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In the Times Tempus eyes Mexico-focused gold producer Fresnillo. It's a low profile stock, with only 23% of the shares available on the open market. On the other hand it's a FTSE 100 firm and is raking in profits on the back of a high gold price. Changes to FTSE listing rules means at least 2% more shares must be made available which may help small shareholders who fancy a bet on the price of gold: "worth a closer look" says Tempus.

House broker Panmure Gordon commented that NetDimensions' results were "gobsmacking" and said the sector has witnessed "a slew of M&A [mergers & acquisitions] activity of late", the result of an increasing awareness by companies that human capital management is increasingly important in a slow economic growth environment, where work and staff dynamics are changing, something that "makes for an exciting growth market".

The transition is occurring through the addition of further programmes, known as the Talent Suite, which includes motivation for continued performance, which is being released in May, and career progression and learning growth, both due to be released around August 2012. The company added: "In 2012, the group will invest aggressively to develop and market our new talent management system and seed this new offering in our global markets. We are confident that the NetDimensions Talent Suite will become a substantial group business over time."

The firm added that while it is "actively looking" for appropriate acquisitions, none are currently in the pipeline. Cash at the end of the year increased to $6.9m from $6.0m the year before. The company is currently in the process of refocusing itself as a talent management company, rather than simply staff training, and is looking to boost revenue through its local after-sales services. NetDimensions said that it has been a "straightforward step" to align itself with the talent management and human capital management markets as they offer bigger deals within a bigger market.

Chairman Roger Durn told Sharecast: "Although the acquisitions were successful, they were not as good as they could have been. We certainly learned from our acquisitions and next time we will be firmer. "While revenue is not likely to see the percentage levels of growth it did last year we are cautiously optimistic of another good year. "The board expects future growth to be funded by the group's strong financial position and future positive cash flows from existing business."

With a view to paying an annual dividend hereon in, the company paid 0.5p from profit and a special one-off dividend of 1.5p from the premium share account, which the firm said was to "reward shareholders for their patience now the company is strong enough". Year-on year pre-tax profit rose from $0.12m to $0.64m on revenues of $12.3m (2010: $8.3m), partly the result of deferred revenue from two acquisitions made in 2010. Basic earnings per share were 1.4c from 0.4c the previous year. Selling expenses jumped $1.9m to $5.2m, largely because of increasing staff numbers.

NetDimensions, a firm that develops software for staff training within the market of talent management, doubled its revenue in 2011. The company reported top-line growth rates of 133% in the USA, 64% in China and 28% in Asia Pacific, took on 135 new clients and is to make its first dividend payment.

The final dividend has been increased 25% to 1p per share, giving a total dividend of 1.20p per share compared to 0.95p in 2011.

Licensing income rose 11% to £1.59m and it is signed new licence agreements signed with tableware firm Portmeirion rugs group Brink & Campman. Chairman Terry Stannard said, "These results demonstrate further progress towards our vision of creating a highly profitable international luxury brands group. We have built strong market positions in our core sectors of wallpaper and fabrics and our brands have stretched into lifestyle categories such as rugs, tableware and lighting through our worldwide licence partners.

The fabrics group, whose brands include Sanderson, Morris & Co., Harlequin, Zoffany and Scion, said its brand sales grew by 7.3% to £57.4m with international sales up by 11% to £22m. UK sales, its largest market, grew 4.6% to £33.8m while its global licence income climbed 11%, led by Japan and its UK bed linen licensee. The firm, which recently announced it has won a contract with British clothing brand Barbour, said pre-tax profit rose to £4.9m for the year ended 31 January 2012 from £4.5m the same time a year earlier. Operating profits before exceptional gain rose 24% to £5.56m while overall revenue for the period rose to £74m from £68.78m before.

Luxury interior furnishings group Walker Greenbank unveiled a solid set of full year results, helped by a strong international performance, and is confident for the year ahead. Sales in the first eleven weeks of the current year rose 7% from the same period last year as demand for its expanding range of luxury goods grew.

The final dividend has been raised to 5.75p from 5.50p, taking the full year pay-out to 8p, versus 2010's full year divi of 7.5p.

"Cattle prices have eased from the higher levels seen in 2011, but nonetheless remain at historically-firm levels. Growing demand in Asia and the continuing decline of the US cattle herd would indicate that the medium-to-long-term outlook for Australian beef-cattle markets remains positive," Hadsley-Chaplin opined.

Crops of oil palm FFBs rose 27% to 249,300 tonnes from 2010's levels. The group said it remains on track for FFB production of 300,000 tonnes in 2012 and 500,000 tonnes in 2015. On the cattle side, "a significant improvement in profits was achieved by the Australian associated company, NAPCo, after a good season," revealed Peter Hadsley-Chaplin, Chairman of MP Evans.

Strong palm oil prices and increasing crops of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) on both the new projects and the established estates were the prime reason for the improved results, the group said. The palm oil price averaged $1,123 per tonne on a cost, insurance and freight basis, up from $905 per tonne in 2010, but prices were on a downward trend for most of 2011; they have since reversed course in 2012, with the prevailing price currently in the region of $1,175 per tonne.

MP Evans, the producer of Indonesian palm oil and Australian beef cattle, brought new plantations on stream just in time last year to take advantage of historically high palm oil prices. Profit before tax in 2011 rose 62% to $39.7m from $24.45m in 2010. Earnings per share increased to 66.39 cents from 41.17 cents the year before.

"This slowdown was more than offset by the group's Rest of World sales, which continued to grow and were above double digit levels in the Americas, India and South East Asia," it added. "While European growth is likely to be moderated by the ongoing economic uncertainty, good sales growth is still expected to continue in both divisions in the rest of the world."

However, investors took fright after the company said ongoing economic uncertainty in Europe had hit growth in the second half. "[This] has resulted in sales volatility and...Swiss manufacturing output has been reduced by the strength of the Swiss franc," Renold said.

Transmission products firm Renold saw its shares drop over nine per cent on Tuesday morning after it said growth had slowed in the second half. The firm said full-year adjusted earnings had doubled on the previous year, in line with expectations. It added that operating margins and profit improved further during the second half of the year (to the end of March) in both its torque transmission and chain divisions.

Inspired Energy has completed its acquisition of Direct Energy Purchasing. The initial consideration is for £2m (in cash and shares), plus two deferred payments of up to £1m each based primarily upon the financial performance of DEP. By 11:29 the stock had risen 6.2%.