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Quoted Micro 6 April 2026

AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE

In 2025, heart health products developer ProBiotix Health (PBX) increased revenues by 45% to £2.73m. The loss was reduced from £852,000 to £1.24m. Revenues continue to grow in the first quarter of the new financial year, and it has achieved profitability. Cash was £1.27m at the end of 2025. The order book has more than doubled to £1.3m. The company is diversifying into new medical areas.

Dermatology products developer Incanthera (INC) says direct to consumer sales of Skin + CELL products have been disappointing, generating £12,400. Discussions continue relating to retail distribution. No bulk sale will be achieved before the end of the March 2026 financial year, so stocks will be higher than anticipated. There are also technology licensing talks. The company has to be careful with working capital, but it believes it has enough cash for immediate requirements.

Oscillate (SRVL), which is changing its name to Serval Resources, is acquiring Kalahari Copper and moving to AIM on 27 April. The strategy is to build a business with a range of copper exploration and development assets. There will be a 50-for-one share consolidation. There will be a share issue to raise £2.9m at 22.5p/share. A WRAP retail offer could raise up to $300,000.

Mendell Helium (MDH) expects to publish the document for the move to AIM during April. That will spark the exercise of the option to acquire M3 Helium. The Rost 2-26 well has reached 4,540 feet. This will test helium prospects. There are preparations for the re-completion of Schneweis Ventures 13A well.

Valereum (VLRM) confirms the exclusivity agreement with Quantum Global Photonics and the definitive agreement is expected by the end of April. As part of the agreement, the first coupon payment for medium term notes of $3.9m will be a combination of cash and VGOLD-CORE (independently valued and verified) gold-backed tokens, where the launch is subject to regulatory approval. The deal involves technology integration, tokenisation and profit sharing. So far, $900,000 has been drawn down from the $2.5m investment from Blubird Global Inc. There are currently talks with Blubird Global about revising the terms of the funding, which could mean that funding could end.

Zak Mir is no longer chief executive of Lift Global Ventures (LFT) and he is not running the investor relations business Miriad any longer. The investment strategy has changed to an AI focus. Cash was £199,000 at the end of 2025 and subsequently a £40,000 settlement was agreed with a former consultant.

Heart medicines developer Cardiogeni (CGNI) says that the share swap deal with Kira Health Invest AG is progressing and could complete by 10 April. Kira Health Invest AG will acquire 67.5% of subsidiary Cell Therapy in return for a 32.5% shareholding in Kira’s hotels and wellness clinics subsidiary Lumen Clinics, which has assets of more than €100m.

Time to ACT (TTA) has appointed VSA Capital as corporate adviser and has raised £415,000 at 6p/share. The company is in talks to acquire the assets of heat treatment business MTE Heat Treatment, which is in administration. This will fit with Diffusion Alloys. It is not buying any asset from Versarien. There are other potential acquisitions.

Investment company Gledhow Investments (GDH) had NAV of £1.2m at the end of September 2025. Net cash is currently £762,000 following recent disposals. This provides the opportunity to take advantage of market volatility.

IntelliAM AI (INT) has bought the business and assets of RBM Lubrications for £25,000 payable in cash at the end of 2029. This expands the business in Scotland.

Oberon Investments (OBE) has launched a global thematic equity fund called TM Oberon Theseus Fund. It will be structured around five to eight core themes and have up to 75 investments.

B HODL (HODL) has completed the initial At-The-Market equity offer and raised £42,300 at 7.05p/share. Another Bitcoin has been acquired for £51,234. The total holding is 165.487 Bitcoin which cost an average of £81,962 each.

Digital asset miner Sterling Digital (ASIC) did not have any revenues in the period to December 2025. There was £3.67m in the bank after the Aquis flotation. Data mining equipment has been acquired, and Bitcoin should be being produced by the end of the second quarter of 2026.

South west England focused minerals explorer Tamar Minerals (TMR) had £171,000 in cash at the end of 2025 following a £256,000 cash outflow from operations in the previous six months. Since, then £2.04m has been raised.

Fund of funds investment company SuperSeed Capital (WWW) made realised and unrealised gains of more than £452,000 in 2025. This increased NAV from 1.2544p/share to 1.3668p/share.

Mollyroe (MOY) has raised £470,000 through a convertible loan note issue and £155,000 at 0.25p/share, which is also the conversion price for the loan notes. The loan facility to AI film maker Cascade has been increased from £300,000 to £500,000. Mollyroe will receive and arrangement fee of £40,000.

Macaulay Capital (MCAP) has raised £225,000 from the exercise of warrants at 25p each.

BWA Group (BWAP) managing director James Butterfield bought 1.4 million shares at 0.29p each and owns 8.02% of the company.

JP JENKINS

Surrey-based Oomisoft (OOMI) joined JP Jenkins on 1 April. The company provides membership management software, CRM and digital services. The customer is not for profit and professional organisations.

ASSET MATCH

Anti-microbial technology developer Byotrol (BYOT) has raised £250,000 at 016p/share. The cash will help to fund growth opportunities.

Recruitment services provider Macdonald and Company (MAC1) is asking for shareholder approval for a share buyback from William Buck and Robin Glover. This relates to a restructuring of interests in Asia. The general meeting is 16 April.

AIM

Building products supplier BRCK (BRCK) has received an unsolicited bid approach from Atlas Holdings LLC and after initial contact and exchange of information a 65p/share indicative offer was made. The share price has not been that level since June 2025. That offer was rejected by the board on 23 March. Atlas will be provided with additional information to see whether it can come up with a better offer, but it says this would not be enough for a firm bid.

CleanTech Lithium (CTL) has published the pre-feasibility study for the Laguna Verde lithium brine project in Chile. This shows a NPV10 of $699m over a 25-year period. This assumes extracting 15,000t per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate. The operating cost is assumed to be $5,768/t and a sale price of $22,500/t. Upfront capex is $748m. First production would be 2031.

Steel structures supplier Billington (BILN) has gained new contracts worth £50m even though the market is still relatively weak. This helps to underpin expectations for 2026, although some of the work will be done in 2027. The 2025 results are due to be published later this month. A pre-tax profit of £3.5m is forecast before a recovery to £8.3m. Manufacturing has been streamlined and Cavendish may reassess forecasts when the results are published.

