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Andrew Hore – Quoted Micro 28 June 2021
AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE
Good Energy (GOOD) says it is perming better this year than in the same period last year which included the start of the lockdown. Forward buying has improved margins. The smart meter rollout is accelerating.
Dispersion Holdings (DEFI) has invested C$200,000 at 18 cents a share in Defi Yield Technologies Inc. This gives it a 3.5% shareholding in the company that is developing a platform for decentralised financial services.
Altona Rare Earths (ANR) has raised £178,000 at 12p a share, which was a premium to the market price. Altona subsequently acquired up to 70% of the Monte Muambe rare earths project. It will take a 1% stake on signing the deal and increase it to 20% in phase 1 when £40,000 in cash is paid and one million shares are issued. In order to take a 70% stake a total of £240,000 in cash will be paid and three million Altona shares have to be issued. On top of this there are minimum expenditure commitments over three phases of the project.
Rogue Baron (SHNJ) says its bar in Washington DC increased sales by 38% to $225,000 in the three months to May 2021 even though capacity has halved. Trading in the shares has started on OTCQB.
Tectonic Gold (TTAU) is preparing to drill the Specimen Hill project in Queensland. There have been positive results from sampling and the structural modelling of the site has been completed.
Capital for Colleagues (CFCP) had net assets of 64.06p a share at the end of May 2021. It sold his investment in Anthesis Consulting for £1.15m during the period. There was cash of £2.65m at the end of May 2021.
DiscovOre (ORE) is changing its name to Oscillate. and it will focus on the medical psychedelic industry. This includes treatments for drug-resistant depression, anxiety, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Ananda Developments (ANA) expects to begin construction of a research facility in July. Strains of medicinal cannabis have been selected for research. Liberty Herbal Technologies has received a US patent for its vaping device.
CBD products supplier Sativa Wellness Group Inc (SWEL) has opened its 40th testing clinic for travellers and has introduced blood testing for Covid-19 immune response through some clinics. The clinics will be listed on the NHS Patient Access service.
Valereum Blockchain (VLRM) has raised £1m at 70p a share.
Virgata Services has extended its offer for Walls & Futures REIT (WAFR).
Tim and Charlotte Syder have increased their stake in Newbury Racecourse (NYR) from 4.5% to 8.7% and they appear to have been bought from Andy and Judith Stewart.
AIM
Printed circuit technology developer and supplier Trackwise Designs (TWD) has disappointed the market due to electric vehicle contract delays. Interim revenues more than doubled from £2.91m to £6.07m thanks to the initial contribution from Stevenage Circuits. A pre-tax profit of £200,000 in 2019 was turned into a loss of £400,000. There is currently net cash of £2.87m. The new factory should open later in the year.
Demand for Accoya wood continues to be strong, but Accsys Technologies (AXS) will not be able to increase production capacity until a new reactor is installed in the Netherlands later in the year to March 2022. In 2020-21, Accsys moved into profit and cash generation improved. A decision is awaited about how Accsys will make progress with the Hull Tricoya plant, where the contractor has resigned. Cash was raised in May to finance the US joint venture, but more cash may be required.
First Property (FPO) had to reduce the valuations of its owned Polish properties last year and that hit net assets. Management says that some of that valuation reduction should be reversed following a restructuring of the finance lease on one of the properties. NAV fell 22% to 42.8p a share at the end of March 2021 and it could improve to 48.8p next March. Loan to value is 45.3%. There is no final dividend.
In 2020, Dekel Agri-Vision (DKL) reported revenues of €22.5m and a reduced loss. The palm oil supplier will benefit from the higher palm oil price this year, enabling it to move into profit. The cashew plant will also make a contribution.
Musical instruments retailer Gear4Music (G4M) performed strongly last year, and revenues improved from £120.3m to £157.5m, while pre-tax profit jumped from £3.1m to £14.6m. This year will be tough, though. Pre-tax profit is forecast to fall back to £7.5m even though current trading is better than expected. The company has started buying existing brands. Premier is a drums brand and Eden is a bass amp supplier. Further acquisitions are likely.
Packaging manufacturer Robinson (RBN) says that revenues in the first five months of 2021 are 17% ahead of the same time last year. This is mainly due to an initial contribution from the Schela acquisition and passing on raw material costs – volumes are 1% ahead.
Jade Road Investments (JADE) had a net asset value of 67p a share at the end of 2020. There was an improved valuation of quarry company Future Metal Holdings. The three-year mining licence has been renewed and an independent assessment of the business will be published later this year.
Tristel (TSTL) has gained approval for foam-based surface disinfectant Jet from the EPA in the US. This will enable approvals to be sought with individual states. Tristel Duo, the disinfectant for ultrasound devices, has been approved in Canada and South Korea.
