Sales down 5% last yearNet debt halved, gross margins upOptimistic of profitable growthShares in Gear4music (G4M:AIM) rallied 10% to 147.5p after the online musical instrument seller said it was 'optimistic' about its prospects for further profitable growth during full year 2025 having implemented a refreshed growth strategy.While the electric guitar, drum kit and piano purveyor's results for...

Revenue guidance cut amid subdued demandBut Gear4music 'well prepared' for ChristmasTargeting return to 'stronger profitable growth'Online musical instruments retailer Gear4music (G4M:AIM) remains 'confident' in the enduring consumer demand for its products and is targeting a return to 'stronger profitable growth' after pulling levers to protect margins and cut costs.However, shares in the...

Year-to-date trading on trackMargins and profitability improvingGear4music 'well prepared' for peak selling seasonConcerns over competition, margin pressure, the inflationary squeeze on discretionary spending and the company's net debt in a higher rates environment have sent Gear4music (G4M:AIM) close to all-time lows, with shares in the online musical instruments seller down more than 80%...

- Online musical instruments seller warns on profits- But net debt substantially reduced- Return to 'more profitable growth' seen during FY24Shares in Gear4music (G4M:AIM) crashed 7.5% lower to 81.5p after the online musical instruments and equipment retailer warned earnings for the year to March 2023 will come in shy of earlier expectations.The year's disappointing sales and profits outturn...

- Trading momentum has picked up- Relief as Gear4music maintains guidance- Customer proposition improvements are paying offShares in lately-unloved Gear4music (G4M:AIM) rallied 5.7% to 101.5p after the online musical instruments-to-equipment retailer highlighted a 'consistent improvement in trading momentum' over the last two months and said it is well prepared for the Christmas selling...

- Monthly sales fall three times as much as expected- Sales now barely above pre-Covid levels- Consumer confidence at record lowsConsumer stocks were roiled heading into the weekend after the one-two combination of an overnight profit warning from US logistics giant FedEx (FDX:NYSE) and much worse than expected UK retail sales figures.The retail sales report from the ONS (Office for National...

- Profit warning sees 5% and 24% cut to sales and profit- Cost of living crisis and hot weather to blame- Focus remains on profitable growthOnline musical instrument retailer Gear4music (G4M:AIM) issued a profit warning on Friday, sending the shares down 12% to a new five year low of 116.9p. Over the last year the shares have dropped 88%.In a trading statement ahead of its annual general...

- Results beat downgraded estimates- Company sees stronger growth in second half- Acquisition has opened up £2.7 billion marketShares in lately-unloved Gear4music (G4M:AIM) gained 2.9% to 180p after the online musical instruments retailer's annual results came in slightly ahead of the guidance provided with a profit warning in April.Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation...

Chief executive of acquisitive legal services company Knights (KGH:AIM) David Beech purchased 936,345 shares at 106.53p on 19 May, worth just under £1 million. Beech is the largest shareholder in the company.Other company directors purchased over £115,000 worth of shares following a positive full-year trading update. The group anticipates revenues to 30 April 2022 to increase by 22% to...

It is one thing for analysts to forecast which stocks and sectors will do well in a rising-rate or inflationary environment, but when it actually comes to pass it's always fascinating to see what works in practice.Judging by the list of stocks making 12-month highs over the past week, those who favoured real assets were on the money.Standing tall are 3i Infrastructure (3IN), AEW UK REIT...

Shares in Gear4music (G4M:AIM) slumped more than 26% to a 12-month low of 265p after the online musical instrument retailer warned sales and earnings for the year to March 2022 came in 'slightly lower' than consensus expectations of £149.2 million and £12 million respectively.The keyboard, drum kit and guitar purveyor pinned the blame for the earnings alert on weaker than expected consumer...

Investors in online fast fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) could be forgiven for being pretty depressed when examining the share price chart.The stock is languishing some 75% below the 420p peak reached in June 2020 as the pandemic drove young fashionistas online.Boohoo has been hit by the continuing fall-out from a hugely damaging modern slavery scandal and more recently (16 Dec), a punishing...

Four members of the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) board have sold shares worth just over £30 million.Chairman Jonathan Rothermere, chief executive Paul Zwillenberg, finance director Tim Collier and executive director Kevin Beatty all made share disposals at a price of 269.74p between 10 December and 16 December.The sales were linked to controlling shareholder Jonathan Rothermere's...

Shares in Gear4music (G4M:AIM) slumped 14.4% to 685p on Tuesday after the online musical instruments retailer warned trading in Europe in the third quarter to date has been slower than expected due to ongoing Brexit-related supply chain challenges.The York-headquartered company is now guiding for EBITDA of 'not less than £12 million' for the year to March 2022. This is below recently upgraded...

UK stocks were subdued on Tuesday after strong September employment data and rising average wages sent the pound higher against the dollar and the euro, creating a headwind for the globally-focused FTSE 100 index.Energy prices were higher with Brent crude up 1% to $83 per barrel as commentators talked of a tight market heading into winter, helping to lift the oil majors, but weakness in...

Look beyond the headline indices and you'll see some brutal damage to investment portfolios over the past month or so.While the FTSE All-Share index, which is a good representation of the UK stock market, is down 2.4% since its year-to-date peak on 6 September, Shares has found that 502 London-listed stocks have seen a share price decline of 10% or greater in those five weeks.That paints a...

Stocks continued their advance on Tuesday as investors took central bank attempts to soothe their inflation fears at face value and Fed chairman Jerome Powell prepared to testify before the House of Representatives.At 12.30pm the FTSE 100 index was up 24 points or 0.33% to 7,086 points led by property, industrial and energy stocks, while the FTSE 250 mid-cap index gained 140 points or 0.6% to...

Online musical instruments and equipment retailer Gear4music (G4M:AIM) drummed up a forecast-beating 154% jump in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to £19.8 million for the year to March 2021 thanks to margin and efficiency improvements and 'exceptional' demand during lockdown.While the York-headquartered firm still sees profitability below last year's...

Stocks advanced gingerly in early trading as investors waited for Fed chairman Jerome Powell to testify before the House of Representatives in order to get a better feel for the near-term outlook for US interest rates and liquidity.At 9am the FTSE 100 index was up 20 points or 0.3% to 7,082 points led by property, industrial and energy stocks, while the FTSE 250 mid-cap index gained 95 points...

Online musical instruments retailer Gear4music (G4M:AIM) has upgraded guidance yet again following a strong fourth quarter, news that sent the shares up 6.3% to 845p on Thursday.Year-to-March 2021 EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation) is now expected to be 'not less than £19 million', ahead of current market expectations and up from £7.8 million in 2020.A...