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Peel Hunt (PEEL) shares rose 6 per cent after the Aim-traded broker said it expects to beat market forecasts for annual revenue and profit.

In a short update, the company said it had “supported clients on a range of M&A and equity capital markets transactions” in its second half. House broker Keefe, Bruyette & Woods forecasts revenue of £130mn and net income of £11.2m for the year to March.

Experian (EXPN) caught the market off guard this morning with a $1bn (ÂŁ730mn) share buyback, a step-up from a previous pattern of smaller repurchases mainly aimed at offsetting dilution from employee share schemes.

The credit bureau and data analytics group said the programme will reduce the overall share count and cover obligations under staff share plans. It will run until no later than 30 June 2027.

Management said Experian is trading “strongly” and is set to end the financial year with a “favourable” leverage position. “Given this flexibility, we see opportunity to drive additional shareholder value through the introduction of increased share repurchases,” it added.

The shares rose 3.5 per cent to 2,788p on the news, but are still down 30 per cent over the past year on concerns that AI could squeeze its pricing power. That worry has also weighed on peers such as Relx (REL) and other data giants.

Cohort (CHRT) reported two new orders for subsidiary Marlborough Communications totalling ÂŁ17.9mn, which mean that revenue consensus forecasts for its current financial year ending in April are now fully underpinned, chief executive Andy Thomis said.

Cohort’s shares rose by 3 per cent. Although “relatively small”, the orders are reassuring and with the company’s shares trading at a discount to defence peers this provides “an attractive entry point”, said RBC Capital Markets analyst Ben Pfannes-Varrow.

Avon Technologies (AVON) said it had enjoyed a “record start” to its 2026 financial year, powered by demand for its chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection products, despite a slowdown at its Team Wendy protective helmets division linked to the recent US government shutdown.

The company did not give any figures for trading for the three months to December, but chief executive Jos Sclater said it was on track to “meet or exceed” the guidance it gave when publishing full-year results in November of “high-single-digit” revenue growth and an adjusted operating margin of between 14-16 per cent. Broker Peel Hunt expects adjusted earnings per share to grow by a third to 116.5p.