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FTSE 100 movers: Informa rallies on guidance upgrade; Halma heads lower

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was up 0.2% at 7,621.06 in afternoon trade on Thursday. Informa was a high riser as the events organiser lifted its full-year profit and revenue outlook, citing strong performances in all businesses, with revenue now expected to exceed pre-Covid levels.

Pointing to "strong underlying performances combined with portfolio additions", the company upped its adjusted operating profit guidance by 10% to between £750m and £790m, while revenue guidance was boosted 7% to between £2.95bn and £3.05bn.

Halma was in the red as it posted a dip in full-year pre-tax, but lifted its dividend as revenues jumped 21%.

In the 12 months to the end of March, statutory pre-tax profit declined 4% to £291.5m, mainly due to the non-recurrence of a gain on disposal of a Safety Sector business in the prior year. Adjusted pre-tax profit was up 14% to £361.3m.

Revenues rose 21% to a record £1.85bn, with broad-based revenue growth in all sectors and regions.

Melrose Industries fell after chief executive officer Simon Peckham sold 2m shares in the company - half his shareholding - at 524.5p "as a result of a change in personal circumstances".

Legal & General was also down after it announced the appointment of António Simões as chief executive officer.

Simões - who succeeds Sir Nigel Wilson - joins from Banco Santander, where he has been regional head of Europe since September 2020.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: "The new boss at Legal & General has a hard act to follow. Since Nigel Wilson was appointed to the top job in June 2012, Legal & General shares have outperformed its life insurance peers, Aviva and Prudential, to chalk up a total return of more than 200%.

"Wilson didn't necessarily make a big splash but was busy in the background, turning Legal & General into a more focused and efficient business."

FTSE 100 - Risers

Ocado Group (OCDO) 428.40p 4.72% Informa (INF) 724.40p 2.84% Reckitt Benckiser Group (RKT) 6,010.00p 1.76% Imperial Brands (IMB) 1,770.00p 1.58% Unilever (ULVR) 4,029.00p 1.55% Relx plc (REL) 2,618.00p 1.47% AstraZeneca (AZN) 11,670.00p 1.39% Vodafone Group (VOD) 73.69p 1.17% Shell (SHEL) 2,330.00p 1.11% Haleon (HLN) 322.40p 1.10%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Halma (HLMA) 2,303.00p -5.19% Melrose Industries (MRO) 505.00p -3.70% Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI) (SKG) 2,838.00p -3.21% NATWEST GROUP (NWG) 257.10p -3.13% Weir Group (WEIR) 1,800.50p -2.86% Legal & General Group (LGEN) 231.30p -2.82% Smith (DS) (SMDS) 306.20p -2.42% Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 1,718.00p -2.41% Bunzl (BNZL) 3,034.00p -2.32% JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 144.95p -2.23%

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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