PageGroup (LSE:PAGE) has pleased investors by raising its full year profit forecast for the third time since April.
The recruitment group said the positive momentum and trends it had seen during 2021, particularly at the end of the third quarter, continued at both a regional and global level in the past two months.
Growth in October was up 16% compared to 2019 in constant currencies and November was up 26%.
So, barring any more unexpected events, it now believes full year operating profit will be in the region of £165mln.
In October it forecast profits of £155mln, up from £125mln-£135mln in July. In April it expected £90mln- £100mln.
Its shares have added 4.52% or 29.5p to 682.5p.
2.44pm: Somero Enterprises says full year figures will be better than expected
Somero Enterprises, Inc. (AIM:SOM), which manufactures laser-guided equipment for placing and leveling concrete, has built up a good gain.
The Florida-based firm said that after a strong second half, it now expected its full year figures to be better than previously forecast.
In September it said revenues were expected to be around US$120mln, adjusted EBITDA would be US$42mln, with net cash of about US$36mln.
Now these figures will be around US$130mln, US$45mln and US$39mln respectively.
It said the strong second half trading had been led by North America, with healthy contributions to growth from Europe and Australia, with the remaining international markets performing as expected
In North America, market conditions remained positive, driven in part by demand for new warehousing, with customer workloads at high levels and reported project backlogs extending well into 2022.
Somero is up 11.81% or 56p at 530p.
12.52pm: Informa plans to return £1bn to investors under new strategy
Informa PLC (LSE:INF), the events and business services group, is in demand after it said it would return £1bn to shareholders via a share buyback and a special dividend.
The move would follow the successful sale of its Informa Intelligence business, a strategy just unveiled at a capital markets day.
Chief executive Stephen A. Carter said: "Today we are announcing Informa's growth and acceleration plan for the next three years, which commits the group to faster growth and increased investment in the two markets where we have leading brands and leadership positions of scale: Academic Markets and B2B Markets."
"As part of this investment and growth strategy we are starting a process to divest our portfolio of high quality, high performing brands in Informa Intelligence, thereby unlocking value and providing the funds to further strengthen our position in our two growth markets.
"By concentrating on these growth markets, we will expand our Academic and Events businesses at pace through focused investment, accelerated digital growth and targeted acquisitions."
The plan is to return revenues to 2019 levels by the end of 2024.
It will invest up to £150mln during that period, funding programmes to expand its range of digital services and accelerate the pace of underlying growth. By 2024, this investment is expected to generate £150mln-£200mln of incremental revenue and a growing contribution to operating profit.
It will also look at acquisitions, and has already made a start. It announced the addition of the Premiere portfolio of B2B Events serving the growing US Professional Beauty & Personal Care market, as well as an investment in the Totem Smart Events platform and the addition of US-based NetLine, which brings established capabilities in Audience Development and B2B Digital Demand Generation.
Informa's shares are up 6.9% or 33.1p to 512.8p.
12.11pm: Gemfields shines after successful emerald auction
Shares in Gemfields Group PLC (AIM:GEM) are sparkling after a successful series of emerald auctions.
The auctions between 1 November and 6 December saw 58 companies placing bids, and generated total revenues of US$37.8mln with an average value of US$150.65 per carat, a new record.
The rough emeralds sold were extracted by the Kagem mine in Zambia, which is 75% owned by Gemfields and 25% by the Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia. The proceeds of the auction will be fully repatriated to Kagem, with all royalties due to the Government of the Republic of Zambia being paid on the full sales prices achieved at the auction.
Chipembele, a 7,525 carat 'rhino emerald', was won by longstanding Kagem customer Eshed - Gemstar.
The auction saw 100% of the offered carats sold. Gemfields' 39 auctions of emeralds and beryl mined at Kagem since July 2009 have generated USD 749.7 million in total revenues.
Adrian Banks, Gemfields' managing director of product and sales, said: ""Our end-of-year emerald auction has been one of the most hotly contested auctions in Kagem's history. As a result, the auction set new records for both the highest revenue and the highest average price per carat achieved at any Kagem auction...
