UK SMALLCAP ROUNDUP: Photo-Me Eyes "Futuristic" Photos Boost

7th Jul 2010 16:00

Dow Jones smallcap news is on Twitter, allowing you to catch up on the news away from your desk. Go to http://twitter.com/DJ_UK_Smallcaps PHOTO-ME INTERNATIONAL PLC (PHTM.LN), a photo booth operator, said a significant proportion of future revenue is set to come from its "futuristic" photo booths, which will enable people to print pictures in 3D. The firm swung to a full-year pretax profit, on the back of a turnaround in the performance of its sales and servicing business, which is where it sells retail photographic equipment to third parties. At 1430 GMT shares +1 pence, or 3.7%, at 35 pence. IDOX PLC (IDOX.LN), a supplier of software and services to the U.K. public sector, Wednesday posted higher first-half pretax profit despite a fall in revenue, and said it doesn't expect planned government spending cuts to significantly harm its business. At 1430 GMT, shares -0.2 pence, or 1.7%, at 11.55 pence. DECHRA PHARMACEUTICALS PLC (DPH.LN), a veterinary pharmaceuticals company, Wednesday said fiscal-year revenue was 5.3% higher on year, driven by rising sales in the U.S. Stoke-on-Trent, England-based Dechra said it is confident about its future growth prospects. At 1430 GMT, shares -5.8 pence, or 1.4%, at 409 pence. AVEVA GROUP PLC (AVV.LN), a maker of engineering software, said Wednesday that safety concerns following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will likely increase demand for its products in the oil and gas sector, particularly its Aveva Net data viewing system, which it expects will be a key driver of growth. At 1430 GMT shares +12 pence, or 1%, at 1,197 pence. ELECTRIC WORD PLC (ELE.LN), a publisher, said it expects a short-term hit to revenue as the U.K. government cuts education spending, but stands a good chance of being able to win new business previously carried out by the government in the long term. At 1430 GMT shares flat at 4.12 pence. DS SMITH PLC (SMDS.LN), a packaging company, it has put in an offer to acquire a French peer from Carlyle Group LP for EUR247 million, in a deal that would bolster its share of the European market for "shelf-ready" packaging for fast-moving consumer goods like soft drinks, yoghurts and toiletries. To help fund the acquisition, DS Smith Wednesday said it raised GBP47.2 million in a share sale. It sold roughly 39.3 million shares at 120 pence a share, a 4.8% discount to Tuesday's close. At 1430 GMT shares +2 pence, or 1.2%, at 127 pence. GREAT EASTERN ENERGY CORP. LTD. (GEEC.LN), an Indian coal bed methane producer, reported a wider fiscal-year loss because loan charges weighed on earnings, but said it expects to be profitable this year now a pipeline built to pump gas to its industrial customers in the eastern state of West Bengal is complete. At 1430 GMT shares -45 pence, or 9.3%, at 440 pence. LOOKERS PLC (LOOK.LN), a car dealer, said it expects first-half results to exceed management's expectations due to better-than-expected trading at all its units, with its parts division continuing to report record results. Chief Executive Peter Jones said the firm expects record results for the first half and plans to continue to grow the business and deliver successful results for the full year, despite the economic challenges facing the U.K. retail sector. At 1430 GMT shares flat at 49 pence. CLINTON CARDS PLC (CC.LN), a greeting cards retailer, said its expects fiscal 2010 sales to be around 2% below its previous forecasts due to a "disproportionately poor" performance at its 13 stores in southern Ireland. The firm said that since its last update May 13, trading has weakened and it now expects adjusted operating profit for continuing operations to be similar to last year. At 1430 GMT shares -2.75 pence, or 7.1%, at 36 pence. RENOLD PLC (RNO.LN), a chain maker, said profit for its fiscal first quarter was well ahead of its expectations following a rebound in sales in Western countries hard hit by recession. At 1430 GMT shares +2 pence, or 6.5%, at 25 pence. AGA RANGEMASTER GROUP PLC (AGA.LN) said Rangemaster cooker sales in the first half provided a boost to trading despite the consumer markets remaining subdued. At 1430 GMT shares +1 pence, or 0.9%, at 87 pence. DJ UK Smaller Cos -0.07% AIM -0.4% -By Hannah Benjamin, Rachael Gormley and Jason Douglas, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0) 20 7842 9298; [email protected] (Tommy Stubbington contributed to this roundup.) (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 07, 2010 11:00 ET (15:00 GMT)