FTSE 250 movers: Petrofac higher on new contract, miners retreat
Mid caps were performing well on Thursday afternoon, led by strength in the construction, insurance and technology sectors.
Acacia Mining
234.00p
16:45 16/09/19
Booker Group
224.00p
16:40 02/03/18
FirstGroup
145.80p
08:04 23/09/24
Food & Drug Retailers
4,584.72
08:05 23/09/24
FTSE 250
20,826.15
08:05 23/09/24
FTSE 350
4,539.77
08:05 23/09/24
FTSE All-Share
4,497.05
08:05 23/09/24
General Retailers
4,220.76
08:04 23/09/24
Home Reit
0.00p
17:30 03/09/24
Mining
11,486.43
08:04 23/09/24
Oil Equipment, Services & Distribution
4,928.34
16:30 13/09/24
Petrofac Ltd.
17.26p
08:05 23/09/24
Travel & Leisure
7,874.96
08:04 23/09/24
Vedanta Resources
832.60p
16:35 28/09/18
As of 1445 BST, the FTSE 250 was trading 0.47% higher at 18,114.
Oil and gas industry services provider Petrofac surged after landing a four-and-a-half year contract with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) to provide services for its Yibal Khuff project. The total contract value is expected to be around $900m, with around one-quarter of the revenues relating to professional services.
Home Retail was trading higher despite registering a decline in sales in its Argos and Homebase division in the first quarter. However, group chief executive John Walden said Argos’ performance was in line with expectations and added Homebase had made a successful start to the year.
First Group reversed Wednesday's gains, which came as the transport operator report higher annual profits in 2014, thanks to improvement plans delivering higher margins in its US and UK bus divisions.
Miners Vedanta Resources and Acacia Mining declined after a strong performance on Wednesday, which was a result of China's central bank deciding to cut growth forecasts, received by analysts as a bullish sign of possible future stimulus to the world's second largest economy.
Booker Group also lost ground, retreating from a strong performance on Thursday, buoyed by JPMorgan Chase & Co lifting their price target from 160p to 174p.
Risers
Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 553.50p +4.24%
Just Retirement Group (JRG) 178.20p +3.12%
Grainger (GRI) 218.30p +3.12%
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (JLT) 1,049.00p +2.94%
Ocado Group (OCDO) 393.70p +2.90%
Aveva Group (AVV) 1,992.00p +2.84%
Home Retail Group (HOME) 164.00p +2.82%
Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 919.50p +2.57%
Bodycote (BOY) 775.00p +2.51%
SEGRO (SGRO) 430.80p +2.47%
Fallers
Evraz (EVR) 158.80p -2.87%
Acacia Mining (ACA) 299.60p -2.79%
Intermediate Capital Group (ICP) 564.00p -2.59%
Cineworld Group (CINE) 474.90p -2.52%
Premier Oil (PMO) 163.00p -2.28%
Booker Group (BOK) 179.50p -2.07%
Vesuvius (VSVS) 420.90p -1.64%
Lonmin (LMI) 135.70p -1.60%
FirstGroup (FGP) 125.00p -1.50%
Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 223.70p -1.50%