Berkeley has pledged to return £12 per share to shareholders in the years to 2010 and, given the company's present performance, some brokers believe this target may prove to be too conservative.Results: Full year - Berkeley Group; James Latham Interims - None expected.. According to reports earlier this month, work due to begin in September, to convert part of a 19th-century building into flats, will now not start until next year or later.As for Berkeley's financial performance, the focus of the company is now on cash generation. Interims - OMG; Bede.FRIDAY: Has the luxury homes builder Berkeley decided to delay the construction on a key part of its flagship redevelopment of the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich because of the uncertainty surrounding the property market?This is without doubt a question investors will want answered in the wake of the group's full-year results. So the fact that pre-tax profits for the year are likely to have fallen to £200m from £230m last year will not worry analysts. However, the Swiss broker urges investors to take profits from the stock's strong gains before the statement. Trading statements - Brambles Industries.THURSDAY: Results: Full year - Computerland UK; Dyson; Avesco; OMG; Victoria. It believes all this good news is now more than adequately reflected by the company's current valuation.Results: Full year - Dixons; Stagecoach; Trifast; Vectura Interims - Compass Finance.
Basically, its rail division is performing strongly while the group has been able to stabilise its troublesome US business. Second half like-for-like sales growth is believed to be running at 7 per cent, a big improvement on the 1 per cent registered during the first half of the year. Dixons without doubt impressed the City with its recent move into Russia, but investors are very unlikely to pile into the stock as long as the company remains exposed to earnings downgrades because of the weak conditions on the UK's high streets.There was some speculation over the weekend that the company may unveil a new group name, since its PC World and The Link businesses are seen as being overshadowed by the less successful Dixons format.In Stagecoach's pre-close update the bus and rail operator boasted that its annual results would exceed expectations. This would let them realise some of their investment, and it might be acceptable to Mr Buch.However, it would certainly not answer the question of why the company has been unable to prove the whereabout of its sole asset, the £5.4m in cash.Imagesound pipes upWhen Imagesound, the supplier of background music to shops and shopping centres, came to market via a three-way merger last July, it promised this was just the start of consolidation.
Stagecoach's South West Trains franchise, the UK's largest, is benefiting from last December's introduction of a new timetable and improved punctuality.For the year just gone, Investec Securities expects Stagecoach to deliver a pre-tax profit of £122m, up from £120m last time.Going forward, investors will want an update on the progress of the company's bids for the Greater Western and Thameslink/Great Northern franchises and the new Integrated Kent franchise for which it has joined forces with Danish State Railways.Credit Suisse First Boston is expecting a bullish trading update from Brambles Industries in which the group will re-affirm that its pallets business in both the Americas and Europe is on track. Interims - None.WEDNESDAY: These days when it come to results from retailers all the City is interested in is their comments on current trading Figures from Dixons will be no exception. The group is expected to deliver a full-year pre-tax profit of £335m, up slightly on the previous year, but its comments about conditions on the high street are likely to be cautious at best.The main bright spot of the figures will probably come from Dixons' international operations. City analysts will want to know exactly how GW's management team plans to deal with this issue. They are sceptical that plans to sell the marketing rights to Sativex in continental European countries will raise enough cash.GW shares tumbled in the wake of the setback and they are likely to fall further unless the group's executives can come up with a remedy.TODAY: Results: Full year - UBC Media.
