LONDON (Alliance News) - The following stocks are amongst the biggest risers and fallers within the main London indices midday Friday.
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FTSE 100 WINNERS
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Friends Life Group, up 1.6%, Aviva, up 1.6%, and Admiral Group, up 1.0%. The insurers have high equity exposure and following two days of strong gains in equity markets in the UK, Europe and the US, their portfolio values will have increased.
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FTSE 100 LOSERS
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Taylor Wimpey, down 4.9%, Barratt Developments, down 4.3%, and Persimmon, down 4.0%. The housebuilders are down following downgrades from Jefferies. Taylor Wimpey was cut to Hold from Buy, Barratt was cut to Underperform from Buy, and Persimmon was downgraded to Underperform from Hold.
Old Mutual, down 1.3%. The investment, savings, insurance and banking group said it is buying a 23.3% stake in Kenya-based UAP Holdings Ltd, an East and Central African financial services company, for KES8.88 billion, or about USD97.6 million, part of its strategy to expand in Africa.
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FTSE 250 WINNERS
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Catlin Group, up 4.5%. New York-listed XL Group and Catlin Group said they've agreed the terms of a GBP2.79 billion deal that will see XL acquire its re-insurance peer. According to a joint-statement, Catlin shareholders are set to receive 388 pence and 0.130 new XL shares, plus an expected 2014 final dividend of 22 pence in cash to be paid by Catlin. This values Catlin at about 715.3 pence per share. Catlin currently trades at 690.5p.
Henderson Group, up 4.1%. JP Morgan has raised the investment manager to Overweight from Neutral, with a price target increase to 245.00 pence from 222.00p. The stock currently trades at 222.20p.
Restaurant Group, up 2.6%. The company said it full-year results will show "material growth" in both earnings and cash flow, boosted by revenue growth and new restaurant openings. Restaurant Group said revenue grew by 9.6% in the financial year ended December 28, 2014. Like-for-like sales rose 2.8% over the year, while the restaurant group ended the year strong, with like-for-like sales growth of 5% over the two-week Christmas trading period to January 4.
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FTSE 250 LOSERS
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Laird, down 5.9%. The electronics company said it is confident that its expectations for the financial year 2014 remain on track. "Execution of our strategy has delivered further good progress through the year, and we remain encouraged by the outlook for Laird," Chief Executive David Lockwood said in a trading update. Liberum said Laird is likely being held back by weakness at major customer Samsung.
Bellway, down 3.8%, Countrywide, down 3.7%, Rightmove, down 3.6%, Berkeley Group Holdings, down 3.4%, Redrow, down 3.0%, Bovis Homes Group, down 2.9%, and Crest Nicholson Holdings, down 2.8%. The property companies and housebuilders are trading lower following downgrades from Jefferies. The broker cut Bellway, Bovis, Countrywide and Crest Nicholson to Hold from Buy. Rightmove and Berkeley were both moved to Underperform from Hold.
Ashmore Group, down 3.7%. JP Morgan cut the company to Underweight from Neutral, with a price target cut to 270.00p from 295.00p. The stock currently trades at 264.60p.
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AIM ALL-SHARE WINNERS
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Fastjet, up 15%. The African low-cost airline said its Zambian arm has received confirmation from the country's Civil Aviation Authority that it has completed the first phase of its application for an air operating certificate. Fastjet said the completion of the first phase is a key step towards launching its service in Zambia. The next stage will allow Zambian authorities to assess Fastjet Zambia's planned company structure, examine its aircraft and approve its operational plan.
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AIM ALL-SHARE LOSERS
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ServicePower, off 8.2%. The software and services company said that it expects to swing to a net loss for 2014, as a result of lower revenue due to a delay in enterprise licence purchases and the company's shift away from a license sales dependent business model. It expects to post a net loss of GBP900,000, compared with a profit of GBP200,000 a year before, on revenue of GBP12.7 million, down from GBP14 million.
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By Neil Thakrar; neilthakrar@alliancenews.com
Copyright 2015 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
UK dividends calendar - next 7 days
Monday 6 May | |
no events scheduled | |
Tuesday 7 May | |
Begbies Traynor Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Ferguson PLC | dividend payment date |
Manchester & London Investment Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Mobius Investment Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Nexus Infrastructure PLC | dividend payment date |
Pebble Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Pinewood Technologies Group PLC | special dividend payment date |
Thungela Resources Ltd | dividend payment date |
Volution Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Wednesday 8 May | |
Melrose Industries PLC | dividend payment date |
Personal Group Holdings PLC | dividend payment date |
Thursday 9 May | |
Admiral Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
AG Barr PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Aurora Investment Trust PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Balanced Commercial Property Trust Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Bank of Ireland Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Bellevue Healthcare Trust PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Braime Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Centaur Media PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Chenavari Toro Income Fund Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Clarkson PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Custodian Property Income REIT PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
CVC Income & Growth Ltd EURO | ex-dividend payment date |
CVC Income & Growth Ltd GBP | ex-dividend payment date |
Domino's Pizza Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Epwin Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
F&C Investment Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Fidelity Special Values PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Focusrite PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Grafton Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Gresham Technologies PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Headlam Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Henderson International Income Trust PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
HSBC Holdings PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Ibstock PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Invesco Perpetual UK Smaller Cos Investment Trust PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
JPMorgan Global Core Real Assets Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Lancashire Holdings Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
LSL Property Services PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
M&C Saatchi PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
M&G PLC | dividend payment date |
Macfarlane Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Marwyn Value Investors Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Midwich Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Montanaro UK Smaller Cos Investments Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Octopus Titan VCT PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
One Media iP Group PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Petershill Partners PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Picton Property Income Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
PRS REIT PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Reach PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Sherborne Investors Guernsey C Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Sthree PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Sylvania Platinum Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Taylor Maritime Investments Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Tracsis PLC | ex-dividend payment date |
Travis Perkins PLC | dividend payment date |
UIL Ltd | ex-dividend payment date |
Friday 10 May | |
AIB Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Alpha Group International PLC | dividend payment date |
Antofagasta PLC | dividend payment date |
Hammerson PLC | dividend payment date |
Hunting PLC | dividend payment date |
International Personal Finance PLC | dividend payment date |
Invesco Select Trust Global Equity Income PLC | dividend payment date |
Invesco Select Trust UK Equity PLC | dividend payment date |
Johnson Service Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Kerry Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Schroder Asian Total Return Inv Co PLC | dividend payment date |
Schroder European Real Estate Investments Trust PLC | dividend payment date |
Schroder Oriental Income Fund Ltd | dividend payment date |
Serco Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Smurfit Kappa Group PLC | dividend payment date |
Somero Enterprises Inc | special dividend payment date |
Taylor Wimpey PLC | dividend payment date |
Tufton Oceanic Assets Ltd | dividend payment date |
VPC Specialty Lending Investments PLC | dividend payment date |
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