FTSE 100 movers: Serco makes strong gains after upgrade

3rd Jan 2013 15:22

Serco Group became a higher riser after the outsourcing company was upgraded by Espirito Santo. Compass Group, the contract caterer, was downgraded by the same broker, prompting shares to fall. Building materials group CRH fell after announcing that full-year development activity in 2012 totalled over €0.6bn, helped by 18 acquisition and investment initiatives undertaken in the second half. Experian was on the up after the Financial Times reported that Bank of America is ramping up mortgage and corporate lending. Seymour Pierce upgraded its rating for Experian this morning from 'reduce' to 'add', saying that the article suggests a "return to health" in the US mortgage market which is beneficial to the business. But of course the big news of the day was High Street giant Next, which jumped after saying in a Christmas trading statement that its full-year results would come in towards the top of expectations. The company said although 2012 sales had been in line with forecasts, cost control measures, markdowns and gross margins had all been slightly better than expected. Panmure Gordon hiked its profit forecasts and target price for the stock this morning, while Prime Markets told clients in an email that it sees "little on the horizon to stand in the way of the Next retailing juggernaut". FTSE 100 - RisersSerco Group (SRP) 555.50p +2.59%Next (NXT) 3,861.00p +2.36%Tesco (TSCO) 349.50p +1.97%Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 382.70p +1.92%BP (BP.) 436.95p +1.31%Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 387.20p +1.18%Standard Life (SL.) 346.80p +1.17%British American Tobacco (BATS) 3,126.50p +1.15%Legal & General Group (LGEN) 150.20p +1.08%Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 2,409.00p +1.01%FTSE 100 - FallersCRH (CRH) 1,265.00p -1.40%Centrica (CNA) 336.30p -1.32%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,648.00p -1.17%Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,251.00p -1.11%Croda International (CRDA) 2,363.00p -1.05%Intertek Group (ITRK) 3,187.00p -0.99%Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,665.00p -0.95%Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,367.00p -0.88%Capital Shopping Centres Group (CSCG) 360.00p -0.80%Associated British Foods (ABF) 1,579.00p -0.75%NR