News 2 July 2026 - 3 July 2026

Etihad Orders 10 Boeing Jets, Raising Talk of Hard-to-Get 787 Slots
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Etihad Orders 10 Boeing Jets, Raising Talk of Hard-to-Get 787 Slots

Etihad Airways is nearing a deal for 10 more Boeing 787 jets, according to people briefed on the matter. The order would boost the Abu Dhabi carrier’s long-haul fleet, as early slots for wide-body deliveries are tight. Wide-bodies are twin-aisle planes mostly used for international routes. Reuters said the deal might be unveiled at the July 20-24 Farnborough Airshow, but sources said talks are still ongoing. Etihad and Boeing both declined to comment. The warning is getting more airtime these days — investors are watching not just how many jets sell, but which airlines can actually secure deliveries fast enough to cash in.
July 9, 2026
Quantum Helium stock split resets QHE screens as adjusted move stays small
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Quantum Helium stock split resets QHE screens as adjusted move stays small

Quantum Helium Limited reopened on AIM after a 1-for-100 share consolidation on Friday, with market screens printing a near 10,000% one-day jump that did not match the economic move in the shares. Google Finance showed the stock at 3.07 pence at 09:07 BST, versus an Investors Chronicle/LSEG previous close of 0.0305p before the consolidation. Adjusted for the 100-for-1 change, that prior close was about 3.05p. Shareholders approved the consolidation on July 1, with 93% of proxy votes in favour. The company said dealings in the consolidated shares were expected to start at 8:00 a.m. London time on July 3.
July 3, 2026
Stelrad Group shares rise 6% with light trading as FTSE All-Share tries to recover
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Stelrad Group shares rise 6% with light trading as FTSE All-Share tries to recover

The London Stock Exchange was closed at the time of filing. On Friday, July 3, the LSE is set for normal trading, open 0800 to 1630 BST. The last Stelrad price is from Thursday’s close. Stelrad Group Plc closed up 9p, or 6.16%, at 155p on Thursday. The radiator manufacturer outperformed the FTSE All-Share’s 1.51% rise, but volume was light: only 12,689 shares changed hands against an average near 170,000 reported by Google. AJ Bell gave the company a market cap of £197.4 million.
July 3, 2026
Zephyr Energy stock rises as Utah land grab leaves acreage outstripping booked reserves
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Zephyr Energy stock rises as Utah land grab leaves acreage outstripping booked reserves

Zephyr Energy PLC shares outperformed the broader AIM market Thursday as the Utah oil and gas firm picked up extra land north of its White Sands Unit, expanding the piece of its Paradox Basin position that falls outside its most recent reserve report. Shares finished at 3.65p, up 0.23p or 6.73%, on volume of 14.71 million. The FTSE AIM All-Share ended 0.18% higher at 777.45. Zephyr is now 15.9% off its 52-week peak in February at 4.34p, but up 65.9% from its low of 2.20p in December.
July 3, 2026
Babcock’s recovery puts focus on £200 million buyback test
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Babcock’s recovery puts focus on £200 million buyback test

Babcock International Group PLC climbed Thursday, rebounding after a rough week as investors focused on the company’s cash payout and demand for defence stocks, even with another UK navy contract delay. Shares closed at 1,056.5p, gaining 55.5p, or 5.54%, at the end of London trade. The FTSE 100 added 1.7% to finish at 10,652.9. Reuters reported the sector saw gains between 1% and 7.1% as defence names rallied. The share move only tells part of the story. AJ Bell’s £5.17 billion market cap means Thursday’s bump tacked on about £270 million to Babcock’s equity, topping the £200 million buyback lined up for FY27. That buyback is around 3.9% of Babcock’s current value.
July 3, 2026
Pearson (LON:PSON) hits 52-week high after UK regulator skips fine
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Pearson (LON:PSON) hits 52-week high after UK regulator skips fine

