LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - London\'s FTSE 250 edged up by 0.05% to 19,127.76 in afternoon trading on Monday, with the index led lower by shares in Newriver REIT.
Real estate investment company Hammerson climbed as analysts at Peel Hunt upped their recommendation for the stock to \'add\', stating that it had been oversold despite analysts\' caution on the retail property sector and a proposed merger with Intu.

\"Investor sentiment is likely to remain negative and we still foresee a material rebasing of prime retail rents over the long term. However, at the current share price, Hammerson can withstand a near 30% decline in UK rents, rebuild the balance sheet, and could still trade at a 40% NAV discount and 6%+ dividend yield,\" said analysts.

Babcock rallied after confirming that in January it had rejected a \"highly preliminary\" takeover approach from outsourcer rival Serco - a combination that would create a £4bn defence giant, with shares of Royal Mail also making gains as analysts at Bernstein raised their recommendation for the stock to \'outperform\'

Construction group Kier slumped after suspending its dividend and saying it will cut about 1,200 jobs as it looks to reduce debt and deliver annual cost savings of around £55m from 2021, simplifying its portfolio by selling or substantially exiting non-core activities.

David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets, said: \"The firm issued a profit warning on Friday, and this morning\'s update hasn\'t reassured investors as the stock is lower again. Traders are likely to remain nervous until the restructuring scheme stars to bear fruits.\"

Stock in Amigo Holdings dropped after being cut to \'sell\' at Shore Capital, where analysts raised concerns over the increased regulatory spotlight on the guarantor lending sector and a more uncertain macroeconomic environment.

Finally, Wizz Air was lower after airline contemporary Lufthansa downgraded its 2019 profit forecast on the back of market-wide overcapacities and growing competition from low-cost carriers.

Market Movers

FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,127.76 0.05%


FTSE 250 - Risers

NewRiver REIT (NRR) 196.00p 3.92%
CLS Holdings (CLI) 223.00p 2.76%
Domino\'s Pizza Group (DOM) 252.50p 2.68%
Hammerson (HMSO) 290.00p 2.65%
Babcock International Group (BAB) 476.60p 2.58%
Royal Mail (RMG) 204.53p 2.29%
Saga (SAGA) 36.62p 2.29%
Funding Circle Holdings (FCH) 247.50p 2.06%
Avast (AVST) 310.20p 1.91%
Cobham (COB) 105.55p 1.88%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

Kier Group (KIE) 111.40p -14.83%
Amigo Holdings (AMGO) 254.50p -7.79%
Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) 54.90p -5.34%
Just Group (JUST) 52.70p -4.18%
Premier Oil (PMO) 67.82p -3.61%
Wizz Air Holdings (WIZZ) 3,495.00p -3.59%
Sirius Minerals (SXX) 14.84p -3.50%
Aveva Group (AVV) 3,812.00p -3.00%
IP Group (IPO) 70.60p -2.62%
Centamin (DI) (CEY) 106.50p -2.61%

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