In June, a handful of these growth shares suddenly jumped higher. These included:

• Applied Nutrition: +27.7%
• Axon Enterprise: +24.9%
• Beeks Financial Cloud: +30.4%
• Hims & Hers: +32.6%

Also, cross-border payments leader Wise (+23%) has recovered nicely from June lows, as has gaming platform Roblox (+33%) and digital bank Nu Holdings (+17%).

What’s been driving them higher? Well, the Iran ceasefire has certainly helped, as this has raised hopes that interest rates won’t jump higher.

However, there have also been positive company-specific developments. Applied Nutrition raised its full-year sales guidance, Wise dropped a strong set of results, and fintech infrastructure firm Beeks has been winning contracts for its new AI-powered analytics platform.

Meanwhile, Russia has lifted its ban on Roblox, President Trump (via a trust) bought shares of Axon, and data shows accelerating GLP-1 sales trends at Hims & Hers.

However, while the US-Iran agreement has given many growth stocks a shot in the arm, any restarting of hostilities could quickly send them into retreat. That’s a near-term risk for the seven names mentioned above.

A “crazy cheap” tech share

Moving on, I want to highlight Moonpig (LSE:MOON). This is a FTSE 250 growth stock that looks undervalued to me, despite rising 27% year to date.

As the UK’s leading online greeting cards company, Moonpig will be familiar to many readers. Through the app, customers can customise cards, adding photos and AI-generated images, and also send flowers and gifts.

This weekend, my daughter and I will create a thank you card on Moonpig for her teacher. We’ll personalise it, which should make him smile more than a generic card picked up off the supermarket shelf.

Our proprietary customer data remains an important part of our structural moat. Every day, we collect more than twice as much data as the rest of the greeting card market combined, deepening our competitive advantage.
Moonpig

In FY26, which ended 30 April, the company’s revenue increased 6.5% to £373m, with the core Moonpig brand growing 8.6%. Adjusted pre-tax profit jumped 13.4% to £76.5m, while free cash flow increased 11.2% to £73.5m.

From these numbers, we can see that the asset-light platform sports attractive fundamentals. In particular, the 20% free cash flow margin stands out. This cash is supporting ongoing buybacks and a higher dividend (25% hike last year).

The free cash flow yield here is approaching 9%. Last month, broker Panmure Liberum called the shares “crazy cheap for incredibly high quality and such a strong cash returns profile“.

Looking at the forecast for next year (FY28), the forward-looking earnings multiple is just 12. That’s despite Moonpig delivering consistent double-digit earnings growth, boosted by buybacks.

As for risks, the tough consumer backdrop isn’t ideal. This might see cash-strapped consumers opt for cheaper cards than larger, customised ones on Moonpig (or even just settle for a happy birthday message on Facebook or WhatsApp).

Taking a longer view though, I like the growth story here. Moonpig’s database of 113m customer occasion reminders helps drive repeat business, while it’s also growing nicely in new international markets, particularly Australia.

I’m considering Moonpig stock and think investors should too.

Should you invest £5,000 in Moonpig Group Plc right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers and his team have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Twelfth Magpie Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets.

And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Moonpig Group Plc made the list?

Ben McPoland owns shares in Applied Nutrition, Axon Enterprise, Beeks Financial Cloud, Hims & Hers, Nu Holdings, Roblox, and Wise.

The post These 7 growth stocks went bonkers in my ISA in June! appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

I had an inkling this might happen after digging into the company in December. Back then, I had just used the Moonpig app to create a personalised, AI-enhanced Christmas card for my daughter. I was impressed with the tech firm’s customer proposition.

Since then, I have highlighted Moonpig almost every month. But I’m still bullish on the stock moving forward, despite the higher share price. Here’s why.

Pigs might fly

As a quick reminder, Moonpig is the leading online greetings card company in the UK and Netherlands (via the Greetz brand). Customers can personalise cards, add AI-generated stickers, create voice and video messages, and send gifts and flowers.

