Director dealings: Altus boss backs mining royalties plan

Andrew Hore
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Director dealings: Altus boss backs mining royalties plan

Altus Strategies (LON: ALS) chief executive Steven Poulton has acquired 75,795 shares in the mining investments company at an average price of 57.91p each. That is an investment of £43,889. The highest price paid was 60p a share.
This takes his total shareholding to 6.6 million shares, which is 5.63% of Altus Strategies.
The current share price of 57.5p is not far above the 12-month low and well below the level that was reached after Altus Strategies made its first mining royalties investment.
Business
Altus Strategies is quoted on AIM and the Toronto Venture Exchange, and it has a range of in...

Tip update: Transense Technologies on track but unappreciated

Andrew Hore
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0
Tip update: Transense Technologies on track but unappreciated

Transense Technologies (LON: TRT) has moved into profit in the six months to December 2021 thanks to growing royalty income from iTrack tyre pressure monitoring system sales. This means that there is no longer cash flowing out of the business.
Interim revenues improved from £895,000 to £1.2m with a loss of £53,000 turned into a pre-tax profit of £82,000. That is before any tax credits.
The iTrack royalties increased from £374,000 to £660,000 and annualised recurring revenues are running at more than £1.5m, which is what broker Allenby expected to be the run-rate in June.
There was also an incr...

FTSE 100 helped higher by strong commodity companies

UK Investor Magazine
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FTSE 100 helped higher by strong commodity companies

The FTSE 100 gained on Tuesday as strong commodity companies offset the impact of mixed corporate results.

The FTSE 100 was up 0.3% at 7,510 in afternoon trade on Tuesday, having staged a recovery from early selling as strong performances by Shell and other commodity companies helped the index recover. The FTSE 100 traded as low as 7,365 on Tuesday.

Shell shares were 1.6% higher at 1,975p and BP gained 1%.

Oil prices have risen to almost $100 per barrel amidst scarcity fears as tensions between Russia and Ukraine rise. 

The price of Brent Crude is currently trading at $97.47 per barrel and WTI Crude is trading at $93.71, marking the highest prices for the commodity since 2014. 

Although high oil prices have helped the FTSE 100 gain in the face of geopolitical tensions, analysts highlight how consumers are set to bear the brunt of rising energy prices.

“Consumers are belting up and bracing themselves for a fresh squeeze in the cost of living as a jump in the oil price is set to see forecourt prices ticking up again,” said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown

“The price of oil is rising up again back towards levels last seen consistently more than seven years ago with a barrel of Brent crude surging past $89.5 dollars, heading towards $90 a barrel.”

“The escalating situation surrounding Ukraine, with the standoff continuing between Russia and NATO members had already pushed up the price, but supply constraints with a drop in US inventories registered, has seen it edge up by another 1.5% today.” 

Hargreaves Lansdown

Hargreaves Lansdown was down nearly 15% in Tuesday afternoon trade and was the FTSE 100’s top faller. The broker revealed a slump in Net New Business to £2.32bn in H1 2021, down from £3.24bn in the same period a year prior as retail investors returned to the office meaning their retail trading business is taking the hit.

With a direct reduction in trading volumes, Hargreaves Lansdown’s profitability is being eaten at with a decrease in pre-tax profits falling from £188.4m to £151.2m in the 6 month period. The investment group said they would invest £175m to deliver future growth and enable operating efficiencies.

“In the first half of this financial year, we saw a gradual return to the office and calmer markets which led to more normalised share trading levels, albeit still higher than before the pandemic. Our assets under administration have reached record levels, and we now have a record 1.7 million customers,” said Chris Hill, Chief Executive Officer.

Hargreaves Lansdown is confident with their fiscal position and are committing to increasing their ordinary dividend by 3% from 11.9p to 12.26p per share.

Coca-Cola HBC was another faller after the drinks group posted full year earnings.

Coca-Cola HBC gave up 4% to trade at 2,218p after releasing earnings and a 16.9% revenue jump, and operating profits increasing 21%.

