Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) sells £306 million sharesSainsbury's shares fall nearly 5%Year-to-date Sainsbury's shares are down 7%Sainsbury's (SBRY) shares fell nearly 5% to 275p after the supermarket group said its biggest shareholder, the QIA (Qatar Investment Authority), had sold £306 million worth of shares at 280p each, a discount of around 3% to the prior closing price.Prior to the sal

Stocks in London were higher at midday Tuesday, as the UK manufacturing sector continued to outperform its peers in France and Germany.The FTSE 100 index was up 26.97 points, or 0.3%, at 8,264.19. The FTSE 250 was up 18.02 points, or 0.1%, at 21,071.21, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.48 points, or 0.1%, at 739.95.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 827.69, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 18,539.63, an

Pfizer nets $3.36 billion in share saleHaleon completes £500 million share repurchaseSanofi plans to divest consumer healthcare unitStrong demand from US investors allowed pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (PFE:NYSE) to sell an upscaled 640 million shares in consumer healthcare group Haleon (HLN) at 380p, representing a 3.3% discount to the prior close.Investors focused on the positive implications of

There is a phrase in business ? 'shrink to greatness' ? meaning companies selling or demerging assets and focusing on what they do best.You might call it streamlining, others might say it is an admission that the previous strategy did not work and the company was too bloated.This trend is firmly in motion across the UK stock market with nine companies in the FTSE 100 either in the middle of shrink

There has never been a better time to be an income investor in UK equities, as payouts for the period from April to June hit an all-time quarterly record of £36.7 billion according to the latest Dividend Monitor from Computershare.Most of the increase was thanks to one-off special dividends, leaving the underlying growth rate at just 1%, but for those clipping the coupons or reinvesting the incom

Stock prices in London closed lower on Wednesday, as European markets brace themselves for political instability in the run-up to UK and French elections.The CAC 40 in Paris took the biggest hit on Wednesday, ahead of the snap election in France on Sunday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 22.46 points, 0.3%, at 8,225.33. The FTSE 250 ended down 65.33 points, 0.3%, at 20,298.10, and the AIM All-Share

First Zantac trial winSecond case dismissedShares continue to recoverGSK (GSK) has won the first legal case to be heard in the ongoing Zantac litigation cases after a Chicago jury ruled in its favour and dismissed the plaintiff's claim that the drug had caused her colorectal cancer.Angela Valadez has taken Zantac and generic versions of the drug between 1995 and 2014 and was seeking $640 million i

This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

Stock prices opened mixed on Monday, with the FTSE 250?s landscaping products company Marshalls plunging amid a profit dive, as investors prepare for a week full of interest rate decisions.The FTSE 100 index opened up 3.59 points at 7,731.01. The FTSE 250 was down 39.45 points, 0.2%, at 19,473.46, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.29 points, 0.3%, at 736.02.The Cboe UK 100 was up slightly at 774.01

London stocks were mixed but broadly positive at midday Thursday, as Bank of England data showed an unexpectedly large increase in UK mortgage approvals.The FTSE 100 index was up 19.99 points, 0.3%, at 7,644.97. The FTSE 250 was up 82.15 points, 0.4%, at 19,095.73, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.44 of a point, 0.1%, at 737.60.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 766.43, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.6% at

Broad-based growth delivered in 2023Slow first quarter expected£500 million buyback launchedShares in Haleon (HLN) were marked 6% higher to 332.1p on Thursday after the consumer health colossus reported a robust finish to 2023, with fourth quarter organic sales growth of 7%, and said it will allocate £500 million to share buybacks in 2024.Despite competitive market conditions, the FTSE 100 firm

Stock prices in London were mostly in the green on Thursday morning following a slew of earnings releases, ahead of a key US inflation reading.The FTSE 100 index opened up 19.31 points, 0.3%, at 7,644.29. The FTSE 250 was up 53.29 points, 0.3%, at 19,066.87, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.68 of a point, 0.1%, at 737.36.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 766.62, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 16,429.

Stock prices in London fell on Thursday morning before the European Central Bank?s interest rate decision, with the market pricing in a third hold.The FTSE 100 index opened down 11.17 points, 0.2%, at 7,516.50. The FTSE 250 was down 51.79 points, 0.3%, at 19,119.89, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.77 of a point, 0.1%, at 744.08.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 751.02, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2

As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year's least-loved stocks.Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest friends in the analyst community and those which the hedge fund community thinks are outright shorts.If we first t

Volumes decline in Q3But sales continue to growResilient Haleon reiterates 2023 guideConsumer health colossus Haleon's (HLN) shares slipped 2.7% lower to 322p after the Sensodyne and Panadol supplier reported a third quarter sales growth slowdown and a worse than expected volume decline.The absence of an upgrade to full year sales and profit guidance also weighed on sentiment towards the FTSE 100

Californian Zantac cases agreedVolatility likely until all cases are settledGSK bags £885.6 million from Haleon saleShares in global pharmaceutical company GSK (GSK) hit a new 12-month high on Wednesday, rising 2% to £15.43, after the firm reached a confidential Zantac litigation settlement in California.The drug maker said it had also settled three remaining breast cancer bellwether cases in th

Spin-offs, demergers and disposals are often good news for investors, although it's not often a firm sees its share price rise when it has to pay someone to take assets off its hands, especially when those assets were previously thought to be earnings positive.In the case of hospitality firm Restaurant Group (RTN), however, that is exactly what happened.The group, best known for its Wagamama chain

Following our look at Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ), this is the second instalment in the Shares mini-series aimed at arming readers with an easy-to-use five step framework which can be applied to most popular types of company.Hopefully the structure we've provided will allow you to quickly assess if a stock looks right for you, with built-in rest-stops at each stage where you can decide to hop off for

Organic growth and operating profit guidance raisedFirst half growth led by flu and pain medicines55% of Haleon's business gained or maintained market shareConsumer health giant Haleon (HLN) raised its full-year organic sales growth and operating profit guidance following a strong first-half performance driven by a reassuring combination of price increases and volume growth.The FTSE 100 company sa

Shares jump 8% after ground breaking US commercial deal with HaleonFirst over-the-counter erectile dysfunction treatment in the USUS is the world's largest ED market affecting 22 million menPharmaceutical company Futura Medical (FUM:AIM) hasn't wasted any time getting its innovative gel for erectile dysfunction MED3000 into the US market after revealing a 'ground-breaking' commercial agreement wit