Continuing reverberations from President Tump's redrawing of the global world order saw the UK government announce its SDR (Strategic Defence Review), aimed at moving the UK to a position of 'war fighting readiness.' Having already committed to increase military spending to 2.5% of GDP (gross domestic product) by 2028, on 1 June Prime Minister Starmer revealed plans to increase spending to 3%...

As companies on the stock market go, QinetiQ (QQ.) has a particularly engaging backstory. Emerging out of the Ministry of Defence arm believed to be the inspiration for James Bond's gadget-man Q, these origins even tell you something about the company today given its focus on tech-driven areas of the defence sector.However, an annualised total return of 4.7% since its IPO 19 years ago suggests...

Company warns of delays2025/2026 sales growth cutBuyback upped to £200mShares in QinetiQ (QQ.) were on course to suffer their biggest single-day loss since listing in 2004, with the shares slumping as much as 20% after the defence group warned delays in UK and US contracts would impact 2025 revenue.The shares are now trading down 1% year-to-date, although over the last 12-months they are up...

Stock prices in London opened mixed on Monday, with Phoenix Group leading the way among large-caps, but defence technology firm Qinetiq slumping in the FTSE 250 as it grapples with tough trading conditions.Market focus this week will be on a slew of central banking decisions, with the Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Bank of Japan announcing rate decisions.On Monday, eyes will be on a US...

BAE Systems shares climb 15%European stocks sharply higherUK and France discuss Ukraine dealThe European defence sector enjoyed its biggest one-day rally since 2020 after the Trump administration refused to offer any security guarantees, leading investors to bet on European governments ramping up their defence spending.Shares in BAE Systems (BA.) jumped 210p or 15% to £16.15, pulling with...

London's FTSE 100 closed in the green on Tuesday, though more subdued in the afternoon against its morning highs, as US stocks were shaken by weak consumer confidence data.The FTSE 100 index closed up 9.69 points, 0.1%, at 8,668.67. The FTSE 250 ended down 36.11 points, 0.2%, at 20,448.28, while the AIM All-Share closed down 2.82 points, 0.4%, at 708.06.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 867.14,...

London stocks ended Tuesday little changed, as investors digested strong UK wage growth data while looking ahead to key inflation figures that could shape the Bank of England's next policy move.The FTSE 100 index closed down just 1.28 points at 8,776.73. The FTSE 250 ended down 57.12 points, 0.3%, at 20,881.56, while the AIM All-Share closed down 0.70 of a point, 0.1%, at 724.52.The Cboe UK...

Higher-than-expected ordersSpaceX driving upgrade cycleAerospace and defence market penetration excites analystsShares in Filtronic (FTC:AIM) rose 7% to an all-time high of 96.5p on 13 January after the communications equipment specialist upgraded guidance for the year to May 2025 once again amid ongoing positive order momentum.In a brief update, the County Durham-based firm announced that...

Shares gain 289% over the past yearFurther contracts expected in space marketsTechnology roadmap progress madeShares in Filtronic (FTC:AIM) were up 8% to 77p in morning trading as the communications kit designer said it expects strong half-year results for the six months ending 30 November.It has been a stellar year for the firm which has seen its shares rise 289% due to a strong order flow...

Stock prices in London opened lower on a busy Monday, as the UK's gross domestic product climbed by less than previously anticipated in the second quarter of the year.The FTSE 100 index opened down 13.45 points, or 0.2%, at 8,306.50. The FTSE 250 was down 117.28 points, or 0.6%, at 21,123.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.68 points, or 0.1%, at 746.33.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 831.73,...

Tech-oriented defence firm QinetiQ (QQ.) is scheduled to report on its first-quarter performance on 18 July amid robust demand across the industry backed by global geopolitical tensions.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r

Sales and earnings above consensus2025 guidance raisedMedium-term goals maintainedShares in QinetiQ (QQ.) jumped 12% to a new all-time high of 424p after the defence group delivered better than expected full year profit and raised guidance for the financial year to 31 March 2025.The shares topped the FTSE 250 gainers taking gains close to 40% over the last five years, comfortably outperforming...

London?s FTSE 100 opened sharply lower on Tuesday, as US interest rate worries and geopolitical tensions continued to cast a dark cloud over equity markets.Only Mondi traded higher, with even packaging peer DS Smith falling despite agreeing to a takeover from International Paper, the latest twist in a takeover saga that also involved Mondi. Mondi is yet to respond to the development.The FTSE...

Conflict is always an unhappy subject, but it remains an area of real focus across the globe. Cross-border collisions of ideology, hegemony, raw materials, and even survival, mean national budgets reach astronomical levels, especially in the US, by far the world's largest military spender.In 2022, global military budgets hit an all-time high of $2.2 trillion, according to data released by the...

Severn Trent CEO Olivia Garfield sells over £800,000 sharesQinetiq CEO cashes in on positive trading updateAO World CFO sells over £100,000 share due to schemeQINETIQ CEO BANKS COOL MILLION Stephen Wadey, CEO of UK defence technology company Qinetiq Group (QQ.) has sold 300,000 shares in aggregate for a total value of £1.036 million.The sale comes not long after the company's first quarter...

As volatility returns, one way to protect your portfolio is to tap into returns that aren't reliant on the global economy or the direction of markets.We think Babcock International (BAB) is a good option as it undergoes an internally-driven, multi-year turnaround.The engineering support services play has had a difficult time. However, Shares believes a rebound from October 2022 lows has...

Most investors will remember 2022 as being one of the toughest years for stock markets around the world in a long time. However, plenty of stocks have delivered positive returns.In this feature we look at the best performing London-listed stocks spread across four different parts of the market, covering small, medium and large sized companies.£5 billion+ market capIreland has been one of the...

- Savvy stock-pickers are up this year- Mega-cap energy and value stocks top performers- Attractive valuations spur more M&A dealsWhile it hasn't been the best of years for investors, judging by the performance of the main stock market indices around the world, there have still been plenty of stocks that could have made you decent money.So far in 2022, the FTSE 350 index has fallen by 12%....

- Defence tech firm doubles US business at a stroke- Qinetiq actively ramping US exposure after exit in 2014- Shares have rallied 40% this year, eclipsing most UK equitiesIf investors had any doubts about Qinetiq's (QQ.) US ambitions, today's substantial acquisition will surely put them to bed. The UK defence technology company will pay $590 million for Avantus Federal, a deal that leaves...

Mid-cap companies have always attracted investors. Seen as large enough to compete on a global scale, but not so big that their capacity for growth is capped, like many FTSE 100 stocks, an increasing number of investors spend time researching stocks on the FTSE 250 index, or simply buy the index through the handful of inexpensive targeted ETF tracker funds that are available.While many...