Companies reporting next week

Broker Charles Stanley believes there could be a doubling in the half-year dividend to 1.9p a share, while net income will hold steady at £3.25bn.

The group may also provide further guidance on its hopes for 3G after launching the services with much fanfare earlier this week.

Jeremy Batstone, of Charles Stanley, said: 'Fortunately for the group, market expectations are still low on 3G, reflecting fears that an excess of capacity might force price cuts and reduce margins.'

The new chief executive of Northern Foods will update investors on progress with a strategic review when she unveils half-year results for the Fox's biscuits to Dalepak frozen foods company on Tuesday.

Pat O'Driscoll, who has replaced 16 operating companies with four divisions and recently closed two factories, has seen progress in ambient and frozen foods offset by disappointment in the chilled foods division.

Fund manager Gerrard expects profits to be little changed at £32m as the company battles against strong price competition among its retail customers, as well as the impact of rising raw material costs.

On Wednesday, the City will be eager to find out whether mobile phone group mmO2 will use its interim results to reward investors with the first dividend since its split from British Telecom three years ago.

The results are expected to reflect robust trading after an update in September showed revenues ahead of expectations as it added more customers and raked in more income per user.

Fund manager Gerrard is expecting pre-tax profits to come in at £255m, compared with £133m last time, with particular growth from O2 Germany.

The UK division is also set to deliver a strong performance following recent upbeat comments from Orange and Vodafone. Many analysts believe the company will pay its first dividend this year, although Gerrard expects the first payout to come at its final results.

Half-year results from J Sainsbury have been the subject of so much speculation in recent weeks that their final publication on Wednesday will come as little surprise to investors.

Chief executive Justin King has already signalled profits of between £125m and £135m, down substantially on a year earlier following a string of profits warnings.

King unveiled his strategy for reviving the business last month and is not expected to provide any further update on current trading. His recipe for reviving the group is based around tackling the supply chain problems that have often left supermarkets short of products.

Argos-to-Homebase retail group GUS recently reported a strong showing across its businesses and is expected to increase interim profits to £409m from £391m on Thursday, according to broker Charles Stanley.

The main focus will be on the sales trend over the last few weeks as investors look for more information on current levels of high street activity.

GUS said in a recent update that its Argos chain outperformed its market, with sales lifting by 13% on the back of new store openings and a good performance from consumer electronics, photography, white goods and leisure products.

Homebase is also expected to show good progress, with a strong showing from kitchens, bathrooms and tiling.

EMI is likely to show the continued impact of declining music sales when it posts its first half results next week.

Internet piracy has hit the sector hard in recent years, although the company said earlier this year that efforts to contain the problem - including through a series of lawsuits - were having a positive impact.

EMI, whose artists include Norah Jones, Robbie Williams and Coldplay, still expects to outperform the wider industry, although Gerrard is forecasting a sales decline of around 2.5%. It is expecting pre-tax profits to come in at £31.9m on Friday, down from £39.6m last time.