A classic example of a superb business with staying power, The Coca-Cola Company (KO:NYSE) is blessed with iconic brands spearheaded by Coca-Cola or ?Coke?, the world?s most recognised soft drink synonymous with its red cans.Coca-Cola?s brands resonate with consumers around the world, making the New York-listed group?s products the beverage of choice for billions when at home or on the move.Powerf

Whitbread (WTB): £36.75Gain to date: 9% We recommended buying into hotel and leisure group Whitbread (WTB) in June 2023 as revenue, earnings and dividends were already well above their pre-pandemic levels but the shares had yet to recover. In addition, bookings were on an improving trend not just among holidaymakers but also business travellers and we were watching corporate developments.Press ta

Q3 UK Premier Inn sales up 11%Momentum continues into Q4 with UK sales up 12%Germany expected to break-even in 2024Premier Inn-owner Whitbread (WTB) notched-up strong third quarter trading with UK accommodation sales 11% up year-on-year and revenue per available room 9% ahead, while food and beverage sales grew by 6%.The company said strong trading has continued into the final quarter with UK acco

On 3 January 2024, the FTSE 100 celebrates its 40th anniversary. And to borrow a cliche - it seems an opportune moment to ask, will life for the index truly begin at 40 or will it be plunged into a mid-life crisis?The index was launched as a replacement for the FT-30, which as its name suggests was a grouping of 30 businesses drawn principally from the industrial and commercial sectors. The FT-30

The UK hospitality sector has been one of the biggest casualties of the pandemic and the slowest to rebound.Enforced closures during lockdowns, surging energy, labour and commodity prices post pandemic and ongoing train strikes mean hospitality has faced more than its fair share of obstacles over the last three years.The extra challenges mean hospitality has been slower than other sectors to regai

Revenue and profits sharply higherMarket under-supply fuels growthShareholder returns raised againFTSE 100 hotel and pub operator Whitbread (WTB) delivered an 'outstanding' first-half performance according to its chief executive Dominic Paul, culminating with a 40% increase in the interim dividend and an extension of the firm's share repurchase programme.Investors shared Paul's enthusiasm, sending

Given the positive summer trading updates from UK hospitality firms such as JD Wetherspoon (JDW), Marston's (MARS) and Mitchells & Butler (MAB), expectations are fairly high for Beefeater, Brewers' Fayre and Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB) when it reports first-half earnings on 18 October.In the first quarter to the start of June, Premier Inn accommodation sales were up 18% on last year while Re

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

Broker raises earnings forecast yet againUK hotel market remains robustScope for further buybacksDespite the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living squeeze on consumer spending, Shore Capital has upgraded its earnings estimates for budget hotels operator Whitbread (WTB) for the third time this year, sending shares in the Premier Inn owner up 1.4% to £36.90 for a near-40% year-to-date gain.The lates

Recent weeks have seen a couple of encouraging economic data points for investors betting on the resilience of the UK consumer.Second-quarter GDP (gross domestic product) grew at a faster rate than expected, even as interest rates have risen, pushing up mortgage costs on top of rising food and energy bills.Wage growth also surprised to the upside at 8.2% in the second quarter, a new record and wel

Ninety One team buys towards lows of the yearSegro chairman buys more stock after updateInvestors in London and Cape Town asset management firm Ninety One (N91) might want to take a leaf out of management's book given the top team's talent for buying on weakness.Marathon Trust, a vehicle associated with Ninety One chief executive Hendrik Du Toit, finance director Kim McFarland and several other di

Shares gain on appointment of permanent CEOHigh quality candidate with strong track recordRemoves share overhangIt may have taken a year for pizza franchise chain Domino's Pizza (DOM) to find a permanent replacement for CEO Dominic Paul, who jumped ship for Whitbread (WTB) in June 2022, but investors have given new appointee Andrew Rennie a warm reception with the shares gaining 3.5% to 302.4p.Ren

The Bank of England dug deep into its arsenal on Thursday and enacted an interest rate hike of 50 basis points, as Wednesday's red-hot UK inflation reading forced its hand.The BoE's hike took bank rate to 5.00% from 4.50% previously. The move was somewhat of a surprise, as a 25 basis point hike was largely expected. However, Wednesday's red-hot consumer price index data, which showed the UK's stub

£300 million share buy-back on trackRumoured £1.2 billion price tag for TravelodgeTotal UK accommodation sales up 18%Shares in the UK's leading hospitality and hotel group Whitbread (WTB) were down over 2% to £33.09 despite reporting a positive set of first quarter results amid a difficult economic backdrop.For the first quarter spanning the 13 weeks to 1 June 2023, the Premier Inn owner report

While shares in Holiday Inn operator Intercontinental Hotels (IHG) are flying high, those in budget hotel operator Whitbread (WTB) have been languishing, but we can see three reasons why that trend could reverse.Revenues, earnings and dividends are already well above their pre-pandemic levels, and hotel stays are on the increase again - not just for pleasure but for business customers too.The firm

- Premier Inn UK recovery lifts hotel group- £300 million share buy-back programme announced- Whitbread positive on Premier Inn Germany prospects Shares in the UK's leading hospitality and hotel group Whitbread (WTB) rose 5.8% to £33.06 in early trading - one of the highest risers in the FTSE 100 - as it reported adjusted pre-tax profit of £413 million for the 12 months to 2 March 2023 compare

There have been no shortage of polls looking into Brits' travel intentions at a time the cost-of-living crisis is eating into budgets and forcing households to make really tricky decisions.The consensus seems to be that bookings will hold up but spend will fall as people hunt out bargains.A summer holiday is seen by many people in the UK as a necessity; a chance to recharge batteries, make memorie

- Oxford Metrics directors bag £3.2 million- Harbour Energy sees largest holder selling £6.4 million- Whitbread non-exec picks up sharesDirectors at smart sensing software company Oxford Metrics (OMG) collectively sold 2.9 million shares on 13 February at 110p per share, netting £3.19 million in cash.The sales were made for personal financial and estate planning purposes and to satisfy 'strong'

Learning good habits at an early age can pay dividends later in life, as Richard from North Somerset has found out. The investor regularly reinvests dividends from his portfolio to compound his returns.Rather than spend the cash now, he would rather use it to buy more shares so the next round of dividends might be even bigger than the last.Richard is 36 years old and works as a locum for a pharmac

Whitbread (WTB) £25.95Loss to date: -1.2%Original entry point: Buy at £26.26, 19 May 2022Shares in the UK's leading hospitality and hotel group are barely changed since we initially recommended buying, despite growing fears of a cost-of-living crisis and a potential recession.As the firm's recent update revealed, and as data from credit card companies confirms, consumers here and in Europe are s