With emerging markets contributing to 27.1% of the revenues for Coca-Cola HBC and Russia being a large portion of that segment, the market chose to focus on the risk to future revenues. However, in an interview with Reuters, Coca-Cola HBC stated that contingency plans are in place to be prepared for upcoming commotions from Russia-Ukraine conflict. They are stockpiling ingredients in order to prevent any disruptions.

HSBC

Despite FTSE 100 gaining 0.3% on Tuesday, the HSBC share price missed out on the rally after a strong rebound in profits and the announcement of a share buy back programme. HSBC have reported a decrease of 2% in their revenues to $49.6bn. However, they managed to report an 87% increase in the profits before tax from $10.1bn to $18.9bn.

Their dividend has increased to $0.25 per share for 2021. 

“We have good momentum coming into 2022 and are confident that we can continue to execute against our strategy. We also remain cognisant of the potential impact that further Covid-19-related uncertainty and continued inflation might have on us and our clients,” said Noell Quinn, Group Chief Executive.

Smith & Nephew was the FTSE 100 top riser trading at 1245p on Tuesday afternoon, adding 5.6% on the day. 

Smith & Nephew reported revenue increased by 14.3% from $4.5m to $5.12m as some operations returned to pre-covid levels.

Oil prices approach $100 as Russia moves troops into Ukraine

UK Investor Magazine
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0
Oil prices approach $100 as Russia moves troops into Ukraine

Oil prices spiked higher on Tuesday following news Russia had ordered troop into Ukraine, significantly increasing concerns of war in the region.

Brent Oil futures traded at $99.45 per barrel in early trade on Tuesday, before the rally faded into the afternoon session in London.

It is reported Russia moved troops into eastern regions of Ukraine in what Russia called a ‘peacekeeping’ mission. The move was met by a wave of sanctions from the West, with more promised in the coming days.

In a major development for energy markets, Germany halted the approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Germany gets around half of it’s gas from Russia.

“With Putin’s order to put boots on the ground in breakaway regions of Eastern Ukraine, fears that war will be increasingly impossible to avoid has jolted financial markets,” Susannah Streeter, senior investment and market analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.

“The ominous turn of events has escalated the already highly tense situation, with chances of a diplomatic breakthrough fading away and the fresh sanctions set to hit Moscow. A barrel of Brent crude leapt 2.3% up above $97 dollars, its highest level since September 2014 amid nervousness of a constraint of supply from Russia, at a time of high global demand and lower inventories elsewhere.”

Brent Oil Price

Brent Oil prices rose to trade as high as $99.45 per barrel, the highest level in six years, as markets learnt of developments in Eastern Europe.

Traders sold into the rally as oil prices approached $100, but analysts felt there was a strong chance this level on Brent Oil could be breached.

“We have Brent Oil trading at 6yr highs right now and there’s every chance we could see prices above $100 soon depending on Russia’s response to economic sanctions,” said Walid Koudmani, chief market analyst at financial brokerage XTB.

4D Pharma: Breakthrough in Parkinson’s Treatment with FDA approval

Anshula Kumar
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4D Pharma: Breakthrough in Parkinson’s Treatment with FDA approval

4D Pharma receives FDA approval on investigational new drug (IND) applications for two Live Biotherapeutics (LBPs), MRx0005 and MRx0029.

4D Pharma focuses on Live Biotherapeutic products (LBPs) which are derived from microbiomes. The LBPs are in development for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

With the approval from the FDA, 4D underway to begin first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trials in patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by mid-2022.

More than 10 million people globally suffer from Parkinson’s disease.

“Current treatments focus on symptoms but do not address the underlying causes of neurodegeneration. Patients and clinicians are in need of new, more effective treatment options, and the gut-brain axis is an exciting area of innovation with the potential to change the way we approach Parkinson’s treatment. We believe that our LBPs MRx0005 and MRx0029, which each have different mechanisms of action worthy of investigation, provide a unique opportunity to address the high unmet needs of those living with Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Alex Stevenson, Chief Scientific Officer, 4D Pharma.

