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The following are the leading risers and fallers among FTSE 100 and 250 index constituents on Friday. ---------- FTSE 100 winners ---------- Vodafone Group PLC, up 11% at 108.25p, the Xavier Niel family acquires 16.2% stake BT Group PLC, up 1.5% at 189.85p, supported by the jump in industry peer Vodafone Pershing Square Holdings Ltd, up 1.4% at 3,871.00p International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, up 1.3% at 472.50p Entain PLC, up 1.3% at 537.10p ---------- FTSE 100 losers ---------- St James’s Place PLC, down 9.0% at 1,150.00p AstraZeneca PLC, down 1.5% at 13,157.00p, extends losses after drug test fails Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC, down 0.9% at 1,423.80p, Jeffries ups price target to 1,870p from 1,530p, keeps ’buy’ recommendation Investec PLC, down 0.8% at 605.50p Babcock International Group PLC, down 0.8% at 1,018.00p ---------- FTSE 250 winners ---------- easyJet PLC, up 14% at 672.80p, backs rival £5.7 billion deal as Apollo tops Castlelake bid Hays PLC, up 12% at 40.30p, expects top end annual profit as net fee decline slows Playtech PLC, up 4.5% at 382.00p, Citi raises price target to 445p from 400p AEP Plantations PLC, up 4.3% at 169.00p PageGroup PLC, up 3.5% at 127.35p ---------- FTSE 250 losers ---------- Johnson Service Group PLC, down 13% at 145.20p Watches Of Switzerland Group PLC, down 3.3% at 706.00p, Jefferies cuts broker recommendation to ’hold’ from ’buy’, sets price target at 740p Jupiter Fund Management PLC, down 2.6% at 168.70p Quilter PLC, down 2.4% at 195.70p Chemring Group PLC, down 2.3% at 528.50p ---------- FTSE 100 & 250 movers in focus: ---------- Vodafone Group PLC, up 11% at 108.25 pence, 12-month range 80.20p-131.10p. Investment vehicle Vega, owned by the Xavier Niel family, has agreed to acquire Emirates Telecommunications’ 16.2% stake in Vodafone Group for £4.4 billion, making it the telecom firm’s largest shareholder, subject to regulatory approval. Vega says it has no intention of making a takeover offer for Vodafone and plans to engage with the UK government over the transaction. Vodafone says its relationship agreement with Emirates Telecommunications has ended, and e& nominee director Hatem Dowidar has stepped down from the board with immediate effect. ---------- Johnson Service Group PLC, down 13% at 145.20 pence, 12-month range 123.80p-172.10p. Reports broadly flat first-half revenue of £258.0 million, with growth in its Workwear division offsetting weaker demand in its HORECA business. The textile services firm says margins improved through cost management and expects 2026 to be a year of ‘progress and margin improvement’, with HORECA volumes anticipated to strengthen seasonally in the coming months, although net debt rose to around £190 million at the end of June. ---------- easyJet PLC, up 14% at 672.80 pence, 12-month range 332.60p-676.80p. Reaches an agreement in principle with Apollo on a possible cash takeover worth £7.15 per share, valuing the airline at about £5.7 billion. The offer is higher than Castlelake’s latest £6.90-per-share proposal, and easyJet’s board says it would be minded to recommend Apollo’s bid to shareholders if a firm offer is made on the same terms. Apollo is also proposing an equity alternative for eligible shareholders seeking continued exposure to easyJet. The board says it is no longer inclined to recommend Castlelake’s proposal. Apollo has until August 7 to announce a firm offer or walk away. ---------- Hays PLC, up 12% at 40.30 pence, 12-month range 28.68p-68.10p. Expects financial 2026 pre-exceptional operating profit at the top end of the current £37.0 million to £46.0 million consensus range after continued cost discipline offset weaker trading. Fourth-quarter net fees fall 5% on a like-for-like basis, with temporary and contracting fees down 3% and permanent recruitment down 7%. The company says temporary recruitment volumes remain stable, while permanent hiring softened slightly through the quarter. Hays reports net cash of around £20 million as of June 30, compared with £15 million net debt as of March 31, and says it has delivered £50 million in annualised structural cost savings, exceeding its target three years ahead of schedule. It adds that it is reshaping its international portfolio to focus on 16 core markets and expects consultant headcount to remain broadly stable in the first quarter of financial 2027. CEO Mark Dearnley says: ‘The year-on-year decline in group net fees eased to 5% in [the fourth quarter] driven by good Temp & Contracting growth in several of our countries and stable average hours worked in Germany despite slightly softer Perm activity through the quarter.’ ---------- Polar Capital Technology Trust PLC, down 0.5% at 678.35 pence, 12-month range 369.00p-743.50p. Reports net asset value per share more than doubled to 657.41 pence at April 30 from 325.20p a year earlier, outperforming its benchmark, the Dow Jones Global Technology index, with a 102% NAV total return. Total net assets surged 93% to £7.32 billion, while the share price rose 109% to 603.00p and the discount to NAV narrowed to 8.3% from 11.3%. The trust recommends no dividend, unchanged from a year earlier, and says artificial intelligence-driven gains delivered its strongest relative performance in at least two decades. Chair Catherine Cripps says: ‘While macroeconomic uncertainty remains and market volatility may continue, we remain confident in the long-term outlook for the sector. We believe these conditions can create attractive investment opportunities, and both the investment team and the portfolio are well positioned to benefit from continued developments in artificial intelligence.’ ---------- Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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