Company News
Wednesday preview: Global services PMIs, Computacenter in focus
The market spotlight in the middle of the week will shift to the global services sector with a raft of survey results for the month of May due out.
Aukett Swanke cautious on expectations despite new contract win
Architecture and smart buildings group Aukett Swanke announced a new £200,000 software license contract on Tuesday, with the firm offering up its Smart Core system in a London property over the next 18 months, marking its first major revenue from software without third-party costs.
Zinnwald Lithium shares spike on state support for Saxony project
Shares in Germany-focused lithium miner Zinnwald Lithium rallied on Tuesday afternoon after the Saxony government gave its support for its flagship project.
Chill Brands reinstates CEO as shareholders vote to shake up board
Vape manufacturer Chill Brands announced on Tuesday that it has reinstated its suspended CEO and shaken up its board following a shareholder vote to oust two directors.
Blackstone in exclusive talks to buy Village Hotels - report
Private equity firm Blackstone is reportedly in exclusive talks to buy UK mid-market hotel chain Village Hotels.
Gooch & Housego reports sharp fall in H1 profits
Gooch & Housego shares were under pressure on Tuesday after the AIM-listed manufacturer reported a sharp drop in profits in its first half – though full-year guidance was unchanged.
Home Reit tenant Noble Tree enters administration
Troubled real estate investment trust Home Reit said on Tuesday that homelessness charity Noble Tree Foundation - a tenant of 143 properties in its portfolio - has entered into administration.
Maersk lifts guidance again as freight costs continue to rise
Danish shipping giant Maersk has raised its full-year profits targets by the second time in five weeks as container freight costs continue to rise as a result of the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea.
Whistleblower claims Standard Chartered broke more Iran sanctions
A former banker at Standard Chartered has accused the UK bank of carrying out more than $100bn of undetected transactions that breached sanctions against Iran.
Synectics trades 'comfortably in line' with expectations
Security and surveillance systems business Synectics said on Tuesday that year-to-date trading was "comfortably in line with market expectations" and that its cash position remained "strong".
Ceres Power awarded further contract for collaboration with Shell
Fuel cell technology developer Ceres Power has been awarded a further contract for the second phase of its collaboration with Shell.
Mission Group evaluating improved offer from Brave Bison
Digital marketing firm Mission Group said on Tuesday that it was evaluating an increased takeover proposal from rival Brave Bison but that it still believes it does not reflect its contribution to the proposed combined group.
Checkit proposes merger with rival Crimson Tide
Software business Checkit announced plans to merge with rival Crimson Tide on Tuesday, stating the acquisition would help both companies create "a scaled workflow software company".
Card spending at three-year low as consumers rein in non-essential purchases
Spending growth on UK credit and debit cards slowed to its lowest in more than three years in May as consumers cut back on discretionary spending, especially on non-essential food and drink, in the face of rising household bills.
LondonMetric ups divi as M&A drives solid profit growth
FTSE 250-listed real estate investment trust LondonMetric saw profits and rental income both rise by more than 20% in the year to 31 March, helping the company to increase its dividend by 7. 4%.
Brookfield Asset Management considering offer for Tritax Eurobox
Tritax Eurobox gained on Tuesday after Brookfield Asset Management said it was in the early stages of assessing a possible cash offer for the company.
Chemring H1 profit hit by disruption in Countermeasures
Chemring hailed a record interim order book on Tuesday but posted a drop in underlying profit as its Tennessee countermeasures business was hit by adverse weather conditions.
British American Tobacco retains guidance, eyes H2 improvement
Cigarettes, tobacco and vape manufacturer British American Tobacco said it remains on track to hit guidance this year despite first-half underlying revenues and adjusted profits falling by low-single digits.
Vistry to build 1,750 homes in £580m deal with Blackstone, Regis
Vistry has agreed terms with private equity giant Blackstone and property investor Regis Group to buy a portfolio of new build homes in the south-east of England with a gross development value of £580m.
Wizz Air May passenger numbers rise 2.1%
Budget carrier Wizz Air said May passenger numbers rose 2. 1% although capacity was still impacted by the grounding of 45 Airbus aircraft due to issues with their Pratt & Whitney GTF engines.