Press Release: Isg To Publish Comprehensive Reports On Insurance Services

Investing.com – U.K. stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Financial Services, Oil & Gas Producers and Industrial Metals & Mining sectors led shares higher.

At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 rose 0.12%.

The best performers of the session on the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 were 3I Group PLC (LON:III), which rose 8.77% or 276.00 points to trade at 3,423.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Shell PLC (LON:SHEL) added 2.38% or 65.00 points to end at 2,797.50 and Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) was up 2.10% or 78.00 points to 3,786.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Ashtead Group PLC (LON:AHT), which fell 5.38% or 275.10 points to trade at 4,836.90 at the close. Fresnillo PLC (LON:FRES) declined 5.25% or 216.00 points to end at 3,900.00 and Sage Group PLC (LON:SGE) was down 4.06% or 40.40 points to 955.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the London Stock Exchange by 991 to 825 and 499 ended unchanged.

Shares in Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) rose to all time highs; gaining 2.10% or 78.00 to 3,786.00.

Gold Futures for April delivery was down 0.25% or 13.21 to $5,326.99 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March rose 2.99% or 1.89 to hit $65.10 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 2.70% or 1.82 to trade at $69.19 a barrel.

GBP/USD was unchanged 0.01% to 1.38, while EUR/GBP unchanged 0.01% to 0.87.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.16% at 96.12.

Investing.com -- British stocks closed only slightly higher on Thursday as investors digested mostly positive corporate earnings, while the pound trades near $1.38 and wider European markets declined.

The blue-chip index FTSE 100 rose 0.1%, pulling back from stronger gains earlier in the session, while the GBP/USD fell 0.06% against the dollar to 1.3798, bouncing after declining to a low of 1.3742 earlier in the day.

The DAX index in Germany fell 2.1%, the CAC 40 in France gained 0.1%.  

UK earnings round up

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LON:LLOY) reported a stronger-than-expected 12% rise in annual profit before tax to £6.7 billion, exceeding analysts’ average forecast of £6.4 billion. The lender upgraded its profitability outlook, now targeting a return on tangible equity above 16% in 2026, compared with its previous goal of 12% for 2025. Higher income more than offset nearly £1 billion in compensation costs related to mis-sold motor finance products.

3I Group PLC (LON:III) shares surged 8.8% after the investment firm reported strong performance from Action, its largest holding. The discount retailer generated net sales of £16 billion and operating EBITDA of £2.37 billion for the 52 weeks to December 28, representing growth of 16% and 14% year-over-year respectively. Action achieved like-for-like sales growth of 4.9% for the year, though this was lower than the 10.3% recorded in 2024.

Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) shares jumped about 2.1% after the Chilean copper miner posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter sales and costs. The company reported fourth-quarter copper sales of 201,000 tonnes, above analyst estimates, and raised its 2026 gold production guidance.

Glencore PLC (LON:GLEN) shares rose 0.4% after the mining and commodities trading group said it expects full-year 2025 marketing adjusted earnings before interest and tax to come in around the midpoint of its upgraded guidance range. A sharp recovery in second-half copper production offset weaker output earlier in the year.

Wizz Air Holdings PLC (LON:WIZZ) shares jumped over 10% after the budget airline reported third-quarter results that beat analyst expectations and guided toward breaking even for its fiscal year. The carrier posted a third-quarter operating loss of €124 million, in line with estimates.

Saga (LON:SAGA) shares climbed 15.2% after the specialist in products and services for people over 50 announced it expects to report an underlying profit before tax ahead of the prior year. The company’s cruise business has been a key driver of the improved outlook, with Ocean Cruise delivering a 93% load factor and a 10% increase in per diem rates to £394.

Rank Group PLC (LON:RNK) shares closed 2% lower after the gaming company reported revenue and profit growth across all its businesses in the first half of fiscal 2026. The company reported like-for-like net gaming revenue of £419.8 million for the six months ended December 31, 2025, up 6% year-over-year.

Ocado Group PLC (LON:OCDO) shares slumped around 9.2% after the technology and online grocery firm said its Canadian partner Sobeys will shut its robotic warehouse in Calgary, citing slower-than-expected growth in Alberta’s online grocery market.

EasyJet PLC (LON:EZJ) reported a widened first-quarter loss of £93 million ($127 million), compared to a £61 million loss in the same period last year, as investments in new routes at Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino airports weighed on results. The result fell short of analyst expectations of an £80 million loss.

