Conroy Gold and Natural Resources PLC (LON:CGNR) shares edged higher as it said it has been awarded all costs after winning a court battle against a shareholder in Dublin's High Court.
Dissident shareholder, Patrick O’Sullivan, lost in the court case in which he claimed that he and two of his nominees had wrongly been blocked from being elected directors of the board by chairman, Richard Conroy.
The cost award comes with a stay on the order pending any appeal by O’Sullivan.
"The amount of the costs will now be assessed and the company will provide an update at the appropriate time," Conroy said in a statement.
Shares rose 11.11% to 22.50p.
Bluerock Diamonds Plc (LON:BRD), on the other hand, saw its shares fall 15.38% to 1.65p as it said production in early October has been disrupted by rain.
The company, which owns and operates the Kareevlei Diamond Mine in the Kimberley region of South Africa, said production volumes in October may be “somewhat lower” than September.
However, it said it “remains on track to start processing the first of the Level 2 kimberlite in October, from which it expects a further improvement in grade”.
1.30pm: Mytrah Energy slides as it reviews unauthorised loan to its chairman
Mytrah Energy Limited (LON:MYT) is on the back foot in afternoon trading after saying there will be review into a recent transaction connected to chairman Ravi Kailas.
The India-based power group said in a statement that its independent board members have been advised that a US$2.4mln loan to Kailas last month was made without approval. The loan was for the purchase of property not related to the company’s operations.
Shares dropped 12.94% to 24.81p.
Going the other way, Strategic Minerals saw its shares rise 8.94% to 2.32p after reporting record sales of US$2.036mln from the Cobre magnetite tailings project for the three months to September 2017.
Cobre is situated in New Mexico, USA, and has consistently generated cash for Strategic in the past. The latest sales record is based around production of 29,539 tonnes.
11.30am: easyHotel shares rise on better-than-expected trading
Investors checked in to easyHotel PLC in late morning trading (LON:EZH), with the AIM-listed stock up 5% to 93p after it said its full year trading is "a little" ahead of expectations.
In a trading update, the owner, developer and operator of super budget hotels said its total sales were up 39% in the financial year ended September 30 to £29.7mln, as like-for-like revenue for owned hotels increased by 13.7% and for franchised hotels by 8.6% in the period.
Elsewhere, Robert Walters PLC (LON:RWA) shares jumped 8% higher to 589.5p as the recruitment firm told investors it expects profits to beat full-year expectations after a record performance in the third quarter.
The staffing group reported a gross profit of £90.7mln for the three months ended 30 September, a 22% increase on the £74.4mln it posted for the same period in 2016.
And social media app group MySQUAR Limited (LON:MYSQ) gained 5.7% at 4.18p after it unveiled plans to team up with fellow AIM-listed firm Sealand Capital Galaxy PLC (LON:SGCL) to distribute mobile games on each other’s platforms in Myanmar.
MySQUAR games will be available under Sealand's licence agreement on the Huawei inTouch platform. Huawei is the third largest smartphone provider in the Myanmar market.
10.30am: Pubs and restaurants get a lift from Domino’s, Marston’s updates
Investors were tucking into food and pubs group shares in mid morning trading following upbeat trading news from Domino’s Pizza Group PLC (LON:DOM) and Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS).
FTSE 250-listed Domino’s saw its shares surge 14% higher to 345p after it hinted at a full-year profits beat following a strong third quarter performance.
The group said its sales in the three months ended 24 September 2017 climbed by 20.8% to £286.4mln (Q3 2016: £237.0mln).
Meanwhile Marston's shares took on 5% at 109.4p after it said its full year sales and profits ahead of last year, with the brewer and pubs operator targeting further growth in 2018, although summer trading was subdued.
In an update for the year ended 30 September 2017, the FTSE 250-listed firm said like-for-like sales for its Destination and Premium pubs division were 0.9% above last year, while its Taverns business saw like-for-like sales 1.6% above last year.
Fellow pubs group Greene King PLC (LON:GNK) gained 3.8% at 540p in sympathy with Marston’s resilient performance.
And eating out specialist Restaurant Group PLC (LON:RTN) was up 2% at 309p.
