Small cap round -up: Immunodiagnostics, MDM, Pilat...

30th Nov 2009 12:06

Booming demand for its Vitamin D testing kits nearly trebled Immunodiagnostic's interim profits with the group reporting equally strong trading into the second half of the year.Revenue rose by up 56% to £16.9m (2008: £10.8m) with pre-tax profit up 188% to £4.6m (2008: £1.6m). "Traditionally the revenues are weighted to the second-half of the financial year and the board sees this year as no exception," the firm added.Mining engineering group MDM saw interim profits slip to $5.1m from $6.8m, despite revenues rising to $22.4m from $17.3m. The interim dividend is unchanged at 3.75c. "The effects of the global financial crisis has by no means worked its way through the system and MDM is likely to feel the effects for some time to come," it added.Pilat Media says revenues grew significantly during its thrid quarter on the back of increased demand from its existing client base. Q3 revenues of £4.83m were more then 20% higher than the equivalent quarter in 2008 (Q3 2008: £4m) and 15% higher than Q2 this year. Pre-tax profits for the quarter were £574,00 against a £194,000 loss.Marketing services group Creston says signs for the second half of the year are more encouraging than those experienced during the first half, with delays in budget decisions and material reductions in client budgets now less likely than six months ago. "However, there obviously continues to be economic uncertainty and we will remain cautious in our outlook,"First half profits to September fell to £1.47m from £4.41m on revenues down 6% at £38.7m.Food preservation group Sorbic boosted sales to £14.5m from £11.7m in the year to September, with profits slightly improved to £3.3m from £3.26m. "As predicted in the interim results announced in May the group has experienced reduced levels of order visibility in the second half. Visibility has since started to recover," it added.Recruiter Triad says recent trading conditions remain challenging, but with signs of improvement in the economy, the board is cautiously confident about the outcome for the new calendar year. The group made a loss before tax £0.41m (H1 2008/09: £0.01m profit) in the half year to September. Revenues fell from £16.6m to £14.1m.Base and precious metals explorer Baobab Resources saw losses before tax reduced to £1.55m in the year to 30 June from £2.19m the year before. 'Mozambique continues to develop as an exciting country in which to be exploring and developing mineral assets. This year the Tete Project has taken a giant leap forward despite generally difficult conditions for small cap explorers,' the company's managing director, Brett Townsend, said. Drugs distributor Goldshield saw profit before tax advance to £13.21m, excluding exceptional items, in the six months to 30 September from £8.79m the year before. Revenue grew to £53.94m from £50.15m.The company said sales and margins in its pharmaceuticals business remained on an upward trend while losses were pared in the consumer health division.The adjusted net asset value of Ishaan Real Estate stood at 100.4p at the end of September, down 8.3% from the 109.5p seen at the end of March, but offered some cheer to shareholders by saying there had been 'some signs of recovery across the Indian real estate market including improved availability of financing' over the last quarter.Loss before tax in the six months to 30 September was £4.4m, arising from the cost of investment advisory fees, share of post tax losses of associates and the write-down of investments in the company's portfolio. Last year the company made a pre-tax profit of £9.7m at the interim stage.Leather goods maker Pittards is to raise £2.8m through a placing of 186.6m shares at 1.5p each, to part finance the £3.8m acquisition of the Ethiopia Tannery Share Company (ETSC).Pittards has been the operational manager of ETSC, Ethiopia's largest tannery, since August 2005. In the year to 30 June 2009 ETSC made a profit before tax of around £75,000 on a turnover of around £10.53m. The pre-tax profit was after paying Pittards management fees and royalties of about £0.4m. Trifast stayed in the black by the skin of its teeth in the six months to 30 September, with profit before tax of £0.18m versus £2.96m a year earlier. Revenue tumbled to £39.85m from £59.14m, reflecting the market conditions in which the industrial fasteners company and its customers operate. Despite the plunge in revenues, the company did not lose any of its key profitable customers.'Although early days, we have started to see modest increases in our daily sales run rate,' the company said, adding that its Asian and European operations are seeing 'an improved environment and, although modest, an increase in operational profitability.'The company has not declared an interim dividend.Henderson Eurotrust said it is conscious that markets may see some levelling off as tightening concerns begin to assert themselves. 'We feel we are well positioned for such a development which is likely to lead to the market focussing once more on some of the more reliable growth names which we have continued to hold,' said the group.