Equities markets saw gains in Europe on Thursday.
The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.64 percent to 1,536.03.
In Paris the CAC-40 was 0.49 percent higher to 5,682.07, while the IBEX gained 0.6 percent to 14,682.7 in Madrid and the Dax was up 0.81 percent to 7,534.13 in Frankfurt.
Banks saw gains in Paris, with Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) adding 4.3 percent to €129.89 for the best performance of the day on the CAC-40 after it reported that net profits were up by almost 33 percent in the quarter ending in June.
BNP Paribas, meanwhile, was 1.43 percent higher to €81.80 on target share price updates from UBS (NYSE: UBS; SWX: UBSN; TYO: 8657) and Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS; SWX: CSGN), from €97 to €104 and from €100 to €103 respectively.
In Frankfurt, the best performer on the session came from Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG), which gained 3.87 percent to €35.87 after it reported that second quarter profits rose by 38 percent, topping analyst estimates.
Fresenius also increased its full-year sales forecast.
In the telecommunications sector, France Telecom (Eurofirst: FTE; NYSE: FTE) was also aided by profits news, adding 3 percent to €20.25 after it reported that lower taxes and more broadband internet subscribers had sent first-half profits up by 41 percent.
Deutsche Telekom (FWB: DTE; NYSE: DT; LSE: DEU; TYO: 9496) was also higher, gaining 2.72 percent to €12.87.
Utilities were mixed, with Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) up 1.61 to €38.58 and RWE (FWB: RWE) adding 1.54 percent to €78.94 but EDF (Euronext: EEN) down 0.56 percent to €74.35.
The biggest loser in Paris on the day was Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT), which dropped 2.32 percent to €56.06.
Consumer goods manufacturer Henkel (FWB: HEN3) fell 3.95 percent to €36.98 for the biggest decline of the session on the Dax.
Other decliners included IT services group Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP), which was 2.28 percent lower to €47.25.
Schneider Electric (Euronext: SCHN) was down 0.75 percent to €97.76 after this week’s announcement that it has acquired the privately-held California-based security systems maker Pelco, the largest CCTV manufacturer in the US, for $1.54 billion cash.