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UniCredit Wins Partial Support in Legal Battle Over BPM Deal

UniCredit Wins Partial Support in Legal Battle Over BPM Deal

Bloomberg20 hours ago
By and Chiara Albanese
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An Italian court accepted some of UniCredit SpA 's requests to annul conditions imposed on its bid for Banco BPM SpA, handing a partial victory to Chief Executive Officer Andrea Orcel in his plan to create the country's largest lender.
The Administrative Court of Lazio lifted two conditions imposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government on the deal, according to a ruling published on Saturday on the court's website.
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This FTSE 100 stock yields 9.36% but I still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole!
This FTSE 100 stock yields 9.36% but I still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole!

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This FTSE 100 stock yields 9.36% but I still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole!

I'm always on the hunt for an ultra high-yielding FTSE 100 stock or two. I've added plenty to my portfolio lately, including M&G and Phoenix Group Holdings, both yielding more than 10% at the time. They've done well too. Their share prices are up 22% and 17%, respectively, over 12 months. Throw in those bumper dividends, and my total one-year return is around 30% on both. I'm happy with that. Many of my recent buys have come from the financial sector, which looked dirt cheap with price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios of six or seven. That value is now starting to show through. Now another stock has caught my attention, in another sector. Media and advertising giant WPP (LSE: WPP) currently offers the single highest yield on the FTSE 100 at 9.36%, and it's trading on a low P/E of 8.6. Should I buy in? I love a good recovery story but this one has a massive task ahead of it. The advertising giant has struggled since driving force Martin Sorrell departed in 2018. It's been battling to retain major clients, simplify its sprawling structure after years of acquisitions and catch up with digital-first rivals. It's already lost its crown as the world's biggest ad firm to France's Publicis. It faces further pressure from the $13.25bn merger of US rivals Omnicom and Interpublic. We can now add artificial intelligence to the headaches list. Outgoing CEO Mark Read admitted that AI is 'totally disrupting our business'. That doesn't really inspire long-term confidence. While WPP was an early adopter of the tech, the threat is existential. Meta's automated ad tools and TikTok's campaign-builder software now let companies run slick campaigns with minimal outside help. Sam Altman, boss of OpenAI, reckons AI will soon do 95% of the work currently handled by marketing agencies. If he's even close to right, WPP could be fighting for its future. On 9 July, WPP issued a profit warning. It now expects organic revenue less pass-through costs to fall by 3% to 5%, with operating margins also declining. That compares to previous guidance of flat growth and margins. Second-quarter sales disappointed as clients slashed ad budgets. Redundancy costs are also mounting. The shares plunged 13% on the day. Over 12 months, they're down 42%. The 9.36% yield is only that high because the share price collapsed. A week ago, it was 7.5%. That's a red flag. All hopes now rest on incoming CEO Cindy Rose, who starts in September. Her CV is impressive, and her tech background helped her land the challenging role. But this won't be an easy turnaround. WPP has warned that the tough trading is likely to persist. As AI usage spreads, this could snowball. The WPP dividend has been frozen at 39.4p per share since 2022. A cut is surely coming. WPP is still profitable, has strong industry roots and if its new boss drives through a turnaround it could be a lucrative pick. But when the fundamentals are shifting this fast, I'd rather steer clear. My biggest investment mistakes have involved buying too soon after a profit warning, and getting hit by further shocks. No matter how tempting the yield looks today, this is one FTSE 100 high-yielder I'm going to avoid. The post This FTSE 100 stock yields 9.36% but I still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Harvey Jones has positions in M&g Plc and Phoenix Group Plc. The Motley Fool UK has recommended M&g Plc and Meta Platforms. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio

Institutional owners may consider drastic measures as Barry Callebaut AG's (VTX:BARN) recent CHF493m drop adds to long-term losses
Institutional owners may consider drastic measures as Barry Callebaut AG's (VTX:BARN) recent CHF493m drop adds to long-term losses

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Institutional owners may consider drastic measures as Barry Callebaut AG's (VTX:BARN) recent CHF493m drop adds to long-term losses