Whisky supplier Artisanal Spirits Company (ART) was hit by tariffs and the US government shutdown. Elsewhere, there was an improvement in revenues last year. However, overall revenues dipped from £23.6m to £19.9m and that meant that the loss was raised from £3.1m to £7m. Net debt was £31.5m and this should start to reduce this year. The company has changed its way of trading with the US and taken on the distribution in the country.

There was a return to growth at CML Microsystems (CML) in the second half. However, the company will still make a full year loss, rather than the small profit previously expected, because the growth was in lower margin revenues. Supply chain problems have eased. Shore says it will publish 2026-27 forecasts after the latest results are published on 16 June.

Mobile games developer Gaming Realms (GMR) has been hit by changes to stake limits in the UK and there will be another setback when the tax rate increases this year. Revenues improved from £28.5m to £31.4m, while pre-tax profit rose from £8.3m to £9m as management adapted to the stake changes and kept control of costs. More games and adding licence partners have helped revenues continue to rise. North American revenues continue to grow.

Wound healing technology developer AOTI Inc (AOTI) says 2025 revenues were $66.5m, up 15% on 2024. Underlying pre-tax profit was $3.1m, compared with a loss last year. Net debt reached $6.5m. There is a $1.7m provision on money owed by Arizona. Revenues could still rise this year even though AOTI is pulling out of Arizona due to difficulty in getting paid, but profit could decline to $1.2m before starting to grow again. Outstanding debt from Arizona may eventually be reclaimed. A CMS local coverage determination is still expected in the near-term and that will provide some positivity.

Greatland Resources (GGP) benefited from a recovery in the gold price to $4,677.28/ounce. Earlier in the week, it revealed a mineral resource estimate for the O’Callaghans tungsten copper zinc lead deposit. There is 70Mt @ 0.35% of tungsten trioxide. The Telfer mineral resource estimate has been raised by 150% to 8 million ounces. Together with Havieron, the resources could be mined for many decades.

Abingdon Health (ABDX) has won a series of contracts worth £4.8m with a US client. This covers the development of multiplex quantitative lateral flow assay systems for human testing which will be delivered over 27 months. This supports the decision to expand capacity in the US. There could be a subsequent manufacturing contract. The company is set to move to around breakeven in 2026-27. The share price gained 10.3% to 8p.

Ariana Resources (AAU) reported a £12.4m loss for 2025, but this is almost all down to the change in valuation of the Turkey joint venture. That is a non-cash adjustment. The cash outflow from operating activities was £2.6m. Progress is being made with the Dokwe project in Zimbabwe and there is £5.4m in the bank to fund its development.

Monoclonal antibodies developer Bioventix (BVXP) reported interim revenues 9% lower at £6.2m. China was a tough market and some products are maturing. Pre-tax profit was slightly lower at £4.9m. Cash was £5.1m at the end of 2025. The customer base is being broadened and there is longer-term potential for royalties from the company’s antibodies that are included in products. Full year pre-tax profit is set to fall from £10.2m to £9.6m. The full year dividend is set to be unchanged at 150p/share even though it is not going to be covered by earnings.

Digital finance hub Tap Global Group (TAP) interim revenues fell from £1.8m to £1.7m. There was also £210,000 of income from settlement with crypto currency exchange Bitfinex. Cash was £433,000 at the end of 2025.

In-game advertising technology developer Mirriad Advertising (MIRI) says that the expected upturn in February and March did not happen because of the Middle East conflict. It did sign a services agreement with a UK media conglomerate. There is £675,000 in the bank, but more cash will be required before the 2025 accounts are published.

Wellheads and connectors Plexus Holdings (POS) reported a reduction in interim revenues from £2.9m to £1.2m because of delays in projects, particularly in the North Sea due to tax uncertainty and inability to offset decommissioning costs. Activity is likely to remain subdued in the second half with the assumption that work will recover in 2026-27. A full year loss is forecast before a return to profit in 2026-27. The estate of William Black has built up a stake of 5%.

MAIN MARKET

Construction equipment hire company Speedy Hire (SDY) has not made the expected progress in the second half. Contract delays hampered revenues. The latest trading statement has led to a reduction in forecast earnings for 2025-26 and 2026-27. A loss of £1.5m is estimated for the year to March 2026. Net debt is expected to be £159m. The dividend is set to be slashed to 1p/share.

Solvonis Therapeutics (SVNS) has been granted a US patent for a “monoamine modulator compound series from its post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” programme. This market covers more than 20 million people in the US and major European markets. This programme is part of a broader platform. SVN-114 is the lead candidate.

Digital assets investor KR1 (KR1) generated technology infrastructure income of £106,000 from staking activities and that takes the total for 2026 so far to £283,000. Financial income of £2,350 during February. NAV is 21.3p/share, down from 23.8p/share at the end of January 2026.

Andrew Hore

Quoted Micro 2 February 2026

AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE

Roundhouse Digital (ETHL) joined Aquis on 30 January. It is an AI technology company with an Ethereum-denominated treasury. There was £1.1m raised at 4p/share. The company is valued at £10m.

Valereum (VLRM) has entered into a non-binding agreement with Injective Foundation, a Layer-1 blockchain for decentralised finance, and DigiShares inc, a provider of tokenisation technology. There would be a framework for a collaboration across the Injective blockchain, involving tokenisation and secondary trading. DigiShares has 200 issuers. Quorum Global Photonics has a 49.9% stake, while James Bannon’s shareholding has been diluted from 33.8% to 17.8%.

Property investor Ace Liberty and Stone (ALSP) moved from a loss of £243,000 to a pre-tax profit of £290,000 in the six months to October 2025. Admin costs were reduced and there was no fair value loss, compared with £1.6m in the corresponding period. NAV is £30.5m. Dr Antonios Ghorayeb bought 14,795 shares at 25p each and the chairman owns a 0.96% stake.

Vault Ventures (VULT) has publicly launched analytics platform vSignal.ai.