Today, the company released its results for the 12 months to 30 April (FY26). And despite the endless, grinding cost-of-living crisis, the numbers were solid:

• Revenue up 6.5% to £373m, with the flagship Moonpig brand growing at 8.6%.
• Adjusted pre-tax profit rose 13.4% to £76.5m, beating market consensus.
• Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) growth of 19.5%.
• Free Cash Flow increased 11.2% to £73.5m.
• Total dividend hiked 25%.

One crucial differentiator for Moonpig is its data advantage. Every time a new customer buys a card for a birthday or anniversary, the database of customer reminders grows.

Last year, this increased 11.2% to 113m, with around 40% of orders placed within seven days of Moonpig/Greetz giving them a reminder. Add in the subscription service, which increased by 29.3% to 1.2m members, and there’s a high degree of customer loyalty here.

Another thing I like is the popularity of creative features, including AI stickers (where the tool generates a custom image for your card). These were added to 31m greeting cards during the year, up 102%.

Of course, AI lowers the barriers to content creation for everyone. But not every firm has extensive fulfilment capabilities, a trusted brand, and a dataset of 113m customer reminders.

Every day, millions of customers trust us with some of life’s most important moments, from birthdays and anniversaries to celebrations…In a world increasingly shaped by technology and artificial intelligence, the human connections we help create feel more important than ever.
CEO Catherine Faiers.

What worries me?

The year wasn’t perfect, however. One slightly disappointing thing for me was that active customers only grew 2.8% to 12.3m.

Are more inflation-weary people cutting back on card buying in general? If so, this could become a near-term threat to growth.

Meanwhile, Greetz grew revenue by 1.5% in constant currency, suggesting it’s struggling to find growth momentum compared to the UK business.

That said, the Moonpig brand is seeing growth in new markets (+33%), including in Ireland, Australia, and the US.

My takeaway

The stock’s still trading reasonably, at around 13 times forward earnings. And Moonpig plans to acquire £65m worth of its own shares this year, after last year’s £62m buyback, which should help boost the key EPS metric.

Looking ahead, I remain bullish. There’s a structural shift taking place in card buying, from offline to online, and Moonpig is leading the way with a large and loyal customer base.

I reckon the shares are still worth considering.

Should you invest £5,000 in Moonpig Group Plc right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers and his team have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Twelfth Magpie Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets.

And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Moonpig Group Plc made the list?

Ben McPoland has no position in any of the companies mentioned.

The post Up 10.7% today, this under-the-radar FTSE 250 stock still looks good value to me appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

If this target is achieved by next year, it would represent a 45% gain from today’s price. And that would no doubt be welcome relief for investors who bought the stock above 400p soon after the 2021 IPO.

But what do other analysts think about Moonpig?

Nearly 10 out of 10

According to my data provider, there are 10 City brokers following the online greetings card and gifting company. And an impressive nine of these rate the stock as a Buy today, with one lone dissenter saying Hold.

The average price target is 297%, which is 36.6% higher than the present level. Noticeably, not a single one has a projection that is lower than 217p, suggesting that this FTSE 250 share is undervalued.

Indeed, one Moonpig bull has a 335p price target — over 50% higher!

What do they see here?

Having dug into the stock a while back, I can see why these analysts are impressed. I think there are a number of things to like here.

For a start, Moonpig is the UK’s leading online greeting card company, with a 70% market share (nearly six times larger than its nearest rival). It also owns the Greetz brand in the Netherlands (65% share), with over 12m active customers in total.

Despite e-commerce being entrenched in the UK, only 6% of cards by volume are bought online today. But Moonpig has a far better offering than stores, in my opinion, as you can personalise the cards by adding photos, voice messages, and gifts.

Over time, I see no reason why the majority of cards won’t be bought online, due to convenience and greater choice. And this present a large, multi-year market opportunity for a category leader.

