABF) High P/E Ratio Isn't Necessarily A Bad Thing
This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios...
- Reuters - UK Focus
REFILE-LIVE MARKETS-Closing snapshot: It's not FOMO
Reach him on Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: danilo.masoni.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net CLOSING SNAPSHOT: IT'S NOT FOMO (1641 GMT) That's right, it's not Fear Of Missing Out, it's actually a Habit Of Missing Out for the STOXX 600, which ends the session up 0.19%, just one point from its record of 421.43 hit on January 9. YTD, the U.S. index is comfortably ahead of its European cousin with a rise of 2.3% versus 1.1% for the STOXX 600. The Dow Jones decided to keep celebrating the signing of the US-China ‘phase one’ trade deal, with momentum firmly on the index’s side.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-STOXX 600 missing out again
* European shares little changed * Wall Street posts new records * Results drive top movers: Pearson tanks, Hellofresh rallies * Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Danilo Masoni. Reach him on Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: danilo.masoni.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net STOXX 600 MISSING OUT AGAIN (1604 GMT) There's a party and the STOXX 600 isn't invited. While Wall Street is celebrating the trade deal, Morgan Stanley's fresh earnings and positive retail data with new record highs, the STOXX 600 is missing out again.
- Fool.co.uk
Forget the Cash ISA! I’d buy these 2 FTSE 100 stocks today to boost my State Pension
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- Bloomberg
Primark Emerges as Christmas Winner as Sales Rise Overseas
(Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.Primark’s first pet clothing line boosted Christmas sales, with the discount retailer crediting strong demand for unicorn, hotdog and bumblebee-themed outfits.Items for cats and dogs helped the company report a 4.5% sales gain in constant-currency terms in the last months of the year, the retail chain owned by Associated British Foods Plc said Thursday. Primark outperformed retailers such as Marks & Spencer Group Plc, whose gifting ranges failed to attract customers.Primark contributes more than half of its parent company’s profit, and its performance cheered investors after fears that lower traffic on Britain’s shopping streets over Christmas might have hurt sales. Shares of Associated British Foods rose as much as 3.2% in London.Although Primark’s comparable sales in the U.K. declined slightly, this was expected and was offset by a pickup elsewhere in Europe, particularly in France. Primark increased its market share in the U.K. with particularly strong sales in November and December despite a “soft market,” Finance Director John Bason said by telephone.The chain expects to open 18 stores this year, including one in the U.K. and its first outlet in Slovenia as well as a second store in Poland.In the U.S., where Primark has nine stores, sales grew on a comparable basis and Bason said the store in Brooklyn was “incredibly profitable.” Even though Primark had to make some changes to its early strategy in the U.S., including shrinking some stores, that did not hurt sales, he said.The recovery in continental Europe means Primark’s overall like-for-like sales in first quarter, which the company did not disclose, were slightly positive for the first time since 2017, according to Warren Ackerman and colleagues at Barclays Plc. They forecast “a landmark” 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) of profit for 2020.Another retailer, Halfords Group Plc, also delivered good news. The auto-supply and cycling company reported sales gains, led by its bike unit, and maintained its outlook on profit for the full year. That relieved investors, given that the chain has issued a profit warning a year ago and rebased its dividend from next year in order to invest in the business. The shares surged as much as 9.3%.To contact the reporter on this story: Deirdre Hipwell in London at dhipwell@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Eric Pfanner at epfanner1@bloomberg.net, Marthe FourcadeFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 2-FTSE 100 falls behind Europe as earnings disappoint
Underwhelming trading updates from Pearson and Whitbread broke a three-day winning run for London's main index on Thursday, while investors exercised caution amid a lack of clarity on some elements of the U.S.-China trade deal. The FTSE 100 drifted in and out of the red but ended 0.4% lower, underperforming the STOXX 600 which added 0.2%. The FTSE 250, however, eked out a 0.04% gain, helped by a strengthening of the pound as well as an 8% leap in Wood Group after the oilfield services provider forecast higher 2019 core earnings.
- Investing.com
Premarket London: Pearson Revenue Flat, CFO Departs; Whitbread Sales Dip
Investing.com - Here is a summary from the most important regulatory news releases from the London Stock Exchange ahead of the UK market open on Thursday 16 January. Please refresh for updates for UK market news from the LSE’s RNS on individual UK shares from FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and FTSE All-Share.
