United Utilities Group
UU.: 892.92 0.00 (0.00%)
| Bid Price | 0.00 | High Price | 0.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask Price | 0.00 | Low Price | 0.00 |
| Open Price | 0.00 | Spread | 0.00% |
| Prev Close | 893.00 | Volume | 0.00 |
United Utilities Group Share Price Chart
Intraday
Historic – 1 year
United Utilities Group Share Price Information
| Name | United Utilities Group | Epic | UU. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector | Gas, Water & Multiutilities | ISIN | GB00B39J2M42 |
| Activites | United Utilities plc was created from the merger of North West Water and Norweb in November 1995. It is the UK’s largest listed water company. It owns, operates and maintains utility assets, including water, wastewater, electricity and gas. | Security Type | Equity |
Key numbers
| Latest Share Price (p) | 0.00 | Net Gearing (%) | 75.48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap (£m) | 5,997.21 | Gross Gearing (%) | 77.28 |
| Shares in issue (m) | 681.89 | Debt Ratio | 75.54 |
| P/E Ratio | 15.09 | Debt-to-Equity Ratio | 0.91 |
| Divs per share (p) | 38.45 | Assets / Equity Ratio | 4.40 |
| Dividend Yield (%) | 4.39 | Price to book value | 2.22 |
| Dividend Cover | 1.42 | SROCE (%) | 3.20 |
| Earning per share (p) | 58.30 | EPS Growth (%) | 46.48 |
| 52-week high / low (p) | 1,091.00 / 853.50 | DPS Growth (%) | 1.99 |
United Utilities Group Broker Views
| Date | Broker | Rec. | Price | Old target price | New target price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Nov | JP Morgan Cazenove | Overweight | 892.92 | 1120.00 | 1120.00 | Reiterates |
| 24 Nov | Deutsche Bank | Buy | 892.92 | Reiterates | ||
| 16 Nov | Citigroup | Neutral | 892.92 | Upgrades | ||
| 16 Nov | Deutsche Bank | Buy | 892.92 | Reiterates | ||
| 19 Oct | Investec | Buy | 892.92 | 870.00 | 870.00 | Upgrades |
United Utilities Group Director Deals
| Date | Director | Type | Volume / Price | Trade Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep 2016 | Stephen Carter | Buy | 75 @ 1010.92p | £758.19 |
| 13 Sep 2016 | Steve Mogford | Buy | 37 @ 974.90p | £360.71 |
| 13 Sep 2016 | Russ Houlden | Buy | 37 @ 974.90p | £360.71 |
| 05 Aug 2016 | Alison Goligher | Buy | 3000 @ 995.40p | £29,862.00 |
| 03 Aug 2016 | Steve Mogford | Dividend Reinvestment Plan | 46 @ 1022.00p | £470.12 |
| 03 Aug 2016 | Russ Houlden | Dividend Reinvestment Plan | 46 @ 1022.00p | £470.12 |
| 13 Jul 2016 | Steve Mogford | Buy | 18 @ 1034.00p | £186.12 |
| 13 Jul 2016 | Russ Houlden | Buy | 17 @ 1034.00p | £175.78 |
| 20 Jun 2016 | Steve Mogford | Sell | 26570 @ 918.50p | £244,045.45 |
| 20 Jun 2016 | Steve Mogford | Transfer In | 56389 @ 0.00p | £0.00 |
| 20 Jun 2016 | Russ Houlden | Sell | 35578 @ 918.50p | £326,783.93 |
| 20 Jun 2016 | Russ Houlden | Transfer In | 35578 @ 0.00p | £0.00 |
| 14 Jun 2016 | Steve Mogford | Sell | 18 @ 948.99p | £170.82 |
| 14 Jun 2016 | Russ Houlden | Sell | 19 @ 948.99p | £180.31 |
United Utilities Group Company News
United Utilities dividend dates
United Utilities expects its interim dividend of 12.95 pence per ordinary share to be paid on 1 February. The dividend will be paid to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 16 December. The ex-dividend date is 15 December.
At 3:12pm: (LON:UU.) United Utilities Group PLC share price was +2.25p at 895.75p
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Investors unfazed by Autumn Statement
The blue chip index was flat following the Autumn Statement as investors were unimpressed by the UK government’s plans.
Property agents Foxtons (FOXT) suffered a 10% decline, while Countrywide (CWD) and LSL Property Services (LSL) fell by 5% after Chancellor Philip Hammond confirmed the government will crack down on letting fees.
Lettings specialist Belvoir Lettings (BLV) also slid 7.6% to 115p.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil slipped 0.2% to $47.92 and Brent crude oil retreated 0.3% to $48.94 per barrel, respectively.
Gold glittered at $1,213 per ounce, while copper climbed 2.3% to $5,732 per tonne.
FTSE 100 RISERS AND FALLERS
Utility provider United Utilities (UU.) nudged higher on a slight year-on-year increase in first half operating profit to £312.5m and a 1.1% hike in the dividend.