Institutions' substantial holdings in Barry Callebaut implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price 52% of the business is held by the top 4 shareholders Using data from analyst forecasts alongside ownership research, one can better assess the future performance of a company This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. A look at the shareholders of Barry Callebaut AG (VTX:BARN) can tell us which group is most powerful. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 34% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company. And institutional investors saw their holdings value drop by 9.7% last week. Needless to say, the recent loss which further adds to the one-year loss to shareholders of 39% might not go down well especially with this category of shareholders. Often called 'market movers", institutions wield significant power in influencing the price dynamics of any stock. As a result, if the downtrend continues, institutions may face pressures to sell Barry Callebaut, which might have negative implications on individual investors. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Barry Callebaut, beginning with the chart below. View our latest analysis for Barry Callebaut Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. Barry Callebaut already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Barry Callebaut's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Barry Callebaut. Jacobs Holding AG is currently the largest shareholder, with 31% of shares outstanding. With 10% and 6.5% of the shares outstanding respectively, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership and UBS Asset Management AG are the second and third largest shareholders. To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 4 shareholders control more than half of the company which implies that this group has considerable sway over the company's decision-making. While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. We can report that insiders do own shares in Barry Callebaut AG. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth CHF262m. Most would see this as a real positive. Most would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. Still, it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. With a 29% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Barry Callebaut. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run. With a stake of 31%, private equity firms could influence the Barry Callebaut board. Some investors might be encouraged by this, since private equity are sometimes able to encourage strategies that help the market see the value in the company. Alternatively, those holders might be exiting the investment after taking it public. It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Barry Callebaut better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 5 warning signs for Barry Callebaut (3 are potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

With Barclays' share price falling behind, which UK bank stock looks better value today?
With Barclays' share price falling behind, which UK bank stock looks better value today?

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With Barclays' share price falling behind, which UK bank stock looks better value today?

After a strong 2024, the Barclays (LSE: BARC) share price has struggled to keep pace so far in 2025. Among the five major UK banks on the FTSE 100, Barclays is lagging most of its peers. By contrast, Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) shares have been on a tear, surging almost 40% year-to-date. Looking at the broader UK economy, various factors continue to affect the banking industry. Inflation remains sticky at around 3.4%, while the Bank of England holds interest rates steady at 4.25%. Geopolitical risks, from the ongoing situation in Eastern Europe to political uncertainty in the US ahead of the presidential election, are adding to investor caution. Still, higher rates have so far helped banks' net interest income, though loan defaults are an ever-present worry in a fragile economy. So as we enter the second half of 2025, which of these banking heavyweights looks the better value buy? Barclays is the second-largest UK bank by market capitalisation, at roughly £48bn, behind only HSBC. It recently made headlines as one of two final bidders for Sabadell's UK arm, TSB, facing off against Santander. Financially, Barclays has delivered impressive numbers. Revenue grew by 9.8% year on year, while earnings growth is high at 110%, helped by favourable trading conditions in its investment banking arm. Its operating margin stands at 31.5% and net margin at 20.4% — the highest among the major UK lenders. Valuation-wise, the Barclays share price looks appealing. It trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 6 and a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of 0.8. That's the lowest valuation in the sector. However, its debt load of £176bn is sizeable, almost triple its equity base, and higher than both Lloyds and NatWest. While such gearing isn't uncommon for large banks, it does magnify risks in a downturn. The dividend yield is a modest 2.5%, though payouts have risen for four consecutive years, up 5% this year. Risks for Barclays include exposure to global investment banking cycles, regulatory pressures, and the potential costs tied to expanding into new areas like TSB. Meanwhile, Lloyds' numbers are more modest, though arguably more stable. Its operating margin is 23.8% and net margin 15%. Return on equity (ROE) is the weakest of the big five banks at 8.7%, but Lloyds carries less debt and has a stronger equity position than Barclays. The Lloyds share price isn't exactly expensive, trading on a P/E ratio of 8.8 and a P/B ratio just below break-even at 0.97. The winner here is its dividend yield, which is far more attractive at 4.2%. Plus, the payout's risen for four straight years, climbing nearly 15% year on year. That said, Lloyds does face potential headwinds, including the possibility of hefty fines linked to the ongoing vehicle finance mis-selling investigation. Plus, there's the usual consumer-related risks such as sensitivity to borrowing trends and a potential housing market slowdown. In my view, while the Barclays share price suggests deeper value, Lloyds' superior dividend yield and stronger capital base make it the more appealing long-term income play. Despite the looming finance probe, it looks to me the better option to consider as we navigate an uncertain economic landscape in 2025. The post With Barclays' share price falling behind, which UK bank stock looks better value today? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool HSBC Holdings is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Mark Hartley has positions in HSBC Holdings and Lloyds Banking Group Plc. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Barclays Plc, HSBC Holdings, and Lloyds Banking Group Plc. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

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