LONDON (Alliance News) - The following stocks are amongst the biggest risers and fallers within the main London indices midday Thursday.
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FTSE 100 WINNERS
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Marks And Spencer Group, up 5.4%. The retailer reported UK sales growth that beat analysts' expectations, driven by strong online growth and the first rise in general merchandise sales for three years, although its international sales fell due to the crisis in Russia and Ukraine and issues in its Turkish franchise business.
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FTSE 100 LOSERS
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BHP Billiton, down 2.2%, Antofagasta, down 1.8%, Glencore, down 1.8%, and Anglo American, down 1.8%. The miners are down after iron ore prices fell below the USD50 a tonne mark for the first time in a decade.
InterContinental Hotels Group, down 1.1%, Lloyds Banking Group, down 0.6%, and Pearson, down 0.6%. The companies are down after they all went ex-dividend, meaning new buyers no longer qualify for the latest dividend payouts.
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FTSE 250 WINNERS
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BTG, up 6.2%. The healthcare company said it expects its revenue in the financial year that ended on Tuesday to be above the guidance range it had previously provided, and revenue to grow strongly in the year that has just begun. It said it now expects revenue for the year to March 31 to be above the previous guidance it gave of GBP345 million to GBP360 million, including revenue from the PneumRx acquisition that was completed in early January. It then expects revenue to grow strongly in the current financial year to between GBP410 million and GBP440 million on a constant currency basis.
Playtech, up 3.5%. The gaming software development company said it will buy a 91.1% stake in online contract for difference and options broker TradeFX Ltd For up to EUR458 million, a deal that will push it into a new area and that it expects to boost earnings immediately. The company also said it still has substantial resources with with to pursue further acquisitions.
Premier Oil, up 2.8%. Premier Oil, Falkland Oil and Gas and Rockhopper Exploration all said an oil and gas discovery has been made at the Zebedee well in the Falkland Islands. Premier Oil holds a 36% stake in the Zebedee well.
Tate & Lyle, up 2.5%. The sugar and sweeteners company reiterated its guidance for the financial year that just ended, after it was hit by operational and supply chain issues in the first half and its SPLENDA Sucralose sweetener business continued to face an extremely competitive market. Berenberg says "it is clearly a positive not to have guidance revised down for a change".
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FTSE 250 LOSERS
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Betfair Group, down 2.8%. Exane BNP Paribas has cut the online betting company to Underperform from Outperform.
John Laing Infrastructure Fund, down 2.5%, Interserve, down 0.9% and Murray International Trust, down 0.8%. The companies have gone ex-dividend.
Vedanta Resources, down 2.5%. The miner is down due to the fall in iron ore prices.
Redrow, down 0.7%. Citigroup has downgraded the housebuilder and construction company to Neutral from Buy.
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AIM ALL-SHARE WINNERS
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Arcontech Group, up 86%. The market data software systems company said it has signed a contract for its Excelerator product. The company said the deal will cover a minimum of 200 licences for the Microsoft Excel-based add-in product.
Densitron Technologies, up 29%. The company said it has agreed to surrender its lease for a property in Newcastle for GBP400,000, financed from an unsecured loan from its largest shareholder Peter Gyllenhammer. The loan has a coupon rate of 9% per year, and a repayment date up to end-March 2016.
Crimson Tide, up 16%. The mobile software and services company said pretax profit rose in 2014, as a higher number of subscribers led to improved margins, and it said it remains encouraged by its prospects. It made a pretax profit of GBP84,000, up from GBP20,000 in 2013, despite revenue declining slightly to GBP1.21 million from GBP1.27 million. It reduced administrative costs and margins improving to 86% from 80% as it signed up more subscription business.
21st Century Technology, up 15%. The company posted a widened pretax loss for 2014, and whilst it expressed cautious optimism for its future, it also warned about the risks of being reliant on a small number of large customers.
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AIM ALL-SHARE LOSERS
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Koovs, off 44%. The Indian online fashion retailer said it will spend more on marketing this year than anticipated and expects the trend to continue, even as it said it expects sales to have tripled in the year to the end of March. Koovs said it expects marketing costs for the year to the end of March to be around INR320 million, or around GBP3.2 million, which is approximately GBP2.1 million higher than originally anticipated. It also expects these higher costs to continue given the growth of the Indian e-commerce market.
Forbidden Technologies, down 20%. The company posted a widened pretax loss for 2014, mostly as a result of significant investments it made during the year including a thwarted attempt to expand into the US.
Red Rock Resources, down 11%. The company said it has liquidated and full repaid its loan facilities with YA Global, while MG Partners II Ltd has converted USD120,000 of its outstanding USD335,000 balance of unsecured convertible notes, which are due for repayment on January 1, 2016, into 121.7 million shares at the conversion price of GBP0.000665.
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By Neil Thakrar; neilthakrar@alliancenews.com; @NeilThakrar1
Copyright 2015 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
UK dividends calendar - next 7 days
Friday 19 April | |
Chelverton UK Dividend Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Empiric Student Property PLC | dividend payment date |
FW Thorpe PLC | dividend payment date |
Heavitree Brewery PLC | dividend payment date |
Heavitree Brewery PLC A | dividend payment date |
JPMorgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Palace Capital PLC | dividend payment date |
STS Global Income & Growth Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Monday 22 April | |
no events scheduled | |
Tuesday 23 April | |
Crest Nicholson Holdings PLC | dividend payment date |
Invesco Asia Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Pantheon Infrastructure PLC | dividend payment date |
Pembroke VCT PLC B | dividend payment date |
Pinewood Technologies Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Wednesday 24 April | |
Conduit Holdings Ltd | dividend payment date |
Thursday 25 April | |
abrdn Asian Income Fund Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
AVI Japan Opportunity Trust PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Bakkavor Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Bankers Investment Trust PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Bodycote PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Cairn Homes PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Central Asia Metals PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
City of London Investment Trust PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
ConvaTec Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
CQS Natural Resources Growth & Income PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Derwent London PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Eurocell PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Foresight Solar Fund Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Greggs PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Hansard Global PLC | dividend payment date |
Harworth Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Henderson Far East Income Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
HSBC Holdings PLC | dividend payment date |
Invesco Select Trust PLC Global Equity Income | ex-dividend payment date |
Invesco Select Trust PLC UK Equity | ex-dividend payment date |
JPMorgan Claverhouse IT PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Legal & General Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
ME Group International PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Morgan Advanced Materials PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Morgan Sindall Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Mortgage Advice Bureau Holdings PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
MP Evans Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Murray International Trust PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Portmeirion Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Public Policy Holding Cos Inc | ex-dividend payment date |
Rightmove PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Sabre Insurance Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Schroder Oriental Income Fund Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Secure Trust Bank PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Seed Innovations Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Seplat Energy PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Shaftesbury Capital PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Spirax-Sarco Engineering PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
St James's Place PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Stelrad Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Team Internet Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Tufton Oceanic Assets Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Tyman PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Volta Finance Ltd | dividend payment date |
Wickes Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
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