London's FTSE 100 remained in the green on Wednesday after a last-minute rally, in the wake of a softened domestic inflation reading and further updates to the US-China trade war. The FTSE 100 index rose 26.48 points, 0.3%, at 8,275.60. The FTSE 250 fell just 2.13 points to 19,265.81, and the AIM All-Share advanced 3.87 points, 0.6%, at 669.88. The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.3% at 823.85, the Cboe UK...

London stocks slipped on Wednesday as investors digested cautious updates from WH Smith and Bunzl, while fresh US probes into Chinese imports and semiconductor controls reignited trade war fears. The FTSE 100 index was down 29.39 points, 0.4%, at 8,219.73. The FTSE 250 was down 107.02 points, 0.6%, at 19,160.92, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.73 points, 0.1%, at 665.28. The Cboe UK 100 was...

Raised full-year profit guidance Record revenue of £5.1 billion New £125 million share buyback Mitie (MTO) was one of the top mid cap gainers on Wednesday (16 April), with the shares jumping 5% to a new three-year high of 128p after the facilities transformation specialist upgraded its full-year profit guidance and announced a new £125 million share buyback. The shares have handsomely...

Revenue growing by 10%Contract wins up over 80%Operating margin to riseFacilities management group Mitie (MTO) delivered a pleasing first-quarter trading update showing double-digit revenue growth and a solid order book thanks to new contract wins.The shares eased 1.7p or 1.4% to 121p, having notched up gains of 25% year-to-date, as the overall market got off to a soggy start. BIG WINS...

Stock prices in London opened in the green on Thursday, hours before the upcoming interest rate decision from the European Central Bank.The FTSE 100 index opened up 4.77 points, or 0.1%, at 8,251.72. The FTSE 250 was up 77.23 points, or 0.4%, at 20,751.01, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.81 points, or 0.1%, at 799.78.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 822.04, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at...

Final quarter exceeds guidanceOperating profit up sharplyFurther £50 million buybackFacilities management and business service firm Mitie Group (MTO) surprised the market with stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results and a fresh £50 million share buyback.The shares climbed 6p or 5.5% to a new five-year high of 117.5p on above-average trading volume. STRONG DEMAND FOR SERVICESIn...

London?s FTSE 100, the outperformer on Friday as investors fretted over a possible escalation in the Middle East, was the laggard on Monday in the wake of Iran?s strikes on Israel over the weekend, as the blue-chip index?s oil majors tracked crude prices lower.Large-cap benchmarks in Frankfurt and Paris, which fell on Friday, were on the up on Monday. Stocks in New York tumbled at the end of...

Mitie (MTO) 105pMarket cap: £1.4 billionFounded in 1987, Mitie Group (MTO) is the UK?s largest facilities management company looking after two and a half million assets for more than 3,000 customers.The firm takes care of buildings from banks to retailers, schools, hospitals and critical government sites, as well as the people who work in them, helping make them safer, more efficient and...

Outsourcing firm?s interim profit up 24%Shares within touching distance of new highsRaised full-year guidance confirmedFTSE 250 facilities management and energy services company Mitie Group (MTO) demonstrated it is the ?comeback kid? with another strong set of results and the reaffirmation of its recently-raised full-year profit target.The shares added 2p or just under 2% to 108p, just shy of...

Babcock CEO offloads shares to meet tax liabilitiesMitie CEO buy signals confidence in firmNatWest CFO Katie Murray and others sell upDavid Lockwood, chief executive of aerospace and defence firm Babcock International (BAB), sold 79,574 shares at 376p on 9 August, netting proceeds of £298,000 to meet tax, national insurance contributions, dealing costs and 'retention of the balance of...

- Earnings helped by Covid-related contracts- Underlying business performing ahead of expectations- Solid balance sheet means acquisitions are back on the agendaShares in outsourcing firm Mitie (MTO) jumped as much as 12% to 69p in early trading after the firm posted forecast-beating results and the chief executive claimed the business had turned the corner.While revenues and profits were...

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority is investigating facilities management firm Mitie (MTO) over bids for services contracts at immigration centres in Heathrow and Derwentside, in County Durham.The watchdog launched its probe on 1 March 2022 over concerns there may have been breaches of competition law in relation to an ongoing process run by the UK Government to procure services at the...

After initially receiving garlands from the market with a rising share price, investors quickly became more circumspect on hygiene services and pest control firm Rentokil's (RTO) $6.7 billion deal for US rival Terminix.While the strategic logic of the deal is clear, creating a global market leader with a particularly strong footprint in the US and with annual cost synergies of $150 million...

A combination of weak UK consumer confidence, renewed fears about the Evergrande crisis and fretting about the outlook for interest rates put the FTSE 100 on the back foot on Friday.By midday the index was down 0.15% to 7,067.88.Drug maker AstraZeneca (AZN) said its prostate cancer drug in combination with abiraterone developed with MSD, had met the primary goal of a phase 3 trial trial. It...

The start of the new school year is traditionally the time that offices, which languished half empty over the long summer holidays, are suddenly bustling with life. Lunch dates are made, career catch ups scheduled and goals recalibrated. Covid threw everything up in the air and everybody's watching to see where the pieces will eventually settle.As of 19 July, the Government's work from home...

After a strong start opening on the back of gains in Asian markets and bid stories, the FTSE 100 index trod water for most of the day to close 21 points or 0.3% higher at 7,109 points. Gains in consumer and mining stocks were offset by losses for healthcare and utility names.One stock which managed to extend its morning gains was supermarket group Sainsbury (SBRY), which finished up 15% to...

After a strong start to the week on the back of gains in Asian market, the FTSE 100 index ebbed back on Monday lunchtime to sit 20 points or 0.3% higher at 7,109 points. Gains in consumer and mining stocks were offset by losses for healthcare and utility names.One stock consolidating on its morning gains was supermarket group Sainsbury (SBRY), which gained 15% to 340p having opened up around...

Major UK stock made a strong start to the new trading week, taking its cue from Asia's main markets. At 8:50 UK time, the benchmark FTSE 100 was trading higher by 0.3% at 7,108.45. The midcap FTSE 250 was 0.2% higher at 23,798.23.Top riser early on was Sainsbury (SBRY), jumping more than 10% to 325p after weekend reports it is in the cross-hairs of private equity. This as the battle continues...

The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 continues to be outperformed by midcaps continuing a trend that has been in place for most of 2021.Based on current index levels, the FTSE 250 - often seen a better indicator of the UK's economic health over its FTSE 100 peer - has rallied more than 10% so far this year, outstripping the FTSE 100 by around 10% in relative terms.Extending the timeframe to a year,...

Shares in formerly unloved facilities management group Mitie (MTO) jumped 8% to a post-pandemic high of 77.4p after the firm posted solid results for the year to the end of March and said the current year would likely be 'materially ahead of prior expectations'.Revenues for the last financial year, including share of joint ventures and associates and the Interserve acquisition, grew 19% to...