UK Stocks-Factors to watch on February 19

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Thursday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.25%.

MONDI: Mondi MNDI.L cut its 2025 dividend by about 60%, after reporting a drop in annual adjusted core profit, due to tepid demand and low pulp prices.

CENTRICA: Centrica CNA.L paused its share buyback programme after the British Gas owner reported a nearly 39% drop in 2025 group core profit, citing a "challenging" market and uneven performance across its business.

RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto RIO.L reported flat annual earnings that missed expectations as weaker iron ore prices weighed on its core business.

DEBENHAMS: Debenhams DEBS.L said it has raised about 40 million pounds through an oversubscribed share placement.

LSEG: Elliott Investment Management is pressing London Stock Exchange Group LSEG.L to conduct a full review of its portfolio and launch a 5 billion pound buyback, a person familiar with the matter said.

FTSE RUSSELL: FTSE Russell proposed introducing a "fast-entry" mechanism for initial public offerings and revising eligibility requirements for its Russell U.S. Equity Indexes ahead of several large listings.

LABOUR COST: British retailers have grown markedly more anxious about rising labour costs over the next year after new employment rights began to be implemented, a trade body survey of finance chiefs showed.

COMMODITIES: Oil prices rose, LME copper ticked down , and gold prices edged up.

EX-DIVS: AstraZeneca AZN.L, Shell SHEL.L, BP BP.L, Barclays BARC.L, Imperial Brands IMB.L and Easyjet EZJ.L will trade without entitlement to its latest dividend pay-out.

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