RSA firms up position in Irish market with acquisition of AonInsure.ie (IrishTimes)
Insurer RSA Insurance Group plc (LON:RSA) has strengthened its position in the Irish market by acquiring the general insurance business of rival AonInsure.ie for an undisclosed sum. RSA Insurance Group plc (LON:RSA) intends to merge this into its 123.ie business unit, which it acquired for €65 million in 2010. RSA Insurance Group plc (LON:RSA) is acquiring 66,000 policies from Aon in a deal that it hopes will help it build on its existing 16 per cent market share here. These are primarily motor and home insurance customers. Aon staff were informed of the deal yesterday. About 80 employees are affected by the deal.
Twitter account of British news agency infiltrated with Syrian-linked messages (NorthJersey)
ITV plc (LON:ITV), owner of Britain’s biggest commercial TV station, suffered a Twitter account hack Friday with postings attributed to the “Syrian Electronic Army,” a name also used last week when The Financial Times’s social media accounts were infiltrated with links to war atrocity videos. The @itvlondon account on Twitter posted six messages. One said “Francois Hollande to double aid to rebels, including a complementary French flag with every aid package,” with a picture of a white flag against a blue, cloudy sky. Another post said “Twitter finally defeats the #Syria-n electronic army,’ with a link to an Independent newspaper article. That was followed by another message, which read “Just kidding. The Syrian Electronic Army was here. #SEA via @Official_SEA12.”
ITV First-Quarter Revenue Advances 1% on Digital Performance (BusinessWeek)
ITV plc (LON:ITV), owner of the U.K.’s biggest commercial TV station, said first-quarter sales rose 1 percent, driven by growth in online, pay and interactive revenue. External sales climbed to 571 million pounds ($869 million) from 565 million pounds a year earlier, the London-based company said in a statement today. ITV plc (LON:ITV), whose shows include “Downton Abbey” and “X Factor,” has been reducing its dependence on advertising by investing in content creation and by acquiring production assets. Net advertising sales from ITV plc (LON:ITV) Family will decline by about 3 percent in the first half because of tough second-quarter comparatives, the broadcaster said today.
Should I Invest In Aviva Plc? (Fool)
To me, capital growth and dividend income are equally important. Together, they provide the total return from any share investment and, as you might expect, my aim is to invest in companies that can beat the total return delivered by the wider market. To put that aim into perspective, the FTSE 100 has provided investors with a total return of around 3% per annum since January 2008. Quality and value If my investments are to outperform, I need to back companies that score well on several quality indicators and buy at prices that offer decent value. So this series aims to identify appealing FTSE 100 investment opportunities and today I’m looking at Aviva plc (LON:AV), the UK’s largest life and general insurance company.
Aviva plc Given “Buy” Rating at Tradenext (AV.) (MideastTime)
Aviva plc (LON:AV)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by Tradenext in a research note issued on Friday, Analyst Ratings Network.com reports. A number of other firms have also recently commented on AV.. Analysts at Credit Suisse reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Aviva plc (LON:AV) in a research note to investors on Friday, May 17th. They now have a GBX 435 ($6.58) price target on the stock. Separately, analysts at Espirito Santo Investment Bank Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Aviva plc (LON:AV) in a research note to investors on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, analysts at Societe Generale reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Aviva plc (LON:AV) in a research note to investors on Tuesday, May 14th. They now have a GBX 385 ($5.83) price target on the stock.
