Smith & Nephew (SN.)

Shares in medical technology firm Smith & Nephew (SN.) jump 3% to £15.14 on an upbeat outlook for the full year and comments that management is 'increasingly confident' of hitting the top end of its sales growth target. READ MORE ABOUT SMITH & NEPHEW HERE Underlying first quarter revenues improved by 4.4% despite currency headwinds reducing reported growth rates to just 0.5%. All ...

One of the market’s smaller UK funds at £64m is the somewhat unheralded FP CRUX UK Fund (B5839S6). Managed by CRUX Asset Management’s Jamie Ward, mathematics whizz, former equity analyst and sole manager since March 2018, the fund aims to preserve and enhance the real value of investors’ money over time. While sentiment towards UK stocks is presently poor – and understandable given ...

Shares in FTSE 250 medical products specialist ConvaTec (CTEC) have crashed by 21% to 177.4p after poor fourth quarter sales, weak guidance for 2019 and a plan to spend millions of pounds to try and put the business in a better shape. ConvaTec has been struggling amid fierce competition from low priced wound care product providers. Wound care organic revenue fell by 1.8% in the fourth ...

It is another slow start for stocks on 'Super Thursday' with the FTSE 100 index giving up 0.1% to 7,163 on weakness in food producers, industrials and oil services. All eyes are on the Bank of England with the release of data on inflation, the latest monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting notes and a decision on interest rates all due at midday. Food-service company Compass Group (CPG) is ...

Medical devices and healthcare equipment are vital to helping people live longer and healthier lives, and globally this market is worth an estimated $340bn every year according to leading operator Smith & Nephew (SN.). As well as developing and manufacturing life-changing and enhancing products, there is also a significant market for helping meet demand for quality care and ...

UK stocks get off to a weak start on Thursday following declines in Asia and falls in US index futures as US Treasury yields topped 3.2% for the first time since 2011. Stronger-than-expected US payroll data yesterday and high oil prices are stoking fears of higher interest rates ahead. An increase in the Treasury yield, commonly seen as the ‘risk-free’ rate for investing, tends to be ...

The surprise sale of Whitbread’s (WTB) Costa Coffee business to Coca-Cola for £3.9bn on 31 August is sparking a debate over who could be next to buckle under the influence of activist investors. For the activist funds with stakes in Whitbread, Sachem Head and Elliott, the deal is a victory, helping to achieve their aim of generating more value by splitting up the Costa Coffee business from ...

The main benchmark for shares listed on the London Stock Exchange is the FTSE 100. Widely quoted in reports on the financial markets, its constituents make up 80% of the UK market by valuation. But how much do you know about its composition? For example, upwards of 70% of its earnings are derived overseas despite the FTSE 100 being London’s flagship stock index. As a result, its relationship ...

Cigarette and nicotine products company British American Tobacco (BATS) puffs up 4.4% to £41.48 on news its revenue increased by 56.9% to £11.6bn on a year-on-year basis. The company’s chief executive Nicandro Durante says he is ‘confident’ that the company can exceed £1bn of revenue in its non-cigarette products as it seeks to diversify its product range. Molten metal engineering ...

A weaker than anticipated first quarter at Smith & Nephew (SN.) is expected to hit full year sales growth, which is forecast to fall to 2% to 3%, from between 3% to 4%. Shares in Smith & Nephew slumped 6.7% to £13.06. Trading profit margins are anticipated to be ‘at or above that achieved’ in 2017, previously a range of 30 to 40 basis points. This is not the first time Smith ...

London’s FTSE 100 trades flat at 7,543.2 points on Thursday morning, the impressive rally since late March stopping to catch its breath as gains in the mining, oil and supermarket sectors are offset by weakness in utilities and insurers. However, one insurer on the rise is Lancashire (LRE), which leaps 7.4% higher to 642.5p after posting a 48% surge in first quarter profit before tax to ...

Royal Mail’s (RMG) Moya Greene is the twelfth chief executive officer of a blue-chip firm to be replaced this year as it focuses on transformational changes to boost profitability. Other companies that have replaced their top brass include GKN (GKN) and broadcaster ITV (ITV), which nabbed Carolyn McCall from EasyJet (EZJ) to help turn around its business. High street bank HSBC ...

UK investors could be in for another bumpy day of trading on Thursday after a mixed session overnight in the US. The FTSE 100 index opens on the back foot, losing around 45 points, or 0.6%, in early deals to trade at 7,235.08. There’s more bad news from embattled TalkTalk (TALK) as the broadband and calls supplier slashes its dividend and goes on the hunt for new funding via a £200m rights ...

Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) 71p Gain to date: 13.6% Original entry point: Buy at 62.5p, 21 December 2017 Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) has issued a reassuring trading statement, saying that full year revenue for 2017 will be 6% higher on the previous year at £103.3m. Alliance Pharma is one of our top stock picks for 2018 as we like its growth potential, which is expected to be supported by ...

Chippenham-based Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) is ideal for investors who want exposure to the pharmaceutical industry without the risks of developing new drugs. The company acquires and licenses pharmaceutical and healthcare products and delivers these to patients. The shares look cheap against its forecast growth. Based on consensus forecasts the company trades on a price-to-earnings to growth ...

Welcome to our top share picks for the year ahead. Keep reading to discover 10 companies which we believe will enjoy decent share price gains over the coming 12 months. You will find a mixture of growth, value and recovery situations; all have an exciting investment proposition.   AB DYNAMICS (ABDP:AIM) An excellent way to play the thriving electric vehicles industry We ...

The markets approach the New Year in a fairly resilient mood, characterised by decent earnings growth from companies, several examples of M&A activity and the end of another year in what has been a long bull-run. Although the general public may be fixated with Bitcoin at present, we believe there are plenty of opportunities for your money in the UK market and overseas, as we explain in this ...

Medical equipment manufacturer Smith & Nephew (SN.) warns that underlying sales for the year to 31 December 2017 will be at the lower end of its range of 3% to 4%. The trading profit margin growth for the full year is anticipated to be at the lower end of a range of 0.2% to 0.7%. Sales in the third quarter to 30 September were up 3% to $1,152m. Berenberg analyst Tom Jones says this was ...

After a busy week it’s a quiet start in London with few significant corporate or macro-economic announcements. The FTSE 100 is slightly higher, up 0.3% to 7,575.54 in early trading. Overnight in the US Republicans unveiled details of its tax reform plan which would lower the corporate rate from 35% to 20%. Shares in consumer electronics business Apple hit a record high as pre-sales of its new ...

FTSE 100 paper and packaging company Mondi (MNDI) drops 6.6% to £19.51 after saying full year profit will come in below expectations. The company blames cost pressures and adverse currency conditions for the forecast drop in earnings. Another FTSE 100 company, medical device maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) ticks up 2.9% on media reports that activist hedge fund Elliott Management is building a ...