Anybody trading in these shares? I just bought some @ 204.72

The other guy downgraded yesterday, probably to close their short positions.

Reaches first close on infrastructure fund

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, announces that its infrastructure funds management business, Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Partners (BBIP), has reached first close on its first fund.

In November 2010, Balfour Beatty announced plans to set up a funds management business. Our objective was to utilise a combination of infrastructure asset knowledge, skills and experience that has accumulated within the Group, particularly in the Infrastructure Investments division and Parsons Brinckerhoff, to earn a superior return on capital as well as advisory fees. A funds management business would also leverage our capabilities into greater pools of capital while diversifying risk to the Group.

This business, BBIP, was set up in 2011, with the recruitment of four senior individuals. Since then they have worked on obtaining the relevant registrations, establishing a presence in London and New York, identifying investors and pursuing the appropriate initial assets for the fund to invest in.

Today, the BBIP fund reached first close with US$317 million (£200 million) of commitments, of which Balfour Beatty has committed US$110 million (£70 million). Subsequent levels of close are expected during the course of 2013, ultimately reducing Balfour Beatty's share in the fund to c.10%. Drawdowns will be dependent on the timing of investments by the fund, but it is anticipated that Balfour Beatty's commitment will be invested over the next 3-4 years.

The fund will make investments in predominantly brownfield (operational) assets into its key target sectors of transport, energy and utilities across the UK, Europe, and North America.
ENDS

Balfour Beatty eyes £250m WorkPlace sale

Balfour Beatty, Britain’s largest construction company by sales, is planning to dispose of its office maintenance business, in a transaction that would value the division at about £250m.

Contract Win

Balfour Beatty wins £64 million Dubai Airport contract

International infrastructure group Balfour Beatty plc announced today that BK Gulf LLC, its joint venture in Dubai, has been awarded a £64 million (377.8 million AED) mechanical and electrical engineering contract to work on a project that will help Dubai International Airport deal with millions more passengers each year.

PREFERRED BIDDER FOR £45 MILLION STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PROJECT

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, has been appointed preferred bidder for Aberystwyth University's £45 million student accommodation project.

The 32-year concession contract involves the design, build and maintenance of student accommodation facilities for Aberystwyth University. The project, located adjacent to the University's main campus, will provide contemporary accommodation for 1000 students, as well as enhanced learning and communal facilities, which will support the University's strategy of attracting students from the UK and overseas.

Balfour Beatty will invest 10% of the required equity in the project, which is expected to reach financial close in mid-2013.

Final Results

Highlights


· Continued to grow in target geographies and sectors while facing challenges in UK and US construction markets

· Order book up 1% at £15.3bn with 63% now economic infrastructure

· Revenue1 down 1%; down 4% before the impact of foreign exchange and acquisitions

· Continuing profit growth in Professional Services and Investments

· Cost efficiency programme on track to achieve £80 million by 2015; £36 million of savings achieved at a non-underlying cost of £61 million in 2012

· Directors' valuation of the PPP portfolio at £734 million (2011: £743 million) after the disposal of two assets generating disposal gains of £52 million

· Strategic decision taken to divest of Mainland European rail operations; non-underlying cost of £104 million incurred including £95m goodwill write down

· Underlying earnings per share down 1%; full-year dividend increased by 2% to 14.1p


Contract Win

Balfour Beatty awarded £130 million rail contract

A contract in excess of £130 million to build two miles of the Crossrail route and an iconic new rail station in South East London that will deal with thousands of commuters every day has been awarded to leading international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty.

The Group confirmed today that following their involvement in the successful completion of the design phase of the Crossrail South East Section Project, Network Rail has now awarded them the contract for the final phase which will see them build the new station in Abbey Wood, including the replacement of its two existing platforms. It will also involve installing two new dedicated Crossrail lines from the station to the Plumstead portal, providing access to the new Crossrail tunnels into Canary Wharf and central London, and modifications to several bridges along the route.

The new Crossrail route will connect Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km (13 miles) tunnels below central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

....
The group made an underlying pre-tax profit of 310 million pounds in 2012, ahead of analysts' forecasts which ranged between 204 million and 323 million pounds and averaged 295 million pounds.

The construction division finished the year with an order book of 8 billion pounds, down 6 percent on a year ago, including a 17 percent fall in the United States, while revenue in the division was down 1 percent at 6.96 billion pounds.

Total revenue was also down 1 percent at 10.9 billion pounds.

Construction groups have become volatile through the industry downturn that hit in 2008, having embarked on ambitious cost cutting drives and diversifyng into adding new services as well as new markets like Brazil, India and Australia.

Balfour Beatty's Professional -- project management, design and planning -- and Support Services divisions combined jumped from making up 44 percent of its order book in 2011 to 47 percent in 2012, though some analysts worry its progress has been slow.

The order book for Support Services was up 12 percent at 5.7 billion after a 3 percent rise in revenue to 1.6 billion pounds. Professional Services' revenue was up 1 percent at 1.67 billion pounds and the order book was up 9 percent at 1.6 billion.
...

Dividend 14.1p, above 5%.

Balfour Beatty to exit mainland Europe in growth quest

LONDON | Thu Mar 7, 2013 11:46am GMT

(Reuters) - British construction firm Balfour Beatty (BALF.L) plans to sell most of its businesses in mainland Europe to seek growth in Australia and elsewhere, its incoming chief executive said.

Andrew McNaughton, who will take the helm in April, said on Thursday he wanted to "put some pace" into predecessor Ian Tyler's strategy of looking beyond UK construction for growth after Balfour Beatty reported a 7 percent fall in 2012 profit.

Balfour Beatty has already sold its Spanish business to management and McNaughton said he planned to divest all others in mainland Europe by the year-end, except the more decentralised German business, which he said would take longer.

6% dividend stock and is falling!!

Been wondering whether or not to stick with this one, 10% down at the moment and would like to see an intra day reversal or small bounce today if I am going to continue to hold. H

sutherlh1-----I would sell, main reason being I have bought back in today sub 236p and I have this uncanny knack of inflicting sp weakness on most of what I buy. I bought and sold these previously and made a decent rather than spectacular profit so I'm hoping for a repeat performance. Good luck whatever you decide.
2517

Got out at 246p. Must admit sub 236p looks a good entry point from the chart being a level it has bounced from over the last 5 years (apart from late 2011 when it got to sub 220p). It still has a reasonable yield and could bounce from here. Good luck 2517. H

Agree with Sutherlh1 could bounce from here

seems to have bounced - where the sp heading now ?

I can see it up to the 200dma around 270p, before falling off again IMHO. H

Lets see how it opens broker upgrade today

RESEARCH ALERT-Balfour Beatty: Berenberg raises to buy

11 Apr 2013 - 07:00
April 11 (Reuters) - Balfour Beatty PLC : * Berenberg raises to buy from hold

Ex-div next wed 24th Apr (8.5p)

Deutsche Bank Hold 245.05 242.30 260.00 260.00 Reiterates