Vector Capital (VCAP) has raised £1.5m at 47p a share and this will be used for marketing and increasing the loan book. The cash raised at the end of 2020 has been deployed.
Location Sciences (LSAI) has given 12 months notice to its chief executive and finance director. They are continuing to work in the business.
MAIN MARKET
Nottinghamshire-based construction and infrastructure services provider NMCN (NMCN) has secured a highly dilutive rescue fundraising after falling into financial difficulties The company continues to lose money and the terms reflect the dire financial position. A £14m subscription is proposed, with a up to £5m more to come from an open offer. There is also a £10m convertible bridging loan – convertible at 20p a share and with fees and interest it equates to 62.4 million shares. Svella, which is run by former Stobart boss Andrew Tinkler, will subscribe for up to £7.4m of the subscription shares and provide the loan.
Fasteners supplier Trifast (TRI) reported slightly better than expected 2020-21 figures. Industrial activity is recovering. This year pre-tax profit is expected to improve from £11m to £12.9m.
Tirupati Graphite (TGR) has increased sales of its graphite products CarboflameX and GrafEN 45545 with trial and sample orders received. Land has been secured for a dedicated product development facility.
Cizzle Biotechnology (CIZ) has signed a deal to develop a companion diagnostic with St George Street Capital for certain of its potential autoimmune treatment assets that it has licensed. This deal takes Cizzle into a new area, but lung cancer remains the focus.
Zegona Communications (ZEG) is paying an interim divided of 2.6p a share. That is based on the dividend from Euskaltel and does not reflect the proceeds from the telecoms company’s takeover.
Andrew Hore
Andrew Hore – Quoted Micro 31 May 2021
AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE
Pharma C Investments (PCIL) is a shell seeking to invest in medicinal cannabis sector-focused companies, particularly those that provide ancillary products and services to the sector, and it joined the Access segment on 26 May. The indication is that plant genetics, product testing, marketing, procurement services and cannabis consumption devices are areas that might be considered. There was £920,000, after expenses, raised at 0.7p a share. Cash is equivalent to less than 0.4p a share. The shares ended the first day of trading at 0.825p (0.75p/0.9p/) and maintained that price until the end of the week.
Dispersion Holdings (DEFI) has made its first investment. An equity investment of €250,000 has been made in SportsX SAS, which is a technology platform for amateur sports clubs, for a 25% stake. SportsX SAS helps clubs to create club-branded Ethereum-based tokens. SportsX SAS takes 18% of gross merchandising revenues and charges an annual membership fee. It also retains a 10%-20% interest in club tokens. These tokens may eventually be listed on an Ethereum-based exchange, such as Uniswap.
Valereum Blockchain (VLRM) expects to launch the first listed company non-fungible token (NFT) live on a crypto exchange in the next few weeks. This will be via Valereum’s Bridge financial platform and use the Mattereum Asset Passport.
GP IT systems supplier DXS International (DXSP) maintained its profit on slightly higher turnover last year. Pilots of new systems have been continuing but the pace is slower than originally expected. Progress should speed up when there is less pressure on GPs due to Covid. Formal NHS GPIT Futures accreditation should be awarded soon for the ExpertCare hypertension product.
Virgata Services has extended its bid for Walls & Future REIT (WAFR) until 10 June. Virgata argues that the 50p a share bid provides cash immediately rather than some time in the future, even though it is a big discount to NAV.
St Mark Homes (SMAP) reported a fall in full year revenues from £324,000 to £216,000 and there was a loss of £170,000, compared with a profit of £114,000. Management is planning to refocus on developing family housing. Net assets were £5.45m (123p a share) at the end of December 2020. The share price is 87.5p (85p/90p), which values St Mark Homes at £3.86m.
Arbuthnot Banking (ARBB) has originated new loans of £247m so far this year. That means that customers owe £1.8bn. In the four months to April 2021, customer deposits increased by 10% to £2.6bn. There were £1.2bn of assets under management at the end of April.
Capital for Colleagues (CFCP) increased its NAV from 50.17p a share to 61.05p a share in the 12 months to February 2021. That includes a revaluation that reflects the March disposal proceeds for Anthesis Consulting. Interim revenues fell from £271,000 to £198,000, while pre-tax profit fell from £1.28m to £1m, due to a lower level of unrealised gains. There was £1m in the bank at the end of February and this increased to £2.64m after the latest disposal.
