WINNERS & LOSERS SUMMARY: Hochschild Mining Slips After Weak Quarter

LONDON (Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers within the main London indices on Wednesday.----------FTSE 100 - LOSERS----------Pearson, down 5.5%. The education publisher said it expects to meet its profit guidance for the recently-ended year as "strategic progress" continued in 2018. Pearson expects adjusted operating profit to be between GBP540 million and GBP545 million, in line with its guidance range of GBP520 million to GBP560 million. Total underlying revenue is expected to dip 1% year-on-year due to declines in the firm's US business, particularly in US Higher Education Courseware. The company's cost efficiency programme is tracking "ahead of plan" with around GBP130 million of cost savings delivered in 2018. By the end of 2019, Pearson expects to reach annualised cost savings of GBP330 million. Looking ahead, the company expects adjusted operating profit for 2019 of between GBP590 million to GBP640 million.Reckitt Benckiser, down 2.5%. The household goods firm said Chief Executive Rakesh Kapoor intends to retire from his role by the end of 2019. The FTSE 100-listed maker of Nurofen painkillers said it has now started a formal process to appoint Kapoor's successor, and will be considering both internal and external candidates. Kapoor has spent more than eight years at the helm and 32 years at the consumer goods giant.----------FTSE 250 - WINNERS----------Bovis Homes, up 4.9%. The housebuilder said profit for 2018 is expected slightly ahead of market forecasts after it made some "significant" operational improvements. Bovis said it delivered a total of 3,759 new homes in 2018, a 3.1% increase on the 3,645 built last year. Private homes built decreased slightly to 2,567 from 2,573 but affordable homes increased 11% to 1,192 from 1,072. The year-on-year rise in new homes built was in line with Bovis Homes' expectations. Bovis will recommend a 38.0 pence final dividend, a 17% increase on last year's payout of 32.5p. As a result, the total dividend for 2018 will increase 20% to 57.0p from 47.5p. Including the 45.0p special dividend paid in November, Bovis' total dividend will be 102.0p. Large cap housebuilders Persimmon, Barratt Developments and Taylor Wimpey were up 3.2%, 2.9% and 2.3% respectively. ----------FTSE 250 - LOSERS----------Hochschild Mining, down 5.5%. The miner said its gold and silver production increased in 2018, but output is set to fall in 2019 following a weak fourth quarter. For the three months to the end of December, gold output totalled 72,222 ounces, down from 74,270 ounces recorded in the third quarter of 2018, and down from 82,790 ounces produced in the final quarter of 2017. Silver production was also lower at 5.8 million ounces compared to 5.9 million ounces recorded in the third quarter and 6.1 million ounces produced in the same period the prior year. Looking ahead, Hochschild said it intends to produce 457,000 gold equivalent ounces and 37.0 million silver equivalent ounces in 2019, lower compared to 526,650 gold equivalent ounces and 39.0 million silver equivalent ounces recorded in 2018. Peer Acacia Mining was down 3.2%. Restaurant Group, down 4.5%. The Wagamama, Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito restaurant chain owner was downgraded to Sell from Neutral by Citi. --------OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - WINNERS----------GetBusy, up 20%. The management software company said it expects double-digit revenue growth for 2018 on beta launch of its app and improvement of its cloud-based product. The company said it expects to report a 20% increase in revenue for the year to the end of December to GBP10.9 million, on a constant currency basis. GetBusy anticipates adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to be in line with expectations. These results were boosted by strong order intake and the transition to a pure subscription model.----------OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - LOSERS----------Van Elle Holdings, down 33%. The geotechnical engineering company said it does not expect improvements in its performance in the second half of its current financial year following a sharp decline in its interim earnings. Van Elle reported a 55% fall in pretax profit to GBP2.4 million in the six months to the end of October from GBP5.3 million reported for the same period a year ago, as revenue dropped 18% to GBP42.9 million from GBP52.6 million. Van Elle cut its interim dividend to 1.0 pence from 1.4p paid the year before. The first quarter of the company's current financial year was relatively quiet, it said, as a result of subdued UK market conditions following a challenging period for the UK construction markets in early 2018. ----------