Property investor Hammerson (HMSO) was flat at 554p following a €587m deal to buy four outlet centres in Europe under its VIA Outlets joint venture.
FTSE 250 RISERS AND FALLERS
Travel operator Thomas Cook (TCG) flied into sunnier skies after announcing its first dividend in five years alongside full year results and ‘encouraging’ summer bookings for 2017. Profit after tax more than halved year-on-year to £9m, reflecting pressure from terrorist attacks, but this was in line with guidance.
The first set of results from respiratory drug specialist Vectura (VEC) since its merger with Skyepharma received a positive response. First half revenue was up 183% to £73.9m.
Online trading platform CMC Markets (CMCX) slumped 5% to 193p on a 29% fall in first half pre-tax profit to £18.8m due to lower client activity.
SMALL CAP RISERS AND FALLERS
Shares in industrial services firm Brammer (BRAM) shot up 69.5% to 165p on a recommended £221.5m cash offer from AI Robin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of funds managed by Advent International.
Software outfit ServicePower (SVR) soared 58% to 4p after last night’s revelation it would reject an offer from Jonas Computing and was in discussions with Diversis Capital over a 6p cash bid.
Creightons (CRL) jumped 13% as operating profit increased by nearly four-fold from £208,000 in 2015 to £799,000.
Financial services group Tavistock Investments (TAVI) raised up to £2.1m through a shares placing to meet the cash consideration for the acquisition of Price Bailey Financial Services.
Avocet Mining (AVM) delivered bad news to investors. It indicated the verdict from the court concerning whether a seized shipment of gold should be released back to the company was delayed until 19 December.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Estate agents hammered on letting fees speculation
The FTSE 100 rallied 0.3% to 6,840 after from a positive session on Wall Street overnight and ahead of the Autumn Statement today.
British American Tobacco (BATS) helped to bolster the blue chip index with a 0.7% gain.
Property agents Countrywide (CWD), Foxtons (FOXT) and LSL Property Services (LSL) suffered declines of up to 8% amid speculation that Chancellor Philip Hammond will crack down on letting fees.
Lettings specialist Belvoir Lettings (BLV) also suffered a fall of 6% to 117p.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil nudged higher to $48.18 and Brent crude oil advanced 0.3% to $49.28 per barrel, respectively.
Gold gained 0.2% to $1,213 per ounce, while copper cheapened 0.4% to $5,577 per tonne.
FTSE 100 RISERS AND FALLERS
Utility provider United Utilities (UU.) nudged 2.8% higher to 921p on a slight year-on-year increase in first half operating profit to £312.5m and a 1.1% hike in the dividend.
Property investor Hammerson (HMSO) was flat at 554.5p following a €587m deal to buy four outlet centres in Europe under its VIA Outlets joint venture.
FTSE 250 RISERS AND FALLERS
Travel operator Thomas Cook (TCG) flied into sunnier skies after announcing its first dividend in five years alongside full year results and ‘encouraging’ summer bookings for 2017. Profit after tax more than halved year-on-year to £9m, reflecting pressure from terrorist attacks, but this was in line with guidance.
The first set of results from respiratory drug specialist Vectura (VEC) since its merger with Skyepharma received a positive response. First half revenue was up 183% to £73.9m.
Online trading platform CMC Markets (CMCX) slumped 4.3% to 194.3p on a 29% fall in first half pre-tax profit to £18.8m due to lower client activity.
SMALL CAP RISERS AND FALLERS
Shares in industrial services firm Brammer (BRAM) shot up 69.3% to 165p on a recommended £221.5m cash offer from AI Robin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of funds managed by Advent International.
Software outfit ServicePower (SVR) soared 71.2% to 4.5p after last night’s revelation it would reject an offer from Jonas Computing and was in discussions with Diversis Capital over a 6p cash bid.
Financial services group Tavistock Investments (TAVI) raised up to £2.1m through a shares placing to meet the cash consideration for the acquisition of Price Bailey Financial Services.
Avocet Mining (AVM) delivered bad news to investors as it indicated the verdict from the court concerning whether gold should be released was delayed until 19 December. The initial seizure of the gold was lifted on 7 November, but the gold has yet to be released.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
FTSE races north ahead of Autumn Statement
London stocks raced higher in early deals, following on from gains on Wall St and ahead of UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond issuing his Autumn Statement amid the continuing Brexit muddle-through.
Soon after the open, FTSE 100 was up 48.79 points, or 0.72%, to 6868.51, while FTSE 250 was up 100.17, or 0.57%, to 17,779.2. At 8.39am, WTI crude was up 0.02% to $48.04/bbl and Brent was flat at $49.12. Gold was up 0.06% to $1211.9/oz.
