Fleet transport technology provider Microlise Group (LON: SAAS) says that it is making progress with containing and clearing the cybersecurity threat revealed last week. Services should be back to normal at the end of the week. No customer systems data appears to have been compromised. The problems should not have a material impact on the financial position. The share price recovered 10.1% to 115p.
Optimer binders developer Aptamer Group (LON: APTA) continues to win new contracts and it has added contracts worth up to £471,000 in the third quarter. This is work from a number of clients and many are repeat customers. Some of the existing customers are reaching a point where they are considering long-term licences. Booked revenues have reached £1.2m for 2024-25. The potential pipeline has increased to £4m. The share price improved 4.55% to 0.23p.
Market research services provider YouGov (LON: YOU) traded slightly ahead of the recently downgraded expectations for the year to July 2024 and it is maintaining guidance for 2024-25. In 2024-25, underlying pre-tax profit fell from £57.2m to £45m. This was due to higher staff and technology costs. Organic revenue growth was 3%, but there were variations in different regions. Annualised cost savings of £20m are planned. The share price rebounded 3.5% to 458.5p.
Neuroscience assessment technology developer Cambridge Cognition (LON: COG) has a spin-off company Monument Therapeutics that raised £1m in investment and that values the precision therapeutics company at £8.35m. Cambridge Cognition has a 22.1% stake that would be wort £1.85m, compared with a balance sheet figure of £156,000. The share price increased 3.51% to 29.5p.
FALLERS
Surface Transforms (LON: SCE) non-executive chairman Andrew Kitchingham has stepped down after little more than seven weeks in the role. Ian Cleminson becomes interim chairman. The share price slumped 30.6% to 0.17p, which is a new all-time low.
Alba Mineral Resources (LON: ALBA) has acquired an option to ear into the Finnsbo rare earth project in Sweden. A placing has raised £300,000 at 0.03p/share and a retail offer could raise up to £100,000 more. The cash will pay the £10,000 option fee and fund further work at the Clogau gold mine. There are also plans to take an option in a portfolio of gold licences in East Africa. The share price dived 30% to 0.0315p.
Empyrean Energy (LON: EME) has raised £1.12m at 0.1p/share and a retail offer could raise £250,000 more. Empyrean Energy is in discussions with Apnea to participate in the Wilson conventional oil project in Queensland. The company will have the right to earn a 40% working interest by paying $2.8m to cover two-thirds of the drilling costs of an exploration well. As part of the deal Apnea would receive 5% of the enlarged share capital of Empyrean Energy. The share price fell 21.2% to 0.13p.
Electronics and battery products supplier Solid State (LON: SOLI) had a tough first half but it says trading is in line with expectations in the first half and the second half should be better. Interim pre-tax profit has slumped from £7.3m to £2.5m. The components market has returned to normal, and first half revenues declined. Political uncertainty has hampered defence system orders, but the rest of the systems revenues have grown. Last year’s defence revenues were exceptionally strong due to early deliveries, and a decline was expected. That is why full year underlying pre-tax profit is set to fall from £15.6m to £10.1m. There are £50m of second half revenues in the order book. The share price slipped 10.2% to 220p.