easyJet Share News (EZJ)

LONDON (Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers within the main London indices on Monday.----------FTSE 100 - WINNERS----------United Utilities, up 3.0%. Deutsche Bank upgraded the water company to Buy from Hold.Barclays, up 1.0%. Berenberg raised the lender to Buy from Hold. ----------FTSE 100 - LOSERS----------Berkeley Group, down 2.2%, Persimmon, down 1.2%, Barratt Developments, down 0.9%, Taylor Wimpey, down 0.8%. The housebuilders were lower after UK Prime Minister Theresa May over the weekend announced plans for a stamp duty surcharge of between 1% and 3% to be imposed on sales of property to foreign nationals who do not pay UK tax. The money raised would go towards measures to tackle rough sleeping, and is designed to ease pressure on the housing market and make homes more affordable. Analysts at Shore Capital called the idea "ill-judged" and a move that plays on the idea that overseas house buyers leave the properties empty.----------FTSE 250 - WINNERS----------Thomas Cook, up 3.3%. Berenberg raised the travel agent to Hold from Sell. ----------FTSE 250 - LOSERS----------Just Group, down 8.8%. The life insurer said Chief Financial Officer Simon Thomas will step down from his role at the end of October. Thomas will be replaced by Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of UK Corporate Business David Richardson in an interim capacity. Richardson was previously chief financial officer of Partnership Assurance Group from 2013 to 2016. Just Group was forged from the merger of Just Retirement and Partnership Assurance in 2016. The financial services company said the search for Thomas' successor is underway and an announcement will be made in due course.----------OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - WINNERS----------European Metals, up 14%. The miner said it has received permission from the relevant authorities in the Czech Republic for a diamond drilling campaign on the Cinovec Lithium-Tin Project. A total of 13 drill holes for a total length of 3,386 metres have been permitted, and is aimed at converting a sufficient portion of the existing Indicated mineral resource to the Measured resource category to cover the first two years of the scheduled mining plan. A total of eight diamond drill holes will be completed for 2,560 metres, and then a second round of drilling will be conducted to extend coverage to the first five years of mining may be conducted depending on discussion with financial entities.----------OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - LOSERS----------Ryanair, down 8.5%. The Irish airline lowered its profit guidance for its current financial year due to strikes, lower traffic and higher oil prices. Profit guidance for the year to the end of March 31, 2019, was lowered to a range of EUR1.10 billion to EUR1.20 billion, from EUR1.25 billion to EUR1.35 billion, as a result of lower traffic and weaker fares in September, caused by two years of coordinated strikes across Europe. For 2018 financial year, pretax profit increased 10% year-on-year to EUR1.61 billion from EUR1.47 billion in 2017 financial year. The company also attributed the cut in profit guidance to increased care and re-acommodation expenses as a result of strikes and fall in forward bookings. Shares in blue chip rivals easyJet and International Consolidated Airlines Group were down 3.6% and 1.0% respectively, while midcap peer Wizz Air was down 3.6%. ----------Big Sofa Technologies, down 57% at 3.0p. The video analytics provider announced plans to raise GBP1.7 million through a subscription of 56.2 million shares at 3.0 pence per share. Novum Securities will unconditionally subscribe for 33.3 million shares, and will be appointed as a joint broker to the company. Ipsos has subscribed for 11.4 million shares, which is conditional on the resolutions being approved at Big Sofa next general meeting on October 18. Proceeds will go towards funding the company's working capital requirements, in particular funding investment into research & developments, as well as expanding Big Sofa's sales and marketing activities, especially in the US. In addition, for the first half of 2018, Big Sofa reported a narrowed pretax loss of GBP1.8 million from GBP2.2 million the year before, due to fall in administrative expenses to GBP2.2 million from GBP2.5 million.----------