magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
Does the Hammerson and Intu marriage add up?
Thursday 14 Dec 2017A 253.9p all-share takeover offer from Hammerson ( HMSO ) for Intu Properties ( INTU ) looks set to deliver a shopping centre investor with more than £21bn worth of assets across Europe. But will the £3.4bn deal create or destroy value for shareholders? Hammerson swooped after months of weakness in...
Could income stock GVC put dividend on pause?
Thursday 14 Dec 2017Gaming consolidator GVC ( GVC ) plans (7 Dec) to buy Ladbrokes Coral ( LCL ) for up to £3.9bn. GVC has a strong record of creating value from acquisitions, having bought Sportingbet in 2013 and Bwin.Party in 2016, although the FTSE 250 business took a dividend holiday in calendar 2016 under the...
Clipper Logistics’ returns business is booming
Thursday 14 Dec 2017The proliferation of consumers returning items bought online is playing into the strengths of logistics solutions and e-fulfilment company Clipper Logistics ( CLG ) . The ability to return an item at little or no cost is fast becoming one of the key reasons why consumers choose to use certain...
Whitbread gains caffeine hit from activist investor stake
Thursday 14 Dec 2017Shares in Costa Coffee owner Whitbread ( WTB ) have risen by 6.5% to £39.50 since news (6 Dec) that activist investor Sachem Head Capital now owns 3.4% stake of the business. Sachem is a hedge fund with a history of piling pressure on firms to overhaul their operations to boost performance with...
East Coast franchise relief triggers rally in Stagecoach shares
Thursday 07 Dec 2017Shares in transport operator Stagecoach ( SGC ) jumped by 13% on 29 November after the Department for Transport said it would end the group’s underperforming East Coast rail franchise in 2020, three years ahead of plan, and replace it with a partnership model. Stagecoach operates the rail franchise...
Trump tax puts a rocket under US assets
Thursday 07 Dec 2017US stock indices and UK firms with exposure across the pond are in buoyant mood after the Senate passed a bill offering corporate tax cuts aimed at boosting economic growth (3 Dec). Companies including equipment hire business Ashtead ( AHT ) , building materials play CRH ( CRH ) , plumbing and...
Brexit deal on… then off again
Thursday 07 Dec 2017Sterling is enduring considerable volatility as the UK Government desperately tries to get closer to meeting the conditions required to begin trade talks with the European Union (EU). The pound surged on 4 December amid speculation a divorce settlement was about to be delivered but opposition from...
Sales growth slowdown triggers CVS share slump
Thursday 07 Dec 2017One of AIM’s most successful stocks has experienced a rare moment of share price weakness. Veterinary services provider CVS ( CVSG:AIM ) has fallen by 30% in value to 900p in the past week after a slowdown in sales growth, blamed on uncertain economic conditions troubling consumers and a shortage...
We spot a catalyst to revive interest in Gamma Communications
Thursday 07 Dec 2017AIM-quoted Gamma Communications ( GAMA:AIM ) is close to launching its fully integrated fixed line and mobile for business platform called Connect . This could reignite investor demand for the shares after a slow run. The consensus target price stands at 700p, versus the 601.5p at which the stock...
Centrica’s yield could be a phantom menace
Thursday 30 Nov 2017Dividend payments from energy supplier Centrica ( CNA ) must be considered at serious risk in the wake of the group’s shocking profit warning last week (23 November). In a third quarter trading update the British Gas -owner slashed earnings guidance to 12.5p per share (EPS) for 2017 after losing...