Oberon Investments (OBE) has acquired financial planning services provider Smythe House for £300,000 in cash and shares. Up to £233,000 more could become payable dependent on performance. That increases assets under administration by £40m. At the end of March 2021, Oberon had assets under administration of £550m and it reached more than £600m by May 2021. In the year to March 2021, revenues were 240% higher at £3.75m and momentum continues. Broking subsidiary Oberon Capital has been adding clients, including finnCap and MyHealthChecked.
TruSpine Technologies (TSP) has completed its second round of testing for the screwless, spinal stabilisation system Cervi-LOK. It took two surgeons in New York an average of 15 minutes to implant Cervi-LOK on cadavers. That is one-third of the time for other technology. The feedback was positive. There is another round of testing and clearance could be obtained as early as September. An additional £78,000 has been raised at 10p a share.
CBD products supplier Sativa Wellness Group Inc (SWEL) increased first quarter revenues by 377% to £1.37m and gross profit by 234% to £707,000. The loss has been reduced to 0.3p a share.
Ben Richardson has been appointed chief executive of SulNOX Group (SNOX) and Tony Granger becomes full-time chief administration officer. Nigel Armit is no longer finance director. Radu Forescu becomes chairman.
Good Energy (GOOD) has repaid £11.5m of Good Energy Bonds II and that will save annual interest charges of £600,000. The remaining loans total £4.9m and these should be repaid by the end of 2022.
Love Hemp Group (LIFE) raised £2.35m at 3.5p a share. The cash will fund marketing for CBD and hemp products. Coinsilium Group Ltd (COIN) raised £1.16m at 7.5p a share (with a warrant exercisable at 15p attached). The cash will be invested in non-fungible token and open finance sectors.
Mayflower Capital Investments has increased its stake in Altona Real Earths (ANR) from 14.1% to 29.5%. Ashok Patel has taken a 5.03% stake in Quetzal Capital (QTZ).
Watchstone Group (WTG) is seeking shareholder approval to cancel its AIM quotation at its AGM on 29 June.
AIM
Trellus Health (TRLS) intends to provide personalised care for people with chronic conditions with the initial focus being inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It has an exclusive licence for the commercialisation of the GRITT (Gaining Resilience Through Transition) methodology developed by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The company raised £28.5m at 40p a share. The share price jumped to 65p on the first day of trading, which values Trellus Health at £105m.
Medical devices developer Belluscura (BELL) has gained FDA clearance for its portable oxygen concentrator (POC) and it raised £17.5m – the company was originally seeking £15m of new money at 45p a share, which was in the middle of the expected range of 42p-48p. The shares ended the first day of trading at 53p.
Trading continues to be ahead of expectations at franchised lettings agency Belvoir (BLV). Management service fees 22% higher in the first four months of this year, while financial services income is 24% ahead.
Iodine producer Iofina (IOF) reported an increase in 2020 pre-tax profit from $1m to $1.3m on barely changed revenues of $29.7m. Lower interest charges and higher iodine prices will help Iofina to improve profit to $4.4m this year.
Eqtec (EQT) has raised £16m at 1.5p a share. This will finance repowering of plants in Italy and Croatia using the company’s gasification technology, plus investment in UK projects. This has led to a 26% upgrade in 2022 earnings to 0.1 eurocents a share.
MAIN MARKET
Zegona Communications (ZEG) will return £335m in cash to shareholders following the takeover of Euskaltel. The stake Zegona owns in Euskatel is equivalent to 170p a share and the cash distribution will be 153p a share. The rest of the cash is likely to fund another investment.
Kanabo Group (KNB) is raising £1m at 22p a share, which was a 10% premium to the market price. Kanabo is investing £750,000 in a pre-IPO placing by Hellenic Dynamics, a medical cannabis cultivator. A reverse takeover of an AIM shell is envisaged. There is also an agreement with Northern Greece-based Hellenic that could lead to a deal to purchase up to 1,000kg a year of cannabis flowers with pre-defined THC or CBD levels.
Andrew Hore
Andrew Hore – Quoted Micro 6 April 2021
AQUIS STOCK EXCHANGE
Good Energy (GOOD) says that customer numbers have remained stable since September. The 2020 figures will be published on 13 April. There was £18.1m in the bank at the end of 2020. Good has restructured its two renewable generation debts into one debt facility of £39.8m.
Arbuthnot Banking Group (ARBB) has completed the acquisition of vehicle finance provider Asset Alliance Group for £10.1m, which is 50% of the estimated fair value of £20.2m. Arbuthnot raised £8.6m by selling shares in Secure Trust, in which it retains a 5.74% stake.
Greencare Capital (GRE) is investing £100,000 in Clearly Supplements in the form of a 5% convertible loan. The conversion price is a 30% discount to a listing price. Clearly has developed a range of products and is establishing distribution in Asia.
