FTSE 100 movers: Ashtead drops after results; Berkeley rallies

London’s FTSE 100 was down 0.2% at 7,274.88 in afternoon trade on Tuesday.

Equipment rental firm Ashtead fell despite posting a rise in revenue and profits for the three months ended 31 July, driven by "ongoing momentum" in supportive end markets.

BT was also weaker after a downgrade to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’ at Berenberg.

On the upside, retailers Kingfisher and JD Sports were among the top gainers, along with kitchen supplier Howden Joinery, as investors welcomed the prospect of a potential freeze on energy bills.

Berkeley Group rallied after the housebuilder said it was on track to meet full-year profit guidance despite a "volatile" operating environment.

Updating on trading ahead of its annual general meeting, Berkeley said it had continued to trade "well" during the first four months of the current financial year.

"The good level of demand continues to support pricing above business plan levels, which is sufficient to cover cost increases on a blended basis across Berkeley’s developments," it noted.

Other housebuilders followed suit, with Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey also up.

FTSE 100 - Risers

Kingfisher (KGF) 251.90p 5.13%
Howden Joinery Group (HWDN) 580.80p 4.99%
Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 837.40p 4.94%
Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 45.48p 4.67%
Abrdn (ABDN) 154.10p 4.47%
JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 128.05p 4.28%
Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 3,589.00p 4.12%
Rightmove (RMV) 617.20p 4.12%
Persimmon (PSN) 1,511.50p 4.10%
Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 108.25p 4.09%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Harbour Energy (HBR) 469.40p -3.28%
Ashtead Group (AHT) 4,210.00p -2.37%
BP (BP.) 453.45p -2.14%
Shell (SHEL) 2,303.00p -1.92%
National Grid (NG.) 1,075.50p -1.38%
AstraZeneca (AZN) 10,510.00p -1.30%
BT Group (BT.A) 143.25p -0.97%
Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (PSH) 2,815.00p -0.88%
SSE (SSE) 1,683.00p -0.82%
GSK (GSK) 1,349.60p -0.60%