UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb. 25

(Adds company news items and futures)

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 21

points higher at 7,178 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, with

futures up 0.5% ahead of cash markets open.

* PETROFAC: Oilfield services provider Petrofac PFC.L reported a 16.7%

drop in core profit for 2019 on Tuesday and reiterated forecasts of a decline in

revenue this year as it recovers from a hit to orders in Saudi Arabia and Iraq

last year. * POLLEN STREET: Credit investor Pollen Street Secured Lending PSSL.L said

on Tuesday it was in talks with Waterfall Asset Management about a 900 pence per

share takeover approach and it was terminating its investment management

agreement due to governance issues. * DE LA RUE: De La Rue DLAR.L said on Tuesday it plans to rein in costs at

its currency division and invest more in polymer notes, as the struggling

banknote printer tries to improve margins as part of a three-year turnaround

plan. * SIG: SIG Plc SHI.L said on Tuesday Chief Executive Officer Meinie

Oldersma and finance head Nick Maddock will step down, a month after the

building materials supplier sounded a profit alarm due to weakness in its

European construction markets. * HAMMERSON: British shopping centre operator Hammerson HMSO.L on Tuesday

reported a drop in annual net rental income, impacted by an increase in store

closures. * TESCO: Britain's biggest retailer Tesco TSCO.L has sold its 20% share of

a joint venture in China to a unit of its partner China Resources Holdings

(CRH), raising 275 million pounds ($357 million) and completing its exit from

the country. * MEGGITT: British engineering company Meggitt MGGT.L warned that its

growth in 2020 would be constrained by the impact of the halt to production of

Boeing's BA.N 737 MAX aircraft, combined with the disruption caused by

coronavirus. * RICARDO: Engineering and automotive consultancy Ricardo Plc RCDO.L on

Tuesday warned full-year profit would be hit because of the coronavirus'

disruptive impact on its China auto and rail operations. * MORGAN ADVANCED MATERIALS: Industrial materials maker Morgan Advanced

Materials MGAMM.L has closed its manufacturing facilities in China because of

the coronavirus outbreak and expects a hit to 2020 revenue and headline

operating profit as a result, the company said on Tuesday. * PRUDENTIAL: Hedge fund Third Point amassed a more than $2 billion stake in

Prudential Plc PRU.L and called on the British insurer on Monday to split into

two companies. * NMC HEALTH: NMC Health NMC.L founder BR Shetty had pledged 7 million of

the company's shares as security for debt, his holding company said on Monday,

adding that the Indian billionaire currently has a 9.81% interest in the UAE

healthcare group.

* OIL: Oil rose as investors snapped up bargains after crude benchmarks

dropped almost 4% in the previous session, but fears that the spreading

coronavirus could wreak far greater economic damage than initially thought

capped gains. O/R

* GOLD: Gold prices eased as investors booked profits from a jump to a

seven-year high in the previous session and as equities regained some footing,

but a spike in coronavirus cases outside of China capped bullion's losses.

* London's FTSE 100 recorded its worst one-day performance in more than

four-and-a-half years on Monday, in a fall that wiped $65 billion off companies'

market value, as a jump in coronavirus cases outside China set off fears of a

pandemic. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:

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TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times PRESS/FT

> Other business headlines PRESS/GB