A Round up of the Main Financial Stories of Interest from the Weekend Papers
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@CantorIreland Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland A round up of the main financial stories of interest from the weekend papers. 2nd March 2020 Pages 2 - 4: Press Summary Page 5: Links to Our research publications and market insights https://cantorfitzgerald.ie/ Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland Ltd (Cantor) is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland Ltd is a member firm of the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange Weekend Press Summary Saturday 29th of February 2020 Sunday 1st March 2020 The Saturday Irish Times Sunday Business Post CRH reported results on Friday which saw EBITDA jumping 25 percent driven by acquisitions and widening margins. The company also plans a 15 percent rise in dividend while aiming to cut its Voxpro founders add fintech firm Trezeo to portfolio carbon emissions. Linda and Dan Kiely, who sold their Voxpro firm in a €145 million deal, have added a new investment to their rapidly expanding Joe Brennan in the Market Beat column reviews the results and Regsont portfolio. The Kiely’s are seed-level investors in fledgling questions whether the company had done enough to silence the fintech firm Trezeo, it has emerged, bringing the Cork couple’s start- Swedish based activist shareholder Cevian. up investments to almost a dozen to date. Trezeo was founded by former banker Garrett Cassidy, who previously ran the European Stephen Garvey, CEO of Glenveigh Properties expects the headquarters of Circle, the US cryptocurrency company, which was industry to build up to 23,000 houses in 2020. Noting a strong backed by billionaire Facebook investor Jim Breyer. Trezeo has performance for the company ‘operationally and financially’ he did devised pay software to help casual workers regulate their incomes, question how the 35,000 homes experts say are needed will be with a focus on the British market. built. CRH hoping to benefit from rising infrastructural spend. Mark Paul notes the fall in globa markets as a result of the On Friday, the Irish firm proposed a 15 per cent increase in its CoVid 19 virus fears, however despite the falls Rools Royce gained annual dividend to 83 cent after reporting a 25 per cent jump in 6.6 percent, the most in. 18 months, on positive nenes relating to earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation the engine it manufacturers for the Boeing 787. (Ebitda) to €4.2 billion. CRH also hinted at a likely continuation of Cantillon notes the lack of visibility for airlines over the coronavirus the share buyback programme it initiated in 2018. with IAG and EasyJet reporting falling demand. Glenveagh spends €5m on factory for timber frames. CSO data saw retail sales volumes fall 3.4 percent in January, The company said that the building, near to some of its active however compared with the same month a year ago the volume of construction sites in the Dublin area, will be leased to a company sales increased by 3.7 percent. called Keenan Timber Frame which will produce exclusively for Glenveagh. When the new factory is open in April, Glenveagh said it will have the capacity to deliver about 800 timber frame units a year. It will also have the opportunity to expand the facility to raise its output. The Saturday Independent Ian Guider: The $3tn Wipeout that shook the world’s stock markets. The huge drop, equivalent to the entire annual output of India’s economy, conveys the widespread fear that the coronavirus could wreak havoc on an already shaky global economy CRH hints at further buybacks after hiking 2019 dividend CRH has continued to ramp up a return of capital to shareholders, Johnson backer Odey raises his bet against Tullow Oil. announcing a 15pc hike in its full-year dividend and hinting strongly The hedge fund boss has increased his short trade position to 1.37 at further share buybacks. per cent – or £6.3 million – of the company’s shares. 