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Overview of Ashtead Group PLC
Ashtead Group Plc (LON:AHT) is an equipment rental company having international footprints. With the business operations across the United States and Canada, the company provide a range of industrial and construction equipment on rental basis. Its equipment are generally used to drill, scrub, pump, lift, generate, dig, power, ventilate and heat, among other things.
AHT – Recent Trends
As per the company’s information, the operations of Ashtead Group are less impacted from the coronavirus pandemic. But its trading volumes have reportedly been negatively impacted due to the ongoing economic crisis. The Group, however, confirmed that all essential measures to mitigate the risk across its business units, including its speciality businesses, are well in place. The reasons mentioned below are the crucial points that have helped the company to be in an uptrend on the London Stock Exchange.
- The company’s US, UK, and Canada business units are open and active during the coronavirus emergency.
- Rental-only revenue of Sunbelt US has increased by 2 per cent in March 2020 as compared to the previous year. Also, broader-based speciality businesses (US speciality business excluding Oil and Gas division) are anticipated to be 9 per cent higher in April 2020 as compared to last year.
- Despite the uncertain business scenario, the group reported to be free cash flow positive throughout the next financial year with availability well above the threshold of $460 million.
- In early March 2020, the company incorporated several rapid measures in response to the coronavirus-induced economic downturn. It included cutting down planned expenditures, suspending merger & acquisition activity, putting share repurchase programme on hold, freeze new hires and reducing discretionary employee expenses.
- For the year ending 30 April 2020, the company expects underlying profit before tax to be £1,050 million.
AHT - Share Price Performance As on 28 April 2020, Ashtead’s stock price is trading at GBX 2,112.0, up 6.40 per cent or GBX 127 from the previous close, as at 2:08 PM GMT. In last 52 weeks, the stock achieved a maximum price of GBX 2,797.0 on 20 February 2020, whereas the company’s stock posted the lowest price of GBX 1,010.0 on 19 March 2020 in the last one year.
Overview of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (LON: IHG) is a leading hotel chain in the global travel and leisure sector. The company has around 5,903 hotels across Europe, Americas, Greater China, Asia, Middle East, Africa and Central. It operates a wide range of hotel brands that includes Holiday Inn, Kimpton, and Staybridge Suites Hotels, among others.
IHG – Recent Trend
The stock of InterContinental Hotels has been surging upwards since 7 April 2020 with the new market announcements released by the group. In latest update, the company announced that it has secured new funding arrangements for boosting its liquidity position, which helped the company’s stock to trend upsurge by 3.98 per cent on 27 April 2020. The other key highlights supporting the upward trajectory of the stock includes:
- IHG now is well positioned with the availability of $1.35 billion of cash on deposit and $660 million presently undrawn in existing bank facilities. This takes the company’s total liquidity to ~$2 billion.
- The market estimates the profit of the company to grow over 50 percent in the coming years.
- The stock trades at a beta of 1.33, reflecting higher volatility compared to the benchmark index which helps the investors to trade with a wider room of liquidity.
IHG - Share Price Performance
As on 28 April 2020, the stock price of IHG is trading at GBX 3,640, up 1.08 percent or GBX 39.00 from the previous close, as at 2:12 PM GMT. In last 52-weeks, the stock achieved a maximum price of GBX 5,770 on 30 July 2019, whereas the company’s stock posted the lowest price of GBX 2,161.0 on 19 March 2020 in the last one year.
Overview of Novacyt SA
Novacyt SA (LON:NCYT) is a France based biotechnology company. It is a global specialist in cancer and infectious diseases that provides dedicated market solutions in the areas of liquid-based cytology and molecular biology. The other major fields of company’s operations include diagnostics product expansion, manufacturing, contract design and commercialisation.
