AIM movers: Europa Oil and Gas farm-out prospect and Tasty launches retail offer

Andrew Hore
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AIM movers: Europa Oil and Gas farm-out prospect and Tasty launches retail offer

Canaccord Genuity discretionary clients have further reduced their stake in oil and gas investor Westmount Energy (LON: WTE) from 6.87% to 0.001%. The share price rebounded a further 29.4% to 1.1p.

Europa Oil & Gas (LON: EOG) says an associate company has signed non-binding heads of terms with a major energy company to farm-out an interest in the EG-08 production sharing contract in offshore Equatorial Guinea. Europa owns 42.9% of the associate, which owns 80% of the production sharing contract. The share price is one-quarter higher at 0.625p.

Mosman Oil and Gas (LON: MSMN) says key permitting approvals for the Sagebrush and Coyote Wash helium projects in Colorado are imminent. At Sagebrush, approval for 3D seismic should be received in mid-Augus. At Coyote Wash, Mosman should gain approval for six drill-ready helium prospects identified by seismic. The share price rose 15.6% to 0.026p.

ECR Minerals (LON: ECR) is leasing a drill rig that will move to the Lolworth gold and rare earths project in Queensland after it has carried out reconnaissance drilling at the Blue Mountain project. This has led to ECR Minerals mapping a potentially suitable area for future commercial production. Potential gold in situ could be worth more than $1.1m. The share price increased 5% to 0.21p.

Minimally invasive surgical endoscopy device developer Creo Medical (LON: CREO) has published a video from the wife of one of the company’s engineers who underwent the procedure. She made a successful recovery. The share price improved 5% to 13.125p.

FALLERS

Restaurants operator Tasty (LON: TAST) has raised £9.25m from a placing at 0.5p/share and a retail offer could raise a further £1m. The Kaye family intend to invest £500,000 in the retail offer, which closes on 6 August. David Page owns 5.42% and Nicholas Wong holds 6.08%.The share price fell back 27.3% to 0.6p.

Automotive connection systems supplier Strip Tinning (LON: STG) reported interim revenues dipping from £4.8m to £4.5m, but the loss was reduced from £2.73m to £1.56m. There was cash generated from operations. Battery technology sales quadrupled to £1.2m. The automotive market is tough, but management is confident about long-term prospects. The share price fell 3.64% to 26.5p.

Critical minerals recycling, urban mining, and bumper revenue growth with Majestic Corporation’s Krystal Lai

UK Investor Magazine
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Critical minerals recycling, urban mining, and bumper revenue growth with Majestic Corporation’s Krystal Lai

The UK Investor Magazine was thrilled to welcome Majestic Corporation’s Krystal Lai to drill down into the company’s recent annual results and plans for the future.

Krystal starts by outlining Majestic Corporation’s critical minerals recycling business model, detailing the specific forms of waste the company processes, and the precious and non-ferrous metals Majestic returns to the supply.

Majestic Corporation recently reported a 67% increase in full-year revenue – we lift the lid on the company’s financial performance and look forward to what investors can keep an eye out for in the year ahead.

We discuss the massive opportunity in the UK for Majestic’s operations and their plans to accelerate growth in the UK.

Working towards a goal of processing 100,000 tonnes of waste per year by 2030, Majestic has announced plans for a new 50,000 sq. ft. facility in Wrexham, Wales.

Find out more about Majestic here.

FTSE 100 gains as Lloyds jumps

UK Investor Magazine
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FTSE 100 gains as Lloyds jumps

The FTSE 100 rallied on Monday as investors piled back into Lloyds shares following a favourable court ruling, and US futures ticked higher after a job report-induced sell-off on Friday.

August has brought severe bouts of volatility in recent years, so investors are likely to be encouraged by the 0.4% rally in London’s leading index on Monday, especially after such a poor US jobs report last week.

“The FTSE 100 managed a cautious recovery on Monday morning after the tariff-related sell-off at the end of last week,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

“Concern about the ongoing ructions in global trade was compounded by the Trump administration’s decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics off the back of weak jobs numbers – raising questions about the reliability of US economic data and about a potential slowdown in the world’s largest economy.

“Despite this, US futures were pointing to gains when Wall Street resumes trading later. Whether this holds will depend on the latest news from the Trump administration, the latest developments in the economy, with ISM Services PMI data on Tuesday due to give a signal here, and corporate earnings.”

Lloyds

Lloyds shares were firmly at the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard on Monday as investors cheered a Supreme Court ruling that means Lloyds will avoid the worst-case scenario for car finance payouts.

The Lloyds share price rose more than 6% after the court ruled that the payment of commissions involving credit brokers did not constitute a bribe and effectively reduced the potential redress payouts by billions of pounds.

