Small caps round-up: Charteris, Hilton, Clarkson...
5th Nov 2009 15:17
Business software specialist Charteris cut its dividend by 60% as it slumped into a loss of £1.2m in the year to July from a profit of £1.35m. Revenue fell to £20.3m (2008: £23.4m). The dividend is 0.2p per share against 0.5p. "Our business experienced challenging trading conditions throughout the
Read moreSmall Caps round-up - M J Gleeson, Off-Plan Fund, Red Leopard...
26th Oct 2009 11:42
Urban regeneration and strategic land specialist M J Gleeson has named Jolyon Harrison as the managing director of its Gleeson Regeneration & Homes division. Harrison, 61, who's spent 40 years in the house building business in the North of England, will replace Colin Rossiter on 2 November. He bou
Read moreSmall caps round-up: Lifeline Scientific, Autologic, Bond...
23rd Sep 2009 13:10
The market liked Lifeline Scientific's maiden interim operating profit of $73,000 versus last year's loss of $3.1m, as the sale of 11 new LifePort kidney transporters helped revenue jump 123% to $7.75m. 'Trading was in-line with management's expectations during the first half and the board is confi
Read moreSmall caps round-up: Avanti Communications, Cash Converters, Gable...
22nd Sep 2009 10:37
Satellite operator Avanti Communications swung to a full-year pre-tax profit of £1.8m compared with a loss of £1.4m last time, while revenue increased to £8m from £5.9m previously. Franchised used goods retailer Cash Converters saw profit before tax in the year to 30 June 2009 rise to $23.3m from $
Read moreThursday tips round-up: AstraZeneca, Morgan Sindall, Afren
2nd Jul 2009 06:14
Yesterday's failed blockbuster drug can be tomorrow's niche therapy. That would appear to be the prognosis from AstraZeneca, which yesterday won European marketing approval for Iressa, its once-a-day lung cancer pill. Longer-term challenges remain: notably the tide of patent expiries, such as the 2
Read moreAvanti chairman and non-exec buy
1st Jul 2009 17:22
Avanti Communications chairman John Brackenbury and non-executive director Alan Foster have upped their holding in the satellite operator. Earlier today, Avanti announced it is to raise £31.5m through a placing as it revealed revenues and profits this year will be "significantly" ahead of expectati
Read moreAvanti raises £31.5m to dispel launch fears
1st Jul 2009 08:22
Satellite operator Avanti Communications is to raise £31.5m through a placing as it revealed revenues and profits this year will be "significantly" ahead of expectations. Avanti will issue 14m shares to institutional shareholders at 225p. The cash will help fund the upgrade of the launch service pr
Read moreSunday tips round-up: Pinewood Shepperton, Cadbury, Mouchel
21st Jun 2009 13:58
Film studio Pinewood Shepperton is not just a media company. It is also a property company and some analysts believe its studios and surrounding land alone have an estimated value of about 150p per share. Yet the shares are trading at just 147½p, implying zero value for the film-making business. T
Read moreSector movers: Miners hit by lower commodity prices
17th Jun 2009 15:23
A sharp turn around in commodity prices has seen the mining sector go into reverse as profit-taking on the rises of the last few weeks starts to kick in. Elsewhere in the sector, China has warned Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton that merging their Pilbara, Australia iron ore operations has "a strong mono
Read moreAvanti welcomes 50p broadband tax
17th Jun 2009 07:42
Satellite operator Avanti Communications has welcomed the government's plans to impose a charge to fund the development of fast broadband services to rural communities. "Satellite broadband is the only technically proven and economically viable solution to the problem of the 10% of population ident
Read moreAvanti's Scottish broadband deal extended
16th Jun 2009 08:07
Broadband satellite operator Avanti Communications expects an extra £500,000 of revenue after the Scottish government extended the Broadband Reach rollout programme by another 12 months. Today's news follows the initial provision of satellite broadband at speeds of up to 3Mbps to over 2,200 homes a
Read moreCape wins three contracts in Qatar
12th Jun 2009 07:04
Cape, which provides support services to the energy and natural resources sectors, has won a clutch of contracts in Qatar worth $37m in aggregate. The contracts include agreements with Qatargas, ORYX Gas and C B & T. Cape will provide Qatargas with maintenance services at its onshore and offshore
Read moreLondon close: Footsie limps back into positive territory
27th May 2009 17:02
The movements of London's blue-chip index looked as if they were being directed by the grand old Duke of York today, with the index starting the day on the up, then heading lower over the lunchtime session before finishing roughly where it started. Sterling moved above $1.60 for the first time sin
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie drifts into the red
27th May 2009 14:58
London's leading shares are mixed in quiet trading. Hopes of receiving a lift from a strong start on Wall Street have been dashed, with the US market trading indecisively as London as traders await the release of US existing home sales data. Water companies receive a boost ahead of the sector's res
Read moreLondon midday: Water companies keep Footsie afloat
27th May 2009 12:10
The Footsie is barely keeping its head above water, despite expectations of a moderately firm start on Wall Street. Water companies receive a boost ahead of the sector's results season which starts this week, with Credit Suisse claiming the sector's rally is set to continue. The Swiss bank has upgr
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