FTSE 100 down more than 3% at 7,763.65 Defensive and utilities stocks hold steady Entain and Taylor Wimpey 'winners' UK housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (TW.) and gambling firm Entain (ENT) bucked the trend by falling less than the blue-chip FTSE 100 index. Taylor Wimpey and other housebuilders were perhaps anticipating the possibility of the Bank of England cutting interest rates this year as a...

Full-year profit at top end of rangeComfortable with 2025 consensus£500 million annual cash flow targetSports betting and gaming group Entain (ENT) delivered full-year profit at the top end of the guided range and said it was comfortable with consensus forecasts for 2025, which was enough to give the shares a 3% pop to 764.4p.The shares are up by around a tenth so far in 2025 versus a 5%...

Always quoteworthy, Warren Buffett once said: 'I try to invest in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them. Because sooner or later, one will.'While the maxim has merit, management does make a difference and management changes can have a major impact ? for good or bad ? on even the best businesses.The surprise departure of Unilever (ULVR) chief executive Hein Schumacher on...

CEO to step down on 1 MarchFernando Fernandez promoted to hot seatUnilever reaffirms 2025 outlookAfter a largely successful 18 months in the role, Hein Schumacher is to step down as Unilever's (ULVR) CEO on 1 March, news that stunned the market and sent shares in the global consumer goods giant down 3.2% to £43.39 in early deals on 25 February.Schumacher's turnaround strategy has borne early...

CEO Isaacs leaves after 161 daysChair Stella David becomes interim CEOComfortable with 2025 expectationsLadbrokes-owner Entain (ENT) sank 10% after chief executive Gavin Isaacs stepped down after less than six months in the role, with chair Stella David becoming interim CEO.No reasons were provided for Isaacs' sudden departure, leaving investors in the dark about the future direction of the...

Double-digit Q4 revenue growthFull year profit to be top end of rangeEarnings upgrades expectedGambling firm Evoke (EVOK), formerly known as 888 Holdings, reported double-digit fourth-quarter revenue growth and raised its full-year profit guidance to the top end of consensus forecasts.Investors responded positively, sending shares in the William Hill and Mr. Green owner up by a tenth to 75.5p....

The number of companies on London's AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of November 2024 compared with 30 at the end of 2021.From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the Main Market, and the rest have...

2024 profit upgraded to top of rangeFirm dodges US client friendly resultsMGM trading update on 4 FebruaryLadbrokes and Coral owner Entain (ENT) topped the FTSE 100 gainers on Monday (13 January), advancing nearly 5% after the sports betting and gaming company nudged up group full-year profit expectations to the top of end of the guided range.The share price reaction also reflected a sense of...

Bad run of sports results impact US profitFull year US profit lowered by a thirdLong term guidance intactOnline sports betting and iGaming group Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) said a run of customer friendly results in the NFL (National Football League) during November and December will impact full year US profit by around a third.The shares fell 3% after hours in the US while the UK shares...

Stock prices in London closed lower on Monday, as Canal+ shares slumped on their first day of London trading and Entain fell as it faces an Australian investigation.The FTSE 100 index closed down 38.28 points, 0.5%, at 8,262.05. The FTSE 250 ended 76.12 points lower, 0.4%, at 20,813.03, and the AIM All-Share gave back 3.87 points, 0.5%, at 729.49.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 828.87, the...

European stocks were down at midday in London, as new economic data from China showed continued sluggish domestic consumption.China's retail sales growth weakened last month, official data showed on Monday, missing forecasts as demand remains muted in the world's number two economy. Retail sales expanded 3% year-on-year in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said, slowing from a 4.8%...

Australian anti-money laundering investigationEntain could face 'material' penaltyNot an isolated eventGambling and sports betting group Entain (ENT) was rooted at the bottom of the FTSE on Monday (16 Dec) with the shares falling as much a 7% on news the Australian anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator has commenced civil proceedings for alleged contraventions.Having...

Q3 sales and profit beatFull year profit guidance raisedNew $5 billion share buybackLeading gaming and betting firm Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) jumped 4% to an all-time high of £201 after revealing third quarter earnings ahead of analysts' expectations, raising guidance and announcing a $5 billion share buyback.The shares have surged 46% this year, trouncing Ladbrokes owner Entain (ENT) and...

European markets were lifted on Thursday as the European Central Bank enacted its second consecutive rate cut following cool inflation prints from the eurozone.The FTSE 100 index closed up 56.06 points, or 0.7%, at 8,385.13. The FTSE 250 ended up 121.42 points, or 0.6%, at 21,100.92, while the AIM All-Share closed up 2.96 points, 0.4%, at 742.39.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.7% at 840.03, the...

Third quarter ahead of expectationsFull-year profit at top endInvestors await strategy updateGlobal gambling and gaming group Entain (ENT) lifted its full-year profit forecast after confirming the positive trading momentum highlighted on 9 September has continued through to the end of the third quarter, including the UK and Ireland getting back to year-on-year growth earlier than expected.The...

Investors have been braced for changes to online gambling regulations aimed at leveling the playing field between land-based operators and online, but very few were expecting the UK Treasury to raid the whole sector to help the government fund its budget deficit.Share prices fell across the board on Monday (14 Oct) following a report by The Guardian that Rachel Reeves was considering proposals...

Treasury could raise up to £3 billion888-owner Evoke most exposedMagnitude of tax hike uncertainGambling shares were sent reeling after a media report said the government was considering doubling taxes from the sector to raise between £900 million and £3 billion of extra funding.Shares in 888-owner Evoke (EVOK) led the fallers, dropping by 14%, closely followed by Ladbrokes owner Entain...

At the start of 2024, I speculated that interest rate cuts could lead to takeovers involving bigger companies than the type of deals seen in 2023. While the rate-cut journey still remains in its infancy for the UK and other key geographies, the predicted wave of large-cap takeovers is firmly in motion. It's a reminder there is value on the UK market in droves.There have been bids or...

Strong Q2 trading continued into second halfUK digital returns to growth earlier than expectedNew CEO Gavin Isaacs stated on 2 September 2024Gambling and sports betting group Entain (ENT) jumped 9% to top the FTSE on Monday after the Ladbrokes and Foxy Bingo owner said improved second quarter trading momentum has continued into the second half.The embattled company has been under pressure from...

Entain (ENT) 630.4pMarket Cap: £4.13 billionInvesting in the gambling sector may not be everybody's cup of tea but we believe embattled sports betting and gambling firm Entain (ENT) has become so unloved and neglected that the upside potential now comfortably outweighs the downside risks. With several activist investors on the share register pushing for change, rumours of private equity...