“Friday’s Supreme Court ruling on car finance commissions is a win for UK lenders, bringing some much-needed legal certainty,” explained Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.

“But it’s not a home run as the FCA announced plans to explore a compensation scheme that could cost the industry £9–18bn. Lloyds was one of the most exposed names, and investors should be relatively pleased with this outcome – it’s broadly aligned with existing expectations, helping to alleviate fears that the final bill could be significantly higher.”

FTSE 250 Close Brothers, also highly exposed to the motor finance ruling, surged 17% on Monday.

Rolls-Royce was again among the FTSE 100 top risers as the engineering firm’s ascent resumed and shares closed in on record highs.

BP shares rose 1% after announcing an oil and gas discovery at the Bumerangue prospect in offshore Brazil.

Oil price awaits fresh catalysts as range bound trade continues

UK Investor Magazine
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Oil price awaits fresh catalysts as range bound trade continues

Oil prices were fairly steady on Monday as investors took stock of a busy week for US economic data and central bank action last week, which saw the Brent oil prices swing dramatically within a relatively tight range.

Having traded between $82 – $59 this year, the Brent trading range is beginning to tighten, reflecting a greater uncertainty about the medium-term outlook for global growth and geopolitical developments.

Disappointing US Non-Farm payrolls released on Friday, and news over the weekend that OPEC would ramp up production, weighed on Brent prices on Monday, pulling prices back below $70.

However, the prospect of secondary tariffs on India to curb its purchase of Russian oil provided support prices and kept the recent range intact.

Chris Weston Head of Research at Pepperstone explained that “The technical set-up on the daily timeframe appears somewhat messy and displays no obvious directional trend – that said, the 50-day moving average (in Brent crude futures) does offer some steer to those biased long of crude, with the collective using this medium-term average as a trend filter, with the average containing much of the selling pressure of late, so it does feel like an important guide for our directional assessment – however, for now, the higher timeframe overview shows a market that feels comfortable positioned around $68 to $72 with traders needing to see new intel to force a new trend or a higher volatility regime.”

Keller Group – the AGM Trading Update in May guided a strong start to the group’s year

Mark Watson-Mitchell
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Keller Group – the AGM Trading Update in May guided a strong start to the group’s year

Tomorrow morning, Tuesday 5th August, will see Keller Group (LON:KLR) the world’s largest geotechnical specialist contractor, declare its Interim Results for the six months to end-June. 
I am not expecting any surprises, but I do anticipate comment from the company on its confidence as its progresses in its second-half year, which is generally its better trading period. 
Currently the group’s shares are trading at around 1318p, valuing the business at some £960m, which looks inexpensive to me. 
The Business 
Keller Group is a UK-based geotechnical specialist contractor prov...

Pulse Clean Energy raises £220m in major UK battery storage funding

UK Investor Magazine
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Pulse Clean Energy raises £220m in major UK battery storage funding

Pulse Clean Energy has secured £220 million from international banks in one of the UK’s largest private debt deals for battery storage infrastructure. The consortium includes Santander, NatWest, ABN AMRO, NORD/LB, Investec, and CIBC.

The green financing will fund the construction of six battery projects totalling over 700MWh across Scotland, Devon, Greater Manchester, and Wales. Four sites will convert former diesel generator locations. The deal also supports nine existing operational or late-stage sites.

During their operational life, the projects will generate over £200 million in gas and emissions savings for UK consumers whilst enabling greater renewable energy integration.

The financing marks growing commercial confidence in Britain’s battery storage sector. Pulse was previously backed by the National Wealth Fund in May 2023 – the fund’s first battery storage debt transaction. However, as the market has matured, strong commercial interest has allowed the government-backed fund to step back.

“This landmark investment reflects strong global confidence in the growing UK battery storage market and in Pulse Clean Energy’s ability to deliver at scale,” said Nicola Johnson, Chief Financial Officer of Pulse Clean Energy.

“These six facilities will not only strengthen grid resilience but also unlock significant cost savings for consumers by allowing more renewable power onto the grid and reducing the need for expensive backup power during peak periods.  

“We’re proud to be at the heart of the UK’s energy networks – delivering critical infrastructure and turning former fossil fuel sites into energy assets which will enable a better energy system. With the backing of partners who share our long-term vision, we’re accelerating toward a future where energy is not only clean, but reliable and affordable for everyone.” 

Britain’s National Energy System Operator forecasts the country needs at least 50GW of storage capacity by 2050 – requiring a four to five-fold increase by 2030 alone. Pulse Clean Energy plans 2GWh of operational capacity by 2030, positioning it to capture significant market share as the sector expands.

GenIP Investor Presentation 31st July

UK Investor Magazine
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GenIP Investor Presentation 31st July

Download presentation slides.

