Well here's a nice welcome for a new board director.
Shares in Hornby PLC (LSE:HRN), the company behind the eponymous model railways and Scalextric, have accelerated 12.77% or 6p to 53p after it announced entrepreneur Henry de Zoete as a non-executive director.
De Zoete is an alumnus of Silicon Valley start-up accelerator Y Combinator, whose previous businesses include collective bargaining group The Big Deal and tech start up Look After My Bills which was sold to GoCompare owner GoCo Group PLCin July 2019.
He has previously served on the board of grassroots campaigning organisation 38 Degrees and was a Special Adviser in the Department of Education. He is currently an angel investor in tech start-ups and a non-executive board Mmember of the Cabinet Office.
Hornby completed its website in early 2021, and chairman John Stansfield said: " Henry has a tremendous amount of highly relevant experience and I am in no doubt that he will make a strong contribution to the group as we move forward with our digital transformation."
De Zoete said: "Hornby, Scalextric, Corgi, Humbrol and Airfix are all incredible, heritage brands that I grew up with. I am really excited to give strategic input as the brilliant team focuses on digital transformation and growth, to build the business for generations to come."
2.06pm: Livermore Investment Group lifted by dividend news
Livermore Investment Group Limited. (AIM:LIV) has been lifted by news it is trading in line with forecasts and will pay a dividend to shareholders next month.
The group, which specialises in fixed income instruments such as collaterised loan obligations, will give shareholders an interim payout of US$0.145 a share.
It said: "The board has decided to pay this dividend based on the group's profitability, liquidity requirements, portfolio performance and market conditions. The group continues to trade in line with management expectation."
Its shares are up 13.27% or 6.5p at 55.5p.
12.07pm: Cordiant Digital Infrastructure on the acquisition trail
Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Ltd (LSE:CCRD) has slipped back announced two acquisitions and a placing to help fund future deals.
It is paying US$74mln for New York-based DataGryd Datacenters and £352mln for Polish digital infrastructure business Emitel.
It also plans to place shares at 106p each, because it has "a pipeline of attractive opportunities under active due diligence and negotiation in excess of €2bn in North America and Western Europe alongside organic expansion opportunities within its portfolio."
Its shares are down 4.85% or 5.5p at 108p, still above the proposed placing price.
10.49am: M&C Saatchi climbs as acquisition vehicle buys near 10% stake as "a good investment opportunity"
M&C Saatchi PLC (AIM:SAA) has moved higher after an acquisition vehicle bought a near 10% stake.
Its shares are up 12.84% or 21.5p at 189p as AdvancedAdvT Limited (LSE:ADVT) spent £24mln or 200p a share for 9.82% of the advertising and marketing firm.
AdvancedAdvT said it viewed this as "a good investment opportunity."
AdvancedAdvT is chaired by Vin Murria, who previously founded and was chief executive of Advanced Computer Software Group.
It raised £130mln in March 2021 with the support of leading institutional investors to pursue its stated investment strategy of seeking mid-cap acquisition opportunities in the software sector.
9.55am: Blue Star Capital dashes hopes of imminent update
Buy on the rumour, sell on the fact, especially when the fact is disappointing.
Shares in Blue Star Capital PLC (AIM:BLU) - which invests in esports, payments, technology and its applications in media and gaming - closed nearly 32% higher on Tuesday.
There had been some suggestion of an imminent update but there were no formal announcements.
Today there is, but it casts little light on the situation.
Blue Star said it noted the recent rise and added: "The board confirms that it is not aware of a reason for this increase."
Its shares have not lost all their gains however. They are currently down 7.7% at 0.5p,
9.05am: Nostra Terra Oil and Gas lifted by positive outlook for the coming year
Nostra Terra Oil and Gas Company plc (AIM:NTOG) has seen its shares gush higher after a positive outlook for the coming year.
The company, whose main assets are in Texas, said that as a result of increasing production, strengthening oil prices, and prudent management, it was now self-funding.
It plans to drill three to four new wells in Texas, funded from existing resources as cash generated from its current production programme.
The wells are within its existing areas of operation, minimising drilling risk and allowing lower operating costs post-drilling and completion.
Elsewhere it is looking at a potential gas site in Tunisia, at a time when the gas market is very strong.
Matt Lofgran, Nostra Terra's chief executive officer, said: "Nostra Terra finished the year in a strong position. The company is cashflow positive to the corporate level and have multiple wells planned to drill throughout the year, all funded without need for dilution. We anticipate these wells having a strong contribution to cashflow after allowing for further investment for growth in other areas.
"In addition to this we continue to work on additional opportunities in other areas of the world that we feel could have a large impact to our growth."
Its shares are up 8.96% at 0.37p.
Elsewhere Concurrent Technologies (AIM:CNC) has climbed 8.75% to 87p after the computer product firm said revenues and profits for the year were now expected to be ahead of market expectations.
This comes despite the well-publicised problems with component supply chains.
The company expects to pay a final dividend to shareholders, and said it had entered 2022 with a strong order book and a pipeline of product releases to grow its customer base and revenues in 2022 and beyond.
Chief executive Dr Miles Adcock said: "I am delighted with the 2021 trading performance, in particular how the experienced management team and dedicated staff enabled Concurrent to minimise impact of the global supply chain issues, and I am confident in the long term prospects for the business."