Here are some other reasons why I like Moonpig:

• Asset-light platform company (high profitability and strong cash generation).
• Loyal customers (nearly 90% of revenue from existing customers).
• Revenue in new markets (Ireland, Australia and the US) grew by 32.3% in H1 FY26.
• Massive data advantage (over 107m reminders to drive repeat purchases).
• Applying AI to this proprietary data to personalise the customer experience.
• Over 1m subscriptions to Moonpig Plus and Greetz Plus.
• Just completed a £60m share buyback.
• Forward dividend yield of 2%, with lots of scope to increase payouts.

Low barriers to entry

Naturally, no stock is perfect and there a couple of negatives worth mentioning here. One is Moonpig’s experience gifting business, which continues to underperform.

Revenue here declined 8.9% in H1, acting as a bit of a drag on the wider group.

Meanwhile, Card Factory has been beefing up its own online personalised card offerings, including buying Funky Pigeon last year for £24m. So Moonpig does face some competition in this space (where barriers to entry are low).

What about valuation?

Turning to valuation, though, the stock looks reasonably priced to me. Earnings per share are growing by double digits, putting the forward price-to-earnings multiple at 11.5, and the price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio at 0.9.

Weighing everything up, I think Moonpig stock is worth considering today at 217p. I can see it heading higher in future as card buying continues to go digital.

Should you invest £5,000 in Moonpig Group Plc right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers and his team have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Twelfth Magpie Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets.

And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Moonpig Group Plc made the list?

Ben McPoland has no position in any of the companies mentioned.

The post Here’s a FTSE 250 stock that could jump 45% by 2027, according to this broker appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

Here are three UK growth shares to check out in April.

Moonpig

Moonpig (LSE:MOON) is the UK and Netherlands’ leading online greeting card firm, with over 12m active customers.

I’m one of these customers, and I use it all the time to send personalised cards. And I’m not alone because Moonpig enjoys tremndous loyalty, with roughly 91% of revenue coming from existing customers.

Looking ahead, this should create a solid base for continued expansion. For fiscal year 2026, ending 30 April, the firm expects adjusted earnings per share growth to be as much as 12%.

The stock’s trading at 11.5 times forward earnings, which is attractive considering the board just announced a new £65m share buyback programme for FY27. There’s also a near-2% forward dividend yield, which could grow nicely over time (no guarantees, of course).

One potential risk I see is further pressure on consumer budgets (sadly, a common theme today). However, UK online card penetration is still only 6% by value, suggesting there’s a strong secular growth story unfolding here.

Hollywood Bowl

Next, we have Hollywood Bowl (LSE:BOWL), the UK’s largest ten-pin bowling operator. The stock’s also trading at around 11.5 times forward earnings, but offering a much larger 5.1% forecast yield.

Beyond the income potential, I like the company’s growth prospects. By 2035, it expects to have 130 centres, up from 93 today. And a growing number are expected to be in Canada, where it’s successfully applying its UK expansion playbook.

Again, consumer spending pressure is the biggest risk, exacerbated by rising inflation. But in the six months to 31 March, revenue rose 9.5% to £141.5m, with 2.6% like-for-like sales growth in the UK.

Therefore, the company’s showing resilience in a tough market. It makes me wonder how well this business could do in future if and when the cost-of-living crisis eases.

Genus

The third stock is animal genetics specialist Genus (LSE:GNS). The stock’s up 62% in one year but down 50% over five.

Now, this one isn’t conventionally cheap because it’s trading at 25 forward earnings. However, the long-term growth could be substantial due to the company’s PRRS-resistant pig programme (PRP).

What on earth is that? Well, PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome) is a devastating viral disease that causes reproductive failure in sows and respiratory illness in piglets. It has long been the bane of the global swine industry (losing around $1.2bn per year in the US alone). 

Genus has used gene-editing (CRISPR) technology to produce PRRS-resistant pigs. Canada has approved use of the PRP gene edit, while Genus is making progress with other key international regulators, including China, Mexico, and Japan.

