European stocks close

European stocks fell for a second day, paring their biggest monthly advance since July, as companies from AstraZeneca Plc to Banco Santander SA (SAN) slid after reporting earnings.

AstraZeneca lost 3.2 percent after the drugmaker forecast that profit and sales will slide this year. Santander and Royal Dutch Shell Group Plc both declined more than 2.5 percent as fourth-quarter earnings missed analysts’ estimates.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index (SXXP) retreated 0.5 percent to 287.22 at the close, as more than two stocks fell for every one that rose.

National benchmark indexes retreated in 15 of the 18 western-European markets today.

FTSE 100 6,276.88 -46.23 -0.73% CAC 40 3,732.6 -32.92 -0.87% DAX 7,776.05 -35.26 -0.45%

AstraZeneca (AZN) slid 3.2 percent to 3,053 pence, its biggest selloff in nine months, after forecasting falling profit because of increased competition from generic medicines.

Santander declined 3.5 percent to 6.18 euros as Spain’s largest lender set aside money for further loan losses in its home market. The bank reported fourth-quarter profit of 401 million euros ($545 million), missing the 801.6 million-euro average estimate of analysts.

Shell fell 2.8 percent to 2,241 pence after Europe’s biggest oil company reported fourth-quarter profit, excluding one-off items and inventory changes, of $5.6 billion. That missed the $6.2 billion average analyst estimate in a Bloomberg survey. Net income advanced 3 percent to $6.7 billion.

TeliaSonera AB (TLSN) slid 1.7 percent to 45.89 kronor as Sweden’s largest phone company said that fourth-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and one-off items declined 3.2 percent to 8.97 billion kronor ($1.4 billion).

Lonmin Plc posted the biggest gain on the Stoxx 600, surging 14 percent to 360 pence. The mining company reported a 17 percent increase in platinum sales in the first quarter, saying it has successfully restarted and increased production.

Ericsson AB rallied 7.6 percent to 74 kronor. The world’s largest maker of wireless networks reported a 5 percent increase in revenue for the fourth quarter to 66.9 billion kronor, exceeding the average analyst estimate of 65.8 billion kronor. The company also reported a net loss of 6.46 billion kronor after writing off its wireless-chip alliance with STMicroelectronics (STM) NV.