6th Aug 2026 10:36
(Alliance News) - The following are the leading risers and fallers among FTSE 100 and 250 index constituents on Thursday.
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FTSE 100 winners
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Admiral Group PLC, up 4.0% at 3,855.00 pence, expects stronger second half as motor price rises feed through
Persimmon PLC, up 3.6% at 1,163.00p, double-digit growth in revenue and pretax profit
BAE Systems PLC, up 2.1% at 2,202.00p
Vodafone Group PLC, up 2.1% at 116.75p
Prudential PLC, up 1.8% at 1,043.25p
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FTSE 100 losers
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Tritax Big Box REIT PLC, down 4.1% at 164.70p, completes GBP350 million equity fundraise
Relx PLC, down 2.3% at 2,654.00p, shares trade ex-dividend
Polar Capital Technology Trust PLC, down 2.0% at 666.50p
Segro PLC, down 1.7% at 955.00p, shares trade ex-dividend
St James's Place PLC, down 1.3% at 1,120.50p, shares trade ex-dividend
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FTSE 250 winners
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WPP Group PLC, up 24% at 380.60 pence, reports better-than-expected interim results
Harworth Group PLC, up 20% at 172.10p, reviews cash takeover proposal from Peel Pepper
Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC, up 11% at 1,738.00p, interim earnings rise
Harbour Energy PLC, up 6.9% at 248.10p, revenue and profit rise
Serco Group PLC, up 5.7% at 256.30p, backs outlook after strong interim results
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FTSE 250 losers
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OSB Group PLC, down 13% at 495.30p, warns of persistent funding cost pressures
TP ICAP PLC, down 7.0% at 321.20p
Wizz Air Holdings PLC, down 4.8% at 1,092.00p, swings to quarterly net loss
Michael Page PLC, down 3.7% at 180.80p
Derwent London PLC, down 3.5% at 2,039.00p
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FTSE 100 & 250 movers in focus:
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Admiral Group PLC, up 4.0% at 3,855.00 pence, 12-month range 2,624.00p-3,906.00p. Expects a stronger second half as higher UK motor insurance prices feed through, despite first-half pretax profit falling 18% to GBP429.2 million from GBP521.0 million and earnings per share declining to 109.0p from 132.5p. The insurer says it is “well positioned” for an upturn in the UK motor market after raising rates ahead of rivals, announces a GBP45 million share buyback, and remains on track to deliver its medium-term ambitions.
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Persimmon PLC, up 3.6% at 1,163.00 pence, 12-month range 947.40p-1,552.00p. Posts higher first-half profit and home completions and reiterates expectations for 2026 growth in line with market forecasts, despite continued affordability pressures in the UK housing market. Revenue increases 15% to GBP1.73 billion from GBP1.50 billion a year earlier, while pretax profit rises 15% to GBP168.0 million from GBP146.7 million. Underlying operating profit grows 10% to GBP189.1 million from GBP172.0 million, and underlying pretax profit advances 3.2% to GBP170.1 million from GBP164.9 million. Home completions increase 13% to 5,189 from 4,605, while the interim dividend is maintained at 20p per share. Forward sales improve to GBP1.60 billion across 7,075 homes at June 30 from GBP1.56 billion across 7,005 homes a year earlier, rising further to GBP1.91 billion across 8,200 homes by August 2. Persimmon says it remains on track to meet current 2026 market expectations, but now expects build cost inflation to pick up in 2027, partly due to the conflict in Iran. The housebuilder adds that while UK housing demand remains constrained by affordability, long-term fundamentals remain supportive and planning reforms should help unlock future growth.
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Tritax Big Box REIT PLC, down 4.1% at 164.70 pence, 12-month range 132.20p-175.00p. Completes its GBP350 million equity raise through the issue of 213.4 million new shares at 164p each, after unveiling plans on Wednesday to fund an expanded data centre development pipeline alongside first-half results. Gross rental income in the first half rises 16% to GBP176.9 million from GBP152.4 million, though pretax profit falls 55% to GBP75.8 million from GBP168.3 million. The placing price represents a 4.5% discount to the previous close and an 11.8% discount to June-end net tangible assets per share, with the issue remaining subject to shareholder approval later this month.
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Harworth Group PLC, up 20% at 172.10 pence, 12-month range 116.80p-191.00p. Receives a 172.5p-per-share cash takeover proposal from Peel Pepper, valuing the property developer at around GBP582.9 million. The offer represents a 20% premium to Wednesday’s closing price and a 36% premium to the three-month volume-weighted average price. Peel, which already owns just under 30% of Harworth, says the bid offers shareholders cash certainty and argues the company would be better managed as a private business, despite not having been granted due diligence access. Harworth says it is reviewing the terms of the offer and "strongly" advises shareholders to take no action.
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Wizz Air Holdings PLC, down 4.8% at 1,092.00 pence, 12-month range 832.00p-1,453.00p. Swings to a first-quarter net loss of EUR198.2 million from a EUR38.4 million profit a year earlier despite revenue rising 5.5% to EUR1.51 billion from EUR1.43 billion. Ebitda falls 51% to EUR147.4 million from EUR300.2 million as revenue per available seat kilometre declines 8.1%, though the airline says forward bookings continue to build, expects first-half load factor to be flat on-year and remains focused on improving unit costs.
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By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News senior economics reporter
Comments and questions to [email protected]
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