The big-media consolidation story has seemingly become a little more complicated as Comcast and Verizon are reportedly in the market for Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s (NASDAQ:FOX) stake in Sky PLC (LON:SKY).
It is almost a year since Fox moved to acquire all the shares in Sky, though as Rupert Murdoch's buy-out is in gridlock – with the British government kicking the deal into regulatory review with the UK competition watchdog – other possibilities are apparently on the table.
Murdoch has had early stage talks with the two American telecoms and media groups, according to a Wall Street Journal report, though the claims were neither confirmed nor denied by the companies.
City broker Liberum reckons the rumours are “credible”, adding that if a deal goes through it would expect the victor to look to launch a bid for the remaining 61% of the broadcaster’s stock.
With all the recent speculation investors had become a little twitch that a deal might not happen at all, although Liberum’s Ian Whittaker disagrees.
“We still think Sky gets sold, one way or another,” he said. Shares are up 3.9% to 938.5p, making it the biggest riser in the FTSE 100.
12.45pm...Nature Group surges as it unveils strategic alliance with waste management giant Ramky
Nature Group PLC (LON:NGR) investors were like pigs in … mud after the maritime waste specialist announced he agreed a deal to sell off a 50% stake in its US subsidiary to a division of waste management giant Ramky.
Ramky Enviro North America is paying US$1.6mln upfront, although US$450,000 may have to be paid back, depending on performance.
Ramky has also agreed to pump in a further US$1mln into Nature Group in the form of a couple of loans, with an additional US$0.2mln loan also available should Nature want it.
“The board believes that the divestment and the ongoing relationship with Ramky represent a significant opportunity to expand Nature Group's operations in the US and internationally.”
With an industry giant like Ramky seemingly on its side, investors were quick to dive into the stock. Shares more than doubled to 7.25p.
9am ... Versarien shares strengthen as it inks tie-up with consumer goods giant
Versarien PLC (LON:VRS) surged on Friday morning after the advanced materials engineering group confirmed it was teaming up with one of the world’s largest consumer groups.
The AIM-quoted firm revealed earlier this month that it was in “advanced discussions” with two unnamed consumer goods giants.
Versarien will now work with one of those to further research, develop and test its proprietary Nanene product.
The company claims Nanene is the “highest quality” graphene on the market and has been shown to “radically increase” the strength of carbon fibre composites when added to them.
On top of the collaboration, the partner has put in its first Nanene purchase order and the product will be added to plastics to improve packaging.
Versarien is also still in negotiations with “a number of other multinational companies” with a view to also collaborating with them.
"We are delighted to be working with this new partner, which is a global leader in a number of consumer goods segments and whose products are household names,” said chief executive Neill Ricketts.
“It is testament to the quality of our team and our products that we are able to take on these global high volume opportunities.”
Shares gained 12.6% in early deals to 24p.
Carillion top faller in London
Carillion PLC (LON:CLLN) was the biggest faller in London after the troubled construction services firm issued yet another profits warning.
The company – which has lost 90% of its value so far in 2017 – said it will breach its banking covenants as it downgraded profit forecasts again and warned of a mounting debt pile.
Profits will be “materially lower” for the year to 31 December due to the failure to improve margins across UK support service contracts, delays to the disposal of certain public private partnerships and to the start of a significant project in the Middle East.
Full year average net debt is expected to rise to between £875mln and £925mln.
Shares plunged 30.1% to 29.2p in early trading.
Proactive news headlines
Greatland Gold plc (LON:GGP) says global mining giant Newmont is currently evaluating exploration data gathered from its Ernest Giles project in Australia in the past six months. An announcement of the results is expected within a few weeks.
A subsidiary of Bushveld Minerals Limited (LON:BMN), Lemur Resources, has appointed key contractors to manage and oversee a bankable feasibility study for the Imaloto coal and power project in Madagascar.
Galantas Gold Corp (LON:GAL) has announced third quarter financial results. The company booked a loss of just over C$1.4 mln during the nine months to end September, and finished the quarter with just over C$700,000 in the bank. However, a fundraising announced earlier this week could add as much as C$1.4 mln to the company's coffers, enabling it to press ahead with development of the Omagh gold mine in Northern Ireland.
Seeing Machines Limited (LON:SEE), the technology firm whose eye-tracking software is used in semi-autonomous vehicles, expects demand for its Driver Safety System (DSS) to pick up as the mining sector continues to recover. DSS boxes, found in giant trucks that transport ore around large open-cast sites, are used to measure the alertness of the driver.
African Potash Ltd (LON:AFPO) aims to raise £400,000 to set up an blockchain-based payment system for its fertiliser distribution business.A review of its strategy and corporate branding in Africa is also underway to assess how the use of blockchain will change its supply chain and eVoucher scheme.
Pizza franchise owner DP Poland (LON:DPP) has opened its fiftieth store in the country, an event hailed as a major milestone by chief executive Peter Shaw.The first store opened in Warsaw in 2011 but DPP now has outlets in 21 cities.