Contact shares slump after profit fall
Contact Energy shares have fallen nearly 9 per cent today after reporting a plunge in half-year profits.
Contact Energy shares have fallen nearly 9 per cent today after reporting a plunge in half-year profits.
Geothermal has pipped gas generation for the first time as more plants come on stream.
New Zealand shares fell yesterday, paced by Meridian Energy, Contact Energy and Mighty River Power as some investors looked to crystallise recent gains.
I am the household manager - in part, because the other half isn't interested in assuming the role and in part because I like to know what's going on.
New Zealand shares gained for a third day yesterday, paced by Contact Energy and TrustPower, as investors spooked by recent volatility sought high-yield stocks. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare rose to a record.
The stars have aligned for Contact Energy - producing an increase in profit to $234m and a second dividend increase for shareholders in two years.
Over the past couple of weeks, households have been receiving nasty surprises in the mail.
Contact Energy reported a 5 per cent improvement in earnings with improved sales and lower wholesale electricity prices.
NZ shares were mixed yesterday as investors cast forward to next month's earnings season, and as regional markets mulled this week's Federal Reserve meeting.
Editorial: Naturally enough, the Government was keen to put the entire blame for what happened on "politicking" by Labour and the Greens.
If Meridian Energy had already floated, it's a fair bet that its share price would have dropped after the Opposition unveiled its electricity policy a week ago.
Contact's share price dropped this morning, partly in response to uncertainty over the future of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.
Contact Energy says it's "not fixated" on the number of redundancies it will make but is still on track to shed 10 per cent of staff.
Contact Energy - New Zealand's biggest listed electricity company - plans to cut more than 100 jobs as part of a $40 million cost saving drive.
New Zealand shares rose on the first trading day of 2013, following gains on Wall Street, as investors drove up companies that have featured on broker lists for 2013, such as PGG Wrightson and Ryman Healthcare.