AIRPORTS operator BAA heads another strong line-up of major companies reporting results next week.
The impact of the war in Iraq and the outbreak of Sars in the Far East and elsewhere on the travel industry have been well documented, not least by airports operator BAA which issues full-year results on Tuesday.
BAA's traffic figures for March and April charted the effects of the double blow. While the fact that the Easter holiday fell later this year confused the picture, if the figures for the two months are taken together BAA saw a 0.8 per cent decline in the number of passengers.
Tuesday's results should give a more up-to-date assessment of the situation. Analysts expect profits before tax and exceptional items to rise to between £513.5m and £546.9m.
Tuesday also sees engineering group FKI report full-year results. Trading has been tough and analysts expect pre-tax profits before exceptional items to show a fall from £135m to £80m.
The consensus forecast for underlying profits at Cable & Wireless is £337m. Attention will inevitably focus on the outcome of a strategic review of the group carried out by chairman Richard Lapthorne.
Revenues are expected to come in at about £4.4bn and the results are expected to show lower income for the group's Global arm, which deals with large corporate customers.
Attention turns to retailing on Wednesday when Kingfisher reports first quarter figures. The results are expected to show a strong performance by DIY chain B&Q as the quarter, from February to April, contains the Easter period.
But analysts are less hopeful for the electrical division, which is due to be demerged.
AWG, the former Anglian Water, is expected to see full-year profits fall below last year's level when it reports its results on Wednesday, because of higher interest charges.
But the figures look likely to provoke a fresh round of speculation over the intentions of WestLB after high-profile takeover interest in the group.
Operating profits before one-off items are expected to fall between £90m and £100m compared with £137m a year ago.
High Street chemists Boots cut 700 jobs and announced the closure of its Wellbeing Services operation in March when it predicted profits for the full year to March 31 would come in at the lower end of expectations.
The news sent shares as low as 527p but it has since made a sustained recovery, reaching 625p. Analysts at stockbrokers Gerrard are expecting to see pre-tax profits slip from £639m a year ago to £545m when Boots reports full-year results on Thursday.
* Companies reporting results next week include:
MONDAY: Finals: Acal, Christian Salvesen, Fountains, Maelor. Interims: Dawson Holdings.
TUESDAY: Finals: BAA, BSS, Carphone Warehouse, East Surrey Holdings, FKI, Great Portland Estates, Kewill Systems, Merchant Retail, Ryanair, Umeco. Interims: API, ITE, Victrex.
WEDNESDAY: Finals: AWG, Cable & Wireless, Expro International, Quintain Estates & Development, Telecom Plus, Volex, VP. Interims: OMG.
THURSDAY: Finals: Applied Optical Technology, Boots, Helical Bar, Hornby, Johnson Matthey, Kelda, PHS Group, SSL International, Tate & Lyle. Interims: Signet (Q1).
FRIDAY: Interims: Hardys & Hanson, Ingenta.
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