GVC’s Alexander may have one more great deal in play

ONLY a few months ago, Kenny Alexander, the chief executive of Ladbrokes Coral owner GVC, was under the cosh.

The wily Scot was facing questions over offloading £14 million in GVC shares and the sale of the company’s Turkish division. But investors appear to have forgiven him. The share price has jumped by a third since August, putting the company in prime position for a return to the FTSE 100.

On Wednesday, the company is set to update investors on trading in the third quarter.

A confident statement could extend its winning streak. A canny dealmaker, Alexander will be keeping a close eye on the £10 billion merger announced last week between Paddy Power and Betfair owner Flutter Entertainment and Sky Bet owner Stars Group.

Could he be planning to gatecrash the party?

Peel Hunt analysts think he could try.

They reckon Alexander, who has built up GVC through a series of deals, could have one more big transaction up his sleeve and could even target Stars once the competition watchdogs have combed through the deal. Game on.

DESPITE bearing up better than some of its rivals in the travel sector, easyJet has had a rough time of things this year, recently dropping out of the FTSE 100.

But investors in the airline will be hoping for a boost from the demise of Thomas Cook when bosses unveil an end-of-year update this Tuesday.

Johan Lundgren’s company has told the City to expect profits of £400 million to £440 million for the year, and UBS analysts hope it will be close to the top of this guidance.

CMC Markets’ scribblers suggest bosses may even raise their target higher in the light of Thomas Cook’s exit from the market.

NEIL WOODFORD faced more bad news on Friday when a row emerged over bonuses paid at a firm in which he holds a 12 per cent stake.

Sensyne Health said it had paid £1 million in flotation bonuses to chief executive Lord Drayson, formerly Science Minister under Gordon Brown, and chief financial officer Lorrie Headley in December last year, but had not disclosed it to the market.

The healthcare technology company’s annual results tomorrow will reveal progress since the flotation in August last year, albeit progress not reflected in the share price, which has halved.