Oxford Instruments plays a contented tune

Oxford Instruments, a provider of high technology tools and systems for industry and research, has reported that its results are ahead of last year. Since 1 April 2011, orders, sales and profits for the group are all ahead of the same period in the prior year. However, despite the company reporting "an encouraging start to the year", the share price fell 5.51% to 814.50p at 13:11pm.The group's service division continues to perform well across all its aftermarket revenue streams.The integration of the acquisitions of Omicron Nanotechnology GmbH and Omniprobe, worth a combined £40m, are progressing as planned, the firm said.The statement continued, "the diversity of our activities, both by served markets and by geography, combined with our strong pipeline of new products, will continue to provide growth opportunities for the Group. "Accordingly, the board anticipates that Oxford Instruments will continue to make good progress in line with its expectations for the financial year." NR Oxford Instruments