Small caps: Trafficmaster confirms bid approach

28th Apr 2010 08:13

Satnav systems supplier Trafficmaster is in discussion over a possible bid, it said today.Shares in the group have risen by nearly a quarter over the past week and in a statement today it noted the rise in the share price and confirmed it is in discussions which may or may not lead to an offer being made.Nutrition and crop protection group Plant Impact says field trials showed its products result in an increase in the number of potatoes grown when compared to other fertilisers.Superglass, which makes glass mineral fibre insulation products, managed to move into profit in the half year to February 28 even as revenues fell. Revenues fell to £16.8m from £20.1m the previous year, but efficiency measures helped lift the company into a pre-tax profit of £400,000 compared with a loss of £200,000 over the same period the previous year.Profits and revenues were remarkably steady at bikes, toys and sporting goods distributor Tandem in the year to January 31, despite the economic downturn. Revenue for the year increased 1.5% to £35.67mfrom £35.16m in the prior year.Profit before goodwill impairment and taxation was steady at £1.02m.Shares in Universe Group fell back after the electronic payment and loyalty card provider saw losses widen on the back of lower revenues amid weak demand. The firm posted a pre-tax loss of £599,000 for the year to December 31 compared with £484,000 the previous year as revenue fell to £14.5m from £16.6m.Investment trust Gresham House's net asset value per share increased by approximately 16.9% from 405.3p to 473.7p in 2009 principally due to an increase in its portfolio of £5.87m, offset by a write-down of its property portfolio of £1.52m.Palm oil producer MP Evans' profit in 2009 fell to $20.7m, though the dividend for the year is maintained at 7p per share. The palm-oil price averaged US$680 per tonne against 2008's $941 per tonne, but plantation profits only 12% lower at $13.1m.Agriculture group REA's profits before tax rose to $41.7m (2008: $36.3m) after gain on revaluation of assets of $9.7m. Revenue for 2009 at $78.9m was only marginally below 2008.Stamp trader Stanley Gibbons reports "In what is traditionally our slowest period for trading, turnover for the first quarter of 2010 was 13% below the same period last year. However, the comparative period benefited from the completion of one major investment sale of £0.7m. Excluding this large sale, on a like-for-like basis, turnover was 15% up on the prior period, which gives a measure of the current underlying performance."