Week Ahead 26-30 November

Monday 26 November

Interims: Cranswick, Essar Energy, GB Group, Immunodiagnostic Systems, Quintain Estates & Development

Finals: Aberdeen Asset Management, Infrastrata

Trading statements: All Leisure Group, Breedon Aggregates

AGMs: Origin Enterprises, West Pioneer Properties

EGMs: Cookson, UBM

Quintain (QED) fell off the investment radar after the property crash, which left the developer with two vast regeneration sites and limited resources to plough into them. But that changed in June when the company announced a sweeping joint venture with cash-rich Hong Kong property magnate, Dr Henry Cheng Kar-Shun. We upgraded our advice to buy at the time, since when the shares have gained 36 per cent. Investors will be scrutinising the half-year results on 26 November for the full operational and financial impact of the joint venture, which is to redevelop the land around the O2 arena in Greenwich. Meanwhile, new chief executive Maxwell James may use his first results announcement to lay out a full recovery plan for the company. The housebrokers at Barclays expects adjusted net asset value to fall 3.7 per cent to 111p by next March. But at 53p the shares trade at such a wide discount to book value that news on a clear strategy to restore Quintain to financial health could spark a further re-rating.

Tuesday 27 November

Interims: Caledonia Investments, De La Rue, Findel, Iomart, KCOM, Scapa, Severn Trent

Finals: Chemring, Gooch & Housego, Greencore, Mitchells & Butlers, The Local Shopping Reit, Topps Tiles

Trading statement: St Ives

AGM: St Ives

Economics: GDP third quarter, Index of services

When, in September, Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) announced the appointment of ex-Marstons chief operating officer Alistair Darby as its new chief executive, the appointment was seen as something of a watershed moment by the City. The company, which had been without a full-time boss since March 2011, had been plagued by instability in the boardroom as major shareholders tussled over strategy.

While it is too soon to expect Mr Darby to have had a major effect on the business and specifically increasing returns from its pub restaurant chains, which include Harvester and Toby Carvery, investors will nevertheless be scouring full-year results on 27 November for signs that he is putting his stamp on the company in a positive way. Already brokers have picked up on signs that consumer satisfaction scores are increasing at M&B’s establishments and there is optimism about the greater freedom being given to middle management.

The shares have rallied and, at 326p, M&B’s valuation, on an enterprise-value-to-cash-profits basis, is now much closer to that of its peer group. However, historically M&B has commanded a premium rating and if signs start to emerge that Mr Darby, a very experienced pub operator, is squeezing more from the of the assets the shares should have further to climb. Broker Peel Hunt expects underlying pre-tax profits to come in at £165.8m and EPS of 30.3p. Ahead of the results, we rate the shares a hold.

Wednesday 28 November

Interims: Advanced Computer Software, Creston, Daisy Group, Telford Homes, Torotrak, United Utilities, Vp

Finals: Britvic, GW Pharmaceuticals, Thomas Cook

AGMs: Kea Petroleum, Neos Resources, Seeing Machines, Wildhorse Energy

EGM: IFG

Following an upbeat trading statement last month from east London housbuilder Telford Homes (TEF), investors will already have a good idea about what to expect from its half-year figures on 28 November. Progress is likely to be robust with legal completions having more than doubled to 252 and with profit margins up. Indeed, at the time of the update, management was expecting to meet pre-tax profit consensus estimates of £8m for the year to end-March 2013, giving EPS of 11.8p, up from £3m a year earlier, while pre-sales secured at higher than expected margins will push 2014's pre-tax profit beyond consensus estimates of £12m, with EPS of 17.9p. Demand from overseas investors remains high, too, both from owner-occupiers and investors attracted by the high rental yield. The group is already 85 per cent sold for the current year and 50 per cent for the year to end-March 2014.

Thursday 29 November

Interims: API, Dixons Retail, Hogg Robinson, Mountview Estates, PayPoint, Pennon, RPC, Wyg

Finals: Impax Asset Management, Marstons's, Shaftesbury

Trading statement: Kingfisher

AGMs: Avia Health Informatics, Berkeley Resources, BHP Billiton, Petra Diamonds, Victoria Oil & Gas, Wolseley

EGM: LMS Capital

Economics: Net consumer credit, Net lending secured on dwellings, Mortgage approvals, M4 money supply, CBI reported sales

Half-year figures from PayPoint (PAY) on 29 November are expected to reveal another polished performance from the payment services specialist - provided its solid first-quarter performance is repeated in the second quarter. Transactions in the first three months grew 24 per cent to 181m, boosted by strong growth in bill payments and retail services, but partly offset by an expected decline in mobile top-up business. The group also boasts a fast-expanding business in Romania, where first quarter transactions jumped 42 per cent to 5.7m. PayPoint delivered pre-tax profits of £37.2m in the year to end-March 2012, and consensus estimates forecast pre-tax profits of £41.5m, with EPS of 44.2p, for 2013, rising to £44.8m in 2014 and EPS of 48.8p.

Friday 30 November

Interim: Acal

Trading statements: SThree, XCounter

AGMs: Charteris, Fusion, Ferrum Crescent, Lok'n Store Group, Pan African Resources, Prime Focus London

EGM: Pan African Resources

Economics: GfK consumer confidence

Shares going ex-dividend on 28 November

The ex-dividend date is the first day on which it is no longer possible to buy the shares and qualify for the dividend. Ex-days are almost always a Wednesday. The record date is usually two days after the ex-date. The payment day is the day on which the funds are transferred to shareholders.