WINNERS & LOSERS: Hays sinks amid "mixed" permanent activity

(Alliance News) - The following are the leading risers and fallers among FTSE 100 and 250 index constituents on Monday.

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FTSE 100 winners

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Convatec Group PLC, up 3.4% at 227.40p

Standard Life PLC, up 2.1% at 866.25p

HSBC Holdings PLC, up 2.1% at 1,424.40p

Lion Finance Group PLC, up 2.0% at 12,630.00p

Standard Chartered PLC, up 1.5% at 2,151.50p

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FTSE 100 losers

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Informa PLC, down 3.6% at 863.80p, rose 4.4% last week

WPP PLC, down 1.5% at 379.95p

3i Group PLC, down 1.3% at 2,371.50p

Vodafone Group PLC, down 0.9% at 117.28p, set for third-successive daily decline

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, down 0.8% at 15,785.00p

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FTSE 250 winners

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GlobalData PLC, up 4.1% at 61.70p, The Times reports CEO is open to break-up of firm

Helios Towers PLC, up 4.0% at 224.70p

Funding Circle Holdings PLC, up 3.9% at 196.60p

Amaroq Ltd, up 3.9% at 121.50p

Hunting PLC, up 3.2% at 408.50p

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FTSE 250 losers

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Hays PLC, down 10% at 57.75p, pressures on permanent recruitment sector

AEP Plantations PLC, down 7.3% at 182.10p, warns El Nino may hit yields next year

Michael Page PLC, down 5.3% at 200.80p, negative read across as Hays declines

SSP Group PLC, down 3.0% at 174.95p

Energean PLC, down 2.1% at 715.50p

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FTSE 100 & 250 movers in focus:

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Hays, down 10% at 57.75p, 12-month range 28.68p-78.45p. The recruiter says its first quarter went in line with expectations, as the decline in net fees slowed. However, it notes activity in the permanent recruitment sector is "mixed with sustained strong growth in North America but ongoing fragility in Northern Europe".

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AEP Plantations, down 7.3% at 182.10p, 12-month range 124.00p-229.00p. It expects to meet full-year market expectations after reporting higher production for the first nine months of 2026, supported by stronger output. However, it cautions that the El Nino climate pattern, which can cause extreme weather conditions, "may affect fresh fruit bunch yields in 2027".

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GlobalData, up 4.1% at 61.70p, 12-month range 52.61p-130.00p. Mike Danson, the firm's founder and chief executive, is willing to mull an offer for one of more of the data, analytics, and intelligence firm core divisions, The Times reports late Friday. In 2023, Inflexion Private Equity Partners LLP bought a 40% stake in the company's healthcare division. "The market cap is less than GBP500 million at the moment. If somebody came along and they said, we'll buy one unit for the Inflexion-type valuation, it would be fairly transformative," GlobalData CEO Mike Danson told The Times. GlobalData has a GBP435.8 million market capitalisation.

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Cranswick PLC, up 2.1% at 5,090.00p, 12-month range 4,775.00p-5,810.00p. Peel Hunt lifts the firm to 'buy', believing it is "performing well, delivering strong returns and healthy free cash flow". Peel Hunt believes shares in the food producer fell over the summer "for no good reason". Cranswick shares are around 7% lower than they were at the start of June.

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Vodafone Group, down 0.9% at 117.28p, 12-month range 83.40p-132.07p. Shares in Vodafone weakened in the two trading days prior to Monday, returning some 7%. Shares fell 2.6% on Thursday after it set out "new bolder financial targets" for VodafoneThree. On Friday, it slumped 4.9% amid wider sector pressure on telecommunications firms. Space Exploration Technologies Corp on Thursday said it has agreed to acquire a nationwide low-band spectrum licence portfolio to help Starlink Mobile become "a major mobile carrier in the US". The development hit US carriers, with European counterparts falling in the cross-hairs of the sell-off.

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By Eric Cunha, Alliance News news editor

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