Equipmake (EQIP) has won a £2.4m order from Agrale for 23 electric drivetrain systems for 23 buses. This follows an order for 50 buses.

BWA Holdings (BWAP) corporate adviser Allenby has initiated research on the minerals exploration company. It believes the Aracari gold project in Cameroon could be transformational. The sum of the parts valuation is £11.2m, which is treble the current market capitalisation. Richard Battersby has transferred his shareholding to his daughter.

Interim figures from Vaultz Capital (V3TC) show initial revenues of £72,000 and a loss of £1.62m. The current value of Bitcoin is £8.68m, down from £11.2m at the end of October 2025, when net assets were £11.6m.

Sulnox Group (SNOX) has secured a South Korean patent for emissions reducing additives.

B HODL (HODL) has bought one more Bitcoin for £64,363, after drawing down£65,030 from its loan facility, taking the total to 160.295 Bitcoin costing a total of £13.3m.

WeCap (WCAP) reported a halved loss of £387,000 in the six months to October 2025. The WeShop share price has fallen back to $58.70, but the stake is still worth more than the WeCap market capitalisation.

Mendell Helium (MDH) raised £700,000 at 3p/share. There is also a proposal from US-based investors to co-fund a second well on M3 Helium’s Rost lease in Fort Dodge. Mendell Helium has an option to acquire M3.

Ajax Resources (AJAX) raised £1m at 8p/share with warrants exercisable at 16p each also issued. This will fund previously announced acquisitions.

Clinical support software DXS International (DXSP) revenues fell 3% to £1.68m in the first half, while the loss jumped from £254,000 to £1m. Management is hopeful that the NHS will begin to accelerate decision making later this year.

Cooks Coffee Company (COOK) says its Esquires Coffee subsidiary has entered a 10-year master franchise agreement for the UAE. The plan is to open at least 50 sites.

Bitcoin investor and wed development company The Smarter Web Company (SWC) has raised £500,000 at 54p/share. Shareholders have agreed the move to the Main Market on 3 February.

Marula Mining (MARU) has terminated the planned sale of its main subsidiary to Europa Metals. Marula Mining will instead develop the assets itself.

In the year to July 2025, hydrogen producing wind turbine technology developer Energy B (NRGB) reported a reduction in loss from £1.05m to £645,000. There are no revenues. This is before the plans for a Bitcoin strategy and the raising of £400,000 at 1p/share and the settlement of creditors at the same share price.

Mental health treatments developer Shortwave Life Sciences (PSY) did not generate any revenues in the six months to October 2025. The loss was £211,000. Net assets were £2.58m.

Phoenix Digital (PNIX) has redomiciled to Gibraltar.

JP JENKINS

India-focused oil and gas company Indus Gas (INDI) left AIM and joined the JP Jenkins platform on 26 January.

ASSET MATCH

Fastjet (FJET) has published its 2024 accounts. The Africa-focused airline reported a 3% dip in revenues to $64.9m, while there was a swing from a loss of $9m to a pre0tax profit of $3.37m. That is due to a sharp fall in cost of sales.

Greenshields Agri Holdings (GAH) says there was a small improvement in 2024-25 post-tax profit at £2.71m. NAV is 160p/share.

Macdonald and Company (MAC1) is paying an interim dividend of 2p/share on 4 February.

AIM

Thor Explorations (THX) has announced a pre-feasibility study for the Douta gold project in Senegal and first production could be in 2028. The pre-tax project NPV5% is $908m at a long-term gold price of $3,500/ounce, while the post-tax NPV5% is $633m. This assumes 100% ownership. Payback of initial capital investment of $254m could be less than one year.  There could be one million ounces of gold produced over nearly 13 years. The resource can be extended. Thor Explorations is buying out its 30% joint venture partner in the Douta West permit joint venture Birma Resources for an initial $1.5m.

Aerospace component kits supplier Velocity Composites (VEL) continues to be hit by delays and lower than anticipated Airbus A350 production rates. Lower overheads have offset the lower revenues in 2025, and the pre-tax loss was reduced from £1.3m to £1.1m. A major aerospace components programme in the US will not be transferred until later in 2026. New European business is being sought to offset the loss of a contract.

The Revel Collective (TRC) has appointed FTI Consulting as administrator and sold most of the bars and pubs. There are 20 sites that were not sold and those will close.

Electro-mechanical and electronics products supplier LPA Group (LPA) reported full year figures in line with the previous downgrade. The loss increased from £300,000 to £1.3m on lower revenues. The order book is worth £32.5m. This includes rail projects that have been subject to delays. There is a 41% like-for-like improvement in the first quarter of this year.

Public Policy Holding Company (PPHC) announced the price of the Nasdaq fundraising at $12.25/share. This will raise $50.8m.

Sancus Lending (LEND) shares jumped 362.5% to 1.8p on an unexpectedly strong trading performance in 2025. The finance provider increased revenues by one-third to £22.1m and a 2025 pre-tax profit of more than £1m is estimated, although that includes gains of £2.6m from repurchasing ZDPs. New lending facilities nearly doubled to £212m and total loans were one-third higher at £317m.

Late on Tuesday, Mind Gym (MIND) admitted that it is in discussions with third parties as part of a strategic review that could lead to a bid for the education and training company.

Great Western Mining (GWMO) has revealed the results of the geographical survey and the assay results of a drilling programme at Rhyolite Dome, which is part of the Olympic gold project in Nevada. The survey identified a deeper untested chargeable feature at more than 300 metres in depth. The drilling found low grade gold and more significant silver mineralisation. The geological model will be refined.

Empyrean Energy (EME) has come to an agreement with Conrad Asia Energy to resolve its dispute over the Duyung PSC and Mako gas field in Indonesia. First gas could be in the fourth quarter of 2027. A special purpose vehicle will be established to own these investments, and Empyrean Energy will own 8.5%. After this Empyrean will pay $353,000 to Conrad and a further $353,000 will be paid out of dividends from the special purpose vehicle. Empyrean’s secured convertible note will be restructured, and the lender will be paid out of dividends from the project. The share price jumped 138% to 0.0894p.

