Tag Archives: RUA

AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE

Valereum (VLRM) shares resumed trading on 27 November. The Gibraltar Stock Exchange acquisition is not going ahead. The convertible loan note funding facility has been terminated. Warrants will be cancelled, and the company will seek to ensure that the shareholder register is accurate. Accounting records will be audited. Karl Moss has been appointed finance director.

Guanajuato Silver (GSVR) is withdrawing from the Aquis Stock Exchange at the end of 2023. It does not believe it can justify the cost of this quotation, which was gained on 25 October 2022, and the TSX Venture Exchange listing. The share price fell 13.5% to 16p. A deal has been signed to terminate the obligation to make contingency payments of $2m to Great Panther in return for offsetting a working capital adjustment owed to the company.

MBH Corporation (M8H) has decided to drop its Aquis quotation on 4 January when it will have been on the market for less than 10 months and concentrate on its Frankfurt quotation. The majority of days there has been no trading on Aquis.

Semper Fortis Esports (SEMP) plans to acquire GL Membership, which trades as Good Life+ and offers prize draws. There are more than 21,000 subscribing members, plus 500,000 email subscribers. A ten-for-one share consolidation will be undertaken and then 500 million shares issued for the acquisition at a price of 2p each. Additional assets are being bought from Chadd Media. A subscription will raise £1.4m at 2p/share. Investors include the family office of Sportingbet founder Mark Blandford.

Marula Mining (MARU) has commenced phase one exploration at the Nyorinyori and NyoriGreen graphite projects in Tanzania. The focus is the high-grade and jumbo flake graphite mineralisation, which is thought into extend in the NyoriGreen licence. The initial findings should be reported in January. Ore commissioning at the new ore sorter at the Blesberg lithium and tantalum project in South Africa should be completed at the end of January. The expanded processing plant should be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024.

Coffee shop owner Cooks Coffee Company (COOK) reported flat continuing revenues of NZ$2.04m and it has gone from a pre-tax profit of NZ$125,000 to NZ$319,000. There was a NZ$5.27m loss on discontinued operations. In October, there were record sales per store. A regional developer has been appointed to increase the number of stores in southwest England. By March, Cooks Coffee expects to have up to 80 Esquires outlets in the UK and Ireland by March. Oberon Capital has been appointed corporate adviser.

Helium Ventures (HEV) plans to change its investment strategy to focus on technology businesses. The name will be changed to Eastwood Capital.

VSA Capital (VSA) says that the owners of a 19.8% stake in Lush Cosmetics and Lush Cosmetic Warriors who agreed to sell the stake to Aquis-quoted Silverwood Brands are asking the broker to help unwind the transaction. Lush blocked the transfer of the shares. The original owners of the stake are threatening legal action if VSA Capital does not comply with the request and return the commission it earned on the transaction. VSA Capital says the claim has no merit.

Quantum Exponential Group (QBIT) investee company Oxford Quantum Circuits is raising $100m and launching OQC Toshiko, the first enterprise ready quantum computing platform. A Japanese venture capital fund. Quantum Exponential currently holds a 0.34% stake, and it will not participate in the fundraising.

Coinsilium Group Ltd (COIN) has signed heads of agreement with Indorse for a strategic share acquisition transaction for an additional 14.76% stake, taking the total stake in Indorse to 24.9%. Coinsilium will issue 65 million new shares for the additional stake.

Vulcan Industries (VULC) has finally published its accounts for the year to March 2023. The loss was £1.02m, although there was also an extraordinary profit of £1.59m on discontinued activities. The loss-making businesses have been sold. The company is moving into renewables.

Pharma C Investments (PCIL) is asking shareholders to agree to a new investing policy covering technology, fintech and AI.

IamFire (FIRE) is changing its name to WeCap and the discounted capital bonds held by Hawk Investment are being extended to 24 November 2024.

Voyager Life (VOY) says some of its CBD-based pet care products are being stocked by Pets at Home.

Aquis Exchange (AQX) says that the Aquis Stock Exchange has become the first recognised investment exchange to run on a cloud-based engine, which determines trades.

DXS International (DXSP) has secured grant funding of £409,000 jointly with Health Innovation East for research and development for AI prescribing system ExpertCare.

KR1 (KR1) had an NAV of 56.14p/share at the end of the November 2023. The digital assets generated income of £395,437.

TruSpine Technologies (TSP) says its working capital position remains weak.

Clean Invest Africa (CIA) has raised £210,000 from a placing at 0.35p/share.

Oscillate (MUSH) says all directors will receive their salaries in shares from the beginning of 2024. They will be issued at the mid-price on the day before the payment. Executive director Steven Xerri bought 6.29 million shares at 0.42p each, taking his stake to 7.8%.

AIM

Safety and regulatory compliance services provider Marlowe (MRL) achieved organic growth of 6% in the first half, but this did not show through in underlying earnings, which fell 15% to 18.9p/share. A strategic review is underway and non-core businesses could be sold. Full year earnings have been downgraded by 7% to 44.3p/share.