Gunsynd (GUN) has sold three million shares in Rogue Baron (SHNJ) and raised £120,000. Gunsynd still owns 25% of the spirits brands developer and Chris Akers has taken a 3.48% stake. It also has £111,464 of convertible loan notes in Rogue Baron.
TruSpine Technologies (TSP) has raised £585,000 at 10p a share with each share coming with a warrant exercisable at 15p a share. A further £165,000 may be raised. The cash will fund the FDA application and commercial launch for Cervi-LOK.
Interim revenues of Love Hemp Group (LIFE) jumped from £426,000 to £2.38m. There was a loss of £962,000. There was net cash of £79,000 at the end of 2020. The company is moving into new facilities in south London in the middle of this year. Capacity will increase to 500,000 units of cannabidiol CBD products each month.
Tectonic Gold (TTAU) did not generate any revenues in the six months to December 2020. There was a £60,000 loss, although cash used in operating activities was £141,000.
Altona Rare Earths (ANR) can acquire a 71% interest in the owner of the Nankoma rare earths project in Uganda. There is an option to acquire a 51% stake for £1 by the end of June. The option fee is £25,000 in cash and 250,000 ordinary shares. The stake can be increased to 71% by the issue of £15,000 worth of shares.
S-Ventures (SVEN) has reported figures for the period from its formation on 6 July 2020 to the end of January 2021. There was a £60,000 cash outflow from operations and the company made two investments with another one made since January.
Optiva Securities has been approved as a corporate adviser.
AIM
Parsley Box (MEAL) has got off to a disappointing start on AIM after raising £5m at 200p a share. The shares ended the first day of trading at 185p, before recovering to 187.5p. Parsley Box has a strong brand position in its market niche and Covid-19 lockdowns have helped it to grow its customer base. The company has a range of more than 60 single portion meals, that can be stored in a cupboard and do not have to put in a fridge or freezer. Parsley Box makes more than 900,000 deliveries per month and demand has increased due to Covid-19. There are more than 500,000 registered users and 154,000 of these active customers at the beginning of this year.
ActiveOps (AOM) is a supplier of management process automation software and it got off to a good start after it floated on AIM. The share price has risen from the placing price of 168p to 190p. No new money was raised in the float and there is £8m in the bank. ActiveOps is losing money but its is generating cash. Once customers are gained, they increase their spending over a number of years and this will be supplemented by new customer wins.
Destiny Pharma (DEST) announced positive results of the phase 2b clinical study on the use of XF-73 nasal gel for the prevention of post-surgical infections. The next step will be the design of a phase III study. Discussions are being arranged with the FDA in the US.
Gfinity (GFIN) has completed its strategic review and has decided to continue with its existing strategy of focusing on higher margin revenues. Interim revenues more than trebled and the operating loss fell by nearly three-quarters to £900,000. There is £1.8m in the bank.
Arena Events (ARE) has raised a further £11m at 14p a share, having raised £9.5m at 10p a share one year earlier. The cash will enable management to bid for strategic assets, including Aztec Shaffer, a US company in Chapter 11.
K3 Business Technology (KBT) has written £16.9m off its intangible assets. Ongoing revenues dipped from £50.1m to £48.8m and the software provider made a small profit in the year to November 2020. Recurring revenues are three-quarters of the total.
Itaconix (ITX) increased revenues from $1.29m to $3.29m in 2020. Increased use of its sustainable polymers in detergents, odour control and personal care products is enabling revenues to grow and they will rise further this year. Itaconix is still losing money but it has the cash it requires for the medium-term.
Lawyer Ince Group (INCE) has agreed a £17m, three-year financing arrangement with Investec which replaces the £10m facility with Barclays.
Recent AIM admission TEAM (TEAM) is proposing an all-share offer for Tavistock Investments (TAVI) and shareholders owning 14% of Tavistock have indicated support for the offer from the investment manager.
Energy supplier Yu Group (YU.) generated better than expected 2020 revenues of £101.5m and the loss was reduced. Net cash was £11.7m at the end of 2020. This leaves management in a strong position to increase the scale of the business. This year there will be full contributions from customer books acquired last year. Average monthly new bookings were £10.3m in the second half of 2020.
Time Out (TMO) has raised £17m at 35p a share. This should supply working capital until November 2022.
MAIN MARKET
Macfarlane Group (MACF) is paying up to £4.5m for Cornwall-based protective packaging supplier Carters Packaging. In the year to March 2020, Carters made a pre-tax profit of £500,000 on revenues of £4.2m.
MasMovil has launched a bid for Euskatel, in which Zegona Communications (ZEG) has a 21.4% stake. This values the target at €2bn and the Zegona shareholding at €428m. That puts a value of 170p a share on Zegona.
