In this our final big feature as a weekly publication, the Shares team has gone to the ideas well one last time to identify five stocks that individual members of our team really like. There is a pretty broad spread of ideas both by market value and by sector, read on to discover more about these conviction plays and why the authors are such big fans. AG Barr (BAG) Price : 685p Market cap :...

UK grocery sales continue to tick along nicely over the summer with the latest data from Worldpanel showing a 4.5% rise in take-home shopping in the 12 weeks to 10 August, with market leaders Sainsbury (SBRY) and Tesco (TSCO) outperforming the market. However, in the last four weeks at least, all of the increase in value was down to higher prices rather than higher volumes, as inflation...

Chain outperform rivals Inflation has accelerated Revival in branded goods UK grocery sales continue to tick along nicely over the summer with the latest data from Worldpanel showing a 4.5% rise in take-home shopping in the 12 weeks to 10 August, with market leaders Sainsbury (SBRY) and Tesco (TSCO) outperforming the market. However, in the last four weeks at least, all of the increase in...

Veteran stockpicker Nick Train has upped his stake (30 May) in Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT) to 3.92% in a show of confidence in the well-followed fund's long-run prospects. The purchase followed results (29 May) for the half to 31 March 2025 which revealed another period of underperformance, the company's net asset value (NAV) total return of 2.1% lagging the 4.1% rise in the benchmark...

Defensives hold up in sell-offNew appetite for growth stocksBanks unable to shake off lossesAs the dust settles from the three-day 'Liberation Day'-inspired sell-off, the list of winners and losers makes for interesting reading.Not everything which held up during the market meltdown is being sold off, and not everything which racked up big losses is rebounding, unlike in previous recoveries,...

Investors will be hoping for another serving of positive news when resilient beverages business AG Barr (BAG) delivers its trading update for the year ended 25 January 2025 on 28 January. However, cooling UK consumer confidence since the Budget combined with recent cold weather suggests guidance upgrades are unlikely.The FTSE 250 firm, whose brands include Irn-Bru, Rubicon and Boost, is...

Stock markets across the globe have just emerged from a short, sharp shock, with the sell-off on 5 August one of the worst days in years as investors mull the frightening thought that the US economy is slowing and could be sent spinning into recession.Combined with the impact of the unwinding in the yen 'carry trade' discussed in this explainer and some stretched valuations and you had the...

AG Barr (BAG) 550pGain to date: 13.5%We flagged Scottish soft drinks maker AG Barr (BAG) in August 2023 arguing the company was not being given sufficient credit by the market for its sales momentum. We highlighted the strength of its portfolio of brands including Irn-Bru and Rubicon.WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?We were on the money when we flagged ?the scope for further upgrades?...

Profit guidance upgraded againBrands have positive momentumEuan Sutherland to succeed Roger WhiteOne of Shares running Great Ideas selections, Irn-Bru-to-Rubicon drinks maker AG Barr (BAG) served up another full-year profit upgrade which sent the shares up 1.5% to a 52-week high of 576p.The beverages business behind iconic Scottish tipple Irn-Bru as well as take home cocktail offering FUNKIN...

Soft drinks business Britvic (BVIC) serves up full-year results on 22 November, when investors will be thirsty to learn how volumes are holding up at the Fruit Shoot, Robinsons and Tango maker which also produces and sells brands including Pepsi and 7UP in Great Britain and Ireland under exclusive agreements with PepsiCo (PEP:NASDAQ).Price hikes and volume growth helped Britvic's revenues to...

AG Barr (BAG) 497pGain to date: 2.6%We said to buy soft drinks maker AG Barr (BAG) at 484.5p in August arguing the business was not being given due credit for the momentum behind its sales and observing it was strategically well-placed for further growth despite the looming departure of its long-serving CEO Roger White.WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?The shares have made modest progress...

Strong first half with revenue up 33%Previously upgraded full year profit guidance reiteratedMedium-term plans to rebuild operating margin progressing wellIrn-Bru and Rubicon drinks maker AG Bar (BAG) revealed strong first half growth and reiterated confidence in delivering full year profit in line with raised guidance despite poor summer weather.The shares responded positively, fizzing up 2%...

Stock prices in London opened lower on Tuesday amid ongoing concerns around China's economy.The FTSE 100 index opened down 11.10 points, or 0.2%, at 7,612.89. The FTSE 250 was down 52.14 points, or 0.3%, at 18,363.17, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.61 points, or 0.2%, at 732.91.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 759.63, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at 15,969.89, and the Cboe Small Companies...

Investors seeking a high-quality pick in the beverages sector should buy AG Barr (BAG), the Irn-Bru and Rubicon drinks maker that deserves more credit for delivering positive sales momentum despite headwinds from the inflation squeezing consumers' spending power and its own operating margins.The FTSE 250 company offers scope for further forecast upgrades due its demonstrably strong brand...

Avid Premier League football fans can't fail to have noticed the promotion of popular Monster Energy drinks on stadium advertising hoardings.The Monster Energy logo, a vibrant green 'M' composed of three lines on a field of black which suggests it was created by the claws of a monster ripping through the can, continually pops up pitch-side. The campaign is likely to add extra sales fizz in a...

- AG Barr reports revenue growth of 17% in year-end update- Profit expected to be ahead of expectations- Shares up more than a quarter since OctoberBeverages stocks like Pepsico (PEP:NASDAQ) and Coca-Cola (KO:NYSE) have been popular with investors as soft drinks are seen as an affordable treat despite a gloomy economic backdrop and those with strong enough brands have demonstrated pricing...

- Net asset value (NAV) slides 5.8%- Second consecutive year of underperforming the benchmark- Train shows confidence by buying sharesNick Train-managed Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT) suffered a disappointing 5.8% slide in its net asset value total return for the year ended 30 September 2022.This represented a second consecutive year of underperformance against the benchmark FTSE...

- Buys Boost for an initial £20 million in cash- Deal boosts Barr's focus on functional drinks- Sees short term operating margin dilutionShares in Irn-Bru maker AG Barr (BAG) bubbled up 2.4% to 517p on the news it had bought branded drinks business Boost in an earnings-enhancing deal which increases the soft drink group's focus on high growth and functional beverage categories.Boost is AG...

- Revenue, profit up sharply year-on-year- Warning of second-half margin hit- Dividend up 25%Soft drinks maker AG Barr's (BAG) results for the six months to 31 July revealed strong sales growth year-on-year while protecting margins, no mean feat in the current inflationary environment.However the name behind iconic Scottish brand Irn-Bru dipped 0.6% to 494.5p as it flagged a hit to margins in...

AG Barr (BAG) 553pGain to date: 10.7%Original entry point: Buy at 499.5p, 7 May 2020Given the turbulent backdrop of the last two years or more the share price performance of soft drinks maker AG Barr (BAG) has been pleasing.The company behind the iconic Irn-Bru brand announced adjusted profit for the year to 31 January 2022 of £41.5 million, ahead of peak pre-Covid levels in 2019 despite the...