Pizza brand capitalises on weak share price Feeling effects of overexpansion Net debt guidance increased Food purveyor Domino's Pizza (DOM) has decided to take advantage of its lowly share price by launching a fresh £20 million share buyback, news that stoked appetite for the stock with the FTSE 250 firm's shares rallying 6% to 207.2p in early dealings. To complement its organic growth...

UK-listed consumer goods giant Unilever (ULVR) is in the middle of a well-publicised restructuring which involves focusing on the product ranges in its portfolio which it feels resonate most strongly with shoppers. The decision to focus on these so called 'power brands' is just the latest illustration of how much brands matter, how there is a clear hierarchy for brands, how their fortunes can...

Positive trends continued into Q1 Good start to Q2 Full year profit to meet expectations Domino's Pizza (DOM) said positive trends seen in late 2024 have continued with system sales up 2.1% and like-for-like sales up 0.5% in the first three months of 2025. While encouraging, the quarterly growth trends are slightly below what the company reported for the first 10-weeks of the year, which may...

System sales up 2%, pre-tax profit up 8.4%Actively looking for acquisitionsComfortable with 2025 consensus forecastsPizza chain Domino's Pizza (DOM) served up positive like-for-like system sales growth and an 8.4% increase in underlying pre-tax profit for the year to December, broadly in line with market forecasts.The shares flip-flopped between gains and losses before settling down 3% to...

Sales hit new peak of £2 billionLike-for-like sales growth slowsInvestments to crimp marginsSales topped £2 billion for the first time at Greggs (GRG) last year as the value-for-money sausage roll, coffee and Yum Yums retailer continued to lure in cash-strapped punters.So why did shares in the beloved bakery chain sour 13% to £18.08 today?The catalyst for selling was news of a further...

Professional short sellers are currently circling a small group of UK consuming-facing stocks with the goal of profiting from falls in their share prices, potentially caused by Rachel Reeves' Budget decisions.The UK outlook is getting worse by the day, with business and consumer sentiment weakening amid concerns the new government doesn't have an effective plan to accelerate economic...

Domino's Pizza Group (DOM) 270pMarket cap: £1.05 billionWe aren't a willfully contrarian bunch at Shares, but now and then we come across a stock which seems so beaten-down with so much bad news priced in we just have to take a closer look.A case in point is FTSE 250 fast-food firm Domino's Pizza Group (DOM), the UK's leading pizza brand with over 1,360 stores in the UK and...

The number of companies on London's AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of November 2024 compared with 30 at the end of 2021.From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the Main Market, and the rest have...

Ocado still the number one shortRetailers in general unlovedEnergy services stocks drilledShort-selling, or borrowing shares to sell in the hope of buying them back at a lower price, is not something most retail investors have the nerve or the skill-set to pull off as it requires a certain mindset and a willingness to tolerate heavy losses on occasion until your bets come right.For the pros,...

New five-year framework starts on 3 JanSupports growth ambitionsDrag on profit from new investmentsDomino's Pizza (DOM) has reached a new five-year framework agreement with franchisees, starting on 3 January, which underpins its confidence in reaching a target of more than 1,600 stores and delivering £2.5 billion of system sales by 2033.The shares fell 12p or 3.3% to 340p as investors...

Stock prices in London were higher at midday Tuesday, amid good news for the UK's construction sector, as investors await the performance of stocks in New York.Markets across the globe took a hit on Monday, with investors digesting last week's economic data from the US.The FTSE 100 index was up 9.13 points, 0.1%, at 8,017.36. The FTSE 250 was up 84.80 points, 0.4%, at 20,321.54, and the AIM...

2024 profits to be at lower end of expectationsOrders returned to growth in Q2£20 million buyback launchedTakeaway firm Domino's Pizza (DOM) served up news of a tasty pick-up in second quarter orders and also launched a fresh £20 million share buyback programme in show of confidence in its future prospects.So why did shares in the firm, which holds the master franchise agreement to own,...

Investors looking to put money to work with a company for the long term often employ fundamental analysis, which involves scrutinising financial metrics and analysing financial statements to help them understand how fundamentally strong a company is. While profit margins are a solid indicator of a good or bad business, the margin doesn't tell you anything about how much money a company...

Sales and profit above estimatesUpgraded medium term targetsSlower-than-hoped start to 2024Despite delivering better-than-expected full-year revenue and profit and raising its long-term growth targets, shares in franchised pizza chain Domino?s Pizza (DOM) fell 6% to 344.6p on a lukewarm outlook.Over the last year the shares are up by around a third and comfortably ahead of the mid-cap FTSE 250...

Stock prices in London opened largely higher on Tuesday morning, with TP ICAP topping the FTSE 250 as it mulls a minority float of its Parameta Solutions arm, while pet care firms struggled amid UK watchdog scrutiny.The FTSE 100 index rose 59.85 points, 0.8%, to 7,729.08. The FTSE 250 climbed 34.28 points, 0.2%, at 19,564.37, though the AIM All-Share fell 2.09 points, 0.3%, at 736.19.The Cboe...

Private equity firm Apollo succeeding with its takeover of Restaurant Group (RTN) would represent a major turning point for the UK stock market. It would mean investors could no longer access a high street-focused casual dining chain operator on the London Stock Exchange of any scale.Restaurant Group's primary asset is Wagamama, a 165-strong nationwide chain offering Asian-style food....

Domino's Pizza shares up 18% after raised guidance4Imprint shares gain after material upgrade to full yearDX shares continue to climb after legal settlementWhile the major indices have pulled back this week, following weak economic data and the US debt downgrade, the following three shares are bucking the trend and trading close to 12-month highs.Franchised pizza chain Domino's Pizza (DOM)...

Shares in Domino's Pizza (DOM) are up by 42% since 5 July to 393p yet analysts appear unconvinced the UK's largest pizza chain has turned a corner.Four out of the eight analysts who cover the stock have a 'hold' or 'sell' rating and four have a 'buy' rating while the average analyst price target sits around a tenth below current levels.Before its latest results, the consensus earnings estimate...

The US version of pizza delivery outfit Domino's Pizza (DPZ:NYSE) spooked investors in April when it warned of pressure on sales as hard-pressed consumers were cooking at home rather than splashing out on takeaways.Investors will be looking to see if that trend has continued when the company reports its second quarter results on 24 July or if the relative resilience of the US economy has...

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...