UK's Close Brothers jumps, beats annual profit view

** Shares of British lender Close Brothers CBRO.L climb 7.5% to 415p

** Top gainer on FTSE 250 index .FTMC, which is up 0.21%

** Co reports FY26 adjusted operating profit of £120.3 mln ($159.28 mln), ahead of a company-compiled consensus of £111 mln

** Co expects loan book growth of 5-10% in FY27; forecasts net interest margin to be slightly lower than in FY26

** Stock down ~26.1% YTD