- Fool.co.uk
2 FTSE 100 dividend stocks I’d buy today to beat the State Pension
Rising dividend income makes these stocks the perfect buy-and-forget investments, I believe.
- Bloomberg
Horrid Holidays Can't All Be Blamed on Brexit
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Christmas 2019 should be consigned to the dustbin along with the crumpled wrapping paper and the wilted tree. That’s the message that has come in loud and clear from British retailers. And it caps off a miserable year. Total sales for 2019 fell by 0.1%, the worst year on record, according to the British Retail Consortium and KPMG.There’s no doubt consumers were cautious in the run-up to the holidays. But store groups can’t blame it all on Brexit. There were some own goals, too.Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc missed the halo effect from Black Friday by reining in promotions right as shoppers sought deals during the U.S-imported retail frenzy. Marks & Spencer Group Plc also hasn’t participated for the past few years. While it’s the right instinct to protect against diluting margins ahead of the holiday season, going too far to do so is painful too.John Lewis Partnership Plc warned that its profit would be “significantly lower” than a year ago, and parted company with the head of its department-store arm, Paula Nickolds. It’s hard not to think the privately held company’s challenges have been made worse by some of its own decisions, such as blindly sticking to its pledge to always be cheaper than rivals. Times have changed since the promise was made many years ago, and it’s become untenable in a market characterized by intense and constant discounting.But perhaps the performance by M&S is the most disappointing. After seeing some positive signs in women’s wear, it made a fashion faux pas in men’s clothing by getting too trendy for many of its customers. Its range of more contemporary, slim fitting shirts and suits weren’t on trend with its predominantly older shopper base, and it simply stocked too many small sizes than was reasonable.The high street stalwart also didn’t have the right Christmas gifts, having gone down market just as consumers were seeking more expensive items, such as cashmere sweaters, and more experiential gifts such as spa days. Consequently, M&S’s like-for-like sales in clothing and home furnishings fell 1.7% in the third quarter, worse than the consensus of analysts’ expectations for a 0.8% decline.The performance is particularly disappointing given that many of M&S’s key competitors, including Debenhams Plc, John Lewis department stores, Mike Ashley’s House of Fraser and Philip Green’s Arcadia, are not firing on all cylinders. And the self-inflicted damage wasn’t confined to clothing. Although demand for M&S’s Christmas food was strong, it wasn’t as pronounced as it had hoped. It misread the market, buying too much festive fare to make sure it had enough available and wound up with far too many leftovers once the holidays came to an end. Consequently, gross margins are expected to be at the lower end of expectations.The shares fell as much as 11.6%. It isn’t the first time M&S has messed up at Christmas. In the past, it suffered from problems at a key distribution center at Castle Donington in central England. This year that facility held up, but the new round of blunders is worrying. In contrast, other groups that have been operating quietly without hiccups, such as Tesco Plc, Greggs Plc and discount home-furnishings retailer Dunelm Group Plc, delivered solid performances. It will also be worth watching out for Associated British Foods Plc, which should have benefited from Primark’s strong selection of gifts and party dresses in the run up to the holiday.With any Boris bounce after the U.K. election proving elusive, 2020 is set to remain tough. The lesson from this Christmas trading season is that to prosper, retailers need to stick to their knitting, and ensure that their own actions don’t make an already difficult backdrop even worse.To contact the author of this story: Andrea Felsted at afelsted@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Melissa Pozsgay at mpozsgay@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She previously worked at the Financial Times.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
Macy's Still Has a Lot of Work to Do
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Give Macy’s Inc. a polite clap, and no more, for kicking off the retail holiday reporting season in reasonable style.The department store giant said Wednesday that like-for-like sales from company-owned stores fell 0.7% in November and December, compared with the year earlier period. That’s by no means stellar, but it was much better than its dismal third quarter, when same-store sales sank 3.9% and the company cut its profit forecast, leaving some investors to wonder whether its slew of turnaround efforts would ever be enough to revive an aging, challenged business.Fortunately for Macy’s, it looks like some of its initiatives — particularly revamping its top-performing stores and ramping up its online selection — did attract shoppers over the crucial holiday shopping period. The company said its digital business and the 150 stores that it has updated performed well. Investors reacted enthusiastically at first, sending Macy’s shares up as much 5 percent in early trading Wednesday, before tempering their optimism; the stock gave up most of its