magazine archive
magazine archive
Larger Companies
Will the CYBG tie-up with Virgin Money be any match for the big banks?
Thursday 12 Jul 2018Now challenger banks CYBG ( CYBG ) and Virgin Money ( VM. ) have agreed terms, they are entering into an unchartered area of banking, challenger plus perhaps. Neither as large as the big boys but with significantly more scale than the dwindling number of challenger banks elsewhere on the market. To...
It’s time to sell shares in WPP
Thursday 05 Jul 2018Now the dust has settled on the acrimonious exit of former WPP ( WPP ) chief executive Martin Sorrell it is a good time to assess the position the business finds itself in. Despite recent weakness the shares are trading materially above the lows from earlier this year and we think it is time to...
Cyber flop Avast has scope to rally nearly 50% if analysts have their sums right
Thursday 28 Jun 2018Analysts at broker Jefferies have issued a rallying call to investors to back cyber security business Avast ( AVST ) with what they see as ‘significant scope for the shares to re-rate’. Jefferies’ Vijay Anand has slapped a 320p target on the share price, implying 48% upside from the current price...
British American Tobacco shares struggle to fight back after 33% slump
Thursday 21 Jun 2018Shares in British American Tobacco ( BATS ) have fallen by a third in value over the past 12 months as the market prices in the risks of tougher regulation, higher taxes and declining industry volumes. British American Tobacco is now investing heavily in next generation products (NGPs) in the hope...
Scapa’s smart new strategy could deliver big upside
Thursday 07 Jun 2018Bonding solutions specialist Scapa ( SCPA:AIM ) is worthy of closer attention thanks to an intriguing new technology transfer strategy to support growth in its healthcare division. Scapa supplies bonding solutions and manufactures adhesive-based products for the healthcare and industrial markets...
What Intertek’s revenue rally means for its premium rating
Thursday 31 May 2018FTSE 100 multinational inspection, testing and certification company Intertek ( ITRK ) started life on the markets as a marine surveying business in the 1890s but is now so much more. The company is among other things the largest tester of consumer products in the world, with over a 1.000...
Euromoney is reinventing itself as a data services group
Thursday 24 May 2018A strong balance sheet offers business-to-business publisher Euromoney Institutional Investor ( ERM ) the opportunity to continue its shift towards fast growing data services and away from its traditional asset management base. In the six months to 31 March the £1.45bn company enjoyed 10% revenue...
Why Provident Financial’s shares are still erratic
Thursday 17 May 2018When Provident Financial ( PFG ) lost 70% of its value last August, it was the biggest one day fall in FTSE 100 history. In a strange event for the-now FTSE 250 company, its value soared by 70% on 27 February 2018 when the company revealed its Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fines were not as...
Direct Line is a belting dividend play
Thursday 10 May 2018UK motor insurance companies have under-performed the wider FTSE 100 by about 15% since the third quarter of 2017. While this negative sentiment may worry many investors, we think a constituent of this space Direct Line ( DLG ) is worth a closer look thanks to the income on offer and the...
Activist investor moves on Hammerson after M&A deals collapse
Thursday 26 Apr 2018It’s never a dull day if you’re a shareholder in shopping centre owner Hammerson ( HMSO ) . Following the rejection of a takeover offer and the collapse of a merger, the company has now attracted the attention of activist investor Elliott which has taken a 1.5% stake in the business. We believe...