Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.
(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was down 0.1% at 10,762.31 in afternoon trade on Friday.
Pharmaceutical and tobacco stocks were in the red, with GSK, AstraZeneca, BAT and Imperial Brands among the worst performers.
On the upside, Experian, Sage Group and Relx were all higher, lifted by a Reuters report suggesting that private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to buy US IT software provider Workday in a deal that would rank among the largest software buyouts in history.
IG Group was also in the black as RBC Capital Markets reiterated its 'outperform' rating, arguing the stock was oversold on news of its acquisition of US prediction markets operator Underdog.
The bank, which maintained its 1,850p price target, noted that IG's value has fallen by more than the deal consideration, with the shares down 22% since the announcement and market cap reduced by around £1.2bn, suggesting there is nothing in the market cap for the Underdog business.
"Whilst the deal increases leverage, pauses buybacks and introduces near-term regulatory uncertainty, we believe several positives have been overlooked: diversification away from market volatility, exposure to high-growth prediction markets and improved long-term listing optionality," RBC said.
FTSE 100 - Risers
Experian (EXPN) 3,016.00p 7.29%
Entain (ENT) 570.80p 4.62%
The Sage Group (SGE) 1,060.50p 4.53%
Relx plc (REL) 2,592.00p 4.05%
Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (PSH) 3,994.00p 3.26%
Autotrader Group (AUTO) 541.80p 3.08%
Computacenter (CCC) 5,050.00p 2.27%
IG Group Holdings (IGG) 1,360.00p 2.03%
Pearson (PSON) 1,217.00p 2.01%
ICG (ICG) 2,086.00p 1.96%
FTSE 100 - Fallers
Antofagasta (ANTO) 3,556.00p -5.14%
Glencore (GLEN) 547.40p -2.53%
GSK (GSK) 1,818.00p -2.07%
Anglo American (AAL) 3,845.00p -1.76%
British American Tobacco (BATS) 4,185.00p -1.76%
AstraZeneca (AZN) 11,516.00p -1.64%
Imperial Brands (IMB) 2,601.00p -1.59%
Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 385.20p -1.38%
Rio Tinto (RIO) 7,071.00p -1.35%
Smith & Nephew (SN.) 1,094.50p -0.95%
