ARE.L Share News (ARE)

Dow Jones smallcap news is now on Twitter, allowing you to catch up on the news away from your desk. Go to http://twitter.com/DJ_UK_Smallcaps MANAGEMENT CONSULTING GROUP PLC's (MMC.LN) net debt is expected to fall by as much as 20% in the second half, Finance Director Craig Smith said Monday, after strong collections of payments helped cut its borrowings in the first half. "I think the analysts are forecasting net debt at the year end of between GBP60 million and GBP62 million and we're reasonably comfortable with that," Smith said. At 1040 GMT, shares -1 pence, or 3%, at 23 pence. KELLER GROUP PLC (KLR.LN) expects revenue from the U.S. to grow in the second half of 2010 but said margins will remain under pressure until next year. "Our revenue will start to nudge up but it will take time for our margins to recover. I think margins will remain under pressure for the rest of this year," Chief Executive Justin Atkinson told Dow Jones Newswires. The construction engineer reported a 72% fall in first-half pretax profit following a slump in building work in the U.S. At 1040 GMT, shares +17 pence, or 3%, at 566 pence. GLOBO PLC (GBO.LN), a mobile phone software company, Monday said its first-half revenue performance topped its management's expectations surging 50% on the year following the company's expansion in to the international mobile market. In a short trading update covering the six months to June 30, Globo said revenue in the half totaled EUR12.5 million compared with EUR8.3 million a year earlier. At 1040 GMT, shares +1 pence, or 8%, at 10 pence. FIDESSA GROUP PLC (FDSA.LN) posted a 54% leap in first-half pretax profit aided by effective cost management but said while its biggest customers are now spending again there is lingering caution among its smaller clients. "A main growth area for us is larger customers investing in their infrastructure...but there's still pressure on the smaller client area and we think it will be a feature of the market for a little while yet," Chief Executive Chris Aspinwall told Dow Jones Newswires. While Fidessa expects to grow this year, it said the level of growth is likely to slow on last year. At 1040 GMT, shares +19 pence, or 1.3%, at 1,482 pence. SENIOR PLC (SNR.LN), an aerospace engineer, reported a 43% rise in first-half pretax profit, attributed to a pick-up in sales and the benefits of cost-savings, and said it expects full-year earnings to better market expectations. The firm also expects to maintain improved margins at its aerospace unit but anticipates margins at its Flexonics business will decline in the second half of this year. At 1040 GMT, shares +6 pence, or 4.5%, at 133 pence. ARENA LEISURE PLC (ARE.LN), a horseracing event organizer and racecourse operator, said first-half pretax profit fell 15% on year, in part due to the cost of its new hotel, and said it remains cautious about the outlook for attendance numbers and spend per head at its tracks. The company expects visitors to its racecourses to rise up to 10% on the year in the second half. At 1040 GMT, shares -2 pence, or 4.7%, at 35 pence. BELLZONE MINING PLC (BZM.LN), an iron ore mining and exploration company, said it agreed terms for a multi-billion dollar financing package to fund the development of a mine in Guinea. Bellzone said China International Fund Ltd. has agreed to provide $2.7 billion in financing to pay for the construction of a railway, port and associated infrastructure at the Kalia project and another $1.2 billion to build the mine. At 1040 GMT, shares +1.25 pence, or 3.3%, at 39.75 pence. MASAWARA, a Zimbabwe-focused investment company, Monday said it is aiming to raise $25 million in an initial public offering on London's junior Alternative Investment Market August 16. Masawara, which invests in commercial property in Harare and owns a stake in TA Holdings Ltd. (TAHLDS.ZB), an investment company, said it expects to have a market capitalization on admission of $80 million. TULLETT PREBON PLC (TLPR.LN), a interdealer broker, posted a 14% fall in first-half pretax profit, due in part to broker defections in North America to BGC Partners Inc. (BGCP), but said it expects higher levels of activity in the second half. Tullett said revenue will also be in lower in the second half following the broker defections. At 1040 GMT, shares +19 pence, or 5.7%, at 360 pence. XP POWER LTD. (XPP.LN) said first-half pretax profit doubled after sales soared 23% on the back of new product launches, and said it expects an improved sales performance in the second half, underpinned by a record order book. XP Power's pretax profit in the six months to June 30 climbed to GBP7.2 million from GBP3.6 million a year earlier. At 1040 GMT, shares +80 pence, or 12.4%, at 720 pence. XCHANGING PLC (XCH.LN), a business outsourcing company, said it expects its full-year revenue growth to be slightly lower than it had previously anticipated due to lower procurement volumes, as its customers remain cautious, but that cost cuts will enable it to meet its pretax profit expectations. At 1040 GMT, shares -29 pence, or 14.4%, at 171 pence. MISSION CAPITAL PLC (MCAP.LN), an investment vehicle, said it is in preliminary discussions over an acquisition, which would be regarded as a reverse takeover, adding that it hopes to submit the details to shareholders for approval in time for it to complete by early February. At 1040 GMT, shares suspended at 1 pence. DJ UK Smaller Cos +0.67% AIM +0.3% -By Hannah Benjamin, Rachael Gormley & Jason Douglas, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0) 20 7842 9272; uksmallcaps@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires August 02, 2010 07:29 ET (11:29 GMT)