Lloyds shares are above £1 again — UBS lifts target as investors do the dividend maths

Lloyds shares are above £1 again — UBS lifts target as investors do the dividend maths

Lloyds shares rose 1.8% to 103.25p in early London trading, surpassing the £1 mark ahead of full-year results due Jan. 29. UBS raised its price target to 103p but kept a neutral rating, citing post-2026 growth uncertainty. Analyst consensus puts the 12-month target at 101.11p, below the current price. Retail investors are watching for dividend prospects, with forecasts suggesting only modest gains.
22 January 2026
GSK share price steadies as $2.2bn RAPT deal lands amid fresh U.S. vaccine-policy risk

GSK share price steadies as $2.2bn RAPT deal lands amid fresh U.S. vaccine-policy risk

GSK shares rose 0.1% in early London trading as investors assessed the $2.2 billion acquisition of RAPT Therapeutics and changes to ViiV Healthcare’s ownership. The deal brings ozureprubart, a mid-stage food-allergy drug, into GSK’s pipeline. Pfizer will exit ViiV, with Shionogi raising its stake to 21.7%. Uncertainty over U.S. vaccine policy clouds the outlook ahead of GSK’s Feb. 4 results.
Rolls-Royce shares rebound after a wobble as investors size up the 2026 trade

Rolls-Royce shares rebound after a wobble as investors size up the 2026 trade

Rolls-Royce shares rose 0.8% to 1,264.5 pence in early London trading Thursday, rebounding from a 2% drop the previous day. The company began a £200 million interim share buyback on Jan. 2, set to finish before full-year results on Feb. 26. Analysts cite defence spending and profit targets but warn valuations are high. Rolls-Royce moved from £5.16 billion net debt in 2021 to £1.08 billion net cash by June 2025.
22 January 2026
Barclays snaps up 2.5 million more shares as buyback presses on amid tariff volatility

Barclays snaps up 2.5 million more shares as buyback presses on amid tariff volatility

Barclays bought back 2,522,940 shares on Jan. 21 at an average price of 475.07 pence, bringing total repurchases since October to 86,403,909 shares. All repurchased shares will be cancelled, reducing the bank’s share capital to 13.83 billion ordinary shares. The buybacks come amid renewed tariff disputes and geopolitical tensions affecting markets. NatWest also repurchased 830,691 shares for cancellation on Wednesday.
BP buyback update nudges shares higher as oil slips and tariff talk shadows the sector

BP buyback update nudges shares higher as oil slips and tariff talk shadows the sector

BP bought over 3 million shares Wednesday under its buyback programme, raising treasury stock to nearly 752 million shares. Shares rose about 0.5% in early London trading. Oil prices slipped Thursday, with Brent at $64.96 a barrel and U.S. crude at $60.43. Earlier this month, BP moved 145 million treasury shares into employee schemes, adjusting total voting rights to 15.76 billion.
22 January 2026
BT share price jumps as Openreach steps up copper switch-off — UBS still says “sell”

BT share price jumps as Openreach steps up copper switch-off — UBS still says “sell”

BT shares rose about 2.3% in early London trading after Openreach expanded its copper "stop sell" programme by 132 exchanges, affecting 1.23 million premises. UBS kept its “sell” rating and 140p target, warning of pricing and investment risks. Openreach aims to move all providers to digital phone lines by January 2027. BT will report third-quarter results on February 5.
Hang Seng wobbles, then closes higher as Hong Kong inflation ticks up and Trump cools tariff talk

Hang Seng wobbles, then closes higher as Hong Kong inflation ticks up and Trump cools tariff talk

The Hang Seng Index closed up 44 points at 26,629 on Thursday after a volatile session, with turnover at HK$234.86 billion. Baidu hit a record high, Pop Mart surged, while China Life and Ping An fell. December consumer prices in Hong Kong rose 1.4% year-on-year, with underlying inflation at 1.2%. Mainland insurers lagged as tech stocks and financials led early gains.
22 January 2026
NatWest share price rises as buyback update meets shifting BoE rate-cut bets

NatWest share price rises as buyback update meets shifting BoE rate-cut bets

NatWest shares rose 1.6% to 660 pence in early London trading after the bank announced new buybacks and plans to cancel repurchased shares. JPMorgan raised its price target for NatWest to 750 pence. The bank bought back 830,691 shares on Jan. 21, reducing outstanding shares to about 7.99 billion. Investors await the Bank of England’s Feb. 5 decision and NatWest’s earnings on Feb. 13.
22 January 2026
HSBC share price climbs near a 52-week peak as BoE rate-cut bets shift — what investors watch next

HSBC share price climbs near a 52-week peak as BoE rate-cut bets shift — what investors watch next

HSBC shares rose 1.4% to 1,248.2 pence in early London trading, near a 52-week high, after UK inflation data and shifting rate forecasts. Barclays and Lloyds also gained. Morgan Stanley now expects the Bank of England’s next rate cut in March, following December inflation of 3.4%. The BoE meets Feb. 5, with HSBC’s annual results due Feb. 25.
Anglo American share price pauses near 52-week high as copper jitters; Feb 5 update looms

