If you’d invested in: Indivior and Next
Drugmaker Indivior is on the up, while retailer Next, once a favourite with investors, has lost its way.
If only
Indivior (LSE: INDV) is a pharmaceutical company that specialises in producing Suboxone, a prescription drug for the treatment of patients who are dependent on opioids. The firm operates in 40 countries worldwide. It was set up in 1994 as the pharmaceuticals division of consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser, but was spun off in December 2014 and listed as Indivior on the London Stock Exchange.In its first year as a public company, it made an operating profit of $346m on revenue of $1bn. Over the last year, the shares have risen by more than 130%.
Be glad you didn't
Fashion retailer Next (LSE: NXT) was once a favourite with investors. Between 2008 and late 2015, its shares rose by almost ten times. But since then, the company has lost its way as retail trends change. Last year proved difficult as customers deserted the chain, leading to multiple profit warnings. There's no relief in sight: last month, the firm warned that 2017 will be even tougher. The share price has slumped by over 40% in the past year.
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Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.
Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin.
As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.
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