GenIP provides generative artificial intelligence analytic services to help organisations assess and commercialise new discoveries. GenIP combines expert human technical review with GenAI algorithms to provide insightful and verified solutions. Bridging the gap between groundbreaking ideas and commercial success.

Adsure Services Investor Presentation 31st July

UK Investor Magazine
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Adsure Services Investor Presentation 31st July

Download presentation slides.

Adsure’s presentation will focus on TIAA Insight, Adsure’s proprietary AI-powered internal audit and risk mitigation tool. Built on large language model (LLM) technology. Investors will gain a deep insight into how Adsure is utilising AI LLM’s to provide efficiencies across their internal audit and business assurance operations.

Lloyds shares surge on Supreme Court ruling

UK Investor Magazine
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Lloyds shares surge on Supreme Court ruling

Lloyds shares jumped on Monday as investors reacted to a favourable Supreme Court ruling and an FCA redress scheme that was unlikely to require Lloyds to stump up much more cash to cover.

The Supreme Court overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision in Wrench, Johnson and Hopcraft on 1 August 2025, ruling that motor dealers acting as credit brokers do not owe fiduciary duties to customers and that commission payments do not constitute bribery.

This was a major relief for shareholders who were staring down the barrel of potentially billions in redress.

However, the Court confirmed that unfair relationships under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 require highly fact-sensitive assessments of all relevant circumstances, awarding Mr Johnson a commission refund plus commercial interest as a remedy for proven unfairness in his specific case.

Despite the Supreme Court’s clarification, a level of uncertainty remains that affects Lloyd’s provisioning approach. Motor financing redress could still cost the bank huge sums.

The FCA announced it will publish a consultation on an industry-wide redress scheme by early October, covering discretionary commission arrangements and potentially other non-DCA arrangements.

However, Lloyds currently believes any provision changes are unlikely to be material, meaning they will not have to set aside more cash.

Lloyds investors cheered the news and shares surged over 6% in early trade on Monday.

AIM weekly movers: New bid interest in Empresaria

Andrew Hore
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AIM weekly movers: New bid interest in Empresaria

Legacy UK Holdings has made an indicative offer of 62p/share for staffing firm Empresaria (LON: EMR), which follows two major shareholders encouraging the company to seek potential offers. The Planmatics consortium is not going ahead with the cash and loan notes offer of 60p/share, which it claims is due to a lack of due diligence materials being supplied by the company. Net fee income fell in the first half and trading remains tough. The share price jumped 72.8% to 43.2p.

On Friday, unusually high trading in shares of oil and gas investor Westmount Energy (LON: WTE) pushed up the share price 70% to 0.85p.

Nativo Resources (LON: NTVO) has gained approval from the noteholders for the proposed restructuring. The notes will not be convertible until January 2032 unless the market capitalisation exceeds £35m. This means that the company is no longer in technical default. A placing will raise £150,000 at 0.35p/share. The share price rebounded 66.7% to 0.375p.

Restaurants operator Tasty (LON: TAST confirmed it was in talks with former Fulham Shore boss David Page. It was subsequently announced that he and Nick Wong are joining the board. There are plans to raise £9.25m at 0.5p/share. A retail offer has been launched to raise a further £1m at 0.5p/share and it closes on 6 August. Tasty, which will change its name to Bow Street Group, is also acquiring The Ventnor Bay Company, which has £200,000 in cash, for 40 million shares. This cash will fund a revised strategy. The share price increased by 50% to 0.825p.

James Reed has taken a 4.65% stake in Buccaneer Energy (LON: BUCE). The share price rose by one-third to 0.02p.

FALLERS

Versarien (LON: VRS) did not find a suitable buyer for its UK graphene technology business and expects to put the graphene businesses into administration or liquidation. The Total Carbide business is still up for sale. The other remaining subsidiary is Gnanomat and the focus will be nanomaterials and energy storage technologies. Cash should last until the end of August. A strategic investment is still being negotiated. The share price slumped 45.5% to 0.015p.

Metals One (LON: MET1) has exercised its right to increase its shareholding in New Mexico Uranium Venture from 10% to 30%. The payment is the issue of 3.87 million shares at 16.487p each. The share price declined 39.5% to 4.9p.

Active Energy Group (LON: AEG) is updating its digital asset treasury strategy. It proposes to put an equal proportion of its discretionary allocation in Ethereum and Solana. Bitcoin will still be held. A general meeting will be held on 20 August. The share price slipped 28.9% to 0.135p.

Digital mental health products developer Cambridge Cognition (LON: COG) has experienced delays in signing contracts and them generating revenues. Interim revenues fell 23% to £4.3m and full year guidance has been cut from £12.5m to £9.5m-£10m. This means that the full year loss would increase from £700,000 to £900,000. The share price fell 23.1% to 25p.

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