Shares in Centrica (CNA) slid 8% to 180p after the British Gas owner halted its buyback programme. The firm made the announcement alongside lacklustre FY25 results which saw operating profits halve. Share price: 180p (-8%) PE: 16.1x Market Cap £8.8bn Yield: 3.0% From profit to loss Following £800 million of buybacks last year, Centrica said it was pausing repurchases to reflect ‘the quality of investment opportunities’. The firm is part-way through its ‘transformation programme’ and clearly needs to conserve cash for future profitability. The news was accompanied by a 40% drop in FY adjusted EBITDA and a 50% drop in…

US activist investor Elliott Management is calling on London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) to review its operations and carry out a £5 billion buyback. This is according to unconfirmed press reports circulating in the market. Portfolio review and buyback There was speculation last week Elliott had increased its stake in the UK data and stock exchange business. However, there has been no regulatory announcement to back up this suggestion. According to Reuters, the US activist wants LSEG to ‘conduct a portfolio review’ while buying back £5 billion of shares. ‘While Elliott has not made specific requests on asset disposals, it…

International hospitality group PPHE Hotels (PPH) has agreed to sell a New York development site, abandoning its US growth ambitions. The site in Manhattan was meant to be the springboard for the firm’s US business when it was acquired in 2019. Share price: £20.55 (-0.2%)PE: 45xMarket cap: £985mYield: 1.75% ‘No longer viable’ PPHE is selling a site near Hudson Yards, which it had originally planned to turn into a hotel and condos. The area was extensively redeveloped as New York’s art gallery district and was therefore the ideal location for an art’otel. On buying the site, PPHE said development costs…

AIM-listed ‘challenger’ law firm Keystone (KEYS) raised its FY26 guidance alongside its latest trading update. The company said revenue and adjusted pre-tax profit for the year to January 2026 were marginally above market expectations. Share price: 608p (+4.8%)PE: 20xMarket cap: £193mYield: 3.7% Buoyant trading Keystone operates as a platform for lawyers, allowing them the freedom to work how, when and where they work. It provides full infrastructure and support via a central office and bespoke IT in exchange for 25% of billings. The firm said its business had performed ‘strongly’ during the year, helped by ‘buoyant trading conditions’. Good client…

In this article, we explain how compound interest works and why it is one of the cornerstones for growing wealth. Albert Einstein called it ‘the eighth wonder of the world’, adding ‘He who understands it, earns it; he who doesn’t, pays it.’ Unlike simple interest, which is calculated just on the principal, compound interest is based on the principal and interest combined. Compounding can significantly increase the value of your investment over time, so it is worth taking the time to understand. Compounding explained If you put £1,000 in a bank account which pays 5% interest, after one year you…

AIM-listed ‘green’ hydrogen producer ITM Power (ITM) has raised its revenue guidance for 2026. The Sheffield-based company cited ‘strong project progress’ and a shift in its accounting method for the uplift. Share price: 66p (+2.7%)PE: n/aMarket Cap: £400mYield: n/a Big jump in revenue For the year to April 2026, ITM now sees revenue reaching between £40 million and £43 million. That represents an uplift of 11% on the middle of the previous range of £35 million to £40 million. It also represents a jump of between 54% and 65% from 2025’s revenue of £26 million, itself a company record. As…

Shares in Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) were flat despite the firm announcing a $950 million buyback alongside its FY25 results. The group owns the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Intercontinental chains, with revenue heavily weighted to the Americas. Share price: $144.60 (unch)PE: 27xMarket cap: $21.8bnYield: 1.3% Weak underlying growth For FY25, IHG posted a 7% rise in hotel revenue to $2.5 billion, slightly ahead of the $2.45 billion consensus. However, most of the gain was due to a 4.7% increase in new rooms, as global RevPAR (revenue per available room) increased just 1.5%. Average room prices across the group were…

Acquisition vehicle Rosebank Industries (ROSE) has announced a potential £1.9 billion capital raise. Therefore, the firm’s shares have been suspended from trading on the AIM market until it makes a further announcement. Share price: 328p (susp)PE: n/aMarket cap: £1.8bnYield: n/a ‘Buy, Improve, Sell’ Rosebank, which operates a ‘Buy, Improve, Sell’ model, is in talks to buy two private equity owned US businesses. The two assets, which the firm hasn’t yet revealed, have a headline enterprise value (equity plus debt) of $3 billion. The firm says the deal is ‘in line with the company’s acquisition criteria’ and will be funded through…

Shares in precision engineering group Hunting (HTG) hit five-year highs after a trading update from customer Buccaneer Energy (BUCE). The latter announced positive pilot test results at its Pine Mills oil field in East Texas using Hunting’s technology. Share price: 495p (+3%) PE: 21.5x Market cap: £975m Yield: 1.9% 100% uplift in production In its update, AIM-listed Buccaneer revealed an increase of 100% in production in the northern section of the Pine Mills field. In addition, the firm said water cut decreased from 80% to zero in one of its treated wells. The improvement was down to the use of…

Specialist real estate investment trust Custodian Property Income (CREI) announced the strategic acquisition of a £36 million family-owned portfolio. The assets are expected to enhance earnings from day one, improve dividend cover and provide ‘potential for value creation’. Share price: 88p (-1.1%)PE: 11xMarket cap: £410mYield: 6.7% ‘Trust of choice’ Custodian aims to be ‘the investment trust of choice for investors seeking high and stable dividends from well-diversified UK real estate’. Today’s announcement signals the second acquisition of a family-owned portfolio of assets after the Merlin deal in May 2025. The portfolio comprises seven assets close to the M25 motorway in…