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 improving

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 an 1

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 recently re

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 250 (M

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 sec

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 announ

Trust returns to long-run outperformance trendBenchmark-beating 17.6% returnUK mid-caps cheaper than large-capsJean Roche-run investment trust Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP) returned to form in style over the year ended 30 September 2023, delivering a net asset value total return of 17.6% versus the disappointing 30% decline in the previous year.This beat the 13.6% total return from the benchmark

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 report

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 fell

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 concerned a

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 investors m

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 was

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 whil

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 also w

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 and in

UK stocks regained some of their earlier losses on Thursday but closed in the red as the debate around the potential economic damage caused by Omicron intensified.US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen weighed in on the debate by saying the new variant could slow the global economy and cause significant problems.Meanwhile oil prices rallied around 1.5% after the OPEC+ oil producers' cartel said they w

UK stocks remained in deep negative territory at midday Thursday as investment sentiment continued to suffer from worries over the Omicron variant and US central bank plans to increase its pace of tapering. Investors were also watching energy prices ahead of a meeting of OPEC+ oil producers, which it is hoped will lead to an increase in supplies after the U.S. and others released crude from their

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 public of

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 others re

Shares in chemicals company Johnson Matthey (JMAT), have fallen by 24% over the last month. The company pre-empted its first half results announcement indicating that that full year earnings would be towards the lower end of expectations, and that it intended to dispose of its battery materials business.This marked a major strategic failure given investment of over £400 million, and the recent em