Shares in household and personal care group Reckitt Benckiser (LON:RKT) rallied 5% after the firm posted forecast-beating Q2 sales and launched a fresh buyback. The firm said strong demand in emerging markets helped offset weaker European sales and disruption in the Middle East. Accelerating growth For H1 to June, Reckitt reported core LFL sales growth of 2.7% along with 2% growth at Mead Johnson Nutrition. Sales growth accelerated to 4.2% in Q2 against a consensus of 3.6% and 1.3% in Q1 thanks to higher volumes. Growth was balanced during Q2 with volumes up 2% year-on-year and price/product mix contributing a…

Specialist plastic and metals parts maker Essentra (LON:ESNT) beat forecasts and set out a new interim operating margin target. The firm posted better organic sales growth in H1 helped by higher volumes, higher prices and order book momentum. Beating forecasts Essentra makes fasteners, protective products and electronics hardware and cable management solutions at high volume. Its end markets include data centres, specialist vehicles, defence and aerospace, machinery manufacturing and the ‘energy transformation’ industry. In the six months to June, the firm posted a 7.8% increase in revenue on a like-for-like basis to £166 million. Within that, faster-growing end markets delivered…

Shares in Barclays (LON:BARC) fell 5% despite the bank beating forecasts and raising its FY26 group income target. Investors appeared disappointed at the bank’s core UK performance which showed sluggish loan and deposit growth. Beat and buyback overlooked For the three months to June, Barclays reported group income of £8.3 billion against the consensus of £8.1 billion. However, net interest income of £3.4 billion was just in line with the consensus forecast. Income from the investment bank beat forecasts and made up for the lack of core growth. At a divisional level, Barclays UK income rose 7% thanks to the…

UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) reaffirmed its target of generating $80 billion of revenue in 2030. The firm made the pledge alongside Q2 and H1 earnings which topped analysts’ forecasts. Q2 earnings top forecasts For the six months to June, Astra reported revenue of $30.67 billion, up 9.4% on a headline basis and 6% at constant exchange rates. Growth in Oncology and Rare Diseases hit double digits, offsetting weakness in China and the loss of exclusivity for Farxiga in the US. Pre-tax profit rose 2.8% in H1 to $6.7 billion, after Q2 profit dipped 11% to $2.8 billion. However, Q2…

Irish firm DCC Energy (LON:DCC) announced it had agreed a £5.75 billion takeover offer from US private equity investors. The cash offer amounts to £67.97 per share, including a final FY26 dividend, and could increase by up to 125p. ‘A compelling opportunity’ The US consortium comprises Energy Capital Partners, the infrastructure subsdiary of Bridgepoint (LON:BPT), and global investment firm KKR (NYSE:KKR). The headline offer represents a 24% premium to the price on 28 April, before the consortium made its first approach. On top of the headline offer, shareholders could receive up to 125p per share in cash if Nexora is…

Next week brings one of the busiest stretches of the earnings season, with results from some of the world’s biggest companies likely to set the tone for UK and global equity markets. Wall Street’s technology giants will command much of the attention. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) are among the key names reporting, putting AI investment, cloud growth and consumer demand firmly under the microscope. Alphabet Q2 2026: AI spending explodes as Google Cloud growth accelerates With mega-cap technology stocks carrying enormous weight in global indices, surprises on earnings, guidance or AI spending could trigger…

Shares in custom electronics maker DiscoverIE (LON:DSCV) rallied after the company raised its FY27 outlook. The firm said the strong momentum of Q4 had continued into Q1 with sales and order increasing more than expected. Strong sales and orders The Surrey-based group serves the health care, security, power, energy transformation and renewables sectors. Its products range from X-ray detectors used in hospitals and airport scanners to battery energy storage, electric motors and isolator switches. Sales for the three months to June were up 6% on an underlying basis and 10% including recent acquisitions Storm and Trival. Both businesses are ‘performing…

Shares in specialist engineering firm Renishaw (LON:RSW) jumped after the company raised its FY26 sales and profit guidance. In its trading update for the quarter to in June, the firm said it had seen ‘accelerating growth’ throughout the year. Growth accelerating Renishaw is a leading supplier of measuring and production systems, which offer a high degree of accuracy and precision in manufactirung. In its H1 update, the firm said it had seen growth accelerate across its divisions and an increase in its operating margin despite currency headwinds. The firm also reported ‘significant’ progress in its emerging businesses, and introduced new…

Infrastructure, construction and fit-out group Morgan Sindall (LON:MGNS) reported another record half-year for the six months to June. Excluding Covid, the firm has posted record H1 results for 11 years running, and given the strong fundamentals for Construction and Fit-Out it has now increased its medium-term targets for both businesses. Record H1 results The company posted an 8% increase in H1 revenue to £2.56 billion and a 21% increase in adjusted pre-tax profit to £116 million, beating analysts’ forecasts. Thanks to this strong profit growth, the adjusted pre-tax margin rose to 4.5% from 4% a year earlier. Construction revenue grew…

Shares in pub group JD Wetherspoon (LON:JDW) dropped 8% after chairman Tim Martin confirmed FY earnings were likely to miss forecasts. Martin blamed lower-than-expected Q4 sales and higher costs across food, labour, repairs, energy and business rates. Below expectations In a trading update covering the 12 weeks to 19 July, the firm said like-for-like sales rose 4%. That was marginally behind the 4.3% increase of the first nine months and took the annual growth rate to 4.2%. As a result, FY profit is likely to be below market expectations, said Martin. According to Stockopedia, the consensus forecasts for FY 26…