Britain's FTSE retreats from one-month peak, commodity-linked stocks weigh

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* FTSE 100 down 0.4 pct

* Miners, energy shares fall

* Ex-divs weigh

* Cobham (Other OTC: CBHMF - news) slumps after results

By Kit Rees

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index retreated from a one-month high on Thursday, weighed down by a fall among mining firms and those trading ex-dividend, while mid-cap engineer Cobham slumped after results.

The blue FTSE 100 index was down 0.4 percent at 7,272.58 points, in line with a broader decline among European indexes.

Falls among banks, oil & gas stocks and mining firms were the biggest weights, with shares in Anglo American (LSE: AAL.L - news) and Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO.L - news) falling more than 2 percent as the price of copper eased.

Likewise a number of heavyweight companies dropped after trading without entitlement to their latest dividend payout, which included AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN - news) , BP, Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: 0LN9.L - news) and Imperial Brands (LSE: IMB.L - news) , all falling between 1.7 percent to 3.5 percent.

British mid-cap stocks, however, saw some dramatic results-driven moves. Engineering firm Cobham tumbled 20 percent and was on track for its worst day on record after reporting earnings.

Cobham took a 150 million pound sterling charge on a troubled contract with Boeing (NYSE: BA - news) and downgraded its 2016 trading profit again.

Drax Group (Frankfurt: D9F2.F - news) also fell, down more than 11 percent, after reporting a disappointing set of results, with its core annual earnings falling 17 percent on weaker power prices and the loss of revenue from a green energy scheme.

"Because we are in a situation where global economic growth is weaker than it has been ... there is a premium that is attached to growth companies," Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown (Frankfurt: DMB.F - news) , said.

"If those growth companies falter, then you can see a bit of doubt creeping into investors' minds and that can influence the share price."

However, a profit beat propelled Lancashire Holding's shares more than 9 percent. The property and casualty insurer posted a better-than-expected 2016 profit, helped by lower expenses and higher gains in the final quarter. (Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)