S&P 500 slips, but losses kept in check as Nvidia climbs ahead of results
Investing.com -- British stocks were mixed on Thursday after a busy day of corporate earnings that delivered notable gains for shares of Rolls-Royce (OTC:RYCEY) and Rentokil, even as the pound extended its decline.
The blue-chip index FTSE 100 closed flat, and the British pound fell 0.1% against the dollar to 1.32.
DAX index in Germany dropped 0.8%, the CAC 40 in France fell 1.1%.
FTSE 100 movers: Rolls-Royce, Standard Chartered , Next jump on upbeat results; Shell, Unilever weigh
Standard Chartered PLC (OTC:SCBFF) (LON:STAN) reported better-than-expected second-quarter profit on Thursday, driven by strong performance in its wealth management and global trading divisions.
The bank announced a $1.3 billion share buyback program that will begin immediately and declared an interim dividend of 12.3 cents per share.
In other corporate news, Shell PLC (LON:SHEL) (AS:SHEL) beat analyst expectations with second-quarter adjusted earnings of $4.26 billion, though this marked a decline from $6.3 billion in the same period last year.
The energy company will maintain its share repurchase program at $3.5 billion for the next three months, continuing its streak of buybacks at or above $3 billion for the 15th consecutive quarter.
Next PLC (LON:NXT) raised its full-year profit guidance for the third time in five months after reporting second-quarter full-price sales growth of 10.5% year-on-year, exceeding its forecast of 6.5%.
The British fashion retailer benefited from warm weather and disruption at a key competitor affected by a cyberattack.
Rentokil Initial PLC (LON:RTO) shares jumped over 8% after reporting first-half adjusted profit before tax of $444 million, slightly above the consensus estimate of $439 million.
The company also reported stronger sequential growth in its U.S. pest control business.
HALEON PLC (LON:HLN) shares fell about 1.3% after the company lowered its full-year organic revenue growth forecast, citing weaker performance in North America that impacted first-half results.
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LON:RR) shares surged more than 8% after raising its full-year profit guidance and reporting a 50% increase in first-half underlying operating profit to £1.7 billion, driven by stronger margins and higher service volumes in Civil Aerospace and Power Systems.
Anglo American (JO:AGLJ) PLC (LON:AAL) reported a 20% drop in first-half underlying earnings to $3 billion, down from $3.7 billion a year earlier, as weaker rough diamond demand and lower copper production affected results.
Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) reported a 3.7% drop in first-half diluted earnings per share to €1.42, while operating profit fell 10.6% to €5.3 billion as costs rose from the separation of its Ice Cream business.
Just Group PLC (LON:JUSTJ) stock soared 68% after agreeing to be acquired by a subsidiary of Brookfield Wealth Solutions Ltd for 220p per share, representing a 75% premium to its previous closing price.
Pets at Home Group PLC (LON:PETSP) lowered its profit guidance for fiscal year 2026 due to weaker-than-expected market conditions, though first-quarter retail like-for-like sales showed improvement with a 3.0% decline compared to the previous quarter’s 5.5% drop.
British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI) PLC (LON:BATS) reaffirmed its full-year guidance after reporting better-than-expected first-half results, with shares rising more than 1%.
The company expects to reach the upper end of its 2025 revenue growth target of 1% to 2% at constant exchange rates.
London Stock Exchange Group PLC (LON:LSEG) reported strong first-half results with total income, excluding recoveries, rising 7.8% on an organic constant currency basis to £4.49 billion, slightly ahead of the 7.5% consensus forecast, supported by robust demand for its financial data services.