Family-backed packaging outfit James Cropper (CRPR:AIM) doubled earnings in the six months to 1 October but chairman Mark Cropper is not upgrading earnings guidance.Shares are up 63% year-to-date and while analysts at Westhouse have upgraded their target price they have not increased earnings per share estimates of 45.9p, down marginally from a year earlier. (WC)

Small cap Macfarlane (MACF) is worth checking out in more detail after two directors bought shares for the first time in the acquisitive packaging and distribution business.Finance director John Love and chairman Graeme Bissett each bought £15,250 worth of shares in the company while two non-executive directors also bought in slightly smaller quantities.In July, Shares followed up director...

Mark Cropper, chairman of family-backed paper and packaging outfit James Cropper (CRPR:AIM), sent shares in the company soaring after increasing his stake to 13.4%.Cropper's share price gained around 21% in the month after it reported a strong set of full year results and share price gains accelerated after Cropper's £37,750 investment on 22 July.Dealing by chairman Cropper will be a welcome...

London stocks open the largely flat with a string of sagging house builders leading the blue-chip pack lower in what some market watchers believe will be a rather lacklustre session. Wall Street rose overnight Friday, and Asia was mixed this morning. Europe is firmly lower.The FTSE 100 index nudges just two points higher to 6,205, although that's better than either the midcaps or the smaller...

Shares in bespoke paper manufacturer James Cropper (CRPR:AIM) surge 10% to 727.5p as the Cumbria-based company says full year results will materially exceed market expectations.The £60 million cap experienced healthy sales growth in 2015, particularly in its technical fibre division, which produces non-woven mats and veils for the aerospace, defence and automotive industries.The group...

London shares remain largely flat in early trade on Tuesday with Monday's strong session causing investors to pause for thought even with hopes increasing that a short-term EU debt deal can be struck with Greece. The benchmark FTSE 100 index nudges modestly higher, making single-digit gains to 6,833, although midcaps are a stronger markets, the FTSE 250 up 0.3% at 17,960.Retail powerhouse and...

The stock market's smallest and riskiest companies have always held fascination for private investors. On the premise that 'elephants don't gallop, but fleas leap,' to borrow Jim Slater's often quoted phrase, it's easier for a tiny company to double its size, and investor's money, than for a big one. Let's face it, a blue chip company worth £1 billion will find it much harder to double or...

With the UK interim reporting season just getting into full swing the portents from the US provide encouraging read-across to this side of the Atlantic. Seventy six per cent of S&P 500 companies have beaten earnings per share (EPS) expectations with second quarter results. With a similar improving economic backdrop in the UK, now is a good time to look at the stocks on London's Main Market and...

A strong performance is expected from James Cropper's (CRPR:AIM) technical fibre products (TFP) division over the next three years as investment in the group's US operations starts to feed through to the bottom line.James Cropper's product range includes bespoke non-woven fabrics that can be found on everything from European Space Agency satellites to fine print and luxury packaging. In the...

Printing technology kit supplier Domino Printing (DNO) is the day's biggest FTSE 350 faller, the shares off more than 13% to 640p. Pricing pressure and difficult markets in Asia force the group to taper expectations this year. Underlying first half pre-tax profits show a 10% increase but hefty research and development spending ahead spooks investors.Microchip designer Imagination Technologies...

In a highly encouraging development, UK economic growth is now picking up nicely. Yet world growth has slowed markedly in a trend that will continue to naturally constrain those bigger corporate beasts with large market shares. Yes, dependable large caps offer you exposure to proven profits, cashflow and dividends, though their fortunes are far more closely correlated with wider GDP...

We are often asked which strategy is better: momentum or value investing? Both have their merits. The former enables you to spot shares in a rising trend. The latter focuses on stocks which are being shunned by the market but could reap significant benefits for investors patient enough to wait for value to be realised. With this in mind, it may be worth considering a portfolio that encompasses...

The Forestry & Paper sector might, on first glance at least, appear to be the market's unloved ginger step-child but the truth is investors continue to warmly clasp this tiny grouping to its bosom. In the year to date, it can point to gains of 30.2% compared to the FTSE All-Share's still-generous 9.8% return, enough for a second ranking overall (see table, Sector Report, page 38).This rosy...