This seems a bit odd - can anyone shed light on this?
Dixons have no trades showing on DXNS has the epic changed or something?
Cheers for any input
:>)

Dixons tops profit forecasts on strong UK

17 Dec 2013 - 07:53
LONDON, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Dixons Retail , Europe's No. 2 electricals retailer, beat forecasts as underlying first half profit more than doubled on the back of sales growth in Britain driven by robust demand for tablet computers. Shares in Dixons have increased 81 percent so far this year as it has increasingly focused on markets where it has a leading "multi-channel" position with a combined stores and internet business. Over the last six months the firm has offloaded the loss-making e-commerce business PIXmania and operations in Turkey and partially exited Italy. [ID:nL6N0H10LC] [ID:nL6N0I027N] The group, home to the Currys and PC World chains in Britain, Elkjop in Nordic countries and Kotsovolos in Greece, said on Tuesday it made an underlying pretax profit of 30.2 million pounds ($49.22 million) in the six months to Oct. 31. That compares with analyst forecasts of 20-26 million pounds and 14 million pounds in the previous year. Total underlying group sales were 3.43 billion pounds, up 5 percent on a constant currency basis, while sales at stores open over a year rose 6 percent. Like-for-like sales in the UK & Ireland increased 9 percent. Across Europe many store groups are still struggling as government efforts to bring down national debts reduce consumers' disposable incomes. Electrical retailers have been particularly exposed because they sell discretionary goods and face intense competition from supermarkets and internet giants like Amazon and eBay . But in Britain, its biggest market, Dixons has benefited from a tablets boom, as well as the demise of rival Comet and problems at Jessops and HMV. It has also been cutting costs, revamping stores and seeking to improve products, prices and customer service. "We remain cautious about the outlook for consumers in our markets; very strong trading this time last year, together with the fact that we have now annualised Comet’s exit makes the second half more challenging," said Chief Executive Seb James. Dixons shares closed at 51.3 pence on Monday, valuing the business at 1.9 billion pounds. ($1 = 0.6136 British pounds) (Reporting by James Davey; editing by Neil Maidment) ((james.davey@thomsonreuters.com)(+44 20 7542 7674)(Reuters Messaging: james.davey.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: DIXONS RESULTS/

Cantor Fitzgerald Buy 49.90 50.00 60.00 Reiterates

UPGRADE.............

RESEARCH ALERT-Dixons Retail: Cantor Fitzgerald raises target price

17 Dec 2013 - 08:04
Dec 17 (Reuters) - Dixons Retail PLC : * Cantor Fitzgerald raises target price to 60p from 50p; rating buy For a summary of rating actions and price target changes on European companies: Reuters Eikon users, click on [RCH/EUROPE] Reuters 3000Xtra users, double-click [RCH/EUROPE] Thomson ONE users, type in RT/RCH/EUROPE ((nyc.equities.newsroom@reuters.com); (Reuters Messaging: saqib.ahmed.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net) ((Bangalore Newsroom +91 80 6749 1130; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780))

Investec Buy 49.97 60.00 62.00 Resumes

Prime Markets Buy 49.94 55.00 55.00 Reiterates

DIXONS RETAIL BROKER VIEWS

Date Broker Recommendation Price Old target price New target price Notes

17 Dec Prime Markets Buy 49.74 55.00 55.00 Reiterates
17 Dec Investec Buy 49.74 60.00 62.00 Reiterates
17 Dec Cantor Fitzgerald Buy 49.74 50.00 60.00 Reiterates

Deutsche Bank Buy 48.73 48.73 60.00 60.00 Reiterates

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-2525544/Tablets-prove-remedy-hardy-Dixons.html#ixzz2no4I57e4

Dixons Interims: Initial broker reaction
17th December 2013, 14:37

Half-year results from electrical retailer Dixons Retail [LON:DXNS], published today, appear to have been well received by analysts but less so by the market, given the shares were down by nearly 5 per cent by mid-afternoon.

Investec reiterated its ‘buy’ recommendation, nudging its price target up slightly to 62 pence per share (from 60 pence), and said that “Dixons is more than a ‘tab-tastic’ Christmas play”.