InnovaDerma (IDP) reported a one-fifth decline in interim revenues to £4.1mand a more than trebled loss of £1m. Management expects trading to be uncertain for the rest of the financial year. The recent fundraising will help to keep the business on a sound footing while it waits for a more substantial recovery.
Andrew Hore
Andrew Hore Quoted Micro 15 April 2019
NEX EXCHANGE
High Growth Capital (HASH) is increasing its stake in Sentiance to 15% and is negotiating an option to acquire a majority stake in the artificial intelligence and machine learning business. The additional 5% stake will cost £7m in shares issued at 0.8p each. The option would enable an increase in the total stake to between 51% and 84.8%. The company would offer 100,000 of its own shares for each Sentiance share and the option is subject to High Growth Capital raising at least £25m. High Growth Capital has also acquired the intellectual property of Malta-based BDD, a company founded by Chris Akers, for £4m in shares at 1p each. The project involves an annual blockchain raffle that would raise money for social impact and environmental initiatives.
EPE Special Opportunities (ESO) had a net asset value of 205.2p a share at the end of January 2019, which was 12.5% lower than the year before. The stake in fully listed LED lighting products manufacturer Luceco (LUCE) is a significant part of the portfolio and its valuation fell by 27.7%. There has been a recovery in the Luceco share price since the end of January, even though there was a decline of three-quarters in 2018 pre-tax profit to £3m. The EPE NAV had risen to 232.8p a share on 9 April on the back of Luceco share price rise. The EPE share price is 180p.
Angelfish Investments (ANGP) is subscribing £150,000 for a 9.14% stake in Just Bee Drinks and is also providing a loan facility of up to £100,000 at a annual interest charge of 10%. Just Bee has developed a natural juicy water drink sweetened with honey. This means that there is no added sugar. More than one million bottles were sold last year, and revenues doubled. The drink is already sold in Waitrose and Boots. Just Bee had net assets of £83,000 at the end of March 2018. Angelfish has also provided a £100,000 debt facility at the same interest rate to Wallet Ads. The previous loan of £150,000 was converted into a 20% stake.
NQ Minerals (NQMI) nearly doubled zinc concentrate production at the Hellyer mine in Tasmania to 3,015 DMT in the first quarter of 2019, while lead concentrate production increased by 18% to 4,712 DMT. Pyrite concentrate production jumped by 331% to 18,488 DMT.
AIM
Video games developer and services provider Sumo (SUMO) reported better than expected 2018 revenues of £38.7m and pre-tax profit of £9m. Sumo has been acquiring businesses to give it extra capacity as well as opening new studios. There is plenty of demand for Sumo’s services so utilisation rates are high and there is further upside from performance-based royalties and its own IP.
Destiny Pharma (DEST) had £12.1m in the bank at the end of 2018 and this will last into 2020. That should be long enough for the phase IIb study of XF-73 for the prevention of post-surgery infections.
Maiden full year results from legal services and credit hire business Anexo (ANX) have led to an upgrade by its broker Arden. The 2019 pre-tax profit forecast has been edged up from £17.8m to £18.1m, up from £16.1m in 2018, and the 2020 figure is 4% higher at £20.1m. Net debt is expected to increase from £17.3m to £26.3m in order to finance the growth of its legal business.
RA International (RAI) continues to win contracts, but larger contracts are taking longer to secure. RA provides services to remote locations in nine countries in Africa and the Middle East. Having joined AIM last summer, RA has $27.8m in the bank and this is helping it to tender for and win larger contracts. The average contract term is 4.4 years. This makes revenues relatively predictable and they are expected to rise by 10% this year to more than £60m.
Property investor Safeland (SAF) intends to leave AIM and secure a matched bargain facility on Asset Match. It is tendering for shares at 42.5p each, which compares with an NAV of 140.2p a share at the end of September 2018.
Having sold the RTLS SmartSpace business, the continuing revenues of geospatial software and services provider IQGeo (IQG) fell from £16.5m to £9.98m, although recurring revenues were 22% higher, and gross margin improved. There were lower software revenues, but the main decline was in the sale of third party products. There is a significant market for the company’s products and new modules are being launched. However, the full benefits of changes being made by management will probably not show through until next year. There is £30.9m in the bank and some of this will be returned to shareholders after a capital reorganisation is completed.
Interim revenues generated by LightwaveRF (LWRF) have more than doubled to £2.5m which is nearly as much as the £2.8m generated in the previous 12 months. Direct sales, e-commerce and telesales have contributed to the growth, as has the development of retail clients.
