Car seller sounds earnings alarmUsed car market malaise set to continueLiberum Capital slashes profit forecastsThe UK?s fourth largest automotive retailer Vertu Motors (VTU:AIM) has disappointed investors with the news annual profits will be below expectations due to a deterioration in the used car market anticipated to persist into the company?s fourth quarter.Shares in the Gateshead-based...

Record first half salesInterim dividend up 21%On target to achieve full year expectationsAfter a soggy few days for equity markets automotive retailer Vertu Motors (VTU:AIM) provided some welcome news on Wednesday after delivering record first half revenue and hiking the dividend by 21.4%.The shares advanced 2% to 71.6p taking gains over the last year to 66%. The stock is approaching...

With AI (artificial intelligence) the flavour of the month and investors focused on intangible assets such intellectual property and brand value, investors may be under valuing real, tangible assets lurking on balance sheets.The value of tangible assets has been a major feature of recent mergers and acquisition activity in the automotive retailer market.When Lookers (LOOK) received a knockout...

- Vertu leapfrogs Pendragon to become fourth largest UK car retailer- Launches further £3 million buyback- Expects margins to remain strongShares in Vertu Motors (VTU:AIM) rallied 5.2% to 45.5p after the cash-generative car retailer reported strong first half results and said adjusted pre-tax profits for the year to next February were expected to beat consensus estimates.Vertu demonstrated...

- Vertu snaps up Wiper Blades for £3.5 million- Acquisition to boost current year earnings- Omni-channel operator Vertu looks a future winnerShares in Vertu Motors (VTU:AIM) revved up 1.3% to 54.7p after the UK's fifth largest automotive retailer announced the acquisition of Worcestershire-based e-commerce business Wiper Blades.Gateshead-based Vertu expects the £3.5 million purchase to...

In this article we take a dive into the lowly valued part of the UK stock market to see if we can find some hidden gems. Specifically, we are looking for shares trading on less than eight times forecast earnings.It is sometimes said 'one man's meat is another man's poison' or 'one man's rubbish is another man's treasure'.Digging around the ultra-cheap end of the stock market may not be...

We might have thought we'd seen it all after 2020 but it's been quite a year in 2021 too with an impressive rebound for the markets from the ravages of the pandemic.But which stocks have done best? Read on to discover the top performers up and down the market cap spectrum and find out why they've done so well. For the purposes of this article we've deliberately excluded investment trusts.£4...

Quoted car retailers are enjoying an upgrade cycle fuelled by the highly unusual supply and demand dynamics seen in the UK automotive market since the summer of 2020.Post-lockdown, pent-up consumer demand is being released at the same time as the global semiconductor shortage impacts new car production, which is driving up second hand vehicle prices in particular and boosting sector-wide...

Inflation, supply chain issues and soaring fuel prices have dominated UK market chatter for months but on Wednesday investors were obsessed by THG (THG).The online beauty and health products seller, also known as The Hut Group, continued to fall on after a torrid Tuesday during which it saw its share price lose more than a third of its value. A presentation to analysts and key investors...

A solid start to trading on Wall Street helped London's FTSE 100 regain some poise after a rollercoaster week, with the blue chip benchmark finishing 0.4% higher at 7,087.90 points on Friday.The FTSE 250 firmed 0.6% to 23,750.89 thanks to a strong showing from the retail sector, boosted by an improved bid for Morrisons (MRW) and an upbeat trading statement from Marks & Spencer (MKS).COMPANY...

London's FTSE 100 was subdued on Friday, the blue chip benchmark trading 0.24% lower at 7,042.1 points by noon, though it avoided the heavy selling witnessed on Thursday.The FTSE 250 was pretty much flat at 23,616.1, despite a strong showing from the retail sector amid an improved bid for Morrisons (MRW) and an upbeat trading statement from Marks & Spencer (MKS).COMPANY NEWSHigh street...

Shares in Marshall Motor (MMH:AIM) revved up 10.75% to an all-time high of 237p on Wednesday after the car dealership upgraded 2021 profit guidance for the second time in less than two months.The UK's seventh largest automotive retailer now expects continuing underlying profit before tax will be 'not less than £40 million', and that's after repaying all Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and...

Shares in Marshall Motor (MMH:AIM) revved up 4.7% to a five-year high of 200p after the automotive dealership upgraded profit guidance again in an unscheduled trading update.Following on from a significant profit upgrade in May, Marshall Motor insisted it is on the road to recording another record result for 2021, management also flagged up a 'high level of uncertainty' ahead due to factors...

Shares in Vertu Motors (VTU:AIM) accelerated 4.1% to a one-year high of 47.8p after the UK's fifth biggest automotive retailer raised pre-tax profit guidance for the year to February 2022 amid 'very robust' demand for used cars.With vehicle supply constraints and strong demand pushing up used car prices and gross profit per unit, Vertu now expects annual adjusted pre-tax profit will be above...

Stocks made further gains on Wednesday after Fed chairman Jerome Powell repeated his view that price pressures in the US economy were temporary and confirmed the central bank would not raise interest rates pre-emptively.US markets rallied with the Nasdaq 100 tech index making a new all-time high, helped by gains in drugmaker Moderna and chipmaker Nvidia.By 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was up 18...

This is the latest part in a regular series in which we will provide an investment clinic based on hypothetical scenarios. By doing so we aim to provide some insights which can help different types of investor from beginners all the way up to experienced market participants.Having sold her house in Stroud for £375,000, 55-year-old Glenda has downsized to a smaller property by the sea in...

London's listed car dealers could soon face stiffer competition from an online disruptor with a souped-up balance sheet and increased brand awareness as used car website Cazoo motors onto the New York Stock Exchange.Founded as recently as 2018 by tech tycoon Alex Chesterman, Cazoo plans to go public across the pond via a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company or SPAC that will value...

It might not seem like it in the depths of a gloomy lockdown winter, but brighter days are ahead of us. By mid-February the UK hopes to have vaccinated most over-70s, with a large chunk of over-50s potentially covered by the end of March.This cohort should then be much better protected against Covid-19 and that could result in a new spending spree.Getting the vaccine should allow for the...

The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index closed almost flat at 6,555.39 as Brexit dominated the headlines on Monday, with the UK and EU now at a 'critical stage' in their talks over a trade deal.Cabinet Office minister Penny Mordaunt told the House of Commons that the UK and EU are at a 'critical moment in the negotiations' and warned the UK is prepared to walk away from talks if the EU cannot 'find...

UK stocks had a mixed start to the week as the FTSE 100 increased 0.44% to 6,578.82 by lunchtime on Monday, with weakness in the pound helping the exporter-heavy index.Sterling was down against the euro and dollar as sentiment turned negative on the knife-edge Brexit trade talks currently playing out, with the European Union reportedly 'downbeat' over the chance of a deal being...