This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) 76pMarket cap: £950 millionAlong with healthcare REITs (real estate investment trusts), Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) must have one of the most secure revenue streams of any property company.It owns and leases 55 supermarkets up and down the country, with the two leading operators Tesco (TSCO) and Sainsbury?s (SBRY) accounting for over three quarters of its rental

Investors looking for continued sales momentumConsensus earnings estimates have been revised upLooking for signs of improving marginsInvestors will be interested to see if sales momentum has continued into the final quarter at global medical technology company Smith & Nephew (SN.) when it reports next week (27 Feb).Running into the Q4 and full-year numbers the shares have started to outperform the

Is $11 billion US firm MicroStrategy (MSTR:NASDAQ) really the largest independent business intelligence company listed anywhere, as it claims, or merely a proxy for cryptocurrency Bitcoin, as many investors perceive it to be?On its website, MicroStrategy says it provides modern analytics on an open, enterprise platform used by many of the world?s most admired brands in the Fortune Global 500. It o

The retail sector accounts for £104 billion of the FTSE 350 index by value of its 22 constituents, making it of significant importance to the UK stock market and to any investor with exposure to UK equities.The fortunes of retailers can tell us about the state of the consumer and in turn provide clues on economic activity. Therefore, even if you do not have exposure to individual stocks in this s

Cranswick (CWK) £40Profit to date: 11%In November 2023, we said investors hungry for positive earnings momentum and an unbroken 33 years of dividend growth should take a closer look at pork and poultry products supplier Cranswick (CWK).We saw scope for further earnings forecast upgrades based on strong UK food trading highlighted by leading grocer Tesco (TSCO).There is also underappreciated upsid

Year-end sales beat forecastsGroup ?in great shape? for 2024Operating profit outlook raisedSupermarket group Tesco (TSCO) cemented itself as the UK?s number one grocer with record Christmas sales and pleased shareholders by raising its full-year earnings outlook, in contrast to second-placed Sainsbury?s (SBRY) which disappointed the market with its guidance yesterday.Tesco shares climbed 0.8% to 2

European equities traded lower on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of a host of risk events later in the week, including earnings from major US banks and an inflation reading from the world?s largest economy.AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould commented: ?The market is still trying to work out if central banks are going to under-promise and over-deliver on interest rates cuts or if they really mean it when they

Grocery market share gains a plusNon-food and clothing sales disappointFull-year earnings outlook unchangedInvestors responded negatively to the latest trading update from the UK?s second-largest supermarket group J Sainsbury (SBRY), despite the firm outperforming its peers over the key Christmas period.The shares fell more than 5% to 290p, sending them to the bottom of the FTSE 100 leader board a

Stock prices in London were mixed on Wednesday morning, as investors looked ahead to US inflation data and weighed continued geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.The FTSE 100 index opened down 25.03 points, 0.3%, at 7,658.88. The FTSE 250 was up 12.96 points, 0.1%, at 19,306.98, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.27 of a point at 752.93.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 765.32, the Cboe UK 250 was

December grocery sales hit £13.7 billionVolume sales back to positive growthSainsbury?s last month?s big winnerIt was a Christmas to remember for the big supermarket groups as grocery sales in the run-up to 25 December hit a record £13.7 billion according to marketing data and analytics group Kantar.The average UK household spent £477 during the month, £28 more than in December 2022 and a new

Aldi sales up 8% year-on-yearLidl GB delivers best-ever ChristmasTesco gains on festive feelgood factorDiscount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have both reported ?record? Christmas trading after consumers on a budget flocked to their stores for cheap food and drink over the festive period.Neither of these grocers are listed on the stock market.However, shares in Tesco (TSCO) and Sainsbury?s (SBRY) tic

Next kicks off festive reporting seasonScope for upbeat news from B&MPotential Christmas winners include CurrysRetail bellwether Next (NXT) kicks off the post-Christmas reporting season on 4 January followed by discounters B&M European Value Retail (BME) and Shoe Zone (SHOE:AIM) on 9 January.Investors will be eager to learn if the sector benefited from some last-minute festive shopping when all th

Investors in London showed some confidence at the open on Friday, looking ahead to US jobs data later in the day.The FTSE 100 index opened up 18.77 points, 0.3%, at 7,532.49. The FTSE 250 was up 57.82 points, 0.3%, at 18,676.56, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.82 points, 0.3%, at 722.68.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 752.22, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 16,205.44, and the Cboe Small Companies was

We are now a little more than a fortnight away from Christmas Day with TV adverts pushing festive products, high streets adorned with Christmas decorations and shops flush with discount offers.The so-called 'Golden Quarter' including Black Friday is the most hotly contested period of the year amongst retailers and those that suffer disappointing sales or resort to overly-promotional strategies typ

Strong first half with sales up 12% and pre-tax profit rising 24%Adjusted operating margin improves to 6.8%Full year pre-tax profit upgraded to top of market forecastsPremium food supplier Cranswick (CWK) was one of the top gainers in the mid-cap FTSE 250 index on Tuesday, rising 2% to £37 after delivering tasty first half results and raising full year guidance.The shares notched-up a new 12-mont

Investors hungry for a stock with positive earnings momentum and which has racked up 33 years of unbroken dividend growth should buy Cranswick (CWK), a key supplier of pork and poultry products to supermarkets including Tesco (TSCO), Sainsbury's (SBRY) and Marks & Spencer (MKS).Admittedly the consumer backdrop is tough, but Cranswick's retail customers are outperforming peers. Notably Britain's bi

Retailer Marks & Spencer (MKS) is the gift that keeps on giving. Its share price is up 162% since October 2022, dividends are back after a four-year absence, and analysts keep finding reasons to upgrade earnings forecasts. In fact, the analyst consensus earnings estimate has increased 11 times this year, according to Stockopedia data.Earnings growth is a key driver for share price growth so it mak

Grocery sales top forecastsUnderlying growth ahead of TescoFull-year guidance increasedSainsburys (SBRY), the UK's second-largest supermarket group by market share, dished up a surprisingly positive first-half trading update and raised its forecast for full-year earnings and cash-flow.The shares, which had been drifting towards six-month lows since peaking in May, leapt more than 5% to 275p and li

Third-quarter revenue up 7.7%Full-year growth forecast increasedNew finance chief appointedMedical products-maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) was one of the top gainers in the FTSE 100 on Thursday, up 5% after delivering strong third-quarter growth and raising its full-year outlook.Underlying revenue for the three months to 30 September grew 7.7% to $1.4 billion driven by broad-based growth across the fi