FTSE 100 movers: Lloyds tipped to be dividend heavyweight, Rolls-Royce dips despite new contracts

The FTSE 100 peaked at around 0915 BST, but then declined 64.83 points (1.07%) to 5967.41 by mid-afternoon Thursday.

Lloyds Banking Group surged on the news that fund manager Alex Wright tipped the bank to become a dividend heavyweight over the next two years. That sent stock prices up over 1.7%.

Relx benefitted from Bank of America recommending buying shares of the information-solutions provider, which lifted the stock up 1.68%.

Next also rose after Nomura upgraded the retailer from ‘neutral’ to ‘buy’. It also lifted the price target from 7,600p to 8,000p.

However technology company Smiths Group failed to impress traders as CEO Philip Bowman prepared to step down following the full-year results announced Wednesday.

And the market wasn’t too impressed with Rolls-Royce, after EDF Energy announced the engineering group is set to supply heat exchangers to be used at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station – a contract worth over £25m. It also won a second contract in partnership with Nuvia valued at more than £75m to design, procure, install and commission two systems for the treatment and waste processing of reactor coolant.

FTSE 100 - Risers

Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 74.20p +1.71%

Relx plc (REL) 1,088.00p +1.68%

Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 3,442.00p +1.27%

Whitbread (WTB) 4,652.00p +1.17%

National Grid (NG.) 871.10p +1.06%

Associated British Foods (ABF) 3,171.00p +0.99%

Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 201.90p +0.90%

Intu Properties (INTU) 319.00p +0.89%

Next (NXT) 7,560.00p +0.87%

Persimmon (PSN) 2,092.00p +0.87%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Glencore (GLEN) 100.75p -7.65%

Anglo American (AAL) 625.50p -4.95%

Smiths Group (SMIN) 992.00p -4.52%

Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 650.00p -4.34%

Old Mutual (OML) 184.40p -4.06%

Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 304.80p -2.50%

Antofagasta (ANTO) 512.50p -2.29%

HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 487.85p -2.19%

BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,019.00p -2.16%

CRH (CRH) 1,794.00p -2.13%