Shares in land and property developer Henry Boot (BOOT) fell 10% after the firm warned on FY26 earnings. Due to a combination of factors, the group now sees this year’s earnings ‘significantly below current market expectations’. Share price: 197p (-10%)PE: 9.9xMarket cap: £268mYield: 3.6% Boot said despite continued political and economic uncertainty it expected FY25 profit to be in line with estimates. Strong demand for prime residential sites saw land sales hit a record, but that was the extent of the good news. Transaction volumes subdued Transaction volumes across the firm’s markets were ‘subdued’, with deals taking longer to complete.…

High-street lender Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) posted better than forecast FY25 earnings and raised its FY26 outlook. Profit topped forecasts despite a charge of almost £1 billion including motor finance compensation. Share price: 105.4p (+0.9%)PE: 15.8xMarket cap: £61.4bnYield: 3.5% Beat and raise Lloyds reported profit before tax of £6.7 billion, an increase of 12%, beating the consensus estimate of £6.4 billion. The bank cited higher total income and disciplined cost control for its performance. Underlying net interest income rose 6% to £13.6 billion thanks to a rise in the net interest margin and asset growth. Fee income rose 9% to…

Shares in luxury goods giant LVMH hit a 3-month low after the group posted weak Q4 sales. The firm blamed a ‘disrupted global economic and geopolitical environment’ for its performance and issued a cautious 2026 outlook. Share price: €550 (-6.6%)PE: 24.8xMarket cap: €272bnYield: 2.2% LOWER LIKE-FOR-LIKE SALES For 2025, LVMH reported revenue of €80.8 billion, down 5% on a headline basis and 1% on an organic basis. Demand was mixed with European sales down in H2 and US sales up, while Japanese sales were down on yen weakness. Sales in the rest of Asia saw a ‘noticeable’ improvement and a…

Shares in pub group Martson’s (MARS) fell over 10% after the firm posted a disappointing Christmas trading update. The group operates over 1,300 pubs with both managed, partnership, tenanted and leased pubs in its estate. Share price: 61.5p (-10.8%)PE: 7.6xMarket cap: £390mYield: n/a ON TRACK TO DELIVER For the 17 weeks to 24 January, Martson’s registered a 4% increase in like-for-like sales. Across five key festive dates, when trading hit a peak, like-for-like growth increased to 5.6%. While this may have outpaced the market, including food, drink, accommodation and gaming machines, the company lagged its peers. This makes Martson’s the…

Commercial property group British Land (BLND) has agreed to buy ailing Life Science REIT (LABS) for a small premium. The deal comes after LABS shareholders agreed to a managed wind-down of the company last November. BLND share price: 406p (-0.9%)PE: 7.4xMarket cap: £4.1bnYield: 5.6% ASSETS SUIT ‘CAMPUS’ STRATEGY In September 2025, Life Science REIT began a strategic review and formal sale process. The firm blamed high inflation and interest rates for a slowdown in leasing activity and negative investor sentiment. The slowdown in leasing was a ‘significant’ challenge as LABS had planned a high level of capex to drive up…

Shares in US medical care provider UnitedHealth (UNH) plummeted 19% to $284 after the firm forecast lower sales in FY26. The healthcare giant hasn’t experienced a drop in sales since 1989, hence the shakeout on Wall Street. Share price: $284 (-19%)PE: 14.9xMarket cap: $258bnYield: 2.5% FIRST FALL IN 35 YEARS UnitedHealth forecast FY26 revenue would be at least $439 billion, which would represent a 2% decline on FY25. It would also be well below the analyst consensus of $455 billion for this year. Sales for FY25 were up 12% to $447.6 billion, while the firm served nearly 50 million patients…

Shares in specialist software provider Eleco (ELCO) jumped 15% after the firm raised its FY25 earnings guidance. The company works with construction firms on scheduling, cost management, delivery and management of new buildings. Share price: 152p (+15%)PE: 32xMarket cap: £125mYield: 0.8% STRONG TOP-LINE GROWTH AIM-listed Eleco can trace its history back to 1895 when it began life as The Gilbert Arc Lamp Company. It also has plenty of years under its belt as a public company, having been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1939. Today, construction firms rely on its specialist software and services throughout the building lifecycle.…

Shares in betting and gaming company Evoke (EVOK) fell 10% after the firm withheld earnings guidance for 2026. The board said it was ‘not appropriate’ to provide an outlook given it was conducting a strategic review of the business. Share price: 24.65p (-10%)PE: 2.4xMarket Cap: £115mYield: n/a UK TAXATION HEADWINDS As announced on 10 December 2025, Evoke is reviewing its strategic options in order to ‘maximise shareholder value’. The decision comes after the shares lost around two thirds of their value between 1 January and early December. The board has blamed UK taxation of the regulated gaming industry for having…

Facilities management group Mitie (MTO) confirmed its FY earnings guidance after positive Q3 trading. The firm said it was ‘on track’ to deliver operating profit and free cash flow in line with market expectations. Record order book Mitie provides a range of support services to private and public-sector customers in the UK and abroad. These range from ‘hard’ services like engineering to ‘soft services’ like site management, security, training, fire safety and hygiene. The firm traded well in the third quarter to December, posting 10% growth in revenue to £1.45 billion. That included 4% like-for-like growth and came against a…

In this article we look at four lesser-known UK-listed stocks serving the defence industry. The defence sector has been an outstanding performer in the last few years, and investors are searching for new names. Our choices range from a £5 billion FTSE 100 metals and energy group to a £13 million AIM-listed consultancy. They also range in terms of business model, from supplying actual defence hardware to providing high-impact personnel solutions. Which of the four appeals will depend very much on your appetite for risk. METLEN ENERGY & METALS (MTLN) Share price: €42.20PE: 11.8xMarket cap: £4.9bnYield: n/a The first of…