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

Organic sales grow 2%Tough annual comparisonPositive read for BurberryGlobal luxury goods leader LVMH (MC:EPA) eked out a small increase in first-quarter revenue against strong comparable sales in the same period last year, sending its shares up 3% to ?807 and temporarily arresting the downtrend of the past month.Growth was the weakest since the rebound from the pandemic in early 2021, held back b

French conglomerate flags slowdownAsia Pacific disappointsGucci turnaround remains uncertainEuropean luxury stocks were marked down on Wednesday after French conglomerate Kering (KER:EPA) warned its first-quarter sales were expected to tumble by 10%, dragged down by its flagship brand Gucci which is in the early stages of a turnaround.Kering shares plunged 15% to ?362.3 in early Paris trading on t

One of the most popular investment trusts with AJ Bell?s ISA millionaires, City of London (CTY) is a favourite with investors seeking long-term income and capital growth and a gateway to large international companies.However, while the long-run performance record is strong, Curtis? cautious approach means the fund can underperform in some market conditions. On a 10-year share price total return ba

By his own admission, Nick Train, manager of Finsbury Growth & Income (FGT), isn?t one for nostalgia, whether that is reflecting on past glories or the ?melancholy fact? as he puts it that the popular investment trust has underperformed the FTSE All-Share index for the last three years.Moving into 2024, the trust has again lagged the benchmark with a share price return of -1.9% in January against

Burberry (BRBY) £12.94Market cap: £4.6 billionSlowing luxury demand and two profit warnings in three months have left Burberry (BRBY) firmly out of fashion with investors. Shares in the British luxury brand have lost around 50% and 30% of their value over one and five years respectively. Given the old stock market adage about profit warnings coming in threes, Shares concedes there is some dange

Post-Christmas updates from the industry demonstrate that not all luxury goods companies are created equal, with sector players experiencing contrasting fortunes as the post-pandemic boom normalises and well-heeled shoppers prove more selective.On 25 January, the world?s largest luxury goods group LVMH (MC:EPA) confounded investors? gloomy expectations by delivering better-than-expected fourth qua

European equities went into Friday afternoon on the up, with measures to support China?s property sector and a forecast-defying final-quarter for luxury goods juggernaut LVMH lifting the mood.Focus in the afternoon will be on the Federal Reserve?s favoured US inflation gauge. A cooler than expected reading could swing the pendulum back in favour of a March rate cut.The FTSE 100 index was up 92.54

Growth re-accelerates in Q4Drinks division serves up positive surpriseLVMH issues confident 2024 outlookShares in LVMH (MC:EPA) leapt 10% after the world's largest luxury goods group confounded investors? gloomy expectations by delivering better-than-expected fourth quarter organic sales growth of 10%, sending shares in rivals Hermes (RMS:EPA), Richemont (CFR:SWX) and Burberry (BRBY) higher on the

Following on from our coverage of Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) and the fact it has lagged its benchmark for three years running, another popular fund with retail investors, the Nick Train-run Finsbury Growth & Income (FGT), has also failed to outperform over the last three years.As the manager says in his December factsheet: ?This is disappointing to me and all my colleagues, because we work hard, w

Shares fell 30% in morning tradingFull year 2024 guidance revised downwardsBlames challenging macro-economic conditionsShares in Watches of Switzerland (WOSG) were down as much as 30% at one point in morning trading to 408p as the luxury watch-to-high end jewellery retailer said volatile Christmas trading and post-Christmas trading had a knock-on effect for full year 2024 revenue.The Rolex seller

Burberry (BRBY) has had a terrible start to 2024, although 2023 was hardly a vintage year for the British fashion house either. The company slashed its profit guidance due to a slowdown in demand for luxury purchases ? its second profit warning in three months.Burberry now expects adjusted operating profit for the year ending 30 March 2024 to be in the range of £410 million to £460 million, down

Christmas sales disappointFull year profit guide downgraded£4 billion revenue ambition maintainedBritish luxury goods group Burberry (BRBY) has strutted in with a profit warning after Christmas sales fell flat against the backdrop of slowing luxury demand that has also impacted rivals including LVMH (MC:EPA) and Richemont (CFR:SWX).Burberry had already flagged problems in November as the post-pan

2023 has been anything but a vintage year for investors in Burberry (BRBY), with the shares losing 23% year-to-date as sales succumb to the global economic slowdown.The firm's fall from grace shows that even luxury fashion houses aren't immune from seeing their customers cut back on spending.Demand in China has more or less evaporated after an initial post-pandemic bounce, with Asia-Pacific revenu

Software firm beats estimatesShare buyback an added positiveStock tops FTSE 100 gainersFinance and payroll software firm Sage (SGE) pleased investors not just with its better-than-expected annual results but with a surprise share buyback on top of the raised dividend.Sage shares topped the FTSE 100 leader board with an advance of 8% to a new lifetime high of £10.76. STRONG ORGANIC GROWTHFo

Shares fall over 8% in morning trading10% fall in Americas? salesAsia-Pacific sales growth limp at just 2%Shares in Burberry (BRBY) fell over 8% to £16.03 in morning trading as the luxury goods group reported pre-tax profits of £219 million for the 26 weeks to 30 September compared to £251 million in the same year-ago period.The London-headquartered fashion house blamed its weak performance in

Stock prices in London opened tepidly on Thursday, amid both positive and negative developments from blue-chip companies.The FTSE 100 index opened up 1.63 points at 7,488.54. The FTSE 250 was down 25.89 points, 0.1%, at 18,650.59, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.33 points, 0.2%, at 716.90.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 747.26, the Cboe UK 250 was flat at 16,152.02, and the Cboe Small Companies was

Stock has jumped 23% in a week to all-time recordQ3 earnings smash forecasts with more to come in Q4AI tech in data centres helping drive booming demandInvestors have been racing to buy shares in Arista Networks (ANET:NYSE) more than any other US stock this week. The stock has jumped 23% in the past few days, taking the share price to an all-time $211.68 high, which means the valuation has increas

A tough day for luxury retail stocks, and some pre-US inflation data caution, kept a lid on enthusiasm on Wednesday in Europe, with the CAC 40 in Paris the worst-hit.The pound and euro continued to rise against the dollar, despite a hotter-than-expected US producer price reading. However, consumer price data on Thursday that is similarly robust, could prove too hot for markets to handle, sending e

Organic growth slows to 9%Fashion and leather goods sales miss expectationsBut LVMH remains 'confident' of continued growthShares in LVMH (MC:EPA) lost 7% to trade at €684.2 in early dealings on 11 October after the globe's biggest luxury goods group posted a third quarter sales growth slowdown as the post-pandemic luxury spending boom continues to fade.LVMH has struggled to lure well-heeled