Shipbroker flags weaker sales and profitsDiversified model underpins robust performanceCash flow remains strongBraemar (BMS) shares sailed into choppy waters after the shipbroker warned full year sales and profits will show year-on-year declines, news that sent the stock 10% lower to 235p in early deals on 24 March.The London-headquartered company pinned the blame for the disappointing results...

Record full year profit for 202422nd consecutive dividend hikeSeeing lower freight rates and asset valuesGlobal shipbroking leader Clarkson (CKN) sailed in with another year of record profits and proposed a 7% hike in the annual payout, giving rise to a 22nd consecutive year of dividend growth.However, shares in the world's biggest shipping services firm plunged 17% to £36.50 after the FTSE...

With a sense of anticipation Shares scurried along to Finsbury Growth & Income Trust's (FGT) latest AGM (annual general meeting) at London's Guildhall on a wet and windy day (28 January), where shareholders turned up in droves and one or two left the assembled board members squirming in their seats.While the total return-focused trust's long-run record under star manager Nick Train remains...

Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt made a slow start to the day on Friday morning, while FTSE 100-listed grocer Sainsbury's fell despite celebrating a bumper Christmas period.The FTSE 100 index opened down just 0.55 of a point at 8,319.14. The FTSE 250 was up just 9.28 points at 20,014.42, and the AIM All-Share lost only 0.23 of a point to sit at 719.76.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at...

The ISA turns 25 on 6 April 2024 and few would argue that the tax-efficient savings wrapper has been anything other than a raging success story. Something like 22 million Brits have one, attracting somewhere over £700 billion of cash and stock market investments since 1999. In the coming 12-months, ISA investors will save an estimated £7 billion in tax.Hundreds of ISA millionaires are...

Stock markets have been making new all-time highs in the US, Europe and Japan and investors are asking whether they are witnessing a new global bull market for stocks which began in November 2023.Momentum is a powerful factor in stock markets. Prices tend to trend in the same direction which mean buying winners and selling losers can be a profitable strategy.It is not only about price but also...

Equities in London made an underwhelming start to the week, in a sign of investor unease ahead of a key few days on the fiscal and monetary policy fronts.A pre-election budget will be the key event in the UK this week. Eyes will be on whether UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will size up some tax relief. In the eurozone, focus will be on the European Central Bank?s interest rate decision on Thursday....

European equities ended lower on Friday, though the pound and euro climbed, as Federal Reserve interest rate expectations swung to-and-fro after contrasting US data in the afternoon.A stronger employment report meant some rethought their rate cut expectations for March. Interest rate nerves were soothed later, however, after an underwhelming reading of the US service economy.Among individual...

Firm rakes in money on higher ratesPanama and Suez passages chokedUK retailers could be affectedShares in shipbroking and shipping services group Clarkson (CKN) were the stand-out performer in the FTSE 250 after chief executive Andi Case raised the outlook for full-year earnings.Clarkson shares jumped as much as 9.5% to £35.95, taking them to a new 12-month high and straight to the top of the...

Given profit can be subject to alterations and adjustments and presented in a flattering light, trying to find value purely based on the ratio between a company's share price and earnings per share can trip you up.A solution is to look at firm's cash flow instead. It is best practice to look at free cash flow which is the cash a company generates through its operations minus any capital...

- Shares climb 7% on 50% jump in earnings- Dividend raised for 20th year in a row- Scope for further growth across sectorsIntegrated shipping services firm Clarkson (CKN) produced record underlying earnings in 2022, in what chairman Laurence Hollingworth described as 'a remarkable year' for the shipping industry.The company's shares gained as much as 7% to a new six-month high of £35.45 with...

- Tight supply-demand situation is driving prices up- Strong likelihood of another dividend increase - Firm is embedded in the 'green' transitionShipbroking and finance firm Clarkson (CKN) posted a sharp increase in first half earnings thanks to strong demand for shipping capacity and healthy shipping rates.The company raised its interim dividend by 2p to 20p per share, putting it on track for...

Clarksons (CKN), the world's leading provider of shipping services, posted record earnings for the year to December.The results pleased investors, with the company's shares gaining 7.5% to £33.45 while the FTSE 250 mid-cap index dropped 4.5% on the ongoing war in Ukraine.STRONG MARKETLast year saw a healthy rebound in shipping markets after the upheaval caused by the pandemic.Shipping rates...

UK stocks drifted in early trading as investors awaited the next piece of US economic data, the December non-farm payrolls report due at lunchtime. A stronger than expected number could be negative for markets as it adds to worries the US Federal Reserve will raise rates earlier than expected.There was positive news in the technology sector with Samsung Electronics, a major Asian chipmaker,...

Shares in 170 year-old shipping services group Clarksons (CKN) floated 6.5% higher to £39.25 after the company raised its earnings guidance due to strong trading in the second half to date, particularly in its financial and broking divisions.The firm is now forecasting pre-tax profits of at least £65 million compared with a consensus estimate of £55 million and underlying profits of around...

London's FTSE 100 ended Monday's session in positive territory, wiping out earlier losses to trade firmly above 7,100 by the close of play and shrugging off a weaker open on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 was down 0.16% to 4,429.43 by 4.30pm UK time.COMPANY NEWSIn company news, wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) sank 11.2% to £14.57, even as it reported an 8% rise in annual underlying...

Shares in shipping services group Clarkson (CKN) were the best performers in the FTSE 250, gaining 5.5% to £34.45 after the firm posted a 30% increase in first half earnings driven by strong trading across all areas of the business.For the six months to June, pre-tax profits were £27.5 million against £21.1 million last year on the back of just a 5% rise in revenues to £190.1 million.As...

London's FTSE 100 finished Monday's session 1.3% to the good at 6,719.13 points thanks to improving investor sentiment in the US, where worries over the US stimulus programme, inflation and resulting volatility in the bond market appeared to be easing.PEARSON HOLDS DIVIDEND STEADY DESPITE EARNINGS DROPEducational publisher Pearson (PSON) rose 6.4% to 808.8p as it posted a rise in annual profit...

London's FTSE 100, well known for being full of banks, miners and oil companies, traded 0.2% higher at 6,644.30 by Monday lunchtime amid volatility in the oil price after attacks on Saudi Arabian facilities over the weekend and continuing nervousness about inflation.The blue chip benchmark had risen at the open after Brent crude oil jumped to over $70 per barrel for the first time in 14 months...

The UK's leading FTSE 100 index, well known for being full of banks, miners and oil companies, made a strong start on Monday after being buoyed by a rising oil price.The index rose 0.62% to 6,672 shortly after the market opened, which came after Brent crude oil jumped to over $70 per barrel for the first time in 14 months following a drone attack on a key oil site in Saudi Arabia, the world's...