SHARE OF THE WEEK

GO-AHEAD will be in the spotlight next week during what is otherwise set to be a quieter few days in the run-up to Christmas.

Annual meetings are not always a highly anticipated event in a company’s financial calendar.

But for the train and bus group it offers a key opportunity to provide investors with an update before its shares temporarily cease trading in January.

Their value has fallen by more than a third so far this year.

Earlier this month the company admitted it would not be able to cobble together its alreadydelayed full-year results in time for a January 3 deadline.

Until it files them – which is likely to be towards the end of January – its stock will be frozen from January 4.

The company faced a crisis in September when the Government took over the commuteroriented Southeastern franchise.

The line was nationalised after it was found Go-Ahead and its partner multinational transportation firm Keolis failed to repay around £25m of taxpayer funds in a ‘serious’ breach.

It has already handed this back and also referred itself to the Serious Fraud Office.

Any updates about whether it is putting money aside to deal with the scandal – and how much – would be welcomed by the City.

They will also be keen to know whether it will take a significant hit from the company’s struggling Norwegian arm.

Analysts and investors alike will also be keeping a close eye on whether the company faces a shareholder rebellion – particularly against bosses following the fallout from Southeastern.

Finance chief Elodie Brian has already left – but whether that will be enough for Go-Ahead’s backers remains to be seen.