Sales weakness persistsDeflation to impact profitsFurther £200 million buyback announcedRenowned for its resilience, outsourcing business Bunzl (BNZL) said it expects to deliver a 'strong' year-on-year adjusted operating profit increase for the year ending 31 December 2024 in the face of an uncertain economic backdrop.So why were shares in the distribution and services business the FTSE 100's big

Stock prices opened in the red in London, Paris and Frankfurt on Tuesday, as investors await eurozone trade balance and US industrial production data.The Office for National Statistics reported that UK unemployment, in the three months to the end of October, remained unchanged at 4.3% compared to the three months to the end of September. Growth in average earnings including bonuses picked up to 5.

Bunzl director snaps up £50,026 sharesGlobalData CEO sells £22.5 million sharesRestore CEO buys 100,000 sharesJacky Simmonds, non-executive director of specialist international distributer Bunzl (BNZL) has bought 1,445 shares at £34.62 for a total value of £50,026 on 29 August.Simmonds move comes after Bunzl's shares hit an all-time high as the firm delivered another full year profit guidance

Stocks in London made a muted return from a long weekend on Tuesday, though the FTSE 100 found support from travel stocks, miners and Bunzl.The FTSE 100 index ended up 17.68 points, or 0.2%, at 8,345.46. The FTSE 250 closed down 27.41 points, or 0.1%, at 21,162.07, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.49 points, or 0.2%, at 779.18.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 835.07, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0.1% at

Stock prices in Europe were in the green at midday on Tuesday, while medical device developer Belluscura surged on London's AIM market after anticipating a revenue jump.The FTSE 100 index was up 9.28 points, or 0.1%, at 8,337.06. The FTSE 250 was down 21.43 points, or 0.1%, at 21,168.05, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.56 points, or 0.2%, at 779.25.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 833.82, the Cboe UK

Significant operating margin expansionFull year outlook raised againMaterial firepower for acquisitionsBunzl (BNZL) shares bounced 9.3% to an all-time high of £35.12 after the resilient distribution and services giant delivered another full year profit guidance upgrade driven by acquisitions and an improved first half margin performance.Drawing confidence from the strength of its balance sheet, t

Stock prices in Europe opened in the green on Tuesday, after data showed UK shop prices in August entered deflation for the first time since 2021, ahead of a key speech by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.The FTSE 100 index opened up 48.39 points, or 0.6%, at 8,376.17. The FTSE 250 was up 31.41 points, or 0.2%, at 21,220.89, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.63 points, or 0.1%, at 778.32.The Cboe UK 100 w

International distribution and services firm Bunzl (BNZL) isn't the kind of business to grab the headlines, rather it works away in the background, steadily growing its operations both organically as it takes on more customers and inorganically as it buys bolt-on businesses.In much the same way, its share price rarely raises eyebrows ? it moves stealthily higher quarter after quarter moving within

Stock prices in London were mixed on Tuesday morning, while supermarkets rose as the BRC-NielsenIQ shop price index slowed to its lowest annual rate of increase since November 2021.The FTSE 100 index opened down 9.41 points, or 0.1%, at 8,307.61. The FTSE 250 was up 40.63 points, or 0.2%, at 20,811.44, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.38 points, or 0.2%, at 811.17.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 82

Stocks in London continued to rally during midday trade on Thursday, as the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged, matching Wednesday?s move from the US Federal Reserve.Sterling was quoted at $1.2706 shortly after midday on Thursday, higher than $1.2525 at the London equities close on Wednesday. Before the decision, the pound was trading at $1.2667.The FTSE 100 index was up 137.20 points,

Bunzl raises profit target againCapita and Serco orders growDriver the day?s star turnOn a good day for markets in general, UK business services firms were feeling the love after posting positive trading updates.Half a dozen firms, from FTSE 100 distributor Bunzl (BNZL) to FTSE 250 outsourcer Serco (SRP) and staffing firm SThree (STEM) all the way down to tiddlers Capita (CPI), Driver (DRV) and RM

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt jumped on Thursday morning, as the US Federal Reserve signalled interest rate cuts for 2024.Still to come on Thursday, the Bank of England and European Central Bank will announce their own interest rate decisions.The FTSE 100 index opened up 155.54 points, 2.1%, at 7,703.98. The FTSE 250 was up 598.88 points, 3.2%, at 19,294.64, and the AIM All-Share was

Imagine you've been given the choice of investing in three companies. You can choose one of two batches with the intention of holding them for at least five years.The first batch features a rat catcher, a provider of emergency telephones for lifts and a trucking company carrying small loads across the US. Sounds boring, right?The second batch features an American cruise line operator. You also get

Today's era of higher interest rates means shares face competition for investors' hard-earned savings money from the interest on cash and the coupons paid out by bonds. However, the purchasing power of cash is being eroded by inflation, while the coupons investors clip from bonds can only ever be fixed.'The beauty of equities and equity income is the growth,' says Troy Asset Management's Blake Hut

- Another year of strong revenue growth in 2022- Dividend raised by 10% in line with earnings- Shares top FTSE 100 early onSpecialist distribution group Bunzl (BNZL) posted strong revenue growth in the 12 months to December and pleased investors with its 30th consecutive increase in annual dividends.The shares initially jumped to the top of the FTSE 100 leader board with a gain of 4% to £31.39 be

- Firm passing on 'significant' price hikes- Recovery in base business offsetting lower Covid sales- Full year operating margin estimate raisedGlobal distribution group Bunzl (BNZL) delivered a robust first half trading update and predicted its full year operating margin would be 'only slightly lower' than last year, which was boosted by Covid-related sales.Shares in the FTSE 100 firm initially sl

It is one thing for analysts to forecast which stocks and sectors will do well in a rising-rate or inflationary environment, but when it actually comes to pass it's always fascinating to see what works in practice.Judging by the list of stocks making 12-month highs over the past week, those who favoured real assets were on the money.Standing tall are 3i Infrastructure (3IN), AEW UK REIT (AEWU), GC

Specialist international distributer Bunzl (BNZL) said a recovery in its core business and contributions from acquisitions more than offset expected declines in Covid-19 related sales.The company increased guidance saying it now expected 'moderate' growth in revenues in 2022 and an increased operating margin compared with historical levels.The results and better guidance were well received by inve

The FTSE 100 finished 0.81% in the green at 7,551.72 points on Wednesday, building on Tuesday's rally despite US CPI inflation hitting 7% in December, a 40-year high.With markets already pricing in rate rises, investors took the US inflation print in their stride, though it would have been a different story if the figure had strayed above the 7% most analysts had been expecting.Global equities wer