Author: James Crux

War in the Middle East is already stoking up inflation, meaning there will be no let-up in the rising cost of living. One way to beat the squeeze from the ‘cruellest tax’ is to buy dividend-paying stocks. Reinvest their payouts and you can profit from the wonder of compounding while boosting your purchasing power. Investment trusts have some big advantages when it comes to dividends. In this article, we explain what those advantages are. We also reveal the Association of Investment Companies’ (AIC) ‘Dividend Hero’ trusts that have near six-decade-long track records of growing their payouts. And we shine the…

US alcoholic drinks group Constellation Brands (STZ) served up forecast-beating Q4 results and called out encouraging momentum across its beer and wine and spirits businesses. However, FY27 earnings guidance came in shy of Wall Street expectations, sending the unloved stock lower on Wall Street. Share price: $150.3 (-2.3%)Market cap: $26bnPE: 24xYield: 2.7% The Corona Extra-to-Modelo Especial beer maker also rattled investors by withdrawing FY28 guidance due to the uncertainties facing the sector. Beer delivers a beat For the quarter to February 2026, Constellation Brands delivered adjusted earnings per share of $1.90 versus the $1.72 Wall Street analysts expected. The firm…

Investment trust SDCL Efficiency Income (SEIT) is to start a managed wind-down after shareholders rejected a plan to turn the fund into an energy services operating company. A ‘significant number’ of shareholders spurned a proposal from the board and investment manager Sustainable Development Capital for a ‘strategic realignment’ of the trust. These long-suffering shareholders in the trust, which languishes on a near-50% discount to net asset value (NAV), have decided they want their money back instead. What is SEIT? ‘SEIT’ is a FTSE 250-listed fund that invests in projects that either provide decentralised on-site generation of power and heat, or…

Denim lifestyle retailer Levi Strauss (LEVI) delivered forecast-beating Q1 results. The company also raised FY26 guidance after reporting a ‘great start’ to the new financial year. The upgraded outlook sent shares in the global jeanswear leader higher in aftermarket trading on Wall Street. The American clothing company known for its Levi’s denim jeans brand demonstrated confidence in its turnaround strategy. The firm raised its FY26 sales, margin and earnings per share (EPS) guidance. Unzipping an upgrade Drawing confidence from a strong start to the year and robust global sales, Levi Strauss is now guiding for FY26 EPS in the $1.42…

Shares in Motorpoint (MOTR) rallied after the omnichannel car seller reported a forecast-beating 83% profits surge for FY26. This was driven by record retail volumes of around 65,000, an 8% year-on-year increase demonstrating continued outperformance of a tough used car market. Motorpoint also said it will open in Leeds this summer. The new site is on a busy route close to the city centre and Elland Road. ‘The city of Leeds, and surrounding areas, provide an excellent opportunity to access a new, large market,’ insisted the company. Pedal to the metal Steered by CEO Mark Carpenter, the former CFO of Sytner,…

Shares in International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) were boosted by the $2.9 billion takeover of its largest holding Soleno Therapeutics (SLNO). This marks the fourth acquisition within IBT’s portfolio in 2026. Furthermore, the latest deal follows three takeovers of IBT portfolio companies in March alone. IBT managers Ailsa Craig and Marek Poszepczynski expect this M&A wave to persist, as Sharesify highlighted in our Biotechnology sector feature. As a result, they have positioned IBT’s portfolio to take advantage. The managers believe the drivers of this elevated deal flow activity are likely to remain ‘firmly in place’ for the foreseeable future. Rare asset…

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square plans to take over Universal Music Group (UMG) in a $64 billion (£48.4 billion) cash and shares deal. Ackman said Universal Music’s share price has ‘languished’ due to a range of issues the merger would address. Universal Music GroupShare price: €19.4 (+13.3%)Market cap: €31.4bnPE: 19.3 Amsterdam-listed shares in the world’s biggest music company, whose artists includes Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, surged on the news. As at 31 December 2025, Universal Music represented 13% of the net asset value (NAV) of Pershing Square Holdings (PSH). This is Pershing Square Capital Management’s flagship fund listed in London.…

In today’s Podcast, the Sharesify team discuss this week’s big bounce for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq and Steven explains why ‘loose cannon’ Donald Trump’s utterances could send indices lower again. James urges investors to stay calm and remain invested despite this turbulence. As the old stock market adage goes, ‘time in the market beats timing the market’. Turning to the week’s corporate news, James explains why the sale of Unilever’s (ULVR) food business to McCormick (MKC) is a Marmite deal in more ways than one. Ian talks about the latest share price leap at affordable computing firm Raspberry Pi (RPI) and…

Having taken over the management of Murray Income Trust (MUT) on 2 March, Artemis’ UK equity income team has speedily repositioned the portfolio. As of 31 March, new managers Adrian Frost, Andy Marsh and Nick Shenton had completed 98.7% of the transition. The managers turned over roughly 75% of the portfolio, implementing their changes despite the market volatility of the last month. Murray Income currently has 46 holdings with an expected range of 40 to 65 going forward. The new team has increased the trust’s gearing. This has risen from around 5.3% as of end-February to 7% as of end-March. In…

Nike (NKE) shares plunged in pre-market trading on Wall Street despite a Q3 earnings ‘beat’ from the sneakers-to-soccer balls brand. The catalyst was a downbeat Q4 revenue outlook provided by Nike. NikeShare price: $47.2 (-10.7%)Market cap: $78.2bnPE: 30.1x This heightened concerns that the conflict in Iran could halt the sportswear titan’s turnaround progress under CEO Elliott Hill. Q3 beat Oregon-based Nike delivered Q3 adjusted earnings per share of $0.35, above the $0.31 Wall Street was looking for. Revenue of $11.3 billion was flat year-on-year but higher than the $11.34 billion analysts expected. While performance in China improved, sales were still…