Our portfolio of picks for 2024 is off to a solid start in what proved an uneven first quarter for the stock market as a whole.Our return of 9% is comfortably ahead of our FTSE All-Share benchmark at 3.9%. It?s a tale of feast and famine, however, with half of our selections achieving double-digit gains while 40% are in the red.THE BIG WINNERSAt the end of 2023, shares in biotech specialist Purete

At the centre of the current boom in generative AI (artificial intelligence) is chip maker Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ).It designs some of the fastest computer chips in the world which are needed to run data hungry LLMs (large language models) capable of understanding natural language.Readers may be familiar with Nvidia?s historical link to the gaming industry, but less familiar with the US giant?s connec

Stocks in London headed into the long weekend on the front foot, outperforming their European peers.Markets in London will now shut for two public holidays, Good Friday and Easter Monday. They will reopen on Tuesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 20.64 points, 0.3%, at 7,952.62. The FTSE 250 ended up 74.07 points, 0.4%, at 19,884.73, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.15 points, or 0.2%, at 743.26.Ov

Investors looking for continued sales momentumConsensus earnings estimates have been revised upLooking for signs of improving marginsInvestors will be interested to see if sales momentum has continued into the final quarter at global medical technology company Smith & Nephew (SN.) when it reports next week (27 Feb).Running into the Q4 and full-year numbers the shares have started to outperform the

Tentative signs of sustainable margin improvement and market share gains, combined with the tailwind provided by continued recovery in elective procedures, should provide medical products company Smith & Nephew (SN.) with positive momentum heading into 2024.The shares are trading close to 10-year lows, and from a valuation perspective have rarely offered better value relative to the UK market and

AdobeIt may look like odd timing to back Adobe (ADBE:NASDAQ) just after lukewarm guidance, but we think this is a great opportunity.The creative digital software firm called for fiscal 2024 earnings per share of $17.60 to $18 on $21.3 billion to $21.5 billion revenue, a little light compared with the consensus of $18 and $21.7 billion revenue respectively.The shares plunged 7%, which seemed harsh

Third-quarter revenue up 7.7%Full-year growth forecast increasedNew finance chief appointedMedical products-maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) was one of the top gainers in the FTSE 100 on Thursday, up 5% after delivering strong third-quarter growth and raising its full-year outlook.Underlying revenue for the three months to 30 September grew 7.7% to $1.4 billion driven by broad-based growth across the fi

Medical device and prosthetics specialist Smith & Nephew (SN.) is one of those businesses which you think should do well because it operates in a market with demographics on its side.An ageing population is likely to need an increasing number of knee and hip replacements, creating bigger demand for Smith & Nephew's expertise. However, the company's execution over the years has been patchy, particu

First half profit misses consensus analyst expectationCompany raises full year revenue growthChief financial officer to step down in Q2 2024Medical products company Smith & Nephew (SN.) was one of the biggest fallers in the FTSE 100 on 3 August, dropping 2% to £112.95 despite raising full year revenue guidance after the replacement knee and hip maker missed first half profit expectations.The shar

There are an increasing number of large firms which are thinking about changing their main share listing from the UK to the US or elsewhere, raising fears London is losing its importance.This article explains why companies are giving serious thought to this issue and who might be next to press the button.Irish building materials giant CRH (CRH) is the latest firm to decide to move its main listing

So-called 'technical' investors study charts to look for patterns which can signal when to buy and sell a share. At the other end of the spectrum is 'fundamental' analysis which seeks to understand the intrinsic value of a business by examining its profit, cash flow and balance sheet and its competitive position.Often the two approaches are seen as polar opposites, but that does not mean they cann

- Smith & Nephew director snaps up shares after strong first quarter results- London Stock Exchange director buys more than £1 million worth of shares- Dowlais directors go on a spending spreeRupert Soames, non-executive director medical equipment manufacturer Smith & Nephew (SN.), has snapped up more than £100,000 worth of shares in the wake of its recent first quarter update.On 27 April Soames

One of the outstanding long-run performers in the Investment Association's UK All Companies sector is Jupiter UK Special Situations (B4KL9F8), the £2.1 billion fund managed by Jupiter Asset Management.Adorned with a five-star Morningstar rating and a Gold Morningstar analyst rating, the fund is ranked first quartile over one, three, five and 10 years, and year-to-date.It is managed by the highly-

- Full-year earnings beat expectations- Medium-term guidance increased- Dividend maintainedShares in medical devices company Smith & Nephew (SN.) topped the FTSE 100 leaderboard on Tuesday rising 5% to a new eight-month high of £12.21 after earnings beat estimates and the firm raised its medium-term sales guidance.The company said it expected both revenues and profit to be higher in 2023 with re

- Market is expecting better second half growth- Strong dollar likely to remain a headwind- Big transformation promised by new chief executiveArguably the earnings bar has been lowered for medical equipment maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) ahead of third quarter earnings due on Thursday this week.While the price-to-earnings ratio has slipped by a third over the last 12 months, analysts have been busily

There is no question this year has been an extraordinarily difficult one for many companies, who have had to cope with a sharp rise in both operating and financial costs as energy and labour prices have jumped and interest rates have gone up.It is therefore not such a surprise that FTSE 100 chief executives are leaving in record numbers, with over a dozen either having moved already this year or d

The UK?s first-half results reporting season is drawing to a close, and investors may be feeling they can breathe a sigh of relief. As in the US more firms are beating or meeting expectations and disappointments look relatively few and far between.Smith & Nephew (SN.) and Rolls-Royce (RR.) look to be the only real let-downs, while a range of industries from chemicals and banks to pharmaceuticals a

Every chief executive talks about creating shareholder value, but which ones walk the walk?While the investment trust industry can count on 27 managers with at least 20 years under their belt at the same firm, there are very few FTSE 100 chief executives with that kind of track record.The most obvious is Simon Wolfson (pictured), who has headed Leicestershire-based high street retailer Next (NXT)

Medical technology company Smith & Nephew (SN.) said first quarter underlying revenues to 2 April increased 5.9% year-on-year to $1.31 billion.Continued strong performance from Sports Medicine & ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat), where sales grew 8.6% and Advanced Wound Management, which increased sales by 8% were key drivers in the quarter.A foreign currency headwind reduced reported sales growth to 3.3

The transformation of medical technology company ConvaTec (CTEC) has reached an inflection point which should drive market-beating sales growth and improve profitability.The shares look attractive against good earnings potential while scope for the stock to trade on a higher multiple of earnings (known as a 're-rating') provides extra attractions. This could be driven by a modest improvement in op