Of course, the big risk here is Chinese or US regulators rejecting these gene-edited pigs. But brokers are getting excited about the potential for high-margin royalties from this programme.

For example, house broker Panmure Liberum recently told clients: “We remain of the view that Genus is a multi-year growth story and that it stands a reasonable chance of being a FTSE 100 stock by 2030.”

That’s an exciting prospect, considering Genus’ current £1.7bn market cap.

The post 3 top FTSE 250 growth stocks to consider for an ISA today appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

Here’s one high-quality FTSE 250 growth share that I think deserves closer attention in April.

Moonpig

With over 12m active customers, Moonpig (LSE:MOON) is the leading online greeting card company in the UK and Netherlands. And despite low consumer confidence, the firm’s still managing to grow, suggesting it’s capitalising on a strong secular trend.

For fiscal 2026 (FY26), ending April, Moonpig expects high single digit percentage revenue growth. Growth in adjusted earnings per share is anticipated to be as much as 12%, driven by strong free cash flow generation and the impact of this year’s £60m share buyback.

Speaking of which, the board has authorised a £65m buyback for FY27. This indicates Moonpig is clearly confident in its growth prospects.

Beyond the strong brand and market-leading position, Moonpig’s data advantage stands out to me. It has over 107m customer occasion reminders (birthdays, anniversaries, etc), which it uses very effectively to drive repeat business.

Indeed, an impressive 90.9% of revenue was generated from existing customers in H1 (up from 88.3% the year before). I believe this large and growing database gives Moonpig a significant edge over rivals.

Compelling customer proposition

Speaking as a customer myself, I like designing a card online and having it delivered. It’s far better than rushing to the supermarket at the last minute to rummage around the shelves for a generic card.

What started as a personalised birthday card for my daughter a while back has mushroomed into birthday cards for other loved ones. And Christmas cards and a funny engagement card for my mate recently.

At some point soon, I’ll probably join the Moonpig Plus annual subscription service, which now has over 1m members.

Also worth mentioning are the AI-generated stickers and audio or video messages, which allow highly personalised cards and inside jokes. These are now very popular.

Cheap stock

Moonpig’s revenue has surged from £173m in FY20 to an expected £400m next year. And net profit is set to almost double over this time.

Yet, the share price has crashed around 51% since the firm listed in 2021.

Today, the stock trades cheaply at just 11 times FY27’s forecast earnings. The firm has also started paying a small but growing dividend (the forward yield is around 2%).

What could go wrong? Well, Moonpig’s Experiences segment (spa days, stadium tours, etc) has struggled. And rising inflation could see some struggling customers cut back on personalised cards.

Then again, the UK is arguably the greeting card capital of the world. We send them not just for birthdays and Christmas, but for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, to say ‘Thinking of You’, ‘Get Well’, or to congratulate someone on getting a promotion.

Yet today, online card penetration is still only 6% by volume and 15% by value in the UK. Then there’s international potential. This suggests Moonpig has a large market opportunity ahead of it, making the stock worth looking at in April.

The post 1 top FTSE 250 growth stock to consider for an ISA in April appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

However, there are still some potentially lucrative long-term opportunities, especially in growth stocks. Here are a pair of FTSE 250 shares that I think are worth researching further today.

A market leader

First up is Moonpig (LSE:MOON), the leading online greeting card company in the UK and the Netherlands. It offers an extensive range of cards, curated gifts, and personalisation features.

Moonpig’s due to release a trading statement on 18 March. But in the six months to 31 October, the firm reported a 6.7% uptick in revenue to £168.6m, with adjusted earnings per share rising 13.1%.

Second-half trading up to early December had been “encouraging“. And in a show of confidence in its prospects, Moonpig hiked the interim dividend 25%.

Mind you, the forecast yield is still modest at 1.85%. And if the UK economy were to hit the rocks, the company’s growth could slow as consumers cut back on curated cards and gifts.

However, the FTSE 250 stock trades at 12 times forward earnings, which isn’t expensive for a digital-first firm that boasts a strong return on capital. It’s also buying back up to £60m worth of shares in FY26.

