Dan Loeb’s Third Point weighs ‘strategic options’ after pressure from activist investors December 11, 2024 Hedge fund Third Point investment trust has identified “a number of credible strategic options” to boost its share price following a strategic review led by activist investors. In April, the trust appointed a duo of activist investors to its board to try and fix the persistent gap between its share price and value of its [...]
Ashtead launches buyback amid FTSE 100 departure December 11, 2024 FTSE 100 giant Ashtead has launched a $1.5bn (£1.2bn) share buyback after announcing yesterday it would be switching its primary listing to the US. In a stock exchange notice today, the construction equipment firm said it had entered into an agreement with Barclays to buy back up to 65m shares over the next 18 months. [...]
British American Tobacco’s smokeless gamble starts to pay off December 11, 2024 Pall Mall and Lucky Strike owner British American Tobacco (BAT) said today its shift to smokeless products was yielding strong results as it waited for further updates on its legal action in Canada. In a trading update, the company confirmed it would deliver full-year results in line with guidance, as trading in the second half [...]
Should investors ho-ho-hope for a FTSE 100 Santa rally? December 10, 2024 Investors in the FTSE 100 are holding out hope for a Santa rally in the second half of December as markets gear up for some Christmas cheer. “December often delivers investors a festive treat in the form of a Santa rally,” explained Danni Hewson, AJ Bell head of financial analysis. While the famed “Santa rally” doesn’t [...]
Canary Wharf takes £610m loan from investment giant Apollo December 10, 2024 Canary Wharf has borrowed £610m from American investment giant Apollo in a refinancing deal that will allow it to repay bonds due over the next two years. The company, which was acquired Brookfield Property Partners and the Qatar Investment Authority in 2015, said the loan was secured against the majority of its 1.2m square feet [...]
British Gas-owner Centrica adds £300m to share buyback plan December 10, 2024 FTSE 100 giant Centrica has added another £300m to its existing share buyback plan, meaning it will have snapped up some £1.5bn in shares over the last two years. In a trading update today, the owner of British Gas said that it expected its 2024 full-year earnings and net cash to be broadly in line [...]
Games Workshop: Amazon buys rights to Warhammer 40K December 10, 2024 Amazon is set to launch a series of films and television shows based on Games Workshop’s hit game Warhammer 40,000. In a stock exchange notice this morning, Games Workshop said it had agreed “creative guidelines” and reached a deal with Amazon for it to adapt the Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe into films and television series. [...]
London house prices reach ‘unaffordable’ levels – even for top earners December 9, 2024 Even the richest people in London are being priced out of the property market as house prices reach record levels, the Office for National Statistics has found. “In London, the average home was not affordable for any household income decile,” the statistics watchdog said in its latest Housing Purchase Affordability index, using 2023 data. The [...]
How St James’s Place is changing its opulent image December 9, 2024 St James’s Place is working to overhaul the ‘cruise and cufflink’ image that it has long been saddled with, including dropping its annual conference for advisers at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena. The wealth manager giant, which will be re-promoted to the FTSE 100 later this month, has dropped the opulent gathering with its 4,852 advisers [...]
Domino’s Pizza profit sliced by £3m Budget tax hit December 9, 2024 Domino’s Pizza has forecast a £3m tax hit from the Budget as the firm targets a push to open hundreds of new stores across the UK. “As with other major employers in the UK, the recent UK budget has significantly increased the cost of labour for both Domino’s Pizza and our franchise partners, who are [...]
