FTSE 100 movers: Rentokil rallies; BAE Systems goes ex-div

London’s FTSE 100 was down 0.1% at 5,773.23 in afternoon trade on Thursday.

BAE Systems retreated as its stock went ex-dividend.

Rentokil Initial rallied after it said third-quarter revenue rose thanks to "exceptional" growth in the hygiene business, which continued to benefit from high demand for disinfection services and a return to growth in pest control.

Hargreaves Lansdown rallied as Peel Hunt upgraded the stock to ‘buy’ from ‘add’ as it said the shares have oversold due to lower interest income expectations and that it should continue to benefit from a boost to its stockbroking business.

The broker said there is potential upside to revenue and profits if trading volumes remain elevated, with little sign so far of a sustained slowdown.

British Airways parent IAG was trading up despite posting a €1.3bn third quarter loss and downgrading its capacity guidance as Covid-19 restrictions continued to hammer the travel market.

FTSE 100 - Risers

Rentokil Initial (RTO) 544.80p 5.38%
Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,419.50p 5.27%
GVC Holdings (GVC) 1,014.50p 4.48%
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 103.70p 3.24%
Avast (AVST) 508.00p 2.83%
Persimmon (PSN) 2,525.00p 2.43%
Informa (INF) 440.50p 2.35%
Polymetal International (POLY) 1,803.50p 2.12%
Aveva Group (AVV) 4,591.00p 2.02%
RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 436.50p 1.75%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

BAE Systems (BA.) 443.00p -4.71%
Ocado Group (OCDO) 2,378.00p -1.94%
Compass Group (CPG) 1,123.00p -1.92%
Fresnillo (FRES) 1,252.00p -1.80%
Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 220.60p -1.78%
Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,474.50p -1.77%
Smith (DS) (SMDS) 295.90p -1.69%
Glencore (GLEN) 164.94p -1.33%
CRH (CRH) 2,818.00p -1.19%
British Land Company (BLND) 363.90p -1.17%