Next PLC, Imperial Brands PLC and AG Barr PLC in line for coming week, UK GDP and

The coming week will be a shorter one for the UK as Good Friday kicks off the long Easter weekend.

With this in mind, the company diary is also a little quieter than it has been the last few weeks, although there will still be appearances from some big names including clothing retailer Next, cigarette maker Imperial Brands and Irn-Bru maker AG Barr.

On the macro front, while many in the UK will be celebrating the end of the UK’s stay at home order on Monday as lockdown restrictions ease again, the data experts will be poring over a number of key announcements including the UK’s GDP and the US non-farm payrolls data.

Imperial Brands strategy in focus

Tobacco firm Imperial Brands PLC (LON:IMB) is due to release a first-half trading update on Tuesday, where the firm is likely to look to build on its figures from last autumn where it met its previously lowered expectations for profits and dividends while improving cash flow.

The update will also be a chance for new boss Stefan Bomhard, who took over last July, to update investors on the company’s five-year strategy unveiled in January, which is focusing on improving the company’s next-generation products division as well as developing its business in Africa and improving operations in its core markets of the USA, Germany, the UK, Australia and Spain.

Another focus will be the company’s full-year guidance, which is currently set at low-to-mid single-digit growth in underlying, adjusted operating profit, as well as on ongoing reduction in net debt.

AG Barr looks to keep numbers fizzing

Irn-Bru maker AG Barr PLC (LON:BAG) started 2021 with a pop after upgrading its profit expectations for the current year, so the company’s final results on Tuesday are unlikely to contain any nasty surprises in the numbers beyond what has already been flagged.

In the year to January 24, 2020, the firm said its revenue is estimated to come in at £227mln, 11% below the prior year’s levels.

However, the company also noted that January’s lockdown measures had impacted its sales into 2021, so the outlook statement as well as how the firm plans to recover from the pandemic will be watched closely for how it sees the immediate post-COVID era panning out.

Pennon lets update flow

A trading statement from Pennon PLC (LON:PENN) on Tuesday, now describing itself as an environmental infrastructure group since the disposal of Viridor, is unlikely to get the pulses racing.

The water company said in its half-year results it had significant funds available of £2.7 billion and that it is working extensively to narrow down the potential opportunities.

Since then, nothing of consequence has been heard from the company but some companies have a propensity to announce acquisitions along with their results statement so acquisition news is not beyond the reals of possibility.

With that amount of cash on the balance sheet and the shares regarded as an income play, it was little surprise that the board elected at the interim stage not to join those companies suspending dividend payments during the pandemic.

The company’s policy is to increase the divi by two percentage points above the annual increase in the consumer price index with housing costs (CPIH).

Topps files

Topps Tiles PLC (LON:TPT) is expected to put out a half-year trading update on Wednesday, following up on a January statement where the retailer said sales in the first 13 weeks of its financial year had risen 20% year on year, with growth from both professional fitters and homeowners.

Management predicted sales would be hit during the latest lockdown, though, with trading margins under pressure due to the extra costs of delivering online orders.

While tiles and associated products are building materials so can continue to be sold under the building supplies…