News 2 May 2026

British American Tobacco Share Count Moves Again as BAT Buyback, Dividend Draw Focus
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British American Tobacco Share Count Moves Again as BAT Buyback, Dividend Draw Focus

British American Tobacco allotted 19,950 new ordinary shares in April under its Sharesave Scheme, bringing total voting shares to 2,169,936,467 as of April 30. The company bought back and cancelled 260,511 shares over April 23–24 at prices above 4,200 pence. BAT declared a 245.04 pence dividend for 2025, with the first payment due May 7. Shares closed at 4,329 pence in London on May 1.
May 2, 2026
Beazley Plc Takeover: Zurich Builds Stake as £8.1 Billion Deal Hits Fine Print
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Beazley Plc Takeover: Zurich Builds Stake as £8.1 Billion Deal Hits Fine Print

Zurich Insurance Group increased its stake in Beazley Plc to 3.11% after buying 605,476 shares as its £8.1 billion takeover advances to court and regulatory review. Beazley shareholders approved the deal with 99.9% support on April 22. Societe Generale also raised its holding to 9.43%. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
May 2, 2026
Legal & General Just Got FCA Approval To Nudge Pension Savers Out Of Cash
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Legal & General Just Got FCA Approval To Nudge Pension Savers Out Of Cash

Legal & General Group has received FCA approval to deliver targeted support to workplace pension members, starting with those holding retirement pots fully in cash. The FCA launched the regime on April 6, aiming to address gaps in advice for 23 million consumers. L&G reported £114 billion in workplace pension assets under administration, up 21%. The firm bought back 14.5 million shares this week for cancellation.
May 2, 2026
National Grid plc’s 585 km Grid Upgrade Could Cut £50 Million From UK Power Bottlenecks
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National Grid plc’s 585 km Grid Upgrade Could Cut £50 Million From UK Power Bottlenecks

National Grid will install dynamic line rating technology on 585 km of high-voltage lines in England and Wales, aiming to save consumers up to £50 million over five years. The rollout targets key north-to-south routes and is expected to finish by 2028. Britain’s system operator warns grid balancing costs could quadruple to £8 billion a year by 2030 without faster upgrades. Some sensors will be installed by drones on live lines.
May 2, 2026
London Stock Exchange Group plc’s Share Count Puts £3 Billion Buyback Back in Focus
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London Stock Exchange Group plc’s Share Count Puts £3 Billion Buyback Back in Focus

London Stock Exchange Group set its total voting rights at 493,222,493, with issued share capital at 514,674,092 ordinary shares as of April 30. The company has bought back £1.1 billion of stock this year and aims for £3 billion by February 2027. LSEG shares closed at £96.24 on May 1, up 0.77% that day but down 16.8% over 52 weeks. The London Stock Exchange will close May 4–5 for the Early May bank holiday.
May 2, 2026
Diploma PLC Nears Year High Before May Results — The Margin Test Investors Can’t Ignore
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Diploma PLC Nears Year High Before May Results — The Margin Test Investors Can’t Ignore

Diploma PLC shares closed at 6,950p on May 1, near their year high and up 0.5%, ahead of half-year results due May 19. The company upgraded its 2026 organic revenue growth forecast to 9% in March and raised its margin outlook to 25%. Eight recent acquisitions are expected to add £20 million in annualised operating profit. The stock trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.8 with a 0.89% dividend yield.
May 2, 2026
Wise PLC Class A Stock Heads for Nasdaq Switch After New Voting-Rights Filing
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Wise PLC Class A Stock Heads for Nasdaq Switch After New Voting-Rights Filing

Wise PLC Class A shares will trade for the last time on May 8 before Wise Group Class A shares begin trading in London and on Nasdaq on May 11. The company reported £49.4 billion in Q4 cross-border volume, up 26% year-on-year, and 11.3 million active customers. Wise’s market cap stood near £10.84 billion as of May 1. U.S. tax and regulatory risks remain flagged for shareholders.
May 2, 2026
Why Anglo American plc’s latest filing puts its $53 billion Teck deal back in focus
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Why Anglo American plc’s latest filing puts its $53 billion Teck deal back in focus