Moonpig now has over 12m customers, with a database of 107m customer occasions. This data allows the company to predict what cards or gifts customers might like based on previous purchases and upcoming calendar events.

I use the firm’s app to create personalised birthday cards for my daughter, and I like the AI-generated stickers you can create. I’m not alone. Over 50% of customers are now using its innovative creative features to make their cards more personal.

Looking ahead, I’m bullish on the company’s growth prospects. There’s a long-term structural shift from offline to online card buying, and Moonpig is a market leader with a strong brand.

Another leader

Next, I want to highlight Hollywood Bowl (LSE:BOWL), which is the UK and Canada’s largest 10-pin bowling operator.

What I like here is that the business is showing resilience during a tough period of weak consumer spending. In the 12 months to the end of September, like-for-like revenue in the UK and Canada grew 1.1% and 3.2% respectively.

However, spend per game was up 9.2% in the UK and 14.8% in Canada. So the firm’s managing to sell more food and drink to customers when they’re inside. It has also invested £11m in new amusement machines and is increasing its mini-golf offer.

Total revenue rose 8.8% last year to £250.7m, with a record five new sites opened in the UK and two in Canada. The growth opportunity in Canada looks attractive because the 10-pin bowling market there is very fragmented.

Similar to Moonpig, any deterioration in the economy would present a risk. However, it’s worth noting that a family of four can bowl in the UK for £26. So Hollywood Bowl offers value for money at a time when families are sadly struggling financially.

The company’s on track to reach 130 centres by 2035, up from 92 at the end of September. And the stock’s reasonably priced at 11 times forward earnings while sporting a 5% yield.

The post 2 top stocks to consider from the FTSE 250 in March appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

Over the past five years, the FTSE 250’s total return has only been around 34%. That’s not great. But with the new year nearly upon us, might 2026 be the FTSE 250’s time to shine?

What’s wrong?

Unlike the FTSE 100, the FTSE 250 contains a lot of domestically-focused companies. Around half of revenue comes from these shores, making it more of a barometer for the health of the UK economy.

Unfortunately, as we’re all aware, the economy’s flatlined for a long time now, with very poor productivity rates. We can argue till the cows come home what the structural barriers preventing UK economic growth are. But in my opinion, stifling regulation and high taxes are two key contributing factors.

The UK also has some of the world’s highest energy bills. So it’s incredibly expensive to manufacture things here and operate businesses, which is obviously having a negative impact. Consumers also have less disposable income due to this.

Combine this with anaemic economic growth and it’s easy to see why the UK’s mid-cap share index continues to underwhelm. This is a shame because there are some cracking companies in the FTSE 250.

Another thing holding the index back is the poor performance of investment trusts. They make up around a third of the constituents but trade at an average 13% discount to their underlying asset values.

What about 2026?

Given all this, I don’t see the FTSE 250 having a rip-roaring 2026. But lower interest rates could help by boosting retail stocks while also potentially luring money back into undervalued investment trusts. So if the UK economy doesn’t weaken, I think the FTSE 250 will rise in 2026. 

Currently, the index trades at 13 times earnings versus around 18 for the FTSE 100. This suggests there are plenty of undervalued mid-cap shares waiting to be found.

Cheap shares

I think Moonpig‘s (LSE:MOON) potentially one of them. The stock’s fallen 21% since June and 50%+ since listing in 2021.

Now around 200p, it’s trading at just 10.8 times next year’s forecast earnings. My view is that this is cheap for the UK’s leading online greetings card company, which has over 12m customers.

Crucially, Moonpig has a vast database of 107m customer occasion reminders (birthdays, anniversaries, etc). So it knows when a customer needs to buy a card and/or gift for someone, which is incredibly valuable for repeat sales.

Of course, the tough UK retail market backdrop undoubtedly adds risk. But in the six months to the end of October, revenue rose 6.7% to £169m, boosted by expansion into Ireland, Australia and the US. Overseas sales jumped more than 32%, while earnings are growing by double digits.