Ovoca Bio (OVB) has completed the acquisition of Tadeen International and it will change its name to Talisman Metals. There was £1.155m raised at 7.7p/share. This means the company has £2.255m in cash. The main asset is copper deposits in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

Video games art outsourcing provider Winking Studios (WKS) expects 2025 revenues to be at least 40% higher than the $31.9m reported in 2024. That is slightly higher than expectations. Organic growth was in mid-to-high single digits. EBITDA is anticipated to be between 7% and 13% ahead of the $4.8m reported in 2024. There are already approximately $34.6m of bookings to be recognised this year. The full year results are due to be announced on 27 February.

Physiomics (PYC) has been awarded a new contract by long-standing client Numab Therapeutics. The project is for modelling the company’s pipeline to accelerate development of therapies.

Contract proteomics services provider Proteome Sciences (PRM) has raised £840,000 via a placing at 1.75p/share and a retail offer raised £132,000, which was more than double the target. The cash will be used to increase Tandem Mass Tags plexing rate from 32x to 96x and introduce novel Solvent Shift chemoproteomic workflows. It will also go towards launching a new range of DXT isotopic plex tags and concluding a DXT licence, will increasing capacity in San Diego.

Sensing and measurement technology developer Transense Technologies (TRT) has not been securing new contracts as fast as it hoped. Also, iTrack royalty income is likely to be10% lower than expected at £2m with the total revenues for the group are forecast at £5.2m, down from £5.55m last year. The SAWsense and Translogik businesses should grow revenues by 30%. The company was profitable in the first half and had cash at £1.33m. The interim results will be released on 17 February.

Eqtec (EQT) is raising £1.3m at 0.035p/share and this represents 36% of the enlarged share capital. A restructuring of £5.79m of debt will lead to £1.93m being converted into shares. The rest will be changed into £1.93m secured, zero-coupon debt and £1.93m. There is £166,000 of debt owed on the convertible facility with GIS. As part of its new strategy Eqtec is acquiring 99% of the Green Rock copper gold exploration project. It is paying $150,000 in cash and shares. The remaining 1% stake has a carry up to $350,000 and after that it will be lent cash by Eqtec to pay for its contribution with repayment out of future revenues. There is also an option over a 99% interest in the Peak Hills gold copper exploration project in Western Australia. The waste to energy activities will continue to be a core part of the group.

Botswana Diamonds (BOD) been awarded eight prospecting licences in north west Botswana. They have been chosen for prospectivity for copper, gold, silver and other critical minerals. The company is speaking with potential joint venture partners.

Laundry technology developer Xeros Technology (XSG) says that 2025 revenues will be lower than expected. Cavendish has halved its forecast to £300,000, which increases the loss to £3.4m. The 2026 forecasts are unchanged and there should still be £4m in cash at the end of 2026. Longer-term, there is positive feedback concerning demand from a global OEM launching a product in 2027.

MAIN MARKET

Another upgrade for LED lighting and wiring accessories supplier Luceco (LUCE), which has been improving throughout 2025 after a weak start. Like-for-like growth is 6%. Pre-tax profit is expected to be £27.1m, up from £24.9m in 2024. There is demand for retrofitted energy efficiency products and there is UK government backing for energy efficiency measures. There was an 85% increase in EV charging sales.

In the AGM statement, Swindon-based newspaper and magazines distributor Smiths News (SNWS) says trading has been positive. The company should remain cash positive despite the payment of a special dividend of 3p/share. There is more to come from the diversification into other distribution activities.

Shell company Associated British Engineering (ASBE) had net assets of 15p/share at the end of September 2025. There are capital losses of £8m and £2m of trading losses.

Nanoco (NANO) has decided not to actively seek a buyer any more. There were discussions but no firm offers. Costs are being reduced and chief executive Dmitry Shashkov is leaving.

Andrew Hore

Quoted Micro 21 July 2025

AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE

Probiotics developer ProBiotix Health (LON: PBX) increased interim revenues by one-third to £1.34m and the loss was reduced. The first orders have been delivered to Kemin China Technology. The current order book is at record levels. There was £1.3m in cash at the end of June 2025. The full interims will be published on 8 September.

Hydro Hotel Eastbourne (HYDP) increased interim turnover by 9% to £2.13m. Increased repair costs meant that the loss increased from £77,000 to £97,000. There is £2.18m in cash and deposits.

Fintech Amazing AI (AAI) wanted to raise £200,000 via a book build and ended up raising £150,000 at 0.5p/share. The cash will be used to buy Bitcoin. Chief executive Paul Mathieson bought shares in the book build and converted debt at the same price. There were more than 86 million shares issued to him. He also bought 70,000 shares at 1p each in the market. He owns 54.75%.

Digital assets company Vaults Capital (V3TC) completed a placing raising £1m at 16.5p/share. New director Sarah Gow bought 236,000 shares at 16.5p each.

Coinsilium Group Ltd (COIN) has purchased 112.0009 Bitcoin, and the total cost of the holding is £9.99m.

The Smarter Web Company (SWC) has raised another £17.5m at 295p/share, having sought a minimum of £15m. The company held 1,600 Bitcoin which had a total cost of £127.25m. The 30-day BTC yield is 419%. There was £4m in cash available at the beginning of the week.

Vault Ventures (VULT) holds 4 Bitcoin, 711.93 Ethereum and 2,200.32 Solana. The market capitalisation is greater than NAV.

Valereum (VLRM) entered into a non-binding agreement with fully listed First Class Metals to explore asset-backed tokenisation of mineral exploration projects in the latter’s portfolio. This could generate non-dilutive capital for projects and enhance liquidity.

RentGuarantor Holdings (RGG) is moving to AIM on 15 August. No fundraising is planned.

Majestic Corporation (MCJ) is launching a 50,000 square foot recycling facility in Wrexham. This will produce precious metals, base metals and critical materials.

Capital for Colleagues (CFCP) investee Bright Ascension has concluded a £2.35m fundraising. Capital for Colleagues has switched a £1m short-term loan into new convertible loan notes in the space software company. The interest rate is 10%. Capital for Colleagues is also providing a revolving credit facility of £200,000 up until the end of January.

Igraine (KING) investee company Fixit Medical has received grants for its advanced catheter securement solutions, as well as being selected for several national programmes. Igraine owns 19.8%.