Miners were again to the fore. Randgold (RRS) rose 2.19% to 5942.5p, while Glencore (GLEN) added 2.17% to 288.58p and Fresnillo (FRES) gained 1.87% to 1306p. More followed, as did several utilities after Severn Trent (SVT), up 1.76% to 2259p.
United Utilities (UU.), up 1.26% to 906.75p, has booked an H1 pretax profit of £158.4m, down from £215.6m a year earlier. The result was achieved on revenue of £853m, from £857m. Interim dividend was 12.95p a share, up 1.1%.
The overall positive tone to the FTSE was despite the looming presentation by Hammond, and caution may yet take root later in the session. For the moment, blue-chip risers outnumbered fallers about 88 to 12. Most sectors were represented to the upside.
Among the top-50 risers were multiple insurers and investment specialists, commercial property and pharmas, while supermarkets and big-ticket banks were mostly off the pace.
UK voted to quit the EU in a non-binding referendum in June. Since then, sterling has dived and inflation is on the up. Government hopes to trigger Article 50 have suffered setbacks in the courts, and it has yet to issue any kind of coherent, detailed plan for Brexit to the UK public.
BIGGER MOVERS
Brammer (BRAM), up 68.34% to 164.13p, has agreed a cash offer 165p a share from AI Robin, a subsidiary of funds managed by Advent International Corp. The offer values the company at £221.5m.
Tavistock Investments (TAVI), down 18.47% to 3.2p, intends to raise up to £2.1m via a placing and subscription of up to 70m new shares at or around 3p each. This is to satisfy the £2m cash consideration for Price Bailey Financial Services Ltd, which is part of the total £3.6m price tag.
Avocet Mining (AVM), down 13.97% to 49.25p, said that in connection with the gold seizure at the group’s Inata gold mine in Burkina Faso it has received a further indication from the court that a verdict on whether the gold should be released is to be deferred until Dec. 19.
LONDON HIGHLIGHTS
Richland Resources (RLD), up 8.33% to 1.63p, is pleased with the operational progress made during Q3, as the company once again achieved its production target as part of the ongoing ramp-up and development of the Carpricorn project.
Thomas Cook Group (TCG), up 7.68% to 79.2p, has posted a lower FY pretax profit of £42m, down from £50m a year ago. This was on revenue of £7.8bn, broadly unchanged on the year. Interim dividend was 0.5p a share, from nil.
MTI Wireless Edge (MWE), up 5.95% to 24.5p, subsidiary Mottech Water Solutions Ltd has received an order for energy and water resources management from a new customer in Tanzania.
Ilika (IKA), up 5.88% to 45p, is on course to meet analyst expectations for the 100% growth in materials development revenue relative to last year.
Paragon Group of Companies (PAG), up 4.42% to 378p, has improved its FY pretax profit to £143.2m, from £134.2m. Dividend totalled 13.5p a share, from 11.0p.
Finsbury Food (FIF), down 3.21% to 120.5p, said that, following the very strong growth of recent years, trading has been successfully maintained at these levels into the new financial year and performance is in line with expectation.
Vectura (VEC), up 3.32% to 151.15p, has materially widened its H1 pretax loss to £22.4m, from a loss of £5m. Revenue was much lower at £73.9m, from £26.1m, and amortisation of intangibles was £33.0m, from £9.3m.
Horizonte Minerals (HZM), up 3.09% to 2.5p, has been awarded three new mineral exploration concession areas, which increase its land position to a total of 132,278 hectares.
Other stocks in the news included CLS Holdings (CLI), TechFinancials (TECH), Allied Minds (ALM), Chapel Down (CDGP), International Public Partnerships (INPP), Softcat (SCT), HICL Infrastructure (HICL), Pantheon Resources (PANR) and Dee Valley Group (DVW).
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
United Utilities books profit
United Utilities has booked an H1 pretax profit of £158.4m, down from £215.6m a year earlier.
The result was achieved on revenue of £853m, from £857m.
Interim dividend was 12.95p a share, up 1.1%.
The company said it was on track to meet its 2015-2020 totex and outcome delivery incentives targets.
“This has been a strong first half performance in which we made significant progress towards meeting our customer, environmental and financial targets,” said CEO Steve Mogford.
“Customer service has again improved, resulting in our best score under Ofwat’s revised service incentive mechanism.
“We’re continuing to enhance our customer service offering and recently launched Priority Services, to provide dedicated support for those who are experiencing short or long-term personal or financial challenges.
“The acceleration of our capital investment programme continues to deliver early customer service and operational benefits.
“We have invested £383m in the first half of this year and remain on track to invest around £800m for the full year.
“Our Systems Thinking approach to running the business continues to drive innovation into our operations and we are rolling out further capability this year, including new process technology.
“Our environmental performance has remained consistently high and we were delighted to attain industry leading company status from the Environment Agency.
“Overall, we are encouraged by our progress in the early part of this regulatory period. We have a robust financial position and are confident that we can deliver our targets for both customers and shareholders.”
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
