There is a phrase in business ? 'shrink to greatness' ? meaning companies selling or demerging assets and focusing on what they do best.You might call it streamlining, others might say it is an admission that the previous strategy did not work and the company was too bloated.This trend is firmly in motion across the UK stock market with nine companies in the FTSE 100 either in the middle of shrink

With the UK economy seemingly headed for a 'soft landing' and interest rates set to fall at some point this year, more adventurous investors will be looking to add a little more risk to their portfolios.Given the UK market, and the mid-cap space in particular, is widely acknowledged to be cheap, the passive option would be to buy a mid-cap ETF (exchange-traded fund) such as the iShares FTSE 250 (M

From being one of the hottest properties in the market pre-pandemic, and having had a 'good crisis' as it were thanks to its hygiene division, global personal and household products group Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) now finds itself in the investment equivalent of the bargain bin.Shares in the Nurofen-to-Airwick-maker hit a new 10-year low this week after investors reacted badly to a US court ruling a

Shares fall on read-across from US verdictLiabilities could total up to $1.5 billionNews muddies potential unit saleShares in hygiene, health and nutrition products powerhouse Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) sank as much as 10% to around £40.40, their lowest level since 2013 after a US jury found Abbot Laboratories' (ABT:NYSE) specialised infant formula caused an Illinois girl to develop a dangerous bowl

Business simplification plan unveiledHome care and nutrition brands up for saleFull year sales guidance cutShares in Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) rallied 4% to £45.86 after the consumer goods powerhouse unveiled plans to sell a raft of non-core homecare brands and said it was reviewing options for its troubled infant formula business.In a similar strategy to many of its rivals including Unilever (ULVR

Miners dragged the FTSE 100 into the red on Tuesday, as stocks in London finished the session lower at the close.The FTSE 100 index closed down 31.41 points, 0.4%, at 8,167.37. The FTSE 250 ended down 47.19 points, 0.2%, at 21,091.49, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.07 points, 0.4%, at 780.17.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 814.73, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.5% at 18,388.59, and the Cboe

After almost closing at a new high in early April, the UK?s blue-chip FTSE 100 has finally made it into the ranks of indices hitting new all-time highs thanks to a 4.5% gain since the start of January.On 22 April the index reached its highest ever close and on 23 April it moved through its previous intra-day high.The UK clearly isn?t in the same league as the US, where the S&P 500 has notched up n

Return to positive like-for-like growthFull year guidance reiteratedLitigation worries cloud the outlookConsumer goods powerhouse Reckitt Benckiser (RTK) topped the FTSE gaining almost 5% to £14.44 after revealing better than expected first quarter like-for-like sales and confirming full year profit targets.The shares are down 18% year to date compared with a 5% gain in the FTSE 100 index reflect

It has been a rough few years for shareholders in hygiene, health and nutrition products powerhouse Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) with the stock down 30% on a five-year view.The FTSE 100 company flourished during the pandemic, which heightened hygiene awareness and boosted sales of its Dettol and Lysol disinfection brands, but demand then normalised and the shares have sold-off on growth disappointments

Broad-based growth delivered in 2023Slow first quarter expected£500 million buyback launchedShares in Haleon (HLN) were marked 6% higher to 332.1p on Thursday after the consumer health colossus reported a robust finish to 2023, with fourth quarter organic sales growth of 7%, and said it will allocate £500 million to share buybacks in 2024.Despite competitive market conditions, the FTSE 100 firm

Organic growth turns negativeShares fall to post-pandemic low£4 billion wiped off market capAfter missing market forecasts for third-quarter sales last October, FTSE 100 household and personal goods group Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) reported an even more disappointing set of fourth-quarter results with like-for-like sales in negative territory.The shares slumped as much as 10% to £52.54, their lowes

Stocks in London opened lower on Wednesday morning, amid steep falls for St James?s Place and Reckitt Benckiser, ahead of key US data.The FTSE 100 index opened down 15.96 points, 0.2%, at 7,667.06. The FTSE 250 was down 74.73 points, 0.4%, at 19,087.93, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.18 points, 0.2%, at 743.47.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 767.49, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at 16,439.30, a

The end of the tax year is fast approaching and with it the opportunity to maximise your £20,000 ISA allowance for the year.In this article we have identified six names from a list of some of the most consistent funds and fund managers in the UK which could be a good fit for your tax wrapper. While we have aimed for a balance across different investment styles and asset classes this is not intend

Most of us will be aware of the need to plan for our retirement, however far or otherwise we might have got with doing so. After all, when we stop working we all still want to enjoy a decent quality of life. In this article we will explore how much money you will need and the level of pension pot required to achieve it as well as providing some investment ideas for people at the start of the proce

A big increase in the average takeover premium in 2023 highlights how parts of the UK stock market continue to be undervalued. The average bid premium for UK stocks in 2023 was 51% against 37% in 2022 and 43% in 2021, according to analysis by AJ Bell.Most London-listed takeovers last year involved small-cap firms. Buyers were a mixture of private equity firms or industry players looking to buy riv

As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year's least-loved stocks.Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest friends in the analyst community and those which the hedge fund community thinks are outright shorts.If we first t

The GfK consumer confidence index fell nine points from minus 21 to minus 30 in October amid a slowing jobs market and the uncertainty engendered by the Middle East conflict which have dampened the Christmas spending outlook.This consumer squeeze was in evidence in the quarterly volume declines reported by FTSE 100 consumer goods giants Unilever (ULVR) and Reckitt Benckiser (RKT).Unilever delivere

Shares drop to bottom of FTSE 100£1 billion share buyback announcedNet group revenue £3.6 billionShares in consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) were down more than 7% to £54.97 in morning trading, making them the worst performer in the blue-chip benchmark, as third quarter like-for-like sales missed analysts' expectations.The FTSE 100 company behind health and hygiene brands from Durex

Smaller in size than the popular £3.47 billion Evenlode Income Fund (BD0B7D5), Shares believes this is a good time to put money to work with sister fund Evenlode Global Income (BF1QNC4). Launched in late 2017, the latter has delivered a five-year annualised total return of 8.9%, ahead of the 5.7% from theformer, despite a recent headwind from its lack of exposure to large tech firms operating in

Whether you're saving for retirement, looking to pay off your mortgage or any other future objective, investing in equities has been one of the most successful ways of generating long-term value creation. According to data from Bloomberg from April 2023, global equities, represented by the FTSE All-World Total Return Index, have grown by 57.3% over the past five years, smashing the returns from ca