Hot Rocks Investments (HRIP) has sold six million shares in Hamak Gold (HAMA) at an average price of 2.61p/share. This raised £156,600 after costs. They were bought for 0.8p each.

EPE Special Opportunities (EO.P) had net assets of 321.56p/share at the end of June 2025.

Zentra (ZNT) will transfer to the newly launched Aquis Real Asset Market on Monday 21 July.

ASSET MATCH

Fintech investment company VP Fintech (VPF) say investee company Valens Pay is joining with MSTRpay to offer its banking services. The partner is required because of the international nature of customer base and the services will be offered to more than 700,000 MSTRpay customers.

Macdonald and Company (MAC1) is paying an interim dividend of 4p/share.

JP JENKINS

Powder Monkey (PMGL) is acquiring the brands of Wayward Brewing Company and Akasha Brewing Company, two Sydney breweries.

AIM

Advanced materials and paper manufacturer James Cropper (CRPR) is starting on a revised strategy under new chief executive David Stirling. In the year to March 2025, revenues fell from £103m to £99.3m, while pre-tax profit improved from £800,000 to £1.3m. The company plan to deliver more sustained growth from advanced materials by focusing on markets with the best potential. There are also plans to improve margins and profit for paper and packaging by not chasing sales and becoming more efficient.

Womenswear retailer Sosandar (SOS) reported a lower than expected underlying pre-tax profit of £200,000 in the year to March 2025, because of stock adjustments. There was a loss in the previous year. Revenues fell from £46.3m to £37.1m as the move to reduce online price promotion activity hit sales but improved margins. Six stores have been opened. The four store in market town are trading well, but the two in shopping centre have not been as successful. Online sales have benefited in the areas where there are stores. No new stores are planned for this year. There is a strong start to this financial year with first quarter revenue 15% ahead. Initial licensing revenues will come through later in the year. Net cash is £7.3m.

Egg-free celebration cakes supplier Cake Box (CBOX) continues to grow in a tough retail environment and the acquisition of Indian sweets supplier Ambala provides further potential. In the year to March 2025, revenues improved 13% to £42.8m, while underlying pre-tax profit was 17% better at £7.08m. There was a £840,000 contribution to revenue from Ambala. System sales for franchisees were nearly 10% higher at £86.3m. Like-for-like growth was 3%. Net debt was £9m following the acquisition of Ambala. The total dividend was raised from 9p/share to 10.2p/share.

Iodine supplier Iofina (IOF) increased iodine production was 11% higher at 305.5 ton in the first half, which was better than expected. That was after a one-fifth increase in the second quarter. This shows the weak performance early in the year was a blip. The iodine price remains strong and should remain above $70/kg. IO#10 has been commissioned, which will boost second half production. Iodine production guidance for the second half of 2025 is 400-440 tons.

Primorus Investments (PRIM) has been accused of beaching the lock-in agreement by selling shares in Pri0r1ty Intelligence (PR1). The lock-in period lasts until 30 December 2025. In June, Primorus Investments sold its 8.05% stake raising £977,000.

Investment company Seed Innovations (SEED) plans a tender offer for up to 45% of the shares and change its investing policy to focus on robotics and AI. Jim Mellon and Denham Eke will join the board and Ed McDermott and Alfredo Pascual will step down. Existing investee company Litte Green Pharma generated cash in the latest quarter. Seed Innovation owns 2.4% of the ASX-listed company, which made profit after tax of A$3.3m in the year to March 2025. The Seed Innovations NAV was 6.1p/share at the end of March 2025.

Alba Mineral Resources (ALBA) is acquiring a majority stake in Motzfeldt critical metals project in south Greenland. Motzfeldt is a niobium tantalum zirconium rare earth project, and it has very large deposit status. The inferred resource is 340Mt, containing 41,000t of tantalum, 629,000t of niobium, 1.56Mt of zirconium and 884,000t of total rare earth oxides. The 51% stake will cost £30,000 in cash and £945,000 of shares at 0.02414p each. A placing has raised £550,000 at 0.017p/share.

Ceramic products manufacturer Churchill China (CHH) says that there is reduced demand from hospitality and May and June were materially below target. Market share is being maintained. That will hit profit. The UK and US are holding up better than other markets. There is also trading down from dearer products. Replacement business is at expected levels. Production has been reduced, thereby hitting operating levels and margins.

Building components manufacturer Alumasc (ALU) is on course to meet expectations this year. Cavendish forecasts a rise in pre-tax profit from £13m to £14.2m. Organic growth was 7%, whereas the market grew 2%. Exports increased. Net debt was £6m at the end of June 2025, but this still provides scope for earnings enhancing acquisitions. The results will be announced on 2 September.

AFC Energy (AFC) raised £23m at 10p/share via a placing and subscription, which was more than initially asked for, and up to £5m can be raised via a retail offer. The cash will fund commercialisation of hydrogen technology, particularly for generator and hydrogen supply. It will fund the manufacture of Hy-5 and 30Kw units for Volex.

Eco Animal Health (EAH) reported a drop in full year revenue from £89.4m to £79.6m, but non-core disposals helped pre-tax profit improve by one-third to £4m. Net cash was £25m at the end of March 2025. North America was the only region where sales increased.

Oxford BioDynamics (OBD) says Pfizer has published information on its use of EpiSwitch biomarkers as a liquid biopsy in evaluating tumours and treatment outcomes for the JAVELIN bladder 100 trial. The EpiSwitch test can determine whether a tumour has high or low immune activity. This confirmation of efficacy will help to grow EpiSwitch sales.

Audioboom (BOOM) is acquiring podcast network Adelicious for up to £4.5m and has raised £3m through a placing at 270p/share. Podcasters on the Adelicious network include Frank Skinner and Jeff Stelling. The UK market is less developed than the US market.

Cybersecurity service provider Corero Network Security (CNS) has increased annual recurring revenues by one-quarter to $21.6m because of demand for managed services, but recognised revenues are lower in the first quarter. Canaccord Genuity has cut its 2025 forecast revenues from £28.7m to £24.1m and that would mean the company returning to loss. Software and equipment sales are lower, and visibility of orders is poor.

