FTSE 100 today: Barclays earnings boost index, pound weakens

Published 29/07/2025, 13:24
Updated 29/07/2025, 17:00
© Reuters.

Investing.com -- British stocks rose on Tuesday, supported by positive earnings reports, with AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) and Barclays (LON:BARC) providing the main boost.

The blue-chip index FTSE 100 rose 0.6% and the British pound fell 0.1% against the dollar to 1.33. 

DAX index in Germany rose 1.2%, the CAC 40 in France gained 0.7%. 

AstraZeneca rises as Q2 earnings beat expectations

AstraZeneca PLC (ST:AZN) shares climbed 3.4% after the pharmaceutical giant exceeded second-quarter earnings forecasts, driven by strong performance in its oncology, cardiovascular, and renal therapy segments.

The company maintained its full-year guidance, projecting a low double-digit percentage increase in core earnings and a high single-digit percentage rise in total revenue for fiscal 2025.

AstraZeneca cited ongoing pricing pressure and global trade uncertainties as factors in its outlook.

Barclays to buy back £1 bln in shares after profit beat

In other corporate news, Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) launched a share buyback program of up to £1 billion for the second half of the year after reporting strong first-half results.

The bank’s second-quarter profits exceeded consensus estimates by 11%, with first-half pre-tax profit rising 23% year-over-year to £5.20 billion.

Shares of Barclays rose 2.8%.

Games Workshop shares jump on strong FY results

Games Workshop (LON:GAW) shares jumped 5.4% after the British miniature wargames manufacturer reported full-year results that surpassed guidance.

The company posted core revenue of £565 million, exceeding its previous guidance of £560 million, supported by strong core operations and an 80% increase in licensing profit.

Canal+ shares jump as H1 results match upgraded outlook

Canal+ SA (LON:CAN) shares surged 8.1% following first-half 2025 results that aligned with upgraded guidance.

The media company reported revenue of €3.09 billion for the period ended June 30, showing 0.9% organic growth despite a 3.3% reported revenue decline due to terminated contracts including Disney (NYSE:DIS) and UEFA Champions League sublicensing.

ConvaTec gains as revenue climbs

ConvaTec Group PLC (LON:CTEC) shares rose 2.4% after reporting first-half results showing broad-based revenue growth and margin expansion.

The medical products company posted adjusted earnings per share of 8.0 cents, up 18.7% and slightly ahead of analyst expectations, with revenue reaching $1.18 billion, a 6.0% increase from the same period last year.

Greggs (LON:GRG) shares drop as H1 sales meet guidance

Greggs shares fell more than 4% after the U.K. food retailer reported first-half like-for-like sales growth of 2.6%, in line with guidance but without any change to its full-year profit outlook.

The bakery chain noted that sales were impacted by weaker market footfall and weather disruption compared to the same period last year.

Inchcape (OTC:INCPY) shares sink 10% on softer Asia-Pacific sales

Inchcape PLC (LON:INCH) shares dropped over 11% after the British car distributor reported declining first-half revenue, attributing the decrease to softer demand for premium vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region amid U.S. trade measures.

The company reported a 15% organic revenue decline in Asia-Pacific at constant currency, a region that represents over a quarter of Inchcape’s total sales.

Croda (LON:CRDA) shares plunge after weak H1 cash flow, higher debt

Croda International shares declined more than 10% after the specialty chemicals company reported weaker cash flow and rising debt in its first-half results, despite posting profit in line with analyst expectations and maintaining full-year guidance.

The company reported adjusted profit before tax of £138 million for the first half of 2025, slightly above estimates.

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