Specialist business services firm FRP Advisory (FRP:AIM) is one of those businesses which many investors may have heard of but few are sure exactly what it does.Put simply, FRP helps companies through each stage of their development, giving advice on raising capital, managing debt, acquisitions, corporate finance and forensic accounting. It is probably best-known for 'crisis management' where it h

Anyone who has walked past a building site in the UK recently might well have seen Kier (KIE) branding on it. This infrastructure and construction services outfit is actively at work on more than 400 developments across the UK. Having emerged from a difficult period with much stronger foundations, this improvement is not yet reflected in its current valuation, but we think that will change through

Softer than expected Q3Gross margins to remain stableGrowth slows ahead of ChristmasSpanish clothing retailer Inditex (ITX:BME) has transformed itself from a humble textile maker into a global fashion titan with a reputation for being on-trend and quick to market and can usually be relied upon to meet or beat forecasts.But the Madrid-listed shares were under pressure on 11 December, falling 5% to

200p per share offer accepted21.2% uplift on ABC's initial bidTI Fluid valued at £1.04 billionAnother one bites the dust. Automotive fluid storage and delivery specialist TI Fluid Systems (TIFS) looks set to become the latest company to exit the UK stock market.Having spurned earlier bids from ABC Technologies, the car parts supplier has succumbed to the private equity backed group's overtures an

London indices saw modest gains on Thursday, driven in part by strong performances from food retailers Tesco and Sainsbury's, which rose on analyst upgrades, while trading volumes remained light with US markets closed for Thanksgiving.The FTSE 100 index rose 6.47 points, 0.1%, at 8,281.22. The FTSE 250 climbed 146.81 points, 0.7%, at 20,748.44, and the AIM All-Share eased 0.49 of a point, 0.1%, at

Stocks in London were mixed around midday on Thursday, although a burst of takeover action provided some energy to a quiet trading day due to a public holiday in New York.Renewi said it would be minded to accept a bid from Macquarie, which came back to the negotiating table after walking away more than a year ago. Direct Line rebuffed an Aviva tilt, however. Loungers agreed to a private equity bid

Company agrees takeover by FortressAll-cash 310p offer is 30% premiumStock trades at new all-time highAll-day bar/restaurant operator Loungers (LGRS:AIM) came to the market on the eve of the pandemic in 2019 and now appears to be going back to private equity ownership after agreeing a takeover offer from Fortress Investment at a 30% premium to the last closing price.The shares jumped 28% to a reco

We begin proceedings with two takeover approaches, one successful, the other less so, for now at least.First, Swiss bourse operator SIX agreed to buy UK junior marketplace Aquis Exchange (AQX:AIM) for 727p in cash, representing a 120% premium to the previous closing price of 330p.SIX, which operates the Swiss and Spanish stock markets, called the deal 'a compelling strategic opportunity which will

34% rise in annual pre-tax profit to £610 millionProposed dividend increaseExpects to reduce winter lossesEasyJet (EZJ) shares made marginal gains this morning after the low-budget airline reported a 34% rise in pre-tax profit to £610 million for the year ending 30 September.There was good news for EasyJet holidays' division which reported a pre-tax profit of £190 million, driven by 36% growth

Trading ahead of expectationsBig jump in royalty incomeAmazon tie-up news imminentIn an unscheduled update, fantasy miniatures maker Games Workshop (GAW) said trading since 8 September is tracking ahead of expectations and provided new financial estimates for the half year to 1 December.The news was well received with the shares jumping as much as 15% to a new all-time high of £136.5, taking gain

Trading environment 'volatile'Weak Q3 growthBillion pound club admission may have to waitTrainers-to-tracksuits seller JD Sports Fashion (JD.) now expects year-to-January 2025 pre-tax profits will be at the lower end of its original £955 million to £1.035 billion guidance range, disappointing news that sent the shares tumbling 16% to a two-year low of 95.2p.The global footwear seller had been on

Retail and hospitality companies have slammed the UK government's Budget as a raid on corporate coffers that will heap extra costs on already hard-pressed sectors, with Labour's 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage and uplift in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) forecast to lead to job cuts and price hikes.Chancellor Rachel Reeves' lowering of the employers' NIC threshold to

Ticket sales and revenue forecasts raisedOperational gearing leads to higher marginShares hit new three-month highInvestors in online travel booking platform Trainline (TRN) enjoyed an uplift in the firm's valuation after it raised its outlook for the year to next February for a second time thanks to increased economies of scale.The shares accelerated 37p or 11% to a new three-month high of 374p,

H&T (HAT:AIM) 376.7pMarket cap: £165.7 millionA 15% year-to-date drawdown at H&T (HAT:AIM) presents a buying opportunity at the UK's biggest pawnbroker, a beneficiary of the cost-of-living crisis and the elevated gold price whose long-run prospects appear underrated on a single-digit PE (price to earnings) ratio.Caused by inflation and rising interest rates, the cost-of-living crisis has turbo-ch

Offer comes at a premium to NAVReturn equals 3.5 times investmentFull-year dividend hike confirmedFTSE 250 private equity investment trust 3i Infrastructure (3IN) announced it had received a binding offer for its 33% stake in European independent renewable energy firm Valorem at a premium to book value.The shares added 3p or 0.8% to 344p, bringing gains over the last year to around 20% against a 1

Volume growth and market share gainsNet debt down 2.1% to £9.7 billionInterim dividend upped 10.4%The UK's biggest grocery chain Tesco (TSCO) raised its full-year 2025 earnings guidance after delivering better-than-expected volume growth and a near-10% uplift in profit for the half ended 24 August.Chief executive Ken Murphy insisted his charge is 'in good shape' ahead of Christmas and Britain's b

The GYM Group (GYM) 157pGain to date: 14%Gym operator GYM Group (GYM)is showing good gains since we identified the low-cost gym specialist as an attractive risk/reward investment opportunity on 18 August. We noted the business has got itself back into shape and appears to be building strong momentum with consistent like-for-like sales growth and rising site yields amid an acceleration of new site

Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) 76pGain to date: 0%We suggested investing in the company in late March on the basis income was rising due to strong sales at supermarkets and the shares were yielding 8% with the dividend fully covered by earnings.While zero returns isn't quite what we'd hoped for, in the meantime investors have received two interim payments of 1.515p per share, one in mid-May and on

Revenue guidance slashed by halfConsensus profit downgrade of 7% to 10%Margin recovery to continueShares in premium mixer company Fevertree Drinks (FEVR:AIM) tumbled 9% to a new eight year low after the firm cut its full year revenue forecast amid disappointing trading reflecting a subdued UK consumer and poor weather.The latest slump in the shares takes year-to-date losses to 21% compared with a

LADBible publisher LBG Media (LBG:AIM) seems to be in full recovery mode ahead of its half-year results on 18 September.Back in July, the youth-focused publisher posted a strong interim trading update with direct revenue increasing by 92% to £22 million and signaled continued growth in the US.Global audience numbers increase to 493 million up from 410 million in the first half of 2023.Peel Hunt a