magazine archive
magazine archive
Smaller Companies
Big Sofa jumps 26% on IPO
Thursday 22 Dec 2016Big Sofa Technologies ( BST:AIM ) enjoyed a successful IPO (initial public offering) on 19 December with its share price rising 26% to 21.5p in the first few hours of trading. The company provides video analytics to consumer brands and market research agencies, although earnings are minimal. It...
FreeAgent looks to the small to get bigger
Thursday 22 Dec 2016Statistics suggest 90% of the UK’s 5.5m businesses employ less than 10 staff and half of them are still using basic spreadsheets or even paper, pen and mental arithmetic to run their accounting and tax planning functions. Accounting software and mobile applications provider FreeAgent ( FREE:AIM )...
Velocys unveils big growth plan
Thursday 22 Dec 2016A long-awaited strategy update (13 Dec) from small-scale gas-to-liquids (GTL) play Velocys ( VLS:AIM ) offers a window into considerable upside which critically should not be diluted by big capital raisings. We added the stock to our Great Ideas portfolio in September. The shares were then trading...
Hollywood Bowl beats expectations
Thursday 15 Dec 2016Ten-pin bowling operator Hollywood Bowl ( BOWL ) beat earnings expectations with its maiden full year results, having floated on the stock market three months ago. Investec has increased its 2017 and 2018 earnings forecasts by 1% following the results (13 Dec). The £250m cap will open a revamped...
Big premium for ServicePower
Thursday 15 Dec 2016Out and about workforce software supplier ServicePower Technologies ( SVR:AIM ) has received a takeover offer from private equity firm Diversis Capital worth 6p per share, a staggering 122% premium to the 2.7p levels previously. The company had previously been courted by Canadian enterprise...
Tarsus goes big in the US
Thursday 15 Dec 2016Events company Tarsus ( TRS ) looks interesting heading into a traditionally stronger ‘odd’ year in 2017 and after agreeing (5 Dec) the biggest takeover in its history with the $57m acquisition of US business travel orientated peer Connect Meetings. The biennial bias to the £297m market cap’s...
United Cacao still looks sweet
Thursday 15 Dec 2016Peru-based cacao plantation play United Cacao ( CHOC:AIM ) has announced receipt of environmental certification from authorities in Lima. The soil study report approval essentially confirms its agricultural activities comply with Peruvian environmental rules and regulations. This removes...
Amino beats again
Thursday 15 Dec 2016Just two months after an upbeat trading update from Amino Technologies ( AMO:AIM ) that saw earnings forecasts upgraded, the home broadcast and connectivity kit designer says (8 Dec) it will beat those raised estimates. Better than expected trading for the full year to 30 November is being driven...
Crawshaw ready to meat the challenge
Thursday 08 Dec 2016Local butcher Crawshaw ( CRAW:AIM ) is on the comeback trail following a profit warning blamed on subdued high street footfall and aggressive supermarket meat promotions. Boss Noel Collett reports (29 Nov) a pick-up in sales over recent weeks, customer numbers growing amid sharper prices and a...
Road remains lumpy for Filtronic
Thursday 08 Dec 2016Communications kit designer Filtronic ( FTC:AIM ) admits it still has only limited visibility for wireless infrastructure project demand. This leaves the company exposed to lumpy orders and possibly delays. The company is hoping its new range of ultra-wide band integrated antennas will help relieve...