Darktrace (dark el)
Darktrace stock rose 7% after the company raised its annual revenue and profit margin estimates for the third time this year.
The British cybersecurity company's third-quarter revenue rose 26.5%, driven by demand for its services due to an increase in digital attacks. It also benefited from the artificial intelligence boom.
This is the second consecutive quarter of increase in new revenue for the company.
“The markets in which we operate are emerging from a period of relative economic uncertainty and transitioning to an environment where organizations can prioritize proactive cyber defense,” said Chief Financial Officer Kathy Graham. I believe it is happening,” he said.
Darktrace's sales for the year ending June are expected to increase at least 25.5%, compared with the previous forecast range of 23.5% to 25%.
The company raised its full-year sales and core profit margin forecasts in January and again in March. Full-year core margins are now expected to be at least 23%, compared to previous expectations of at least 21%.
The company added 170 customers in the third quarter, and approximately 1,000 customers since March 2023, bringing the total customer base to 9,402.
AstraZeneca (AZN.L)
AstraZeneca shares rose 1.5% in London after the company announced plans to raise its annual dividend by 7% this year. This will raise the price from $2.90 (£2.31) to $3.10 (£2.47) per share.
The British drugmaker said the move highlighted its “confidence in its performance and cash generation”.
Group Chairman Michel Desmarais said the increase was “in line with our progressive dividend policy, which remains unchanged and reflects the continued strength of AstraZeneca's investment proposition for shareholders.” “I am doing so,” he said.
read more: Gold rises to near all-time highs even as expectations for interest rate cuts fade
Hours before Astra holds its general meeting, investors will vote on whether to approve chief executive Pascal Soriot's £17m remuneration. Last year's dividend drew much criticism from corporate governance experts.
AstraZeneca's annual report said his salary last year was £16.9 million, including salary, benefits and bonuses, up from £15.3 million the year before.
He is set to sign an even bigger contract this year, worth up to £18.6m, including cash and long-term share bonuses, depending on the company's performance.
Influential advisory firms Glass Lewis and ISS had both advised shareholders to vote against AstraZeneca's pay policy.
persimmon(PSN.L)
Persimmon fell along with other housebuilders on Thursday following news that UK interest rates are expected to be cut in August or September.
This comes as Bank of England (BoE) policymaker Megan Green said the threat of sustained inflation was greater in the UK than in the US, with prices in the latter rising faster than expected in the year to March. This was in response to the incident.
It comes after buyer interest in the UK housing market hit its highest level in more than two years in March, according to new research.
The recovery in house prices has also gained momentum, reaching the highest level since 2022, according to figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This was due to cooling inflation and lower mortgage costs after rising mortgage prices hit demand.
According to the RICS Buyer Inquiries Index, net balances were +8 last month, the strongest reading since February 2022 and up from +4 in February.
Although the survey's housing price index still predicts more declines than increases, it was -4, the highest level since October 2022, and up from -10 in February and a low of 67 in September last year. A Reuters poll of economists had predicted a decline of -6.
Bitcoin (BTC-USD)
Bitcoin rose again to above $71,000 (£56,506) on Thursday, even as stock markets closed lower following a disappointing US inflation report.
The world's largest digital asset by market capitalization rose more than 2% in the past 24 hours, hitting a daily high of more than $71,200. The rally follows a decline in early trading on Wednesday, when Bitcoin hit an intraday low of around $68,000.
Major U.S. stock indexes ended lower after higher-than-expected U.S. consumer prices in March, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The U.S. consumer price index rose 0.4% from the previous month and 3.5% for the year to March, accelerating from the 3.2% annual rise in February. This data was consistent with February's month-on-month increase.
Bitcoin has an upcoming event that could be a major price change factor. The consensus among analysts is that the upcoming “Bitcoin halving” could continue to drive capital flows into the Bitcoin market. This event is scheduled to take place around Saturday, April 20th.
Bitcoin halving is an event that occurs approximately every four years. With the halving, the reward miners receive for validating blocks on the blockchain will decrease from the current 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC. This could act as a shortage in the supply of digital assets, leading to price increases.
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