Welcome to the week ahead, our summary of the forthcoming key company announcements. Companies are no longer obliged to notify the London Stock Exchange (LSE) of results and trading updates, so this list does not claim to be comprehensive. You can read company announcements at http://announce.ft.com and our daily online news summaries record all key company announcements and business press headlines.
Monday 22 April
Final: Dillistone
Trading statements: Creston, Reckitt Benckiser
AGMs: Cambria Africa, Genel Energy, Mediwatch
Tuesday 23 April
Interims: Associated British Foods, Next Fifteen Communications
Finals: Aseana Properties, Lidco, Oakley Capital, Snoozebox
Trading statements: 888, ARM, Aveva, Carpetright, Dragon Oil, Foreign & Colonial, Petropavlovsk, Premier Foods, Segro
AGMs: Foreign & Colonial, London Capital, Segro, Silence Therapeutics
Economics: Public sector borrowing data, Confederation of British Industry trends data for total orders, selling prices and business optimism
Following February's trading statement, half-year figures from Associated British Foods (ABF) on Tuesday shouldn't reveal any big surprises - expect a solid performance, driven by stellar trading at discount clothing retailer Primark. In fact sales there are expected to have grown 23 per cent, driven by a 7 per cent rise in like-for-like sales, better store layouts and a significant increase in retail space. Elsewhere in the group, profit from the sugar business is likely to be lower, with declines in China more than offsetting improvements in other regions. Net debt is expected to fall by at least £300m and earnings should be well ahead of last year's outcome. Overall, broker Panmure Gordon forecasts a 15.9 per cent rise in half-year EPS to 39.9p with a full-year EPS forecast of 95p. Still, the shares have soared over 40 per cent since mid-September and - trading on 19 times Panmure's forecast full-year earnings - the broker sensibly suggests that they are due to "pause for breath".
Wednesday 24 April
Interim: Fenner
Finals: Brown (N), Bumi
Trading statements: Barclays, Computacenter, GlaxoSmithKline, Pace, Redrow, Reed Elsevier, Smith (DS), Sports Direct International, Standard Life, Thorntons, Virgin Media
AGMs: AZ Electronic Materials, Bodycote, Drax, Modern Water, Pace, RM, STV
EGM: 3D Resources
Economics: British Bankers' Association loans for house purchases data, Confederation of British Industry reported sales figures
Fenner (FENR) releases half-year figures on Wednesday and demand among Australian miners for the company's industrial conveyor belts dropped off during the second quarter - hitting prices and margins. It's a similar story in the US, where cheap gas continues to subdue America's thirst for coal, while slower growth in China during the first quarter does nothing to improve sentiment, either. Customer re-stocking generated excitement at the rubber seals and plastic parts division - Advanced Engineered Products - last month, although it's unclear whether that trend has continued in the weeks since. Overall, Fenner's volumes during the first six months are unlikely to match last year's record and much will hinge on the historically stronger second half when currency benefits should feed through. JPMorgan currently expects adjusted pre-tax profit of £97m in 2013 and adjusted EPS of 33.3p. A forward PE ratio of 11.5 looks about right given the size of the task ahead.
Thursday 25 April
Interim: Spirit Pub Company
Finals: Camellia, Huntsworth, Mail.ru
Trading statements: Admiral, AstraZeneca, Biome Technologies, British American Tobacco, Cobham, Croda International, Dialight, Elementis, Filtrona, Go-Ahead, Icon, International Ferro Metals, International Personal Finance, Kazakhmys, Ladbrokes, Mecom, Molins, Playtech, Polymetal International, Senior, St James's Place, SVG Capital, Taylor Wimpey, Unilever
AGMs: Acencia Debt Strategies, Admiral, Aggreko, AstraZeneca, Barclays, Berendsen, Biome Technologies, British American Tobacco, Cobham, Croda International, Delphi Automotive, Dialight, Electric Word, Elementis, Filtrona, Forbidden Technologies, International Personal Finance, Molins, Premier Foods, Reed Elsevier, SpaceandPeople, Synety, Taylor Wimpey, TomCo Energy, Wolfson Microelectronics
Economics: First-quarter GDP figures, Index of services
Friday 26 April
Trading statements: Colt, Rotork, Ultra Electronics, WPP
AGMs: Aer Lingus, Johnston Press, Minoan, Pearson, Rotork, Senior, Stadium, Ultra Electronics
EGMs: AXA Property, Breedon Aggregates
Shares going ex-dividend on 24 April
| Company | Dividend (p) | Payment |
| Aggreko | 15.63 | 23 May |
| Avingtrans | 0.7 | 14 Jun |
| Balfour Beatty | 8.5 | 5 Jul |
| BlackRock Latin American IT | 16.3161 | 26 Apr |
| Brady | 1.6 | 21 May |
| Central Asia Metals | 3.7 | 29 May |
| Centrica | 11.78 | 12 Jun |
| Churchill China | 9.4 | 28 May |
| Drax | 10.9 | 17 May |
| DRS Data & Research Services | 0.4 | 24 May |
| Fiberweb | 2.2 | 24 May |
| Fresnillo | 28.22 | 9 May |
| Good Energy | 2 | 24 May |
| Greggs | 13.5 | 24 May |
| HR Owen | 1.25 | 24 May |
| Hansteen | 2.7 | 22 May |
| Impax Environmental Markets | 0.9 | 28 May |
| Informa | 12.5 | 21 May |
| International Public Partnerships | 3 | 14 May |
| Intu Properties | 10 | 4 Jun |
| Invesco Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust | 4.4 | 24 May |
| Kazakhmys | 5.29 | 21 May |
| Kentz Corporation | 5.96 | 24 May |
| Kingspan | 7.25 | 16 May |
| Legal & General | 5.69 | 29 May |
| Lookers | 1.55 | 4 Jun |
| Man | 8.26 | 17 May |
| McBride | 1.7 | 31 May |
| Microgen | 2.2 | 28 May |
| Microgen | 5.2 | 28 May |
| National Express | 6.6 | 17 May |
| North American Income | 13 | 24 May |
| North Midland Construction | 3 | 24 May |
| Octopus Second Aim VCT | 1.7 | 24 May |
| Old Mutual | 5.25 | 31 May |
| Playtech | €0.154 | 24 May |
| Portmeirion | 17.3 | 24 May |
| Rathbone Brothers | 30 | 16 May |
| Rexam | 10.2 | 22 May |
| Rolls-Royce | 11.9 | 1 Jul |
| Smart Metering Systems | 1.15 | 31 May |
| Somero Enterprises | $0.008 | 13 May |
| Statpro | 1.9 | 22 May |
| Tullett Prebon | 11.25 | 16 May |
| UBM | 20 | 28 May |
| WH Ireland | 0.5 | 24 May |
| Xchanging | 1 | 22 May |
| Zotefoams | 3.5 | 23 May |
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.
