Shares in digital media group S4Capital (SFOR) leapt 40% after it upgraded its FY25 earnings guidance. Trading in the final part of last year was ahead of forecasts, meaning results will beat previous estimates. Share price: 27.2p (+40%)PE: n/aMarket cap: £181mYield: 3.2% EARNINGS ‘ROLLERCOASTER’ On 24 November, S4Capital cut its operating profit guidance due to lower project-based revenue and ‘continued client caution’. At the time, it forecast EBITDA of around £75 million against a consensus of £81.6 million. The shares dropped 2p or around 12% to 15.7p on the news and bumped along at 16p during December. They perked up…

Shares in private hospital operator Spire Healthcare (SPI) jumped 15% after the group confirmed talks with private equity firms. The healthcare group announced in September 2025 it was undertaking a strategic review of its business. Share price: 205.5p (+15%)PE: 23xMarket Cap: £825mYield: 1.3% ‘WELL-INVESTED’ ASSET BASE Spire operates 38 private hospitals and over 50 clinics, medical centres and consulting rooms across Great Britian. It also operates a network of private GPs and provides occupational health services to over 800 corporate clients. The group confirmed Bridgepoint Advisers and Triton Investment Advisors were among the parties in talks over the strategic review.…

Shares in infrastructure group Costain (COST) jumped as much as 10% on plans to increase dividends and buy back shares. The infrastructure group also confirmed FY25 trading was positive and earnings would be in line with expectations. Share price: 175p (+8%)PE: 13xMarket cap: £470mYield: 1.7% MORE CONTRACT WINS Costain confirmed revenue and operating profit for 2025 would meet forecasts. The current consensus is for revenue of £1.13 billion, profit of £46.4 million and EPS of 14p. The firm said H2 revenue was similar to H1’s £525 million as it continued to secure ‘strong’ work volumes. Costain is active across the…

FTSE 100 defence group Babcock International (BAB) reported positive Q3 trading and maintained its FY guidance. After their recent strong performance, however, the shares trod water on the announcement. Share price: £14.61 (-0.2%)PE: 24.8xMarket Cap: £7.3bnYield: 0.6% POSITIVE MOMENTUM The defence group operates in the aviation, land and marine sectors as well as in nuclear power. It employs around 27,000 people, mostly in the UK where it makes 70% of its sales. For the quarter to the end of December, the company said it saw good organic revenue growth. With the majority of forecast revenue for the year to March…

Here is our guide to 5 top UK games software stocks, with market caps from £100 million to £500 million. All five are listed on AIM, the junior market, which means there are additional IHT benefits to owning them. Global sales of games software grew 11% to $189 billion last year. To put that in perspective, the global box office for films came to just $34 billion despite several blockbuster releases. The games software market is predicted to grow by more than 9% per year to $300 billion by 2032. Mobile is the dominant medium, with 3 billion people playing…

Travel food and beverage retailer SSP Group (SSPG) maintained its full-year guidance after upbeat Q1 trading. The group said the positive momentum of the 8 weeks to 25 November had continued through the quarter. Share price: 197.6p (+1.3%)PE: 14.3xMarket cap: £1.57bnYield: 2.6% STRONG ORGANIC GROWTH Across the group, which runs restaurants and bars at train stations and airports worldwide, like-for-like sales rose 5%. Growth was almost a repeat performance of the same prior-year quarter when LFL sales increased 6%. North American growth was 1%, but the firm continued to expand its share in the 57 airports where it operates. As…

Shares in US consumer products firm Procter & Gamble (PG) rose after Q2 EPS beat forecasts by a couple of cents. Sales actually missed estimates marginally despite the firm raising prices to offset lower volumes. Share price: $149.20 (+2.1%)PE: 21.1xMarket Cap: $345bnYield: 3% VOLUMES DECLINE For the three months to December, P&G posted 1% growth in group sales to $22.21 billion. That was below the consensus forecast of $22.28 billion, with the company blaming weak US consumer spending for the miss. Organic, or like-for like sales, which strip out acquisitions, disposals and currency moves, were flat on last year. Volumes…

AIM-listed hospital disinfectant maker Tristel (TSTL) issued a positive H1 trading update and confirmed its FY outlook. It also announced CEO Matt Sassone would take up a post with a large US multinational from July 2026. Share price: 410p (+2.4%)PE: 24.3xMarket cap: £195mYield: 3.8% MARGIN EXPANSION Focusing on the H1 performance, revenue increased 14% to around £26 million with a gross margin of 81%. Adjusted EBITDA increase by 17% to just under £17.5 million, climbing to 28% of sales. For the full year, the company reiterated its guidance of an EBITDA margin ‘comfortably ahead’ of its 25%-plus target. Meanwhile, the…

Specialty materials maker Zotefoams (ZTF) raised its 2025 sales and earnings guidance after strong Q4 trading. The group now expects both metrics to beat both its own and market expectations. Share price: 420p (+3.5%)PE: 13.5xMarket cap: £203mYield: 1.9% ANOTHER ‘EXCEPTIONAL’ YEAR The group, which makes specialty foams for customers including German footwear giant Adidas, enjoyed strong sales growth last year. Revenue for 2025 is now seen around £158 million, above market expectations and ahead of 2024. Growth in EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) was 9% due to another ‘exceptional’ year in Consumer & Lifestyle, in particular footwear. The acquisition…

AIM-listed pub group Young & Co’s (YNGA) reported strong sales growth over the Christmas period as punters celebrated in style. Like-for-like revenue in the three weeks to 5 January was up 11.2% despite a tough prior-year comparative. Share price: 817p (+0.6%)PE: 13.1xMarket cap: £502mYield: 3% DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH Young’s said trading over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day was ‘particularly good’ with LFL revenue up 12.3%. Its City Pub estate performed even better with LFL revenue up 26% over Christmas and Boxing Day. Total managed revenue for the 14 weeks to 5 January was up 5.7% on a LFL…