OCDO.L - Ocado Group plc
| Previous close | 1,335.00 |
| Open | 1,335.50 |
| Bid | 1,364.50 x 0 |
| Ask | 1,364.00 x 0 |
| Day's range | 1,303.00 - 1,386.00 |
| 52-week range | 994.01 - 1,559.50 |
| Volume | 2,464,680 |
| Avg. volume | 2,675,672 |
| Market cap | 9.736B |
| Beta (5Y monthly) | 1.14 |
| PE ratio (TTM) | N/A |
| EPS (TTM) | -29.40 |
| Earnings date | 11 Feb 2020 |
| Forward dividend & yield | N/A (N/A) |
| Ex-dividend date | N/A |
| 1y target est | 985.69 |
- Yahoo Finance UK
Morrisons to give staff £1,050 coronavirus bonus
Morrisons have told staff to expect a bonus of over £1,000 as coronavirus fears made March the biggest month on record for grocery sales.
- Yahoo Finance UK
Record £10.8bn spent on groceries in 'March madness'
A record £10.8bn was spent in supermarkets and corner shops over the last four weeks, according to market research firm Kantar Worldpanel.
- Fool.co.uk
Panic buying highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Ocado’s model
Ocado may have stumbled, but will a change to its systems help its shares in the years to come?The post Panic buying highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Ocado’s model appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
- Reuters - UK Focus
'Like Glastonbury tickets' - Britons chase online grocery slots in coronavirus crisis
British supermarkets are frantically trying to build up their online operations during the coronavirus emergency but no matter how hard they work they will not have enough capacity to meet unprecedented levels of demand. With Britain in lockdown, analysts estimate about 25% of food purchasing has switched from cafes, restaurants and bars to the grocery retail sector as people adapt to the new way of living. Prior to the health crisis about 8% of British grocery demand was ordered online, with 92% bought in stores.
- Bloomberg
For Once, Monoprix’s Owner Has Something Right
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- As lockdowns shutter stores and keep consumers cooped up at home, there will be many losers from the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus. But there will also be a few winners.Casino Guichard Perrachon SA, the French supermarket operator that’s been a target for short-selling hedge funds, is emerging as a beneficiary, in line with other grocers seeing a frantic stockpiling of food on both sides of the Atlantic.While Casino’s complex financial structure has long been a source of consternation, there are some jewels in its highly leveraged crown. These are the Monoprix and Franprix chains, both of which have strongholds in Paris.Between its brands, Casino has more than 40% of the Paris market, compared with 11.5% nationally, according to Charles Allen, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Much of French capital is served by small supermarkets, such as Franprix, which average around 5,300 square feet. This format has been particularly strong over recent weeks, as Parisians, like city dwellers worldwide, don’t want to venture too far from their homes to stock up on groceries. And while Monoprix’s clothing range will be under pressure, demand for food has rocketed.Casino should be able to capitalize on a boom in home delivery too. The company sells through Amazon and it just began testing an online grocery service with Ocado Group Plc. Its online non-food business Cdiscount is also expanding its grocery offer, and may benefit from increased demand for all kinds of electronics as people are forced to work from home.But as ever with the company controlled by Jean-Charles Naouri, things aren’t straightforward. Despite the upswing, Casino on Thursday gave no guidance and suspended its three-year targets, saying the coronavirus pandemic makes predictions impossible. Although free cash flow before disposals improved, the company’s ability to deliver cash in France has been disappointing over the past couple of years. While frantic shoppers in today’s environment should give Casino a boost, its weak cash generation and high leverage shouldn’t be overlooked. Moves to sell and lease back stores over the past two years add rental payments to its financial obligations.Net debt in France fell from 2.7 billion euros to 2.3 billion euros in 2019, helped by the asset sales. But overall borrowings rose from 3.4 billion euros to 4.1 billion euros, after Casino used debt to finance the simplification of its structure in Latin America.What’s more, Casino has decided to hit pause on its disposal program as it grapples with “unprecedented demand,” both in its stores and online. Still on the list to be offloaded is the Geant hypermarket business.The company is in the midst of a 4.5 billion-euro divestment program, having struck 2.8 billion euros of deals so far. Of this, about 1 billion euros worth have been signed, but not yet completed. When these transactions cross the finish line, Casino should be able to repay bonds due in 2021 and 2022. Still, Casino must agree another 1.7 billion of disposals to reach its targets. It’s confident it will still achieve them in time and it’s done a good job so far, with a better-than-expected price just this month from selling its Leader Price chain to German discount rival Aldi for example. But conditions could be rockier from here given the economic fallout from the coronavirus.The disposal program is important for both Casino and its parent Rallye, Naouri’s investment group. The proceeds are key for Casino to be able to resume paying dividends, and Rallye, which owns 52% of Casino, is counting on them. The debt-laden Rallye agreed a restructuring plan with the French courts last month that gives it 10 years to pay back 2.9 billion euros.Although the shares initially fell as much as 7.75% on Thursday, they ended up 1.7%, cementing their outperformance over the past month. So investors seem convinced it will continue to benefit from the current crisis. But as long-time followers of Casino know, even when the chips are looking up, there are always more spins to come.(Corrects Thursday’s share price move in final paragraph.)This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of 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.
