Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced a 7% increase in the annualised dividend to $3.10 per share which the board said, 'underlined the company's confidence in its performance and cash generation'. Chairman Michel Demare explained that the increase is in line with the firm's 'progressive' dividend policy which remains unchanged. The shares traded 1.3% higher to £108.74 taking the gains...

Shares in Onward Opportunities rose 1.5% to 111.5p after the smaller companies-focused trust reported an 11.3% NAV (net asset value) total return to 106.5p for the nine months from its March 2023 IPO (initial public offering) to the end of December. That performance compares to a 3.7% decline for the AIM All Share Index and demonstrates that manager Laurence Hulse's process of spotting dynami...

Shares in Darktrace were up 7% to 469p in morning trading as the UK enterprise cybersecurity firm raised its guidance for year-on-year revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest taxation depreciation and amortisation) margin. The announcement came as the company reported a 26.5% increase in revenue to $176.1 million for the three months ending 31 March 2024. ARR (annualised...

Shares in AIM-listed self-storage site operator Lok'n Store Group jumped more than 17% to £11.25 after the firm revealed it had received a cash offer for the whole business from Belgian company Shurgard. The price tops the offer price of £11.10, a premium of roughly 16% to the previous closing price, suggesting shareholders believe a rival operator could be tempted to make a counterbid. NO...

European equities were mixed on Thursday morning, ahead of the European Central Bank's next interest rate decision this afternoon. The FTSE 100 index opened up 2.10 points at 7,963.31. The FTSE 250 was down 4.02 points at 19,797.73, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.13 points, 0.2%, at 756.32. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 796.00, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 17,216.17, and the Cboe Small Comp...

European stocks reversed course after Wednesday afternoon's US inflation, but largely clung on to earlier gains, though it was a bearish start in New York as investors re-assessed the interest rate outlook on the back of the red-hot data. The Federal Reserve's latest dot-plot suggested three rate cuts could materialise this year. Since the March meeting, however, data has been robust and the o...

Stocks in London were higher at midday on Wednesday, boosted by retailers ahead of a US consumer price inflation reading. Amongst individual stocks, Tesco led the charge, after unveiling a £1 billion share buyback programme. Other retailers also got a boost on the back of the results. The FTSE 100 index was up 47.65 points, 0.6%, at 7,982.44. The FTSE 250 was up 171.65 points, 0.9%, at 19,935...

US biotechnology firm Moderna (MRNA:NASDAQ) was the top performer in the S&P 500 on Tuesday (9 April) jumping as much as 10% after its personalised cancer vaccine showed positive results in an early stage trial. The shares closed 6% higher at $11.60, a new three month high, but are down 30% over the last year reflecting declining demand for its Covid-19 vaccine. The shares remain 75% below the...

The UK's largest supermarket group, Tesco , reported record operating profits for the year to February 2024 and announced a fresh share buyback as it continues to attract shoppers and inflation eases. Shares in the Hertfordshire-based company gained 6p or 2% to 293p. VALUE PROPOSITION DRIVES GROWTH Group sales for the year to February excluding VAT and fuel were up 7.4% to £61.5 billion drive...

Shares in M&C Saatchi were down 2% to 170p in morning trading as the international marketing and advertising agency announced a 10% fall in pre-tax profits to £28.7 million for the year ending 31 December 2023. Net revenue was £252.8 million, a fall of 7% marginally ahead of market consensus of £252 million, according to data firm Bloomberg. However, the company was upbeat about the full y...

E-commerce company THG , the owner of beauty sites Cult Beauty and Lookfantastic and the online sports nutrition brand Myprotein, reported significantly narrowed full year losses for 2023 as CEO Matthew Moulding hailed the firm's return to revenue growth. Shares in THG ticked 2% lower to 66.6p as investors focused on the red ink, yet the Manchester-based company sounded optimistic about the ye...

Stocks in Europe opened in the green on Wednesday, with FTSE 100's Tesco edging up as it announced a new share buyback programme on the back of surging annual profit. The FTSE 100 index opened up 46.08 points, 0.6%, at 7,980.87. The FTSE 250 was up 130.70 points, 0.7%, at 19,894.05, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.15 points, 0.4%, at 754.13. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 797.85, the Cboe UK 25...