Digital loyalty and promotions platform operator Eagle Eye (EYE) did better than anticipated in the year to June 2025 with revenues 1% higher at £48.2m and EBITDA is 9% ahead at £12.2m. A recent contract loss led to the downgrading of 2025-26 forecasts. Annualised recurring revenues are £32m after that contract loss.

MyHealthChecked (MHC) is supplying lateral flow tests under the Boots own brand. This covers 13 tests, and the initial term is 12 months.

Argentex (AGFX) is appointing administrators after the FCA ordered it to stop all regulated activity. The company was not able to secure additional finance.

Mulberry (MUL) raised £105,000 in a retail offer. There was up to £1.25m on offer.

Logistics Development Group (LDG) is investing £15m as part of DBAY’s acquisition o 78.3% of The Alternative Parcels Company, the largest independent delivery network. LDG will effectively have a 50.2% stake in the acquisition, which made an operating profit of £7.1m. There are also plans to acquire William Stobart.

MAIN MARKET

Structural steel supplier Severfield (SFR) has agreed an option with its joint venture partner in India. Severfield can choose to sell its partner up to 24.9% of the 50/50 joint venture for up to £20m.

Andrew Hore

 

 

Andrew Hore – Quoted Micro 22 March 2021

AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE

Rogue Baron (SHNJ) has sold a shipment of 857 cases of Shinju Japanese whisky in the US. Each case of six bottles sells for up to $150. There was a total of 9,000 bottles of Shinju sold in 2020. US sales are growing so quickly that the company has decided to focus on the market and delay moves into other markets.

KR1 (KR1) has invested a further $150,000 in Vega Protocol in exchange for 194,999.17 VEGA tokens and made an initial $200,000 investment in the Starks Network. KR1 has also generated a further 77,542.92 Polkadot tokens and they were sold for $1.85m. KR1 still has nearly 3.5 million Polkadot tokens. Mona Elisa has been appointed as a non-executive director.

Block Commodities (BLCC) and Century Cobalt Corporation have entered an option agreement to acquire a 70% interest in a medicinal cannabis licence granted to Magnus Cannabis Group in Zimbabwe. Each of the buyers will hold a 35% interest. The option fee is £50,000. The payment for the interest will be £1.5m in Block shares at 0.07p each and £1.5m of Century Cobalt shares. Block no longer intends to acquire Sierra Leone-based Greenbelt Company.

Chris Akers has increased his stake in Quetzal Capital (WENP) from 9.4% to 15.2%.

Love Hemp (LIFE) has signed a five-year sponsorship agreement with UFC.

David Rigoli is joining the board of Veni Vidi Vici (VVV) and he has an interest in electric vehicle commodities.

AfriAg Global (AFRI) is holding a general meeting on 12 April to gain shareholder approval for the reverse takeover of Apollon Formularies Ltd. AfriAg will change its name to Apollon Formularies.

Wheelsure Holdings (WHLP) has raised £25,000 at 13.5p a share.

AIM

Online fashion retailer In The Style (ITS) joined AIM last week. The share price increased from the 200p placing price to 235p. Existing shareholders raised £46.8m from share sales, while there was £9.1m net raised by the company. There will be more investment in the technology platform and there are plans for an international version of the company’s app.

Underlying 2020 revenues at digital payments business Boku (BOKU) were one-fifth higher at $56.4m helped by a six-month contribution from Fortumo. Profit grew even though there was a higher loss from the identity division. There was net cash of more than $50m at the end of 2020, although that includes cash held on behalf of others. In 2021, there should be further growth in digital payments and an improved performance by the identity division.

Trading at document management and technology recycling business Restore (REST) has continued to improve since the second quarter of last year. In 2020, revenues fell from £216m to 3183m, while pre-tax profit dipped from £36m to £23m. This year pre-tax profit should be getting back towards the 2019 level. There are opportunities for further add-on acquisitions.

Futura Medical (FUM) says that erectile dysfunction topical gel formulation MED3000 should be certified as a class 2B medical device which can be obtained without a prescription. This could happen by May. US approval is also progressing.

Diagnostic data provider and analyser Diaceutics (DXRX) was able to launch its DXRX platform at the end of 2020 and it is already winning projects and building up recurring revenues. In 2020, revenues declined from £13.4m to £12.7m and Diaceutics fell into loss. It should return to profit this year.

Renewable energy company Bion (BION) has opened an office in the UK in order to expand in Europe. Two biogas plants in Malaysia are selling electricity generated from biogas produced from palm oil mill effluent. Another two plants will be generating electricity in the next few months.

Trans-Siberian Gold (TSG) has recommended a 118p a share mandatory cash offer from Horvik, which has already agreed to acquire a 51.2% stake.

Telit Communications (TCM) is releasing DBAY Advisers from its restriction on making a bid within six months of previously ending bid talks.

Waterford Finance and Investment is making a mandatory offer for former AIM company Gulfsands Petroleum having bought the stake previously owned by ME Investments for £3.43m. Waterford is also taking ownership of the convertible loan notes owned by ME. Waterford had a 37.3% stake in Gulfsands and it is deemed to be acting in concert with Blake Holdings, owned by Richard Griffiths and James Ede-Golightly. The Waterford stake in the Syria-focused oil and gas company has increased to 52.45% and the combined stake is 83.93%. The bid is 4.035p a share.

CEPS (CEPS) subsidiary Hickton Group has acquired gas and electrical safety consultancy Millington Lord for up to £1.1m.

Dye and Durham no longer intends to bid for IDOX (IDOX), which has sold its Netherlands grants consultancy.

Tremor International (TRMR) has made a filing with the SEC ahead of a potential US listing. Tremor believes it would get a rating more in line with US Ad Tech companies.

Kodal Minerals (KOD) has raised £3.5m at 0.125p a share. This will be used to develop the Bougouni lithium project in Mali and to fund exploration of three gold projects.

