600 Group Plc -- Disposal of Machine Tools Solutions

600 Group has announced a conditional agreement for the sale of all of the businesses which comprise the Machine Tools Solutions division. The company will receive a cash consideration of US$21m, subject to shareholder approval at a general meeting scheduled for 24 March 2022. The deal allows 600 Group to complete its strategic shift towards its industrial laser systems business, and to deleverage its balance sheet. We believe this will position the company to accelerate growth in revenue and pr

Hybridan Small Cap Feast 07/03/22

Altus Strategies 54p £63.4m (ALS.L) Altus Strategies announces the appointment of Mr Gérard De Hert as a non-executive director of the Company, effective immediately. Mr De Hert is Managing Director (Technical Services) at La Mancha Holding S.àr.l. His appointment is in accordance with the terms of the Strategic Investment Agreement between La Mancha and the Company (SIA) approved by shareholders on 18 February 2020 (see Company announcement of 19 February 2020). Under the terms of the SIA, La M

Cenkos: 600 Group Plc - On track to unlock equity value

600 Group designs and supplies industrial laser systems (which it also manufactures in-house), machine tools and precision engineered components. The Group's management interests are well aligned with shareholders', and we see this as a strong commitment from the management team to develop the company over the medium-term. Management's strategy and additional equity value potential, combined with strong market dynamics, offer a compelling risk-reward profile to investors. We estimate a fair valu

Small Cap Feast

Semper Fortis Esports* recently announced its intention to IPO onto the Access Segment of the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market. Semper is a multi-operational Esports organisation focusing on gaming technology solutions, brand enhancement and high growth team infrastructures. The company plans to raise £2.5m to develop their three core areas of establishing an esports team, forming partnerships with brands for sponsorship and B2B consultancy services. The Board are highly experienced in spor

The Monthly June 2020

Much has been written about the effects of the virus on the world and on the stock market. Here is one analyst’s take on some of the likely impacts on the way we should look at companies. This article was originally produced as a blog, “10 Changes Post Virus”, which was published a few weeks ago.

THE MONTHLY March 2020

Much of the UK’s privatisation programme took place between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s: subsequent sales have been few. Undoubtedly, privatisation attracted many private investors to the market, many for the first time.

THE MONTHLY January 2020

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is due to publish its most up-to-date survey on share ownership in mid-January, which identifies the beneficial owners and decision- makers of the stock market. Hardman & Co has worked together with the share analysis service, Argus Vickers, to jointly produce its own survey, which anticipates the conclusions of the ONS survey but goes into much greater detail. Our work does not use a sample of 200 quoted companies as the ONS historically has, but rather

THE MONTHLY October 2019

Since their privatisation in 1989, the 10 water companies have faced a periodic review every five years; it is undertaken by Ofwat, and prescribes customer prices, along with the investment requirements. As part of the ongoing review, PR19, Ofwat will publish its Final Determination numbers on 11 December 2019; they will apply as from April 2020, although water companies do have the option to seek a reference to the CMA.

Small Cap Feast

AMRYT PHARMA PLC— a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and delivering innovative new treatments to help improve the lives of patients with rare or orphan diseases have raised $60m before expenses and will relist on the AIM Market on the 25/09/2019. VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY), an independent energy company focused on development and production assets in West Africa, today announces its formal intention to seek a Standard Listing on the Main Market of London Stock Exchange ("LSE"

Small Cap Feast

ReAssure Group plc - The Group is a leading closed book life insurance consolidator in the United Kingdom with 4.3m policies, £68.7 billion of assets under administration on a Post-L&G Illustrative Basis. It is considering a premium listing segment of the main market. Voyager AIR The Com pany w ill focus on the acquisition, leasing and m anagement of prim arily widebody aircraft, w ith asset management services to be provided by Amedeo Limited the IPO will comprise a Placing and Offer for Subsc

THE MONTHLY July 2019

When advisers first start looking at business relief (BR) products, there is much to take in: the rules governing such products; the investment strategies being used; and what the investment risk is. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that, for non-AIM products, the investment is being made directly into a company or partnership, rather than a fund. It is, therefore, essential that governance is part of the diligence process.

Small Cap Feast

Alumasc Group plc, the prem ium building products, system s and solutions group, has announced its intention to m ove from the Premium Segment of the main market to AIM. Expected market cap of £33.4m. Expected 25 June 2019 Expected market cap of £36.5m Argentex a UK-based forex service provider founded in 2011 by its current management team which operates as a Riskless Principal for nonspeculative and forward foreign exchange as structured financial derivatives is looking to join AIM. Offer TBC

THE MONTHLY June 2019

Small Cap Feast

Essensys plc—a provider of mission-critical SaaS platforms and on-demand cloud services to the high growth flexible workspace industry, plans to join AIM. Offer TBC, expected 29 May 2019. Induction Healthcare Group plc—a healthcare technology company focused on streamlining the delivery of care by Healthcare Professionals looking to join AIM. Expected raise of £14.58m at 115p, market cap of £34.07m. Expected 22 May 2019. SDX Energy plc—a North Africa focused oil and gas company, announces its in

The Monthly May 2019

How small- and mid-cap quoted companies make a substantial contribution to markets, employment and tax revenues.

