LONDON -- The FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE) is recovering nicely from its recent dip, picking up 175 points to reach 6,838 this week. The index of top U.K. stocks is now just 38 points from setting a new 14-year record -- and it came within 16 points of its 6,876-point high from last May early on Friday, briefly touching 6,860 points.
Here are four of the week's biggest movers.
Vodafone (VOD 1.68%)
Vodafone stockholders learned this week what they're going to get from the sale of the company's share in Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications. Their reward is going to total 102 pence, comprising 30 pence in cash and 72 pence in Verizon shares.
The news prompted a broker uprating, and Vodafone shares climbed 18 pence (8.3%) over the week to end Friday at 236.5 pence.
Sports Direct International (SPD +2.45%)
Sports Direct International saw its price spike up 59.5 pence (8.3%) to 778.5 pence during the week, after the sporting goods retailer told us it is confident of achieving its full-year targets.
Sales for the quarter ending Jan. 26 rose by 11.2% to 655.4 million pounds, with gross profit up 14.6% to 280.7 million pounds.
Sports Direct stock is now up more than 75% over the past 12 months.
BAE Systems (LSE: BA)
A decrease in U.S. government spending led BAE Systems to report just a 2% rise in full-year sales to 18.2 billion pounds, some 700 million pounds short of analysts' expectations. Underlying earnings per share rose by 8.5% to 42 pence, and the dividend was lifted 3% to 20.1 pence per share.
The stock slumped 8.5% on the announcement, but recovered to a 20.6 pence (4.8%) loss on the week to 411.3 pence. That puts BAE on a P/E of only 10 now, with dividend yields approaching 5%.
InterContinental Hotels (IHG +5.33%)
It was full-year results time for InterContinental Hotels, too, and although revenue rose 4% to $1.9 billion and adjusted earnings per share gained 14%, the market reacted badly and the stock lost 78 pence (3.9%) to 1,925 pence.
Shareholders were, it seems, disappointed by the absence of any return of cash -- there had been hopes of a share buyback or a special dividend.
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