Small caps outperformed the majors this week as the FTSE AIM 100 index advanced 2.5%, while the FTSE AIM All-Share index climbed 2.2%. The FTSE 100 added 1.15% this week.
Image Scan Holdings (LON:IGE) anticipates 2010 revenues to be ahead of the previous year as sales of security equipment continued growing. The turnover for the year to 30 September is expected at £1.5 million, up from £1.4 million in 2009.
Planet Payment (LON:PPT) said that Visa’s (NYSE:V) decision to end its moratorium on dynamic currency conversion (DCC) would facilitate its sales and entry into new markets.
Lonrho (LON:LONR) is set to raise up to US$70 million to expand its agricultural export business. This morning the company announced a US$70 million convertible bond issue. The new securities will carry a semi-annual coupon between 6.5% - 7% and they will mature in 2015.
ClearDebt Group (LON:CLEA) said that individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) passed in September 2010 reached a record high for the company of 138 cases, while the number of total cases more than doubled in the first quarter. The news triggered a buying spree, driving ClearGroup shares up 25% by midday.
Epistem (LON:EHP) continues to operate a strong and sustainable business model, said KBC analyst Paul Cuddon. In a note on the company’s strong results, Cuddon emphasised that Epistem has several near term catalysts, and the bullish analyst maintained his ‘Buy’ rating and 515p target. The company's chief executive Matthew Walls believes the new GeneDrive product represents an exciting new area for the business. Walls told Proactive Investors that the new Personalised Medicine division is likely to provide the strongest revenue growth over the coming year.
This week, Epistem published a strong set of results with rapidly growing sales, revenues and product lines. The company reported a substantial 45% year-on-year increase in sales to £5.7 million (FY09: £4 million), which boosted net profit to £0.3 million (FY09: £0.1m). Earnings per share (EPS) was up strongly to 3.8p (FY09: 1.1p).
LonZim’s (LON:LZM) 51%-owned telecoms business ForgetMeNot Africa has signed new deals with Globacom and Essar Telecom in Nigeria and Kenya, respectively.
AIM listed healthcare company African Medical Investments (LON:AMEI) has appointed an interim chief executive. He is Amit Thakker, who has been working with the company for several months as chief medical officer.
Eco-friendly pesticides group TyraTech (LON:TYR) revealed it received a second “significant reorder” from its American partner Terminix. TyraTech has been asked to supply more of its SafeShield product, a natural insecticide. Details of the order were not revealed.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) sector specialist Telit Communications PLC (LON:TCM) said revenues in the first nine months of 2010 have grown more that 60 percent over the same period a year earlier to around US$98 million.
Intellectual property company Fusion IP (LON:FIP) has promoted current chief financial officer Tony Gardiner to the main board as finance director.
Surface Transforms PLC (LON:SCE), specialised in carbon fibre reinforced composite material, said it signed a agreement with a major US based manufacturer of aircraft wheels and brakes to develop carbon ceramic disc brakes.
SeaEnergy’s (LON:SEA)wind power business is worth more than the group’s market value on London’s AIM market, according to Ambrian Capital's clean-tech analyst Gurpreet Gurjral. In a note to investors Gurjral said he would be reviewing his valuation and rating for SeaEnergy in the near term.
Deltex Medical (LON:DEMG) shares jumped nearly 19 percent to 15.75 pence at one point in the wake of a positive report from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the advisory body for the NHS.
Panmure Gordon has initiated coverage of e-Therapeutics (LON:ETX), whose technology platform it said could change how the pharmaceutical company conducts drug development. The e-Therapeutics platform can be applied both to discovering new effective and safe medicines, and evaluating the efficacy and safety of specific molecules.
Daniel Stewart & Company (DS&C) has upgraded its 2011 forecasts for Asterand (LON:ATD) following last week’s major contract win. Last week, the AIM quoted human tissue supplier announced a five year contract worth up to US$24.3 million with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) to supply clinically annotated human biospecimens.
Shares in software group Focus Solutions Group (LON:FSG) soared 45% after it secured the largest deal in its history. The group provides multi-channel distribution software to the global financial services industry.
StatPro Group (LON:SOG) has contracted a major custodian bank to integrate the bank's client data with its newly launched portfolio analysis software - StatPro Revolution. The software as a service (SaaS) platform was initially launched, though a public Beta testing phase, earlier this year.