FTSE 250 movers: Hammerson slumps; transport stocks rally on govt help
London’s FTSE 250 was down 1.1% at 14,266.59 in afternoon trade on Friday as investors mulled the latest US non-farm payrolls report.
Hammerson was the worst performer. Last week, the company said it was pulling its final dividend and guidance as government lockdowns forced many of its tenants to shutter their stores, leaving it with a two-third decline in quarterly rents.
Ascential slid after saying said it was pulling its final 4p dividend and cancelling the Cannes Lions advertising conference in response to the pandemic. The company also froze executive pay rises and imposed a temporary 25% board room pay cut.
On the upside, Premier Oil was the standout gainer, while Cairn Energy also gained as Brent futures rallied following reports that Russian oil producers were prepared to reduce their own output to help stem the rout in prices.
Go-Ahead and FirstGroup pushed higher after the government said it will cover the losses of bus companies over the next three months to ensure services can continue to run, with a new £167m fund.
Power controller maker XP Power was in the green as it pulled its final dividend and cautioned for the full year despite "exceptional" order strength in its healthcare unit due to the coronavirus.
GVC Holdings was higher as Sky News reported that Ladbrokes and Coral withheld rent payments last week.
FTSE 250 - Risers
Premier Oil (PMO) 21.53p 16.38%
Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 911.00p 11.78%
FirstGroup (FGP) 51.30p 8.00%
William Hill (WMH) 68.74p 7.17%
XP Power Ltd. (DI) (XPP) 2,690.00p 7.17%
Vietnam Enterprise Investments (DI) (VEIL) 353.50p 7.12%
GVC Holdings (GVC) 481.00p 6.89%
Playtech (PTEC) 174.05p 6.71%
PureTech Health (PRTC) 236.00p 6.55%
Cairn Energy (CNE) 93.20p 5.91%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Hammerson (HMSO) 59.56p -17.28%
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 74.90p -17.10%
Ascential (ASCL) 199.20p -11.23%
Micro Focus International (MCRO) 330.30p -10.37%
Pagegroup (PAGE) 271.20p -9.18%
Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 169.70p -8.71%
Bakkavor Group (BAKK) 73.00p -8.29%
Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) 167.20p -8.13%
G4S (GFS) 85.12p -7.80%
Beazley (BEZ) 339.40p -7.72%