Fund outperforms benchmark in 2023Dividend increases by 7% to 7.65pShares sit at 13% discount to NAVMid- and small-cap UK growth investor Mercantile Investment Trust (MRC) outperformed its benchmark in the year to 31 January, delivering a net asset total return of 4.5% and total shareholder returns of 6.1%.The dividend was increased by 7% for the year to 7.65p per share, comfortably covered by rev

Whenever there is a discussion about ?quality? UK industrial stocks, the name Spectris (SXS) is often thrown into the ring although we suspect many investors, while being familiar with the company in a general sense, have little idea what it actually does.Looking on Stockopedia, the company has a 99th percentile quality ranking, which backs up its reputation, but it is classified as a large-cap te

Full year profit ahead of guidanceNew £100 million buybackTarget of £800 million operating profitShares in Vistry (VTY) jumped 5% to a new two-year high after the housebuilder delivered better than expected annual profit and provided an upbeat outlook, supported by a new £100 million share buyback.The shares have gained 30% so far in 2024 compared with a 0.4% rise for the mid-cap FTSE 250 inde

No-one could accuse the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) of sitting on its hands, least of all this year.As well as investigating several high-profile mergers ? including this month alone Aviva (AV.)/AIG Life, SpreadEx/Sporting Image, RedBird IMI/Telegraph Media Group, Pharmacy2U/Lloyds Direct and Hitachi/Thales ? the regulator has been busy looking into pricing in the funeral market (again

Revenues fall 20% Profits down over 40%Company cooperating with CMAShares in Taylor Wimpey (TW.) were down over 3% to 135p in morning trading as the UK housebuilder said pre-tax profit had fallen 42.8% to £473.8 million for the year to 31 December compared to £827.9 million in the same year ago period.The company?s share price performance today contrasts with a 10% gain over the past year.

Buybacks are heavily in fashion with UK companies right now. The latest names to declare sizeable share buybacks include Barclays (BARC) and InterContinental Hotels (IHG), which between them plan to repurchase more than £1.5 billion worth of stock this year. Notably, Shell (SHEL), which cut its dividend for the first time since the Second World War in 2020, has shifted towards large buybacks in r

Prices are turning positive againLower mortgage rates helpingActivity seen picking up this yearHousebuilders and housing-related stocks got a lift going into the Bank of England?s monetary policy meeting thanks to a positive read on the property market from the latest Nationwide house price survey.Shares in Barratt Developments (BDEV), Crest Nicholson (CRST), Persimmon (PSN), Redrow (RDW), Rightmo

Vistry CEO snaps up nearly £100,000 sharesTen Lifestyle CEO Alex Cheatle sellsBig Technologies CEO Sara Murray builds up stakeGreg Fitzgerald CEO of housebuilder Vistry (VTY) has bought 10,525 shares at 943p for a total value of £99,247 on 22 January.Fitzgerald?s move could be seen by investors as 'smart' after its Countryside Partnerships subsidiary was recently chosen as the preferred develope

Persimmon raises completions targetPartnership deals pave the wayAverage house prices turning upA positive third-quarter trading update and evidence of a bounce in house prices helped lift shares in Persimmon (PSN) and other developers from their recent lows.Persimmon added 2.5% to £11.09 while rivals Barratt Developments (BDEV) and Taylor Wimpey (TW.) gained around 1.5% apiece. HIGHER FUL

Keller performs ahead of expectationsVistry sees no recovery in private salesShares top and tail the mid-cap indexThere was mixed news from the construction sector, with groundworks specialist Keller (KLR) delivering a surprise upgrade to its full-year earnings forecast after third-quarter trading exceeded its forecasts while housebuilder Vistry (VTY) issued a downbeat statement saying the usual s

UK is the best performing major market this monthFTSE 100 aided by big oil-price gains and weak poundFTSE 250 flat on the monthFor most major markets September has been something of a washout with the S&P 500 index losing 4%, the Nasdaq 100 off 4.5% and Germany's DAX down 3%.A key driver of weakness has been the relentless rise in bond yields, which hit their highest levels since 2007 in the US wi

Stocks in London closed higher on Wednesday, as UK consumer price index inflation cooled by more than expected in August.The mood was also optimistic ahead of interest rate decisions from the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.The FTSE 100 index closed up 71.45 points, 0.9%, at 7,731.65. The FTSE 250 ended up 285.67 points, 1.6%, at 18,712.37, and AIM All-Share closed up 4.29 points, 0.6%,

The FTSE 100 outperformed European peers heading into Wednesday afternoon, with the interest rate sensitive house building sector shining after investors reeled in the Bank of England expectations after a cooler-than-expected UK inflation reading.A hike on Thursday was largely seen as a foregone conclusion prior to the data, but the surprising slowdown in UK inflation means the decision is on some

Full-year profit target maintainedStrategic shift into affordable homesUp to £1 billion of shareholder returnsThe fact shares in housebuilder Vistry (VTY) jumped the most in over three years on news the firm is sticking to its forecasts for this year speaks volumes about the pessimism which has pervaded the sector.By 9am the shares were trading up 14% at 915p, although they touched 942p at one po

Stocks in London opened mixed on Monday, with the FTSE 100 lifted by mining stocks following the latest economic data from China.The FTSE 100 index opened up 27.35 points, 0.4%, at 7,505.54. The FTSE 250 was down 93.62 points, 0.5%, at 18,556.81. The AIM All-Share was down 0.81 of a point, or 0.1%, at 742.63.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 751.25, the Cboe UK 250 was 1.0% at 16,232.40, and the Cboe

An under-the-radar constituent of the IA UK Equity Income sector that is delivering stellar returns despite difficult market conditions is VT Tyndall Real Income Fund (BYX0D61). Small at £18.9 million of assets, it is big on ambition under the stewardship of manager Simon Murphy and competitive on cost, with a lowly annual management charge of 0.35%.Murphy took over the fund right before the pand

- Adjusted pre-tax profit expected to grow 5% in 2023 supported by regeneration arm- Rising costs and fire safety provisions hit 2022 profit- Improving sales trend in recent weeksHousebuilder and regeneration specialist Vistry (VTY) demonstrated the benefits of a diversified approach as it delivered a surprisingly positive assessment of its outlook for 2023 alongside 2022 results.The company has a

Gordon retired in his late 50s after a successful career in media planning including a period working for The Sunday Times. He is a big fan of investing and calls his SIPP (self-invested personal pension) 'my family's future'.Dividing his time between a rented flat in Mexico City and a house in the UK, Gordon's investment journey stems from his interest in the general management of companies, thei

- Sales still well below prior-year levels- Margins and earnings to fall sharply this year- Shares fall almost 10% on selling pressureInvestors in housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) rushed for the exit after chief executive Dean Finch warned completions, margins and profits would be 'down markedly' this year due to the sharp slowdown in the new-build market.The shares fell more than 9% to £13.19, makin

Online retail group and former UK tech unicorn THG (THG) has seen founder Matthew Moulding significantly increase his personal stake in the business. Moulding, alongside the Qatar state fund, together mopped up 80.6 million shares, Moulding buying 12.8 million at 39p in a £5 million deal.The shares became available after Japanese technology investor Softbank, previously one of its key backers, an