Fresh 35p cash offer Possible $450 million cash injection Wood to succumb to 'sorry end' Wood Group's (WG.) shares rallied 11.5% to 27.9p on the news Dubai-based rival Sidara has returned to the table with a £242 million conditional offer for the indebted energy services business less than a year after walking away from a £1.5 billion bid. Pitched at 35p per share in cash, the fresh offer is...

A revised approach for FTSE 250 healthcare facilities owner Assura (AGR) by US buyout fund KKR (KKR:NYSE) and Stonepeak Partners brings UK M&A deal values so far this year to around £3.6 billion by our calculation.That is only around 25% of the value of deals announced in the first quarter of last year, although in fairness we haven't included Sidara's reported interest in energy services...

In the annals of stock market history there can be few deals as disastrous as Wood Group's (WG.) merger with Amec Foster Wheeler.The tie-up, which took place in 2017, has caused a plethora of problems for Wood Group in the interim and, combined with industry-wide structural pressures, has seen its market value collapse.The shares fell to a new all-time low after a weaker-than-expected...

Shares down 70% over the past yearExpects negative free cash flow in 2025Deloitte review into firm continuesShares in John Wood Group (WG.) plummeted 30% in early morning trading as the Scottish-based oil and gas engineering and services firm reported weaker-than-expected trading in the fourth quarter.John Wood said it has taken actions to mitigate fourth quarter weakness by cancelling...

Stock prices in London and Frankfurt opened in the red on Friday, as investors prepare for eurozone economic data and digest another tariff plan from the US president.In London, NatWest faced some selling pressure despite better-than-expected results. Hermes boosted Paris, keeping the CAC 40 in the green.The FTSE 100 index fell 30.67 points, 0.4%, at 8,734.05. The FTSE 250 added just 2.35...

Ocado still the number one shortRetailers in general unlovedEnergy services stocks drilledShort-selling, or borrowing shares to sell in the hope of buying them back at a lower price, is not something most retail investors have the nerve or the skill-set to pull off as it requires a certain mindset and a willingness to tolerate heavy losses on occasion until your bets come right.For the pros,...

Trio of agreements signed with BPBased on decades-long partnershipPotential for four year extensionGlobal oil and gas engineering firm Wood Group (WG.) jumped 10% to 70.2p after signing a trio of global engineering and project delivery agreements with BP (BP.).The positive news gave some respite to the embattled company, which has seen its shares drop by 58% year-to-date.Shares in the FTSE 250...

Three tried and tested market principles were reinforced by the latest update from beleaguered energy services firm Wood Group (WG.).I have followed this business for nearly two decades and it's hard to remember a time when it was in a worse state than it is today.That's backed up by the share price which traded at all-time lows below 50p in response to the company's devastating missive on 7...

Stock prices were lower in London at midday Wednesday as UK retail sales continued to fall in August, and while investors awaited second quarter earnings from tech firm Nvidia.The FTSE 100 index was down 9.17 points, or 0.1%, at 8,336.29. The FTSE 250 was down 36.43 points, or 0.2%, at 21,125.64, and the AIM All-Share was down 5.92 points, or 0.8%, at 773.26.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at...

Suitor walks awayBlames geopolitical risks, financial market turmoilWood reiterates outlooks for 2024 and 2025Shares in oil services and consulting firm Wood Group (WG.) slumped 38% to 122.3p on Monday after Sidara terminated takeover talks, the suitor citing 'rising geopolitical risks and financial market uncertainty' for its decision not to make a firm offer.Aberdeen-headquartered Wood had...

Up to $2 billion impairment expectedBP sees earnings hit from lower refining marginsHunting upgrades guidance, Wood wins Shell contractBP (BP.) shares slid 3.6% to 457.6p on Tuesday after the energy producer warned it would book impairments of up to $2 billion in the second quarter of 2024 arising from plans to scale back refining operations in Germany which have been hit by rising energy...

Firm has received four bidsFinal bid pitched at 230pDeadline for talks extendedThe board of oil services and consulting firm Wood Group (WG.) last night published a statement saying while they were confident in the company's strategic direction and its prospects they had decided to engage with bidder Sidara.Wood Group shares jumped 19p or 10% to 205p, which is still some way short of Sidara's...

Ashtead Technology revenue soarsFull-year results seen 'comfortably' above forecastsWood Group inks $330 million dealAshtead Technology (AT.:AIM), the offshore energy services firm spun out of construction equipment hire group Ashtead (AHT) in late 2021, seems to be following in the tracks of its parent company with its latest trading update.After a 57% jump in first-half revenue, the firm now...

First-half revenue and profit top forecastsFull-year targets raisedShares gain 5% to top FTSE 250Shares in John Wood Group (WG.) jumped 5% to 155.7p after the energy services firm lifted its outlook for full-year sales and profits following a strong first half and 'significant' contract wins.The news will come as some relief for shareholders after private equity giant Apollo Global Management...

Energy services firm Wood Group (WG.) is under pressure to deliver after ultimately unrealised takeover interest from private equity firm Apollo Global Management earlier this year.In May Apollo said it would not proceed with a takeover, despite Wood finally opening its books to the firm at the fifth time of asking in response to a bid of 240p per share. With no reasoning given for Apollo's...

S4 Capital chief operating officer offloads nearly £3 million sharesExperian directors go on a spending spreeWood Group director buys after share price fallThe chief operating officer (COO) of London-based digital advertising agency S4 Capital (SFOR) has offloaded nearly £3 million worth of shares in the company. Christopher Martin sold 2,087,984 shares at 134p for a total value of £2.8...

All we have heard for the last few years is that private equity firms - especially those based in the US - have plenty of 'dry powder' to make acquisitions, and the UK market is a prime target due to the low valuations of stocks here.So why is it that several recent deals have failed to take off as the market expected, and what are the takeaways?Earlier this week, New York-based private equity...

- Private equity firm made five offers- Withdrawal follows snub by THG last week- Investors see bid premium evaporateFor the second time in as many weeks, global private equity investor Apollo Asset Management has ended talks with a UK target, this time Scottish-based oil and gas engineering and services firm John Wood Group (WG.).Shares in Wood Group fell as much as 40% from their previous...

Slowing growth coupled with heightened uncertainty is never a good combination for stock markets. Smaller company shares tend to deteriorate more because their operational risks are seen to be more concentrated versus large-cap peers.History shows that smaller companies tend to underperform larger ones during economic downturns, so given the gloomy backdrop, many investors will happily avoid...

- CentralNic non-executive buys after upgrades- Domino's director adds to his stake- Jet2 mogul jettisons £38m of sharesAs we approach the year-end, we thought it might be instructive to see which directors have been most active in buying - and selling - their companies' shares.Using the Director Deals function on the Shares website, we ranked the most active directors over the last three and...