FTSE 100 traded largely flat at 10,806.87. The index held close to record levels after the previous session's strong rally. While the index showed slight movement individual stocks delivered sharp swings driven by earnings updates.
Gainers and Losers
Among the gainers Howden Joinery rose sharply by 9.11% to £934 while 3i Group advanced 1.76% to £3,297.
Haleon gained 1.46% to £383.40 and St James's Place added 1.34% to £1,361.
Mining stocks weighed on the index with Fresnillo down 2.82% to £4,204 while Anglo American backed 1.91% to £3,756.
Antofagasta declined 1.73% to £4,378 and Rio Tinto slipped 1.35% to £7,360 amidst softer commodity sentiment.
Consumer goods giant Unilever also edged lower by 0.83% to £5,357.
Rolls-Royce Jumps on Upgraded Guidance and Buyback Plan
Rolls-Royce climbed 6.79% to around £1,399. The aerospace giant upgraded its medium-term targets and unveiled a multi-year share buyback programme worth £7-£9 billion through 2028. This includes £2.5 billion in 2025 alone.
The company reported underlying operating profit of £3.5 billion for 2025 which is up from £2.5 billion in 2024. The operating margins also improved to 17.3% from 13.8%.
Investors too welcomed the announcement of a total dividend of £9.5 per share for the year.
LSEG Rallies After Profit Surge and £3B Buyback
London Stock Exchange Group gained 3.95% to £8,102 after posting a near 60% jump in pre-tax profit to £2 billion.
Annual revenue rose 5.8% to £9 billion which reflects continued growth in its data and analytics operations.
The company announced a fresh £3 billion share buyback programme to be executed over the next 12 months. It reinforces confidence in capital returns despite broader concerns about AI-driven competition in financial data services.
Hikma Slides Nearly 18% on Profit Drop
Hikma Pharmaceuticals tumbled 17.92% to £1,356. The company reported an 11% decline in profit to $542 million partly because of the impact of a legal settlement.
Although Hikma announced a $250 million buyback plan for 2026 investors focused on cautious forward guidance.
The firm expects group revenue growth of 2%-4% in 2026 with core operating profit forecast between $720 million and $770 million.
Global Market View
US stocks saw a strong session yesterday as improved sentiment in the tech sector helped the Nasdaq Composite close 1.3% higher.
S&P 500 index rose 0.8% and Dow Jones Industrial Average improved 0.6%. Nvidia shares also rose 1.5% and are expected to open slightly higher later today.