- Reuters
Nobody will starve in coronavirus crisis, says chairman of Britain's Ocado
There is no shortage of food in Britain and nobody will starve during the coronavirus emergency, said the chairman of online supermarket Ocado who believes he himself has been infected. Britain's supermarket sector is dealing with unprecedented demand during the outbreak as consumers stock-up, fearing a prolonged period of isolation, while schools, pubs, cafes and restaurants have been forced to close. Rose, 71, who is also a former chairman and chief executive of clothing and food retailer Marks & Spencer, has been in self-isolation after suspecting he had contracted the virus.
- Fool.co.uk
Should you buy the only FTSE 100 stock to rise in the 2020 market crash?
Ocado is the lone riser in the FTSE 100 during the market crash of 2020, is this enough of a reason to buy shares in the online supermarket company?The post Should you buy the only FTSE 100 stock to rise in the 2020 market crash? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Only 2.5% of STOXX in plus over last month
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Closing snapshot: What can unlimited cash buy these days?
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Corona winners: Life support, casino, online grocers
- Fool.co.uk
This FTSE 100 stock is up 36% in the stock market crash. Here’s what I’d do now
This FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) growth hero continues to defy the stock market crash.The post This FTSE 100 stock is up 36% in the stock market crash. Here's what I'd do now appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
- Yahoo Finance UK
Coronavirus: Ocado closes website amid 'unprecedented strain'
Ocado said the shutdown would be temporary 'while we scale ability to serve the unprecedented use of our customer interfaces.'
- Reuters - UK Focus
Ahead of expected London shutdown, shoppers queue in the rain
British shoppers were queuing around the block early on Thursday morning to buy basic goods such as bottled water and tinned goods ahead of an expected toughening of measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Reuters reporters saw more than 100 people queuing in the rain before the 7 opening of a large Sainsbury's store in Clapham Common, south of the river Thames, while a few miles away in Vauxhall queues snaked around another Sainsbury's store. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has joined the country's biggest supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons in urging shoppers not to stockpile, but the pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
- Bloomberg
Ocado Suspends Website as U.K. Shoppers Stockpile Groceries
(Bloomberg) -- Ocado Group Plc has temporarily closed its website as it struggles to cope with demand from shoppers trying to stockpile groceries.The U.K. online grocer closed its site until Saturday as it faces a “simply staggering amount of traffic” and is trying to catch up with orders. The site also won’t accept new customers for the time being because it wouldn’t be able to keep up.The closure will allow the company to “complete essential work that will help to make sure distribution of products and delivery slots is as fair and as accessible as possible,” Melanie Smith, chief executive officer of Ocado Retail, said in a statement.Growing fears about the new coronavirus pandemic have prompted stockpiling, even though the British government and grocers have reassured consumers that there is enough food to go around. Ocado said basket sizes have been increasing, with growth in the second quarter so far at twice the rate of the first. The website now has a system by which customers wait in line to be able to order.The stock traded 2.5% higher at 8:18 a.m. in London, bringing the five-day gain to 34%.Britain’s two biggest supermarkets -- Tesco Plc and J Sainsbury Plc -- have recently introduced limits of three items on grocery products in an effort to try to ease the pressure on their supply chains. Other grocers have also introduced rationing. Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc said this week that it planned to hire more workers as it expands its home delivery service to meet demand.Ocado said its retail revenue had risen 10% in the 13 weeks to March 1. The real surge in demand came since then.(Updates with shares)For 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.
