- Company is growing ahead of markets - Recurring revenues and earnings ahead of target - More earnings-enhancing acquisitions to come Compliance services and software firm Marlowe (MRL:AIM) posted a sharp increase in revenues and earnings for the year to March. The main contribution came from acquisitions, although organic sales growth was also respectable and the company says over ...

In light of the implications of the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine, the global growth outlook has dimmed, which means now more than ever, portfolios should be as diversified by asset class as possible to in order to maximise returns relative to risk. Higher risk assets they may be, yet ‘micro caps’, the London stock market’s smallest quoted companies should form at least a portion of ...

Safety, testing and compliance company Marlowe (MRL:AIM) has an attractive business offering an unusual combination of defensiveness and profitable growth. The ‘buy-and-build’ strategy has been executed superbly, yielding impressive results. The shares have dropped around 20% from the recent highs in mid-January despite the company acquiring Optima Health for £135 million. The ...

UK shares continued to climb on Wednesday with the FTSE 100 rising 0.5% back above the 7,300 level thanks to buying of oil majors and mining stocks. Meanwhile, investors were awaiting the release of minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s latest Open Market Committee meeting, due after the market close, for clues as to the pace of interest rate hikes after recent strong inflation and jobs ...

Shares in support services company Restore (RST:AIM), were trading lower this morning despite the company issuing a positive trading update for the eight months to 31st August. This is particularly surprising given that the group’s strong performance may reignite bid interest in the group. Today’s trading update has highlighted that trading in July and August has continued the positive ...

Having struggled for direction all morning, the FTSE 100 index surged from its lunchtime lows to tack on 32 points or 0.45% to 7,164 by the close, led by cyclical stocks including media companies ITV (ITV) and WPP (WPP). Gambling company Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) was the top FTSE performer, rallying 8% to £139.78 after it reported a better-than-expected trebling of first-half profit amid ...

The FTSE 100 was struggling for direction by midday, down a smidge at 7,128.53, amid the usual summer lull in trading volumes and with few big catalysts to shift sentiment in either direction. Accommodation giant Intercontinental Hotels (IHG) fell 1.7% to £46.54, having swung to a modest first-half profit, citing an improvement in demand, most evident in China. Intercontinental ...

The attempted takeover of Restore (RST:AIM) by Marlowe (MRL:AIM) represents an interesting development as the two businesses go back a long way. Strategically there is merit in combining the two entities. Marlowe has effectively emulated the success of Restore as a buy and build support service group. Both companies were backed by Lord Ashcroft and Marlowe’s chief executive Alex Dacre ran the ...

UK stocks inched higher after two days of strong gains in US markets. At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was up 7 points to 7,005 points led by house builders and leisure stocks while consumer goods and utility companies were on the back foot. Oil prices retreated slightly after a strong bounce overnight with Brent crude futures dipping 0.2% to $72 per barrel while the gold price retreated to $1,800 ...

Safety and compliance firm Marlowe (MRL) looks well set to achieve its ambitious three-year revenue and earnings targets after posting a solid set of results for the year to the end of March. Revenues were up 15% to £192 million thanks to underlying growth and a series of small acquisitions, while EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) was up 30% to £28.7 ...

Stocks made further gains on Wednesday after Fed chairman Jerome Powell repeated his view that price pressures in the US economy were temporary and confirmed the central bank would not raise interest rates pre-emptively. US markets rallied with the Nasdaq 100 tech index making a new all-time high, helped by gains in drugmaker Moderna and chipmaker Nvidia. By 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was up ...

Business services outfit Marlowe (MRL:AIM) has momentum behind its share price and operational performance and a credible plan to increase profitability and market share. It is therefore an excellent time to snap up the shares as it embarks on a period of significant growth. The last two trading updates from the safety and compliance specialist have lit a fire under the shares, with the ...

The FTSE started the week on the back foot, giving up its morning gains as with few major company announcements or macro-economic events due traders scrabbled around for focus. Despite the lack of big market-moving news, there were healthy gains for several mid- and small-cap firms which raised earnings guidance. In the US, a cyber-attack on a company managing a vital east-coast oil pipeline ...

The FTSE was slow out of the gate as the week began with few major company announcements or macro-economic events for traders to focus on. Despite the lack of market-moving news, there were healthy gains for several mid- and small-cap firms which raised earnings guidance. In the US, a cyber-attack on a company managing a vital east-coast oil pipeline boosted crude prices, with Brent futures ...

Shares in safety and security services provider Marlow (MRL:AIM) climbed 3.8% to 789p after the company raised its full year earnings forecast for the second time in three months thanks to better than expected second-half trading. Marlowe, which operates in the fields of health and safety, fire safety, security, water treatment, hygiene and air quality, said that thanks to margin expansion and ...

UK stocks inched higher with the week getting off to a slow start and few major company announcements for traders to focus on. That said, there were healthy gains for several mid- and small-cap firms which raised earnings guidance. A cyber-attack on a US oil pipeline company boosted crude prices, with Brent futures moving back towards $69 per barrel, while gold prices looked comfortable around ...

Another week of directors buying and selling shares in their respective companies has seen some rather notable trades, including a few who have decided to cash in ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend. One of the most sizeable deals involves Alex Dacre and Charles Skinner, chief executive and non-executive director respectively at safety inspection and compliance business Marlowe ...

Shares in safety and compliance software firm Marlowe (MRL) continued their impressive recent run with a gain of 3.8% to 660p after the company raised its guidance for operating profits for the year ending in March and set itself an ambitious growth target. Thanks to strong second-half trading, the group expects earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to be ‘at ...

After good gains in the previous two sessions, UK stocks marked time on Thursday as Brexit negotiations remained gridlocked and Russia and Saudi Arabia argued over extending production cuts agreed at the start of the pandemic. At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was almost unchanged at 6,466 points with weakness in banks and utilities offsetting gains in industrial and consumer ...

The news on 9 November of successful early trials of a coronavirus vaccine sent global markets soaring with the most beaten-down sectors like travel, leisure and hospitality, energy and banks enjoying their best daily or weekly performance in years. This has been followed by further positive news on other vaccines in development. It remains the case, however, that many of the top-performing ...