This week is filled with busy results announcements for London-listed companies, with big names like Barclays and NatWest, AstraZeneca and GSK, Unilever and Reckitt Benckiser, as well as US tech giants such as Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta Platforms all sharing updates.
Moreover, there are also updates from other notable companies like Primark and Premier Inns’ owners, Sainsbury’s, London Stock Exchange Group, and commodities giants Glencore and Fresnillo, among others.
Though economic news is relatively quieter this week, it includes updates on UK government borrowing and house prices, along with US GDP and consumer confidence. Additionally, there’s a Bank of Japan rate decision for macro fans who are interested.
Monday, April 24th, seems to be a quiet day, providing ample attention to CentralNic, a domain name, hosting, and monetization software provider. CentralNic recently reported in-line annual results, and is now releasing a trading update.
Prior to the announcement, broker Numis granted CentralNic a ‘buy’ rating and set a price target of 180p, while the current price stands at around 124p.
Notable announcements for Monday include trading updates from CentralNic Group PLC (AIM:CNIC), interim results from Lok’n Store PLC, and final results from Frenkel Topping Group (AIM:FEN) PLC. Moreover, CentralNic Group PLC’s AGM will also take place on Monday.
In the US, companies such as Coca-Cola Co, Activision Blizzard Inc (NASDAQ:ATVI), and First Republic Bank (NYSE:FRC) will release their earnings.
Tuesday, April 25th, several of London’s blue-chip companies, including Primark owner Associated British Foods PLC (LSE:ABF), will have a chance to impress investors. The focus will be on whether ABF’s recent trading update and outlook statement can overshadow the first-half numbers, as the shares are still down by over 20% from pre-pandemic levels.
Whitbread PLC (LSE:WTB), on the other hand, will report full-year results, and new CEO Dominic Paul will face his first assessment from investors as they scrutinize his ability to control costs and meet pre-pandemic profit levels.
Later in the day, Google owner Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is expected to release mixed results, while Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has both bulls and bears making convincing statements.
Tuesday’s notable announcements include trading updates from IWG PLC (LSE:IWG), Jupiter Fund Management PLC (LSE:JUP), Travis Perkins (LSE:TPK) PLC, and WAG Payment Solutions PLC (LSE:WPS). Moreover, Associated British Foods PLC, Avacta Group PLC (AIM:AVCT), Focusrite PLC (AIM:TUNE), and several other companies will report interim or final results.
AGMs will be held by Aquis Exchange Ltd, Beazley PLC (LSE:BEZ), CLS Holdings Plc (LSE:CLI), Entain PLC (LSE:ENT), and others. Economic announcements include Public Sector Net Borrowing (UK), House Price Index (US), Consumer Confidence (US), and New Homes Sales (US).
Additionally, US companies like McDonald’s Corp, 3M Co (NYSE:MMM), General Electric (NYSE:GE) Company, and Visa Inc (NYSE:V) will release their earnings.
Wednesday, April 26th, will see Standard Chartered PLC (LSE:STAN) become the first FTSE 100 bank to report first-quarter results. After disappointing earnings last time, the bank received a modest round of applause for its better-than-expected dividends and buyback news.
Man Group PLC (LSE:EMG), in the financial sector, has received an upgrade ahead of its first-quarter update, although performance fee expectations for the hedge fund group have fallen sharply following a difficult March.
GSK PLC (LSE:GSK, NYSE:GSK) will also report its first-quarter results, hot on the heels of the US$2bn acquisition of Bellus Healthcare. Analysts believe the first Zantac JCCP case scheduled for July is masking the attractive growth outlook for the group.
Meanwhile, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB) faces investors after significant staff cuts and with big questions surrounding its AI plans and metaverse missteps.
