Author: James Crux
James Crux
James Crux writes extensively about funds and investment trusts and also specialises in retail, food and beverage sector stocks. He has spent 25 years working in the industry and was named Best Financial Consumer Journalist at the AIC Media Awards 2024 and 2025 for his work at Shares magazine (owned by AJ Bell). Before that, he was the editor of Growth Company Investor and a writer for investment and business titles What Investment and Business XL. James is a long-suffering West Ham supporter and a big fan of The Sopranos.
Shares in Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) bubbled up 7% to €67.5 after the brewing behemoth served up forecast-busting Q1 results. Revenues were boosted by a 37% jump in non-beer sales. Share price: €67.5 (+6.8%)PE FY26: 17xMarket cap: €123bnYield FY26: 1.9% The Budweiser-to-Michelob Ultra maker’s first volume growth in three years suggests a rebound could be underway in the challenged beer industry. Brewing behemoth AB InBev is the world’s biggest brewer whose strong brands include Stella Artois, Corona, Carling Black Label and Brahma. The Brussels-headquartered drinks giant outperformed market expectations in every region during Q1. The company reported a forecast-beating 5.3% rise…
In today’s Podcast, the Sharesify team talk high-flying US markets, Big Tech earnings, UK banks, Unilever (ULVR) and much more. Our tech guru Steven breaks down the latest earnings reports from Apple (AAPL) and SanDisk (SNDK). The iPhones behemoth delivered a solid quarterly earnings beat, while AI infrastructure play SanDisk, a ‘30-bagger’ no less, delivered a massive earnings surprise. Ian talks markets with a focus on central banks and big UK lenders Lloyds (LLOY) and NatWest (NWG), while James tells us more about this week’s positive results from aero engine maker Rolls-Royce (RR.) and consumer goods giant Unilever (ULVR). The…
Shares in Bill Ackman’s investment management firm Pershing Square Inc (PS) fell in debut dealings on the New York Stock Exchange. So did shares in Pershing Square’s new US hedge fund Pershing Square USA (PSUS). But the billionaire investor insists shareholders in UK-listed Pershing Square Holdings (PSH) should benefit in three ways following the combined IPOs. Costs coming down ‘We are pleased that PSH shareholders will benefit from reduced performance fees going forward as a result of the successful completion of the IPO of PSUS, our new US-listed fund,’ said Ackman. ‘We believe our newly public management company, PS, has…
In our latest special podcast, James Crux and Ian Conway are joined by James Bruegger, chief investment officer and managing partner of Seraphim Space Investment Trust (SSIT). The world’s first listed SpaceTech fund, Seraphim Space is opening access to a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity in the global SpaceTech sector, the frontier driving innovation in defence, security, climate change and sustainability. Bruegger tells the Sharesify team what first piqued his interest in SpaceTech. He also discusses the size of the market opportunity and why the SpaceTech industry is at an inflection point. Our special guest talks about the trust’s track record of picking…
Shares in IG Design (IGR) jumped after the creative and celebrational products seller said FY26 results will top expectations. Investors celebrated the latest positive update from the AIM-listed firm. IG Design said its revenue, profit and cash performances all exceeded estimates last year. The market also applauded the ‘highly complementary’, earnings-enhancing acquisition of Glenart. Focused on South Africa, the UK and the USA, Glenart’s particular specialty lies in the manufacture of crackers. More cracking news A company with a troubled recent past, IG Design makes greetings cards, wrapping paper, gift bags and other gifting products. It also makes goods not for…
Consumer goods goliath Unilever (ULVR) reported better-than-expected Q1 sales as strong emerging markets demand more than offset sluggish developed markets growth. The Dove-to-Domestos maker also said it will launch a fresh €1.5 billion share buyback, which boosted the stock in early dealings. While Q1 turnover fell 3.3% to €12.6 billion, underlying sales grew by a better-than-expected 3.8%. This included volume growth of 2.9% and price growth of 0.9%. Unilever’s Power Brands spearheaded the performance. The FTSE 100 giant also called out momentum in emerging markets, where incomes are rising and big brands sell well. The Vaseline-to-Persil seller highlighted strong growth…
Shares in Starbucks (SBUX) surged after the coffee roaster and retailer served up a second straight quarter of traffic growth. In a sign that CEO Brian Niccol’s turnaround strategy is working, the Seattle-based giant also upgraded its FY26 sales growth and earnings per share guidance. Guidance raised For FY26, Starbucks now expects global and US comparable store sales growth of 5% or greater. That is up from management’s prior forecast of an increase of 3% or more. The coffeehouse colossus also raised its guidance for adjusted earnings per share to a range of $2.25 to $2.45. That is up from…
In our latest Podcast, the Sharesify team talk ‘Mag 5’ earnings plus big beats and big misses. The discussion also turns to new highs, new lows and more UK M&A. Our resident tech guru Steven previews results from Alphabet (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN) and Meta (META). He also explains why new Apple (AAPL) CEO John Ternus could be working on a major new product reveal. James discusses energy giant BP’s (BP.) Q1 earnings beat. He also flags a surprise profit upgrade from car parts-to-bicycles seller Halfords (HFD). James tells us why investors are wiping cosmetics maker Warpaint (W7L:AIM) from portfolios and raises the…
Shares in Warpaint London (W7L:AIM) tumbled to a 52-week low after the cosmetics seller warned challenging trading has persisted in FY26. As a result, current year sales are expected to be more second-half weighted, creating uncertainty for investors. For the uninitiated, Warpaint sells low-priced colour cosmetics and personal care products. Its brands include W7, Technic, Dirty Works and Fish Soho. Customers include Tesco (TSCO), Boots and Superdrug as well as US retail titan Walmart (WMT). Warpaint’s attractions also include its growing direct online business. Unattractive outlook The makeup supplier warned revenue for the four months to April 2026 is expected…
Car parts-to-bicycles seller Halfords (HFD) delivered some good news for the retail sector by hiking FY26 earnings guidance. Shares in the Redditch-based business rallied on the surprise upgrade. Halfords attributed the positive outlook to ‘strong’ trading, further gross margin expansion and well-managed costs. The upgrade shows CEO Henry Birch’s refreshed strategy is working. Gross margin gains and tight cost controls are also helping Halfords to offset higher operating expenses. These have largely been caused by higher minimum wage and national insurance costs. For the year to 3 April 2026, Halfords now expects underlying pre-tax profits to be around the upper…