Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE) is due to report first-quarter earnings before the market opens on 30 April. Wall Street is expecting EPS (earnings per share) of $2.54 which represents a 57% increase compared with the first quarter of 2023.All eyes will be on sales momentum in Lilly?s diabetes treatment Mounjaro and obesity treatment Zepbound following the latter?s launch in November 202

If you had £10,000 to invest in a single fund, which would you choose ? one of the most popular with retail investors for more than a decade, or a relative new kid on the block with a similar asset allocation approach?In a manner of speaking, it is what billionaire City grandee Michael Spencer challenged formidable money man and Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) founder Terry Smith at the end of 2023, t

US-listed large-caps shone last year with shares in mega-caps, and the ?Magnificent Seven? in particular, surging higher. However, this outperformance only widened the valuation gap between US large and small-caps and left shares in the latter cohort languishing at the low end of historical valuations.Over one and five years, the Russell 2000 index of US small-cap stocks is up 14.6% and 30.5% at t

Record profits deliveredFY25 guidance reiteratedOverseas developments exciteShares in Next (NXT) rallied 5.4% to an all-time high of £89.66 on Thursday after the fashion and homeware retailer reported forecast-beating results for the year to January 2024 and reiterated its full year 2025 guidance.Investors? spirits were buoyed by comments from chief executive Simon Wolfson, described as a ?retail

Continued strong trading in first five monthsRecord gold price boosts gross profitBoard highly confident in meeting full year expectationsPawnbroker and financial services provider Ramsdens (RFX:AIM) said trading in the five months to 29 February continued to be strong, positive news that boosted the shares by 5% to 190p.In a statement ahead of the company?s annual general meeting, the board said

Shares up 6% over past yearUnderlying sales rise 5% to £3.7 billionFree cash flow of £387 millionShares in Pearson (PSON) improved 4% to 998.2p after the education media group reported a positive set of results for the year to December 2023.The FTSE 100 company reported a rise in adjusted operating profit from £456 million to £573 million.EPS (earnings per share) rose 12.4% to 58.2p and Pearso

It?s been easy to overlook Advanced Micro Devices (AMD:NASDAQ) as Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) cornered the market for AI microchips last year. Yet analysts are increasingly seeing scope for AMD to emerge as a second AI chip champion as computer processing power demands surge.Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) is incorporating AMD?s AI chips into its Windows PC operating system as part of a multi-year partnership, f

English Language Learning sales up 30%Company delivers £120 million in cost savings£300 million share buyback continuesShares in Pearson (PSON) were little changed at 964p in morning trading as the education publishing group reported underlying group sales growth of 5% for the full year excluding discontinued businesses which are under strategic review. GUIDANCE MAINTAINEDThe company is e

Record annual profit tops £10 millionCost pressures to impact 2024 profitDividend up 16% in move to progressive growthShares in pawnbroker and jewellery retailer Ramsdens (RFX:AIM) fell 5% on Monday after the company flagged increased energy and staff costs amid continued macroeconomic challenges facing consumers.The shares have lost around 6% over the past year and are sit 20% below the highs ac

Festive trading better than expectedOnline channel drives growthConsumer backdrop looks ?more benign?Clothing and homewares colossus Next (NXT) has once again raised its pre-tax profit guidance for the year ending 27 January 2024, after sales around the key Christmas period proved better than expected.As a result, Lord Wolfson-led Next has bumped up its earnings guidance by £20 million to £905 m

For the second part of our annual survey, we asked fund managers if they had changed their view on any stocks this year, for better or for worse, and what lay behind their decisions.As with the winners and losers survey last week, the answers were often frank and once again we would like to thank everyone who took part.Thomas Moore - Aberdeen Equity Income Trust (AEI)THE STOCK THAT I CHANGED MY MI

Investment bank analysts see 8% gains ahead for US indexGoldman reacts to investor optimism and dovish FedExpects a more broadly-based market performanceJust a month after unveiling its 2024 projections for the S&P 500, Goldman Sachs has torn up its estimates and unveiled a new, higher projection. Analysts at the Wall Street investment Bank now see the index hitting 5,100 by the end of 2024, a ris

Deal inked following long hiatusCompanies yet to ?agree creative guidelines?FY24 guidance left unchangedFantasy miniatures-maker Games Workshop?s (GAW) deal with Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) to develop the Warhammer 40,000 universe into films and TV series has been signed at long last.It has been almost a year to the day since the company announced an ?agreement in principle? with the US tech, retail and

Trust returns to long-run outperformance trendBenchmark-beating 17.6% returnUK mid-caps cheaper than large-capsJean Roche-run investment trust Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP) returned to form in style over the year ended 30 September 2023, delivering a net asset value total return of 17.6% versus the disappointing 30% decline in the previous year.This beat the 13.6% total return from the benchmark

Latest dividend jumps 15.8% to $0.66 per shareOn track for 2023 payout above consensus hopesUnveils new $11 billion share buyback schemeCredit cards colossus Mastercard (MA:NYSE) hiked its third quarter shareholders dividend by 15.8% and plans a new $11 billion share buyback scheme.The raise, from $0.57 per share to $0.66, is a statement of intent that the New York-based business plans to use its

The income attractions of stocks are being tested right now thanks to increased interest rates, allowing you for the first time in years to generate a decent return on cash in the bank.However, rates are approaching their peak and are still short of the latest rate of UK inflation, making a case for looking to the financial markets where a range of asset classes offer the potential for both yield

It may not be as well-known as the other two funds from the Evenlode Investment stable - Evenlode Income (BD0B7D5) and Evenlode Global Income (BF1QNC4) - but Evenlode Global Equity (BMFX289) has churned out some strong performance by focusing on stocks where growth is a 'marathon not a sprint'.Since its launch a little over three years ago Evenlode Global Equity has returned 38.3% to investors bea

Soft-drinks giant Coca-Cola (KO:NYSE) releases third quarter earnings on 24 October with consensus earnings per share expected to be flat against the prior year at $0.69.The company raised annual sales and profit guidance on 26 July after beating analysts' second quarter estimates. Over the last four quarters Coca-Cola has beaten market forecasts by an average of around 5%.This time though there a

The FTSE 100 outperformed its European peers on Tuesday, thanks to some favourable UK wage data, which should take some pressure off the Bank of England in November.Meanwhile, in the US, stocks were largely lower, as data reinforced higher for longer interest rate worries.Globally, worries surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict continued to cast a shadow over markets.The FTSE 100 index added 44.58

Stock prices in London were largely on the up on Tuesday at midday, though defensive stocks such as utilities and pharmaceuticals were among the best FTSE 100's performers, indicating there is still lingering discomfort in markets amid tensions in the Middle East.Meanwhile, UK interest rate worries were eased by slowing pay growth, although the pound was on the back foot. A weaker pound is a tailw