Notable announcements for Wednesday include trading updates from Fresnillo PLC (LSE:FRES), Glencore PLC (LSE:GLEN), GSK PLC, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (LSE:RKT, ETR:3RB), and Smith & Nephew PLC (LSE:SN). Additionally, several companies will report interim or final results, such as 1Spatial (AIM:SPA) PLC, Biome Technologies PLC (AIM:BIOM), Sanderson Design Group PLC (AIM:SDG), and Warpaint London PLC (AIM:W7L). AGMs will be held by Alfa Financial Software Holdings Ltd, Anglo American PLC (LSE:AAL), Persimmon PLC (LSE:PSN), and many more.
Economic announcements include MBA Mortgage Applications (US), Durable Goods Orders (US), and Crude Oil Inventories (US). Moreover, US companies such as The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), CME Group (NASDAQ:CME), and ServiceNow Inc will report their earnings.
Thursday, April 27th, will see London’s most valuable company, AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN), report its quarterly statement. Analysts will focus on whether the main growth-driving drugs have improved after a soft finish to last year, along with news on upcoming drug trial updates.
Barclays PLC (LSE:BARC) will be the second bank to report its results, with rising interests creating crosswinds for the group, benefiting the traditional banking arm and leading to mixed performance for investment banking.
For J Sainsbury PLC (LSE:SBRY), the supermarket will release its full-year results just as the spotlight is fixed on how supermarkets are profiteering from inflation. Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR) has also been hiking prices, and analysts see this as a crucial tool for the company.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) will be the biggest name reporting earnings on Thursday after the closing bell in New York, with expectations at a low point. The focus will be on profit margins and the cloud business, AWS, after cracks were seen at the end of last year.
Notable announcements on Thursday include trading updates from Currys PLC (LSE:CURY), Howden Joinery Group (LSE:HWDN) PLC, Inchcape PLC (LSE:INCH), and Taylor Wimpey PLC (LSE:TW.), along with several other companies. Novacyt Group, J Sainsbury PLC, and Shield Therapeutics PLC (AIM:STX, OTCQX:SHIEF) will release their finals. AGMs will be held by Admiral Group, AstraZeneca PLC, and others. Economic announcements include Continuing Claims (US), Initial Jobless Claims (US), and Pending Homes Sales (US). Moreover, US companies such as Caterpillar Inc, Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA), and Merck & Co will report their earnings.
The last Friday of the month will bring a relatively quiet results day, with NatWest Group PLC being one of the few companies releasing its quarterly statement. Recently, the lender has been in the news as one of the biggest hedge fund firms in the world, London-based Marshall Wace, took a record short position in the bank, amounting to £155.6mln, the largest disclosed short position against the bank since records began in 2012.
The results of NatWest and other banks will be scrutinized by an influential parliamentary committee for excess profits, as banks are criticized for being slow to raise interest rates on their savings accounts and quick to increase mortgage rates, as well as penalizing loyal customers in comparison to new ones.
Significant announcements on Friday 28
Trading updates: Computacenter PLC (LSE:CCC), Industrials REIT Ltd (LSE:MLI, JSE:MLI), Rotork PLC (LSE:ROR), Smurfit Kappa Group plc (LSE:SKG), NatWest Group PLC,
Finals: James Fisher & Sons PLC (LSE:FSJ), Morgan Advanced Materials plc (LSE:MGAM), Puretech Health PLC
AGMs: Audioboom Group PLC (AIM:BOOM), BBGI Global Infrastructure S.A., Bellevue Healthcare Trust PLC (LSE:BBH), Everest Global PLC, GetBusy PLC (AIM:GETB), Greencoat Renewables PLC (LSE:GRP), Greencoat UK Wind PLC (LSE:UKW), Hikma Pharmaceuticals, JPMorgan Claverhouse Investment Trust PLC, Kingspan Group PLC (LSE:KGP), Minoan Group PLC (AIM:MIN), Pearson PLC (LSE:PSON), Rotork PLC, Smurfit Kappa Group PLC, Symphony International Holdings Ltd, Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX:WDS, LSE:WDS, OTC:WOPEF)
Economic announcements: Employment Cost Index (US), Personal Consumption Expenditures (US), Personal Income (US), Personal Spending (US), Chicago PMI (US), U. of Michigan Confidence (Final) (US)
US earnings: Aon PLC, Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), Exxon Mobil
