£60 million buyback launchedShares up 38% over past yearFull year sales missShares in Moonpig (MOON) were marginally higher in morning trading after the online greetings card outfit said adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest taxation depreciation and amortisation) for the year to April 2025 will be at the top end of its 25% to 27% guidance range.Combined with the launch of a new £60...

The upcoming trading update on 3 April from online greetings card outfit Moonpig (MOON) needs to demonstrate it is on track with its ambitious medium-term targets.Moonpig is the leading online designer, printer and retailer of greetings cards in the UK through its eponymous platform, and in the Netherlands (through Greetz), with close to 70% market shares in both markets. The company has...

The UK stock market has performed robustly over the past year, with several companies standing out significantly. In this article, we will examine the top-performing large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks of 2024, dissected across four different market valuation categories.£5 BILLION+ MARKET CAPAfter a stellar 2023, aeronautical engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.) has once again rallied hard during...

UK indices slipped into the red on Tuesday as the London exodus continues, with Ashtead unveiling plans to shift its primary listing to the US.The FTSE 100 index closed down 71.72 points, 0.9%, at 8,280.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.33 points, 0.4%, at 20,973.94, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.28 points, 0.4%, at 737.57.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.8% at 831.35, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.5%...

£57 million write downLurch into lossFull-year revenue guidance unchangedFirst-half results from online greeting cards-to-gifting platform Moonpig (MOON) were solid enough, with revenue up 3.8% to £158 million as growth in the namesake brand offset a decline at Netherlands-based arm Greetz.Robust cash generation and rapid deleveraging gave Moonpig the confidence to announce an inaugural...

Blue-chips in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the red midday Tuesday, as investors fretted over the outlook for China's economy after some less-than-stellar data.'Chinese exports grew at a slower pace in November versus October, and imports shrank. That doesn't install much confidence about Beijing's efforts to get the country back on top. The prospect of higher tariffs on Chinese goods...

Still some way off 2021's 450p IPO (initial public offering) price, Moonpig's (MOON) shares have rallied 63.5% to 248.9p year-to-date amid debt reduction progress and some reassuring trading updates as it puts the unwind of the Covid sales bump in the rear-view mirror.More recently, the stock surged following a well-received capital markets day (16 October), where the online greeting...

Fidelity Special Values (FSV) 311.5pMarket cap: £1.01 billionWider than the five and 10-year average of 4%, a near-9% share price discount to NAV (net asset value) at Fidelity Special Values (FSV) presents an attractive entry point into a fund with an impressive long-run record and a contrarian, value-focused investment philosophy that's proven to work.The trust, which recently celebrated...

Computacenter director offloads £13 million of stockMoonpig boss in £2.47 million saleMorgan Sindall CEO sells 449,080 sharesA person closely associated with Computacenter (CCC) non-executive director Peter Ogden sold 562,284 shares at £23.12 for a total value of £13 million on 30 October.These ordinary shares have been sold to trusts of which the beneficiaries are members of the Ogden...

Stock prices in London were in the green on Wednesday morning after consumer price index inflation in the UK slowed below the 2% target in September, while blue-chip housebuilders rose after data showed that asking rents in the UK hit a new record high.The FTSE 100 index opened up 55.09 points, or 0.7, at 8,304.57. The FTSE 250 was up 63.24 points, or 0.3%, at 20,857.68, and the AIM All-Share...

Moonpig Plus subscriptions surpass expectationsGroup remains strongly cash generativeShares up 31% over past yearShares in Moonpig (MOON) were up nearly 9% to 173p in morning trading after the online greeting cards-to-gifting platform reported a 5% rise in adjusted pre-tax profit to £58.2 million for the year ended 30 April 2024.The company delivered revenue growth of 6.6% to £341.1 million...

UK stocks look cheap on so many different valuation metrics, not just one or two, suggesting a robust, genuine investment opportunity is available to long-term investors. So why does nobody seem convinced?This article explores the scepticism surrounding the UK?s market?s attractive valuation and examines the underlying evidence to support it. Shares concludes UK stocks really are a compelling...

Upgrade cycle continuesChristmas like-for-likes up 7.8%Card Factory heaps pressure on competitorsValue-focused greeting cards and gifts retailer Card Factory (CARD) has delivered yet another earnings guidance upgrade off the back of strong Christmas sales across stores and online.And with positive momentum building under CEO Darcy Willson-Rymer?s new strategy, Card Factory is heaping pressure...

We are now a little more than a fortnight away from Christmas Day with TV adverts pushing festive products, high streets adorned with Christmas decorations and shops flush with discount offers.The so-called 'Golden Quarter' including Black Friday is the most hotly contested period of the year amongst retailers and those that suffer disappointing sales or resort to overly-promotional strategies...

Recent weeks have seen a couple of encouraging economic data points for investors betting on the resilience of the UK consumer.Second-quarter GDP (gross domestic product) grew at a faster rate than expected, even as interest rates have risen, pushing up mortgage costs on top of rising food and energy bills.Wage growth also surprised to the upside at 8.2% in the second quarter, a new record and...

Shares in Moonpig (MOON) have rallied 44% to 163.6p year-to-date with the online greetings cards-to-gifting platform delivering solid trading and avoiding the downgrades sceptical investors expected.Shareholder excitement will be tempered by the fact the shares are trading more than 50% below their 350p, February 2021 initial public offering price.One of the retail sector's most-shorted...

Canaccord analyst Karl Burns has highlighted Moonpig's strong market shareBeliever in the capital light model and flagged strong customer retention Shares well below 350p at which they floated in 2021Canaccord Genuity analyst Karl Burns has noted Moonpig (MOON) capital light, cash generative and trading on an undemanding valuation.'In research on the company following its recent full year...

Expects low-digit single figure growth in first half 2024Full launch of Moonpig PlusScaled up technology team to 250Investors gave online greetings card seller Moonpig (MOON) the 'benefit of the doubt' this morning, lifting its shares by 4% despite the company reporting a 6.9% fall in adjusted pre-tax profit to £48 million for the financial year to 30 April 2023.Group revenue however was up...

Ever looked at a rising share price and wondered what is driving it? We all want share prices to move higher so as to enjoy capital gains, but fundamentally it is important to understand the reasons behind the movement.Looking at the list of recent big movers, two names stand out - Ocado (OCDO) and Moonpig (MOON). Both have spent extended periods out of favour with investors for failing to...

Institutional investors continue to bet against consumer-facing companies, despite the International Monetary Fund predicting that advanced economies including the UK could return to ultra-low interest rates once inflation is tamed.The IMF argues recent increases in interest rates are likely to prove temporary. When inflation is brought back under control, it says central banks are likely to...