Company News
NatWest shares fall on deposit outflows, despite forecast-beating Q1 profit
Shares in NatWest fell in early London trade despite the UK bank reporting better-than-expected first-quarter profit driven by higher interest rates, although there was a sharp drop in deposits as customers chased better rates as incomes were squeezed by rising inflation.
Rotork sees FY slightly ahead as Q1 sales rise on strong order book
Specialist engineer Rotork said it expected adjusted operating profit to be slightly ahead of expectations driven by strong order intake.
Renishaw downgrades full-year guidance
Renishaw downgraded its full-year outlook on Friday amid lower demand from the semiconductor and electronics sectors.
ExxonMobil posts record Q1 earnings
ExxonMobil posted record first-quarter earnings on Friday amid higher output.
Trade bodies move to fill gulf left by CBI - report
A group of heavyweight trade associations are in discussions to fill the gap left by the crisis engulfing the CBI, it was reported on Friday.
Co-op Bank profit, income rise on higher interest rates
Profits and income both jumped at the Co-operative Bank as it became the latest lender to benefit from higher interest rates and borrowing costs.
Alphawave requests suspension over audit delays
Shares in Alphawave IP Group tumbled on Friday after the UK chipmaker asked for trading to be suspended over delays to its audit.
WANdisco fraud probe traces irregularities back to one employee
WANdisco confirmed on Friday that a potential $14m fraud could be traced back to one rogue employee.
UK business morale hits 11-month high
UK business confidence reached a near one-year high in April, a survey showed on Friday, although prices were still forecast to rise.
Pearson underlying Q1 sales rise 6%; plans £300m buyback in H2
Education publisher Pearson said it was on track to meet annual guidance and announced a £300m share buyback to start in the second half of the year as underlying group sales rose 6%.
Mears hails record full-year revenues
Housing and social care provider Mears reported a rise in full-year profit on Friday thanks to a "strong" recovery in revenues.
Computacenter hails continued strong revenue growth in Q1
Computacenter said on Friday that it expects to see growth in profitability in 2023 as demand remains strong.
Morgan Advanced Materials hikes dividend, FY PBT rises
Manufacturing company Morgan Advanced Materials hiked its full-year dividend payout on Friday as it revealed annual pre-tax profits had risen.
Deutsche Bank to buy UK broker Numis in £410m deal
Deutsche Bank said on Friday that it has agreed to buy UK broker Numis in a £410m cash deal.
Tullow Oil in asset swap deal with Perenco
Tullow Oil has signed an asset swap agreement with Perenco Oil and Gas to optimise its equity ownership across key fields in Gabon through a cashless asset swap, the company said on Friday.
Hikma upgrades FY guidance, cautious on Sudan impact
Hikma Pharmaceuticals upgraded full-year guidance after a stronger-than-expected start to the year for its generics business but expressed concern about the impact of the current conflict in Sudan on operations.
Smurfit Kappa Q1 profits rise even as revenues dip
Corrugated packaging company Smurfit Kappa reported a rise in first-quarter profit on Friday even as sales dipped.
Prudential posts jump in Q1 sales, new business profit
Prudential posted a jump in first-quarter sales on Friday as it benefited from the easing of Covid curbs in China.