“Oral, gut-targeted treatments such as 4D pharma’s Live Biotherapeutics MRx0005 and MRx0029 offer an exciting new way for possibly slowing Parkinson’s disease progression. The development of these potential new therapies is really breaking new ground in the field,” said Professor Peter LeWitt, Sastry Foundation Endowed Chair in Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Coordinating Investigator of the Phase I clinical trial.

4D Pharma enabled a microbiome profiling platform known as MicroDx which allows them to understand the correct treatment and diagnosis with their LBPs. Live Biotherapeutic products is disruptive medicine which understand the workings of the bacteria found in your gut interact with the rest of your body. With MicroRx, 4D Pharma can select the gut bacteria which would have a therapeutic effect on certain diseases.

With the use of MicroRx, 4D Pharma was able to cater to various therapeutic areas including immuno-oncology, GI, respiratory, autoimmune and CNS disease, using their development programs.

4D Pharma’s Parkinson’s treatment is one of a number of pipeline treatments that includes oncology and respiratory drugs.

A quick look at their pipeline:

Immuno-oncology

MRx0518 have all reached various phases of in-human trials. The MRx1299 is still in development.

CNS

In neurodegeneration, MRx0029 & MRx0005 are in development whereas, Psychiatric disorders to be treated by MRx0006 is still in the preclinical stage.

Respiratory

MRx4DP0004 used to treat asthma is nearing the end of Phase 1 trials.

Gastro-intestinal medicines are also progressing in-human trials beyond Phase 1. However, autoimmune treatments are still in development.

4D Pharma shares spiked high on the open and drifted to 2.92% at 31.39p mid day on Tuesday.

“We’re looking to push the boundaries of microbiome therapeutics further,” says Duncan Peyton, the co-founder and CEO of 4D Pharma, said in an interview with Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News.

Agronomics leads €10m Onego Bio Seedrs round

Natasha Doris
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Agronomics leads €10m Onego Bio Seedrs round

Agronomics has reportedly contributed €6.9 million to a fundraise by Finnish biotech company Onego Bio.

The investment comes as part of a larger €10 million Seedrs fundraising round by the company in a bid to develop an animal-free, sustainable egg protein.

The capital injection is set to provide the venture capital firm with an equity stake on a completely diluted basis of 19.94% and also entitles the company to a seat on the startup’s board.

The addition to Agronomic’s portfolio joins its collection of animal-free alternative companies, including plant-based startups Live Kindly and The EVERY Company.

The investment company also holds stakes in startups such as alongside cultivated leather company VitroLabs and cultivated seafood firm BlueNalu.

The Onego Bio was founded in 2021 and has not yet generated revenue, incurred reported significant costs or announced its net assets.

The company is a cellular agricultural startup from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, one of Europe’s most prominent research institutions.

It reportedly aims to capitalise on the growing demand for animal-free protein due to rising concerns of animal welfare and the sustainability of farming practices.

According to Onego Bio, it intends to roll out the product in the US first, where it will meet a lower regulatory barrier of product entry.

The company aims to market the product as a confectionary and bakery ingredient, alongside utilisation as a fitness supplement ingredient.

“We want to thank VTT and our investors for supporting a technology that is part of a bigger wave of changing people’s perspective on alternative ways of producing food,” said Onego Bio CEO Maija Itoknen.

“The time is right to spin out this technology and start manufacturing our product, as consumers are more open to try products that are not animal-derived.”

“VTT’s laboratories and technical teams have cutting-edge know-how to develop truly new innovations. We will continue working together with them on the scientific aspects, and together with our investors we simultaneously focus on commercializing the technology.”

Onego Bio reportedly utilises a cellular agriculture method to produce egg-white protein ovalbumin, harnessing the microflora Trichoderma reesei to produce protein with the assistance of water, sugar and alternative minerals.

It is set to join the growing interest in alternative meat and protein in the experimental agricultural market.

What Are The Top Investment Trends in the UK in 2022?

UK Investor Magazine
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What Are The Top Investment Trends in the UK in 2022?