gains by mid-morning.That more measured response sounds right. True, the holiday performance was an improvement on the dire third quarter. But same-store sales were still negative. Macy’s must get back to increasing comparable sales and sustain this trend for investors to be convinced that its actions are paying off.There is no let up in the pressures facing department stores, which have been struggling to adapt to changing shopping habits while facing increasing competition from rivals that range from e-commerce giant Amazon Inc. to discount players such as TJX Cos., the corporate parent of TJ Maxx. Even Associated British Foods Plc’s Primark is making headway in the U.S.; its cheap chic is a challenge to mainstream clothing retailers and the off-price sector alike. All this comes as the consumer has remained relatively robust. Any retrenchment would make conditions even more difficult.Much will now rest on Macy’s investor day on Feb. 5. My colleague Sarah Halzack has argued that the strategy to be presented should include more store closures, and Macy’s has delivered this early. It said on Wednesday that it would be closing another 28 of its namesake outlets and one Bloomingdale’s. This builds on the 100 shutterings since 2016, and is the right strategy. But it may still not go far enough. At the end of the third quarter, the group had about 680 department stores under the Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s brands. That makes the strategic blueprint for reviving same-store sales growth even more crucial.Macy’s shares are down more than 40% over the past year, and trade on a forward price earnings ratio of about 7.5 times, a more than 30% discount to the Bloomberg Intelligence North American department store valuation peer group. To narrow the gap, Macy’s must show that its better-than-feared holiday showing isn’t another false dawn.To contact the author of this story: Andrea Felsted at afelsted@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at bewilliams@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She previously worked at the Financial Times.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Fool.co.uk
Which stocks should I buy in 2020?
I like the look of these FTSE 100 companies for 2020 investments as they seem to be focusing on what matters to their customers.
- Fool.co.uk
Best shares for January 2020
We asked our freelance writers to share their top stock picks for the month.
- Simply Wall St.
A Note On Associated British Foods plc's (LON:ABF) ROE and Debt To Equity
While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like...
- Fool.co.uk
3 FTSE 100 stocks I’d buy for 2020 and hold forever
G A Chester discusses three FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) stocks in the Warren Buffett mould, trading at discounts to their previous highs.
- Bloomberg
Boris Bounce Won’t Save Christmas for British Retailers
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Brits haven’t felt very much like shopping this year, and understandably so. There’s been political gridlock and upheaval, the repeated threat of a hard Brexit and an election in December for the first time since 1923. No wonder despite strong employment, and wage growth outpacing inflation, U.K. consumers have been acting as if they’re in a recession.As a result, Britain’s army of shoppers have been choosing more classic colors such as black, navy, gray and camel rather than trendy shades at high-street stalwart Marks & Spencer Group Plc. Families have put off buying new fridges and dishwashers until their old appliances broke down. And they’ve turned to discounters Aldi and Lidl when, in spite of it all, they wanted to start preparing for Christmas by filling their shopping carts with panettone and children’s toys. Even with a lift from the Black Friday frenzy, this has all added up to weak non-food sales, and sluggish demand at the big supermarkets.Against this background, the general election result can only be reassuring: a hard Brexit has likely been shelved and affluent shoppers can breathe a sigh of relief that they won’t face a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn. This should all bode well for trading over the coming weeks, the conclusion of the so-called Golden Quarter that captures the run up to the holidays and the merrymaking as well. There is now only one weekend left before Christmas. Last week was likely a slow one in malls and on high streets with the pending election and heavy rain. If the weather is good — cold crisp conditions are best — then shoppers could come out in force for last minute gifts.This upswing may come too late for some store groups. Black Friday sucked spending into November, so that may mean there is less pent-up demand to be released in December. Many consumers bought Christmas gifts when they were on special offer. Unless those deals generated sales that wouldn’t have happened anyway, the mark downs mean margins will have suffered.It’s a different story for supermarkets. Their peak period kicks off around now, and the days immediately before the holiday will be the biggest for food shopping. With Brits feeling slightly less nervous, they may be prepared to buy a nicer bottle of wine, or a pricey free-range turkey — or a vegan Wellington.The recovery in the pound should be helpful too. Retailers selling clothing, toys and electronics buy well over half of the stock they sell from suppliers in Asia, and pay for