FTSE 100 movers: Persimmon pushes higher; B&M goes ex-div
London’s FTSE 100 was up 1% at 7,803.17 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Housebuilder Persimmon was sitting pretty at the top of the index after saying it had delivered 14,868 new homes to customers in 2022, towards the top end of its guidance, but warning over the outlook for this year.
JD Sports gained for the second day in a row, having surged on Wednesday after the retailer said it expected annual profits to be at the top end of expectations after revenues grew by more than a fifth over the Christmas period.
British Gas owner Centrica rallied after it lifted earnings guidance again as volumes remained strong amid surging energy prices for consumers.
Premier Inn owner Whitbread also racked up solid gains as it posted a rise in third-quarter sales, highlighting a strong performance in the UK and further progress in Germany.
B&M European Value Retail was in the red as the discount retailer traded without entitlement to the dividend.
Experian and Ashtead both fell after rating downgrades at RBC Capital Markets.
FTSE 100 - Risers
Persimmon (PSN) 1,398.50p 7.87%
JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 160.10p 6.20%
Barratt Developments (BDEV) 448.00p 5.94%
M&G (MNG) 201.90p 5.82%
Centrica (CNA) 96.38p 4.99%
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 154.06p 4.76%
Vodafone Group (VOD) 91.88p 4.62%
Whitbread (WTB) 2,981.00p 4.41%
Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 112.10p 3.89%
Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 4,324.00p 3.47%
FTSE 100 - Fallers
B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI) (BME) 434.80p -3.78%
AstraZeneca (AZN) 11,338.00p -2.54%
Beazley (BEZ) 655.50p -1.65%
Sage Group (SGE) 770.40p -1.61%
SSE (SSE) 1,665.50p -1.60%
Halma (HLMA) 2,105.00p -1.31%
Experian (EXPN) 2,854.00p -1.25%
Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,180.00p -1.13%
Diageo (DGE) 3,632.00p -0.99%
Ashtead Group (AHT) 5,058.00p -0.86%