Paragon maintains pace as stamp duty changes slow mortgage lending Banking Paragon has weathered a shakeup in stamp duty as analysts hailed the FTSE 250 bank’s “excellent momentum” in the first nine months of the financial year. The London-listed business recorded £1.1bn mortgage lending for the first three quarters, but estimated full-year volumes at the lower end of targets at £1.6bn. The firm said subdued activity [...]
Natwest top pick to acquire TSB Banking British banking juggernaut Natwest Group has been pegged as the “most likely acquirer” of TSB Bank. Natwest returned to private ownership last month, ending a nearly two-decade-long banking saga and setting the lender up for a deals spree. The bank has purchased over £5bn worth of shares from the Treasury as part of its directed buyback [...]
Rolls-Royce shares are champion of FTSE 100, analysts say Markets Rolls-Royce shares have become one of the London Stock Exchange’s crown jewels after showing no sign of slowing down its rapid rise. The stock has climbed over 53 per cent since the beginning of the year and nearly doubled from its standing 12 months ago. The firm’s latest rally came on Tuesday after it was [...]
Trustpilot shares sink after analysts downgrade to ‘Sell’ June 9, 2025 Shares in review platform Trustpilot sunk on Monday after analysts slapped a ‘Sell’ rating on the firm and warned of economic challenges ahead. Trustpilot’s stock tumbled over eight per cent in early trading to around 216p. Panmure Liberum analysts Sean Kealy and Johnathan Barrett cautioned the “deteriorating” state of the US economy would “test the [...]
Close Brothers slapped with a downgrade after rocky third-quarter May 26, 2025 Close Brothers was handed a downgrade by Peel Hunt analysts on Friday after its third-quarter update did little to calm investor nerves. The bank said fees and expenses were still at an “elevated level” in the recent quarter as net expenses jumped to £13.9m. This was up from £11.6m in the same period last year. [...]
Natwest and Lloyds to rake in millions from a ring-fencing shakeup May 16, 2025 Natwest and Lloyds are set for a major cash bump if Chancellor Rachel Reeves rips up the ring-fencing regime imposed on lenders, fresh data shows. FTSE 100 banking giants have lobbied the Chancellor to axe the system, which they described as a “drag on banks”. The bosses of HSBC, Lloyds, Natwest and Santander slammed the [...]
Analysts say ‘Buy’ Vanquis shares after payday loan turnaround May 15, 2025 Vanquis shares could finally be about to turn a corner, according to one group of City analysts. The shares peaked at more than 2,600p in 2015, and have since fallen by more than 96 per cent as Vanquis has endured soaring complaints and regulatory backlash thanks to its sub-prime lending and payday loan market exposure. [...]
Barclays: Shares in FTSE 100 giant near decade high after upgrade May 13, 2025 Barclays has received a major boost after the FTSE banking giant posted a bumper first quarter, driven by a strong performance in its investment arm. Analysts at RBC have upgraded Barclays’ shares, slapping a 340p target price on the stock – a 14 per cent increase. Shares edged up 0.2 per cent during early trading [...]
Bank of America analysts slap ‘buy’ rating on Barclays shares May 1, 2025 Bank of America analysts gushed over Barclays’ first-quarter performance, reiterating their ‘buy’ rating on the stock. Analysts said that while geopolitical-related concerns ahead of results were understandable, the lender “printed a strong set of numbers”. The FTSE 100 bank booked a £2.7bn pre-tax profit, ahead of the £2.5bn pencilled in. This was boosted by income [...]
Analysts ‘bullish’ on UK fintech Wise despite tariff threat April 16, 2025 Wise’s trading update left analysts with a “bullish outlook” on the money transfer firm, but they warned of a tariffs threat. The UK fintech pocketed £350m in underlying income for the fourth quarter – a 13 per cent jump year-on-year. International payments bolstered the firm’s intake, soaring 28 per cent to £39.1bn. This offset a [...]