9.40am: Pets at Home down as KKR almost halves its holding
Pets at Home PLC (LON:PETS) was the top FTSE 250 faller in early trading, down 8% to 197.9p after private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co almost halved its holding in the pet shops and services group to 12.4%.
KKR said it sold off 61mln Pets at Home shares for a total of £119mln, implying a price per share of around 195.08p, which is 9.4% lower than Monday’s closing share price.
Kohlberg is left with 62.0mln shares in the pets goods retailer, equal to a 12.4% stake.
Also among the early fallers, Johnston Press PLC (LON:JPR) dropped 15% to 13.5p as it revealed it is approaching its largest bondholders about forming a potential ad hoc committee as part of a strategic review on its bond debt.
The publisher of the Scotsman and Yorkshire Post newspapers started the review in March with advisors Rothschild and Ashurst to assess financing options for its £220mln bond debt due for repayment on 1 June 2019.
And fund raising moves weighed on two groups associated with the wonder material graphene today, with Applied Graphene Materials PLC (LON:AGM) shedding over 35% to 41.5p after launching a placing to raise around £9mln via an accelerated book-build at a minimum price of 36p.
Meanwhile Haydale Graphene Industries PLC (LON:HAYD) lost 15% at 148.5p as it accompanied full year results with plans to raise up to £9mln through the issue of shares at not less than 120p each.
Proactive news headlines:
Strategic Minerals PLC (LON:SML) has generated record cash flow from its Cobre magnetite tailings operation in New Mexico and now expects profits to be above US$1mln for the first time. The money will be used to continue with exploration activities at Redmoor and elsewhere.
Social media app group MySQUAR Limited (LON:MYSQ) is teaming up with fellow AIM member Sealand Capital Galaxy PLC (LON:SGCL) to distribute mobile games on each other’s platforms in Myanmar. MySQUAR games will be available under Sealand's licence agreement on the Huawei inTouch platform. Huawei is the third largest smartphone provider in the Myanmar market.
Haydale Graphene Industries PLC (LON:HAYD) is proposing to raise up to £9mln through the issue of shares at not less than 120p each. Up to £6mln will be raised through a share placing, with the remainder via a subscription offer open to all shareholders.
Shares in Seeing Machines Limited (LON:SEE) motored higher as it announced the "automotive production debut" of its FOVIO-based driver monitoring system in the 2018 Cadillac CT6.
Scancell Holdings PLC (LON:SCLP) has nabbed Dr Cliff Holloway from Benitec Biopharma to be its new chief executive officer, succeeding Dr Robin Goodfellow. Goodfellow will remain on the board of directors.
Iodine extractor Iofina PLC (LON:IOF) might beat its production guidance of between 225-240 metric tonnes in the second half of 2017. The bullish update followed production of 125Mt of iodine in the three months to September, making year to date production of 360.5Mt.
Internet of Things (IoT) enabler Telit Communications PLC (LON:TCM) has designed a wireless sensor to be used in robotic lawnmowers made by Swedish outdoor power products giant and Flymo owner Husqvarna. The device will allow cities which use the lawnmowers to maintain their green spaces as well as collect data about the environment such as air quality, water and noise pollution and sound levels.
Mytrah Energy Limited (LON:MYT) has announced there will be a review into a recent transaction connected to chairman Ravi Kailas.
88 Energy Limited (LON:88E, ASX:88E) has updated investors on the Icewine project, in Alaska, as it released its most recent quarterly activity report. The company said that there has been significant pressure build up in the Icewine-2 well since the flow testing programme was suspended on September 18.
Tharisa PLC (LON:THS) produced 360,500 tonnes of chrome concentrates during the fourth quarter of the financial year, up 8% quarter-on-quarter. Full year production totalled 1.3mln tonnes of chrome concentrates, an increase of 7% on the corresponding period a year ago. This production also included 323,000 tonnes of higher margin specialty chrome and 143,600 tonnes of platinum group metals.
Tower Resources PLC (LON:TRP) is to advance the exploration of the Thali block in Cameroon, following a technical committee meeting alongside the authorities.
Avacta Group PLC (LON:AVCT), the developer of Affimer® biotherapeutics and reagents, has announced that its chief technology officer, Dr Matt Johnson, will be presenting at the Annual Biomarkers & Precision Medicine Congress in San Diego, 9th-11th October.