'No magic wand' to boost housing supply, warns Glenveagh Banks forced to cut costs as rock-bottom interest rates cripple growth. CEO Stephen Garvey, CEO of Glenveagh Properties, said there The reality is that 2019 was another year of running to stand still for was "no magic wand" to fix the housing crisis, adding "you are not a banking sector dogged by legacy issues and still suffering from a going to get 100,000 houses in a flash". The demand for more rock-bottom interest rate environment that is holding back their housing is "obviously there", he said. "What the Government needs ability to grow. This year is likely to be the same. Conor O’Kelly, to focus on is how they stimulate supply into the market." head of the National Treasury Management Agency, suggested last week that the state shouldn’t wait too long to flog off its remaining 'Heavy price' for climate apathy faced by taxpayers Effective shares in Irish banks. climate action is going to result in higher taxes here as revenues from some sources sink, but the cost of inaction is even greater and Dalata ‘watching Covid-19 situation very carefully’. the State faces fines that could run into billions of euro if it fails to Last week, the Dalata chief executive had good reason to be in high meet agreed limits on emissions, according to the Irish Fiscal spirits as Ireland’s largest hotel group reported a 13 per cent jump in Advisory Council. earnings to €135 million on the back of a near 10 per cent increase in revenues to €429.2 million. 12,000: the total number of bedrooms the group will have when new hotels in the pipeline come Markets count losses in trillions as virus spreads Irish and to fruition. 3.1%: RevPAR (revenue per available room) fell from global equities have lost more than a tenth of their trillions in value €93.24 to €92.11 in Dublin last year this week, a plunge of historic speed that could last until the coronavirus fear factor peaks. Pay flat for Kingspan’s top brass despite record profits Chief executive Gene Murtagh saw his pay come in at just shy of €2 million for a second year in a row. Murtagh, who has been chief executive since 2005, was paid a salary of €870,000 and a bonus of €870,000. When pension, benefits and other payments are added in his total pay package came to €1.9 million. CANTOR FITZGERALD IRELAND Page 2 Weekend Press Summary How Fexco became a success story in the Kingdom The Sunday Times The employees of Kerry-based financial services behemoth Fexco have swapped the grind of the city for a bucolic brand of rural life. Could their experience point the way forward for thousands of other In the first opinion poll since the election, the Sunday Times workers around Ireland? Fexco has grown into a multinational reports that Sinn Fein’s support has surged by 10% to 35% at the financial services business operating in 29 countries and employing expense of almost all other parties. 2,500 workers across the world. According to the company, it has about 1,000 people in Killorglin in various offices in the town. Quoted housebuilder Glenveagh is lining up the sale of 450 planned apartments to property group Round Hill Capital for about Greencoat Renewables gives an energy reading (Monday) €250m. Round Hill is in exclusive talks with Glenveagh about a so- Greencoat Renewables releases its full-year results. It comes the called pre-fund deal for the project on East Road in Dublin near the month after the Irish energy company bought a 14.1 megawatt wind north docklands. It is the first time than Glenveagh have entered farm in Clare for €35.4 million in a deal that took its wind assets discussions about this type of deal. portfolio to 476MW. The farm consists of six Enercon E92 turbines that have been operational since December. KBC bank is preparing to ditch its insurance partner Irish Life, as it turns to its Belgian parent to help drive a push into life cover, Cairn Homes shows financial foundations (Tuesday) pensions and investments next year. The bank has been reviewing Cairn Homes announces its full-year results. In a trading update in its options since the Irish operation was deemed to be core by its January, the builder said its revenues for 2019 grew by about 29 per parent in 2017. cent to €434 million. Cairn said there was strong demand for homes and that its average selling price rose from €366,000 in 2018 to Sinn Fein’s success at the polls has put a mooted sale of waste €372,000. In the same month, An Bord Pleanála gave Cairn company Key in doubt. Sin Fein is committed to bringing the permission to build 426 homes near Greystones, Co Wicklow. industry back under municipal control according to its environment spokesman. ICG announces its full-year results (Thurs) Irish Continental Group releases its full-year results. The shipping Dundrum Town Centre is to spend €16m to reconfigure the company reported an 8.2 per cent increase in group revenues in the former House of Fraser outlet into a new premise for Brown year to November 23, which it attributed to “improved schedule Thomas. The Centre is owned by Hammerson and Allianz and the integrity” at its Irish Ferries division after disruptions in 2018. ICG work is expected to start mid-year. Penney’s is reported to be said its group revenue rose to €308.8 million over the period, a interested in the remaining available space. year-on-year increase of €23.5 million.