17th Sep 2026 10:18
(Alliance News) - The following are the leading risers and fallers among FTSE 100 and 250 index constituents on Thursday.
----------
FTSE 100 winners
----------
Sage Group PLC, up 2.3% at 1,034.75 pence
SSE PLC, up 1.7% at 2,442.00p
Rolls-Royce Group PLC, up 1.7% at 1,465.10p
Pearson PLC, up 1.4% at 1,204.50p
Computacenter PLC, up 1.4% at 5,357.50p
----------
FTSE 100 losers
----------
Marks & Spencer Group PLC, down 2.2% at 362.80p
JD Sports Fashion PLC, down 1.6% at 75.03p
Barratt Redrow PLC, down 1.1% at 305.35p, sentiment around housebuilders cautious ahead of the BoE's interest rate decision
Howden Joinery Group PLC, down 1.1% at 751.50p
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, down 1.1% at 5,003.00p
----------
FTSE 250 winners
----------
Bytes Technology Group PLC, up 11% at 446.40 pence, lifts annual guidance on expected "strong" first half
Man Group PLC, up 5.5% at 334.10p, broker UBS ups rating to 'buy', says price target at 365p
Galliford Try Holdings PLC, up 4.7% at 640.50p, grows annual earnings
Ocado Group PLC, up 3.9% at 220.80p, Berenberg starts coverage with 'buy', price target at 330p
Helios Towers PLC, up 3.8% at 209.90p, extends buyback scheme by USD100 million for up to USD175 million
----------
FTSE 250 losers
----------
Foresight Group Holdings Ltd, down 5.0% at 442.00p, shares trade ex-dividend
Vistry Group PLC, down 4.2% at 269.50p
Unite Group PLC, down 3.6% at 468.20p, 95% of beds reserved for new academic year, trades ex-dividend
Goodwin PLC, down 2.8% at 14,000.00p
Rank Group PLC, down 2.0% at 86.25p, shares trade ex-dividend
----------
FTSE 100 & 250 movers in focus:
----------
Next PLC, up 0.7% at 14,660.00 pence, 12-month range 11,200.00p-16,175.00p. The clothing and homewares retailer raises its full-year profit guidance again after stronger-than-expected first-half trading and improved international growth, despite becoming more cautious on the UK consumer. Next now expects pretax profit of GBP1.26 billion, up from previous guidance of GBP1.24 billion and GBP1.19 billion a year earlier, while full-price sales growth guidance increases to 6.7% from 6.3%. First-half pretax profit rises 11% to GBP566 million from GBP509 million, while group pretax profit increases 10% to GBP569 million, ahead of GBP561 million consensus. Revenue grows 9.6% to GBP3.45 billion from GBP3.14 billion. Next raises its international online sales guidance by GBP40 million, forecasting 22% full-year growth, but cuts expected UK sales growth to 2.0% from 2.8%, citing rising inflation, higher mortgage costs and a weak employment market. The retailer lifts its interim dividend by 13% to 98p from 87p and says it has a further GBP180 million of surplus cash available for shareholder returns.
----------
Bytes Technology Group PLC, up 11% at 446.40 pence, 12-month range 248.60p-448.20p. The software, cloud and security products provider upgrades its financial 2027 outlook following "strong" first-half trading and continued demand across its private and public sector businesses. Bytes expects operating profit to rise 6% on-year in the six months to August 31, while gross invoiced income is estimated to increase 19%. The company says demand for software, cloud and security solutions remains strong, with artificial intelligence becoming a "more meaningful" growth driver across its core businesses. Bytes now expects full-year gross profit growth in the low-to-mid teens and operating profit growth in the low-to-mid single digits. It previously guided for high-single-digit to low-double-digit gross profit growth and broadly flat operating profit.
----------
Galliford Try Holdings PLC, up 4.7% at 640.50 pence, 12-month range 440.32p-650.00p. The construction group reports higher annual profit and revenue, launches a new share buyback and strikes a confident tone on financial 2027. Pretax profit rises 25% to GBP55.0 million from GBP44.1 million, as revenue increases 2.7% to GBP1.93 billion from GBP1.88 billion. Galliford Try lifts its final dividend by 26% to 17.0p per share from 13.5p and launches a share buyback of up to GBP15 million, to be completed during financial 2027. Trading in the new year is in line with expectations, with the company targeting similar revenue growth alongside further profit and margin expansion, supported by an order book of GBP4.3 billion, up from GBP4.1 billion. Separately, Berenberg raises its price target to 750p from 680p and reiterates its 'buy' rating.
----------
Helios Towers PLC, up 3.8% at 209.90 pence, 12-month range 137.00p-247.60p. Increases its share buyback programme by USD100 million to USD175 million and extends its expected completion date by one year to December 31, 2027. Helios Towers says the additional shareholder return accelerates progress towards its IMPACT 2030 capital allocation targets, which include more than USD400 million of distributions through buybacks and dividends by 2030.
----------
Unite Group PLC, down 3.6% at 468.20 pence, 12-month range 442.20p-729.50p. The student accommodation provider says 95% of beds in its Unite Students portfolio are reserved for the 2026/27 academic year, unchanged on-year and within its 94% to 96% guidance range. Unite now expects like-for-like income growth of 0.5% to 1.0%, narrowing previous guidance of 0% to 2%, reflecting a modest increase in occupancy and broadly flat rents. It reiterates financial 2026 adjusted earnings per share guidance of 41.5p to 43.0p, with trading through the first eight months in line with expectations. UK undergraduate acceptances are up 1%, including a 6% increase at high-tariff universities. Meanwhile, 91% of beds in the recently acquired Empiric Student Property's Hello Student portfolio are reserved, up from 84% a year earlier, with Unite targeting 92% occupancy in the coming weeks. Its new 719-bed Hawthorne House development in Stratford is fully let for 2026/27.
----------
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News senior economics reporter
Comments and questions to [email protected]
Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Related Shares:
NextSSESage GroupPearsonMarks & SpencerBarratt RedrowJD SportsHowden JoineryReckittBytes TechManGalliford TryOcadoHelios TowersForesight Group HoldingsUniteGoodwinRank Group Plc