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TRADING UPDATES: Strong annual results from Springfield, Fiske

Tue, 14th Sep 2021 17:46

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

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Springfield Properties PLC - Scottish housebuilder - For the year ended May 31, pretax profit rises 81% to GBP18.5 million from GBP10.2 million, on revenue growing 51% year-on-year to GBP216.7 million from GBP143.5 million, driven by higher sales and demand in private and affordable housing. Total completes increases to 973 homes from 727, as the average selling price for private housing rises to GBP244,000 from GBP236,000. Declares dividend of 5.75 pence, more than doubled from 2.0p the prior year.

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Harworth Group PLC - Rotherham, Yorkshire-based land regenerator - For the six months ended June 30, swings to pretax profit of GBP80.1 million from loss of GBP3.7 million, due to revaluation gains on properties and assets of GBP105.7 million. In addition, revenue declined 20% year-on-year to GBP18.9 million from GBP23.7 million due to later starts on site in 2020 due to the pandemic. As at June 30, net asset value per share was 167.8p, up from 142.2p the same date the year prior, while the portfolio value stands at GBP748.0 million from GBP618.2 million at the end of December. Declares interim dividend of 0.36 pence per share, up from 0.33p a year prior.

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Aberdeen Smaller Companies Income Trust PLC - invests in UK small-cap stocks - Net asset value total return for the six months ended June 30 was 20.1%, compared to the Numis Smaller Companies excluding Investment Trust index, which returned 17.4%. As at June 30, NAV per share is 413.97 pence, up 19% from 348.91p at the end of December.

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Henderson High Income Trust PLC - pure income trust investing in dividend-paying UK companies - For the first half of 2021, net asset value total return was 12.3%, while its benchmark - a composite made up 80% of the FTSE All-Share index and 20% of the ICE BofAML Sterling Non-Gilts index - returned 8.4%. At the end of June, NAV per share was 171.6 pence, up % from 157.3p at December 31.

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Phoenix Global Resources PLC - upstream oil and gas company - For the first half of 2021, pretax loss narrows to USD3.9 million from USD62.1 million the same period a year before, on revenue which grows 45% year-on-year to USD36.1 million from USD24.9 million. Revenue growth was due to higher oil sales during the period, mainly through the shut-in of production due to Covid-19 in 2020 and the rise in oil prices to USD47.03 per barrel to USD39.19.

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Infrastructure India PLC - investor in infrastructure assets in India's energy and transport sectors - Renewable assets are currently operating in line with expectations due to steady demand for power. As at August 31, cash position stands at USD3.5 million, and the company continues to evaluate options and find alternative sources of financing. As at March 31, expects to report net asset value per share between 10p to 13p. Applies to AIM for three-month extension for its annual results, which is expected to be published in October.

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ThinkSmart Ltd - Australian digital payments platform - For the year ended June 30, pretax profit rises 35% to GBP71.7 million from GBP53.1 million the year before, mainly due to a higher gain on financial instruments on the revaluation of the group's investment in ClearPay Finance Ltd due to a strong performance from the investee. However, revenue dropped 31% year-on-year to GBP4.3 million from GBP6.3 million on a drop in leasing volumes.

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Porvair PLC - Norfolk, England-based filtration and environmental technology firm - Trading for the third quarter ended August 31 is ahead of expectations, with healthy order books in industrial processes, laboratory and aluminium. However, due to supply chain issues, company has deemed it too early to determine its annual performance.

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Good Energy Group PLC - Chippenham, England-based energy company - For the first half of 2021, swings to pretax profit of GBP4.8 million from loss of GBP1.1 million the same period a year before, on revenue which rises 1.4% year-on-year to GBP68.4 million from GBP67.5 million on an increase in customer numbers. Intends to recommend a dividend payment for 2021, and will pay 0.75p per share should the hostile offer by Ecotricity Group Ltd lapse or be withdrawn.

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Ovoca Bio PLC - Women's health-focused biopharmaceutical company - For the six months ended June 30, pretax loss widens to USD3.7 million from USD2.2 million a year before, due to a rise in administrative expenses and the generation of no revenue during the period.

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Kistos PLC - London-based energy sector investor - For the 37 weeks ended June 30, reports pretax loss of EUR5.2 million, on revenue of EUR6.6 million. On a proforma basis following the acquisition of Tulip Oil Netherlands BV, revenue rose 97% year-on-year to EUR33.7 million from EUR17.1 million. despite production falling 28% to 1,598 megawatt hours from 2,230MWh.

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MaxCyte Inc - Maryland, US-based biotechnology company - For the first half of 2021, net loss widens to USD11.5 million from USD6.1 million the year before, due to higher operating expenses through an increased headcount and higher stock-based compensation, as well as a rise in legal expenses. Meanwhile, revenue grows 25% to USD13.6 million from USD10.9 million, through higher sales in cell therapy and drug discovery markets.

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Property Franchise Group PLC - UK-based lettings and estate agency franchising firm - For the six months ended June 30, pretax profit rises 57% to GBP3.1 million from GBP2.0 million the same period a year prior, as well as a 54% increase from the first half of 2019. This is on revenue which more than doubles to GBP11.1 million from GBP5.1 million, on higher managed services fees and increased sales activity. Raises interim dividend by 81% to 3.8 pence from 2.1p. Looking ahead, expects 2021 annual profit performance to be ahead of market expectations.

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Diurnal Group PLC - Cardiff, Wales-based pharmaceutical company focused on hormonal diseases - For the year ended June 30, pretax loss widens to GBP11.5 million from GBP5.3 million the year before due to higher expenses as the company sets up key studies designed to increased the value of Diurnal's pipeline. Revenue declines % year-on-year to GBP4.4 million from GBP6.3 million, driven by a drop in product sales and licensing income.

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Made.com Group PLC - London-based furniture retailer - For the six months ended June 30, pretax loss narrows to GBP10.1 million from GBP15.2 million, as revenue grows 61% year-on-year to GBP171.0 million from GBP106.3 million, driven by a 54% increase in gross sales to GBP213.9 million supported by high levels of market demand. Looking ahead, revenue for 2021 is expects to be around GBP410 million, reflecting a 65% increase.

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Fiske PLC - London-based stockbroker and investment manager - For the year ended May 31, pretax profit is GBP610,000, swinging from a loss of GBP127,000 the year before, on revenue which grows 13% year-on-year to GBP6.1 million from GBP5.4 million.

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By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com