magazine archive
magazine archive
Under The Bonnet
The bull and bear case for retailer Next
Thursday 10 May 2018With the UK high street highly distressed, the majority of analysts are sitting on the fence with ‘hold’ ratings on one of the retail sector’s biggest constituents, clothing-to-homewares colossus Next ( NXT ) . Long revered for its best-in-class retail disciplines and management team, not to...
Irish Continental looks to sail through choppy Brexit waters
Thursday 26 Apr 2018Shipping and transport group Irish Continental ( ICGC ) has taken steps to accelerate future earnings growth after investing more than €300m in two new ships. This investment is a display of confidence in the future despite the potential for disruption from Brexit. Irish Continental owns Irish...
A novel way to earn income with Duke Royalty
Thursday 05 Apr 2018Traditionally when a company needs financing but wants to retain control of its fortunes there are limited options available to it. Bank loans are probably the most popular but high street banks are still cautious in lending small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) cash despite government...
Major turning point for Rolls-Royce as its earnings start to improve
Thursday 15 Mar 2018If there is one FTSE 100 company that epitomises the rough and tumble of the stock market in recent years it has to be Rolls-Royce ( RR. ) . The £15bn company makes engines and huge gas turbines that power planes, trains and ships. It has enjoyed prolonged spells of growth over the years. However,...
Arena Events has the hallmarks of a great small cap investment
Thursday 22 Feb 2018We’ve spotted a very interesting company which has quietly got on with the job since joining the stock market last summer. Arena Events ( ARE:AIM ) boasts high levels of recurring revenue (70%), it trades on an reasonable valuation and has clear potential to lift margins. It also has zero or...
We expect more investors will flock to litigation financier Burford Capital
Thursday 15 Feb 2018AIM-quoted Burford Capital ( BUR:AIM ) may interest investors seeking assets with low correlation to markets. It is a leading operator in the nascent area of litigation finance. Essentially it provides cash to help fund lawsuits and then takes a proportion of any resulting compensation award. It...
Can Domino’s Pizza gurus repeat success with another franchise business?
Thursday 08 Feb 2018A man walks into a bar. He says: ‘I want to unblock a drain, look after a dog and fix a scratch on a car’. While this sounds like a joke, it doesn’t have a comedic punch line. Instead, it’s an accurate description of a £47m business quoted on AIM called Franchise Brands ( FRAN:AIM ) . There’s very...
Why have shares in FTSE 100 pharma group Shire been falling since 2016?
Thursday 01 Feb 2018FTSE 100 biopharmaceutical company Shire ( SHP ) has been fighting negative investor sentiment for more than a year amid concerns over debt pressures and competitive threats. The decision to potentially spin off part of its business hasn’t helped to reverse the negative share price trend, down 36%...
Can Thomas Cook and TUI shares take off?
Thursday 18 Jan 2018Freezing January temperatures are a likely catalyst for people to start planning their sun-soaked getaway, city break or quiet retreat through tour operators such as Thomas Cook ( TCG ) or TUI ( TUI ) . WHO HAS DELIVERED BETTER RETURNS Over the last five years, investors would have made the most...
Repaired Laird is ripe for recovery
Thursday 14 Dec 2017From the look of its regal offices on London’s Pall Mall you’d never guess at Laird’s ( LRD ) beginnings as a Birkenhead-based ironworks. The company also has one of the more colourful stock market stories, a 193-year history that takes in ship building, railway carriages, car parts, security...