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…

With more than half of S&P 500 companies having reported Q4 earnings, around three quarters have beaten forecasts. This is according to FactSet Research, which monitors US and global earnings data. Period% of earnings beatsAverage earnings beatQ4 to date76%7.6%5-year average78%7.7%10-year average76%7.0% Source: FactSet Research, data correct as of 6 February 2026 Double-digit earnings growth So far, 59% of companies in the index have reported, with 76% beating estimates, in line with historic averages. The average beat is 7.6%, which again is in line with history for the index as a whole. Most of the beats since the start of February…

In this article we explore everything you need to know as a retail investor in bonds. With equity markets having become more volatile, many investors are looking for a more stable home for their money. We look at the UK government bond or ‘gilt’ market, and the corporate bond market. We also look at how to spread your bets by owning a broad mix of bonds through funds and trusts. What is a bond? Unlike an equity share, which is literally a share in the future of a company, a bond is a financial obligation. Companies and governments issue bonds…

Shares in Nat West (NWG) continued to sell off despite the bank reporting better than expected Q4 results. The early sell-off took the week’s losses to around 60p or 11% despite an ostensible improvement in the business. Share price: 588p (-1.2%) PE: 9.2x Market cap: £47.4bn Yield: 5.4% Full house For the quarter, NatWest posted net interest income of £3.44 billion, above the consensus of £3.33 billion. The net interest margin of 2.45% was also above the 2.39% average forecast. Pre-tax profit of £1.94 billion was down 11% on Q4 2024 but comfortably ahead of the £1.72 billion forecast. For…

Shares in Morgan Sindall (MGNS) hit a new all-time high after the firm raised its FY26 financial outlook. The FTSE 250 firm is involved in construction, urban regeneration and fitting out and refurbishing office buildings. Share price: £53.50 (+6%)PE: 14.5x Market cap: £2.4bnYield: 3% Leading role in Fit Out The group said all divisions performed well in 2025 and it was ‘on track’ to deliver results in line with expectations. The current Stockopedia FY25 consensus is for revenue of £5.1 billion, net profit of £355 million and EPS of 355p. Morgan Sindall also said it made ‘significant strategic progress’ across…

FTSE 100 wealth manager Schroders (SDR) has agreed a £10 billion takeover by US asset manager Nuveen. The offer represents a 34% premium to last night’s price and will create a group with $2.5 trillion of assets. Share price: 592p (+29.5%)PE: 18.4xMarket cap: £9.3bnYield: 4.7% Strong support Nuveen is offering 612p per share for Schroders, a 34% premium to Wednesday’s price and a 47% premium to the three-month average. The offer comprises 590p in cash and dividends of 22p to be paid before the deal takes effect. The US firm has already received support from shareholders representing 42% of Schroders…

Shares in wealth manager St James’s Place (STJ) slumped 12% to £12.74 on fears AI could disrupt its business. The FTSE 100 firm was among a group of European asset managers suffering losses including France’s Amundi and Germany’s DWS. Share price: £12.74 (-12%)PE: 19.5x Market cap: £6.6bn Yield: 1.4% Broad sell-off After software companies were pummelled last week on fears of their business models being upended by AI, this week it was the turn of financial stocks. On Wall Street, shares in firms like Charles Schwab (SCHW) and Raymond James (RJF) have suffered a major sell-off. Schwab CEO Rick Wurster…

Shares in creative and celebrational products seller IG Design (IGR) soared 30% on the firm’s unexpectedly positive FY26 outlook. Revenue is now seen above the upper end of guidance while operating profit is also seen topping the consensus. Party time The AIM-listed group makes greetings cards, wrapping paper, gift bags, picture frames and other gifting products. It also makes goods not for resale like recyclable paper bags which reduce waste in the retail industry. For the nine months to December 2025, the group’s performance was in line with the board’s expectations. Consequently, FY revenue is now seen between $280 million…