Rampant rodents: Rats on the rise last summer boost finances at pest control giant Rentokil February 28, 2019 Pest control giant Rentokil’s shares rose on Thursday morning as it said its services had been in high demand through last year’s long, hot summer. The blue chip firm also announced it would replace its chairman of more than a decade, John McAdam, with senior director at Aston Martin, Richard Solomons. Read more: CMA orders [...]
Sainsbury’s shares crash as Asda merger torpedoed February 27, 2019 | City Talk A strongly worded report from the regulator appears to have torpedoed this supermarket mega merger. What a difference a day makes. Until this morning, Sainsbury's (LSE:SBRY) was the best-performing supermarket stock over the past 12 months by some margin. Now, after the regulator's report on its proposed merger with Asda, it's the worst! After months [...]
Stock Spirits buys Italian grappa producer Distillerie Franciacorta for €26.5m January 31, 2019 Vodka manufacturer Stock Spirits has snapped up Italian grappa giant Distillerie Franciacorta in a deal worth €26.5m (£23.2m), the company said today. The London-listed drinks firm will take over Distillerie Franciacorta’s spirits and liqueurs business for €23.5m and pay a further €3m for land, with plans to build a new production facility. Read more: Activist investor [...]
Activist investor takes shot at board of vodka maker Stock Spirits January 27, 2019 A Portuguese activist investor has launched a no-holds-barred attack on the chairman and senior director of vodka maker Stock Spirits amid discontent about shareholder returns. Luis Amaral, whose investment firm Western Gate holds a 10 per cent stake in Stock Spirits, has called on fellow shareholders to oust chairman David Maloney and senior independent director [...]
Activist shareholders step up pressure on UK boards January 13, 2019 Shareholder activism increased sharply in the UK last year as investors launched campaigns at 25 companies, spending $7.35bn (£5.72bn) on shares. Elliott Advisors was the most prolific activist investor, launching 22 new campaigns worldwide, according to research by the investment bank Lazard. Elliott led a campaign that prompted UK retailer Whitbread to offload Costa Coffee to Coca-Cola [...]
Merger growth drives Grant Thornton International to record £4.3bn revenues January 9, 2019 Grant Thornton International reported record revenues of $5.45bn (£4.28bn), lifted by income expansion from international mergers, and strong growth in its tax and advisory arms. The figure is up $450m on last year, representing an average growth of 9.4 per cent across the whole organisation – slightly behind the 10.7 per cent global growth at [...]
Eli Lilly buys cancer drug specialist Loxo Oncology for $8bn January 7, 2019 Pharmaceuticals giant Eli Lilly has bought Loxo Oncology for $8bn (£6.27bn), marking the second multibillion dollar US drug merger since the start of the new year. In a sign of the fast-growing market for cancer drugs, Eli Lilly said this afternoon that it has acquired Loxo as it looks to bolster its treatment portfolio. Today’s [...]
UK M&A value soars by more than a quarter in 2018 as number of mega-deals increases January 3, 2019 The value of merger and acquisitions involving UK companies soared by more than a quarter last year as the number of mega-deals surged. Deal activity reached a three year high in 2018, while M&A activity involving UK firms hit £359.9bn which is 28 per cent more than the value recorded in 2017, according to data [...]
Goldman Sachs profits beat expectations as investment banking revenues jump October 16, 2018 Goldman Sachs beat expectations in the third quarter as revenues at its investment banking units surged in Lloyd Blankfein's final quarter as chief executive. The US investment banking giant beat expectations across the board, with net income of $2.45bn (£1.86bn) almost 20 per cent higher than the analyst consensus. Revenues came in at $8.65bn for [...]
Radio giant Sirius acquires Pandora Media in $3.5bn deal September 24, 2018 Two US companies are set to create the world’s largest audio entertainment business after radio giant SiriusXM announced it will pay $3.5bn (£2.7bn) for streaming service Pandora Media. The all-share deal, which will be finalised in the first half of next year, will create a $7bn entity. Shares in the target rose 18.4 per cent to $10.75 [...]