Meanwhile, more customers are signing up for the Moonpig Plus subscription service, as well as using AI-generated stickers, audio and video messages. I’ve recently started using the app myself (it saves me trips to my local Tesco for cards!).

I think Moonpig’s worth considering. It’s just one of a few FTSE 250 opportunities I see as we head into 2026.

The post Is the FTSE 250 set for a rip-roaring comeback in 2026? appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

What caught my eye was the average share price target among City brokers. It sits 49% above the current level of 202p. In theory then, it’s trading well below what these experts think it could possibly reach over the next 12 months.

So can Moonpig stock really fly next year?

Data advantage

After digging into this company, I’m actually quite bullish. It’s the UK’s leading online card and gift retailer, with a very strong brand (no doubt helped by those strangely catchy ‘MOOOOON-PIG-DOT-COM’ ads). It also owns Dutch gifting brand Greetz.

At the end of October, the company had 12.1m active customers. And over 90% of orders come from repeat customers, showing it enjoys loyalty.

This is helped by its Moonpig Plus subscription service, which offers discounted cards and perks for £9.99 a year. Add in Greetz Plus and total subscribers hit 1.02m in October, a sharp 36% jump on the year before.

This subscription service adds a recurring revenue stream, as well as encouraging customers to spend more. I reckon there’s a large opportunity to add millions more subscribers in future as it expands into new markets such as Ireland, Australia and the US.

Half-year revenue increased 6.7% to £168.6m, with the Moonpig brand growing at 9.4%. The retailer also boasts attractive margins (an adjusted EBITDA margin of 26.7%).

Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) jumped 13.1%, boosted by “growth in trading, operating leverage and the impact of share buybacks“.

Interestingly, renowned growth investor Baillie Gifford named the stock among its best three UK ideas in September. It said Moonpig has over 100m “special occasions on their platform, so they will nudge users at just the right moment to make it quite personal and relevant for everyone that uses the platform… more data gives it more opportunities to engage with its customers“.

At last, Moonpig’s seeing success with generative AI, with lots of customers creating AI-generated stickers. I just tried this in the app for a Christmas card. I created an image of Santa’s sleigh being pulled by capybaras (my daughter’s favourite animal).

Finally, the company’s started paying a dividend, with the forward-looking yield around 2%.

We have built a resilient, cash‑generative and profitable platform with a clear strategy, a highly engaged, loyal and growing customer base and a data advantage that continues to compound year after year.

CEO Nickyl Raithatha.

The stock

Admittedly, there are a couple of things I’m less bullish about. One is the company’s Experiences business (which offers spa breaks, meals, live events, etc). It continues to display weakness, with first-half revenue declining 8.9%. Meanwhile, growth at Greetz in the Netherlands is likewise underwhelming.

Also, Raithatha’s stepping down as CEO after seven years at the helm. While experienced Auto Trader CFO Catherine Faiers will be taking over, it still adds a bit of uncertainty moving forward.

On balance though, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. The stock’s trading at just 11 times next year’s forecast earnings. At this price, I think Moonpig’s worth checking out.

The majority of greetings cards are still bought in stores, suggesting the UK company has a long potential growth runway ahead.

The post This FTSE 250 stock could rocket 49%, say brokers appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

The magnitude of this change doesn’t surprise me. As the table below shows, more often than not, whenever the group announces its results or gives the market a progress report, its share price moves significantly (up and down).

A positive outlook

Today, investors were told that the group, which operates in the UK and the Netherlands, was on course to deliver earnings for the year ending 30 April 2026 (FY26) in line with expectations.

It says it continues to deliver constant revenue growth of approximately 10% a year. And adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) is expected to grow at a “mid-single digit percentage rate”.

More importantly, adjusted earnings per share (EPS) is forecast to grow by 8%-12%. During FY25, it reported EPS of 15p. If the group’s prediction is right, this means EPS for FY26 could be between 16.2p and 18p, implying a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.7-13. In my opinion, anywhere within this range seems reasonable for a high-margin internet-based business.

