More than a fifth (22) of FTSE 100 companies have either changed their chief executive this year or announced plans to do so next year. So what’s causing this turmoil at the top? ‘The FTSE 100 has not really gone anywhere for two years excluding dividends so individual CEOs have been under more pressure from investors,’ says Patrick Thomas, an investment director at Canaccord Genuity ...

The new boss of Edinburgh Investment Trust (EDIN) has given an insight into how the trust will differ when he takes over its management in the first quarter of next year. Majedie Asset Management chief investment officer James de Uphaugh told Shares that while he will retain some stocks, around three-quarters of the holdings are set to change. It comes after high-profile Invesco fund manager ...

Smith & Nephew (SN.) £16.33 Loss to date 14.4% Original entry price: Buy at £19.09, 8 August 2019 Diversified medical devices maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) has twice upgraded its expectations for revenue growth in the past six months, demonstrating that the new operational structure is seeing tangible and sustainable commercial benefits. Sadly the shares have recently taken a ...

Hip and knee equipment maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) reported revenues of $1.25bn for the third quarter to 30 September, up 4% on a like-for-like basis and better than consensus expectations. The shares traded up 8p to £17.15. GAINING MOMENTUM As a result of the company’s new commercial model, the business has been gaining momentum in underlying growth prompting an upgrade in ...

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) tops the FTSE 100 biggest losers list on Thursday after reporting a year-on-year fall in earnings for the third quarter. The energy group posted $4.8bn for the three months to 30 September, or roughly £3.7bn, versus a 17% decline in oil prices year-on-year. Royal Dutch Shell shares fell more than 3% in early trade to £22.50. The oil and gas giant said the ...

UK stocks started the week on the front foot with the FTSE 100 index adding 22 points or 0.3% to 7,172. Biggest contributors to the rise in terms of index points were the banks with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) adding 2.6% to 245p, Barclays (BARC) adding 1.3% to 167p and Lloyds (LLOY) adding 1.6% to 61.2p. Shares in drug-maker AstraZeneca (AZN) dipped 0.4% to £67.43 despite news that its ...

Invest in what you know is the golden rule for first time investors. This advice has stood the test of time and is a great way for people to get to know what investing is all about. Fortunately, there are many companies on the FTSE 350 which are household names. But when you get more comfortable with investing and how the stock markets generally work, there’s a whole host of companies less ...

If you are new to stock market investing you may still have heard of the FTSE 100. It frequently appears on TV news bulletins and in the papers, its relative direction up or down giving viewers/readers a steer as to how the UK economy is going and how optimistic, or not, investors feel about the nation’s prospects. By contrast, the FTSE 350 the has a very low profile and seldom gets a mention ...

Diversified medical devices maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) operates in growth markets and owns very competitive products, putting it in an enviable market position. What’s let shareholders down in the past has been business execution and a failure to exploit the growth opportunity. That is now changing. The shares aren’t cheap on 21.4 times forecast earnings, yet we feel there is a ...

Following our cover story on the risks associated with ‘star managers’, in the aftermath of the suspension of the flagship Woodford Equity Income Fund (BLRZQ73), we are launching a new feature looking at the UK’s most popular funds to analyse their investment process and their top holdings. As we explained previously, when choosing a fund or trust it’s important to understand the ...

Replacement knee and hip maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) reported first half profits up 3.9% to $2.4bn and raised its growth guidance by half a percent to 3% to 4%, giving the shares a 2% boost to £19. Chief executive Namal Nawana said ‘The positive momentum across the business globally in the first half of 2019 has led us to upgrade our full year revenue growth guidance. ‘Organic ...

UK stocks are lower on Wednesday, dragged down by weakness in Europe as US-China trade talks end abruptly and seemingly without resolution. Despite a further fall in the pound, the FTSE 100 is down 0.2% to 7,636 led by banks, beverages and personal goods, easing off 2019 highs of 7,686.61 recorded on Monday. Shares in Lloyds Banking (LLOY) drop 4.7% to 52.5p despite a solid first half ...

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 ...