News And Announcements
Advent to buy Sanofi's European generics business for €1.9bn
Global investor Advent International has entered into exclusive negotiations with French pharmaceutical group Sanofi about the acquisition of its European generics business, Zentiva, for €1. 9bn.
Positive lung cancer trials boost Merck's lead position in oncology market
Merck & Co’s immunotherapy Keytruda lung cancer tests yielded positive results, improving the firm's lead position in the oncology market.
Lloyds plans to cut 49 branches, 1,230 jobs in new strategic review
Lloyds Banking Group implemented its latest strategic review on Tuesday by announcing its plans to remove around 1,230 jobs across eight business divisions while simultaneously creating roughly 925 new roles.
Informa, UBM shareholders approve deal
Informa's £3. 9bn offer for B2B events organiser UBM has been approved by the shareholders of both companies.
Operating profit surges in first half at APC Technology
Specialist electronic components and systems provider APC Technology Group issued its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 28 February on Tuesday, with operating profit before exceptional items rising 45% to £0. 55m over the same period last year.
Mercia Technologies chief investment officer steps down
Mercia Technologies' chief investment officer, Matthew Mead, has stepped down with immediate effect to pursue a portfolio advisory career, with current head of technology investments, Julian Viggars, promoted to the role.
Goldman Sachs first-quarter profit jumps on trading rebound
Goldman Sachs’s first-quarter earnings surged 27% as the US investment bank’s trading business rebounded in response to increased market volatility.
Tertiary reports positive progress on Sweden fluorspar project
Fluorspar-focussed firm Tertiary Minerals updated the market on the exploitation mine permit re-assessment for its Storuman fluorspar project in Sweden on Tuesday, reporting that recent positive meetings had been held between the head of the Swedish Mining Inspectorate, the county administrative board of Västerbotten, and Tertiary.
Netflix impresses with first-quarter subscriber growth
First-quarter results from online streaming company Netflix impressed analysts with revenues and earnings, sending the stock higher in after-hours trading.
RBS says pension settlement eases path to dividend payments
Royal Bank of Scotland has reached a settlement to fund its pension scheme that the bank said could pave the way for it to restart paying dividends to shareholders.
AA parks annual profit in line after troubled period, contests ex-chair's claims
The AA reported annual profit in line with depressed expectations after a boardroom bust-up at the motoring services company exposed problems that caused it to drop out of the FTSE 350 rankings.
PowerHouse signs first international distribution agreement for DMG
Waste-to-hydrogen technology company PowerHouse Energy Group announced its first international distribution agreement for its proprietary ‘DMG’ hydrogen from waste (HfW) process on Tuesday, targeting the supply into hydrogen bus projects in Bulgaria and Romania.
Next boss Wolfson's pay drops after 'most challenging' year
Next chief executive Simon Wolfson’s pay fell by more than a third for 2017 – a year he described as the most difficult faced by the company for a quarter of a century.
Companies should hire more 'marginalised youths' to solve the labour problem
Some UK companies believe marginalised young people outside the mainstream labour market are key to tackle looming labour shortages in construction, agriculture and retail.
Breedon to buy Belfast-based Lagan for £455m
AIM-listed Breedon has agreed to buy Belfast-based construction materials business Lagan Group for £455m.
Ascent Resources open to takeover offers as it announces strategic review
AIM-listed Ascent Resources said on Tuesday that it is open to offers as it announced it has decided to conduct a strategic review of the various options available to maximise value for shareholders.
IHG shows 'immaterial' effects of accounting changes
InterContinental Hotels said new accounting standards had negligible effect on its underlying results, but shares in the Holiday Inn owner ticked up as revenue for 2017 was shown to more than double.
Investment Association tells companies to appoint more women managers
The Investment Association (IA) has written to one in 10 companies in the FTSE 350 – including BP – urging them to set out plans to appoint more senior female managers or face unrest at shareholder meetings.
TP Group earnings surge after focus on margins and delivery
Specialist services and engineering company TP Group issued its audited results for the year ended 31 December on Tuesday, reporting a 39% improvement in revenue to £29. 5m.
Gulf Marine Services wins two-year vessel contract
Advanced self-propelled self-elevating support vessels provider Gulf Marine Services announced a new long-term contract award for one of its mid-size class vessels on Tuesday.