FTSE 250 Movers: Thomas Cook plummets as CEO steps down

Shares in Thomas Cook plummeted by over 19% as it announced that chief executive Harriet Green has stepped down after just over two years in charge of the troubled travel group. Green, who is due to be replaced by chief operating officer Peter Fankhauser with immediate effect, claimed her turnaround "was complete" as annual results showed improving profits from all divisions.

Also falling was Britvic, who identified upcoming fierce competition between retailers in Britain, Ireland and France as a source of pressure on prices and sales growth. The company acknowledged that the soft drinks market has been hurt by changing tastes and budgets and that a decline in revenue was inevitable.

JD Sports Fashion rose further after saying on Tuesday it was selling its Bank Fashion business to a subsidiary of Hilco Capital - a move thought to result in a substantial recovery of its inter-company loan.

Property group Rightmove’s prices took a hit as concerns continue to rise about new competitor Agents' Mutual launching early next year. Investec downgraded Rightmove from 'hold' to 'sell', saying that the launch of Agents' Mutual "could cause some trading turbulence, not helped by a tougher near-term housing market".

Balfour Beatty share prices continued to surge, marking the stock's biggest two-day rise in five years. The company has also been highly commended at the Project of the Year awards by the Civil Engineering Contractors' Association. Accelerating US business and £1bn portfolio of public-private partnerships are thought to be responsible for the boost in prices.

Nostrum Oil & Gas rose despite a fall in revenue in the first nine months of the year, which was attributed to declining oil prices. However, production figures sat above target and operating profits rose slightly. The group’s chief executive Kai-Uwe Kessel said: “We continue to progress with our development programme, to double production by the end of 2016, which will allow us to further unlock the significant value of Nostrum's reserve base.”

Risers
Zoopla Property Group (WI) (ZPLA) 190.40p +6.61%
PayPoint (PAY) 971.00p +4.92%
Balfour Beatty (BBY) 185.40p +4.86%
AO World (AO.) 227.30p +4.60%
Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 653.00p +3.40%
Intermediate Capital Group (ICP) 471.90p +3.33%
JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 480.00p +3.00%
De La Rue (DLAR) 569.50p +2.89%
Brewin Dolphin Holdings (BRW) 272.10p +2.41%
Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 253.40p +2.34%

Fallers
Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 111.90p -18.85%
Evraz (EVR) 152.70p -6.09%
Britvic (BVIC) 660.50p -5.17%
Foxtons Group (FOXT) 149.10p -4.73%
QinetiQ Group (QQ.) 196.80p -4.51%
Rightmove (RMV) 2,167.00p -3.39%
Afren (AFR) 64.90p -3.35%
Hunting (HTG) 665.50p -3.06%
Telecom Plus (TEP) 1,222.00p -2.86%
Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) 366.10p -2.66%