Balfour Beatty CEO sells sharesCarr's director snaps up stockVictrex CFO buys after first-half resultsLeo Quinn, chief executive of construction group Balfour Beatty (BBY), sold 189,921 shares at 384p for a total value of £730,423 on 16 May.Quinn's move could be seen as 'cashing in' on good news after Balfour Beatty shares have gained over 9% year-to-date. The FTSE 250 company recently said...

Companies that process crops benefit when drought or wars such as the Russia/Ukraine conflict create shortages in parts of the world.Prices for food-related commodities including wheat, corn and soybeans remain elevated on a five-year view, though they have softened since Russia agreed for grain exports to resume through the Black Sea.Against a backdrop of supply shortages and food inflation,...

UK stocks opened higher on Tuesday as concerns about the omicron variant abated, China eased monetary policy and several blue chip companies announced earnings upgrades, with the benchmark FTSE 100 index bid up 1.1% to 7,312.73 points early on.Indications that the new Covid strain may only trigger mild symptoms prompted relief among investors and helped travel stocks take off.Risk appetite was...

One of the key ingredients in the success or failure of a company is the quality of its management.When change at the top of a struggling company occurs, it can act as a catalyst for an underperforming business and trigger a share price boost, while the wrong CEO appointment has the potential to ruin a hitherto successful business and undo all the painstaking work of his or her...

A strong open on Wall Street and sterling weakness helped the FTSE 100 to extend gains on Friday afternoon. By the close, the index was up 0.85% at 7,027.58 points while the S&P 500 was up 0.9% to 4,406.12.Next week has plenty to occupy investors' thoughts including some big names reporting in both the UK and US and the latest decision from the US Federal Reserve on fiscal stimulus.Positive...

The pandemic had a significant impact on the UK income space, with many companies forced to slash and cancel dividends to ensure they survived the crisis. It was the traditional large dividend paying sectors and companies that suffered some of the biggest cuts, with many larger companies using the crisis as an opportunity to reset excessive payouts at more sustainable levels.This means income...

London's FTSE was flat at the open on Tuesday, edging a mere 0.03% higher to 6,800.19, as concerns over the economic impact of a third nationwide lockdown were offset by a flurry of earnings upgrades.KINGFISHER CLIMBSHome improvement retailer Kingfisher (KGF) climbed 2.7% to 287p as the B&Q-to-Screwfix owner assured it is 'comfortable' with the top end of current market expectations for annual...

Agriculture-to-engineering conglomerate Carr's (CARR) beat analyst profit forecasts as it reported annual results ended 29 August 2020. However, those estimates had been downgraded back in March.That and the 25%-odd November rally of the stock help explain today's early modest share price decline, although the stock has since recovered to nudge around 1.5% higher to 126.77p.Carr's also...

The FTSE 100 index closed down 1.3% on Thursday at 5,825 points amid growing concerns of a further Covid-19 lockdown.There was some disappointment that the UK chancellor Rishi Sunak's new job support strategy is less generous than the existing furlough scheme.Veterinary services firm Pets At Home (PETS) gained 27% to 388p after it revealed that earnings for the full year would beat...

The FTSE 100 index trimmed some of its earlier losses but remained in negative territory on Thursday amid growing concerns of another lockdown. At 1pm the FTSE 100 was down 0.55% at 5,866 points.UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government would directly support wages of people at work and help firms employ people on shorter hours.Shares in skin analytics company Integumen (SKIN:AIM) surged...

Shares in Carlisle-headquartered conglomerate Carr's (CARR) cheapened 5.5% to 146.5p on Tuesday after the food producer cautioned full year performance in its core agriculture division is expected to be 'moderately behind' previous expectations.In a trading statement covering the 18 weeks ended 4 January, innovative agriculture-to-engineering combine Carr's left full year guidance...

Agriculture-to-engineering combine Carr's (CARR) has beefed up its capabilities and presence in the nuclear sector through the £9.6m acquisition of NW Total Engineered Solutions.Yet shares in the Carlisle-headquartered company softened 3p (2%) to 154p this morning, investors perhaps disappointed by the absence of near-term earnings upgrades reflecting acquisition-related integration costs,...

Conglomerate has become a dirty word as owning various businesses operating in different industries is no longer seen as relevant in the modern world. The returns for investors in these stocks also haven't been great.It is very hard for a board to run a company with lots of complex parts and you can't expect directors to be experts in different end-markets. Quite often the disclosure is poor...

London's FTSE 100 firms 26.5 points to 7,653 on Wednesday, the blue-chip benchmark given a lift by weak sterling and its beneficial impact on the large number of companies that generate earnings overseas, such as miners and construction firms.In corporate news, EasyJet (EZJ) rises 4% to £17.20 as the low cost carrier upgrades full year profit before tax guidance to between £550m and £590m,...

Agriculture-to-engineering combine Carr's (CARR) has cultivated a better than expected half year performance, reflecting a recovery in its engineering division and a good performance in its agriculture arm.Chief executive Tim Davies now expects full year profit will be 'slightly ahead' of management expectations, helping to trigger a 10.7% share price hike to 152p.The Carlisle-headquartered...

Recovery investors should bag shares in agriculture-to-engineering combine Carr's (CARR). The company's first quarter update (9 Jan) highlighted improving performance in both the agriculture and engineering divisions which was 'significantly ahead' of last year. Investec Securities has a 'buy' rating and 195p price target for Carr's, implying upside of more than 37%.AGRI-TECH EXPOSUREInvestors...

GOOD NEWSPlus500 (PLUS:AIM): Trading is yet again ahead of market expectations, prompting analysts to upgrade forecasts.Johnson Service (JSG:AIM): Expects full year results to be ahead of management expectations.H&T (HAT:AIM): Says full year pre-tax profit will be ahead of market expectations.Carr's (CARR): Positive trading update leads Investec to say Carr's is on track to grow profit this...

Supermarket chain Morrison (MRW) gets the UK sector reporting off to a firm start as it reports solid growth during the Christmas period.Today's trading update, covering the 10 weeks to 7 January shows a decent 2.8% increase in like-for-like sales, excluding fuel. Trading was even better over the shorter six weeks to 7 January spell, with like-for-likes up 3.7%.This is going down well with...

This looks a canny time to harvest the earnings recovery potential at agriculture products-to-engineering play Carr's (CARR)The $20m acquisition (7 Aug) of US engineering business NuVision brings a strong foothold in the main nuclear markets of the US and will boost Carr's future earnings.Pittsburgh-headquartered NuVision's customers include the US Department of Energy, major nuclear energy...

London's FTSE 100 opens on the front foot, ticking 6.7 points higher to 7,380.4 early doors as investors react positively to Theresa May's triggering of the formal start of Brexit talks with the EU.On a busy day of corporate news, agriculture-to-engineering combine Carr's (CARR) crashes more than 20% or 30.5p to 120p as it warns full year results will be significantly below forecasts.Carr's...