Sector movers: Lloyds and StanChart gain but banking sector edges lower

The UK banking sector was slightly lower on Friday as well-received results from Lloyds and decent gains from Standard Chartered were offset by falls in the share prices of RBS, HSBC and Barclays.

The sector was down around 0.5% on average.

UK lender Lloyds was trading 1.1% higher despite 2014 results coming in below expectations, as investors celebrated the company’s resumption of a dividend for the first time in six years

Statutory profits before tax roared more than fourfold higher to £1.8bn, but came in well shy of the consensus expectation for £2.6bn.

Emerging markets-focused bank Standard Chartered was also up 2.6%, extending gains after unveiling a boardroom shake-up on Thursday, which included the departure of its chief executive, chairman and four other directors.

The news prompted Canaccord Genuity to lift its rating on the stock from ’sell’ to ‘hold’, saying: "We see this as 'step 1' in a process that will renew investor confidence in the stock."

RBS’ share price was spending another day in the red on Friday as analysts reacted to the bank’s worse-than-expected 2014 results the previous session, reporting a loss of £3.5bn for the year, though this was still better than the £9bn loss recorded in 2013.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital and Societe Generale lowered their price targets for the shares on Friday, with the latter cutting its recommendation to 'sell'.

HSBC was down 0.5% as it continues to fluctuate at the 52-week lows reached on Monday on the back of a poorly-received annual report.

Meanwhile, Barclays also declined 0.5% ahead of its own results next Tuesday, with analysts predicting a drop in revenue from £28.44bn to £25.98bn in 2014.

Top performing sectors so far today
Industrial Metals & Mining 1,942.17 +1.97%
Food Producers & Processors 8,178.03 +1.58%
Oil Equipment, Services & Distribution 18,058.21 +1.14%
Household Goods & Home Construction 14,195.70 +0.77%
Media 7,297.29 +0.72%

Bottom performing sectors so far today
Industrial Engineering 9,383.53 -1.27%
Automobiles & Parts 8,510.56 -1.14%
Software & Computer Services 1,333.28 -0.75%
Chemicals 11,560.42 -0.69%
Industrial Transportation 2,759.36 -0.62%