Legal firm Gordon Dadds (GOR) has acquired Gibraltar-based Rampart Corporate Advisers for up to £1.34m depending on performance. Rampart specialises in e-gaming, fintech and distributed ledger technology, and made a profit of £400,000 in the year to June 2018. Five former Ince network firms are joining Ince Gordon Dadds, although they remain independent. This would add £23m to existing group annual revenues of £77m. The firms are based in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Greece and Germany. This will boost profitability.
Strategic Minerals (SML) says the Cobre magnetite operations generated cash of $206,000 in the first quarter and the group cash balance was $1.24m at the end of March 2019. Volumes were lower because customers were undertaking plant maintenance and the continued suspension of a major client’s contract. There should be seven years of magnetite stockpile. The company expects to acquire the other 50% of the Redmoor tin/tungsten project by the end of May. This will cost £2.66m.
PhotonStar LED (PSL) says that it has enough cash for its immediate needs, but the blocking of the issuing of more shares by shareholders means that there is not enough cash to follow the strategy to find a reverse takeover target. The company may launch an open offer or ask shareholders for a second time for the authority to issue shares without offering them to existing shareholders a second time. Having become a cash shell, the company has been dropped from the FTSE AIM All Share index. It has six months to find an acquisition. A number of potential acquisition targets have been met by the board. Additional directors will be appointed.
Rose Petroleum (ROSE) has raised £275,000 at 1.1p a share in order to finance the appraisal of projects. The shares are being acquired by new executive chairman Robert Bensh, who has experience of the US oil and gas sector. Chief executive Matthew Idiens has more than doubled his stake to 2.52% by acquiring two million shares at 1.75p each. The finance director Chris Eadie has also more than doubled his stake to 1.2% at 1.67p a share. New non-executive director Tom Reynolds also bought shares.
Concepta (CPT) is raising £2.3m at 3p a share to finance marketing and further development of its myLotus fertility test.
MAIN MARKET
Cadmium-free quantum dots developer Nanoco (NANO) had £6.2m in cash at the end of January 2019. There was a total cash outflow of £4.57m in the latest six month period. The main capital investment at the Runcorn site is almost complete. Non-executive director Chris Batterham has bought 125,000 shares at 47.354p each. Miton has reduced its stake to 4.96%.
Bonmarche (BON) says the mandatory cash bid of 11.445p a share by Spectre undervalues the retailer. Bonmarche is reducing costs. Cavendish Asset Management has edged its stake up to 10%.
Standard list shell Contango Holdings (CGO) has entered into an agreement to acquire the Lubu coalfield project in Zimbabwe for £6.45m in shares at 5p each. Once regulatory approvals have been gained the acquisition should go ahead and trading in the shares can recommence. That should happen by the end of June. There will be a placing to raise cash to fund initial trial mining.
Telecom services provider Toople (TOOP) says that it had more than £1.1m in the bank at the end of March 2019. That is a £1m reduction on the level at the end of September 2018, when there was also a shareholder loan, which was assigned a value of £572,000 in the balance sheet but has a cash value of £607,000. There is no indication if this loan has gone down. Last year, admin expenses were £1.55m, net of other income, and that was more than revenues. Revenues have grown but even if gross margin were to improve there will still be a significant first half loss.
Nuformix (NFX) has signed an agreement for cannabinoid therapeutics development, licensing and commercialisation for an initial upfront payment and other research and development and milestone payments that could total up to £51m. Canada-based Ebers Tech Inc will use Nuformix technology to develop a range of consumer and pharma products.
Zegona Communications (ZEG) has increased its stake in Euskaltel to 21%.
European High Growth Opportunities Securitization Fund has transferred 35.4 million shares in WideCells (WDC) to David Sefton and Linton Capital, which has promised to hold them for 12 months. European High Growth Opportunities still owns 18.2% of WideCells.
Andrew Hore
Andrew Hore – Quoted Micro 24 December 2018
NEX EXCHANGE
China-based Gamfook Jewellery had planned to join the standard list, but it has decided to float on NEX. The online retailer of customised jewellery had intended to raise cash at 15p a share, but the flotation on NEX on Christmas Eve will be an introduction at 15p a share. Management hopes the flotation will help to increase its profile and customer base. A dividend based on 28% of profit attributable to shareholders is promised.
Walls and Futures REIT (WAFR) has maintained its NAV at 92p a share at the end of September 2018. In the six months to September 2018, rents increased from £33,000 to £67,000. Additional supported housing opportunities have been assessed.
KR1 (KR1) has raised £785,000 at 5p a share and paid £40,000 in fees to advisers in shares at the same price. KR1 director Keld van Schreven subscribed for 50,000 shares. The cash will fund further blockchain token investments.
