Source: Sharecast
Sainsbury’s was among the gainers as it began the second tranche of the £200m share buyback that was announced in April.
JD Sports was a touch weaker, having tumbled on Thursday after it warned that full-year profits would be at the lower end of forecasts after a "volatile" trading environment in October due to bigger discounts, milder weather and consumer caution ahead of the US election.
On Friday, JPMorgan Cazenove downgraded its stance on the to ‘neutral’ from ‘overweight’ following the results.
JPM slashed its price target on the stock to 105p from 171p.
It said that while the key trading weeks of this year are still to come - Q4 accounts for around 30% to 35% of full-year sales - and although Q3 was hit by several external factors, it has less conviction that JD’s changing brand mix will offset ongoing weakness in Nike and allow the retailer to deliver stronger growth next year.
It also said that in this market environment, with a high level of earnings uncertainty and no clear catalyst to drive upside, the shares are likely to struggle to recover over the coming months.
Banks were also in the red, with Barclays, Standard Chartered, NatWest, Lloyds and HSBC among the worst performers.
FTSE 100 - Risers
Melrose Industries (MRO) 531.20p 4.53%
Diploma (DPLM) 4,406.00p 4.36%
Spirax Group (SPX) 6,750.00p 3.69%
AstraZeneca (AZN) 10,428.00p 3.64%
Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 255.20p 3.40%
Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,935.00p 3.37%
National Grid (NG.) 996.20p 3.34%
Experian (EXPN) 3,833.00p 3.32%
Barratt Redrow (BTRW) 415.90p 3.28%
Vistry Group (VTY) 644.00p 3.12%
FTSE 100 - Fallers
Barclays (BARC) 255.70p -2.65%
Standard Chartered (STAN) 940.60p -1.92%
NATWEST GROUP (NWG) 392.90p -1.90%
Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 54.14p -1.60%
M&G (MNG) 200.90p -0.50%
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 245.20p -0.49%
HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 724.80p -0.29%
CRH (CDI) (CRH) 7,988.00p -0.22%
JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 95.28p -0.17%
Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,687.50p -0.12%