"The auction result again underscores the step-change in both market demand and in the prices bid by our clients, aided by tightened supply stemming from the one-year suspension of operations at Kagem, the world's largest emerald mine, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward immensely to monitoring developments in 2022."
Gemfields shares are uup 6.6% or 0.88p at 14.12p.
10.54am: Image Scan confident as business boosted by key new orders
Image Scan Holdings PLC (AIM:IGE) has seen a jump in its shares after a positive update.
The company, which supplies X-ray screening systems to the security and industrial inspection markets, said full year profits had climbed from £112,000 to £189,000 despite a fall in sales from £3.5mln to £2.9mln.
During the year, it won a large portable X-ray order for an Asian government, the first orders for its new cabinet X-ray systems and the first orders for government customers in the US and Canada
Chairman and chief executive Bill Mawer, who plans to hand over the latter role in January to sales director Vincent Deery, said: " It is gratifying to be able to report that a second profitable year has been delivered, despite the continuing Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our customers, our supply chains and our staff....The product development programme continues to move forward, and I look forward to launching more new products in 2022...
"Alll the board remain optimistic for the future of Image Scan."
10.06am: Dev Clever jumps after Chinese VR contract
Another contract win, another share price rise.
Dev Clever Holdings PLC (LSE:DEV) has jumped 7.02% or 2.05p to 31.25p after it unveiled a "material" contract from Question What's Real, an Asia-based VR hardware manufacturer and distributor operating on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The contract is for an initial 20,000 VR devices to be deployed to users in China, pre-installed with the group's immersive STEM learning library.
The initial devices will begin to be distributed shortly after the Chinese New Year in February 2022. The company will receive US$150 per device on an annual recurring subscription-basis. Subject to the success of the initial roll-out, there is an option to extend the partnership to include between 15,000 and 30,000 additional devices in 2022. In addition to the immersive STEM-based content, the VR headsets will also incorporate a healthcare app, developed by QWR and CAS, with the objective of reducing myopia through the use of VR.
Dev Clever chief executive Chris Jeffries said: "As Dev Clever continues its global expansion, with a presence now in North America, India, the UK and the United Arab Emirates, we are very pleased to be adding a partnership in China...
"As the world continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing a marked increase in enquiries for our products and services from educational authorities globally. We are excited about the expansion of our pipeline and look forward to growing our presence in China and beyond."
9.04am: Contract win boosts Dillistone
Dillistone Group (AIM:DSG) is in demand after its recruitment software subsidiary Ikiru People won a large new contract.
It said the award represented its biggest contract win since the restructuring of the business in January 2020 and points to an improved performance in 2022.
The initial contract is for two years and will see its Infinity recruitment software replace three legacy applications developed by current and former competitors.
Chief executive Jason Starr said: "Throughout the pandemic, the group has continued to invest in its range of recruitment technology products. We believe that this notable contract win, displacing a number of direct competitors, provides further evidence that our strategy of innovation in technology is the correct strategy for both Dillistone and its clients."
Dillistone shares are up 10.53% or 2p to 21p.
Elsewhere Crimson Tide (AIM:TIDE) has climbed 12.5% or 0.35p to 3.15p as it unveiled a deal with Compass Group PLC (LSE:CPG).
The mobile software group has signed an agreement with Compass for its non-UK based operations, and announced its first contract with the catering giant's Danish business.
The Danish deal involves Crimson Tide (AIM:TIDE) using a cognitive cleaning operation for Compass' marquee clients. In practice, this means washroom and meeting room cleaning will be completed based upon usage as well as schedules.
The company said the new agreement underpinned opportunities for future sales of its mpro5 workforce management platform to Compass Group's operations across 45 countries in over 55,000 locations.
Chairman Barrie Whipp said: "We have proved the value of mpro5 with Compass Group in the UK over a number of years. This..agreement allows other Compass locations to easily add mpro5 to their operations to enjoy the great benefits in food safety and compliance that our solution affords. Customer engagement to date suggests that in the short to medium term deployments in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and Asia-Pacific are the most likely though clearly this new agreement represents an excellent development of the company's relationship with Compass. We look forward to announcing further contracts with Compass locations soon."