2 March 2021 | 08:32am
StockMarketWire.com - UK stocks made modest gains in early trading on Tuesday after a bevvy of local companies released earnings results, including a pleasing update from Taylor Wimpey and a disappointing one from Ashtead.
At 0818, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 8.15 points, or 0.1%, at 6,596.68.
Engineering group Renishaw rallied 12% to £64.90 after it put itself up for sale following a decision by founders and major shareholders David McMurtry and John Deer to sell their stakes in the company.
McMurtry and Deer, who were Renishaw s chairman and deputy chairman, respectively, owned about 53% of the company, including shares held by their connections.
2 March 2021 | 08:06am
StockMarketWire.com - Equipment rental company Ashtead upgraded its full-year outlook as it forecast improving rental revenue following a fall in third-quarter profit on lower utilisation of its fleet in the US and Canada owing to the pandemic impact.
The company said it now expected full year results ahead of its previous expectations, as it narrowed its guidance on rental revenue decline to a 4% decline for 2021 from a prior range for a 3%-to-7% decline.
For the US, the company narrowed its rental revenue decline to 4% for 2021, from a 4% to 7% decline previously estimated.
For the three months ended 31 January, pre-tax profit fell 4% to £210 million year-on-year as revenue fell 1% to £1.21 billion.