Sharecast.com

The German meal-kit company said the back-to-school period did not deliver the volume of new customer acquisitions required to meet the latest outlook and the current market expectations for the 2026 full year and third quarter. It put the underperformance in new customer acquisitions down to a drop in third-quarter marketing spend. Consequently, the company now expects revenue to fall by 11% to 12% year-on-year in the third quarter, missing market expectations for a 6.8% decline.

Trading in the first months of FY27 was in line with expectations, allowing the board to reiterate full‑year guidance, while the firm's order book reached a record £700m, providing around 90% cover for FY27 consensus revenue. Berenberg said Cohort's M&A pipeline remained active, supported by recently expanded bank facilities, though it expected the board to stay disciplined on valuation multiples.

The Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, has signed an exclusive licence to use Nanexa’s proprietary drug delivery technology PharmaShell platform for certain therapeutic peptide drugs for various indications, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. Under the terms of the deal, Novo Nordisk will lead the global development and commercialisation, with Nanexa receiving upfront and milestone payments totalling up to €1.165bn.

The Nikkei 225 rose 1.3%, while the Hang Seng fell 1.6%. India’s Sensex was up 0.2% and Singapore’s Straits Times Index edged higher. Meanwhile, markets in mainland China and South Korea were closed for holidays. Bond yields remained firmly in focus after another sell-off in US Treasuries overnight. The benchmark 10-year US yield briefly moved above 5.2%, its highest level since 2007, while the 30-year yield climbed to levels not seen since 2004.

Subscriptions revenues rose 13% year-on-year to $12.3m over the six months to 30 June, with active subscriptions up 33% at 25.6m. However, revenues in the payments division, which is undergoing a restructuring, were down 5% at $13.6m. Bango is deliberately exiting or restructuring lower-margin legacy payment routes, and said the year-on-year decline was "as anticipated". As a result, overall first-half revenues were up just 3% at $25.9m.

United Utilities said delivery of its AMP8 capital programme continued to progress well, with projects moving through the investment cycle as planned, and that it remains on track to invest around £2bn in FY26/27 and roughly £11.5bn across AMP8, supporting compound asset‑base growth of about 10%. The FTSE 100-listed firm also reiterated that it expects to access around £2.5bn of investment through the annualised AMP8 re‑opener mechanism.

The FTSE 100 was up 0.37% at 10,719.83 as at 0845 BST, while oil prices were largely flat, with Brent crude trading around $106.34 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate down 1% at $93.62. Oil price gains were on hold as hopes built that US and Iranian negotiators, who are currently meeting in New York, would be able to find a path forward.

The London-listed, Switzerland-based producer of iron ore pellets said total commercial production slumped 54% in the six months to 30 June, to 1.556m tonnes, while revenues tumbled 57% to $196m. The underlying loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was $4m, compared to EBITDA of $4m a year previously. The company’s cash position was $30m as at June end, compared to $58m a year previously. The company has been rocked by the outbreak of war in Ukraine, where it operates.

The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index was up 0.67% to 640 at 0715 GMT with all major bourses higher. Brent crude fell slightly to $105 a barrel as traders remained sceptical that either side could agree a deal to open the vital waterway. US and Iranian negotiators in New York were reportedly exploring a phased path out of war that would involve Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran.

CapitaSharecast graphic / Josh White Capita said on Friday that it has secured £30m in new financing from Shawbrook, which comprises a £15m revolving credit facility and a £15m term loan. The new facilities have a three-year term, maturing September 2029. The £15m RCF is on substantially the same terms as the company’s existing £325m RCF, inclusive of the interest rate. The interest rate on the £15m term loan is modestly higher than on the RCF.