UK’s EasyJet tops FTSE 100 with an upbeat 2025 capacity forecast, its shares rising 2%, the highest level since April 11. The company forecasts a 3% capacity increase in fiscal 2025 to 103 million seats and expects its holiday customers to grow by about 25%. EasyJet reported a fiscal year operating profit of 597 million pounds, up 25% compared to last year, but lower than LSE estimates of 625.6 million pounds. The company recommends an annual dividend of 12.1p per share, and its stock is up about 6% year-to-date as of the last close.

Pets at Home, a British pet care retailer, saw its shares drop 8.7%. The company expects modest growth in underlying profit before tax for the fiscal year 2025 compared to the 132 million pounds reported last year. In the first half, the company reported adjusted profit before tax of 54.5 million pounds, up from 47.8 million pounds a year earlier. However, the CEO, Lyssa McGowan, stated that the company is operating in an unusually subdued pet retail market, which is expected to continue through the second half. The company’s total group revenue grew 1.9% to 789.1 million pounds, with group like-for-like revenue growth of 1.6% compared to 6.2% a year ago. Jefferies analysts noted that it was a tough first half for Pets at Home, with a slower market growth trend clearly weighing on retail like-for-like sales and the company’s fiscal year 2025 profit before tax expectations. The stock is down approximately 12.95% year-to-date as of the last close.

Aston Martin, a British luxury carmaker, experiences a 3% drop in its stock price, the lowest level since November 2022. The stock is among the top percentage losers on the FTSE mid-cap index, which is down 0.05%. The company has raised approximately £111 million in equity at 100 pence per share, a more than 7% discount to the previous closing price. Aston Martin forecasts its annual core profit for the fiscal year 2024 to fall within the range of £270 million to £280 million, compared to £305.9 million last year. Additionally, the company expects to deliver only half of the 38 Valiant models by the end of the year. The stock has declined 52.2% so far this year, as of the last close.

Johnson Matthey’s shares drop up to 7.2% to a more than 15-year low, among the top percentage losers on the FTSE 250 index. The company, which manufactures catalytic converters and pollution filters for cars, reports a bigger-than-expected decline in half-year underlying pre-tax profit to 133 million pounds, compared to analysts’ average estimate of 137.8 million pounds. Half-year revenue decreased 14% to 5.63 billion pounds, below the market expectation of 6.21 billion pounds. The stock is down 7%, bringing its year-to-date losses to around 18%.