(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was up 0.3% at 7,649.78 in afternoon trade on Thursday.

Building materials group CRH rallied as it reported a jump in full-year earnings and revenue, supported by good underlying demand across its end-use markets.

Haleon jumped as the consumer health firm posted flat annual earnings but said it expected to grow revenue this year on higher demand.

Vodafone advanced amid takeover speculation. According to markets blog Betaville, Vodafone continues to be under the spotlight amid talk one of the "predators" circling the telecoms company is based in Europe.

Weir Group lost ground even as it delivered an 18% increase in adjusted profits in 2023 after beefing up margins more than expected as it pointed to further growth across the board this year.

British Airways and Iberia owner IAG flew lower despite saying it more than doubled annual profit as demand continued to rebound from the effects of the Covid pandemic.

Barclays was weaker as it traded without entitlement to the dividend.

FTSE 100 - Risers

CRH (CDI) (CRH) 6,646.00p 7.19%

Haleon (HLN) 332.75p 5.99%

Admiral Group (ADM) 2,687.00p 3.39%

Rentokil Initial (RTO) 439.40p 3.22%

Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 137.75p 2.91%

Ashtead Group (AHT) 5,678.00p 2.83%

Vodafone Group (VOD) 70.21p 2.81%

St James's Place (STJ) 519.80p 2.77%

Croda International (CRDA) 4,724.00p 2.70%

Sage Group (SGE) 1,248.00p 2.59%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Whitbread (WTB) 3,315.00p -4.22%

Weir Group (WEIR) 1,807.00p -3.70%

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 8,340.00p -2.50%

Reckitt Benckiser Group (RKT) 4,950.00p -2.21%

Barclays (BARC) 166.20p -1.60%

Diageo (DGE) 2,958.00p -1.53%

Mondi (MNDI) 1,397.00p -0.92%

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 151.60p -0.79%

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) 8,866.00p -0.52%

IMI (IMI) 1,743.00p -0.46%