Games Workshop's Deal With Amazon Could Propel Profits

1321 GMT - Games Workshop's potential deal with Amazon to produce TV and films related with the company's universe is potentially huge news given the several upsides with its fan base and wider audiences, investment director at AJ Bell Russ Mould says in a note as shares rise 15%. The deal could generate extra revenue and cash flow at a limited cost, and also improve the connection with fans as Amazon will be granted merchandising rights, he notes. "Amazon's deep pockets and its huge reach, more than 50% of British households have an Amazon Prime account, puts this in a different stratosphere," Mould adds. (michael.susin@wsj.com)


Companies News: 

BT Group to Combine Enterprise and Global Units

BT Group PLC said Friday that it plans to merge its global and enterprise units into a single B2B unit--BT Business--in a move that is expected to deliver annualized cost savings of at least 100 million pounds ($121.8 million) by the end of fiscal 2025.

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Taylor Wimpey's Chair Irene Dorner to Step Down

Taylor Wimpey PLC said Friday that Chair Irene Dorner will step down from the board due to family reasons with effect on April 27, at the conclusion of the annual general meeting.

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RS Group CEO Lindsley Ruth to Step Down for Personal Reasons

RS Group PLC said Friday that Chief Executive Officer Lindsley Ruth is stepping down from his role with immediate effect due to personal reasons.

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Hollywood Bowl Posts FY 2022 Pretax Profit Beat, Raises Dividend

Hollywood Bowl Group PLC on Friday reported a huge rise in its pretax profit for the full year as strong customer leisure demand boosted its revenue and exceeded prepandemic levels.

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Rank Group's Five-Month Revenue Slightly Rose Supported by Spanish Business

Rank Group PLC said Friday that its like-for-like net gaming revenue, or NGR, slightly rose in the five months of fiscal 2023 supported by its Spanish business.

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Fulham Shore 1H Pretax Profit Fell Amid Higher Costs

Fulham Shore PLC said Friday that pretax profit for first half of fiscal 2023 fell after booking higher costs and despite increased revenue.

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WH Ireland Guides for Full-Year Loss After 1H Swung to Loss

W.H. Ireland Group PLC said Friday that it swung to a first-half pretax loss, hit by challenging conditions that would likely lead to a full-year loss.

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Infrastructure India to Report Net Liability Position in FY 2022 Accounts

Infrastructure India PLC said Friday that it expects to report a net liability position in its accounts for the year ended March 31, 2022, later this month, adding that they haven't been prepared on a going concern basis due to its financing position.

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Bank of Ireland Hikes NII Guidance, Sees Hit From IFRS 17 Implementation

Bank of Ireland Group PLC on Friday hiked its net interest income guidance for 2022 but said that it estimates a dent in its operating profit and net asset value from the implementation of IFRS 17 in 2023.

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Real Good Food Shares Fall After Widened 1H Pretax Loss Amid Deteriorating Backdrop

Real Good Food PLC shares fell on Friday after the company said that pretax loss for the first half of fiscal 2023 has widened, amid a revenue drop due to macroeconomic headwinds.

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Uniphar's Planned Acquisition of Navi Fails After Regulator Blocks Deal

Uniphar PLC said Friday that its planned acquisition of Navi Group won't complete after failing to get approval from the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

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Tintra Shares Rise After Securing $10 Mln Funding From US Investor

Tintra PLC shares rose on Friday after the company said that it has secured up to $10 million funding, upon certain conditions, via a share placing to the U.S.-based institutional investor Fintech Leaders Fund, LLC.

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Time Finance's 1H Pretax Profit Rose On Strong Lending Book

Time Finance PLC on Friday reported higher half-year revenue and profit, boosted by larger deals in its lending book, and said it expects trading for fiscal 2023 to be at least in line with market expectations.

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Tintra Receives $10 Mln From Gulf-Based Investor via Share Subscription

Tintra PLC said Friday that it has raised $10 million via a share subscription agreed with an undisclosed Gulf-based investor as part of its funding round.

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Petroneft Resources Says Matured Loan Negotiations Are Progressing

Petroneft Resources PLC said Friday that negotiations regarding its loan facility with Petrogrand AB are progressing, but it can't predict the outcome.

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Dev Clever Seeks Cancellation of Trading on London Stock Exchange

Dev Clever Holdings PLC said Friday that it plans to cancel its trading on the London Stock Exchange as it doesn't believe the company will be able to attract the investment needed for its growth strategy in the current market conditions.

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ActiveOps' CFO Paddy Deller to Step Down

ActiveOps Ltd. said Friday that Chief Financial Officer Paddy Deller will step down from the board.