One of the most pronounced trends in the retail investor market in the UK in recent years has been the unprecedented investment and trading boom. Echoing trends in countries such as the US and spurred on by the proliferation of apps and platforms that make it easier for “regular” people to own stocks, more people than ever are now trading and investing on their own in the UK.

While we all know that retail investment is enjoying something of a golden age right now, what might be less clear to some is exactly how Brits are choosing to invest their cash. Let’s take a closer look at the top investment trends among the UK public in 2022. 

Source:Unsplash

Equity funds

There’s no doubt about it, equity funds remain the most popular investment vehicle for swatches of the UK population. Equity funds are funds that are usually backed by investment banks and which invest in a mixture of assets on behalf of clients. Typically, equity funds will consist mostly of stocks, with a percentage of bonds and perhaps some other assets such as commodities just to keep things mixed. Some of the most popular equity funds in the UK have billions of pounds invested in them, with tens of thousands of people participating. 

CFDs

CFDs, or Contracts for Difference, are an interesting type of asset. As this expert guide to what is CFD trading nicely explains, these are instruments that allow traders to speculate on the future price movements of assets without owning the asset outright. Instead, the trader can open a large position on an asset with a fraction of the funds that would usually be required, allowing them to attempt to make larger profits on smaller price movements. The element of risk still remains however and should be considered. The likes of The Guardian and The Telegraph have covered the huge and growing popularity of CFDs in the UK, which looks set to rise to a whole new level in 2022.

ESGs

One trend that few in the City of London saw coming was the huge importance that retail investors now attach to ethical, sustainable investments. Known as Environmental, Social, and Governance, ESG describes criteria that a growing proportion of investors are using to choose assets that are not making the world a worse place. Typically, an ESG fund will contain stocks in companies that produce green energy, practice sustainable farming, or are known to pay suppliers a living wage. This way, companies can be incentivized to make more ethical choices in order to attract future investment. 

Source: Unsplash

Crypto 

Let’s not forget about crypto. Although the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum have taken a nosedive recently, it seems that the faith of Brits has not yet been visibly shaken. About 3.3 million people in the UK now own a cryptocurrency, putting the country near the top of the global league tables when it comes to per capita crypto ownership. If current investments trends continue (which is anything but certain), crypto could come to dominate the retail investment landscape in 2022. 

These are some of the main ways that Brits are choosing to invest their money in 2022. How does your investment strategy compare? 

Smith & Nephew announce new CEO as sales rise

Natasha Doris
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0
Smith & Nephew announce new CEO as sales rise

Smith & Nephew have released a robust set of 2021 results with its share price up 2% to 1,202p at the time of writing.

The FTSE 100 company also announced that it had opted to hire Dr Deepak Nath as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

He is set to succeed Roland Diggelmann, who has reportedly stepped down in mutual agreement with the company.

Nath is scheduled to take over the role in 1 April 2022 following Diggleman’s departure on 31 March 2022.

“Smith & Nephew is a great company with innovation at its core and a purpose of Life Unlimited, supporting patients around the world in returning to a healthy and fulfilled life,” said Nath.

“I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead the business. I look forward to building on Smith & Nephew’s rich history and heritage and working with the team to take it to the next level of growth.”

Diggleman added: “It has been a privilege to lead Smith & Nephew. I would like to thank my colleagues across the business for their tireless efforts to support our customers and communities, and continue to deliver against the backdrop of COVID.”

“I look forward to seeing the business go from strength to strength under Deepak ‘s leadership.”

Financial highlights in the past year included revenue of $5,212 million compared to a 2020 revenue of $4,560 million, which marked a 14.3% on a reported basis and 10.3% on an underlying basis for the company.

The company also reported that its operating profits had doubled from $295m to $593m.

Smith & Nephew further reported that its sports Medicine & ENT and Advanced Wound Management revenue had returned to above pre-COVID levels.

However, the company also reported that its performance in orthopaedics had been impacted by ongoing global supply chain constraints.

