Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks fell, as Prudential Plc led insurance companies lower after its full-year profit lagged analysts' forecasts. Friends Provident Plc also declined.

The benchmark FTSE 100 Index lost 10.6 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4513.70 as of 10:06 a.m. in London. The FTSE All- Share Index lost 4.72 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2253.34.

Prudential, the U.K.'s biggest insurer by worldwide premiums, lost 20.25 pence, or 4 percent, to 490. The insurer cut its dividend for a second time as profit fell short of analysts' expectations.

Friends Provident, the insurer founded more than 170 years ago by Quakers, fell 3.5 pence, or 2.3 percent, to 148.75. The FTSE 350 Life Assurance Index was the second-worst performer on the FTSE 350 Index, declining 1.6 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian McGee in the London newsroom at bmcgee3@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 24, 2004 05:18 EST