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Entain delivers 'strong' FY performance, Taylor Wimpey FY pre-tax profits slide
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Thursday 05 Mar 2026
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open just 3.9 points higher ahead of the bell on Thursday, after wrapping up the previous session 0.80% firmer at 10,567.65.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Bookmaker Entain said on Thursday that it had delivered a "strong" full-year performance in 2025, with underlying earnings coming in ahead of expectations. Entain said total net gaming revenue was up 7%, including its 50% share of BetMGM, with Entain‑branded net gaming revenue rising 3% to £5.32bn and BetMGM revenues surging 33% on a constant‑currency basis to $2.79bn. Excluding its US operations, online NGR grew 5%, while retail NGR was down 1% year-on-year. Group underlying earnings came to £1.16bn, up 8% on a constant‑currency basis, while total underlying earnings, including BetMGM, stood at £1.24bn, up 28% year‑on‑year. However, Entain still booked a statutory loss after tax of £681m in FY25, widening from FY24's £461m loss, reflecting impairment charges linked to higher UK gambling taxes.
Insurer Aviva reported a 25% jump in operating profits on Thursday, supported by a strong performance in its UK & Ireland and Canadian operations. Earnings came in at £2.2bn, including a £174m contribution from the recently acquired Direct Line. Aviva also announced a £350m share buyback.
Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey reported a 54.3% slide in full-year pre-tax profits to £146.5m, as it pointed to 'uncertainty' ahead of the Budget last year. In the year ended 31 December, Taylor Wimpey said revenue rose 13% to £3.8bn and completions increased to 11,229 from 10,593 in 2024.
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
The European Commission has proposed a "Buy EU" plan to boost domestic low-carbon industries and help the continent compete against China. The commission published a draft regulation - called the Industrial Accelerator Act - on Wednesday, setting demands for EU-made and low-carbon content on bodies spending public money. The rules mark a big shift in economic thinking from Brussels, long a bastion of open markets. - Guardian
The co-founder of BrewDog, James Watt, met with short shrift from small investors who have been left empty-handed by the company's sale for just £33m, after he admitted to "many mistakes". Watt issued a mea culpa via the professional social networking site LinkedIn, a platform he has regularly used to espouse political views, including complaints about the level of tax he is asked to pay. - Guardian
Rachel Reeves's plan to raise the minimum wage for young people will push up the cost of hiring them by almost £7,000. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that employers faced a 40% real increase in costs under Labour's proposals to scrap the youth rate of the minimum wage. The think tank laid bare the extra burden on business caused by Labour's manifesto pledge to end what it has branded "discriminatory age bands". - Telegraph
A London-listed oil services company has evacuated staff from the Persian Gulf amid escalating conflict in the region. Gulf Marine Services received instructions from one of its clients in the Middle East to evacuate staff from "liftboats", giant ships equipped with legs that can be extended to the seafloor, as a "safety precaution". The company operates a fleet of 14 of the liftboats. Each ship typically carries 150 crew. - Telegraph
Morgan Stanley is laying off about 2,500 employees, despite reporting record revenue last year. The banking giant is planning to cut about 3% of its global workforce across its investment banking and trading, wealth management and investment management divisions. The lay-offs were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. - The Times
The competition regulator has announced that it is to launch a full market study into the £8.4bn private dentistry market. The Competition and Markets Authority said its study would look at both essential care and cosmetic treatments and it was seeking feedback from consumers and dental professionals, including on how hard it is to find a dentist, understanding of prices and knowing where to go if something goes wrong. - The Times
US CLOSE
Major indices closed higher on Wednesday as stocks partially recovered from Tuesday's volatile session.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.49% at 48,739.41, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.78% to 6,869.50 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 1.29% firmer at 22,807.48.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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