Unilever boss looks to mend fences with the City in upcoming results January 27, 2019 The City will be turning its gaze towards Unilever later this week, with the consumer goods giant looking to reassure investors after a turbulent year which ended with the departure of long-reigning boss Paul Polman. The blue-chip firm behind Marmite and Persil is set to post its full-year results on Thursday under the leadership of Alan [...]
Glaxosmithkline chairman Sir Philip Hampton to step down January 21, 2019 The chairman of Glaxosmithkline (GSK), the UK’s largest drug manufacturer, has announced he will step down as chairman after less than four years in the role. Sir Philip Hampton’s decision to leave the company comes a month after GSK announced it has entered into agreement with US rival Pfizer to combine their consumer health businesses [...]
UK dividends hit record-breaking high in 2018 January 21, 2019 UK dividend payments rose to a record £99.8bn last year driven by rising profits and better than expected special dividends. British American Tobacco accounted for almost one fifth of the increase in UK dividends as it paid out an additional £900m over the course of 2018, entering the UK top five for the first time, according [...]
FTSE 100 ends its worst year since the financial crash in the red December 31, 2018 The UK's FTSE 100 blue-chip index ended its worst year since the 2008 financial crisis in the red, as a strong pound pulled down exporter shares. The FTSE 100 lost 0.1 per cent in trading on the last day of 2018, while the FTSE 250 added 0.2 per cent after a rally on Friday when they both closed [...]
Big pharma: GSK to split as it forms £9.8bn consumer health venture with Pfizer December 19, 2018 British pharmaceuticals group Glaxosmithkline (GSK) has revealed it has entered into an agreement with US rival Pfizer to combine their consumer health businesses into one joint venture, expected to bring in sales of approximately £9.8bn. GSK said it will hold a majority controlling interest in the new venture at 68 per cent, while Pfizer will [...]
Tesco fraud fiasco leaves new SFO boss with serious questions to answer December 6, 2018 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has had more ups and downs than Thomas Cook’s share price. When it scores a big success, like the near £500m deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with Rolls-Royce, it gets cheered to the rafters, while failures such as the Tchenguiz brothers debacle sees it dubbed the Serious Farce Office by critics. [...]
GSK drops on $5.1bn deal for ovarian drug producer Tesaro December 3, 2018 Shares in Glaxo Smith Kline dropped almost seven per cent today after the company said it will take over US cancer firm Tesaro. At $75 per share, the UK’s biggest drugmaker is paying a 110 per cent premium for Tesaro’s stock. The New York-listed company was up 59 per cent to $73.76 in pre-market trading, [...]
Unilever invests in India with €3.3bn deal for Horlicks December 3, 2018 Unilever has agreed to buy GlaxoSmithKline’s nutritions arm, including Horlicks, a week after press reports the two were in exclusive talks. The €3.3bn (2.9bn) deal will give the British-Dutch consumer goods company a substantial presence on the growing Indian market. It will buy GSK’s health food drinks portfolio in India, Bangladesh and 20 other mainly [...]
New report will urge FTSE bosses to bolster number of women on their boards or risk being accused of tokenism November 10, 2018 Next week around 75 firms in the FTSE-350 will be challenged as to the number of women on their boards, with concerns that many are not taking gender diversity seriously enough. The Hampton-Alexander review is expected to highlight that as many as 75 companies only have one female board member and risk being accused of tokenism amid [...]
FTSE 100 roundup: Today’s winners and losers November 2, 2018 The FTSE 100 lost ground today, with the index down 8.05 points at 7,106.61 shortly before the market close. Markets globally reacted positively to suggestions that the US and China may be coming towards a deal to end their recent trade war. However, looking at the week just gone, it appears that the FTSE 100 [...]