WINNERS & LOSERS: Intertek greenlights bid; Vistry pauses buyback

Wed, 13th May 2026 11:58

(Alliance News) - The following are the leading risers and fallers among FTSE 100 and 250 index constituents on Wednesday.

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FTSE 100 winners

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Intertek Group PLC, up 6.8% at 5,662.50 pence, backs EQT tilt after "significant" shareholder engagement

Anglo American PLC, up 3.9% at 4,049.50p, miners lifter by strong rise in metal prices

Metlen Energy & Metals PLC, up 3.8% at EUR38.92

Antofagasta PLC, up 3.4% at 4,089.00p

Rio Tinto PLC, up 3.1% at 8,162.50p

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FTSE 100 losers

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Entain PLC, down 3.9% at 506.30p

Spirax Group PLC, down 1.8% at 7,035.00p, "weak" industrial backdrop

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, down 1.7% at 68.29p

JD Sports Fashion PLC, down 1.7% at 390.85p

Relx PLC, down 1.6% at 2,416.50p

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FTSE 250 winners

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AEP Plantations PLC, up 8.7% at 2,180.00 pence

Ceres Power Holdings PLC, up 5.4% at 748.00p

Gamma Communications PLC, up 4.3% at 932.25p, backs outlook as reveals bid talks with US-based Providence

BlackRock World Mining Trust PLC, up 4.2% at 1,039.00p

Atalaya Mining PLC, up 4.1% at 882.00p

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FTSE 250 losers

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Vistry Group PLC, down 12% at 285.20p, warns of weaker half-year profit and pauses share buyback

Avon Technologies PLC, down 7.2% at 1,491.00p, order book weakness

Applied Nutrition PLC, down 3.4% at 205.75p

Hays PLC, down 3.4% at 32.26p

B&M European Value Retail SA, down 2.7% at 159.70p

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FTSE 100 & 250 movers in focus:

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Intertek Group PLC, up 6.8% at 5,662.50 pence, 12-month range 3,519.42p-5,722.41p. Says its board would be minded to recommend a GBP60.00-per-share cash takeover proposal from EQT, subject to agreement on final terms and completion of due diligence. The proposal, which also allows shareholders to retain a 107.7p final dividend, follows earlier rejected bids of GBP51.50, GBP54.00 and GBP58.00 per share. The London-based assurance, inspection, product testing and certification firm says it remains confident in its standalone strategy but has paused its strategic review while EQT conducts confirmatory due diligence. The deadline for EQT to announce a firm offer or walk away has been extended to June 11.

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Spirax Group PLC, down 1.8% at 7,035.00 pence, 12-month range 5,535.00p-8,050.00p. Says trading in the first four months of 2026 is in line with expectations and reiterates its full-year guidance despite elevated macroeconomic uncertainty and higher energy costs linked to conflict in the Middle East. The London-based property developer reports mid-single-digit organic revenue growth in the four months ended April 30 and says adjusted operating profit margin improved organically from a year earlier. Spirax says demand in its Steam Thermal Solutions business grew ahead of industrial production, supported by strength in maintenance, repair and operations activity and some recovery in large projects, while Electric Thermal Solutions delivered double-digit demand growth across all divisions. The company says net borrowings at the end of the first quarter were GBP575 million, with net debt to Ebitda unchanged at 1.5x.

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Babcock International Group PLC, up 1.4% at 1,021.00 pence, 12-month range 816.50p-1,527.00p. Says revenue in the financial year ending March 31 rises 9.1% to GBP5.27 billion from GBP4.83 billion a year earlier, driven by growth in its Nuclear and Aviation businesses. Underlying operating profit falls to GBP293 million from GBP363 million and underlying basic earnings per share declines to 39.6p from 50.3p, reflecting a GBP140 million non-recurring charge related to its Type 31 frigate contract. Excluding the charge, underlying operating profit rises 19% to GBP433 million and operating margin improves to 8.2% from 7.5%. The London-based aerospace, defence and nuclear engineering group says free cash flow increases to GBP262 million from GBP153 million and net debt narrows to GBP329 million from GBP373 million. Land revenue returns to growth in the second half, but declines 3% overall to GBP1.08 billion from GBP1.12 billion, as growth in defence is offset by weaker civil volumes in Rail and South Africa. The company announces a new GBP200 million share buyback programme after completing a previous GBP200 million buyback in April. Babcock reiterates unchanged expectations for financial 2027, supported by around 70% of expected revenue already under contract.

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Gamma Communications PLC, up 4.3% at 932.25 pence, 12-month range 687.00p-1,322.00p. Trading in the opening months of financial 2026 is in line with expectations, supported by continued growth in cloud communications and healthy cash generation. The company says net debt narrows to GBP1.6 million at April 30 from GBP9.3 million at December 31, despite share buyback and acquisition-related payments. Gamma reiterates full-year guidance and expects adjusted Ebitda within the analyst consensus range of GBP138.1 million to GBP142.8 million, with fully diluted adjusted earnings per share expected between 90.9p and 94.4p. Separately, Gamma confirms that Providence Equity Partners LLC is among parties in preliminary takeover discussions following recent press speculation, though it says there can be no certainty that an offer will be made.

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Vistry Group PLC, down 12% at 285.20 pence, 12-month range 283.80p-746.40p. Pauses its share buyback programme to prioritise debt reduction as the Kent, England-based housebuilder says it focuses on improving cash generation amid "more challenging" market conditions. Vistry says average daily net debt in the first half is expected to be higher than a year ago due to higher land payments and slower conversion of reservations into completions, though it still expects to end 2026 with net cash above GBP100 million. The company says year-to-date sales rate rises 32% to 1.20 from 0.91 a year earlier, with Open Market sales around 30% higher year-on-year despite recent moderation caused by uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict. Vistry says increased incentives and discounting have been concentrated on low-margin and near-complete sites, with the impact on profit expected to ease in the second half. The forward order book slips to GBP4.5 billion from GBP4.6 billion, while partner transaction activity remains subdued during the transition between Social Affordable Housing Programmes, or SAHP. Vistry says the Middle East conflict is putting upward pressure on material and labour costs, which it is seeking to mitigate through supplier engagement. The company says it is adopting stricter hurdles for land buying while conditions remain volatile and expects adjusted pretax profit for 2026 towards the middle of the GBP168 million to GBP283 million analyst forecast range.

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By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter

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