Pearson PLC finished up Thursday. Britain’s exams regulator gave the company an official warning on the 2025 A Level maths papers, but didn’t fine Pearson and said grades won’t be reviewed. Pearson closed at 1,244p, up 8p or 0.65%. The stock touched 1,254p during the session, hitting a new 52-week high. Volume came in at 2.36 million. Shares are up 4.0% in two sessions from Tuesday’s 1,196p close, a gain of about 48p ahead of interim results expected at July-end.
July 3, 2026
easyJet (LON:EZJ) shares leave £700 million gap to Castlelake bid before deadline
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easyJet (LON:EZJ) shares leave £700 million gap to Castlelake bid before deadline

easyJet plc is priced less like a clean cash takeover and more like a risk trade before Castlelake’s Sunday deadline. The stock last traded at 558p on Thursday, down 0.32%, while the FTSE 250 rose 0.38%; it was still 92p below Castlelake’s rejected 650p-a-share proposal. Using the reported 758.01 million shares in issue, that leaves about £697 million between easyJet’s close and Castlelake’s last proposal. The £7 level Reuters said investors had hoped to get would value the group at about £5.31 billion, £1.08 billion above the close.
July 3, 2026
Helical rises as shares still trade 43% below NTA after capital return
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Helical rises as shares still trade 43% below NTA after capital return

Helical plc shares surged Thursday, with the market reacting to a capital return that looks small in cash but stands out next to the Central London developer’s market cap. Shares last changed hands at 199.80p, adding 13.20p, or 7.07%. Hargreaves Lansdown showed the quote as market closed and delayed. The previous close was 186.60p. Volume totaled 81,989 shares.
July 3, 2026
Genel Energy shares climb after Capricorn deal as focus turns to Egypt funding
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Genel Energy shares climb after Capricorn deal as focus turns to Egypt funding

Genel Energy PLC surged Thursday after it said it would acquire Capricorn Energy PLC. But the main question isn’t the initial rally. Investors still need to decide if they want to support a cash offer that tops Genel’s market cap. Genel ended up 3.60p at 55.40p and Capricorn gained 57p to 345p. The FTSE 100 climbed 1.67%, so Genel outperformed the main London index by over four points, with investors also facing a live financing question.
July 3, 2026
Severn Trent Plc (LON:SVT) shares recover, with asset-base questions next up
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Severn Trent Plc (LON:SVT) shares recover, with asset-base questions next up

Severn Trent Plc climbed 2.69% to 2,982 pence in London Thursday. Shares traded between 2,898p and 3,004p. The move tracked back Wednesday’s 1.76% loss, though the stock stayed below the FTSE 100’s two-day showing. Severn Trent gained around 0.9% since Tuesday’s close, based on two daily closes. In the same stretch, the FTSE 100 is up about 1.5%. That’s the short-term move. The bigger story for investors is the asset-base value.
July 3, 2026
United Utilities (LON:UU) ends up only 1.8% over April issue price ahead of pay vote
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United Utilities (LON:UU) ends up only 1.8% over April issue price ahead of pay vote

United Utilities Group PLC closed up 2.53% at 1,336p after London trading, outpacing the UK market. The move doesn’t change much for shareholders—shares are just 1.8% higher than the price of the new equity sale from two months back. Thursday’s move just took the shares back over the April funding price, rather than pushing out ahead. The stock had finished at 1,303p on Wednesday, under the 1,312p placing level. The 33p jump added around £245 million in market value, based on Hargreaves Lansdown’s 742.86 million shares outstanding.
July 3, 2026
Coca-Cola HBC (LON:CCH) shares touch 52-week high, topping analyst estimates
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Coca-Cola HBC (LON:CCH) shares touch 52-week high, topping analyst estimates

Coca-Cola HBC AG finished Thursday at 5,140p, climbing 3.67%. That put shares at the top of their 52-week range and ahead of the FTSE 100, which added 1.67% to 10,652.9. The bottler’s gain was double the index’s move, and landed without any new sales news. Valuation looks stretched. CCH at 5,140p trades almost 10% over the Investing.com average 12-month target of 4,680.1. Only the top target of 5,460 is much above Thursday’s close.
July 2, 2026
Kromek shares jump on light trading, eyes turn to H2 profit gap
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Kromek shares jump on light trading, eyes turn to H2 profit gap