NCYT – Recent Trends
The company has marked a 52-week high this month on the back of COVID-19 fallout that has taken the stock on upward trajectory since January 2020. On 28th January 2020, the company declared that it is in the last phase of creating new molecular novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) test, which helped the company’s stock to trend upward. From January 2020, the company’s stock is significantly increased with the sequence of announcement related to the COVID-19, which includes US FDA Emergency Use Authorization for company’s COVID-19 diagnostic test. Let’s take a glimpse on a few of the statement which helped the company’s stock to trend upward. The announcements are as follows:
- On14 February 2020, the company announced that its subsidiary, Primerdesign Limited would introduce a CE-Mark approved novel coronavirus test on 17 February 2020.
- On 12 March 2020, the company announced that Primerdesign got the orders of over £2.3 million of its research use only and CE-Mark novel coronavirus tests.
- On 8 April 2020, the company announced its partnership with University of Cambridge, GSK and AstraZeneca, to help UK national effort to enhance novel coronavirus testing.
- On 27 April 2020, the company made an agreement with Health & Social Care of the UK Department for delivering novel coronavirus tests.
NCYT - Share Price Performance
(Source: Thomson Reuters)
As on 28 April 2020, the stock price of NCYT is trading at GBX 404.52, down by 2.53 per cent or GBX 10.48 from the previous close, as at 12:27 PM GMT. In last 52 weeks, the stock achieved a maximum price of GBX 529.0 on 16 April 2020, whereas the company’s stock posted the lowest price of GBX 6.03 on 14 October 2019 in the last one year.
Overview of Redrow PLC
Redrow Plc (LON:RDW) is a publicly listed company that deals in residential housing development. The company is one of the prominent premium builders in the United Kingdom. The company provide specilaised services and advisory in assisting people to buy home.
RDW – Recent Trends
The company’s stock has shown excellent performance during April 2020. The upsurge in the stock price is mainly due to recent news of the company, in which, it declared that Redrow PLC has now positively settled negotiations with its six relationship banks related to the demand for £100 million extra funding under its existing Revolving Credit Facility (RCF). Now, the company has, committed facilities of £350 million under RCF which would mature in December 2020. Further, the stock of the company surged up by 10.34 percent on 27 April 2020 after the release of the company’s market announcement that included:
- In April 2020, the company earned £62 million of cash from legal completions.
- The company has an order book of more than £1.3 billion, out of which £0.9 billion is contracted.
- For safeguard the cash flow in the company, the land payments have been deferred into 2021 and beyond.
RDW - Share Price Performance
As on 28 April 2020, the stock price of RDW is trading at GBX 471.20, up by 2.97 per cent or GBX 13.60 from the previous close, as at 12:31 PM GMT. In last 52 weeks, the stock achieved a maximum price of GBX 850.76 on 20 February 2020, whereas the company’s stock posted the lowest price of GBX 293.0 on 19 March 2020 in the last one year.
Overview of SIG PLC
SIG Plc (LON:SHI) is one of the prominent European material suppliers for specialist building. The company employs nearly 8,300 staffs throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and Mainland Europe. It operates in three core product areas, i.e. Roofing & Exteriors, Air Handling and Interior & Insulations.
SHI – Latest Trend
The stock of the company fell drastically on 30 March 2020 after the announcement of the temporary closure of UK and Ireland trading sites with further cost-saving measures. It reached to GBX 17.51 on 03rd April 2020 with the volatility following thereafter. But from 20th April 2020, the stock has encountered some uptrend in the performance on London Stock Exchange. The appointment of the Chief Executive Officer of the company helped the stock price to increase by 16.74 per cent on 24 April 2020.
SHI - Share Price Performance
(Source: Thomson Reuters)
As on 28 April 2020, the stock price of SHI is trading at GBX 23.14, down by 1.02 per cent or GBX 1.02 from the previous close, as at 12:36 PM GMT. In last 52 weeks, the stock achieved a maximum price of GBX 154.0 on 01st May 2019, whereas the company’s stock posted the lowest price of GBX 14.93 on 20 April 2020 in the last one year.