Panther Metals (PALM) has signed heads of terms for the acquisition of Parthian Resources, which owns exploration assets in Australian. Parthian shareholders will own 15% of Panther if the deal goes ahead. One of these shareholders is Kerim Sener, who is non-executive chairman, who will end up with 4% of Panther. The deal should be completed in January 2019.
Blockchain investment company Coinsilium Group Ltd (COIN) says that Gibraltar-based StartupToken has attracted a £193,000 investment from South Korea-based Blockwater Capital in return for a 7.4%. Coinsilium had invested £360,000 in StartupToken during November and the value of the investment has doubled to £722,000. Executive chairman Malcolm Palle has bought 200,000 shares in Coinsilium at 3.6p a share, taking his stake to 6.35%.
Clean Invest Africa (CIA) is acquiring the remaining 97.5% of CoalTech LLC for £24.6m. This will be funded by a share issue. A circular will be published in the first quarter of 2019. A new incentive plan for management, in the form of options exercisable at 2.5p a share, is planned.
IMC Exploration (IMCP) has issued five million shares at 1p ia share and every five shares has a warrant exercisable at 1p a share. The £50,000 will be used to continue exploration in Avoca, County Wicklow. Wishbone Gold (WSBN) has raised £300,000 at 0.1p a share. The cash raised will be used to accelerate production at the Honduras gold facility. NQ Minerals (NQMI) has raised £38,000 at 12p a share.
Milamber Ventures (MLVP) has issued shares valued at nearly £302,000 to creditors at a range of share prices. Management has acquired the majority stake in Milamber USA and Milamber retains a 20% stake. Milamber has also reduced its stake in Vocademia to 5% with the rest of the share capital acquired through the return of 900,000 Milamber shares. A further 166,667 shares were returned for Milamber’s stake in White Cobalt. Milamber has created a new training compliance company called Checkbox and taken a 51% stake in an education joint venture with Black Arrow Space Technologies, which is developing commercial orbital launch services.
Imperial Mining (IMPP) is changing its name to Imperial X to reflect the change in investment focus from resources to the cannabis sector.
Medicinal cannabis investment company Sativa Investments (SATI) says that investee company Rapid Dose Therapeutics Inc has listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange. This has provided a 70% uplift in the initial investment value for a gain of C$140,000.
Lombard Capital (LCAP) had £4,130 in cash and £112,000 in assets available for sale. at the end of September 2018. Lombard still plans to issue an asset-backed investment bond.
Tectonic Gold (TAU) says that initial analysis of drilling at the Specimen Hill project in Queensland has confirmed mineralisation with grades up to 6.06g/t. Full results should be available in January.
Trafalgar Property Group (TRAF) is raising up to £1m through an issue of 8.5% convertible bonds 2025. The issue could eventually be increased to £5m. The bonds will be traded on NEX. The cash will be used to fund residential development and planning applications. Trafalgar has limited cash and it lost money last year.
Filta Group (FLTA) has multipled the size of its grease management operations in the UK through the acquisition of Watbio for £6.9m in cash and shares, plus working capital adjustment. Cenkos has provisionally upgraded its 2019 earnings forecast by 26% to 11.8p, assuming completion of the deal in early January. Filta is raising £3m at 200p a share, which is a premium to the market price, and has obtained a £4m, five-year loan facility. Filta started building a grease management division through acquisition just over one year ago. Watbio generates annual revenues of £10.3m and pre-tax profit of £800,000 so it is much larger than the existing operations. It also offers other drain management services.
A strong performance from property servies more than made up for a weak first half performance of the business recovery division of Begbies Traynor (BEG) and pre-tax profit was 9% higher at £3.2m on revenues 8% ahead at £28m. The number of insolvencies increased in the first half but there was no repeat of the large one-off fee in the first half of the previous year. The interim dividend was raised by 14% to 0.8p a share. Net debt fell 10% to £6.3m. The performances of the divisions will reverse in the second half and 2018-19 pre-tax profit should improve from £5.6m to £6.4m.
President Energy (PPC) has drilled the third Puesto Flores well on budget and there have been good oil shows, but they are lower than the previous two wells. All three wells could be in production by the end of the year.
AssetCo (ASTO) has transferred the loal employees in Abu Dhabi to the new supplier of fire services. There is a possibility of winning work in the region. The litigation against former auditor Grant Thornton continues and a judgement could happen in the first couple of months of 2019.
URA Holdings (URA) was not able to complete the acquisition of Entertainment AI early enough to prevent the cancelation of the AIM quotation on 24 December. The acquisition could still happen.
