Shares round-up: Raspberry Pi, SSP, Applied Nutrition
There are some big winners in the FTSE 250 today, with stellar gains at Raspberry Pi grabbing plenty of attention. City writer Graeme Evans explains what’s going on.
17th February 2026 13:50
by Graeme Evans from interactive investor
The Raspberry Pi stand at the Maker Faire Rome, a large European event on innovation, in October 2025. Photo: Simona Granati - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images.
A surge of interest in Raspberry Pi Holdings (LSE:RPI) shares today drove the computer maker to its highest level since October as mid-cap investors also focused on SSP Group (LSE:SSPG) and Applied Nutrition (LSE:APN).
More than 2.5 million Raspberry Pi shares changed hands by midday, which compared with the Cambridge-based firm’s average daily trading volume of just over 400,000.
The shares peaked at 400p, representing a 31% rise on last night’s close and a leap of more than 40% on Friday night’s level.
- Invest with ii: Open a Stocks & Shares ISA | Top ISA Funds | ISA Offers & Cashback
The buying accelerated on Monday afternoon after chief executive Eben Upton disclosed a fresh purchase of the company’s shares, one of several he has made so far this year.
The maker of high-performance, low-cost general-purpose computing platforms made no new disclosures to the stock market today. However, reports suggest that the surge has been social-media driven after an unverified post about Raspberry Pi hoarding.
The shares topped 766p just over a year ago, boosted by orders from industrial-focused customers and interest in the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) positioning through a suite of add-on products.
However, sentiment later weakened due to a surge in spot prices for the dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) used in single-board computers and compute modules.
The shares were recently below their June 2024 flotation price of 280p, even though a January trading update showed a strong finish to the financial year.
As we disclosed yesterday, Upton bought £20,000 of shares on Wednesday at 262p on top of £40,000 at the start of last week at between 262p and 266p and £20,000 at the end of January.
- Stockwatch: share surge could be sign of better times ahead
- Why fund managers are ‘uber-bullish’ despite AI concerns
- 12 small-cap shares backed by top stock pickers
Upton raised £1.8 million last summer when the expiry of lock-up arrangements in the initial public offering (IPO) allowed him to sell 14% of his shareholding at a price of 454.5p.
Analysts at Jefferies and Peel Hunt disclosed price targets of 420p and 460p following the January update and company’s forecast for first-half growth in unit shipments.
Applied Nutrition, which joined the stock market at a price of 140p in October 2024, rallied 18.5p to 260p after it today upgraded guidance for a third update in a row.
The sports nutrition, health and wellness brand said that revenues and underlying earnings were ahead of full-year expectations after a strong first-half performance.
It said this strong showing was driven by the success of its channel diversification across UK high-street health retailers, grocers and discounters.
The shares, which rallied 50% between November and early January, today overturned recent losses to reappear at their record high level of 260p.
City firm Berenberg said it liked Applied Nutrition for its early stage global growth potential.
It pointed out that the global sports nutrition, health and wellness market is forecast by Euromonitor to grow at a compound rate of 8.1% to reach £280 billion by 2028.
The bank added: “Multiple secular trends are driving growth in all major regions.
“Applied Nutrition has a sub-0.1% share of the global market, highlighting its long-term potential, as it leverages its scale to compete globally and its speed to market with high-quality, innovative products that meet consumers’ evolving preferences.”
- The Income Investor: a FTSE 100 retailer with dividend appeal
- Sign up to our free newsletter for investment ideas, latest news and award-winning analysis
- 10 shares to give you a £10,000 annual income in 2026
Berenberg has a price target of 290p, while Peel Hunt noted that the company entered the second half with strong momentum and significant medium-term potential.
It added: “Cash is also starting to build despite increased investment, making shareholder returns likely sooner rather than later.”
SSP Group rose 13.1p to 202.6p after City bank UBS highlighted the airport and railway station caterer’s much improved cash-generation outlook.
It added that recent signs of increasing aviation capacity growth should add tailwinds to near-term organic growth, with other catalysts focused on potential further buybacks, the ongoing review of European rail operations and value from Indian operations.
The bank switched to a Buy recommendation and price target of 245p, which would return the Upper Crust and Ritazza owner to its highest level since September 2023.
These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.
Full performance can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website. Simply click on the company's or index name highlighted in the article.