them in dollars. When sterling weakens, their input costs rise. As stores struggle to pass higher prices onto consumers, their margins get squeezed. A stronger pound should ease the pressure on profitability. What’s more, a large amount of capacity is coming out of the market, with the likes of M&S, Debenhams Plc and Philip Green’s Arcadia Group closing stores. Chains that have survived the tumultuous conditions should benefit.But even if shoppers do party like its 1999 — and that’s still debatable — retailers may not escape a New Year hangover.If Prime Minister Boris Johnson forces through his Brexit deal — which now looks increasingly likely — it is only the starting point for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, and negotiations for a comprehensive agreement with its largest trading partner. There’s also the toll that the uncertainty of the past three years has taken on an already fragile British economy. Businesses may have held back from investing, potentially storing up trouble for the future. And despite overall strong employment, there have been job losses. Consumers make the most drastic changes to their purchasing habits when they are made redundant or see their friends losing their jobs.So even a late surge won’t change the winners and losers this Christmas. Discount players such as Aldi and Lidl and Associated British Foods Plc’s Primark are still likely to be standout performers. Next Plc is doubling down on its strong online presence by selling other retailers’ brands, which should pay off. Bricks and mortar clothing retailers and department stores will be under pressure from both Amazon.com Inc. and specialist-fashion brands such as Boohoo Group Plc. Meanwhile, a revival over the next two weeks may not be enough to compensate for lackluster sales so far at Britain’s big supermarkets.The general election result should make this Christmas a little less dismal. But it won’t transform it from turkey into a cracker.To contact the author of this story: Andrea Felsted at afelsted@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Melissa Pozsgay at mpozsgay@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She previously worked at the Financial Times.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Fool.co.uk
3 FTSE 100 stocks I’d buy with £10k for 2020
These three FTSE 100 stocks offer the perfect mix of income and capital growth for 2020, writes this Fool.
- Reuters - UK Focus
Ex-divs to take 1.1 points off FTSE 100 on Dec 12
- Fool.co.uk
Can I invest in a cannabis stock for 2020 and beyond?
Is it possible to invest in a firm related to cannabis production here in the UK? Jonathan Smith takes a look.
- Simply Wall St.
Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF)'s Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend
Readers hoping to buy Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as...
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Closing snapshot: NFPs add to positive trade war news
* Wall Street strongly up Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Joice Alves. It was a good day for European stocks, as U.S. jobs data boosted the STOXX 600 up 1.2% and helped it recover from this week's heavy losses when we sank below the 400 points benchmark. London's FTSE 100 was likewise boosted - up 1.4% on the day - but down around 1.5% on the week overall.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-European bourses jump on U.S. job data
* Wall Street futures in the black Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Joice Alves. It is a very calm day but better-than-expected U.S. job data gave traders some comfort, helping European bourses accelerate gains. The pan-European index is now up 0.9% and the UK blue chip index is rising 1.1% after NFPs increased by 266,000 last month, beating the Reuters consensus of 180,000.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-The post Dec. 12 UK house-building bet
* Wall Street futures in the black Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Joice Alves. Marco Pabst, chief investment officer at Union Bancaire Privée believes UK homebuilders and could be a good bet. Thanks to their high dividend payments and the fact that the number of housing transactions in the UK still hasn't recovered to pre-crisis levels, stocks like Bellway, Persimmon , Taylor Wimpey, Redrow and Countryside Properties look attractive, he said.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Germany: No lipstick on the pig
* Wall Street futures in the black Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Joice Alves. Germany's industrial output fell unexpectedly in October casting fresh doubts over the country's economic health as the two heavy-weights of the industrial sector, the auto and machinery sector, are pushing down economic activity. UniCredit says the steep decline is bad but not catastrophic enough to lead the country into recession.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Selling bonds and rushing back into European stocks
Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Joice Alves. After 85-consecutive weeks of outflows, European equity funds have finally returned to inflows, Morgan Stanley analysts write this morning in a strategy note. "We think we will see a resumption of European equity inflows as global equity investors increase exposure to the region and European asset allocators move some funds from bonds to stocks", they write.
