Just over five years ago the stock market began to react in earnest to news of the Covid pandemic.The sell-off was short and sharp, with a modest recovery from the lows in the spring followed by sharper gains in November 2020 after AstraZeneca (AZN) made a vaccine breakthrough.However, a large number of UK stocks are still trading below the levels they were at by the close of trading on 21...

Shares in Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) seem to be in a downward spiral despite the pubs, bars and restaurants group reporting strong trading during its first quarter which encompassed the festive season.Mitchells said first-quarter like-for-like sales remained well ahead of the market, however the pubs group highlighted circa £100 million of year-on-year cost headwinds driven primarily by...

Festive like-for-likes up 6.1%Year-to-date sales up 4%£60 million extra labour costs expectedPubs group JD Wetherspoon (JDW) reported strong trading over the festive season with like-for-like sales up 6.1% over the three weeks between 16 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.In the last 12-weeks, representing Wetherspoon's financial second quarter, like-for-like sales growth slowed to 4.6% compared...

Strong festive tradingLike-for-like sales up 11.6%Confident outlook statementPremium pubs and rooms operator Young & Co (YNGA:AIM) said it traded 'exceptionally well' over the Christmas and New Year period with like-for-like sales for the five weeks to 13 January up 11.6%.Total managed sales ticked up 30.4% reflecting a contribution from City Pubs, which was acquired in March 2024.Investors...

M&B sales up 10.4% over core festive periodFuller's sales up 10.2% over last five weeksBoth groups express caution on costsShares in Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) were up over 4% to 238.50p in morning trading as the All Bar One owner said the business traded 'very strongly' across the festive season with like-for-like growth of 10.4% over the core three-week period.Across the first quarter,...

Strong full year profit recoveryNet debt reduced by £197 millionNI change raises costs by £100 millionPub group Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) served up better than expected full-year sales and profit growth and said the business had made a strong start to the new financial year with like-for-like sales up 4% in the first seven weeks.Investors cautiously welcomed the results with the shares...

Robust trading ahead of marketFull-year results ahead of expectationsEarnings upgradesPubs group Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) continued to grow sales ahead of the market in the fourth quarter despite an easing inflationary backdrop, unseasonably cool weather and disruption cased by the summer riots.The All Bar One and Toby Carvery operator said robust trading and a reduction in net cost headwinds...

First half like-for-like sales up 7%Momentum continues into second halfFull year profit expected to be at top end of expectationsPubs group Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) smashed first half sales and profit forecasts and said the full year was likely to be at the top end of expectations, sending shares in the All-Bar-One and Toby carvery operator to the top of the FTSE mid-cap leaderboard, gaining...

The unveiling of a new British ISA helped give domestic stocks a modest lift after its announcement in the Budget.The £5,000 limit on the new tax wrapper, which can only be invested in UK assets, will be in addition to the existing £20,000 ISA allowance.The key test will be whether this provides a meaningful boost in terms of flows into UK equities and helps improve what has been a very...

December like-for-like sales up 15.2%, year to date 8.4% aheadFull year outcome expected to be inline with expectationsWages and energy costs remain key challenge across the industryPubs group JD Wetherspoon (JDW) continued its slow and steady recovery from the pandemic putting up a good festive performance as like-for-like sales increased 15.2% in December compared with 8.8% for the...

Robust trading continued in Q1Record Christmas day salesPBT to be towards top end of expectationsAll Bar One-to-Toby Carvery owner Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) expects pre-tax profits for the year to September 2024 will come in towards the top end of consensus estimates after sales picked up over Christmas with a boost from the return of work parties and festive gatherings.The pubs company, whose...

The UK hospitality sector has been one of the biggest casualties of the pandemic and the slowest to rebound.Enforced closures during lockdowns, surging energy, labour and commodity prices post pandemic and ongoing train strikes mean hospitality has faced more than its fair share of obstacles over the last three years.The extra challenges mean hospitality has been slower than other sectors to...

It has been an up and down year for the UK stock market but some names have really shone over the course of the last 12 months. In this article we go through the market cap ranks to identify the best performing large-, mid- and small-cap stocks in 2023.£5 billion+ market capWhile Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has dominated headlines globally as excitement around AI (artificial intelligence) helped...

Full year sales and profit ahead of expectationsStrong like-for-like sales growth continues after year-endCost headwinds expected to fall in year aheadNobody likes a flat beer but that sums up the market?s reaction to Mitchells & Butlers? (MAB) better than expected full year results after the shares retreated almost 7% to 226.6p.Still, even after today?s fall the shares are 56% higher than...

Private equity firm Apollo succeeding with its takeover of Restaurant Group (RTN) would represent a major turning point for the UK stock market. It would mean investors could no longer access a high street-focused casual dining chain operator on the London Stock Exchange of any scale.Restaurant Group's primary asset is Wagamama, a 165-strong nationwide chain offering Asian-style food....

Given the positive summer trading updates from UK hospitality firms such as JD Wetherspoon (JDW), Marston's (MARS) and Mitchells & Butler (MAB), expectations are fairly high for Beefeater, Brewers' Fayre and Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB) when it reports first-half earnings on 18 October.In the first quarter to the start of June, Premier Inn accommodation sales were up 18% on last year...

Like-for-like sales acceleratingCosts 'at low end of range'Hospitality operators upbeatAll Bar One owner Mitchells & Butler (MAB) pleased the market with its final update for the year to 23 Sept which showed sales up over 10% on a total basis thanks to a strong second half.The shares gained as much as 3.7% in early trading to 222.6p before settling back to 218.2p for a gain of 1.7%, while...

UK investors will be well aware of the lopsided performance of the US stock market in recent months, with a handful of stocks accounting for almost the entire index gains so far this year.However, a similar phenomenon is occurring right under our noses with most of the gains in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 down to the outperformance of some of their larger stocks.This concentration on a select...

Shares in pubs group Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) are up 90% from their October 2022 lows which is roughly where they found support during the pandemic induced sell-off in March 2020.That may sound impressive, but the shares need to double again to reach their pre-Covid level of 415p. The hospitality sector was not only severely clobbered by lockdowns but also severely impacted by the subsequent...

- Wetherspoons yet to fully recover from Covid- Rail strikes and bad weather crimped recent sales- Chairman Tim Martin remains 'cautiously optimistic'Shares in iconic pubs chain JD Wetherspoon (JDW) weakened 2.3% to 468p despite the hard-pressed company serving up the news first half like-for-like sales were strongly ahead of last year's Omicron-marred festive period.Unfortunately,...