Strix Group plc (KETL LN) - Chinese covid policy impacting trading, Billi acquisition closes

Strix has issued a trading update today following a disrupted period due to China’s continued Zero Covid policy approach and ongoing macro uncertainty. This has so far restricted business activity for two of Strix’s top five major OEM customers, with further disruption expected. Revenues for the full year will be below initial expectations whilst profitability is impacted more heavily due to the operational gearing in the business. These difficult market conditions see Zeus full year revenue for

Invinity Energy Systems - 15MWh order, largest to date

Invinity has announced a record new order, for 15MWh of its vanadium flow batteries (VFB) for Everdura Technology in Taiwan with 255MWh of follow-on-order potential. This marks Invinity's sixth announced sale this year and its fifth in 2H22. For the YtD that brings total firm orders to 37.7MWh, almost 3.5x the previous annual record. The evidence continues to mount that Invinity has a commercially competitive product, yet it trades at well under half the market capitalisation to book value accor

Invinity Energy Systems - More Traction In Taiwan

Invinity have announced their largest single battery sale to date through a 15MWh contract with Taiwanese industrial technology company Everdura. This comes on the back of another recent deal in the Taiwanese market, as well as notable sales in the US and Europe. We see sales momentum for Invinity’s flow battery accelerating as renewable penetration increases creating urgency for proven, low-cost, safe Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) technology.

Auctus on Friday - 25/11/2022

AUCTUS PUBLICATIONS ________________________________________ Calima Energy (CE1 AU)C; Target price of A$0.60 per share: Market cap paid back in 2 years, even after incorporating higher differentials - Four wells out of the five well 4Q22 programme have now been drilled with two wells already in production. Gemini#10 is producing in line with the type curve (IP of 120 boe/d gross and 60 boe/d net to Calima 50% WI). Gemini #11 was put into production on 24 November while Gemini#12 will be brought

LIBERUM: Yü Group* - Strong growth and dividend on the cards

LIBERUM: ATOME Energy * - Flagship Villeta project doubles to 120MW capacity

LIBERUM: Currys* - Setting our H1 expectations cautiously

Invinity Energy Systems - 2.2MWh sale, entry into Taiwanese market

Invinity has announced a further sale of its vanadium flow batteries (VFB), this one comprising 2.2MWh of its VS3 model. The purchaser is Bei Ying International Corporation, a Taiwanese industrial equipment wholesaler which is acting as a reseller for Invinity. This brings total sales announced since the interims to 14.3MWh and to 22.7MWh for the year to date. Given the run rate, we believe there is a high likelihood of further sales before year end, confirming solid demand for Invinity's VS3 pr

Full year results and additional debt finance

EAAS has announced its full year results (to June ’22) alongside news that it has secured further debt finance of £2.5m in order to support the growth of the business and strengthen the Group’s balance sheet. Last Friday’s update confirmed a strong start to the new year and reiterated expectations of material year on year revenue and EBITDA growth for FY23. We expect to update our valuation analysis following the upcoming AGM (20th Dec).

DX Group (DX/ LN) - Back on the (supply) chain gang*

DX Group has reported strong full year earnings; we reinstate our estimates and valuation following the relisting of the shares in October. Trading has been resilient despite widely reported, but now resolved, corporate governance issues. Growth was healthy in DX Freight driven by the 1-Man delivery service, and with higher parcel revenues in DX Express. Current trading is reportedly in-line with expectations, and the medium-term operating margin target of 7.5%-10.0% (FY22a: 5.8%) has been reite

SHORE CAPITAL - Ultimate Products+ (UPGS, House Stock at 149p)

Morning Note – 16 November 2022

Hybridan Small Cap Feast 16/11/22

Dish of the day Joiners: BWP REIT joins the Wholesale Segment of the International Property Securities Exchange (IPSX). BWP REIT is a newly formed single asset company and has raised £35m by issuing 35m new ordinary shares at 100 pence per share to acquire Bridgewater Place, an office-led mixed use property in central Leeds and valued at £63m. The property is one of the tallest buildings in Yorkshire, comprising 234,000 sq. ft of office space, and is close to 90% let to EY, as well as multinatio

Where There's Muck - Bioenergy

Energy from biomass or waste can be genuinely low carbon and sustainable, representing a major tool in the decarbonisation toolbox. The ability to add carbon capture technology creates an immediately available negative emissions solution and adding liquid fuels allows the decarbonisation of sectors previously seen as challenging. Demand for all these solutions is likely to grow as decarbonisation and energy security become essential requirements in the energy mix.

Firming up customer demand