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FTSE 100 movers: ITV boosted by Exane note; Next in the red
London's FTSE 100 was up 0.4% to 7,189.03 in afternoon trade on Thursday as investors digested the latest policy announcement from the European Central Bank.
Broadcaster ITV was on the front foot as Exane BNP Paribas lifted its stance on the stock to 'outperform'.
The bank said talks with investors have led it to identify 10 potential strategic options for the company, which "combined with a steady cyclical backdrop and exposure to high growth online video and Studios, can help return the group to sustainable top-line growth".
Carnival was also on the front foot as Morgan Stanley reiterated its 'equalweight' rating on the stock and lifted the price target to 5,100p from 5,000p.
On the downside, retailer Next retreated as it faces a demand for up to £30m in back pay from thousands of mainly female shop-floor staff in the first major equal pay claim against a fashion retailer.
More broadly, the retail sector was in focus as department store chain John Lewis revealed a 77% drop in annual profits amid subdued consumer demand and margin pressure. Marks & Spencer was in the red.
G4S fell even though the security company reported a 6.5% rise in underlying annual profit and that the outlook for its business was good.
Persimmon, Evraz and BHP Billiton were weaker as their stock went ex-dividend.
Risers
Mediclinic International (MDC) 594.60p 2.80%
Carnival (CCL) 4,743.00p 2.00%
ITV (ITV) 154.95p 1.97%
Legal & General Group (LGEN) 265.40p 1.96%
Sage Group (SGE) 694.80p 1.73%
Ferguson (FERG) 5,316.00p 1.68%
Whitbread (WTB) 3,917.00p 1.61%
Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 3,190.00p 1.59%
Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 385.10p 1.58%
Unilever (ULVR) 3,848.00p 1.57%
Fallers
Persimmon (PSN) 2,543.00p -3.78%
Evraz (EVR) 439.50p -3.43%
Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 279.10p -3.09%
BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,404.00p -2.74%
Next (NXT) 4,709.00p -2.71%
G4S (GFS) 258.50p -2.08%
Anglo American (AAL) 1,728.00p -1.76%
Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 240.20p -1.52%
Micro Focus International (MCRO) 1,991.50p -1.17%
Glencore (GLEN) 363.45p -1.06%