Investing.com -- British stocks climbed higher in afternoon trading on Thursday as investors digested mostly positive corporate earnings, while the pound hovered near $1.38 and wider European markets traded mixed.

As of 1231 GMT, the blue-chip index FTSE 100 rose 0.8% and the British GBP/USD fell 0.04% against the dollar to 1.3801

DAX index in Germany fell 0.9%, the CAC 40 in France gained 0.5%.  

UK earnings round up

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LON:LLOY) reported a stronger-than-expected 12% rise in annual profit before tax to £6.7 billion, exceeding analysts’ average forecast of £6.4 billion. The lender upgraded its profitability outlook, now targeting a return on tangible equity above 16% in 2026, compared with its previous goal of 12% for 2025. Higher income more than offset nearly £1 billion in compensation costs related to mis-sold motor finance products.

3I Group PLC (LON:III) shares surged 12.3% after the investment firm reported strong performance from Action, its largest holding. The discount retailer generated net sales of £16 billion and operating EBITDA of £2.37 billion for the 52 weeks to December 28, representing growth of 16% and 14% year-over-year respectively. Action achieved like-for-like sales growth of 4.9% for the year, though this was lower than the 10.3% recorded in 2024.

Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) shares jumped about 9.8% after the Chilean copper miner posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter sales and costs. The company reported fourth-quarter copper sales of 201,000 tonnes, above analyst estimates, and raised its 2026 gold production guidance.

Glencore PLC (LON:GLEN) shares rose more than 4.2% after the mining and commodities trading group said it expects full-year 2025 marketing adjusted earnings before interest and tax to come in around the midpoint of its upgraded guidance range. A sharp recovery in second-half copper production offset weaker output earlier in the year.

Wizz Air Holdings PLC (LON:WIZZ) shares jumped over 9.2% after the budget airline reported third-quarter results that beat analyst expectations and guided toward breaking even for its fiscal year. The carrier posted a third-quarter operating loss of €124 million, in line with estimates.

Saga (LON:SAGA) shares climbed 13.8% after the specialist in products and services for people over 50 announced it expects to report an underlying profit before tax ahead of the prior year. The company’s cruise business has been a key driver of the improved outlook, with Ocean Cruise delivering a 93% load factor and a 10% increase in per diem rates to £394.

Rank Group PLC (LON:RNK) shares gained 1.1% after the gaming company reported revenue and profit growth across all its businesses in the first half of fiscal 2026. The company reported like-for-like net gaming revenue of £419.8 million for the six months ended December 31, 2025, up 6% year-over-year.

Not all companies fared well. Ocado Group PLC (LON:OCDO) shares slumped around 11.4% after the technology and online grocery firm said its Canadian partner Sobeys will shut its robotic warehouse in Calgary, citing slower-than-expected growth in Alberta’s online grocery market.

EasyJet PLC (LON:EZJ) reported a widened first-quarter loss of £93 million ($127 million), compared to a £61 million loss in the same period last year, as investments in new routes at Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino airports weighed on results. The result fell short of analyst expectations of an £80 million loss.

Investing.com -- Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SMMT) stock rose 7% Thursday morning after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) for ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy for treating certain lung cancer patients.

The BLA seeks approval for ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have previously received tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal action date of November 14, 2026.

The application is based on results from the Phase III HARMONi trial, which evaluated ivonescimab plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy against placebo plus chemotherapy in patients previously treated with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI. According to Summit, this treatment addresses a significant unmet need, with over 14,000 U.S. patients eligible for treatment annually in this setting.

Ivonescimab, known as SMT112 in Summit’s licensed territories, is a novel bispecific antibody that combines PD-1 blockade with anti-angiogenesis effects by blocking VEGF in a single molecule. The drug features a tetravalent structure designed to improve upon previously established efficacy thresholds and safety profiles of approved drugs targeting these pathways.

The FDA has indicated it will perform a complete review of the application in accordance with Good Review Management Principles and Practices, including planned mid-cycle and wrap-up meetings, and proposed labeling prior to the PDUFA date, assuming no major deficiencies are identified during the review process.

Over 4,000 patients have been treated with ivonescimab in clinical studies globally, with an additional 60,000 patients treated in a commercial setting in China, according to information from Akeso, the company that engineered the drug.

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