London midday: Company updates boost FTSE 100

21st Jun 2011 12:04

The top share index is buoyant amid hopes the Greek debt crisis may be nearing a resolution, while some well-received company statements are underpinning the gains.Strong sales growth at Costa coffee shops helped hotel and restaurant group Whitbread to offset subdued activity in its restaurant division to grow total sales by 9.2% in first quarter. Shares are over 7% higher as of 12:10 on Tuesday.Heading lower is brewing giant SABMiller after its £7.30bn offer for Australian rival Foster's Group was rejected by the Foster's board, as it "believes that the proposal significantly undervalues the company."In the FTSE 250, Misys is posting big gains after it confirmed recent speculation over a possible offer for the IT group. According to recent reports, US IT groups such as Sungard and Fiserv, which like Misys have a focus on the financial sector, may be interested in bidding for the company.Russian gold miner Petropavlovsk is shining after production was ahead of target in the first five months of 2011 and the company said it would not need to seek additional funding for its expansion plans.Plastic packaging supplier RPC is wanted after it revealed a surge in full year pre-tax profit and expects further growth from mature European and emerging markets. Pre-tax profit rose to £34.6m for the year to 31 March from £19.2m a year earlier. Sales increased by £99.3m to £819.2m. Plastic packaging supplier RPC is a high riser on the FTSE 250 after pre-tax profit rose to £34.6m for the year to 31 March from £19.2m a year earlier. "Driving the growth are sales of higher added value products into sectors such as coffee capsules, personal care, long shelf-life and pharmaceuticals," said RPC in a company statement. Providing a drag on the FTSE 250 however is Jupiter Fund Management after a share placing. Nevertheless, the group revealed a 3% growth in assets under management. "Against the backdrop of a more challenging flow environment, Jupiter has continued to make good progress," said chief executive, Edward Bonham-Carter.FTSE 100 - RisersWhitbread (WTB) 1,585.00p +6.73%Wolseley (WOS) 1,945.00p +3.24%Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,248.00p +3.14%Kazakhmys (KAZ) 1,269.00p +3.01%Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,529.00p +2.96%BP (BP.) 442.10p +2.90%Autonomy Corporation (AU.) 1,732.00p +2.61%Sage Group (SGE) 284.40p +2.30%Fresnillo (FRES) 1,337.00p +2.30%Glencore International (GLEN) 490.05p +2.27%FTSE 100 - FallersSABMiller (SAB) 2,104.50p -3.55%United Utilities Group (UU.) 592.00p -1.33%Pearson (PSON) 1,135.00p -1.30%Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 2,000.00p -1.14%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 46.80p -0.75%Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 3,350.00p -0.65%Severn Trent (SVT) 1,428.00p -0.56%RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 131.20p -0.53%Aggreko (AGK) 1,865.00p -0.48%Admiral Group (ADM) 1,668.00p -0.42%FTSE 250 - RisersMisys (MSY) 417.70p +8.63%Supergroup (SGP) 931.00p +7.88%Petropavlovsk (POG) 717.00p +5.75%RPC Group (RPC) 355.50p +4.31%Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CW.) 50.70p +3.47%Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (MLC) 484.90p +3.37%Howden Joinery Group (HWDN) 105.90p +3.32%Brown (N.) Group (BWNG) 274.10p +2.97%Centamin Egypt Ltd. (CEY) 120.10p +2.91%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 49.95p +2.80%FTSE 250 - FallersTelecom Plus (TEP) 670.00p -4.29%Kier Group (KIE) 1,324.00p -3.36%Northgate (NTG) 298.00p -3.25%Devro (DVO) 260.00p -3.23%Brewin Dolphin Holdings (BRW) 143.00p -2.72%Jupiter Fund Management (JUP) 248.50p -2.66%Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY) 133.40p -2.20%Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 628.50p -2.10%Ocado Group (OCDO) 202.90p -1.98%PZ Cussons (PZC) 357.50p -1.92%