If you are of the mind, as I am, that the wave of M&A is a long-term negative for the UK market then there was a positive development on 23 June. GP practices landlord Assura (AGR) announced plans to merge with its peer Primary Health Properties (PHP) rather than be taken over by private equity group KKR. Yes, the ranks of the UK market are still thinner as a result of this deal but, assuming...

PHP offer has edged slightly ahead Deal could include October dividend Firm rejects 'financial risk' claim The ongoing tussle between a consortium led by US buyout firm KKR (KKR:NYSE) and UK primary health care property owner PHP (PHP) for control of Assura (AGR) took yet another turn today with PHP upping the stakes. By mid-morning, shares in Assura were unchanged at 49.9p while PHP shares...

The takeover bandwagon is picking up speed as the year progresses with deals seemingly now being announced each week. On 9 June US chipmaker Qualcomm (QCOM:NASDAQ) agreed to take over Alphawave IP Group (AWE), which designs high-speed data transmission technology and licences it to semiconductor designers and manufacturers, much like Cambridge-based ARM (ARM:NASDAQ), once the UK's biggest...

Companies which sit in the middle of the market capitalisation range, represented in the UK by the FTSE 250 index, by definition have the potential to become the next large-cap leaders. Unlike small caps, mid caps are big enough to have built a stable business supported by a strong balance sheet, but in contrast to large caps, still have the potential to grow for decades to come. The problem...

Offer raised to 49.4p per share Price equates to 100% of tangible net assets Rival cash and shares offer rejected Shareholders in healthcare facilities provider Assura (AGR), of which the author is one, received the news today the company had agreed a final all-cash offer from KKR and Stonepeak worth £1.6 billion or 49.4p per share. The offer represents 100% of Assura's EPRA net tangible...

Given the depressed valuation of the UK stock market ? and the even more depressed valuation of UK commercial property ? it was only a matter of time before someone came up with a fund to seize on the opportunities on offer.Enter Special Opportunities REIT, a new internally-managed real estate investment trust aimed at capitalising on the abundance of value in the UK commercial property sector...

Primary Health Properties CEO buys £68,862 sharesBango CEO buys £20,013 sharesLiteracy Capital director investsHarry Hyman, CEO of FTSE 250-listed REIT (real estate investment trust) Primary Health Properties (PHP) has bought 74,890 shares at a total value of £68,862.40 on 9 April.Hyman?s move comes after research firm Peel Hunt gave Primary Health Properties a bullish rating after...

Primary Health Properties (PHP) 90pMarket cap: £1.2 billionAs the National Health Service continues to struggle under the weight of an ageing population and increased demand for treatment, resulting in growing waiting lists, there has never been a greater need for primary healthcare services outside of hospitals.Primary Health Properties (PHP) is a UK real estate investment trust and a...

- Earnings up 6.6%, 27th consecutive dividend increase- Economic uncertainty dampens investment plans- Irish property management acquisition Investor in primary health facilities Primary Health Properties (PHP) increased adjusted earnings by 6.6% in the year to 31 December 2022 while the dividend was raised by 5.2% marking the 27th consecutive year of dividend growth.However, the company gave...

Investors are increasingly looking for stocks, bonds or funds that pay a good income.Dividends or bond coupons provide positive returns which are particularly attractive in a more challenging market such as now.Many people have this year lost money from backing high-growth but dividend-less stocks such as Tesla (TSLA:NASDQ) and Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ), and they're fed up.In the other side of the...

Recession concerns have been seeping into the investment narrative in recent weeks. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated supply shortages and added unexpected fuel to the inflationary fire.Inflation in basic non-discretionary goods crimps spending elsewhere and could put a big dent in the expected nascent global recovery.While recession isn't the base case for most economists, investors may do...

For now, the escalating conflict in Ukraine shows no signs of easing. After the initial shock, markets were hopeful the economic impact of the war might be contained as the West's opening salvo of sanctions in response to Russia's invasion (24 Feb) were weaker than some had anticipated.However, any relief soon dissipated as Ukraine put up stiff resistance against the Russian invaders and...

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...

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...

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...

The FTSE 100 made a slow start to the final trading day of the week ahead of the long Bank Holiday weekend with investors keeping their powder dry ahead of Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's comments at the Jackson Hole symposium for central bankers.Economic watchers largely expect the address to the remote conference will be unremarkable, but the market awaits in anticipation regardless.At...

There are plenty of reasons to be more cautious about the markets despite the flagship US stock indices, the S&P 500, continuing to hit new highs.Investor nervousness is increasing. Just look at how many companies have recently beaten earnings forecasts, but their share prices have fallen as the market worries about near-term pressures or the loss of momentum in parts of their...

UK stocks got off to a mixed start on Wednesday as better corporate earnings were outweighed by weak overnight performances in the US and Asia.US markets gave back some of their recent gains as heavyweight tech stocks Alphabet, Apple and Microsoft dipped despite strong earnings.In Asia, Chinese stocks remained at their lows for the year after three days of heavy losses despite state-run media...

Having bumped along at negligible levels for much of 2020 as the UK economy struggled under months of lockdown, consumer inflation is back, with big implications for your savings and investment portfolio.UK CPI jumped to a four-month high of 0.7% in January, up from 0.6% in December 2020. Admittedly this rate of inflation remains modest by historical standards, yet CPI now stands at four times...

UK shares gave up their early gains to trade lower into the close as a strong showing by mining shares fizzled and sentiment was dented by widespread weakness in banking and healthcare stocks.After rallying almost 1% during the morning, Brent Crude also gave up its gains to fall 0.5% to $64.50 per barrel, while gold - which had been overlooked in the dash for other precious metals - actually...