FTSE 100 Moderately Higher As Investors Focus On Earnings

(RTTNews) - U.K. stocks are up in positive territory on Tuesday, extending gains to a fourth straight session. The focus largely on corporate earnings updates, and the developments on the trade front.

The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 53.79 points or 0.62% at 8,753.10 a little before noon.

British engineering firm Senior Plc is up nearly 2% after securing two new contracts valued at about €200 million.

Diploma Plc shares are soaring more than 18% after the technical products and service distributor raised its full-year organic revenue growth forecast after reporting robust half-year financial growth.

Diploma posted higher profit in the first half of the year, helped by a 14% rise in revenues. The company also lifted its interim dividend from last year.

Smiths Group is gaining about 4.3%. The conglomerate said annual organic revenue growth would reach the top end of its 6-8% forecast range.

Energy supplier Centrica is up 1.8% after the company and its subsidiary Spirit Energy have reduced their stake in the UK North Sea's biggest gas field to Ithaca Energy in a deal worth £215million.

Telecom major Vodafone is down more than 2%. The telecom major reported a loss in its fiscal 2025, compared to prior year's profit, on 4.5 billion euros non-cash impairment charges. The stock moved higher earlier in the session, lifted by the company's launch of a share buyback program.

Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury (J), Howden Joinery, Lloyds Banking Group, EasyJet, Whitbread, Beazley, Aviva, Spirax Group, National Grid and IAG are up with notable gains.