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Strong earnings reports helped buoy the FTSE 100 index of leading shares higher on Thursday lunchtime.
At 12:00 the FTSE 100 was up 0.25% at 6,532 points.
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said its annual profit was boosted by strong growth in sales of new oncology and biopharmaceuticals medicines. Buoyed by the results its shares gained 0.6% £72.93.
Royal Dutch Shell has set out its plans for a 'customer-first strategy' to accelerate its drive for net-zero emissions. Its share price fell 2% to £12.80.
Analytics firm RELX has reported a modest increase to annual profits in its results for the year to December 31, 2020. The company reported an operating profit of £1,525m, representing a 4% growth on the previous year. The shares gained 1.77% to £18.04.
Real Estate investment company LXi REIT, raised its annual dividend target, citing successive quarters of strong rent collection and rental growth. The shares fell 0.5% to 125.2p.
Prudential has announced a new senior leadership team for its US business, Jackson Financial, ahead of the planned separation. The shares dipped 0.3% lower to £12.91.
Consumer Packaged Goods Coca-Cola HBC AG raised its dividend despite reporting a fall in annual profit on lower volumes amid Covid-19 disruptions in across its markets.
For the full year ended 31 December 2020, pre-tax profit fell to €593.9 million from €661.2 million year-on-year as sales declined 13.4% to €1.17 billion. The shares gained 5.5% to £23.84.
Mobile games company Gaming Realms said expected a 'record month' in December to boost its annual results. The shares reacted positively, gaining 4.6% to 35.55p.