FTSE 250 movers: Kier Group rebounds from last week; Rotork falls after downgrade

After a slow morning on Monday, the FTSE 250 was up 0.25% or 43.22 points to 16,993.95.

Kier Group has started to bounce back after last week’s fall from grace. The stock slumped despite reporting a jump in pre-tax profit for the year ended 30 June as revenue rose thanks to a solid performance in all its divisions. However it’s started to recover, perhaps buoyed by a tip from The Times’ Tempus that it’s a stock to buy long term and the fall in price looked a bit overdone.

Card Factory also has been climbing the leaderboard as traders look to get a slice of the action ahead of its half year results out tomorrow. The greeting card and gift company announced in an August trading statement sales growth, an increase in revenue, and a planned return of surplus cash towards the end of the financial year.

But it’s not all roses, with shares in industrial components manufacturer Rotork falling after JPMorgan Cazenove downgraded the stock to ‘neutral’ from ‘overweight’ and slashed its price target to 180p from 245p. It all followed the company’s profit warning last week.

And while diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, they aren't very trader friendly today. Petra Diamonds continued to dive after it announced full-year revenues dropped 10% to $425m. That’s on the back of lower diamond prices, as expected. On top of that, Nomura has warned that Petra’s 100% tender sales process leaves it more exposed to diamond pricing volatility.

FTSE 250 - Risers

NMC Health (NMC) 800.00p +4.37%

Card Factory (CARD) 366.50p +3.07%

Kier Group (KIE) 1,420.00p +2.90%

Croda International (CRDA) 2,770.00p +2.78%

National Express Group (NEX) 293.30p +2.77%

Ocado Group (OCDO) 353.80p +2.58%

Booker Group (BOK) 180.70p +2.55%

Genus (GNS) 1,487.00p +2.34%

Northgate (NTG) 490.00p +2.15%

Provident Financial (PFG) 3,156.00p +2.14%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

Rotork (ROR) 173.80p -6.86%

Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 104.30p -6.04%

Premier Oil (PMO) 74.15p -5.06%

Evraz (EVR) 65.40p -4.87%

Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 143.90p -4.51%

Vesuvius (VSVS) 364.00p -4.11%

Ophir Energy (OPHR) 87.20p -3.65%

PayPoint (PAY) 1,054.00p -3.39%

Ashmore Group (ASHM) 255.30p -3.33%

AO World (AO.) 164.90p -2.94%