FTSE 250 movers: Renishaw rocked, Hunting gushes higher
London's FTSE 250 was 0.42% lower at 19,306.99 in afternoon trading on Thursday, as Renishaw led the index lower.
The engineering company saw its shares fall sharply as it cautioned that full-year results would come in below previous guidance.
Analysts from Stifel quoted in the Financial Times said: "What is striking is how rapidly this deterioration in full-year expectations has come through: the guidance that the group is now cutting was only set at the end of January, less than two months ago. This is a reminder of how high the group’s operational gearing is, and how limited its visibility. The obvious follow-on question is whether the bad news is now out, or if there may be more to come. We think it is probably too early to tell, particularly given the pending deadlines around US-China trade talks and Brexit."
Fashion brand Ted Baker slumped as it reported a 26.1% drop in annual profit following a "difficult" year in which it was hit by a "forced hugging" scandal that culminated in the resignation of founder and boss Ray Kelvin.
Meanwhile, Crest Nicholson and Hammerson were both lower as they went ex-dividend.
IG Group was lower after reporting a 12% drop in third quarter revenues in the third quarter compared to the second as the online trading platform continued to adjust to new regulations and lower levels of volatility in financial markets in the last two months.
Merlin Entertainment crept lower after Berenberg cut the stock to 'sell', with analysts reasoning that they "struggle to see the company achieving EBIT growth in any division this year, despite its cost-savings plan and continued investment in new sites and hotels."
Oil and gas industry services provider Hunting was the top riser but precious metals miners were also on the rise as gold prices hit a three-week high on the back of the dovish Fed statement, with Acacia, Centamin and Hochschild all making gains.
Inmarsat was on the rise after HSBC raised the stock's target price from 420p to 470p following the satellite communications group's Wednesday confirmation that it was in talks with a consortium of private equity companies after receiving a takeover proposal in January.
Market Movers
FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,306.99 -0.42%
FTSE 250 - Risers
Hunting (HTG) 633.50p 4.88%
Acacia Mining (ACA) 205.80p 4.47%
Hochschild Mining (HOC) 201.30p 3.66%
Centamin (DI) (CEY) 92.68p 3.35%
Inmarsat (ISAT) 510.00p 2.97%
Marshalls (MSLH) 606.50p 2.54%
Aggreko (AGK) 770.00p 2.48%
Softcat (SCT) 863.00p 2.25%
Polar Capital Technology Trust (PCT) 1,288.00p 2.06%
Rank Group (RNK) 160.20p 1.91%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Renishaw (RSW) 3,753.14p -10.64%
Ted Baker (TED) 1,573.00p -8.01%
Kier Group (KIE) 399.20p -7.03%
Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 363.00p -6.64%
Just Group (JUST) 68.35p -6.11%
Indivior (INDV) 106.80p -5.86%
IG Group Holdings (IGG) 515.90p -5.86%
Merlin Entertainments (MERL) 347.90p -5.69%
Hammerson (HMSO) 350.80p -4.78%
Amigo Holdings (AMGO) 186.52p -4.35%