Operating profit above forecastsInsurance and wealth business strongDirect Line to add 10% to EPS growthDespite a muted response, shareholders in insurance and savings group Aviva (AV.) will be pleased with full-year 2024 results which beat market expectations both in terms of earnings and cash generation.The shares, which have gained 12% so far this year, added another 4p or 0.7% to 529p on a dow

European, UK and US central banks started cutting interest rates in June, August and September 2024, respectively, yet beady-eyed investors will have noticed that 10-year bond yields are higher today than they were then.The move higher in yields reflects increasing investor nervousness over high government budget deficits, sticky inflation and uncertainty caused by US trade tariffs.Those concerns

UK takeovers moved up a gear in 2024 as predators targeted bigger companies. The average value of deals was £1.07 billion, nearly three times higher than the £390 million average in 2023. In total, there were £49 billion worth of recommended bids versus £17.2 billion last year.A bounty of unloved or underappreciated companies were swept off their feet, signalling the UK market as being 'on sal

Price raised 10% to 275p/shareObvious synergies between companiesCould lead to 'more rational pricing'Shareholders in insurer Direct Line (DLG) enjoyed a small lift in the value of their holdings heading into the weekend after the firm received a raised takeover offer from larger rival Aviva (AV.).Direct Line shares climbed 16p or 7% to 252p, some 25p or 10% shy of the 275p price implied by the ca

London stocks opened mostly lower on Friday as house prices reach a record high, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer sets out his plan to improve UK growth.Starmer made living standards a key target as he outlined his 'next phase' on Thursday, saying he wanted to see real household disposable income rise by the next election.But in an interview with BBC Breakfast, Starmer said: 'I want people to fee

250p offer equals a 60% premiumBoard calls it 'highly opportunistic'Analyst suggests 270p valuationMotor and home insurer Direct Line Insurance (DLG) received its third bid of 2024 with larger UK rival Aviva (AV.) pitching a 250p cash-and-shares after the closing bell last night.Direct Line shares jumped 59p or 37% to 218p, more than reversing their losses year-to-date and leaving them at a six-mo

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the green on Thursday morning, with Direct Line shining on the FTSE 250, as traders in New York sit on the sidelines amid the Thanksgiving holiday.The FTSE 100 index added 17.45 points, 0.2%, at 8,292.20. The FTSE 250 rose 133.28 points, 0.7%, at 20,734.91, and the AIM All-Share added 0.32 of a point at 731.72.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 833.2

Fidelity Special Values (FSV) 311.5pMarket cap: £1.01 billionWider than the five and 10-year average of 4%, a near-9% share price discount to NAV (net asset value) at Fidelity Special Values (FSV) presents an attractive entry point into a fund with an impressive long-run record and a contrarian, value-focused investment philosophy that's proven to work.The trust, which recently celebrated its 30

Hollywood Bowl directors sell 300,000 sharesBarclays director sells shares after new highMidwich director buys 150,000 sharesMelanie Dickinson, chief people officer at tenpin bowling and mini-golf centre operator, Hollywood Bowl (BOWL) has sold 150,000 shares at 331p for a total value of £497,505 on 24 October.Dickinson now has 290,276 shares after the sale. Matthew Hart, chief marketing and tech

Profits to be 'significantly' down year-on-yearFurther deterioration in GermanyMidwich winning market shareSpecialist AV (audio visual) equipment distributor Midwich (MIDW:AIM) has forged a strong growth track record since coming to the stock market in 2016.However, the company is in the doghouse with investors after warning (21 October) that adjusted operating profit for 2024 will be 'significant

It's said there are only two certainties in life ? death and taxes ? and as it stands the world is steadily getting older, with not enough births or young people coming through to offset the increasing ranks of the middle-aged and old-aged.Moreover, according to the United Nations' latest World Populations Prospects study which came out earlier this year, the global population is likely to peak th

Insurer beats consensus againUK general insurance strongCommitted to returning capitalMaybe it is a measure of just how much chief executive Amanda Blanc has achieved since taking the helm at insurance giant Aviva (AV.) that its 'excellent' first-half results were greeted with a yawn rather than fireworks.The shares, which have gained 27% in the past year compared with a 10% rise in the FTSE 100,

Aviva (AV.) 464pMarket cap: £12.9 billionThere's a gambit insurance salespeople use which goes something like: if you had a machine in the shed which printed £70,000 a year of genuine £20 notes, how much would you insure it for? The customer usually gives a high figure, say in the region of £500,000.The salesperson then counters, so shouldn't you insure your homes' chief breadwinner for the sa

This feature was prompted by a reader question on why 'bond proxies' such as insurers Phoenix Group (PHNX) and Aviva (AV.) do not attract more investor attention.A bond proxy typically refers to a company which has a steadier-than-average income stream and offers a higher-than-average level of income.Long-term savings and insurance group Phoenix sits on a dividend yield of 10.4% based on an expect

Activist Cevian builds 5% stakeSees significant long term valueShares jump 7%Medical products maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) topped the FTSE leader board with the shares jumping 7% to £10.5 after activist investor Cevian Capital disclosed a 5% stake, making it the second largest shareholder in the group.The shares are down around 13% over the last 12-months compared with a 7% gain in the FTSE 100 ind

Aviva director buys £484,000 sharesBalfour Beatty CEO buys £129,696 sharesCakebox CEO Sukh Chamdal ups stakeT Neil Morrison, non-executive director at life insurer Aviva (AV.) has bought 100,000 shares at 484p for a total value of £484,000 on 25 June.Over the past year Aviva shares have gained 23%.Morrison's move comes after the life insurer reported a strong set of results for the first quarte

Is BT (BT.A) finally worth owning? For years it has been a complete dog of a stock and despite spinning back through our archives, Shares struggled to find the last time we had anything positive to say about the company or its shares.Yet suddenly in May 2024, the stock jumped, chalking up rough 30% gains within days and now at roughly 138p. 'There is a surge of energy running through BT after the

First-quarter premiums upWeather-related claims upFocus on cost savingsShareholders in FTSE 250 motor and home insurer Direct Line (DLG) were unmoved by the latest trading update despite chief executive Adam Winslow talking up the firm?s positive start to the year.The shares, which touched 240p two months ago after Belgian insurer Ageas (AGS:EBR) made a preliminary offer, drifted 5p or 2.5% lower

UK stocks look cheap on so many different valuation metrics, not just one or two, suggesting a robust, genuine investment opportunity is available to long-term investors. So why does nobody seem convinced?This article explores the scepticism surrounding the UK?s market?s attractive valuation and examines the underlying evidence to support it. Shares concludes UK stocks really are a compelling inve

Stocks in London were up on Thursday midday, with JD Sports shares in the FTSE 100 jumping as it outlined its financial 2025 profit forecast, while water utilities struggled.The FTSE 100 index was up 20.39 points, 0.3%, at 7,952.37. The FTSE 250 was up 52.23 points, 0.3%, at 19,862.89, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.29 points, 0.2%, at 743.40.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 794.61, the Cboe UK 250