Shares News

So the merger of SSE’s (SSE) retail arm and that of Npower is off, to the great surprise of nobody. The UK energy generator and supplier says there were a number of reasons for scrapping a tie-up that was first mooted more than a year ago. For starters, the dismal performance of the respective businesses has contributed, then there are price caps coming in next year and volatile wholesale ...

Online fashion retailer ASOS (ASC:AIM) slumps 41% to £24.63 after issuing a festive shocker of a profit warning, cutting its annual sales growth and margin forecasts amid a fall in consumer confidence and a flurry of margin-crimping discounts. This earnings alert from the highly-rated web-based fashion wonder suggests trading is even worse than thought in the run-up to Christmas, with ...

Online delivery platform Just Eat (JE.) is under pressure from US shareholder Cat Rock Capital who is demanding immediate change to drive faster growth. Cat Rock owns a 2% stake in Just Eat and wants the company to address several issues as the stock currently trades at the lowest valuation among comparable competitors globally. In an open letter to the board, Cat Rock wants Just Eat to ...

Oil services company Hunting (HTG) has reported deteriorating trading in the fourth quarter and management is becoming increasingly downbeat on 2019. That's enough to send shares in the company down 3.5% in early trading to 495.5p. Peers including Wood Group (WG), Petrofac (PFC) and Weir (WEIR) are also on the back foot as investors perceive the rpoblems to be industry-wide, not company ...

The FTSE 100 is a bit lower this morning, down 0.2% to 6,832.58 on continuing uncertainties linked to global trade and Brexit. But there is only one place to start this morning and that is with the shockwaves being sent through the retail sector by a major profit warning from online fashion firm ASOS (ASC:AIM). Shares in the company plunge 37.8% to £26.02 as it reveals that for the current ...

Publishing group Reach (RCH) isn't out of the woods by a long way but it has struck a note of confidence today by announcing that full year trading will be above expectations, lifting the shares by 6.7% to 60.8p. It appears the acquisition of Express and Star is driving sales, which rose 23% in the last three months of 2018. When the acquisition is stripped out, like-for-like sales are ...

You have got to take good news in the UK construction sector where you can get it and in that sense Balfour Beatty’s (BBY) guidance for full year profit to top expectations is extremely welcome. Granted, the beat is largely the result of the sale of an infrastructure investment. The company has been making divestments from its portfolio of school and hospital facilities, street ...

Specialist recruiter SThree (STHR) stands out from the crowd today as shares gain 5% to 273p on a positive fourth quarter trading update and news that full year earnings will be above the top end of forecasts. The company, which focuses on the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), had a ‘strong finish to the year’ with gross profits up 12% for the quarter ...

The FTSE 100 starts lower this morning after weak Chinese data overnight and as Theresa May shows little sign of making any progress with the EU as she looks to save her Brexit deal. Early on the index is down 1% at 6,811.16. On the corporate front, we are clearly winding down for Christmas now with only a handful of announcements out. Three pretty disparate companies help warm up a cold ...

Shares in security services firm G4S (GFS) have rallied 9% to 200p after saying it could separate its cash solutions division from the rest of the business. Chief executive Ashley Almanza describes the decision to look at options for the unit as a way to ‘enhance (G4S’s) focus for the benefit of customers, shareholders and employees’. The firm expects to update the market on its ...