Shares in HSBC (HSBA) gained 4% to £13.45 despite the global banking group posting a 7% drop in FY25 earnings. The bank took a swathe of charges last year for asset writedowns, legal provisions, restructuring and related costs. Share price: £13.45 (+4.2%)PE: 19.3xMarket cap: £233bnYield: 3.7% Beating and raising After a strong FY24, when pre-tax profit was helped by $1 billion of one-offs, FY25 pre-tax profit was $29.9 billion. That marked a 7.4% drop on the previous year but was still comfortably above the $28.9 billion consensus. The bank took $4.9 billion of negative items including a $2.1 billion writedown…

US home improvement retailer Home Depot (HD) posted forecast-beating Q4 results and confirmed its current-year earnings guidance. Analysts had expressed concern the company might struggle due to consumer uncertainty and a weak housing market. Share price: $389 (+3.2%)PE: 25xMarket cap: $390bnYield: 2.4% ‘Steady demand’ For the three months to 1 February, the firm reported sales of $38.2 billion, down 3.8% on the previous year. However, it was good enough to beat the Wall Street consensus of $38.09 billion which is what mattered. Also, Q4 2025 consisted of 13 weeks against 14 a year earlier, so on a LFL basis sales…

Shares in student accommodation provider Unite Group (UTG) fell 9% after the company warned earnings would fall in FY26. The group said it had seen falling demand for university places, in particular from overseas students. Double trouble Unite reported a 9% increase in adjusted earnings to £232 million for FY25, which CEO Joe Lister called ‘robust’. While trading was strong in most areas, the firm noted weaker demand in some cities for the 2025/26 academic year. Rent for 2025/26 rose 4% against an 8.2% rise for the previous academic year. Also disappointing, the occupancy rate dropped to 95.2% against 97.5%…

Asia and Africa-focused bank Standard Chartered (STAN) announced a $1.5 billion share buyback and a 65% dividend hike. However, the news was overshadowed by Q4 and FY results which marginally missed market expectations sending the shares lower. Share price: £17.92 (-1.2%)PE: 13xMarket cap: £40.75bnYield: 1.6% Strong underlying results According to CEO Bill Winters, 2025 was ‘another year of strong momentum’ for the bank. ‘We’re seeing robust growth in our larger markets, and structural shifts in global trade and investment play to our strengths’, added Winters. For the full year, the bank posted a 6% increase in operating income to $20.9…

Shares in chemicals firm Johnson Matthey (JMAT) slid 14% to £19.70 after Honeywell (HON) cut its offer for JM’s catalyst unit. The two companies also extended the ‘long stop’ date to get the deal done from 21 February to 21 July. Share price: £19.70 (-14%)PE: n/aMaket cap: £3.28bnYield: 4% Lower capital returns Honeywell had originally agreed on a £1.8 billion price tag for JM’s Catalyst Technologies business. However, the US firm amended its offer to £1.325 billion based on the division’s weak performance last year. The catalyst business suffered the deferral of key licensing projects and reduced profitability due to…

Comparison website provider MONY Group (MONY) reported record sales and earnings for the FY to December. The group estimated it saved consumers £2.8 billion last year, helped by the adoption of AI-powered tools. Share price: 156p (+2%)PE: 9.5xMarket cap: £810mYield: 8.6% AI providing momentum The MoneySuperMarket website operator delivered a 2% increase in revenue to £446 million for FY25. It also delivered its highest adjusted EBITDA of £145 million, up 2% on the previous year. The group’s largest specialty, insurance, registered a 1% drop in FY revenue to £232.5 million. The firm said it faced ‘challenging conditions’ in H2 in…

A US judge has upheld an earlier court order for Tesla (TSLA) to pay $243 million in damages. The auto maker had appealed the August 2025 verdict which followed a fatal 2019 crash involving a model S saloon. Share price: $409 (-0.6%)PE: 289xMarket cap: $1,545bnYield: n/a Autopilot blamed for crash In 2025, a Florida federal jury ruled Tesla’s Autopilot software contributed to a fatal crash in Key Largo. Specifically, it blamed the software for failing to alert the driver or brake before the vehicle jumped a red light at 62mph. The court awarded the families of the victims $243 million…

Real estate company SEGRO (SGRO) reported its strongest year of lettings take-up in 2025. The FTSE 100 firm specialises in developing sites for logistics, warehousing and data centres. Share price: 801p (+0.4%)PE: 16.2xMarket cap: £10.8bnYield: 3.9% Strong momentum SEGRO recorded £99 million of new contracted rent commitments and 6% growth in LFL net rental income last year. The firm said momentum was building among occupiers with increasing levels of enquiry and active negotiations for pre-lets. The headline rent increase included £66 million of leasing and reversion capture in the existing portfolio, and £33 million of development signings. Of these, £26…

Sports car and F1 company Aston Marton Lagonda (AML) has cut its earnings guidance for FY25 again. The firm had already lowered its outlook for the year in its interim results statement. Share price: 59p (-1%)PE: n/aMarket cap: £600mYield: n/a Losses accelerating For the quarter to December 2025, AML sees EBIT ‘slightly below’ the bottom end of the range of forecasts. As of January 2026, the low end of the range was an EBIT loss of £184 million. In Q3 last year, AML said it expected an improved financial performance in Q4 ‘driven by increased core volumes’. Meanwhile, it forecast…

Shares in used car retailer Carvana (CVNA) skidded 9% lower after the firm posted Q4 earnings which missed market expectations. The $47 billion company is popular with US retail investors and recently joined the large-cap S&P 500 benchmark. Share price: $329 (-9%)PE: 55xMarket cap: $47bnYield: n/a Higher costs impact margins For the three months to December, Carvana posted adjusted EBITDA of $511 million against $359 million a year earlier. However, Wall Street analysts had pencilled in $540 million of EBITDA. Q4 revenue was $5.6 billion, up 58% on the prior year and above the $5.27 billion consensus. With its eye-catching…