AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE
NFT Investments (NFT) plans to acquire Pluto Digital Assets. NFT Investments has a non-binding letter of intent relating to the acquisition, which is valued at £96m – based on the issue of 2.4 billion NFT Investments shares at a nominal valuation of 4p each. That is equivalent to 9.3p a share. However, NFT Investments shares have been suspended at 2.475p (2.35p/2.6p). NFT Investments is lending £5m to Pluto, which is a crypto technology and operations company involved in decentralised finance and NFTs.
SuperSeed Capital Ltd (WWW) is set to join Aquis on 31 January, having raised £2m at 100p a share. SuperSeed is a Guernsey-based closed-ended collective investment scheme operating a fund of funds. Investments will primarily be in unquoted funds managed by SuperSeed Ventures. The initial funds will invest as a limited partner of SuperSeed Ventures II LP.
Capital for Colleagues (CFCP) has redeemed its A shares in investee company Bright Ascension and received the book value of £250,000. It still owns ordinary shares in the space software technology company worth £1.75m. Capital for Colleagues NAV was 70.9p a share.
Valereum (VLRM) has accelerated its purchase of the Gibraltar Stock Exchange. An option will be exercised to take the stake from 10% to 50%. Once change of control is allowed, Valereum will take its stake to 90%. The plan is to make the stock exchange one of the world’s first regulated integrated fiat and digital exchanges.
Samarkand Group (SMK) has become a FedEx alliance partner. FedEx clients will be able to use Samarkand’s Nomad ecommerce platform.
MiLOC Group (ML.P) says that one of its subsidiaries has received a claim for £202,000 that it says it is owed.
AIM
Hargreaves Services (HSP) reported a jump in profit thanks to a large contribution from German joint venture HRMS. In the six months to November 2021, revenues fell from £92m to £76.1m partly due to the past sale of the coal stocks to HRMS, although operating profit improved from £868,000 to £1.06m. Pre-tax profit was £10.4m, up from £1.08m, which includes a share of HRMS profit of £9.27m, up from £944,000. The interim dividend has been raised from 2.7p a share to 2.8p a share. Net assets are 462p a share.
Compliance and energy saving services provider Sureserve (SUR) is not paying a dividend even though net cash is £16.5m. The cash will be invested in acquisitions to grow the business. In the year to September 2021, revenues increased by one-quarter to £244m, while pre-tax profit was 77% higher at £13.8m. There was an improved profit contribution from compliance services, particularly the gas business, and energy services contribution recovered.
Acoustic and thermal insulation material manufacturer Autins Group (AUTG) continues to be hampered by electronic component shortages that have slowed car production. Demand from the automotive sector will return when these components are available. In 2020-21, revenues increased 9% to £23.4m. That is better than it appears because there was a £1m plus reduction in short-term PPE revenues. The main growth came in flooring sales.
Real Estate Investors (RLE) says occupancy is 85.75% and this could move to over 86% if expected lettings are secured. The total dividend for 2021 will be at least 3p a share, which is a yield of more than 7.5%.
Digital advertising services provider Dianomi (DNM) grew revenues by more than one-quarter in 2021. Growth is being supplemented by newer elements such as video and lifestyle. Underlying EBITDA will be slightly ahead of expectations and cash increased to £10.3m.
Velocity Composites (VEL) reported a slump in revenues in the year to October 2021, but the supplier of engineered kits for the aerospace sector is experiencing a recovery in demand. Airbus is likely to ramp up production and this could help revenues improve from £9.8m to £11.7m. It will still be loss making at that level. Longer-term, Velocity Composites has its sights on moving into the US aerospace model using the same model as in the UK.
Redx Pharma (REDX) is set to have three phase II clinical trials in process later in 2022. A 2mg dose has been selected for the RXC004 study for colorectal cancer and the other RXC004 study for pancreatic cancer and unselected biliary cancer. Both these studies have already commenced. There is also a phase II study for use of RXC007 as a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) starting later this year. These studies mean that costs will increase. There was £29.6m in the bank at the end of September 2021 and a further $19m in milestone payments have been received since then.
M and C Saatchi (SAA) independent directors have rejected a revised offer from AdvancedAdvT (ADVT). The offer was 2.245 AdvancedAdvT shares for each Saatchi share or an alternative of 1.633 AdvancedAdvT shares plus 40p in cash for each share. The alternative is worth less than the all share offer. AdvancedAdvT says that it would move to AIM.
MAIN MARKET
ACP Energy (ACPE) is a standard listed cash shell seeking oil and gas acquisitions. It raised £830,000 at 5p a share. The share price ended the first day at 6.5p (5p/8p). The focus is the upstream oil and gas industry, particularly projects where oil and/or gas has already been discovered, which may be producing assets or ones where there has been some development spending. A minimum market capitalisation of £30m after the first acquisition is being targeted.
Air Partner (AIR) is recommending a 125p a share cash bid by Wheels Up Experience Inc, a provider of on demand private aviation in the US. This values the aviation services provider at £84.8m.
Associated British Engineering (ASBE) did not generate any revenues in the year to September 2021. NAV is 43p a share, including £489,000 in cash, although a Nasdaq investment has subsequently fallen in value. The trading business was sold in 2020.
Sivota (SIV) has entered into a conditional deal to acquire a majority stake in digital marketing platform Apester. There has been $36m invested in the technology and revenues were $9.2m in 2021.
OTHER MARKETS
FOS Holdings (FOS) has switched its listing from Vienna to the Cyprus Emerging Companies Market. FOS has decided to build film studios in Cyprus as part of a joint venture with Dias Media. The company’s subsidiary FOS Film Studios will have a 75% stake in the joint venture. The plan is to build a complex of three film and TV studios, plus additional facilities. There are plans to seek a loan from the EU and the Cyprus government is keen to have film infrastructure on the island. The first studio could be finished by the end of 2022. FOS has three films in early-stage development.
IPSX-listed building owner Mailbox REIT (MBOX) has declared a dividend of 1.75p a share for the fourth quarter of 2021. This is the first step in paying an annual dividend total of 7p a share. Mailbox REIT owns a single building in Birmingham and plans to switch 50,000 square feet of retail space into office accommodation. NAV is 101.9p a share.
Andrew Hore
