ITV returns to Footsie

9th Mar 2011 19:34

ITV is returning to the FTSE 100 index in the latest quarterly changes. The television broadcaster was dropped from the FTSE 100 in September 2008 has risen by more than 75% over the past year and it promises to pay an interim dividend this year. ITV's underlying profit almost trebled to £321m in 2010 thanks to a recovery in advertising income. The other companies joining the FTSE 100 are oil services provider John Wood Group, which plans to return $1.7bn to shareholders when it completes the sale of its well support division, and financial adviser Hargreaves Lansdown. Bunzl, Alliance Trust and African Barrack Gold all drop down to the FTSE 250 index. None of these three join the reserve list for the FTSE 100. That list includes engineer Meggitt, defence company Cobham, Tate & Lyle, publisher and conference organiser Informa, Aberdeen Asset Management and fund manager Ashmore Group. Other new entrants to the FTSE 250 are document software supplier Kofax, van rental business Northgate and property investor Hansteen Holdings. Sportingbet has dropped out of the FTSE 250.