This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

Stocks in London trod a disparate path, ahead of UK inflation data, which could dictate events on Thursday when the Bank of England makes its latest decision on interest rates.The FTSE 100 index rose 15.75 points, 0.2%, at 7,738.30. But the FTSE 250 ended down 53.72 points, 0.3%, at 19,432.81, and the AIM All-Share fell 1.07 points, 0.2%, at 735.56.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.2% to 774.76, the Cboe UK

Stock prices in London fell at midday on Tuesday, as investors nervously looked ahead to interest interest rate decisions from the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England.Amongst individual stocks, Unilever was boosted by cost saving plans. Oil prices also gave BP and Shell a boost.The FTSE 100 index was down 20.42 points, 0.3%, at 7,702.13. The FTSE 250 was down 76.27 points, 0.4%, at 19,410.26, a

Ice cream demerger plannedMajor productivity programme launchedFocus on ?unmissably superior? brandsShares in Unilever (ULVR) topped the FTSE 100 leader board on Tuesday, gaining 3.7% to £39.51 after the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) goliath announced plans to demerge its ice cream division under a drive to ?maximise? shareholder returns.Less than a year into his tenure, chief executive Hein

Stocks in London opened in the red on Tuesday morning, after the Bank of Japan decided to end its negative interest rate policy.Amongst individual stocks, Unilever jumped after it announced job cuts, as well as the split off of its ice cream division.The FTSE 100 index opened down 1.42 points at 7,721.13. The FTSE 250 was down 12.40 points, 0.1%, at 19,474.13, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.13 o

The end of the tax year is fast approaching and with it the opportunity to maximise your £20,000 ISA allowance for the year.In this article we have identified six names from a list of some of the most consistent funds and fund managers in the UK which could be a good fit for your tax wrapper. While we have aimed for a balance across different investment styles and asset classes this is not intend

Unilever (ULVR) Price: £39.93Gain to date: 4.6%We suggested investors buy fast-moving consumer goods goliath Unilever (ULVR) at £38.19 in January 2024 on the grounds the Marmite-to-Hellmann?s maker?s intrinsic strengths were underappreciated by the market. Poor sentiment reflected market share losses for some key brands amid cost-of-living squeeze-induced consumer downtrading, and there had been

Positive full year and fourth quarter volumes?1.5 billion share buyback pleasesBut competitiveness remains ?disappointing?Fast-moving consumer goods giant Unilever (ULVR) reported a return to volume growth with improved margins for the year to December 2023 which, combined with a new ?1.5 billion buyback set to launch in the second quarter, sent the shares up 3% to £40.16 in mid-morning dealings.

Despite well-documented cost-of-living pressures, consumers continue to set aside cash for affordable luxuries such as cosmetics which make them feel good about their appearance and add a little glamour to their lives.In contrast to the slowing growth being reported by the large luxury goods groups, companies which sell makeup, skincare and haircare products and other beauty and wellness wares are

An investor blessed with Nostradamus-like predictive powers who put money to work with Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE) in 1964 and held the shares until 2022 would have enjoyed a gargantuan overall gain of 3,787,464% in terms of per share market value, leaving the stellar 24,708% return from the S&P 500 index with dividends included for dust.Under the direction of legendary investor Warren Buffett

A big increase in the average takeover premium in 2023 highlights how parts of the UK stock market continue to be undervalued. The average bid premium for UK stocks in 2023 was 51% against 37% in 2022 and 43% in 2021, according to analysis by AJ Bell.Most London-listed takeovers last year involved small-cap firms. Buyers were a mixture of private equity firms or industry players looking to buy riv

Unilever(ULVR) £38.19Market cap: £95.1 billionWe believe bargain-hunters looking for a high-quality business should consider Unilever (ULVR), the consumer products group whose intrinsic strengths appear underappreciated by the market. Shares in the FTSE 100?s fourth-biggest company by market cap are down around 10% over one year due to inflationary pressures and market share losses for some key

As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year's least-loved stocks.Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest friends in the analyst community and those which the hedge fund community thinks are outright shorts.If we first t

Probe to prevent shoppers being misledGreen claims ?may be overstated?UK market worth £140 billion last yearConsumer products giant Unilever (ULVR) has found itself the unwelcome subject of a probe by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) into its ?green? claims on some of its household items such as cleaning products and toiletries.However, with the shares already trading at 12-month lows

The GfK consumer confidence index fell nine points from minus 21 to minus 30 in October amid a slowing jobs market and the uncertainty engendered by the Middle East conflict which have dampened the Christmas spending outlook.This consumer squeeze was in evidence in the quarterly volume declines reported by FTSE 100 consumer goods giants Unilever (ULVR) and Reckitt Benckiser (RKT).Unilever delivere

Third quarter sales up 5.2% in line with expectationsNew action plan revealed to unlock potentialFull year outlook maintainedConsumer packaged goods giant Unilever (ULVR) delivered a mixed third-quarter performance but stuck with its full-year outlook despite underlying price growth moderating as inflation slows.The Dove soap to Magnum ice cream maker also announced a new action plan designed to '

For over a decade following the global financial crisis, bonds offered little in the way of return and carried significant price risk. But the return of inflation and higher interest rates have changed all that.You can now get a 4.5% annual yield on a UK government bond maturing in 10 years' time. That compares to under 0.2% in the depths of the pandemic in 2020.To spell out the gargantuan differe

Despite PepsiCo (PEP:NASDAQ) having twice beaten earnings forecasts this year, by an average of 8%, and twice raised its outlook, the shares have fallen close to their lowest level since January on concerns over pricing and its continued presence in Russia.Although the firm raised its sales guidance in July and held out the prospect of further price hikes not affecting demand for its drinks and sn

Spin-offs, demergers and disposals are often good news for investors, although it's not often a firm sees its share price rise when it has to pay someone to take assets off its hands, especially when those assets were previously thought to be earnings positive.In the case of hospitality firm Restaurant Group (RTN), however, that is exactly what happened.The group, best known for its Wagamama chain

It can be hard to look past day-to-day cares and worries and give proper thought to achieving a financially comfortable retirement. However, if you want to enjoy a decent quality of life after you bring your career to a close then you must devote more attention to your pension.Investment trusts, held within a SIPP (self-invested personal pension), can be a useful vehicle to help you achieve your g