Cantor Fitzgerald also repeated its ‘buy’ stock rating and increased its price target to 60 pence per share from 50 pence.

The broker has also increased its pre-tax profit forecast for 2014 to £155 million (previously £150 million) and its earnings per share estimate to 2.84 pence (from 2.75 pence).

Meanwhile, Prime Markets has put out a ‘buy’ call and set a 55 pence per share 4 week target.

The broker said: “CEO Sebastian James has rightly sounded a note of caution over the uncertain outlook, but with his company sitting on a net cash pile of GBP55m compared to a GBP21m debt last year, and with a further GBP45m of cost reductions targeted, we believe Dixons shares still offer substantial upside.”

In terms of the broader market opinion, Broker Forecasts consensus data shows that nearly two-thirds of brokers rate the shares as an ‘add’ or better, while the remainder rate them as a ‘neutral’ or ‘hold’.

At 2:34pm: Dixons Retail share price was down 2.48 pence at 48.82 pence.

HL VIEW.............

Post H1 comments:

"Dixons has already come a long way since the depths of recent years and we believe today's update is further confirmation that the company remains on track to deliver a full recovery.

A swing to underlying profit and a net cash position was achieved through a combination of a focus on costs, the previously announced disposal of its troubled units and a strong sales performance within most of Northern Europe, most notably its key UK and Ireland market. In addition, the removal of the strategic distractions in the form of PIXmania and Electroworld will enable further concentration on growing within a highly competitive sector. Less positively, the absence of a dividend remains a concern within the current interest rate environment, whilst margins remain under pressure as Dixons continues to sharpen its product pricing.

Overall, the recovery has been rewarded with a strong share price performance of late, having risen 87% over the last year, as compared to a 26% jump in the wider FTSE250. Even so, the current price of around 50p (as of 17Dec2013) probably needs to be put in context of the share price high of over 220p in October 2006 and, indeed, the low of 9.5p in December 2008. The market consensus of the shares as a strong buy is, we believe, likely to remain intact as the company still shows signs of further positive prospects."

nk

Numis Hold 49.07 48.73 48.00 48.00 Reiterates

Barclays Capital Overweight 49.05 48.73 62.00 62.00 Reiterates

Nomura Buy 49.62p 60.00p 60.00p Reiteration

Hi SK. Having been shopping in PC World this week I agree with the brokers that the benefits of market share are growing. At below 50p there seems to be plenty of upside in the price both short and long term.
Bought 10,000 at 48.95

I've also added a few more this week - first purchase in April - so happy to hold/add.

Completion of disposal of Pixmania

Dixons Retail plc, Europe's leading specialist multi-channel electrical retailing and services companies, today announces that it has completed the disposal of PIXmania S.A.S to mutares A.G., a German listed industrial holding company.

PIXmania is a European pure-play e-tailer, based in France. The transaction, first announced in September, saw Dixons provide approximately €69 million (c£58.1m) of cash, which has been ring-fenced to support mutares' robust business plan to build on PIXmania's pure ecommerce operations and for the ongoing funding of the business.

Barclays Capital Overweight 49.86 49.82 62.00 62.00 Reiterates

Trading Statement

Dixons Retail plc, one of Europe's leading specialist multi-channel electrical retailing and services companies, today announces trading for the period from 1 November 2013 to 4 January 2014.

· The Group delivered a second consecutive year of strong growth over the important Christmas period.
· UK & Ireland like for likes up 5% with further market share gains and a particularly strong post Christmas sale period.
· Well-established multichannel offering with internet-led sales growing by 23%
· Northern Europe like for likes up 2%, trading ahead of its competitors.
· Total sales growth in Greece of +3% driven by our successful wholesale business, with retail like for likes down 8%.
· Group gross margins down 0.5%.
· Completion of the sale of Pixmania confirmed on 31 December 2013, delivering the most significant of the three disposals that streamline the Group.

Investec Buy 48.82 50.40 62.00 - Reiterates

Deutsche Bank Buy 0.00 60.00 60.00 Reiterates

Citigroup Buy 47.11 47.11 60.00 60.00 Reiterates