Real Good Food (RGD) has sold jams maker R and W Scott for £1.5m, of which £500,000 is deferred until September 2019, and the assumption of £2.45m of debt. That takes disposal proceeds to £17.8m and completes the main corporate activity. The cake decoration and food ingredients businesses make up the majority of the remaining group.
Small business financial services provider City of London Group (CIN) continues to lose money as it builds up its activities. Recognise continues to try to obtain a UK banking licence.
HaloSource Corporation (HALO) has not been able to secure additional finance and trading in the shares has been suspended. There is limited cash left.
Thalassa Holdings (THAL) intends to move to a standard listing. No new shares will be issued and the move should take place on 25 January.
Revenue and EBITDA growth in the range of 15% to 20% is expected by Craneware (CRW) in the six months to December 2018. The healthcare accounting software provider has a 100% renewal rate in dollar terms in the first half.
Replacement windows and doors manufacturer Safestyle (SFE) has improved its order intake in the past six months after its agreement with a former employee who was competing with the company. However, costs have increased and the 2018 loss will be between £8.2m and £8.6m. The 2019 performance could be ahead of expectations. Otus Capital Mananagement has taken a 5.42% stake.
Audio equipment supplier Focusrite (TUNE) had a strong November but it is still cautious about the full year. The trade dispute between the US and China remains a concern.
N4 Pharma (N4P) has extended the licence agreement with UniQuest for Nuvec. It has become an exclusive global licence with certain fields licensed back to UniQuest.
finnCap has resigned as nominated adviser and broker to The People’s Operator (TPOP) and that could scupper the placing with the owner of LycaMobile. An investment of £1.3m in shares (29.9%) and convertible loan notes was planned.
Yu Group (YU.) says that the Financial Conduct Authority is investigating the accuracy of its announcements between March and October. Poor internal controls caused a shortfall in profitability. The energy supplier has revealed that its 2018 loss could be as high as £7.85m, which is higher than previously estimated. This is due to a decline in gross margins and balance sheet corrections. There was £11m in the bank at the end of November 2018.
LiDCO Group (LID) will report float full year revenues and this has led to a £800,000 increase in forecast pre-tax loss to £1.9m. The take-up of the high usage programme has been slower than expected and an Asian order was delayed. The patient monitoring equipment supplier is expected to have cash of £1.5m by the end of January 2019.
TLA Worldwide (TLA) has agreed in principle to sell its Australian business to QMS Media and this would make TLA a cash shell.
Rasmala (RMA) left AIM on 19 December. A new holding company is based in the British Virgin Islands.
It gets worse at Paragon Entertainment (PEL) with another loss in the second half on lower than expected revenues. A 2018 loss of £2.4m is forecast. Overheads have been reduced so the loss could be smaller next year.
Scientific Digital Imaging (SDI) increased interim revenues by 23% to £8.05m through a combination of acquisitions and organic growth, while pre-tax profit was one-third higher at £1.5m. finnCap is cautious about the full year for the scientific instruments supplier and has maintained its full year pre-tax profit forecast at £2.6m, which suggests a lower second half profit.
Management has launched a 12p a share bid for former AIM-quoted PR firm Freshwater as a way of enabling existing shareholders to exit the business.
MAIN MARKET
Trading in standard list shell Fandango Holdings (FHP) shares has been suspended ahead of the proposed reverse acquisition of Konnect Mobile Communications Inc, which owns PaySocial Inc, a mobile banking and payments eWallet.
Standard list shell Papilon Holdings (PPHP) has acquired 50% of Pace Cloud Ltd, which owns CarCloud, a fintech company involved in the used car sector. This represents a fundamental change in the business. Papilon is raising up to £500,000 via a convertible loan note issue. The conversion price is 1.25p a share.
Telecoms services provider Toople (TOOP) lost £1.4m in the year to September 2018, which was slightly more than the previous year. The gross profit of £203,624 was enough to cover the directors pay of £196,713. There was a cash outflow of nearly £1m in the period. There was £2.14m in the bank at the end of September 2018, but there is a loan from former shareholder David Breith with a cash value of nearly £607,000, which could become repayable from 3 May 2019.
Zegona Communications (ZEG) has decided not to tender €7.75 a share for up to 14.9% of Euskaltel, where it is trying to improve performance, because it has not been abe to secure funding. Zegona has secured a relationship with Talomon Capital, which will own up to 2.4% of Euskaltel on top of Zegona’s existing 15% stake, which will be increased via market purchases. That requires a share issue by Zegona.
Investment company Athelney Trust (ATY) is consulting with existing and potential shareholders, concerning a tender offer to existing shareholders at the same time as an issue of new shares.
Andrew Hore