MKS.L - Marks and Spencer Group plc
| Previous close | 193.20 |
| Open | 197.70 |
| Bid | 185.00 x 0 |
| Ask | 210.00 x 0 |
| Day's range | 197.65 - 202.60 |
| 52-week range | 161.35 - 306.20 |
| Volume | 8,279,215 |
| Avg. volume | 11,946,260 |
| Market cap | 3.927B |
| Beta (3Y monthly) | 0.81 |
| PE ratio (TTM) | 40.28 |
| EPS (TTM) | 5.00 |
| Earnings date | 6 Nov 2019 |
| Forward dividend & yield | 0.11 (5.89%) |
| Ex-dividend date | 2019-11-14 |
| 1y target est | 294.84 |
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 2-Strong U.S. jobs numbers, trade optimism bolster European shares
European shares closed higher on Friday, extending gains after impressive U.S. jobs data bolstered sentiment buoyed by positive statements from Washington regarding trade talks with China. The pan-European STOXX 600 index finished up 1.2%, helping erase nearly all of a tumultuous week's losses.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 1-Co-founders of fashion group Boohoo sell shares worth $183 mln
The co-founders of fast growing British online fashion retailer Boohoo, Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, have sold shares in the group worth 142.5 million pounds ($182.8 million), according to a regulatory filing on Thursday. Kamani and Kane, who founded the group in Manchester, northern England, in 2006, between them sold 4.3% of Boohoo's equity through a placing to institutional investors, reducing their combined holding to 15.8%. Kamani, the company's executive chairman, sold 35 million shares at 285 pence each, reducing his stake to 13.1%, while Kane, an executive director, sold 15 million shares at the same price, cutting her holding to 2.7%.
- Simply Wall St.
Are Insiders Buying Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) Stock?
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that...
- Bloomberg
Grocery-Packing Robots Are Aiming For World Domination
Ocado Group Plc’s new deal in Japan is appetizing, but it’s probably bitten off more than it can chew.(Bloomberg Opinion) -- The online grocer that’s specialized in automating how orders are filled said on Friday that it will provide Aeon Co. with its technology, initially in the region around Tokyo. It hasn’t put a value on the deal, but Ocado expects the contract to cover sales of about 1.5 billion pounds ($1.9 billion) by 2025, rising to about 7 billion pounds by 2035.To achieve that, analysts at Bernstein estimate that it will need to build about 20 automated warehouses, the same number envisaged in Ocado’s biggest deal to date with U.S. supermarket group Kroger Co.It’s not surprising that Ocado Chief Executive Officer Tim Steiner has been tantalized by licensing the company’s software in Asia. Japan is the world’s fourth-biggest grocery market, according to industry researcher IGD. There’s also potential in other parts of Asia.But Ocado already has a lot on its plate, not least the Kroger partnership, where success is crucial to enhancing its credibility with clients and investors alike.The shares slumped earlier this month on concerns that its roll-out at one of the U.S.’s biggest traditional grocery retailers was progressing slower than expected. Ocado is also facing a new challenge from startup Takeoff Technologies. Like Ocado, which was started by three former Goldman Sachs bankers, its executives have Wall Street as well as grocery industry experience. But, rather than building giant state-of-the-art warehouses, it concentrates on making the process of picking groceries directly off of supermarket shelves for home delivery more efficient. This model has also been favored by Tesco Plc in the U.K.Ocado sought to reassure investors recently that the relationship with Kroger was on track, announcing the sixth location for what in industry jargon is called a fulfillment center. But given the importance of this contract, the fact that the U.S. is still the world’s biggest grocery market and that the group had been chasing tie-up there for years, it would have been better to keep it as its priority.When it comes to the capital available for investing in these big international partnerships, shareholders can take heart. Ocado’s sale earlier this year of a 50% stake in its U.K. online grocery business to Marks & Spencer Group Plc for up to 750 million pounds, boosted its coffers.Ocado said it had 1 billion pounds of headroom. With each warehouse costing about 30 million pounds, it has scope to build 30. Even with all the recent contract wins, it doesn’t expect to have to build more than 30 distribution centers, so it should have enough capital for its current commitments. Management bandwidth is another story. Next year, Ocado will be juggling the Kroger contract, getting