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LONDON (Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers within the main London indices midday Friday.
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FTSE 100 - WINNERS
Next, up 8.3%. The homeware and clothing retailer said that sales in the fourth quarter have been significantly ahead of expectations, boosted by online sales and strong trading in the run-up to Christmas and in its end-of-season sale. As a result, Next now expects a pretax profit of between GBP684 million and GBP700 million in the year to January 25, and it declared a special dividend of 50 pence per share. The company had raised its upper-end pretax profit expectations as recently as October, to its previous guidance of up to GBP680 million.
Schroders, up 1.8%. Barclays has upgraded the company to Overweight from Underweight, lifting its price target to 3,010.00p from 2,150.00p. Barclays believes that the headwind experienced when Schroders' previous head of UK Equities and manager of the UK Alpha Fund Richard Buxton announced his departure in March 2013, is now receding. Barclays also likes the company's attractive product range, noting that 68% of the group's assets under management benchmarks have outperformed over the last three years.
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FTSE 250 - WINNERS
Ophir Energy, up 2.5%. The company is rebounding after it fell 8.2% Thursday on the back of the news that it has concluded its drilling operations on the Mlinzi Mbali-1 well in Block 7 in Tanzania. Ophir reported that the well did not encounter live hydrocarbons.
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FTSE 250 - LOSERS
NMC Health, down 2.6%. The company is amongst the index's biggest fallers, despite saying that it expects to report results for its 2013 financial year in line with expectations and that new projects are moving forward as planned. Analysts are unsure as to what has caused the negative share price reaction.
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AIM - LOSERS
UniVision Engineering, off 9.7%. The company announced that Chief Executive Officer Wong Chun Hung has resigned for personal reasons. The digital surveillance and integrated security systems company said Executive Technical Director Wong Chun Pan has been appointed CEO with immediate effect.
Ukrproduct, down 5.6%. The Ukrainian diary food and beverage producer said that profitability in its branded dairy products division continues to be hit by escalating raw milk prices. The company said raw milk prices have increased by 24% on last years' results, on average. As a result, annual growth profit form the sector is expected to drop by 33% for the year.
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By James Kemp; jameskemp@alliancenews.com; @jamespkemp
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