Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange on Wednesday, August 8
ALS – ALESCO GROUP LTD – steady at $2.06
DLX – DULUXGROUP LTD – down four cents at $3.24
Paintmaker DuluxGroup says it has increased its stake in takeover target Alesco to about 41 per cent.
ANN – ANSELL LTD – up 44 cents at $13.54
Glove and condom maker Ansell has bought French glove maker Comasec for $118 million, expanding its presence in Europe and north America.
BKN – BRADKEN LTD – up 58 cents at $5.74
Industrial equipment maker Bradken is heading into the new financial year with a record order book and plans to grow capacity.
COH – COCHLEAR LTD – down $3.40 at $63.00
Cochlear’s profit has plunged 68 per cent after the costly recall of a bionic ear implant, with the company pinning its recovery on the demands of an ageing population.
CCU – COBAR CONSOLIDATED RESOURCES LTD – up two cents at 65 cents
Australians may be disappointed by our showing at the London Olympics, but the nation’s newest silver producer is more than happy.
FXJ – FAIRFAX MEDIA LTD – down 0.5 cents at 51.5 cents
Gina Rinehart has signalled she will not back down from her demands for Fairfax board seats, by sending a letter seeking support from shareholders for the first time.
GNS – GUNNS LTD – shares suspended from trading, last traded at 16 cents
The environmental group fighting a court battle against Gunns’ proposed northern Tasmanian pulp mill is refusing to declare the controversial project dead and buried.
IGR – INTEGRA MINING LTD – steady at 40 cents
The head of takeover target Integra Mining says a multi-million dollar deal with WA gold miner Silver Lake Resources should be finalised by the end of the year.
KCN – KINGSGATE CONSOLIDATED LTD – up five cents at 41.1 cents
Gold miner Kingsgate Consolidated says it will take six months to turn around its underperforming Challenger gold mine.
LEI – LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LTD – down 25 cents at $16.48
Construction giant Leighton Holdings expects profit to increase threefold in the second half of 2012 after completion of its troubled Brisbane Airport Link and Victorian desalination project.
TCL – TRANSURBAN GROUP – down nine cents at $5.94
Toll road operator Transurban is considering the future of one of its roads in the United States, after a drop in its value halved Transurban’s full year net profit.
WPL – WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LTD – up seven cents at $34.12
Traditional owners in favour of Woodside Petroleum’s Browse gas hub say a $1.5 billion compensation deal will save lives and that they don’t want former Greens leader Bob Brown speaking for them.
