Author: Ian Conway
Ian Conway has worked in financial markets for over 30 years as a bond and equity trader, Extel-rated analyst and strategist, and partner of a stockbroking firm. He also founded a financial research company servicing institutional clients prior to writing for and editing Shares magazine. Ian is primarily an income investor although he also buys selected growth stocks. Find him at LinkedIn: Click Here
Subsea services group Ashtead Technology (AT.) posted FY25 earnings well above the consensus, while revenue was in line with estimates. The firm issued upgraded guidance in January after H2 trading exceeded expectations. Strong market fundamentals For the year to December, revenue rose 21% to £203.2 million as per the firm’s revised guidance. The acquisitions of Seatronics and J2 Subsea contributed 19% growth, while underlying growth net of currency moves was 2%. Adjusted EBITA increased 17.5% to £59.1 million, representing a 29.1% margin, towards the top end of guidance. Adjusted EPS increased 9.8% to 49.4p against the company-compiled consensus of 44.7p.…
AIM-listed maritime surveillance system and navigation device maker SRT Marine (SRT) posted a near-doubling in H1 revenue. The firm also delivered a significant increase in pre-tax profit and operating cash flow. Strong growth and good visibility Revenue for the six months to December 2025 jumped 95% from £26.2 million to £51.1 million. Around 90% of the total came from surveillance systems and around 10% came from the transceivers business. The firm said it would continue to grow revenue in H2 and was confident of meeting market expectations. The current consensus on Stockopedia for FY revenue is £116 million, implying annual…
Mid-market legal services firm DSW Capital (DSW) warned the Iran war had ‘severely impacted’ UK M&A activity. As a result, the company lowered its full-year financial guidance sending its shares down over 15%. ‘Rapid and significant drop-off’ DSW, which owns the Dow Schofield Watts and DR Solicitors brands, said trading this year had largely been profitable. However, its financial year ends in March which is traditionally an important month for M&A completions ahead of the tax year-end. The AIM-listed firm said many deals it had expected to complete this month had been aborted or postponed. Companies are now waiting ‘until…
Life insurance and savings group Standard Life (SDLF) delivered better-than-expected FY25 profit and maintained its FY26 guidance. The firm, formerly known as Phoenix Group, changed its name and stock ticker earlier this year. A growing market The company buys and manages books of pensions and life insurance businesses which are closed to new customers. Over the past few years, more firms have moved to sell their Workplace pension liabilities to insurers. The UK long-term savings and retirement market is expected to grow by 70% over the next decade. Additionally, the company sees annual flows in the Workplace market reaching around…
In today’s podcast, the Sharesify team talk markets, technicals, and the week’s winners and losers. While the FTSE 100 is still clinging above 10,000, the S&P 500 is nearing a key market support level. Ian explains what it is and why so many market-watchers are keeping an eye on it. Companies in focus First up, Steve flags results from US software behemoths Adobe (ADBE) and Oracle (ORCL). In Adobe’s case, strong Q1 revenue growth and increasing AI adoption have been overshadowed by the CEO’s surprise departure. Oracle shares on the other hand have enjoyed a strong rally on current growth…
Plant and equipment hire firm Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB), formerly known as Ashtead, posted an 11% drop in Q3 earnings. These are the first results since the company moved its listing to the US, and were published as a 10-Q form. Nothing to write home about Revenue for the quarter to the end of January was $2.64 billion, up 2.7% on the previous year. Cost of sales rose 4.8% to $1.65 billion, however, meaning gross profit was marginally down year-on-year. Selling, general and admin costs rose by over 9% to $379 million, so operating income dropped 7.5% to $492 million. At…
In the first of what we hope will be a weekly wrap of interesting results incoming, we spin through Ashtead Technology (AT.), Trustpilot (TRST) and Wickes (WIX), three companies with plenty to prove. Remember, if you value this content, or any of our analysis features and stories, let us know at editorial@sharesify.com, like us on X, Bluesky, Facebook or LinkedIn, and click that ‘follow’ button., and please subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you’ll find a wealth of investing podcast material. Ashtead Technology (AT.) Interest will be high when the subsea services firm reports FY25 earnings on Tuesday 17 March. In January, the company revealed…
Apartment block builder Berkeley Group (BKG) confirmed its FY26 pre-tax profit guidance but nudged its FY27 target lower. The shares dropped 2.7% to £36.56, taking losses over the last month to around 18%. FY guidance maintained Berkeley, which has an April financial year end, posted a trading update for the four months to 28 February 2026. The group said trading over the period had remained ‘constrained’ by the impact of geopolitics on consumer confidence. Moreover, the situation in the Middle East was ‘weighing heavily on risk sentiment’. Therefore, while it stuck to its FY26 pre-tax profit guidance of £450 million,…
Shares in private equity and credit manager Bridgepoint (BPT) bounced from their 12-month low on strong FY25 results. The firm said earnings were ahead of its expectations driven by fee generation and asset growth. Robust fee growth For the year to December, the group delivered 13% growth in underlying management fees to £422 million. Meanwhile, total assets under management increased by 24.5% from $75.6 billion to $94.1 billion. Fee-paying assets increased slightly to $38.8 billion, although that figure is set to rise this year. Its latest ECP (Energy Capital Partners) fund is completing its fundraising while its latest European buyout…
Shares in heating and ventilation group Volution (FAN) eased 3.7% to 601p despite the firm raising FY26 profit guidance. Following a strong H1 and with continued momentum in H2, EPS is seen hitting the top end of market forecasts. Encouraging outlook For the six months to 31 January, the FTSE 250 firm posted a 22% increase in revenue to £229 million. All three regions – the UK, Europe and Australasia – delivered organic revenue growth in line with the firm’s 3% to 5% target. The rest of the uplift came from recent acquisitions, including Fantech in Australia, plus a small…