- Fool.co.uk
These 2 FTSE 100 stocks are winners in a stock market crash
Jabran Khan explores two stocks that present a long-term opportunity.The post These 2 FTSE 100 stocks are winners in a stock market crash appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
- Reuters
UK online supermarket Ocado says coronavirus boosting demand
British online supermarket Ocado said growth in the last three weeks was double that of its first quarter, as panicked shoppers stock up on goods ahead of an expected shutdown to tackle the coronavirus. The pioneer of online shopping said it had been forced to stop registrations from new customers and impose a queuing system online after it saw a several hundred percentage increase in web traffic. Ocado said its guidance for Retail Revenue growth in full-year 2020 of 10-15% was unchanged, at this point, as it believes there is a large element of forward buying, leading to disruption further down the line.
- Reuters
Ocado closes access to website until March 21
British online supermarket Ocado has closed access to its website until March 21 as it struggles to deal with "a simply staggering amount of traffic" because of the coronavirus, it said on Wednesday.
- Reuters - UK Focus
Britain's Ocado closes access to website until March 21
British online supermarket Ocado has closed access to its website until March 21 as it struggles to deal with "a simply staggering amount of traffic" because of the coronavirus, it said on Wednesday.
- Fool.co.uk
As the stock market crash continues, I’d invest in these FTSE 100 winners
The stock market crash continues. But I'm betting on these stocks (and companies) that are racing ahead.The post As the stock market crash continues, I'd invest in these FTSE 100 winners appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
- Bloomberg
The FTSE 100’s Only Riser of 2020 Is An Online Grocery Provider
(Bloomberg) -- With coronavirus worry sending equity markets plunging, only one stock in the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is showing a gain on the year.Ocado Group Plc has risen 7.6% since the end of 2019 on recognition that the online grocery firm is set to benefit from increasing demand for deliveries to the home during the pandemic. More than that, the potential for long-term change in shopping habits brought about by the virus outbreak is attracting investors to the company’s position as a leading global provider of technology for Internet-based grocery shopping.“Globally, online grocery has surged, but increased demand has highlighted the inadequacy of manual picking operations,” Berenberg analysts including Thomas Davies wrote in a note. “We believe grocers will recognize the need for automated fulfilment. Ocado is primed to capitalize.”Ocado has been shifting focus in recent years to providing supermarket chains worldwide with technology solutions. The aim is to make its warehouse robotics and grocery home-delivery technology available to other supermarkets for a licensing fee.Berenberg isn’t the only one that’s optimistic about Ocado’s prospects. Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne sees the potential for the U.K. company’s shares to be valued at between 40 pounds and 100 pounds by 2030 on the assumption that more warehouses will be built globally, kitted out by Ocado. The stock was trading at 13.62 pounds as of 10 a.m. in London.Ocado’s recent equity outperformance is nothing new. The shares have risen more than fivefold since the company announced a technology licensing deal with France’s Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA in 2017. Since then, it has signed similar agreements with Canada’s Sobeys Inc., Sweden’s ICA Gruppen AB, Kroger Co. in the U.S. and Coles Group Ltd. in Australia.A trading update scheduled for Thursday could provide a further positive catalyst, according to Berenberg. A trip to the company’s Erith warehouse about two weeks ago shows average basket sizes have increased by 25%, the broker said.For 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
LIVE MARKETS-Opening snapshot: In the red
You can share your thoughts with Thyagaraju Adinarayan (thyagaraju.adinarayan@thomsonreuters.com), Joice Alves (joice.alves@thomsonreuters.com) and Julien Ponthus (julien.ponthus@thomsonreuters.com) in London. European stocks opened well into red but less than what futures suggested just an hour or two ago. The STOXX 600 was nevertheless down 2.8% despite Wall Street pulling off a 6% jump yesterday thanks to the hundreds of billions of dollars pledged in the U.S. and worldwide to cushion the hit of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-The surprise stock in the black
* Fed, ECB coordinated emergency move fails to reassure * STOXX 600, FTSE 100 extend losses * Shares in holiday operator TUI plummet 30% Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters. You can share your thoughts with Thyagaraju Adinarayan (thyagaraju.adinarayan@thomsonreuters.com), Joice Alves (joice.alves@thomsonreuters.com) and Julien Ponthus (julien.ponthus@thomsonreuters.com) in London. THE SURPRISE STOCK IN THE BLACK (1318 GMT) Cigarette maker Imperial Brands gained a eye-popper 6% this morning and is now up about 1% while most European shares are in free fall and only a handful of stocks are trading in the black across Europe.