Aeon off the ground and overseeing the transition to M&S becoming its grocery supplier in the U.K. That’s a lot to do. And let’s not forget its other contracts with Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA in France, Sobeys Inc. in Canada and Coles Group in Australia.The Aeon contract will also require yet more developers to prepare the technology too. Ocado estimates it will need to take on an extra 400 people to get the job done.Investors shrugged off any such concerns on Friday, with the shares rising as much as 15%. But Ocado has a history of unexpected items in its bagging area, from not having enough capacity in its warehouses to a fire at one of its robotic fulfillment centers in the U.K. earlier this year. Over-filling its delivery box increases the risk of more unpleasant surprises.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.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 2-Ocado launches $642 mln bond issue to fund robotic warehouse deals
British online grocer and technology company Ocado has launched a 500 million pounds ($642 million) convertible bond offering, partly to fund the construction of robotic warehouses for its overseas partners, it said on Monday. While Ocado's retail business has only a 1.4% share of Britain's grocery market, its state-of-the-art technology has enabled it to win partnership deals with supermarket groups around the world, including Kroger in the United States, Casino in France and most recently Aeon in Japan. Ocado shares were, however, down 5.2% at 0836 GMT, as the bonds can be converted into shares.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 1-Japan's Aeon signs up Ocado in online grocery bet
TOKYO/LONDON Nov 29 (Reuters) - Japan's biggest supermarket group, Aeon Co Ltd has hired British online grocery pioneer Ocado to develop its e-commerce business, hoping to fend off rivals such as Amazon as more customers buy groceries online. Ocado shares leapt as much as 15% in early Friday trading as investors welcomed the latest partnership for the British company, whose technology deals have become more important than its original business of selling food online.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 2-Britain's Ocado to open first "mini" robotic warehouse
British online grocer Ocado will open its first "mini" robotic warehouse in Bristol, western England, by early 2021, it said on Thursday, signalling its warehouse technology can be rolled out more quickly and in a bigger range of locations. While Ocado's retail business holds only a 1.4% share of Britain's grocery market, its technology has powered the group's 8.1 billion pound ($10.4 billion) stock market valuation, enabling it to secure partnership deals with supermarket groups around the world, including Kroger in the United States.
- Investing.com
Premarket London: Ocado/M&S JV to Build First Fulfilment Centre
Investing.com -- Here is a summary of regulatory news releases from the London Stock Exchange on Thursday, 28th November. Please refresh for updates
- Reuters
M&S poaches Tesco executive for top clothing job
British retailer Marks & Spencer has appointed the chief executive of rival Tesco's F&F Clothing division to be the boss of its struggling clothing and home business, it said on Friday. M&S, one of the best known names in British retail, said Richard Price, 52, would re-join the group as managing director, clothing & home next year. The appointment sent shares in M&S up 2.7% by 1540 GMT, paring losses over the last year to 33%.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 2-M&S poaches Tesco executive for top clothing job
British retailer Marks & Spencer has appointed the chief executive of rival Tesco's F&F Clothing division to be the boss of its struggling clothing and home business, it said on Friday. M&S, one of the best known names in British retail, said Richard Price, 52, would re-join the group as managing director, clothing & home next year.
- Reuters - UK Focus
Marks & Spencer appoints Tesco exec as new clothing chief
- Reuters - UK Focus
REFILE-For British shoppers, November is the new Black Friday
“We’ve re-named Black Friday, November,” John Roberts, the chief executive of AO World, the online electrical appliances retailer, told Reuters. AO went live with Black Friday deals, such as a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer reduced from 449 pounds ($578) to 279 pounds, on Nov. 13 and some deals will run into December. Dixons Carphone, Britain's biggest electricals and mobile phones retailer, launched a first wave of promotions on Nov. 13 on products such as laptops, TVs and vacuum cleaners, and deals will run for a few days after Black Friday itself on Nov. 29.
