Shares in Johnson Matthey (JMAT) soared more than 30% this week after the specialty chemicals group agreed to sell its Catalyst Technologies division to US industrial giant Honeywell (HON:NASDAQ) for an enterprise value of £1.8 billion. The specialty chemicals group has come under increasing pressure from its largest shareholder Standard Investments to take 'decisive action' to unlock...

Sale of Catalyst unit for £1.8 billion Focus on Clean Air and metals £1.4 billion shareholder payout It has been a momentous 12 months for the 200 year-old specialty chemicals group Johnson Matthey (JMAT), starting with the sale of its Medical unit last year and culminating with the news of the sale this month of its Catalyst unit. The shares, which have been in a sustained downtrend since...

European stocks were in the doldrums on Thursday morning, after shares in New York tumbled, unnerved by fiscal concerns in the US. The FTSE 100 index traded down 43.86 points, 0.5%, at 8,742.60. The FTSE 250 was down 97.95 points, 0.5%, at 20,851.72, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.73 points, 0.4%, at 734.47. The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6% at 871.26, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.3% lower at...

GlobalData CEO sells four million sharesJadestone Energy director buys stockJohnson Matthey CFO designate also buysMichael Danson, chief executive of GlobalData (DATA:AIM), sold two separate tranches of shares in London-based data analytics and consulting company on 11 February.Danson sold two million shares at 195p, for a total value of £3.9 million, and a further two million shares at 199p...

Largest investor calls for strategic reviewBoard focused on shareholder valueShares down 18% over the past yearShares in Johnson Matthey (JMAT) were trading slightly lower at £13.41 after the specialty chemicals company hit back at criticism from its largest shareholder, Standard Investments.The board and management team at Johnson Matthey said they remained 'resolute in their focus on...

Shares down 55% over five yearsBoard lacks 'sense of urgency'Shareholder requests boardroom refreshMarked down 55% over the past five years, Johnson Matthey's (JMAT) unloved shares jumped 5% to £14.20 after Standard Investments called for a strategic review which could include the sale of 'part or all' of the challenged specialty chemicals company.The FTSE 250 firm's largest shareholder with...

Arbuthnot chairman snaps up 116,000 sharesJohnson Matthey CEO buys 10,000 sharesHalma director sells 50,000 sharesHenry Angest, chairman and chief executive of banking group Arbuthnot (ARBB:AIM), bought 116,000 shares at 900p for a total value of £1.04 million on 25 November.Angest now holds 9,392,185 ordinary shares representing 58.03% of the company's voting rights.The banking group...

With the UK economy seemingly headed for a 'soft landing' and interest rates set to fall at some point this year, more adventurous investors will be looking to add a little more risk to their portfolios.Given the UK market, and the mid-cap space in particular, is widely acknowledged to be cheap, the passive option would be to buy a mid-cap ETF (exchange-traded fund) such as the iShares FTSE...

Chemicals companies produce the compounds used in a huge variety of different industrial and consumer products across sectors which include agriculture, healthcare, technology, aerospace, sports, leisure and beauty.The breadth of the industry?s focus means its fortunes are closely tied to the economy and movements in GDP as well as volatility in raw material prices and energy costs.In 2023 the...

Johnson Matthey sells up to private equity firm MontaguShares up over 8% to £18.44Plans to return £250 million net proceeds to shareholdersShares in Johnson Matthey (JMAT) were up over 8% to £18.44 in morning trading as the specialty chemicals company said it was selling its medical device and components business to private equity firm Montagu for $700 million.Separately the company also...

Johnson Matthey CEO buys 15,000 sharesBarclays chairman snaps up 200,000 sharesArbuthnot CEO increases stakeLiam Condon, CEO of Johnson Matthey (JMAT) has bought 15,000 shares at £15.45 for a total value of £231,701 on 6 December.Condon?s purchase signals that he has faith in the chemicals company. Several weeks ago, the chemicals company raised its full year operating performance despite...

Revenue falls 11% to £6.5 billionMaintains dividend of 22p per shareExpects high-single digit growth for next yearShares in Johnson Matthey (JMAT) were up over 2% to £14.93 in morning trading as the chemicals company raised its full year underlying operating performance despite reporting a 11% fall in revenue to £6.5 billion for the six months ending 30 September.Continuing pre-tax profit ...

Quarterly review due in weeks Four likely winners and losersA further three stocks could drop outWe may only be half-way through the third quarter, but already it looks as though there will be quite a few changes to the benchmark FTSE 100 index when the topic comes up for review next month.Promotion to, and demotion from, the index can have a big effect on the share prices of the firms...

Mid-cap companies have always attracted investors. Seen as large enough to compete on a global scale, but not so big that their capacity for growth is capped, like many FTSE 100 stocks, an increasing number of investors spend time researching stocks on the FTSE 250 index, or simply buy the index through the handful of inexpensive targeted ETF tracker funds that are available.While many...

After a flurry of trades by directors in company shares during 2021, the new year has seen activity calm down considerably. Only three companies have published director trades in the first week of 2022, according to analysis by Shares.The biggest in monetary terms is a £75,000 purchase of Atome Energy (ATOM:AIM) stock by non-executive director Mary-Rose de Valladares. The green hydrogen group...

UK stocks ended the week on a positive note, just, despite an unexpected rate rise from the Bank of England and a record level of Covid infections driven by the new Omicron variant.Earlier in the day retail sales for November surprised to the upside, lifting retail and other consumer-facing stocks.At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 9 points or a little over 0.1% at 7,270...

In contrast with European and other international markets, UK stocks were higher on Friday after retail sales rose faster than expected for the second consecutive month.At midday the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 21 points or 0.3% at 7,276 points led by mining and consumer-facing stocks.US futures were indicating a lower opening after yesterday's sell-off, while Asian markets were...

UK stocks were higher on Friday after retail sales rose faster than expected for the second consecutive month as consumers brought forward Christmas shopping due to worries over the availability of products linked to global supply constraints.The FTSE 100 index of leading shares was 0.2% higher at 7,276 points in early trading.In Asia, the Japanese central bank left interest rates unchanged...

The latest index review by FTSE Russell, part of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSE), sees cybersecurity firm Darktrace (DARK) relegated from the top flight less than two months after it was promoted due to the de-listing of supermarket group Wm Morrison following its acquisition by private equity.Darktrace shares have had a rollercoaster ride since the firm's hotly-anticipated initial...

UK stocks dropped in early trading after a selloff in overseas markets following the first case of the Omicron variant in the U.S. and a warning from technology firm Apple that demand for its latest iPhone had weakened.Meanwhile, investors were also watching energy prices ahead of an meeting of OPEC+ oil producers, which it is hoped will lead to an increase in supplies after the U.S. and...