The group’s strong cash flow means it’s recently started paying a dividend. And it’s been repurchasing its own shares.

Much of its progress has been attributed to customers “embracing our innovative personalisation features to express themselves, with adoption continuing to rise — around 50% of all cards now including options such as AI-generated stickers, audio or video messages, or personalised handwriting”.

All in all, the group appears to be in good shape.

Pros and cons

But since the pandemic, its share price has been in decline. And then there’s the volatility noted above. The stock has a five-year beta value of 1.25. This means if the market moves by 10% (up or down) then, on average, the Moonpig share price will change by 25%. This is unlikely to appeal to cautious investors.

However, analysts appear to have bought in to the growth story. The average of their 12-month price targets is 310p — even after today’s bounce, this is 47% higher than the current price.

And while I do have some doubts as to whether the group’s activities could be easily replicated by others, it has a long track record of EPS growth. The group claims that only 15% of card purchases are made online so there’s plenty of scope to expand further.

Its online-only business model means it has a lower cost base than its high street competitors. And it must be good at what it does because over 90% of its business comes from repeat customers.

For these reasons, I think Moonpig Group shares are worthy of consideration. But anyone taking a position needs to be braced for some pretty big share price swings whenever it releases its results or issues a trading update.

The post The Moonpig share price flies higher after the group issues its latest trading update! appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

Electrifying performance!

Shares in electricals retailer Currys (LSE: CURY) have been on an absolute tear over the last 12 months, rising 73%. In 2025 alone, they’re already up 34%. That’s hugely impressive considering the index as a whole is barely in positive territory. It goes down as yet another example of how stock-picking has the potential to be far more lucrative than owning a fund that simply tracks an index’s return.

Then again, Curry’s current purple patch isn’t all that surprising considering it recently raised its guidance on full-year adjusted pre-tax profit for the third time this year. Around £162m is now expected, up £2m on what it predicted one month ago.

Investors will also have cheered news that the company is now in a position to resume dividends. It hasn’t returned any cash since January 2023.

Should investors consider buying?

The significant rise that we’ve seen leads me to question whether the good news is all priced in.

On paper, a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of a little less than 12 for the current financial year suggests the £1.4bn cap isn’t overvalued. Even among consumer cyclical stocks — many of which have been suffering during the cost-of-living crisis — the price tag doesn’t look extreme.

On the other hand, the recent bounce in inflation wasn’t encouraging. The firm had to contend with tax rises in April too. Tellingly, a couple of potential suitors also walked away last year when the share price was an awful lot lower!

However, I reckon the most convincing argument for bears is that this will likely remain a (very) low-margin business in a highly competitive space.

That’s why I’m inclined to think that the shares might begin to drift as targets become tougher to hit.

Rocketing share price

Another mid-cap that’s been in sparkling form is online greetings card and gifting platform Moonpig Group (LSE: MOON). Its stock is up 19% in 2025 and 55% in 12 months.

Go further back and anyone brave enough to invest when the shares hit their lowest ebb a couple of years ago will have doubled their cash!

As with Currys, the question is whether the ‘easy money’ has already been made. The P/E of 16 is higher than its index peer, but Moonpig generates better margins and returns on the money it invests. But is that sufficient?

Missing moat

April’s trading update stated that full-year revenue would be between £350m and £353m, helped by “strong growth” in gift attachment rates and more people signing up to its subscription scheme. This would represent a slight improvement on what it made in FY24 (£341m), albeit lower than analysts were expecting.

Nevertheless, I still can’t get excited by Moonpig. Like the electricals retailer, it operates in a crowded part of the market with no clear economic moat. Things look set to get even more challenging as similar businesses abandon their high street presence and move wholly online.

The recent introduction of dividends is positive but I’m not seeing big catalysts for further big price gains.

I’m not convinced either is worth considering at present.

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