If only…
Smurfit Kappa (LSE: SKG) is Europe’s largest cardboard-box maker. Its shares rocketed in March as the firm rejected an offer from International Paper, saying the bid was “fundamentally opportunistic”. Half-year results posted in August showed earnings before interest, tax and amortisation rose by 27% to €724m, compared with the same period last year. Smurfit also posted a 5% increase in revenue to €4.4bn. The group is set to benefit from demand for alternatives to plastic packaging as businesses seek more environmentally friendly ways to transport goods.
Be glad you didn’t buy…
Mediclinic International (LSE: MDC) is a private hospital group. Its share price started sliding in September amid worries about the slow improvement of its business in the United Arab Emirates. The stock dropped again in November as Mediclinic ended takeover talks with Spire Healthcare. Investors were cheered in April as Mediclinic said it expected to deliver annual results ahead of expectations. In May it reported a 4% increase in revenue to £2.87m in the year to 31 March, but the shares fell yet again as the firm said it had taken a hefty $863m writedown on its Swiss arm.