Business News 10 March 2026 - 17 March 2026

Sunbelt Rentals Holdings stock added roughly 3% Friday afternoon, rebounding from Thursday’s drop after the equipment rental company bumped up its full-year rental-revenue forecast midpoint and announced plans for a new $1.5 billion share repurchase. Shares traded near $72 at 2:56 p.m. Eastern, compared with Thursday’s closing price of $69.84. Sunbelt’s early bounce comes just days after it took over from Ashtead Group as the U.S. parent and moved its primary stock listing to New York. Investors now have a first look at results prepared under U.S. GAAP, scanning the numbers to see if big-ticket projects are enough to balance out a slowdown in smaller, local non-residential construction.

Haleon gained Friday, the stock adding 1.26% to reach 377.7 pence as of 1338 UTC. The move came after the consumer health company launched a £500 million buyback, with plans to cancel the repurchased shares. The move is significant for Haleon, which has been clawing its way back after a steep drop triggered by its February guidance. On Feb. 25, Haleon projected organic revenue growth for 2026 at 3% to 5%—excluding currency impacts and M&A—with shares sliding up to 6% as sluggish U.S. demand hit sentiment.

British American Tobacco p.l.c. was changing hands near 4,515 pence at 1442 GMT Friday, picking up roughly 1.5% for the session and adding about 5.3% across the last five days. Still, shares have yet to revisit their 52-week high of 4,876.92 pence. This shift lands as the company signals a weaker outlook. BAT, just last month, stuck by its 2026 guidance but warned that revenue, adjusted operating profit, and adjusted diluted EPS — its cleaned-up per-share earnings figure — are all tracking toward the bottom edge of its mid-term range.

Informa ended Thursday off 1.36% at 768.4 pence. The London-listed company pushed back events for over 10 brands across the Middle East and signaled it would eat some rescheduling expenses, despite notching a record 2025 revenue figure and increasing its buyback. Why does it matter? Management hasn’t budged on its 2026 growth targets for the India, Middle East and Africa division. Informa pointed out that about 40% of this year’s revenue from that region is either already booked or comes from brands operating in unaffected locations. Even with ongoing travel snags tied to active military zones, the company left its guidance unchanged.

Shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc continued their slide Thursday, trading at 5,351 pence as of 1513 GMT, according to Cboe Europe data—a drop of 0.69% for the session. The maker behind Durex and Lysol is now down roughly 6% for the week and has lost more than 14% since the beginning of 2026. The drop hasn't reversed since last week’s earnings shock, and investors are still trying to figure out if cash returns can make up for lingering worries about profit margins and post-Essential Home sale earnings. Over at Marketscreener, broker updates on Tuesday showed Berenberg sticking with its hold rating but trimming its target price to 5,479 pence.

Rolls-Royce was changing hands near 1,280 pence in late Thursday trading in London, off about 1.5% by 13:56 GMT. The stock had hit 1,327 pence earlier, but despite the pullback, it was still trading well above where it stood a year ago, and remained roughly 10% under its 52-week high of 1,420 pence. The main spark came Wednesday, when Rolls-Royce Power Systems and ZF landed a contract from Germany’s defense procurement office to develop the hybrid drive for the MGCS—Main Ground Combat System—the next-gen European tank set to succeed the Leopard 2 and Leclerc models. “Europe needs a strong and reliable defence architecture,” Power Systems CEO Jörg Stratmann said. The company also noted initial prototypes might hit the testing phase

Vodafone Group Plc shares edged lower in London on Wednesday, trading below the average price Vodafone paid in its most recent buyback—a signal that buybacks haven’t pushed the stock up yet. Shares were last at 107.25 pence, off 0.56% on a 20-minute delay. According to a filing, Vodafone picked up 2 million shares on March 10 at a volume-weighted average price of 108.40 pence. The timing is notable: Vodafone shares had surged through mid-February after Liberty Global sealed a deal to acquire its 50% stake in VodafoneZiggo for 1 billion euros in cash. Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle described the sale as an “attractive valuation” and pointed to “further value creation” ahead. Still, the stock closed Tuesday at 107.85 pence—leaving