FTSE 100 Down Marginally; Whitbread Tumbles On Lower Earnings

(RTTNews) - U.K. stocks are turning in a mixed performance on Thursday with investors tracking corporate news, and the data on the nation's GDP that came in line with expectations.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed the UK economy expanded slightly as expected in August.

The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 16.10 points or 0.17% at 9,408.65 nearly half-an-hour past noon.

Croda International is gaining 3.2% after reaffirming its full-year outlook. However, the company warned of continued market softness and low order visibility through year-end.

Centica and Spirax Group both gained about 2%. Rolls-Royce Holdings and IMI are up 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively.

Coca-Cola HBC, Convatec Group, Smith & Nephew, Barclays, WPP, Melrose Industries, BAE Systems and Babcock International are up with moderate gains.

Whitbread is tanking nearly 10% after reporting a 7% drop in half-year profit to 287 million pounds from 309 million pounts a year ago. Adjusted profit before tax declined to 316 million pounds from 340 million pounds.

Admiral Group is down by about 3%. Metlen Energy & Metals, Games Workshop, Anglo American Plc, Marks & Spencer, Persimmon, Pershing Square Holdings, Airtel Africa, Burberry Group and Aviva are down 1 to 2.2%.

U.K.'s real gross domestic product advanced 0.1% month-on-month in August, reversing a revised 0.1% decline in July.

Total production in the industrial sector grew 0.4% compared to July, while services activity remained flat and the construction sector contracted 0.3%.

The annual growth in GDP eased to 1.3% in August from 1.5% in the prior month.

In the three months to August, real GDP advanced 0.3%, following a 0.2% rise in the three months to July.