MAIN MARKET

Caerus Mineral Resources (CMRS) joined the standard list last Friday after raising £1.92m net at 10p a share. The share price rose to 13p. Caerus is exploring for copper, gold and silver in Cyprus, having acquired New Cyprus Copper, which owns 70% of a company with 12 exploration licences in four project areas in Cyprus. Completion of a work programme will earn a further 20% stake in the subsidiary with the opportunity to acquire the other 10% within 12 months of the work programme for A$2m.

Supply@ME (SYME) has signed heads of agreement to acquire Singapore-based commodities trade enabler TradeFlow Capital Management.

Standard list shell Marwyn Acquisitions Company 1 (MAC1) is raising £130m at 100p a share. Vin Murria has joined the board and she will be investing £17.5m for a 13.1% stake. Murria is likely to seek a large international software acquisition for this vehicle.

Sanofi is terminating its licence agreement with Oxford Biomedica (OXB) but there should not be any significant impact on medium-term revenues.

Toople (TOOP) continues to reduce monthly cash burn. The proceeds of a sale of 1.05 million shares at 0.06p each by the wife of the boss of a subsidiary will be used to repay a £462,000 loan.

OTAQ (OTAQ) has invested $150,000 and converted its loan notes in Minnowtech, which has developed an imaging product using OTAQ sonar technology. This gives OTAQ a 15.2% stake.

CML Microsystems (CML) says shareholders should receive 50p a share in cash by 26 March. Net cash will be more than £30m after this payment, which comes out of the proceeds of the disposal of the storage division. The continuing communications business generated slightly higher revenues in the second half than in the first half. Orders are improving.

Antimicrobial materials technology developer HeiQ (HEIQ) has signed a five-year contract with ICP, which develops thin film coatings for packaging. ICP will use HeiQ Viroblock in its coatings. This could be worth $8m in the first two years. Over five years the royalty revenues should be $30m. This follows a deal with Berger Paints, which could generate $600,000 over one year.

BATM Advanced Communications (BVC) has received around $29m for the completed disposal of NGSoft. The cash will be reinvested in network function virtualisation and molecular diagnostics.

Andrew Hore

Andrew Hore – Quoted Micro 4 January 2021

AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE

BWA (BWAP) has been unable to sell Kings of The North Corp (KOTN) back to St Georges Eco-Mining and there are problems with the title to claims held by KOTN. It appears that two licences had not been renewed by St Georges. Three more licence areas are being reviewed. St Georges has claimed C$200,000 for work it is claimed that has not been done. There is already a claim for cash from a KOTN director and there could be further claims against directors of KOTN and St Georges.

Gunsynd (GUN) says trading in investee company Empress Royalty commenced on the TSX Venture Exchange. Gunsynd invested £146,000 in October and owns 1.4% of Empress.

MiLOC Group Ltd (ML.P) has terminated its endorsement agreement with BrandKing Worldwide and First Strong Workshop for AKFS+ haircare products and also ended the commission agreement with CN Workshop. In the recent interims, inventories increased in part due to AKFS+ haircare products.

Vulcan Industries (VULC) generated revenues of £5.74m and lost £2.96m in the period between 24 October 2018 and March 2020. This was before Vulcan raised £2.2m. The subsequent quarter trading was poor, but the second quarter was ahead of expectations. Further acquisitions have been identified.

TruSpine Technologies (TSP) lost £448,000 in the six months to September 2020. There was £567,000 in the bank.

Evrima (EVA) has sold a commercial property in Leeds for £200,000, which after costs is slightly below its purchase price in 2017. The cash will be reinvested in Kalahari Key Mineral Exploration.

AIM

Small business finance provider Vector Capital (VCAP) joined AIM on 29 December. It raised £3.1m at 38p a share and ended the week at 39.5p. In the six months to June 2020, revenues increased from £1.59m to £2.13m, while pre-tax profit jumped from £954,000 to £1.26m, even though new loans were not issued in the second quarter. The business has been profitable for the past four years. The loan book was worth £34.7m at the end of September 2020. The Jain family owns 80.85% of Vector Capital. Prior to flotation the original shareholders received a total dividend of £400,000.

Xpediator (XPD) has sold its online shopping logistics business in order to concentrate on the core freight business. EshopWedrop Holdings was losing money and the total consideration is £300,000 paid in equal instalments over three years. The book value was £700,000. Xpediator will achieve annual cost savings of £350,000 following the disposal.

MJ Hudson (MJH) is acquiring fund performance analytics business PERACS and this will widen the services it can provide to the asset management sector. The initial payment is 586,016 shares and there is deferred consideration in cash and shares over a three-year period.

Shareholders voted against the reappointment of Ian Visagie as a director of Goldplat (GDP).

Cyber security services provider Shearwater Group (SWG) says that October and November revenues were 39% ahead of the same period last year and the momentum continued into December.

UFG Asset Management has a total shareholding in Trans-Siberian Gold (TSG) of 54.9%.

DBAY Advisers has sold more of its stake in Wynnstay Group (WYN) and it has fallen to 3.7%.

MAIN MARKET

National World (NWOR) is paying £10.2m for the former Johnstone Press group of newspapers. No debt is being taken on. JPI Media Publishing is the third largest local news group in the UK and includes titles, such as Yorkshire Post, Portsmouth News and the Scotsman. JPI is estimated to have generated revenues of £85m and EBITDA of £6m in the past year. National World will use the assets to build a local online news publishing model. There is an initial cash payment of £5.2m with two further instalments. National World is issuing £8.425m of 10% loan notes and plans to issue more. Trading in the shares remains suspended until a prospectus is published and it may not resume until April.

Oil-focused shell Wildcat Petroleum (WCAT) joined the standard list on 30 December. It raised £600,000 at 0.1p a share and was capitalised at £2.4m.

Argo Blockchain (ARB) is investing $100,000 in hashrate management platform Luxor Technologies. The technology can help cryptocurrency miners to increase their returns.

Standard list shell Rockpool Acquisitions (ROC) is still talking to Greenview Gas in its attempt to find a Northern Ireland-based acquisition. Greenview has downgraded its 2020-21 pre-tax profit expectation from £1.4m to £1m. Rockpool had loaned more than £1m, including interest, to Greenview. The initial loan agreement was three years ago. In November, this was repaid out of new borrowings.

