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’One brave Unilever executive… (updated)
Undeterred by his experience last year, Unilever chief financial officer Jean-Marc Huet has agreed to come back on Markets Live on Thursday to discuss the company’s year-end numbers.
He’ll be joining Bryce Elder and Paul Murphy here at 11am on Thursday,
A $55bn bid for Colgate?
Here’s something for Markets Live guest Jean-Marc Huet to consider over his mid-morning Marmite rice cracker – should Unilever launch a $55bn cash offer for Colgate Palmolive?
It’s a mega-deal that’s been rumoured in the past,
Unilever results – The Verdict
Here’s what the City thinks of the fourth quarter/full year results.
At pixel time, shares in Unilever were 8p higher at £18.66.
* Remember to tune in at 11.00am for Markets Live featuring Unilever’s chief financial officer Jean-Marc Huet.
Markets Live – CFO special [updated]
Update: Thursday 07.56am (GMT).
The results are out and they look pretty good. And for those of you interesting in mugging up before Jean-Marc’s appearance on Markets Live, here are the conference call details.
Snap news
Breaking pre-market news on Monday,
- Unilever to acquire Alberto Culver for $3.7bn — statement.
- 3i to acquire Mizuho Investment Management for £18.3m — statement.
- Artemis Alpha Trust and Gartmore Growth Opportunities agree to merge assets — statement and statement.
Snap news
Breaking pre-market news on Thursday,
- Deutsche Bank reports net income of €5bn for the year 2009, versus €3.9bn loss in 2008 – statement.
- Santander reports annual results and announces large rise in loan loss provisions – statement.
Unilever to offload Findus Italy
Unilever is considering the sale of its Italian frozen food business in a deal worth up to €800m (£760m) that has attracted interest from Birds Eye Iglo and Findus Group, its private equity-owned rivals.
Unilever to bid for Cadbury?
No this isn’t RAW market info but some fantasy M&A from Panmure Gordon.
Analysts Graham Jones thinks Unilever should seriously consider offering 850p a share for Cadbury as it would be earnings enhancing and add meaningful exposure to what is already one of the best emerging operations in the consumers goods industry.
Snap news
The latest on Thursday,
- Standard Life reports small dip in reserves – statement
- Lloyds TSB announces revised board, Tim Tookey as finance director – statement
- Corporate results: British American Tobacco,
Unilever sells US laundry brands
Unilever has sold its North American laundry brands for $1.45bn to private equity group Vestar Capital Partners, but has ruled out selling its European laundry brands, including Persil and Surf, despite signalling more focus on emerging markets.
Snap news
The latest on Monday:
- BAE Systems makes £531m all cash offer for Detica – statement, offer.
- BAA receives lender approval for debt restructuring – statement
- Unilever sells North American laundry business to Vestar Capital partners for $1.1bn – statement
- Dawnay,
Grupo SOS to buy Unilever’s Bertolli
Spanish food company Grupo SOS agreed to buy Unilever’s Bertolli olive-oil and vinegar business for €630m ($998m) in a move to strengthen its position as the world’s leading olive-oil bottler, reports the WSJ.
CDS report: Takeover rumours move credit default swap spreads
The credit derivatives market continued to be buffeted by rumours of possibly takeover bids on Friday, fuelled by a perception that the recent decline in equity prices might have made leverage buyouts more likely.