Kier shares set to build bearish momentum ahead of full year earnings
Kier Group continues to see its share price fall after Covid-19 cases were reported at one of its sites, with bearish momentum building ahead of its full-year results on Thursday 17 September.
- Kier Group set to unveil full year earnings on Thursday 17 September
- Bullish momentum will be ‘hard to muster’ for Kier shares, says IG analyst
- Kier Group share price slides 7% ahead of earnings after Covid-19 cases reported at site
Kier Group shares continue to struggle, with the stock sliding 7% on Tuesday, after five Covid-19 cases were reported at its site where it is working on the new Durham Country Council headquarters.
The company had begun to have some success with its turnaround strategy at the start of the year, with the stock, hitting a high of 149p in mid-February, up from a 77p a month prior in mid-January.
But the company, like so many others, saw its earlier gains utterly destroyed by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Kier is trading at 51p per share at the time of publication, with the stock down 45% year-to-date.
Kier Group contemplates cash raise to offset Covid-19 impact
In a trading update earlier this year, Kier admitted that it may have to raise additional funds to strengthen its balance sheet amid the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said that lower revenues had led to a lower-level of working capital inflow, with net debt for the financial year expected to hit £440 million. Investors will be interested to see what that final figure is later this week.
Kier has cut pay for more than 6500 employees across the board in an effort to reduce capital expenditure and has even put its housebuilding business, Kier Living, up for sale to reduce the amount of debt on its balance sheet.
‘As a result of Covid-19, over the next 12-18 months, further actions will be taken, including: continuing to implement a range of self-help measures, driving a further increase in the group's operating cashflows, continuing the process to sell Living and a potential equity issue,’ the company said.
And with coronavirus cases raising around Europe, investors are growing increasingly worried about a second wave and the prospect of additional lockdowns which would spell disaster for Kier.
Kier Group: technical analysis
Shares in Kier have hit new record lows this week, as sellers pile in, according to Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG.
‘The loss of the August 2019 low at 58.6p provided the catalyst sellers were looking for, and as a result the losses have come swiftly,’ he said.
‘This renewed downward move means that it will be hard to muster any bullish momentum.’
How to trade stocks with IG
Looking to trade Kier and other stocks? Open a live or demo account with IG and buy (long) or sell (short) shares using derivatives like CFDs and spread bets in a few easy steps:
- Create an IG trading account or log in to your existing account
- Enter ‘Kier Group PLC’ in the search bar and select it
- Choose your position size
- Click on ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ in the deal ticket
- Confirm the trade
This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
Live prices on most popular markets
- Equities
- Indices
- Forex
- Commodities
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All share prices are delayed by at least 15 minutes.
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.