blur Group PLC (LON:BLUR) was the top market gainer in late afteroon trading, surging, leaping 48% highert to 4.63p on news after the close yesterday that its chief commercial officer Laurence Cook is the group’s new chief executive officer, replacing founder Philip Letts.
Cook joined blur in November and has been instrumental in driving customer acquisition in the Enterprise sector, blur's stock market statement said.
He has 25 years' experience in the information and communication technology industry, having led global sales teams at industry giants Siemens, Cable & Wireless and NTL.
Another riser on management changes was resources minnow Aminex PLC (LON:AEX) which added nearly 16% at 3.1p as it announced the appointment of a new chief operating officer and a head of legal, with Aaron LeBlanc and Brian Cassidy respectively joining from the start of September.
12.00pm: Johnston Press a faller after revenue decline; Aggreko also weak
Johnston Press plc (LON:JPR) was a big faller in later morning trade, losing 5.8% to 10.35p after the publisher of the Scotsman and Yorkshire Post newspapers saw another large dip in classified print advertising although performances were much better in digital and at the i newspaper.
The group’s revenues fell by almost 8% to £103mln in the half year to July, though without the classifieds there was a near 5% improvement to £85.6mln with online ads showing a 15% improvement and audiences at a record high.
Aggreko PLC (LON:AGK) was another loser after results today, shedding 0.9% at 860.5p saw its first half profits fall by 10%, hurt by lower pricing on its Argentina contracts, although the world's largest temporary power provider maintained its full-year guidance.
The FTSE 250-listed firm reported a pretax profit before exceptional items of £63mln for the six months to June 30, down from £71mln a year earlier.
But well-received results boosted bookie William Hill PLC (LON:WMH), up 9.3% to 276p fter the group said its number of customers has started growing again in the first half of 2017.
The first half of 2017 saw good progress against the bookie's three strategic priorities, with wagering growth across all four divisions.
William Hill;’s net revenue in the 26 weeks to 27 June edged 3% higher to £837.0mln from £814.4mln the year before.
9.30am: Be Heard and Adept Telecom strong gainers after bullish updates
Be Heard Group PLC (LON:BHRD) was a strong early gainer this morning, adding 8.5% at 3.2p as the digital marketing services group said it is confident of hitting full-year targets after its first half revenue soared.
The AIM-listed firm saw its net revenue leap 155% higher to £8.4mln in the first half of 2017 from £3.3mln the year before, thanks in part to a full six months' worth of contributions this time around from acquired MMT and Kameleon, plus a first-time contribution from Freemavens, acquired in February of this year.
Be Heard’s management highlighted strong performances at its agenda21 and MMT Digital units, which enjoyed a high volume of new business wins.
Also on the up was Adept Telecom PLC (LON:ADT) which gained 3.7% at 347.5p on news it is to become the largest supplier of IT systems to London’s schools with the acquisition of Atomwide Limited for £12mln.
Atomwide has a customer base of more than 4,000 schools and over two million users including a long-term relationship with the London Grid for Learning.
And Stratex International plc (LON:STI) rose 6.5% to 1.23p as it agreed to dispose of the Posse Iron Ore mine in Brazil for R$8mln or about £1.94mln.
The consideration will be paid over a 17 month period conditional on R$1.0mln (£0.24mln) being paid before 10 August after which payment will be in 15 equal monthly payments.
Other Proactive news headlines:
Hurricane Energy Plc (LON:HUR) has decided to sideline plans to raise a further US$$5mln of capital via an offer to shareholders. The UK offshore oiler had intended to give existing shareholders the opportunity to invest at the same price as the investors that got involved in the company via its recent US$530mln funding, allowing long term holders to manage the dilution somewhat.
Chief commercial officer Laurence Cook is the new chief executive officer of blur Group PLC (LON:BLUR), replacing founder Philip Letts. Cook joined blur in November and has been instrumental in driving customer acquisition in the Enterprise sector, blur's stock market statement said.
Portfolio analytics software provider StatPro Group PLC (LON:SOG) has seen strong organic growth in revenue this year from its flagship Revolution product. The cloud-based StatPro Revolution platform saw organic revenue growth of 16% in the first half of the year, as the group as a whole reported a 2% organic rise in revenue.
Aminex plc (LON:AEX) has announced the appointment of a new chief operating officer and a head of legal, with Aaron LeBlanc and Brian Cassidy respectively joining from the start of September.
Action Hotels PLC (LON:AHCG) has opened its second Bahrain hotel – in the city’s diplomatic area. Branded ibis Styles, the venue has 95 rooms, including 24 family suites and offers easy access to the international airport and the World Trade Centre.