TRADING UPDATES: Listing costs hobble Orcadian and ProCook earnings

(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Thursday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

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Artemis Alpha Trust PLC - investor in listed and unlisted companies - For the six months ended October 31, net asset value total return falls 5.4% compared to FTSE All-Share Index which rose 5.4%. Net asset value per share rises 27% year-on-year to 447.15 pence from 351.66p the same date a year prior. Declares interim dividend of 2.14 pence per share, up from 2.11p.

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Aberdeen New Dawn Investment Trust PLC - investor in companies in the Asia-Pacific region - Net asset value total return drops 0.7%, compared to MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan Index, which fell 4.7%. NAV per share declines 1.6% over the six month period to 361.01 pence from 369.97p. Declares interim dividend of 1.00 pence per share, in line with year before.

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Kodal Minerals PLC- southern Mali and Ivory Coast-focused miner - For the six months ended September 30, pretax loss widens to GBP373,264 from GBP255,259 a year prior, driven by a rise in administrative costs and share-based payments. Generated no revenue during the period, as it continues to plan development and exploration programme for Bougouni project.

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RUA Life Sciences PLC - Glasgow-based medical devices using polymer technology and formerly known as AorTech International - For the six months ended September 30, pretax loss widens to GBP1.3 million from GBP622,000 due to higher administrative costs, in spite of revenue growing 12% year-on-year to GBP708,000 from GBP631,000, driven by contract manufacturing revenue growth.

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SME Credit Realisation Fund Ltd - credit investment - Net asset value per share as at September 30 increases to 93.27 pence from 88.87p at the end of March.

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Walker Crips Group PLC - London-based stockbroker and wealth manager - For the six months ended September 30, swings to pretax profit of GBP54,000 from loss of GBP451,000 the same period a year before, on revenue which grows 9.3% year-on-year to GBP15.7 million from GBP14.4 million, driven by a recovery seen in markets, lifting broking commissions and non-broking income. As at September 30, assets under management is up 5.9% over the six-month period to GBP3.6 billion from the end of March. Declares interim dividend of 0.30 pence per share, doubled from 0.15p a year prior.

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Agronomics Ltd - Isle of Man-based investor in cellular agriculture - For the year ended June 30, pretax profit increases to GBP1.0 million from GBP611,731 the year before, as investment income rose sharply to GBP10.7 million from GBP1.3 million.

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FRP Advisory Group PLC - London-based corporate finance, restructuring and debt adviser - For the six months ended October 31, pretax profit drops 19% to GBP5.7 million from GBP7.1 million the same period a year before, due to higher personnel and operating costs more than offsetting 25% year-on-year growth in revenue to GBP44.7 million from GBP35.9 million. Interim dividend remains flat at 1.6 pence per share. Looking ahead, company is well positioned for an increase in demand for services.

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ProCook Group PLC - Waterwells, Gloucester-based direct-to-consumer kitchenware retailer - For the 28 weeks ended October 17, pretax profit declines to GBP2.2 million from GBP4.0 million the same period a year before, due to advisory costs related to the initial public offering in November and higher operating expenses. This more than offset revenue which grew 34% year-on-year to GBP32.1 million from GBP23.9 million, led by a high performance in Retail due to a 50% increase in store opening times as stores begin to reopen.

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Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund PLC - mid-cap-focused investment firm - For the year ended September 30, net asset value total return is 41.8%, compared to the FTSE 250 ex Investment Trusts Index, which returned 40.9%. Net asset value per share as at September 30 increases 39% to 791.56 pence from 568.99p, driven by a recovery in the domestically-focused areas of the market. Declares final dividend of 11.0 pence per share, bringing the total payout to 14.80p, an 11% rise year-on-year.

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Orcadian Energy PLC - North Sea focused oil and gas development company - For the year ended September 30, pretax loss widens to GBP376,758 from GBP230,519 a year before, driven by GBP76,500 in listing costs and higher administrative expenses. Generated no revenue in line with the prior period.

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Cornish Metals Inc - Vancouver, Canada-based investment firm - For the nine months ended October 31, company's loss widens to CAD2.1 million from CAD1.5 million the same period a year before, as operating expenses increased considerably on higher professional fees, as well as regulatory and filing fees. Looking ahead, is planning to conduct a drilling programme at the United Down exploration project.

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Worsley Investors Ltd - investment firm - For the six months ended September 30, net asset value total return was 3.1%, compared to an 8.0% return from the FTSE All-Share Index and 12% return from the FTSE Real Estate Investment Trust Index. Net asset value per share rises 3.1% to 42.81 pence from 41.55p at the end of March.

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Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd - Guernsey-registered music intellectual property rights investor - For the six months ended September 30, swings to pretax loss of USD19.2 million from profit of USD13.0 million a year before, due to a USD52.1 million amortisation of catalogue of songs, up from USD24.1 million. This is on revenue which grows 35% year-on-year to USD85.3 million from USD63.3 million through the addition of new catalogue acquisitions. Over the period, operating net asset value per share rises 2.5% to USD1.72 from USD1.68 at the end of March. Company portfolio at the end of September comprises 146 catalogues at an aggregate value of USD2.55 billion. Declares interim dividend of 2.63 pence per share, up from 2.5p a year prior.

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Donegal Investment Group PLC - Donegal, Ireland-based agricultural firm - For the year ended August 31, pretax profit rises 14% to EUR1.6 million from EUR1.4 million the year before, on revenue which declines 7.8% year-on-year to EUR26.1 million from EUR28.3 million, as Covid-19 restrictions continued to hurt demand in the seed potato sector. Looking ahead, company remains "cautiously optimistic" on its performance for the 2021/22 season, and will continue to review all strategic options.

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By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

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