FTSE 250 movers: Engineers under pressure

2nd Mar 2010 11:08

Ground engineering specialist Keller is among the heaviest fallers after it suffered a 34% slump in profits in 2009 and is yet to see any sustained upturn in orders.Fellow engineer Rotork posted a rise in profits despite tough conditions in 2009 and said it was seeing an improvement in general market conditions, but its shares are also lower.And engineer and ceramics group Cookson reported a 57% slump in full year headline pre-tax profit but expects its performance to 'recover significantly' in 2010 as end markets improve.Aerospace and defence systems group Meggitt is under attack after it posted a 3% dip in annual operating profit but expects to return to growth in the second half of 2010.Persimmon is higher after the housebuilder said it completed 8,976 house sales last year and has seen a 7% increase in sales and steady prices since the start of this year.Pace has also climbed. Strong demand for the latest home entertainment products despite the economic downturn helped the set-top box supplier post a sharp rise in profits in the year to December 31.FTSE 250 - RisersDe La Rue (DLAR) 979.00p +4.15%Persimmon (PSN) 416.20p +3.89%Computacenter (CCC) 301.40p +3.54%Aegis Group (AGS) 122.10p +3.21%Spirax-Sarco Engineering (SPX) 1,316.00p +3.13%Arriva (ARI) 531.00p +2.51%Xchanging (XCH) 191.10p +2.19%Berkeley Group Holdings (BKG) 762.50p +2.07%FirstGroup (FGP) 363.10p +1.85%Pace (PIC) 193.20p +1.68%FTSE 250 - FallersProvident Financial (PFG) 920.00p -5.35%Keller Group (KLR) 644.00p -4.59%Rotork (ROR) 1,322.00p -3.71%Cookson Group (CKSN) 453.80p -3.03%Meggitt (MGGT) 280.70p -2.94%TR Property Inv Trust Sigma Shares (TRYS) 67.55p -2.67%International Personal Finance (IPF) 205.70p -2.51%BlueBay Asset Management (BBAY) 370.70p -2.19%Laird (LRD) 131.20p -2.09%Kesa Electricals (KESA) 111.00p -2.03%