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Iconic Labs Exits Administration; Seeks to Lift Share Suspension

Iconic Labs PLC said Friday that its administration has ended and that control of the company has returned to directors.

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HealthBeacon Appoints Lar Malone as Interim CFO

HealthBeacon PLC said Friday that it has appointed Lar Malone as interim chief financial officer with effect on Dec. 21.

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Beacon Energy to Buy Rhein Petroleum in Reverse Takeover Deal

Beacon Energy PLC said Friday that it has agreed to buy European oil-and-gas company Rhein Petroleum GmbH in a deal that would constitute a reverse takeover under London Stock Exchange rules.

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Sutton Harbour 1H Pretax Profit Fell On Higher Costs; Sees Price of Energy Hit 2H

Sutton Harbour Group PLC said Friday that pretax profit fell for the first half of fiscal 2023 hit by cost inflation and the effect of interest rate hikes on corporate debt, despite improved marina-berthing and car-park revenue.

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Hydrogen Utopia to Begin Trading on London Stock Exchange's Main Market

Hydrogen Utopia International PLC said Friday that it will begin trading on the London Stock Exchange's main market as of Dec. 21, following approval by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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Rank Group's FY 2023 Performance Hurt by Lower Grosvenor Revenue; Shares Fall

Shares of Rank Group PLC fell as much as 11% on Friday after the company said it hasn't experienced an expected pickup in Grosvenor net gaming revenue, and that it now expects to report a lower group underlying operating profit for fiscal 2023 than for 2022.

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FirstGroup Completes Greyhound Property Sale, Launches GBP75 Mln Buyback Program

FirstGroup PLC said Friday that it plans to return 75 million pounds ($91.3 million) of the funds raised from the Greyhound property portfolio sale to shareholders via a share buyback program which will start on Monday.

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Trainline Appoints Peter Wood as CFO on a Permanent Basis

Trainline PLC said Friday that Peter Wood has been appointed as chief financial officer on a permanent basis with immediate effect.

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Bank of Cyprus Extends CEO Appointment to 2026

Bank of Cyprus Holdings said Friday that it has extended the appointment of its Chief Executive Officer Panicos Nicolaou for a new term.

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Orcadian Energy Shares Fell After Going Concern Warning, Widened 1H Loss

Shares in Orcadian Energy PLC fell 14% on Friday after the company said that it will need to raise extra money over the next year and that this represented a material uncertainty over its ability to continue as a going concern.


 
Market Talk: 

Gilt Yields to Keep Rising as UK Risk Premium Persists, BofA Says

1217 GMT - U.K. gilt yields are expected to keep rising with the increase in gilt supply in 2023 as the U.K. faces a risk premium due to a weaker current account position, as well as a weaker net international investment position compared with Europe, says Bank of America head of global rates research Ralf Preusser. "The domestic buyers needed to step up to absorb the gilt supply are unlikely to do so at current valuations," Preusser says at the EMEA Rates 2023 Outlook webinar. "So we are looking for gilts to continue to cheapen," he adds. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)

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European Stocks Drop as Interest-Rate Hikes Weigh

1221 GMT - European stocks drop after mostly downbeat Asia trading and ahead of an expected lower U.S. open. The Stoxx Europe 600, FTSE 100 and CAC 40 fall more than 1% and the DAX retreats 0.3%. Banks dominate a few pan-European risers after the European Central Bank's interest-rate hike Thursday, though property shares feature prominently in a long list of fallers. Brent crude drops 1.9% to $79.67 a barrel. IG futures data show the Dow opening at 32873, versus Thursday's close of 33202. "Following Wednesday's U.S. rate rise--with warnings of more to come--rate hikes in the U.K., eurozone and a host of other countries underlined the point that central-bank policy tightening still has some way to run in 2023," IG analysts write. (philip.waller@wsj.com)

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Rank Group Outlook Worsens Amid Delays to Customer Recovery

1252 GMT - Rank Group's guidance suggests customers are taking longer than expected to return to casinos, while spend remains subdued, Peel Hunt analysts say in a note. The gambling group's lowered guidance for underlying operating profit for FY 2023, in the range of GBP10 million to GBP20 million, prompts the U.K. brokerage to downgrade its forecast to GBP14 million from GBP43 million. However, the company's repositioning efforts should add support in the longer term, the analysts add. "We expect investments targeting repositioning to mass-market consumers to pay off... today's announcement reflects a delay not a defeat," they note. Shares fall 9.5% to 72.7 pence. (michael.susin@wsj.com)

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Bodycote Margin Outlook Faces Growth Risks

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12-16-22 1049ET