(Adds company news items and futures)
Feb 27 - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 168 points lower
at 6,875 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures .FFIc1
up 1.31% ahead of cash market open.
* WPP: WPP WPP.L , the world's biggest advertising company, said it would
target flat organic growth and profit margin in 2020 after weakness in major
markets dragged its fourth quarter down. * ASTON MARTIN: British luxury carmaker Aston Martin AML.L posted a 104.3
million-pound ($136 million) pretax loss in 2019, after a tough year in which
its sales fell and share price slumped as it ploughed money into its first sport
utility vehicle. * CO-OPERATIVE BANK: Britain's Co-operative Bank posted a pre-tax loss of
152.1 million pounds ($197.64 million) for 2019, after tough mortgage
competition and payouts for mis-sold loan insurance continued to weigh on the
lender. * PERSIMMON: Persimmon PSN.L said on Thursday Chief Executive Officer
David Jenkinson would step down from his role, months after Britain's
second-largest homebuilder said it would address concerns over the quality of
its homes. * RECKITT BENCKISER: British household goods maker Reckitt Benckiser RB.L
reported full-year comparable sales at the low end of company forecasts on
Thursday, as it suffered from a slowdown in demand for over-the-counter
medicines in the United States and infant formula in China, its biggest market.
* BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO: The world's No.2 tobacco maker, British American
Tobacco BATS.L , reported better-than-expected annual revenue on Thursday,
benefiting from higher pricing and a relatively strong performance of its
traditional tobacco business and new segments. * ST. JAMES'S PLACE: British wealth manager St. James's Place SJP.L on
Thursday posted a 5% fall in full-year operating profit in line with forecasts,
after the pace of gross inflows of client cash slowed and costs linked to a
technology upgrade increased. * HUNTING: British oilfield services provider Hunting Plc HTG.L reported a
small drop in its annual core profit on Thursday, as strong performance in its
Asia Pacific and Middle East operations offset weak North American shale
activity. * TOPPS TILES: British tile and wood flooring retailer Topps Tiles TPT.L
warned on full year profit on Wednesday, blaming weak consumer spending in the
home improvement sector. * INCHCAPE: Car dealer and distributor Inchcape Plc INCH.L on Thursday
warned of a small drop in earnings this year after reporting a 6.9% decline in
2019 profit, hit by unrest in Hong Kong and Chile as well as supply constraints
in Australia. * HIKMA PHARMACEUTICALS: Hikma Pharmaceuticals HIK.L on Thursday forecast
sales growth for 2020 after it surpassed analysts' expectations for annual
operating profit and revenue, as demand for its injectable treatments and newly
launched drugs in the United States rose. * RSA: British insurer RSA RSA.L posted an above-forecast operating profit
of 656 million pounds ($852.41 million) in 2019, helped by strong underwriting
performance and a restructuring of its international commercial business, it
said on Thursday. * EX-DIVS: Astrazeneca AZN.L , Barclays BARC.L , Diageo DGE.L , Easyjet
EZJ.L , HSBC HSBA.L will trade without entitlement to its latest dividend
pay-out on Thursday, trimming 27.8 points off the FTSE 100, according to Reuters
calculations. .L/XD
* London's mid-cap index slid to its lowest in more than three months on
Wednesday amid worries that Britain's upcoming budget may disappoint investors,
while the FTSE 100 snapped a four-day losing run after a rally on Wall Street.
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