This article was adapted from our sister site across the pond, Fool U.K.
It's a full week in the world of U.K. investing next week, with results from ARM Holdings (Nasdaq: ARMH ) , Autonomy, and Unilever (NYSE: UL ) .
The first week in February will bring us some full-year results, including those from a couple of the U.K.'s major technology companies -- and yes, we do have some.
Techie stuff
One is ARM Holdings, the microprocessor designer that has taken the mobile-computing world by storm and will release results on Tuesday.
Apart from languishing in the doldrums for a while from the end of 2007, the shares have been one of recent history's true success stories, having grown in value more than sixfold since the start of 2009. That's been due largely to the growth in smartphones and iPads and the like, with a recent boost coming from Microsoft.
The other of the two, also on Tuesday, is Autonomy, whose shares have raced ahead in the past few years too, but during 2010 there were fears that the wheels might be coming off the juggernaut. Things were still looking good at the interim stage, though, with record results, so maybe investors just think the growth story is poised to slow a bit.
This time last year, Owain Bennallack compared the two and asked which was the best bet, plumping for, erm, the wrong one. Will he be bold enough to have another go this year? We shall see.
Big oil
The week will be an important one for followers of the oil industry, with two big names revealing full-year results for 2010.
BP (NYSE: BP ) will start on Tuesday, bringing to an end a rather traumatic year. Those who bought shares in the depths of the crisis will have done well, though, with the price scratching at £5 now on the LSE, after plumbing £3. Which way the shares go now will depend a lot on whether the announcement says anything about the resumption of a dividend, and what the final cost of the Gulf of Mexico disaster is looking like.
Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A ) will follow up on Thursday, after a somewhat more sedate year. If things go as forecast, we'll be looking for pre-tax profits of around $30 billion.
Telecoms
It's a big week for telecoms, too, with third-quarter figures from BT (NYSE: BT ) expected on Thursday. The future for BT depends a lot on the rollout of its next generation of super-fast broadband, so any news of progress there will be welcome.
On the same day, we'll get a Q3 interim update from Vodafone (NYSE: VOD ) .Any news on the identity of the company's new chairman will be welcome, as Sir John Bond prepares to step down -- current rumor suggests Philips CEO Gerard Kleisterlee.
FTSE stalwarts
We'll also get final results from two more of the FTSE's big blue chips, on what will be a busy Thursday.
Profits at GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK ) are expected to be about 20% down on last year, largely because of legal costs related to litigation, but the dividend should be held -- and at current prices, the yield is likely to be around 5.5%. Pharmaceuticals seem to be out of favor at the moment, with AstraZeneca being depressed by fears of a shrinking drug-development pipeline. But 2011 is expected to see Glaxo bounce back, with a forecast P/E of less than 10 making it look good value.
The full year from Unilever is not likely to throw up any surprises, with profits expected to be pretty similar to last year. But its reliable and reasonably well-covered dividend make it a cornerstone stock of many a portfolio -- with a likely forward P/E of around 14, it's probably fairly valued.
Newcomer
A 2010 newcomer to the stock market, Ocado, will deliver its first annual results as a listed company on Tuesday, and they'll be keenly awaited by those who stumped up for shares at the flotation. The shares initially fell, as some feared the company's plans to reach profit were a bit of a tall order, but they've bounced back strongly and those initial shareholders are sitting on a reasonable profit at the moment.
Notable announcements next week:
- Monday: SThree, Mitie Group
- Tuesday: ARM Holdings, Autonomy, BP, Ocado, Centamin Egypt, National Grid, Pennon Group
- Wednesday: Carpetright, ICAP, Imperial Tobacco, Standard Life, Scottish & Southern Energy
- Thursday: GlaxoSmithKline, Royal Dutch Shell, Unilever, Alumasc, TUI Travel, BT Group, Metric Property Investments, Vodafone, Compass Group
- Friday: Electrocomponents
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