Anglo American share price pauses near 52-week high as copper jitters; Feb 5 update looms

Anglo American shares held steady in early London trading Thursday after a 4.87% surge to a one-year high on Wednesday. The stock traded at 3,402 pence by 0846 GMT. EU decisions on the Teck merger are expected Feb. 3 and Feb. 10, with Anglo’s Q4 production report due Feb. 5. Copper prices rebounded, but signs of weaker Chinese demand persist.
IAG share price swings again: what’s moving the British Airways owner this morning

IAG share price swings again: what’s moving the British Airways owner this morning

IAG shares rose nearly 2% to 428.2 pence in early London trading Thursday after a volatile week for airline stocks. The move followed a dip to 403.2 pence on Tuesday amid tariff threats and shifting oil prices. Analysts’ targets remain in the mid-to-high 400 pence range ahead of IAG’s Feb. 27 results. Brent crude closed at $64.92 a barrel after a Kazakhstan supply disruption.
22 January 2026
BAT share price rises after buyback update — what’s next for British American Tobacco stock?

BAT share price rises after buyback update — what’s next for British American Tobacco stock?

British American Tobacco shares rose 1.9% to 4,327 pence in London after the company bought back 161,326 shares on Jan. 21, planning to cancel them. The buyback comes as BAT faces tighter U.S. vape regulation and prepares to report 2025 results on Feb. 12. UK inflation rose to 3.4% in December, partly due to tobacco prices. BAT recently paused a U.S. vape pilot amid increased FDA scrutiny.
22 January 2026
Shell share price today: Shell stock nudges up in London as buybacks roll on, oil slips

Shell share price today: Shell stock nudges up in London as buybacks roll on, oil slips

Shell shares rose 0.2% to 2,740 pence in early London trading Thursday after announcing the repurchase of 1.32 million shares for cancellation. The company confirmed Projects and Technology President Robin Mooldijk will depart Feb. 28 as Shell integrates technical functions into business units. Brent crude slipped 0.43% to $64.96 a barrel. Shell’s next earnings are due Feb. 5.
British Land’s leasing jump fuels UK dividend hunt as Legal & General’s 8% yield grabs attention

British Land’s leasing jump fuels UK dividend hunt as Legal & General’s 8% yield grabs attention

British Land signed 882,000 sq ft of leases in the third quarter, 8.5% above estimated rental value, and kept its earnings forecast. The company reported 1.8 million sq ft under offer and said retail park occupancy stands at 99%. UK inflation rose in December, but analysts expect the Bank of England to cut rates three times this year. Investors remain cautious about dividend risks despite British Land’s 5.5% yield.
Glencore share price slips as Chevron Singapore sale talks and Rio Tinto bid clock keep GLEN.L in focus

Glencore share price slips as Chevron Singapore sale talks and Rio Tinto bid clock keep GLEN.L in focus

Glencore shares fell 0.9% to 495.48 pence in early London trading after Reuters reported the company and Eneos are in final talks to buy Chevron’s Singapore downstream assets, a deal that could exceed $1 billion. Attention is fixed on Rio Tinto’s Feb. 5 deadline to make a takeover offer for Glencore or walk away under UK rules.

Stock Market Today

Eli Lilly stock pops as FDA targets cheap weight-loss copycats — what to know before Monday

Eli Lilly stock pops as FDA targets cheap weight-loss copycats — what to know before Monday

7 February 2026
Eli Lilly shares rose 3.7% to $1,058.18 Friday after the FDA said it would act against telehealth firm Hims & Hers for marketing a $49 compounded weight-loss pill. The move followed a sharp selloff Thursday when Hims announced plans to sell a version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. Investors remain uncertain how aggressively regulators will police copycat drugs and pricing in the obesity drug market.
Saudi Aramco share price set for Sunday test after Tadawul ends market-making deal

Saudi Aramco share price set for Sunday test after Tadawul ends market-making deal

7 February 2026
Saudi Exchange approved Merrill Lynch KSA’s exit as market maker for Saudi Aramco, effective Feb. 8. Aramco shares closed at 25.60 riyals Thursday, down 0.06, with 22.1 million traded. The Tadawul index fell 1.3% as Brent crude dropped to $67.93. Aramco set March official selling prices at $2.10 above Argus for North America and $0.65 above ICE Brent for Western Europe.
Meta stock ends week down about 6% as Wall Street fixates on $135 billion AI capex

Meta stock ends week down about 6% as Wall Street fixates on $135 billion AI capex

7 February 2026
Meta closed down 1.3% Friday at $661.46, capping a 6.4% weekly drop as investors questioned heavy AI spending. Amazon and Alphabet also fell after outlining major capital outlays. Meta’s Instagram suffered a brief outage this week. Legal risks persist, with trials involving Meta set for next week in Los Angeles and New Mexico.
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