Net revenue of circa £243 million, up 3.5%Shares up 15% over the past yearStrong net cash of circa £16 millionShares in M&C Saatchi (SAA) were up 6% to 189p in early trading as the advertising agency said it expects full year 2024 like-for-like net revenue growth of circa 3.5% with reported net revenue of £243 million.The company said trading in the second half of the year 'maintained first...

Pre-tax profits fall 10% despite revenues hitting targetsConfident of meeting full year 2024 expectationsFlags new business wins with WHO, Adidas, Nike, McDonald?sShares in M&C Saatchi (SAA:AIM) were down 2% to 170p in morning trading as the international marketing and advertising agency announced a 10% fall in pre-tax profits to £28.7 million for the year ending 31 December 2023.Net revenue...

Stocks in Europe opened in the green on Wednesday, with FTSE 100?s Tesco edging up as it announced a new share buyback programme on the back of surging annual profit.The FTSE 100 index opened up 46.08 points, 0.6%, at 7,980.87. The FTSE 250 was up 130.70 points, 0.7%, at 19,894.05, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.15 points, 0.4%, at 754.13.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 797.85, the Cboe UK 250...

Valuations for the small-cap asset class have returned to levels last seen during the Global Financial Crisis, and history shows that when valuations have plunged to similarly low levels in the past, stellar returns have ensued for small caps over the subsequent five years.A savvy way to gain differentiated exposure to this structurally-inefficient part of the market is through value-focused...

The recent share price performance of certain advertising companies has not impressed investors. WPP (WPP) has seen its share price fall by 8% year-to-date and S4 Capital (SFOR) has seen its shares dramatically fall 62% in the same period.Both companies have cited tech clients in the US cutting their advertising spend and the current macroeconomic climate as reasons for weak performance. This...

NAV gain of 21.4% compared with 16% loss in FTSE Small Cap indexValue investing mindset with concentrated portfolio approachUK small caps trading at deep discountSmall cap investing hasn't been easy of late with the FTSE Small Cap (ex investment trusts) index down 15.7% over the year to 31 March 2023.But small cap investment specialist Rockwood Strategic (RKW) delivered an increase in total...

Melrose CEO dumps 2 million sharesIncoming M&C Saatchi chair buys £249,000 sharesJudges Scientific director cashes in £94,500 sharesSimon Peckham, chief executive of UK manufacturing company Melrose (MRO), sold 2,000,000 shares at 525p for a total value of £10.5 million on 14 June causing the company's share price to slide on the news.The sale, which leaves Peckham with only half his...

- Marketing firm has shown robust growth of late- Acquisitions likely to be on the agenda this year- Safestore C-suite pair lock away more stockQuick out of the blocks is how you might describe Tim Dyson, the chief executive of billion-pound marketing and PR firm Next Fifteen Communications (NFC:AIM). Just four months ago shares in the London-based company were trading at 755p, before an end...

Geopolitical ructions and rising interest rates have seemingly failed to stem the appetite for global takeover activity according to analysis from consultants Earnest & Young (EY).And the UK financial services industry recorded a seven-year high of 136 deals in in the first half of 2022, although their £8.6 billion combined value was 18% down on 2021 levels.While a recent survey of UK M&A...

The threat of a recession is prompting companies to cut back on their promotions and investors are increasingly wary of buying shares in the advertising sector. This is understandable given the strong correlation between global economic growth and nominal spending on advertising.Both the MSCI European Media and Entertainment index and the MSCI World Media and Entertainment index have fallen...

-Shares fall despite positive trading update-Uncertainty remains over proposed M&C Saatchi acquisition-Fears over decline in global marketing spendShares in specialist marketing firm Next Fifteen Communications (NFC:AIM) fell by over 4% despite the group announcing positive trading ahead of its AGM today.Over the last month shares have fallen by 35%.Management reiterated that first quarter...

-Profits beat expectations-Group announces two bolt-on acquisitions-Saatchi bid remains the key prizeShares in specialist marketing firm Next Fifteen Communications (NFC:AIM) moved 0.3% higher to 1103p on Monday following the announcement of two encouraging updates.First, the group has made two bolt-on acquisitions that are expected to enhance earnings in the current year. Second, management...

-M&C Saatchi shares continue to rise-AdvancedAdvt believes Next15 bid fails to reflect synergy potential-A higher offer price may be requiredShares in advertising agency M&C Saatchi (SAA) continued to be in demand on Monday rising 1.6% to 216p.This follows today's news that AdvancedAdvt (ADVT) the acquisition vehicle headed by serial software entrepreneur Vin Murria, believes Next Fifteen...

Major shares in London opened higher on Thursday, albeit modestly, lifted by earnings from energy and consumer companies as investors braced for an expected second consecutive rate hike by the Bank of England.At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 is 0.1% up at 7,590.86, led by Compass (CPG), while BT (BT.A) checked further progress. Mid-caps remain under pressure, the FTSE 250 losing 0.25% at...

Shares in media agency M&C Saatchi (SAA) moved 3% higher to 180p following the announcement that AdvancedAdvt (ADVT) had made two new offers to the board last week, although both were turned down.AdvancedAdvt, the acquisition vehicle headed by serial software entrepreneur Vin Murria, who is also a Saatchi director, made an initial approach on 7 January with an offer of 1.86 AdvtT share for...

Stocks in the UK and Europe closed lower on Friday after another weak trading session in the US as investors fretted over rising interest rates among other concerns.The technology-focused Nasdaq 100 index dropped a further 1%, taking its loss for the week to 5% and its loss from the November high to more than 10% signaling it had entered 'correction territory' according to analysts.Investors...

Stocks in the UK and Europe traded lower on Friday after a weak trading session in the US fed through into falls across Asia as investors fretted over rising interest rates among other concerns.The technology-focused Nasdaq 100 index registered further losses, falling 1.3% to take losses from its November peak to 10% signaling it is in 'correction territory' according to analysts.After the...

Stocks in the UK and Europe opened lower on Friday after a weak trading session in the US fed through into falls across Asia.The technology-focused Nasdaq 100 index registered further losses after falling 1.3% while the small-cap Russell 2000 dropped almost 2%.Adding to investor woes, in aftermarket trading Netflix shares sank 21% after it provided a disappointing outlook and weaker than...

The FTSE 100 closed higher on Friday, ignoring declines in US stocks as inflation, looming interest rate hikes and weak jobs report spooked investors across the pond.At the close, the UK benchmark index had rallied 0.47% to hit 7,485.28, although the mid-cap FTSE 250 lost further ground, down 0.27% to finish at 23,353.25.'Although today's jobs report shows yet another disappointing top line...

UK stocks gave back roughly half the ground they had made this year on Thursday as markets reacted to the release of minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting.The Fed, as it is known, signaled it could move earlier than expected to raise rates and tame inflation as well as reducing its balance sheet, effectively stopping the market purchases of Treasury bonds which have helped support...