“Smith & Nephew needed an end to the pandemic and the sense of a fresh start was underlined alongside its latest full year numbers as the company announced the departure of CEO Roland Diggelmann,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

Smith & Nephew confirmed a full-year dividend of of 37.5¢ per share, matching its 2020 and 2019 offerings to shareholders.

“We finished 2021 with a solid fourth quarter, despite nearly a week less trading than in 2020 and the impact of Omicron, which affected the typical quarter-end pick up in average daily sales,” said Diggleman.

“For the full year we delivered on our guidance commitments on both the top and bottom line.”

“We are beginning to see our step up in R&D investment bear fruit, and all three franchises contributed to our double-digit revenue growth.”

“Pleasingly, our Sports Medicine & ENT and Advanced Wound Management franchises delivered revenue above pre-COVID 2019 levels.”

“Performance was held back by global supply chain challenges, which particularly impacted our Orthopaedics franchise.”

“Looking to the future, we have set out our new Strategy for Growth with an ambition to transform to a structurally higher growth company, including clear medium-term revenue and trading profit margin targets.”

Smith & Nephew currently boast an operational foothold across the globe, focusing on advanced wound management, orthopaedics and trauma and sports medicine.

Coca-Cola HBC shares stumble despite revenue jump

Anshula Kumar
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0
Coca-Cola HBC shares stumble despite revenue jump

Coca-Cola HBC share price was down on Tuesday morning after CCHBC released 2021 earnings.

Coca-Cola HBC shares were trading down at 4% despite optimistic yearly report on Tuesday morning.

The group’s reported revenues increased by 16.9% helped by 14% volume-growth in their diversified brand portfolio and their strategic developments.

Emerging markets were a big driver of higher revenues with revenue up 27.1% like-for-like helped by performance in Nigeria, Russia, and Ukraine.

The group celebrated 70 years since operations began in Nigeria which was a big contributor to their Emerging markets segment.

CCHBC’s strategic decisions going forward are focused on their emerging markets. CCHBC is expanding into Egypt, expanding their emerging markets sector. They have managed to introduce their RTD Costa Coffee to 17 markets. CCHBC is on its way to secure a £250m investment by 2025 towards their Net Zero commitment.

Coca-Cola HBC operating profit grew 21% to €799m in 2021, up from €660m in the year prior.

The drinks company said they were increasing their Dividend payouts ratio from 35-45% to 40-50%. The board has proposed a €0.71 dividend which would represent as 7.8% increase in investor payout from last year.

“Revenue growth management actions focused behind both premium and affordable offers, as well as pricing and ongoing productivity improvements have enabled us to continue investing behind our strategic priorities, including in capabilities development, whilst achieving EBIT margin expansion,” said Zoran Bogdanovic, Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola HBC AG.

“We are encouraged by the momentum we see in the business. We expect 2022 to be a year of strong sales supported by ongoing volume momentum, pricing actions and beneficial category mix.”

CCHBC’s have successfully navigated the fight against sugar and government policies to reduce sugar intake. Despite the Polish government levying a sugar tax in early 2021, CCHBC developing markets managed to contribute 18% to the revenues.

Overall, optimistic results from CCHBC today.

FTSE 100 boardroom roles held by women increases

Safiya Bashir
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FTSE 100 boardroom roles held by women increases

New data has found that the number of women in FTSE 100 boardroom roles has now reached 39.1%.

This number is up from the 12.5% it was 10 years ago. The lack of diversity is still clear, however, explains the Fawcett Society due to the lack of positions held by “women of colour, disabled women and LGBTQ people missing from positions of power”.

“The devil is in the detail here. In the majority of boardrooms men continue to be overrepresented. When we look at the most senior positions of CEO and chair the progress is painfully slow,” said Jemima Olchawski, the Fawcett Society’s chief executive.

The new stats came from the group’s 2022 Sex and Power Index, which found that women only make up 8 of the 100 CEOs of FTSE companies.

“It is excellent to see the progress being made but we know there is more to be done.” She said the government plans to put forward measures to advance workplace equality but gave no further details,” said Liz Truss, the minister for women and equalities.

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