The M&A boom in the UK market has shown no signs of abating as deals continue to progress. This raises three big questions: who is doing the buying, is the trend sustainable and what does it mean for investors? Right at the end of July, life insurer and retirement solutions provider Just Group (JUST) became the latest name to succumb ? agreeing to a £2.4 billion takeover by Canadian...

Offer vales firm at £2.4 billion Price well above the 2016 high Hard to see a rival counteroffer It was a good day for investors but a sad day for the London stock market as yet another promising FTSE 250 growth company, retirement solutions provider Just Group (JUST), succumbed to a takeover by an overseas rival. BWS Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookfield Wealth Solutions,...

Stocks in Europe were higher on Thursday morning as many companies published results on the final day of the month, which is filled with key economic indicators such as inflation and unemployment data from across the globe. The FTSE 100 index opened up 44.46 points, 0.5%, at 9,181.40. The FTSE 250 was up 168.19 points, 0.8%, at 21,944.77, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.12 points, 0.2%, at...

Operating profit beats forecastsSolvency and dividend betterShares drop 14% in active tradingJust to prove that sometimes, even if you know in advance a company is going to deliver good news, you don't know how the market will react, investors in FTSE 250 retirement savings specialist Just Group (JUST) will be wondering why the shares have tumbled when the firm beat estimates.As of mid-morning...

What a mixed year this has turned out to be for Shares' best ideas for 2024.That our one star turn stock was an annuities and lifetime mortgage specialist, even if it was 'screamingly cheap at its current price', as we originally noted, and the supposedly exciting tech growth picks have been dull-to-dismal, might make you hark back to school days studies of Christopher Hill's The World Turned...

The FTSE-100 index was down on midday Thursday as fragile consumer confidence hurt Frasers Group and UK housebuilding activity declined at its sharpest pace since the summer.The FTSE 100 index fell 3.86 points at 8,331.95. The FTSE 250 eased 13.28 points, 0.1%, at 20,991.87, and the AIM All-Share dropped 1.67 points, 0.2%, at 736.54.The Cboe UK 100 was slightly higher at 837.15, the Cboe UK...

First-half sales and profit top estimatesFull year seen 'substantially' above targetShares reach five-year highRetirement savings and solutions provider Just Group (JUST) delivered better-than-expected results for the first half and said it saw 2024 earnings 'substantially' above its previous target.The shares surged as much as 22p or 18% to 139p before settling up 13% at 133p, taking their...

Now that the dust has settled after the UK elections and attention has turned back to markets, we have updated the performance stats on our tips for 2024. Overall, our picks have gained 8.7% year-to-date compared with an 8.3% rise in the FTSE All-Share. That's not to say it has been plain sailing ? our returns range from a gain of almost 60% to a loss of more than 40%, the latter is in a US...

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.!function(){"use...

Equity prices in Europe ended the week largely on the back foot, despite a US jobs report which cemented expectations of a June interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, and sent the dollar lower.In one of the week?s recurring themes, gold was on the up again, this time pushed higher by the US data. The precious metal is on track to extend its winning streak to eight days.The FTSE 100 index...

Investors looked nervous ahead of a key UK unemployment reading this afternoon, as stocks in London began the afternoon mostly in the red on Friday.The FTSE 100 index was down 20.94 points, 0.3%, at 7,671.52. The FTSE 250 was down 68.68 points, 0.4%, at 19,515.30, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.71 points, 0.2%, at 739.61.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 768.51, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at...

Annuities and lifetime mortgage specialist Just Group (JUST) looks screamingly cheap at its current price. We think 2024 will see a rerating from its current low single-digit PE (price to earnings) ratio with the company confident of hitting its 15% underlying operating profit growth target in 2023.This profit growth should underpin growth in dividends at a similar level, particularly given...

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...

According to Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's highly respected colleague and co-manager of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE), 'All intelligent investing is value investing, acquiring more than you are paying for.'Or, as Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital Management puts it, 'It's not what you buy, it's what you pay, and success in investing doesn't come from buying good things but from buying...

Just Group (JUST) 86pGain to date: 13%We highlighted the attraction of annuities and lifetime mortgages specialist Just Group (JUST) on 1 December 2022 based on its underappreciated transformation to positive cash generation and predictable cash flows.With the bulk annuities market predicted to complete more than £600 billion worth of deals over the next decade according to consultant Lane...

- Sales and earnings well ahead of estimates- £6 billion pipeline ensures another strong year- Shares hit highest level since last AprilFTSE 250 retirement solutions firm Just Group (JUST) stunned the market with its latest results and promised more good news to come this year.The shares jumped more than 9% to 89.5p, their highest level in nine months, in anticipation of a round of earnings...

While investing in the market for retirement income may not sound very exciting, even in the case of a self-proclaimed 'disruptor' like Just Group (JUST), for those approaching retirement it actually makes a good deal of sense.Just Group offers bulk annuities, individual annuities and lifetime mortgages.Bulk annuities are insurance products which are sold to defined benefit schemes allowing...

Major UK shares are under heavy selling pressure in early trading on Tuesday as traders dial down recent optimism, with shares of consumer firms and precious metals' miners leading the decline, while improving employment conditions in the UK and rising US Treasury yields signalled growing bets of tighter monetary policies.At 9.20am, the benchmark FTSE 100 is down 0.8% at 7,549.57 after the...

London's FTSE 100 ended Thursday's trading session materially lower after US producer prices data came in ahead of forecasts, the blue chip benchmark closing down 0.4% at 7,193.23 points despite better than expected UK GDP figures.In the US the S&P 500 was flat at 4,447.27 points by 4.30pm UK time.STOCK SPIRITS RECOMMENDS CVC OFFERIn company news, central European branded spirits producer...

London's FTSE 100 was struggling for direction by lunchtime on Thursday, the blue chip benchmark index trading 0.2% lower at 7,206.3 points despite better than expected GDP figures showing the UK economy experienced robust growth of 4.8% during the quarter from April to June.Mining stocks were weaker, mirroring losses overnight in Asian markets. Shares in Rio Tinto (RIO) were 7.2% lower at...