Croda Int.6.6pf Share News (49GP)

LONDON (Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers within the main London indices on Wednesday.----------FTSE 100 - WINNERS----------British American Tobacco, up 1.1%. The tobacco company said it remains on track for another good year of earnings growth, excluding the impact of currency translation, despite challenging trading conditions. Ahead of its annual general meeting Wednesday Chairman Richard Burrows reiterated that the company's annual profit growth is expected to be skewed to the second half due to volume shipment phasing and pricing in certain markets. BAT plans to invest more than GBP1 billion in developing next generation products like vapour and tobacco heating products by the end of 2018.Persimmon, up 1.0%. The housebuilder said enquiry levels are around 13% higher year-to-date, compared to the same time last year. Persimmon said this is down to "robust trading" since the start of the year with visitor levels to site, sales conversion rates and cancellation rates all "running in line" with expectations. The company has increased its total forward sales revenue, including legal completions, by about 8% to GBP2.76 billion from GBP2.56 billion last year. Its weekly private sale rate per site since the start of the year has grown to 0.85 from 0.83 a year ago. The housebuilder's average selling price has increased to GBP236,500 from GBP229,500 with 9,048 new homes sold forward into the private ownership market, up from 8,928 this time last year.----------FTSE 100 - LOSERS----------Croda International, down 4.4%. The speciality chemicals company said it has continued its 2017 momentum into the first quarter of 2018. For the quarter ended March 31, the company said its Personal Care division was the "standout performer" with 7.6% growth in sales. The Core Business had a 4% constant currency sales increase. The Life Sciences division had a 4.1% constant currency sales growth - with the Crop Care business growing "strongly". The overall sales for the company, at constant currency, increased 2.6% in the quarter. Currency translation reduced sales for Croda by 5.3%, with reported currency sales for the company 2.7% lower. Return on sales for the company "increased slightly" in the quarter.Antofagasta, down 4.2%. The miner reported a drop in both gold and copper production for the first quarter of 2018, though the prior figure's drop was anticipated. Blue-chip Antofagasta's first quarter copper output came in at 153,800 tonnes, 11% lower than the same period a year before, mainly due to anticipated lower grades. Gold production was 32,300 ounces in the quarter, 39% down year-on-year and 20% lower than the last quarter of 2017. This, it said, was due to lower grades at its Centinela mine. Antofagasta's net cash costs for the quarter increased to USD1.54 per pound from USD1.27 the same period a year earlier and USD1.36 in the last quarter of 2017, reflecting changes in cash costs before by-product credits. Intertek, down 2.8%. Credit Suisse downgraded the testing and inspection company to Underperform from Neutral. Whitbread, down 2.1%. The firm said it is now "committed" to a demerger of Costa Coffee, as it reported a rise in group profit for its recently-ended financial year. Within divisions, hotel chain Premier Inn saw profit rise, but Costa saw a decline. Whitbread said it believes it is in the "best long-term interests" of the company's shareholders to separate Premier Inn and Costa, via a demerger of Costa. The group also released its full-year results for the twelve months to March 1. In the period, revenue rose to GBP3.30 billion, from GBP3.11 billion the year before, as pretax profit climbed to GBP548.4 million from GBP515.4 million. At Costa, UK like-for-like sales grew 1.2%, though UK equity stores like-for-like sales fell 0.4% compared to a 2.0% rise the year before. Premier Inn UK like-for-like accommodation sales rose 2.2% in the period.----------FTSE 250 - LOSERS----------Metro Bank, down 9.9%. The lender said its net interest margin continues to deteriorate despite rising revenue and profit. The net interest margin at the end of March was 1.85%, down from 1.87% at the end of 2017, and it has fallen from 2.02% since the end of March 2017. On a statutory basis, pretax profit soared to GBP8.6 million for the first quarter of 2018 compared to GBP1.6 million the same period a year earlier. It was up 14% on the last quarter of 2017. Metro Bank's underlying pretax profit was up 21% quarter-on-quarter to GBP10.0 million and by five-fold from the GBP2.0 million recorded a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter was GBP91.8 million, up 9% quarter-on-quarter and 48% year-on-year.----------OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - WINNERS----------boohoo.com, up 14%. The online fashion retailer reported a significant jump in both revenue and profit for its recently ended financial year. For the twelve months to the end of February, revenue nearly doubled to GBP579.8 million from GBP294.6 million the year prior, as pretax profit climbed 40% to GBP44.3 million from GBP30.9 million. The company said it saw strong revenue growth across all geographies, with UK up 95% and international up 99%. The company said it has made a strong start to its current financial year, with group revenue growth in the year ahead expected to be 35% to 40%, with an adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation margin between 9% to 10% and capital expenditure of GBP50 million to GBP60 million.----------