The FTSE 100 closed marginally higher on Thursday, led by strong performances from Howden Joinery and Haleon. The index rose slightly by 0.1%, finishing at 7,630.02.

The mid-cap FTSE 250 index gained 0.2%, closing at 19,054.87, while the smaller companies index, AIM All-Share, ended down 0.2% at 736.50.

Top Performers:

Kitchen and joinery supplier Howden Joinery, surged 7.0% despite reporting a slight decline in annual revenue to £2.31 billion. However, they announced a dividend increase of 1.9%, bringing the total payout for the year to 21.0p per share.

Consumer healthcare company Haleon climbed 5.6%. Haleon reported a rise in revenue to £11.30 billion for 2023, despite facing a headwind from foreign exchange fluctuations.

Daily Recap

Other Notable Movers:

Oil and gas equipment maker Hunting jumped 12% after swinging to a profit and increasing its dividend.

Logistics firm Wincanton soared 23% amid a potential bidding war between GXO Logistics and CEVA Logistics. GXO offered 605 pence per share, valuing Wincanton at approximately £762 million.

British Air owner International Consolidated Airlines Group fell 3.6% despite reporting a surge in annual profit. Investors remain cautious due to the slower recovery in business travel compared to other sectors.

Daily Risers and Fallers

FTSE All-Share risers: Wincanton 22.59%, Hunting 11.5%, Drax 11.17%, Luceco 8.2%, Howden Joinery 7.04%, Pensionbee 6.82%, Motorpoint 6.07%, Haleon 5.57%, Vistry Grp 5.21%, Capital & Regional 4.71%.

FTSE All-Share fallers: Phoenix Spree D -8.43%, City Lon Inv -7.16%, Costain -6.15%, Plus500 -5.97%, Aston Martin Lagonda -5.83%, Severfield -4.94%, Diversified Energy -4.93%, Petrofac -4.71%, Spire Healthcare -4.65%, Whitbread -4.57%.