FTSE Rises

Headlines say FTSE 100 Hits Fresh Record in Broad European Rally and all stock picks this week are 82% BUY, 11% HOLD and 7% SELL.

1. AVOID Aston Martin

Top performing stock picks are a mix of AVOID Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings by Steve Moore in ShareProphets with a tip performance of 11%.

Aston Martin share price launched at 4,406p in 2018, its all-time high, and is today at 65p.

On 6th October the company issued its half-year results in this RNS stating a revised future outlook due to macroeconomic conditions, US tariffs and lower demand.

In his article Steve Moore highlights the cash burn and how much lower the results might be after taking into account the US Government shutdown amidst other factors.

In Stockomendation five analysts: Deutsche Bank and Jefferies with HOLD; Citi and JP Morgan are NEUTRAL and Steve Moore is AVOID. Three open UK fund manager short positions, view those here.

2. OVERWEIGHT Smurfit Westrock

Second top performing stock pick this week is OVERWEIGHT Smurfit Westrock by JP Morgan with a tip performance of 7%.

Smurfit Westrock plc is an Irish company based in Dublin, Ireland that manufactures corrugated and paper-based packaging. Founded in 1934, Smurfit Westrock stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange SW and the London Stock Exchange under the tickers SW and SWR respectively.

Smurfit Westrock share price launched at 1,240p in 2007, rose to an all-time high of 4,531p in 2024 and is today at 3,233p.

On 8th October the company announced its third quarter results release date in this RNS stating 29th October.

Smurfit Westrock stock rallied 5% on Wednesday on its second day of gains. JP Morgan reiterated its OVERWEIGHT rating and reduced its target price from 5,300p to 4,600p.

In Stockomendation four analysts: JP Morgan & Barclays with OVERWEIGHT; UBS has NEUTRAL and Jefferies says BUY. There are no active UK fund manager short positions open.

3. BUY Beeks Financial

Third top interesting stock pick this week is BUY Beeks Financial Cloud Group by Canaccord Genuity with a tip performance of 6%.

Beeks Financial Cloud Group PLC is a UK technology company providing cloud-based trading infrastructure, connectivity, and analytics to financial markets. Founded in 2011, it offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service with managed cloud and proximity cloud services, serving global financial institutions such as banks, hedge funds, and crypto exchanges. The company operates a network of data centers and provides low-latency services for automated trading in various financial products.

Beeks Financial share price launched at 44p in 2017, rose to an all-time high of 302p in January 2025 and is today at 217p.

On 6th October the company issued its final results for the year in this RNS reporting a 26% increase in revenue to £35.9 million for the year ended 30 June 2025. The growth was largely attributed to increased uptake of its Proximity Cloud and Exchange Cloud services, which together generated £10.3 million in revenue, up from £3.5 million the previous year.

Gross profit rose by 30% to £14.7 million, while underlying EBITDA was up 27% to £13.6 million. Underlying profit before tax increased by 41% to £5.5 million. The company reported net cash of £7.0 million.

During the year, Beeks secured £19 million in total contract value from new deals, including agreements with ASX, BMV, Kraken, and TMX Group. It also introduced a revenue-sharing model for Exchange Cloud contracts.

Post year-end, the company launched Market Edge Intelligence, a new AI and machine learning product designed for monitoring capital markets data.

Beeks now holds multi-year contracts with six of the world’s top 30 exchanges. Client retention remains above 96%.

Chief Executive Gordon McArthur said the company had made progress in converting pipeline opportunities into long-term contracts. Chairman Will Meldrum described the year as record-breaking and noted growing interest from Tier 1 institutions.

In Stockomendation two analysts: Canaccord Genuity with BUY and Steve Moore with AVOID. There are no active short positions open.

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Disclaimer: The contents of this article should not be considered financial advice. Pricing data correct as at 9th October 2025.