magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
Smithson beats its benchmark in maiden set of results
Thursday 07 Mar 2019The first financial report from Fundsmith’s mid-cap investment trust Smithson ( SSON ) reveals it outperformed its MSCI World Small and Mid Cap benchmark in the period from its stock market debut on 19 October to 31 December 2018. Despite coming in ahead of the benchmark, Smithson’s net asset value...
What happens next with Brexit and what could it mean for investors?
Thursday 07 Mar 2019Several occasions in 2019 have been flagged as crunch time for Brexit and then failed to live up to expectations but the next seven days should give the markets a clearer picture on the likely destiny of the process. It is hard to see how Prime Minister Theresa May can further delay a meaningful...
New IMI boss hoping to use his Halma-earned growth magic
Thursday 07 Mar 2019The 9 May annual general meeting will trigger a change of chief executive at IMI ( IMI ) , one that investors hope will set the company back on track with past ambitions of 20% operating margins. Incoming boss Roy Twite has been a board director at IMI for 12 years and has led each of the group’s...
Take advantage of price dip in manufacturer Coats
Thursday 07 Mar 2019Shares in industrial thread business Coats ( COA ) were beaten up after issuing full year results on 1 March in what we can only describe as a complete over-reaction by the market. Use this opportunity to buy more shares at 86.3p. The underlying business is thriving with adjusted operating profit...
Barclays’ beat puts activist Bramson on the back foot
Thursday 28 Feb 2019Barclays ( BARC ) surprised the market last week by beating earnings forecasts after riding out the trading slump which hammered its rivals late last year. Most investment banks including the big Wall Street banks had a terrible last quarter of 2018 but Barclays saw a mere 6% drop in trading income...
Uber Eats could bid for Just Eat, says analyst
Thursday 28 Feb 2019Online delivery platform Just Eat ( JE. ) could be a takeover target for rival Uber Eats as the latter tries to boost market share, says Liberum analyst Ian Whittaker. Shares in Just Eat fell by nearly 7% on 21 February after Uber Eats revealed it was cutting fees paid by restaurants from 35% to 30...
Don’t chase Acacia Mining in hope of Tanzania resolution
Thursday 28 Feb 2019Shares in gold producer Acacia Mining ( ACA ) have shot up over the past week to hit 256.6p thanks to market anticipation it could resolve a long-standing problem in Tanzania. Several analysts say investors shouldn’t rush to buy following the rally as the stock is starting to look fully valued...
Are shareholders being short-changed by private equity deals?
Thursday 28 Feb 2019On 25 February Glasgow engineer Weir Group ( WEIR ) became the latest company to do a deal with private equity, selling its flow control business to First Reserve for £275m. However new research suggests companies that sell unwanted parts of their business are likely to get a better price on...
Will there be a supermarket sweep for Sainsbury’s and Asda?
Thursday 28 Feb 2019Both Sainsbury’s ( SBRY ) and Asda could be vulnerable to takeovers as negative remarks from the competition watchdog appear to leave their merger dead in the water. The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) latest comments imply little chance of the supermarket merger happening, leaving...
BHP, Royal Bank of Scotland, Reckitt Benckiser and other news
Thursday 21 Feb 2019Natural resources group BHP ( BHP ) disappointed the market with its half-year results as earnings missed expectations thanks to operational problems with several of its mines. The FTSE 100 constituent should benefit from higher iron ore and copper prices in the second half of its financial year...