Firstgroup: Profit at Avanti West Coast owner beats expectations June 10, 2025 Transport giant Firstgroup has extended its share buyback program by £50m after annual revenue came in ahead of forecasts. The additional £50m buyback program follows Firstgroup’s return of £92m to shareholders in the 2025 financial year. The group also raised its dividend to 6.5p, up from 5.5p last year. The FTSE 250 company told markets [...]
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 [...]
A Wise storm has rocked the London Stock Exchange’s fintech dream June 6, 2025 Hopes of a fintech-powered City markets revival may have been crushed on Thursday after money transfer firm Wise ditched its primary listing. The embattled London Stock Exchange was dealt its latest blow as the UK fintech opted for a dual listing across the Atlantic but with the US acting as its primary base. It’s no [...]
Investors cheer Dr Martens’ turnaround plan – but will it work? June 5, 2025 Shares in Dr Martens have jumped by a fifth as investors cheered on the shoemaker’s new strategy for growth. The iconic brand said it had “failed to take advantage” of its leather goods offering and plans to expand its range of sandals and bags. It’s a “fundamental shift” for the brand, designed to open the [...]
Dr Martens: Shoemaker broadens range of sandals and bags as profit plummets June 5, 2025 Dr Martens has announced a new strategic focus after a bruising year which saw the brand nearly fall into the red. It will move away from a narrow focus on boots to a much broader approach targeting shoes, sandals and bags via a strategy called “Levers for Growth”. “Our ambition is to establish Dr. Martens as the world’s [...]
B&M: Revenue ticks up as new stores outperform June 4, 2025 Discount retailer B&M has reported a bump in its full-year earnings after progress in France and a better-than-anticipated performance at its new stores. The London-listed Luxembourg-headquartered company reported revenue of £5.57bn in the 52 weeks ended March 29, up 3.7 per cent year on year. It said the higher revenue was “primarily driven” by the contribution [...]
Paragon Bank: Stamp duty boost offsets motor finance provision June 4, 2025 Specialist lender Paragon Banking Group bolstered its profit in the first half of the financial year as increased lending managed to offshore a motor finance provision. The FTSE 250 bank’s pre-tax profit surged 26.7 per cent to £149.4m, up from £146.4 in the first half of 2024. This was driven by 4.9 per cent expansion [...]
British American Tobacco ups guidance on US return to growth June 3, 2025 Pall Mall and Lucky Strike owner British American Tobacco (BAT) has said its American business has returned to growth, driven by smokeless products. In a trading update, the company said its combustible products – cigarettes and cigars – are expected to return to growth in the first half of the year, while its nicotine pouches Velo [...]
Natwest returns to private ownership May 30, 2025 Natwest has finally re-entered private ownership ending one of British banking’s longest-running sagas. The government sold off its remaining 0.26 per cent stake in the group on Friday marking a full exit from the lender. The Treasury’s share of the FTSE 100 lender dates back to the 2008 financial crisis. Natwest, then under the Royal [...]
Barclays and HSBC shares jump after Trump’s legal blow May 29, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 banking giants rallied on Thursday after President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda was dealt a blow from the courts. Barclays and HSBC climbed over one per cent to 328.05p and 874.50p, while Standard Chartered jumped nearly two per cent to 1,158.00p. This came as the US Court of International Trade declared Trump’s [...]