Author: roymorgansocial

You don’t bring me flowers: a Valentine’s ballad

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 11-Feb-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that fewer than 15 per cent of Australian men bought fresh flowers in an average three-month period in the year to December 2014. The survey also shows that in the first quarter of 2014, 17.1 per cent of Australian men reported buying fresh flowers at least once in the previous three months. Meanwhile, 31 per cent of men who are engaged or planning to marry buy fresh flowers in any given three months, compared with 18.2% of men who are married

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Housing underpins leap in Stockland’s interim profit

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Original article by Robert Harley, Mercedes Ruehl
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 37 : 12-Feb-15

Listed property developer Stockland has posted a 2014-15 interim statutory profit of $A462m, which is 55 per cent higher than previously. The group’s residential development arm recorded a 72.8 per cent increase in operating profit, and MD Mark Steinert is upbeat about the outlook for the residential sector in the next several years. Stockland’s shares closed $A0.13 higher at $A4.73 on 11 February 2015

CORPORATES
STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, AUSTRALAND PROPERTY GROUP

Constructive tactics pay dividends

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 12-Feb-15

Australian construction group Leighton Holdings has posted a net profit of $A676.5m for the 2014 calendar year, which is 33 per cent higher than previously. The group expects its net profit for 2015 to be within the range of $A450m and $A520m. Shareholders will receive a final dividend of $A0.53 per share, plus a special dividend of $A0.15 following the sale of the John Holland business for $A1.1bn

CORPORATES
LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LEI, JOHN HOLLAND PTY LTD, HOCHTIEF AG, GRUPO ACS, CHEVRON CORPORATION, AL HABTOOR LEIGHTON GROUP, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, FLEETCO

Domino’s eyes rivals as pizza sales sizzle

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 & 26 : 12-Feb-15

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises has posted a 2014-15 interim net profit of $A29.1m, which is 44.2 per cent higher than previously. Revenue rose by 29.5 per cent to $A343.6m during the half-year. CEO Don Meij forecasts that net profit and EBITDA for the full year will rise by 32.5 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. He says Domino’s will aim to increase its share of Australia’s overall fast-food market from eight per cent at present. It has a 25 per cent share of the pizza sector

CORPORATES
DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KFC

Gloomy growth forecast bloodies bullish CSL investors

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Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 & 26 : 12-Feb-15

Australian-listed CSL has posted a 2014-15 interim net profit of $US692.2m, which is 7.2 per cent higher than previously. Revenue for the half-year was $A2.8bn, an increase of 5.6 per cent. CSL has advised that its full-year profit will be below previous guidance, although it is still on track to deliver a double-digit increase in earning. Shareholders will receive a half-year dividend of $US0.58 per share

CORPORATES
CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, PHILO CAPITAL ADVISERS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AURORA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Australian dollar set to drop to US75c by March

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Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 12-Feb-15

The Australian dollar remained within a narrow trading range of $US0.7764 and $US0.7794 on 11 February 2015. The upcoming release of the latest unemployment data will be the next key test for the currency, while Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens will shortly front a parliamentary committee. Westpac’s Sean Callow forecasts that the currency will fall to $US0.75 by the end of March, while National Australia Bank expects it to test the $US0.76 level

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UNITED STATES. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES

Political chaos hits business

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro, James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 14 : 12-Feb-15

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia posted a cash profit of $A4.62bn for the first half of 2014-15 on 11 February 2015. However, the group’s shares fell by 0.79 per cent to close at $A91.86. Meanwhile, CEO Ian Narev has urged the nation’s policymakers to pursue measures aimed at bolstering business confidence, arguing that the failure to deliver "coherent" policy will hinder economic growth. Shareholders will receive an interim dividend of $A1.98 per share

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, INVESTORS MUTUAL LIMITED, PM CAPITAL LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

Eyes on prize as Telstra heads for $2b net profit

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 11-Feb-15

Richard Eary of UBS forecasts that Telstra will post a 2014-15 interim net profit of $A2bn, an increase of 3.9 per cent. The telco is tipped to lift its half-year dividend to $A0.16, compared with $A0.15 for the second half of 2013-14. Eary also expects Telstra to have added about 200,000 mobile telephone customers in the half-year, increasing its subscriber base to 16.5 million

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Pressure is on for Snowy Hydro

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 11-Feb-15

Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad has downplayed speculation that privatisation may again be on the agenda for the government-owned power company. Meanwhile, he says the group needs to deliver on its growth forecasts and projected synergies in order to justify its acquisition of Lumo Energy and the Colongra gas-fired power station in 2014. Snowy Hydro boasts around $A1.2bn worth of debt following the acquisitions

CORPORATES
SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED, LUMO ENERGY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RED ENERGY PTY LTD, INFRATIL LIMITED – ASX IFZ, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ONE.TEL LIMITED, INFRASTRUCTURE NEW SOUTH WALES

Hockey pushes for cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Feb-15

Treasurer Joe Hockey has conceded that the Federal Government’s May 2014 Budget may have been too ambitious. However, he argues that the Government must persist with Budget measures that have failed to pass the Senate if it is to achieve a surplus. These include the Medicare co-payment, deregulation of university fees and changes to the welfare system. Meanwhile, the Senate has passed the Government’s reforms to the regime for R&D tax breaks

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ASC PTY LTD