It has been a mixed reporting season for housebuilders so far this summer, with Bellway (BWY) reporting better-than-expected completions and pricing while MJ Gleeson (GLE) talked of a housing market 'lacking confidence' and with no signs of a short-term catalyst for a substantial improvement. Just as Shares is published (10 July), Vistry (VTY) is due to update the market, and the market will...

Few people will have been happier to see the back of 2024 than Greg Fitzgerald, chief executive of affordable house builder Vistry Group (VTY). After three profit warnings, the final one on Christmas Eve no less, and a set of results which missed expectations by a country mile, leading to the final dividend being scrapped, this year represents a reset with the firm focused on reducing its...

After drifting steadily lower for the last five years, it looks as though the FTSE 350 Household Goods & Housebuilders index has turned the corner this year. Admittedly, sentiment took a big hit from the MJ Gleeson (GLE) profit warning on 3 June, but it recovered a week later thanks to an upbeat report from rival builder Bellway (BWY) on 10 June. Gleeson blamed 'headwinds' in the new-build...

Positive set-up for UK mid caps Valuations attractive versus history Bellway, Babcock, Premier Foods among names to watch By definition, mid caps have the potential to become the UK's next large cap leaders. But in recent years, many of the UK's most promising 'second liners' have been acquired, either by private equity buyers or overseas companies looking to take advantage of the UK's cheap...

Customer confidence increasing Outlook for volume and prices raised Shares rise to six-month high Shares in homebuilders were up after Bellway (BWY) posted a positive trading update for the four months to the beginning of June. Bellway shares themselves gained 136p or 5% to a new six-month high of £28.10, while shares in Persimmon (PSN) rose 4%, Barratt Redrow (BTRW) rose 3% and Taylor Wimpey...

London's FTSE 100 opened in the green on Tuesday, as housebuilders shone, while sterling struggled on the back of a softer UK labour market reading. The FTSE 100 index opened up 37.88 points, 0.4%, at 8,870.16. The FTSE 250 was up 63.76 points, 0.3%, at 21,349.67, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.76 of a point, 0.1%, at 763.13. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 883.36, the Cboe UK 250 added 0.4%...

Stocks closed mostly higher on Monday in London, following a wave of mergers & acquisitions activity which saw Spectris and Alphawave's stock prices surging. The FTSE 100 index fell 5.63 points, 0.1%, at 8,832.28. The FTSE 250 ended up 128.63 points, 0.6%, at 21,285.91, and the AIM All-Share climbed 7.01 points, 0.9%, at 763.89. The Cboe UK 100 ended flat at 878.81 on Monday, the Cboe UK 250...

According to the latest Dividend Monitor report from Computershare, which looks after the share registers of 900 companies, total UK corporate dividend payments fell 4.6% or £700 million in the first quarter of this year to £14 billion. The decline was mainly due to lower one-off special dividends and a handful of large cuts from firms such as Burberry (BRBY) and Vodafone (VOD), which halved...

Nexus Infrastructure (NEXS:AIM) 134pMarket cap: £12.9 millionMicro-caps rarely feature as Great Ideas in Shares, but we have made an exception for civil engineering and infrastructure specialist Nexus Infrastructure (NEXS:AIM) which looks to be on the cusp of a change in fortunes.It is only fair to point out that micro-caps tend to be more volatile, are less liquid to trade and have a wider...

If it seems as though each week brings news of yet another takeover offer for a UK firm, the actual figures from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) are quite mind-boggling.Aside from the number of listed companies being bought, either by 'inward' investors or domestic buyers, hundreds of privately-owned firms are being snapped up every quarter.If you are in a position where a company you...

Bellway director sells 27,303 sharesSupreme director sells 1.6 million sharesXPS Pensions CFO sells £223,881 worth of sharesIn the run-up to the Budget on 30 October, many directors have been selling shares in anticipation of a hike in capital gains tax.A person closely associated (PCA) with Keith Adey executive director of Tyne and Wear-based housebuilder Bellway (BWY) has sold 27,303 shares...

Growth in order book reassuresTop performer in FTSE 250 indexRally broadens to other buildersTyne and Wear-based housebuilder Bellway (BWY) pleased the market with its outlook for 'strong multi-year growth' despite a drop in revenue and completions in the year to July.The shares climbed as much as 280p or 9% to a new 12-month high of £33.34 before settling back at £32.62 for a gain of 210p...

Revenue fall smaller than fearedHealthy rise in year-end order bookCompany eyes return to growth in 2025Housebuilder Bellway (BWY) suffered a 30% slump in housing completions during the year to 31 July 2024, one marred by more expensive mortgages, property market softness as well as significant build-cost inflation.Yet shares in the Newcastle-headquartered builder bounced 3% higher to £27.32...

On 17 July, Sir Keir Starmer's new Labour government announced its plans for the first year of the new parliament, with growth and wealth creation the priority.King Charles' speech at the State Opening of Parliament included a total of 39 bills under a new legislative agenda which includes speeding up the delivery of 'high-quality infrastructure and housing' and nationalising railway...

Markets in Europe showed signs of recovery on Wednesday at around midday, with investors pleased that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell kept hopes of a rate cut for this year alive.Speaking in Congress, Powell told lawmakers on the Senate Banking Committee that the most recent readings 'have shown some modest further progress' since the first quarter of the year.Investors are now looking...

Barratt sees profit above estimatesInvestors focus on outlook insteadNew Bellway offer for Crest NicholsonStock prices usually rise when a company raises its earnings guidance, but in the case of housebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV) the market looked straight past the upgrade to focus on the outlook and didn't particularly like what it saw in terms of home completions.The shares fell 13p...

Stocks in London were marginally higher on Friday morning, as election campaigns in the UK and France continue, with Reform UK overtaking the Conservatives in the UK in a major opinion poll.The FTSE 100 index opened up 2.07 points at 8,165.74. The FTSE 250 was up 7.97 points at 20,203.92, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.63 of a point, 0.1%, at 781.06.The Cboe UK 100 was up marginally at 812.48,...

European equities closed lower on Monday, with markets unnerved by election results in Europe, ahead of a US interest rate decision later in the week.The FTSE 100 index closed down 16.89 points, 0.2%, at 8,228.48. The FTSE 250 ended down 109.33 points, 0.5%, at 20,446.04, and the AIM All-Share fell 5.25 points, 0.7%, at 788.28.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 820.02, the Cboe UK 250 also...

Stock prices in London continued to trend down this week, as new US non farms payroll data signalled that a Fed interest rate cut won't be happening anytime soon.The FTSE 100 index closed down 39.97 points, 0.5%, at 8,245.37. The FTSE 250 ended down 160.51 points, 0.8%, at 20,555.37, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.01 points, 0.4%, at 793.53.Over the course of the week, they are down 0.4%,...

Stocks in London fell on Friday at midday despite a positive outlook from the CBI for the UK economy, ahead of a US jobs report reading.The FTSE 100 index was down 47.62 points, 0.6%, at 8,237.71. The FTSE 250 was down 105.46 points, 0.5%, at 20,610.42, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.27 points, 0.3%, at 794.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6% at 821.06, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.6% at...