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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

FTSE 100 movers: M&S surges on results; Persimmon takes a hit

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was down 0.8% at 8,348.43 in afternoon trade on Wednesday. Marks & Spencer surged to the top of the index as it posted a jump in full-year sales and profits as the retailer's turnaround efforts bore fruit.

In the 52 weeks to 30 March, profit before tax and adjusting items rose 58% to £716.4m, with revenue up 9.3% to £13bn. Food sales grew 13% during the year, while clothing and home sales rose 5.3%.

M&S said its "stronger financial position and performance" gave it the opportunity to restore dividend payments at a sustainable level, with a proposed final dividend of 2p, resulting in a full-year dividend of 3p for 2023/24.

Severn Trent was in the red after full-year results, while RS Group tumbled as it said annual profits dropped by a quarter.

The industrial and electrical products provider - formerly Electrocomponents - pinned the blame on weakness in global industrial production and the unwinding of unusual post-pandemic trading tailwinds.

Adjusted operating profit slumped by 25% on a like-for-like basis to £312m in the 12 months to 31 March, as LFL revenues fell 8% to £2.94bn and the adjusted operating profit margin fell to 10.6% from 13.5%.

Housebuilder Persimmon was weaker as a higher-than-expected UK inflation print for April dashed summer rate cut hopes.

FTSE 100 - Risers

Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 290.30p 6.03% Severn Trent (SVT) 2,670.00p 2.18% Auto Trader Group (AUTO) 740.60p 1.93% Smith (DS) (SMDS) 374.00p 1.85% Diploma (DPLM) 4,278.00p 1.62% B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI) (BME) 549.00p 1.44% Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) 2,328.00p 1.31% RS Group (RS1) 815.50p 1.12% Convatec Group (CTEC) 254.60p 1.11% Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 56.80p 1.10%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Antofagasta (ANTO) 2,310.00p -4.15% 3i Group (III) 2,856.00p -3.51% Glencore (GLEN) 485.15p -2.95% Persimmon (PSN) 1,413.50p -2.85% Ocado Group (OCDO) 345.40p -2.70% St James's Place (STJ) 466.60p -2.38% Fresnillo (FRES) 617.00p -2.37% Kingfisher (KGF) 258.40p -2.27% Rio Tinto (RIO) 5,703.00p -2.09% Pearson (PSON) 935.00p -2.09%

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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