A combination of a solid trading update and a healthy order book have helped propel Kier (KIE) shares to a new 52-week highs. On 3 June CEO Andrew Davies said the company continued to trade well an 'in line' with the board's expectations and noted that as of 30 April 2025 the order book stood at roughly £11 billion. The FTSE 250 construction and infrastructure specialist also upgraded its...

Our portfolio picks for 2025 haven't fared too well in the first half of the year, returning 0.6% compared to a gain of 6.1% from the FTSE All-Share index as of 9 June. It wasn't all bad news, however, as stocks like defence technology group Cohort (CHRT:AIM), premium mixer-maker Fevertree Drinks (FEVR:AIM), airline and package holiday provider Jet2 (JET2:AIM) and infrastructure and...

Bumper £11 billion order book 80% of FY26 revenue in bag Margin target upgraded Shares in Kier (KIE) climbed 3.5% to a five-year high of 174p after the infrastructure and construction services outfit reported solid trading for the four months to 30 April 2025 and a slight uptick in an already-bulging order book that gives the company good multi-year visibility. In a statement ahead of today's...

95% of FY25 revenue secured£20 million buyback from todayMarshalls update disappointsShares in FTSE 250 infrastructure group Kier (KIE) gained after their recent setback as the company revealed it had 'traded well' in the six months to December and was launching a small buyback programme.The stock price gained 7p or 5% to 145p, continuing its rebound from the 130p level of a week ago. ...

Anyone who has walked past a building site in the UK recently might well have seen Kier (KIE) branding on it. This infrastructure and construction services outfit is actively at work on more than 400 developments across the UK. Having emerged from a difficult period with much stronger foundations, this improvement is not yet reflected in its current valuation, but we think that will change...

For anyone who owns a FTSE 100, FTSE 250 or FTSE All-Share tracker fund or ETF, there are one or two changes next week as a result of the latest quarterly index review.Investors in these securities don?t need to do anything themselves as the underlying indices ? compiled by FTSE Russell, part of London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) ? will automatically implement the changes from the start of...

The end of the tax year is coming down the track fast and that means there are only weeks remaining to make full use of your £20,000 annual ISA allowance.Even if you are some way off this maximum limit or haven?t invested through an ISA at all in 2023/24, the rapidly approaching deadline is a good spur to look at the possibility of making money from the financial markets.Two weeks ago we ran...

The Schroder Recovery Fund (B3VVG60) aims to generate capital gains superior to the FTSE All-Share Total Return Index, net of fees, over a three- to five-year horizon by investing in 'UK companies which have suffered a severe setback in either share price or profitability'.The fund was launched back in 1970 and has stood the test of time, beating its target return over one, three and 10 years...

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has floated and announced big policy changes recently from delaying a ban of the sales of new petrol and diesel cares, pulling back on phasing out gas boilers and introducing a New Zealand-style anti-smoking policy.There has also been the public discussion of abandoning or at least curtailing the zero-carbon high-speed railway to the north of England - better known...

UK stocks began the last trading of the week in better spirits despite a turbulent overnight session for US equities as shares in Facebook owner Meta lost $250 billion in value, the largest single one-day loss in US history, contributing to a 4.2% slide in the Nasdaq 100 technology index.In contrast, Amazon delivered better than expected earnings thanks to its cloud business, sending its...

The FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indices were trading higher at midday with the former ahead by 0.4% to 7047.89 points and the latter ahead by 0.5% to 23,562.47 points.Investors are anticipating the release of US retail sales figures later today.ASHTEAD IN DEMANDEquipment rental giant Ashtead (AHT) advanced 4% to £60.94 after raising its outlook on full year performance following 'strong' first...

After making a strong start amid optimism over the US stimulus plan, the UK's leading basket of stocks lost momentum by lunchtime as investors wait to hear what Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen will say later today on stimulus and the dollar.Reports suggest Yellen will call for the US to 'act big' on stimulus measures and voice strong support for Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid relief...

UK stocks rose in early trade on Tuesday as investors await to hear what Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen will say later today on stimulus and the dollar. The former Federal Reserve chairman's Senate confirmation hearing will likely serve as the first forum for lawmakers to vet Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan.There was also a slew of updates to capture the attention of...

UK stocks began the third quarter on a cautious note as markets in Asia struggled to make gains and 'safe haven' assets such as gold and the Japanese Yen moved higher, driven by concerns that a second-half economic recovery could prove elusive.Gold ticked up to $1,785 per ounce while Brent crude futures also moved up to $41.90 per barrel and the pound held its ground against the dollar at...

The Bank of England and the Treasury managed a one-two punch on 11 March as interest rates were cut by 50 basis points to a record low of 0.25% and hundreds of billions of pounds of new spending was announced.This did little to boost sentiment in the wider market as ongoing coronavirus fears and a sell-off in the US overshadowed the news, despite the provision of £30bn for coronavirus relief...

The FTSE 100 and sterling were relatively stable having already absorbed news of an emergency rate cut this morning as chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his first Budget.The direction of UK stocks seemed to take their cue instead from a significant sell-off in the US as gains made across the Atlantic yesterday were wiped out.However the massive increases in spending announced by Sunak,...

London's FTSE 100 fell 41 points to 6,774.6 early on Thursday, dragged down by ongoing coronavirus fears, a confidence knock from Flybe's collapse into administration, and losses for the likes of miners Rio Tinto (RIO) and BHP (BHP) as well as a share price slide from Standard Chartered (STAN).Also weighing down the blue chip benchmark was free-to-air broadcaster ITV (ITV), which plunged 9.1%...

There was good and bad news for infrastructure investors over the past week, depending on where in the sector they invested.On the plus side, an infrastructure boom could be about to hit the UK after the government gave the green light to build the £106bn High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project, spelling good news for stocks in the space.But for those investing in renewable energy, another area...

A report from the Link Group showed that UK dividends increased by 10.7% in 2019 to hit a record £110.5bn. That represents a payout of £1.02 for every £20 invested in the UK stock market.However, excluding special dividends, which recorded their second highest contribution since 2014, and currency benefits from a weak pound, the underlying growth rate was a muted 0.8%, the lowest since...

It is always fascinating to get insight into fund managers' views on their stock picking decisions and so we've spoken to range of managers about their best and worst calls in 2019.The managers in this article discuss a range of stocks on both the UK market and ones listed overseas.WILL JAMESDeputy head of European Equities at Aberdeen Standard InvestmentsMEDIOBANCA - GOOD CALL'European banks...