FTSE 100 Gains: Rentokil Shares Surge 12%; Aviva Falls

The FTSE 100 edged 0.2% higher on Thursday morning, supported by a sharp rally in Rentokil Initial shares, while the FTSE 250 also gained 0.2%.

Across Europe, the DAX was flat and the CAC 40 rose 0.2%.

Rentokil Initial led the FTSE 100 with a jump of 12.3% after the pest control group reported improved trading momentum in North America.

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Organic revenue growth in the region reached 3.6% in the fourth quarter, up from 3.4% in the previous quarter and significantly higher than the 0.7% recorded in the first quarter. Across the group, performance in 2025 improved by 2.6%, helping adjusted pre-tax profit rise 4% to $876 million.

Entain and Weir were also among the top gainers, climbing 5.5% and 4.2%, respectively.

Aviva shares fell 3.5% despite the insurer reporting a 25% increase in operating profit to £2.2 billion. The company, which recently completed the acquisition of Direct Line, said it had achieved its 2026 financial targets a year ahead of schedule and marked a fifth consecutive year of profitable growth.

Mining giant Rio Tinto dropped 3.3%, while consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser declined 2.8% after publishing results for the year ended December 31, 2025. The company reported full-year group like-for-like net revenue growth of 5%.

In the mid-cap index, WH Smith recovered from early losses to trade around 1.9% higher after reporting a 5% rise in total revenue for the 26-week period to February 28 on a constant currency basis. Like-for-like revenue increased 2%.