FTSE 100 movers: Shire and Astra take a hit

28th Apr 2011 15:25

Drug groups Shire and AstraZeneca are lower are reporting their first quarter results. While Shire posted a strong rise in revenues and profits in the period, sentiment seems to have been hit by sector peer Astra which cited US healthcare reform measures and generic competition as the reasons why its own revenues and profits fell.Meanwhile, life assurance group Standard Life is the best performing stock after seeing strong sales across its long-term savings business in the first quarter. Peers Legal & General, Aviva and Prudential are rising in sympathy.Advertising group WPP is higher after upping its full-year guidance after reported revenue jumped 7% in the first quarter.Firmly lower is food and household goods giant Unilever, after it reported "sluggishness" in the developed markets.Cigarette giant British American Tobacco is under the weather after volumes declined in the first quarter. Nevertheless, the group assured investors that it was able to grow market share across all its regions. Electricity generator International Power is wanted after pro forma revenue rose from €3.70bn to €4.05bn in the three months ended 31 March, mainly due to a strong performance in Latin America and the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.---bcFTSE 100 - RisersStandard Life (SL.) 228.10p +4.11%ITV (ITV) 75.55p +3.85%Legal & General Group (LGEN) 123.30p +3.27%WPP (WPP) 781.50p +2.90%International Power (IPR) 328.90p +2.75%Associated British Foods (ABF) 1,007.00p +2.34%Severn Trent (SVT) 1,512.00p +1.89%Aviva (AV.) 450.20p +1.86%IMI (IMI) 1,093.00p +1.86%Prudential (PRU) 775.50p +1.84%FTSE 100 - FallersWhitbread (WTB) 1,657.00p -4.61%AstraZeneca (AZN) 2,981.00p -3.76%Unilever (ULVR) 1,945.00p -2.26%Shire Plc (SHP) 1,868.00p -1.74%Barclays (BARC) 282.60p -1.70%Vodafone Group (VOD) 171.25p -1.35%Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 387.20p -0.97%BP (BP.) 462.05p -0.85%British American Tobacco (BATS) 2,609.00p -0.84%Sage Group (SGE) 286.30p -0.83%