LONDON -- As we exit the holiday season, there's not much in the way of company news coming our way. But once we get over our turkey and pud, January will start to become interesting. We'll have a number important trading updates, including some covering the crucial Christmas period, which can be make-or-break for a number of businesses.
There won't be much in the way of actual results, although we do have two sets of important full-year figures coming our way. Here, then, are five dates to watch in January -- please note that all share prices are from Dec. 20, as this had to be written in advance.
Jan. 8, Persimmon
January brings us trading updates from a number of major homebuilders, starting with Persimmon (PSN +2.13%), a constituent of the Fool's Beginners' Portfolio, on Jan. 8. All of our homebuilders appear to be well on the way out of their recessionary slump, with Persimmon's shares up 75% over the past 12 months and now trading at around 825 pence.
We're not expecting any meaningful dividend this year, but Persimmon intends to resume decent payouts from next year, with City analysts forecasting a 5.8% yield for the year ending December 2013.
Other builders releasing updates during January include Taylor Wimpey on Jan. 14, Barratt Developments on Jan. 16, and Bovis Homes on Jan. 18.
Jan. 10, Tesco
Last year's Christmas trading statement from Tesco (TSCO 0.59%) was something of a bombshell, and it triggered the price fall that has kept the shares subdued all year. We'll hear about the 2012 Christmas season on Jan. 10.
Tesco launched a store revamp in the wake of last year's disappointment, and from its recent third-quarter update we heard that U.K. progress has been good but that the company is likely to make an exit from its U.S. business. The share price has recovered a little, up around 338 pence at the time of writing.
Jan. 17, Dixons
As retail recoveries go, Dixons (LSE: DXNS) has given us a good one. From looking pretty bombed out, the company has been turned around and is handling today's multi-channel retailing considerably better. After a few years of losses, Dixons is forecast to turn in a profit for the year to April 2013, and that is expected to be strengthened the year after, though there will still be some way to go toward reinstating any meaningful dividend level. News of progress should be with us on Jan. 17 in the form of a trading statement.
For recent investors, the really good news is that the share price has tripled this year to around 30 pence. That's still a long way down from pre-crash levels, but it's better than many had feared this time last year.
Jan. 23, Unilever
We'll have fourth-quarter and full-year results from Unilever (ULVR 0.10%) on Jan. 23.
The consumer brand giant has long been considered a safe investment during tough economic times, as its many products are the kind of things that people can't really do without -- unlike new cars and holidays in the sun.
The share price did dip in 2009, but it has recovered steadily since. In fact, it has risen more than 15% this year alone to reach 2,430 pence. The shares do look a little expensive now, with year-end forecasts putting them on a price-to-earnings ratio of 19. Still, good things often don't come cheap.
Jan. 31, AstraZeneca
The 31st is fourth-quarter and full-year results time from AstraZeneca (AZN +1.23%), too. Not so long ago, big pharma was seen as a safe long-term investment. But more recently, the sector has suffered from increasing competition from generic substitutes for those highly profitable blockbusters, combined with poorer development pipelines and a move toward fancier biotechnology.
Share prices have stagnated over the past three years, with AstraZeneca now trading around the same 29 pound to 30 pound level it was at in early 2010. But there have been nice dividends along the way, getting close to 6% yield levels, and forecasts suggest more than 6% for this year and next from shares on a P/E of only about eight. Have the fears been overdone? Maybe we'll know by Jan. 31.
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