Marwyn Acquisition Co I Ltd (MAC1), one of three shells floated by Marwyn during December, has appointed Vin Murria as chairman. She has built up two software companies on AIM and then sold them. The appointment means that the focus of this shell will be the software sector, with the first acquisition likely to be worth more than £100m. Last month, Vin Murria joined the board of AIM shell Summerway Capital (SWC) and it is also seeking software and digital acquisitions, but it is likely to be assessing smaller acquisitions.

Andrew Hore

Andrew Hore – Quoted Micro 7 December 2020

AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE

Newbury Racecourse (NYR) has completed the sale of 1.2 acres of land on the northern perimeter of the racecourse for £1.5m. That is equal to book value.

NQ Minerals (NQMI) is able to draw down from its recently arranged $55m loan facility between its subsidiary Hellyer Gold Mines with ING. The cash is being used to pay off previous debt.

Wheelsure Holdings (WHLP) improved revenues from £178,000 to £235,000 in the year to August 2020, but there remain potential delays to sales. That is particularly true of Transport for London because of its financial problems. The loss was slightly reduced from £224,000 to £203,000. Wheelsure has moved from net liabilities to net assets of £7,000.

Four new directors have been appointed to the board of SulNOx (SNOX) following a general meeting and they have replaced the previous directors. Radu Florescu had previously been a director of the company. Shareholders have also given them permission to issue shares.

Trading has recommenced in Altona Energy (ANR) shares after £138,000 was raised at 6.5p a share. Further cash will be required in the next four months. Indications have been received from investors that a move to AIM or the standard list could enable Altona to raise £1m. Due diligence is being completed on the two rare earth acquisition targets in Malawi and Uganda. Christian Taylor-Wilkinson has been appointed chief executive.

Quetzal Capital (WENP) made a pre-tax profit of £276,000 in the year to June 2020. That was due to creditors accepting 7.5p in each £1 they were owed. Business opportunities are being assessed.

Wishbone Gold (WSBN) has applied for a new exploration licence in northern Queensland, which is 15km north west of the Ravenswood gold mine.

IOV Labs Ltd is investing £330,000 in Coinsilium Group (COIN) at 3p a share. One warrant will be issued for each two shares and the exercise price is 4.5p a share. IOV can appoint a director to the board, having increased its stake to 13.9%. Coinsilium says that it has enough cash until January 2022.

BWA (BWAP) reported an interim loss of £2.91m, which reduced net assets to £2.43m. The Cameroon business has marked out two licence areas and the first sampling has been undertaken with the lab results expected. BWA had written off its stake in the Prego prepaid debit card business, but there is a potential takeover by a Canadian listed company.

Belvedere Leisure (BELV) has issued £872,000 of 6.25% secured bonds, September 2025. This takes the number in issue to £979,000.

AIM

Floorcoverings manufacturer Victoria (VCP) produced better than expected interims. Peel Hunt increased its full year pre-tax profit forecast from £9.4m to £28.7m, while earnings are set to improve from 5.6p a share to 17.4p a share. There should be further significant recovery next year, but by then further acquisitions will have been made so the group will be different.

Springfield Properties (SPR) has gained planning approval for its first private rental development in Scotland. It is for 75 family homes at the company’s Bertha Park Village. Springfield will build the homes under a fixed cost contract and hand them to the PRS provider. This provides additional, predictable cash flow.

Online fashion retailer Sosandar (SOS) increased interim revenues by 52% to £4.3m even though marketing spending was reduced. Conversion rates are improving. Sales through John Lewis and Next started in August. The loss was reduced from £2.79m to £1.1m. Marketing has been stepped up and there has been further growth in revenues during the autumn. There was still £4m in the bank at the end of November 2020.

Digital TV software Mirada (MIRA) reported a 5% reduction in interim revenues to $5.5m due to Covid-19 related delays. Allenby forecasts a decline in full year revenues from $13.2m to $11.5m and the loss is expected to increase from $1.42m to $3.26m. Net debt could rise to $8.45m by the end of March 2021. Next year, the loss should be lower and Mirada should be cash generative so net debt would reduce by March 2022.

AssetCo (ASTO) has launched a tender offer for 6.53 million shares at 411p each. That will return £26.9m to shareholders. Following payment from former auditor Grant Thornton, AssetCo should have cash of around £55m.

Tavistock Investments (TAVI) has postponed a general meeting designed to pass a new long-term incentive plan for executive directors Brian Raven and Oliver Cooke. There has been unfavourable feedback from shareholders.

The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) has made a bid approach to fellow residential lettings business Hunters Property (HUNT).

Nucleus Financial (NUC) has received a bid approach from IntegraFin Holdings (IHP) and the offer is likely to be in cash. Aquiline Capital and Allfunds (UK) are also considering offers. Sanlam UK owns 52% of Nucleus.

DBAY Advisers has acquired shares in Telit Communications (TCM) at 194.8p each, so any potential bid will have to be at least at this price.

Invinity Energy Systems (IES) is raising £20.5m via a placing at 175p a share and up to £2m more could be raised through a one-for-64 open offer. The cash will help to scale up production of its vanadium flow batteries.

Pires Investments (PIRI) is subscribing for a 15% stake in decentralised finance company DeTech Studio and it will also be issued four million YOP tokens. YOP is the decentralised finance platform that DeTech is developing. The plan is to make it easier for non-experts to use. The yop token will facilitate engagement with smart contracts on the Ethereum network.

MAIN MARKET

Tirupati Graphite has launched its fundraising ahead of a standard listing on 11 December. It is raising £6m at 45p a share, which would capitalise the company at £33.6m. The cash will be invested in mining and processing of graphite.

Marwyn has launched three new shells on the standard list. Marwyn Acquisition Co I Ltd (MAC1), Marwyn Acquisition Co II Ltd (MAC2) and Marwyn Acquisition Co III Ltd (MAC3) are all seeking acquisition targets in media, technology and healthcare that can take advantage of digitalisation. Directors of past Marwyn shells are investors in the new shells. Each company has issued 700,000 shares at 100p each.

Standard list shell Mining Minerals (MMM) is in discussions with a potential strategic investor.

Andrew Hore

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