First half pre-tax profit up 13.6%On track to deliver another record yearFirst half dividend up 16.2%Instant service equipment company ME Group International (MEGP) said it was on track to deliver another record year after reporting a strong first half which saw double-digit profit growth.The shares gained around 1% to 183.4p taking the gains for the year to 47%, comfortably ahead of the 8% gain i

Now the ballots have been cast at the general election, the UK could become the 'reassuringly boring' market, both politically and fiscally, when compared to the more extreme politics on the other side of the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean.So suggests Jean Roche, manager of the Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP), who notes capital allocators know more or less what to expect, which could explain th

ME Group (MEGP) 162.6pGain to date: 1.8%In February 2024 we highlighted the underappreciated competitive strengths of instant-service equipment designer, maker and operator ME Group (MEGP).The company, formerly known as Photo-Me International, has built a dominant market share in its chosen segments giving it unrivaled geographical diversification which provides growth opportunities not reflecte

Stock prices in Europe were lower at midday Monday, as investors digested the results of the EU election, which saw a rise in support for right-wing parties.The FTSE 100 index was down 23.67 points, 0.3%, at 8,221.70. The FTSE 250 was down 66.99 points, 0.3%, at 20,488.38, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.26 points, 0.5%, at 789.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 819.76, the Cboe UK 250 was down

Weak yen hurts sales and earningsUnderlying growth remains strongFirm keeps full-year profit guidanceVending machine operator ME Group (MEGP) posted a positive trading update for the six months to the end of April and said it was 'confident in delivering record profitability for the year, in line with market expectations'.However, shareholders appear to be unnerved by some of the detail as the sto

Stock prices in London fell on Monday morning alongside its European peers, after right-wing gains in the EU election and a subsequent French snap election.Eyes are also set on the next interest rate decision from the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index opened down 26.01 points, 0.3%, at 8,219.36. The FTSE 250 was down 87.84 points, 0.4%, at 20,467.53, and the AIM All-Share was down

ME Group International (MEGP) 159.7pMarket Cap: £575.4 millionInstant-service equipment designer, maker and operator ME Group International (MEGP) is a compelling investment opportunity.A dominant market share and increasing product and geographic diversification provide growth drivers which are not reflected in the valuation.The shares trade on 11.8 times consensus EPS (earnings per share) forec

Our 2023 picks have smashed it - achieving an average return excluding dividends of 20.6%, more than four times the return of the FTSE All-Share and better even than the MSCI World which is up 17.9% this year.This is all the more satisfying as the MSCI World index has been powered by the US 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks, whereas the Shares portfolio benefited from the inclusion of just one of th

Given how hard it has been to pick winning stocks this year, due to the outsized gains enjoyed by a narrow collection of stocks in the US in particular, we are delighted with the performance of our 2023 Tips of The Year.Against a FTSE All-Share index which has basically gone nowhere, eking out just a 0.5% positive return at this stage, our basket of 10 stocks has returned an average of 23.3% on an

Firmly out of favour with investors since the Brexit vote seven years ago, the FTSE 250 index rallied strongly on the release of the latest UK inflation data (19 July). This showed UK CPI rising by 7.9% year-on-year in June, lower than forecasts of an 8.2% rise, theoretically reducing expectations for the scale of future interest rate hikes from the Bank of England.Yet even after a big one-day jum

ME Group International (MEGP) 157.4p Gain to date: 39.3%Instant service equipment company ME Group International (MEGP), formerly known as Photo-Me International, has pleasingly delivered what we hoped for when it was made one of Shares' 2023 picks of the year in December.Continued momentum in the business has prompted management to increase full-year profit guidance whilst investors finally appea

Helped by a positive first quarter for stocks our top selections for 2023 have made a superb start to the year.At the time of writing the share price return on the portfolio of 10 names is 18.5%, substantially outpacing the FTSE All-Share which is up just 3.8% and with not a single name in negative territory. We have also significantly outperformed the MSCI World's 4.6% advance in sterling.The key

ME International (MEGP) 103.05pGain to date: 27%Shares said to buy instant service equipment company ME International (MEGP) - previously known as Photo-Me - on 16 June 2022 based on its good growth potential and pricing power which was not reflected in the lowly eight times 2022 price to earnings ratio.So far, the decision has been vindicated with the shares jumping 27% from the 81.2p entry price