Barratt, Character and easyJet

“The FTSE100 opened in negative territory, taking its lead from US and Asian markets, as the North Korean situation continued to evolve, with mixed views on how best to deal with the elevated geopolitical tensions,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“The UK’s biggest housebuilder, Barratt Developments, was the biggest blue-chip faller despite posting record full-year figures. The group has hiked its dividends after achieving the financial targets it set in September 2014. Current trading is also strong with forward sales up nearly 14%. Total completions were up by only 0.4% but at 17,395, this was the best performance for nine years. Fundamentals remain positive but Barratt is maintaining its focus on margin improvement and continues to monitor carefully the potential impact of Brexit on its business. Barratt’s shares were down by over 4.5%.

“Toy group Character’s shares were up after adding Pokemon to its portfolio. Character Options has been appointed the master toy distributor in UK and Ireland and under an agreement with global master toy licensee, Wicked Cool Toys, action figures, playsets, plush, role play and other toys based on the hit Pokemon animated series, will join Character's portfolio from next summer. Toys are a major part of the Pokemon brand and the deal gives the group a tremendous opportunity to add further breadth and depth to its product range. Character’s shares were up by more than 3.6% in early trading.

“Low-cost airline easyJet edged lower in early trading despite strong August passenger figures. The airline carried more than 8.2 million passengers in the month which was 9.4% up on a year ago. The important load factor also increased with easyJet’s planes at 96.3% capacity compared with 94.9% last time. The group’s shares were down 0.39%.”

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