Wynnstay Group (WYN) says second half trading conditions are tough. Farm gate prices are weaker and wet weather has also hampered progress. That hit arable and feed business, while the merchanting division also suffered lower volumes. Shore has reduced its full year pre-tax profit forecast from £10.7m to £9.4m.

Siemens has sold its entire 11.2% stake in Sondrel (SND) for £589,000. The placing price was 6p. The semiconductors designer raised £17.5m at 55p/share when it joined AIM in October 2022. Project delays have hit revenues and knocked the share price. Siemens has been a long-term partner and was granted the status of preferred supplier of electronic design automation software for a 36-month period at the time of the flotation.

Film and video services provider Zoo Digital (ZOO) had already warned that interims would be poor with the EBITDA loss of $7.1m, but the ending of the actors’ strike in the US means that the outlook is more positive. Film and TV programme production can get going again providing a flow of work. EBITDA breakeven should be achieved in the fourth quarter and new clients have been won. A pre-tax profit of $1.4m is forecast for 2024-25 as work returns to normal levels and new business comes on stream.

Forward Partners (FWD) has agreed an all-share bid from fellow technology investment company Molten Ventures (GROW), valuing it at £42.1m. Molten Ventures is offering one share for every nine Forward Partners shares, which is equivalent to 31p/share when the bid was announced. At the end of September 2023, Molten Ventures had a NAV of 735p/share, while at the end of June 2023 Forward Partners had a NAV of 67p/share.

Mind Gym (MIND) says clients are delaying hires and related spending. The interim revenues fell from £26.8m to £20.9m and the human resources training and education company fell into loss. Annualised costs have been cut by £8m, with £3m showing through in the second half. A full year pre-tax loss of £2.5m is forecast and Mind Gym may have a small net debt position at the year end in March 2024. The company should return to profit next year as revenues recover and the cost savings kick-in.

Interims from Supreme (SUP) reported record interim revenues of £105.1m and the growth came from all divisions. Branded distribution and vaping were the strongest divisions. Interim underlying pre-tax profit doubled to £12.6m. Investment in stocks meant that net cash became net debt of £4.8m. Full year pre-tax profit of £28.4m is forecast by Zeus.

The second and third diamond drill holes at the Pitfield project owned by Empire Metals (EEE) provided more positive news with the highest grades of titanium so far. The results suggest that the resource is much greater than previously thought. The focus becomes identifying high grades at shallower depth. The additional drilling will lead to mineral resource studies.

Healthcare services provider Totally (TLY) is restructuring its business after a tough first half. Revenues were one-fifth lower at £55.8m due to lower urgent care business levels. Annualised cost savings of £3m have been made and there could be more to come. Share buying by directors has not stopped the share price decline. New chair Simon Stilwell bought one million shares at 6.1p each, while non-exec Michael Rogers acquired 40,000 shares at 5.333p each.

Tintra (TNT) intends to cancel its AIM quotation. A general meeting will be held on 4 January to gain shareholder approval. Management bemoans that the share price is too low and believes that direct costs can be reduced by £505,000 – which is ridiculously high for a company of this size – by leaving AIM. It is strange that the management has let them get out of control. That is before any indirect costs. A Middle East investor may become a partner and one of the conditions of the deal is the AIM cancellation. There is talk of a potential Middle East listing. JP Jenkins will provide a matched bargain facility, although the minimum bid price is apparently going to be set at 150p/share for the first nine months.

Antibody discovery and supply company Fusion Antibodies (FAB) is collaborating with the US-based National Cancer Institute in the use of its OptiMAL technology for the discovery of antibodies for specific cancer targets. Fusion Antibodies will not have to commit significant resources to the collaboration.

RUA Life Sciences (RUA) took advantage of last week’s share price surge to raise £4m at 11p/share. There is also a retail offer that closes on 7 December. That could raise up to £750,000.

Vela Technologies (VELA) has exercised the put option to sell the interest in AZD1656, which relates to a Covid application, to Conduit Pharmaceuticals for £3.75m in shares. In September, Conduit Pharmaceuticals completed its IPO on Nasdaq.

MAIN MARKET

Ondo InsureTech (ONDO) has raised £1.08m at 20.5p/share. This will finance working capital for recent contract wins by the claims prevention technology company.

Kelso Group Holdings (KLSO) has taken a 3% stake in AIM-quoted Angling Direct (ANG) at an average price of 35.1p/share. THG (THG) boss Matthew Moulding has bought a 3.2% stake in Kelso, which owns 0.6% of THG.

Cardiff Property (CDFF) improved its net assets to £28.44/share. That includes cash and deposits of £10.8m, which is more than one-third of the total.

Creightons (CRL) says that managing director Bernard Johnson’s employment has been terminated and he has left the board.

Andrew Hore