Kromek Group Plc jumped over 7% in London on Thursday. The AIM-listed detector tech stock moved without any new regulatory filing over the last two days, bringing attention back to how much of its first-half earnings came from Siemens Healthineers, and if that level can hold up in the second half. Kromek traded at 8.70p to sell and 9.00p to buy on AJ Bell, up 0.60p, or 7.23%. Volume came in at 801,192 shares. Market cap was £58.32 million. The last printed trade showed 8.90p at 16:35:29.
July 2, 2026
QinetiQ (LON:QQ) shares surge after BlackRock stake move draws attention
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QinetiQ (LON:QQ) shares surge after BlackRock stake move draws attention

QinetiQ Group plc shares moved higher Thursday, part of a wider rise in UK defence names. The key detail for investors showed up in the shareholder filings: BlackRock Inc. increased its stake right after QinetiQ completed buybacks at prices below where the stock trades now. QinetiQ outperformed the FTSE 250 by 6.8 percentage points. AJ Bell said about 4.65 million shares traded. The shares hit 485.60p at the session peak, but stayed under the 52-week high of 551.50p.
July 2, 2026
Capricorn Energy (LON:CNE) ends close to Genel offer with 39% locked up, counterbid faces higher bar
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Capricorn Energy (LON:CNE) ends close to Genel offer with 39% locked up, counterbid faces higher bar

Capricorn Energy PLC finished Thursday near the level of Genel Energy PLC’s recommended offer. The shares traded as if investors see the deal as nearly done, not as part of a larger bidding fight. Genel is offering US$4.74 per Capricorn share—US$3.75 in cash from its bid vehicle, plus a US$0.99 permitted dividend from Capricorn. The offer values each Capricorn share at 357p, which is 34% higher than the share's close on March 10 before news emerged, and 48% higher than the three-month volume-weighted average price prior to that.
July 2, 2026
Synthomer shares rebound 9% while 2025 net debt is four times market value
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Synthomer shares rebound 9% while 2025 net debt is four times market value

Synthomer plc jumped 9.26% to 86.10 pence on Thursday, a sharp bounce for the London-listed polymer maker after a bruising late-June run. Hargreaves Lansdown data showed the FTSE All Share up 1.51%, putting Synthomer’s outperformance at about 7.8 percentage points. The bigger number for equity holders is still debt. Synthomer’s 2025 net debt of £575.0 million was about 4.1 times Thursday’s market value of £141.16 million. The ratio uses the last confirmed net-debt figure and the latest market cap, so it is a rough gearing read, not a current balance-sheet update.
July 2, 2026
Cohort stock rallies with order book close to market cap ahead of July report
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Cohort stock rallies with order book close to market cap ahead of July report

Cohort plc jumped Thursday, but traders focused on its order book against the company’s market cap. Fidelity quoted the defence tech stock at 1,438p to sell and 1,446p to buy at 16:47 BST. Google Finance showed a £665.56 million market cap. Cohort’s trading update listed a closing order book of about £620 million. A July 1 voting rights update listed issued share capital at 47,046,227 ordinary shares with one vote per share. There are no treasury shares. This sets a new denominator for calculating market cap ahead of the July 15 full-year results.
July 2, 2026
Seeing Machines (LON:SEE) jumps after refinancing update
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Seeing Machines (LON:SEE) jumps after refinancing update

London trading finished for the day after the regular 0800-1630 BST hours. Shares of Seeing Machines Limited ended Thursday up 8.1% at 4.62p. The FTSE AIM 100 also rose, closing 0.25% higher at 3,608.56. Volume stood out. AJ Bell showed Thursday volume at 16.28 million shares, with a market value near 221.7 million pounds. Investors Chronicle put average volume at 6.67 million and noted the stock is still 28.7% under its 52-week peak of 6.48p from Jan. 5.
July 2, 2026
Compass Group shares outpace FTSE 100 as dollar quote turns July update into next test
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Compass Group shares outpace FTSE 100 as dollar quote turns July update into next test

Compass Group PLC jumped more than twice as fast as the FTSE 100 Index on Thursday, a move that put focus back on the contract caterer’s dollar share quote and its July 21 trading update, rather than any fresh earnings release. The stock was quoted at $33.25 to sell and $33.27 to buy after the London market close, up $1.13, or 3.53%, on volume of about 2.05 million shares. The FTSE 100 closed 1.67% higher at 10,652.87. Hargreaves Lansdown also showed the shares up 3.53% and the market closed, with delayed prices.
July 2, 2026
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