NatWest Group is expected to post an improved performance this week when it announces its first results since returning to full private ownership.
The Gogarburn-headquartered company, trading north of the border as Royal Bank of Scotland, is expected to post a half-year attributable profit of £2.36 billion, against £2.1bn last year and £2.3bn in 2023. Investors will look for a hike on the 6p interim dividend paid last year, up 9% on 2023.
At the end of May the bank confirmed that it had returned to full private ownership, with the Treasury no longer holding any shares in the business. The taxpayer took an 84.4% stake in the bank through two separate injections of support in 2008 and 2009.
In recent years it has been on the acquisition trail. During Q2 2024 it acquired the outstanding credit card, unsecured personal loans and savings balances of Sainsbury’s Bank, adding about one million customer accounts to its retail banking business, and also took on £2.5 billion of UK prime residential mortgages from Metro Bank.
Earlier this year it was linked to a bid for TSB, eventually bought by Santander which was also subject to rumours of NatWest interest.
Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows, reports interim figures on Thursday.
Profit before tax for the first three months of 2025 was £1.17 billion, 26% lower than the same period in 2024. This was driven by higher operating expenses and a higher impairment charge.
It is awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling on motor finance commission which is imminent.
Iomart Group
Iomart Group, the Scotland-based secure cloud services company, will announce its delayed year-end results and interest will focus on any further information around the sudden departure of chief executive Lucy Dimes at the end of May.
The Aim-quoted company, which announced it was rebranding to Atech, was due to announce figures for the year to the end of March last month.
Chairman Richard Last became executive chair on Ms Dimes’ exit from the Glasgow company which subsequently announced it had refinanced its banking facilities via a syndicate of the group’s existing lenders until 30 June 2027. The agreement enables the group to reduce interest costs as it deleverages.
DIARY
Tuesday 22 July
- Trading update from Kier Group
- Public sector net borrowing figures
Wednesday 23 July
- Interims from Breedon Group
- Trading update from Wetherspoon
Thursday 24 July
- Full year figures from Iomart Group
- Interims from Lloyds Banking Group, Reach
- Trading updates from AJ Bell, BT Group, Vodafone
Friday 25 July
- Interims from NatWest Group, Rightmove
- GFK Consumer Confidence data
- Retail data
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