Anglo American confirmed 1,178,050,272 ordinary shares in its latest voting-rights filing ahead of its planned merger with Teck Resources. The company reported a 1% rise in copper output and a 31% drop in steelmaking coal for Q1. Chinese antitrust approval remains the last major hurdle for the merger, expected to close between September 2026 and March 2027. Anglo’s shares closed at 3,590 pence on Friday, up 0.10%.
May 2, 2026
GSK Wins UK Approval for Lynavoy — But Investors Still Want the Bigger Growth Story
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GSK Wins UK Approval for Lynavoy — But Investors Still Want the Bigger Growth Story

Britain’s MHRA approved GSK’s Lynavoy for itching in adults with primary biliary cholangitis, following U.S. clearance in March. The decision comes days after GSK shares fell on investor concerns over first-quarter earnings quality. The approval triggers a $20 million payment in GSK’s licensing deal with Alfasigma, part of an agreement worth up to $690 million.
May 2, 2026
Halma plc Stock Nears Record High as Deals Put HLMA Back in the Spotlight
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Halma plc Stock Nears Record High as Deals Put HLMA Back in the Spotlight

Halma shares climbed 2.72% to 4,527p on Friday, nearing a record high and outperforming a weaker FTSE 100. Cardioline said it acquired Cardios from Halma, while Halma recently bought California-based Surgistar for $90 million. Investors await Halma’s June 11 results after guidance for mid-teens organic revenue growth and a 22% adjusted EBIT margin. Financial terms of the Cardios sale were not disclosed.
May 2, 2026
Australia Stock Market This Week: ASX 200 Rebounds, But Rate Fears Keep the Week in the Red
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Australia Stock Market This Week: ASX 200 Rebounds, But Rate Fears Keep the Week in the Red

The S&P/ASX 200 closed Friday up 0.74% at 8,729.8 but ended the week down 0.7%, as miners rallied and banks fell. Australian inflation rose to 4.6% in March, up from 3.7% in February, driven by a 32.8% surge in fuel prices. Thirty of 33 economists in a Reuters poll expect the Reserve Bank to raise rates to 4.35% at its May 5 meeting. Coles and Woolworths both reported higher sales for the quarter.
May 2, 2026
UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Slips As BP, Shell And AstraZeneca Drag London Shares Lower
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UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Slips As BP, Shell And AstraZeneca Drag London Shares Lower

London’s FTSE 100 closed down 0.1% at 10,363.93 on Friday, marking a third consecutive weekly loss. AstraZeneca shares fell after a U.S. FDA panel voted against its breast cancer drug candidate. NatWest also dragged the index despite higher profits, as investors focused on economic risks and a large impairment charge. Brent crude dropped to $108.86 a barrel amid reports of a new Iranian peace proposal.
May 2, 2026
Shell Plc’s $15 Billion LNG Canada Prize Draws Wall Street Bidders After Export Record
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Shell Plc’s $15 Billion LNG Canada Prize Draws Wall Street Bidders After Export Record

LNG Canada exported over 1 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas in April, its first month above that level. Apollo, Blackstone, and KKR are bidding for a Shell stake in the project, with offers expected to exceed $10 billion. Shell agreed April 27 to buy ARC Resources, adding 370,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to its portfolio. All April LNG Canada cargoes went to Asia, mostly South Korea and China.
May 2, 2026
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Stock Market Today

  • UK Gilt Yields Fall Amid Political Stability and Eased Rate Hike Concerns
    May 26, 2026, 9:28 AM EDT. U.K. gilt yields declined to five-week lows as investor worries about political instability eased following Labour's local election setbacks. The 10-year gilt yield dropped to 4.85%, down about 30 basis points, reflecting reduced expectations for interest rate hikes. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, though challenged by potential rivals including Andy Burnham, remains in charge, calming markets concerned about fiscal policy shifts. Additionally, optimism surrounding a possible U.S.-Iran peace deal and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has eased inflation fears, further reducing yield pressures. Analysts at Pantheon Macroeconomics noted that investors are discounting weak economic data and now anticipate fewer rate increases in 2026, driving the largest weekly drop in gilt yields since late 2023.