- Bloomberg
Even DIY Cocktails Can't Help Brexit Blues
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- In the malaise of Brexit, Brits have been drowning their sorrows in gin and tonic. And rather than do it themselves, they’ve continued to call on the local handyman, fondly referred to as the white van man, to fix their bathroom taps.There were signs on Wednesday that that’s beginning to change.Fevertree Drinks Plc, maker of what Tatler magazine dubbed the ultimate mixers, said sales would be lower than expected this year while British home-improvement retailer Kingfisher Plc, owner of B&Q chain, said its third quarter was disappointing. Sales are even slowing at the previously fast-growing Screwfix, which primarily serves building professionals such as plumbers.They are not the only ones to bemoan the state of the British consumer.Both online appliance and electronics retailer AO World Plc and clothing and food stalwart Marks & Spencer Group Plc have cautioned that shoppers are behaving as if they are in a recession, despite wage growth running ahead of inflation and strong employment.For Fevertree, which rode the cocktail craze, the about turn has been particularly abrupt. Its shares reached an all-time high of almost 40 pounds in October last year on back of the gin boom. Up until this year, this had prompted the group to repeatedly increase its sales and profit forecasts.But fears have been mounting that we have reached “peak gin” with the shares almost halving from their high to about 21 pounds.Brits are still drinking when they go out to bars and clubs, but they’re not filling their shopping carts with the making for DIY cocktails. Part of the weakness is due to the comparison with summer 2018, when Britain was basking in a heatwave and enjoying a boost from England’s ride to the semi-finals of the World Cup soccer tournament.But it also reflects a more cautious consumer. With fewer reasons this year for a drink at home, more careful Brits don’t need as many mixers. And when they do have a tipple, they may choose a cheaper option than a pricey one made by Fevertree. That is not helped by increased competition such as a new premium mixer range from Schweppes, nor a general tendency by grocers to offer more promotions and discounts.Trading at Britain’s supermarkets has been subdued. While clothing retailers may have seen some revival in demand thanks to much colder weather than a year ago, that hasn’t been the case at the grocers. Supermarket sales were sluggish in October, according to data provider Kantar.Much will now depend on the crucial Christmas trading period. This year looks particularly challenging, given the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the forthcoming general election, scheduled smack dab at the height of the holiday shopping season.As for Fevertree, with the slowdown in the U.K., it is under more pressure to develop its business in the U.S. The company forecasts that sales there will rise 34% this year. With the U.K. still accounting for about half of group revenue, clearly this is not enough to offset the domestic weakness.Even with the sell-off over the past 12 months, the shares still trade on a forward price-earnings ratio of over 30, an about 50% premium to the Bloomberg Intelligence global valuation peer group. Fevertree sees the slow-down in its home market as a short-term blip. But with such a fizzy valuation, there’s not much scope for further disappointment.It could be a dry January in more ways than one.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
Why I believe Marks & Spencer shares could halve
Marks & Spencer stock has already tumbled nearly 70%, but Michael Taylor believes they will fall a lot more.
- Fool.co.uk
Calling ISA investors! Is this 6% dividend yield a better buy than a Cash ISA?
Should you plump for a Cash ISA or use your money to buy this FTSE 250 dividend stock instead? Royston Wild gives the lowdown.
- Fool.co.uk
Will penny stocks or Bitcoin make you rich? I think you need to look at this!
Don't be dazzled by the promise of spectacular short-term returns of Bitcoin or penny stocks, says Jonathan Smith.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 1-Britain's B&M puts loss-making German business under review
B&M European Value Retail wrote down the value of its loss-making German unit Jawoll and put it under review on Tuesday, sending shares in the British discounter sharply lower. Shares in B&M were down 7.4% at 0916 GMT, paring gains for 2019 to 24.3% as the performance in Germany overshadowed a solid first half from its main UK business. B&M, a general goods retailer selling everything from furniture to electricals to food, has grown rapidly.
- Fool.co.uk
Marks & Spencers share price drops 2%! Is now the time to buy?
After another set of disappointing results, is now the time to add some M&S shares to your trolley?
- Simply Wall St.
It Might Be Better To Avoid Marks and Spencer Group plc's (LON:MKS) Upcoming 2.1% Dividend
It looks like Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. This means that...
- Simply Wall St.
At UK£1.91, Is Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) Worth Looking At Closely?
Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS), which is in the multiline retail business, and is based in United Kingdom, saw...
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Closing snapshot: Not a bad day
* Earnings drive top movers Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Julien Ponthus. European stocks edged higher today as investors found some comfort on a scaling-back of recession bets amid optimism about a China-U.S. trade deal. With this string of not-great but good-enough news, the Euro stocks index hit its highest since February 2018, while European blue chips had their best day in two years with the banking sector enjoying its best session in six months.
- Reuters
Breaking up is too hard to do, says M&S chairman
The idea of splitting British retailer Marks & Spencer into two companies - one for clothing and the home, and one for food - is "completely impractical" and not in the board's current thinking, Chairman Archie Norman said on Wednesday. The 135-year-old M&S set out on its latest transformation plan, after over a decade of false dawns, shortly after retail veteran Norman became chairman in 2017 to work alongside Chief Executive Steve Rowe, who has been with the company for 30 years and became its boss in 2016. In May last year, Norman targeted sustainable, profitable growth in three to five years and has been instrumental in speeding up the pace of change, separating the internal reporting of the clothing and home division and food business.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Italy, the contrarian 2020 bet?
* Earnings drive top movers Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Julien Ponthus. Germany has long been dragging its feet on such a project that included a common deposit insurance scheme and clearly its new stance is a welcome development but, as always, there is a but and, of course, the devil is in the details.
