Ashtead Group Share News (AHT)

(Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers within the main London indices on Tuesday.----------FTSE 100 - WINNERS----------Ashtead, up 3.7%. The equipment rentals firm reported strong annual results in financial 2019 buoyed by its Sunbelt business in the US. For the year to April 30, Ashtead recorded pretax profit of GBP1.06 billion, up 23% from GBP862.1 million the year before, as revenue increased 19% to GBP4.50 billion. Its Sunbelt unit saw US total revenue, including new and used equipment, merchandise and consumable sales, increase 20% to USD4.98 billion from USD4.15 billion. The company benefited from Brexit-driven weakness in the pound, which helped increase the value of dollar revenue from the US. Ashtead proposed a final dividend of 33.5 pence, bringing a total payout 40.0 pence, up 21% from 33.0p in financial 2018. The firm added that it continues to look to the medium term with confidence and expects to return up to GBP500 million via share buybacks in 2020 financial year. "This business has been in a sweet spot for a long time thanks to a vibrant US construction market and a structural shift from owning to renting equipment," said AJ Bell's Russ Mould. ----------AstraZeneca, up 1.5%. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said Lynparza has been approved in Europe as a first-line maintenance treatment for BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer. The European Commission approved the drug for adults patients with stage three and four ovarian cancer who have a BRCA mutation. BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes help suppress the growth of tumours, and mutations in these genes is associated with an increased risk of cancer. The approval covers "high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer" patients who have responded to 1st-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Lynparza is the only PARP inhibitor approved in the EU for this indication. PARP is an enzyme in cells that helps to repair damaged DNA, and so inhibiting this enzyme prevents cancer cells from repairing themselves.----------FTSE 100 - LOSERS----------Evraz, down 1.5%. The Russian steelmaker was cut to Sell from Neutral by Citigroup.----------InterContinental Hotels Group, down 1.2%. Barclays downgraded the hotel operator to Underweight from Equal Weight. ----------FTSE 250 - WINNERS----------Telecom Plus, up 4.5%. The multi utility services provider said it delivered annual results for financial 2019 in line with expectations. For the year ended March 31, revenue rose 1.5% to GBP804.4 million from GBP792.9 million the year before, and pretax profit increased 4.9% to GBP43.0 million from GBP41.0 million. Adjusted pretax profit increased by 3.7% to GBP56.3 million from GBP54.3 million in 2018. The company said that in the absence of "unforeseen circumstances" it expect adjusted pretax profit for financial 2020 to be between GBP60 million and GBP65 million. Telecom Plus raised its annual dividend 4.0% to 52.0p from 50.0p last year and expects to raise its payout another 10% to 57p in financial 2020. ----------Acacia Mining, up 2.0%. Berenberg raised the gold miner to Hold from Sell. ----------FTSE 250 - LOSERS----------Safestore Holdings, down 1.5%. The self storage company reported a sharp drop in profit in the first half of its financial year due to a considerable reduction in its gain on investment properties. The company company reported a GBP38.2 million pretax profit for the six months to April 30, 53% below its GBP81.9 million profit a year before. This was due to reduced gain on investment properties, coming in at GBP7.9 million for the half compared to a much larger GBP51.8 million gain the year before. On an underlying basis, which excludes investment property gains and other factors, pretax profit rose 7.1% to GBP31.5 million from GBP29.4 million. Revenue rose 5.6% to GBP73.1 million from GBP69.2 million and the company increased its dividend by 7.8% to 5.5 pence from 5.1p.----------OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - WINNERS----------Team17 Group, up 17%. The video game developer said it expects revenue and earnings for 2019 to be ahead of market expectations. Team17 said that both revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation are set to be ahead of market expectations for the year. In 2018, Team 17 reported adjusted Ebitda of GBP15.3 million on revenue of GBP43.2 million. Since the start of the year, the company said it has continued to experience strong customer traction from both new and established games. Specifically, for the first six months to the end of June, Team17's performance was driven by continued sales momentum, and a solid performances across a range of new releases as well as the recognition of a higher proportion of revenue, which is related to license income.----------OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - LOSERS----------Regency Mines, down 17%. Shares in the natural resource exploration company were down after White Car, in which Regency's subsidiary EsTeq is invested, announced it entered voluntary liquidation. White Car operates Tesla rental car services out of Heathrow and several UK locations. In December 2017, Regency Mines said that EsTeq had invested GB200,000 in White Car, and that it planned to make a further GBP200,000 investment in February 2018, which would give EsTeq a 5.8% stake. EsTeq's investment in White Car was held at no value in Regency's most recent interim accounts for the period to the end of December, published on March 29. Regency said that it is continuing a strategic review of its operations, alongside the formation of a revised board of directors.----------