Shares in Hikma jumped 5.2% after Citi raised its rating on the stock to "buy" from "neutral".
In a quiet day for company news, Hikma was the biggest riser on the FTSE 100, with the index up 17.02 points at 6,724.90.
Card Factory fell 8% after it said management planned to sell shares.
Management is aiming to sell about 7.4 million shares in the company, which represents about 2.2% of the company's issued share capital.
On the currency markets, the pound fell 0.1% against the dollar to $1.5863, but rose 0.27% against the euro to â‚¬1.4007.
(Open): The FTSE 100 rose in early trade, with shares in Hikma Pharmaceuticals topping the leaders' board following a broker upgrade.