Companies: CLM    CPC    DWL    HML    IBB    OME    PROP    STF    SUT   

As a surfeit of companies served up their results this week the AIM Index fattened up nicely, putting away a gain of 16.3 to 1,181.2 by lunchtime on Friday. The FTSE 100 skipped above and below the 6,000 mark through the week but eventually flattened out at 6,021.3.

Cash-strapped Capcon (CPC) topped the leader board this week, up 331 per cent to 15p as it offered shareholders two options: buying £800,000 worth of ‘convertible redeemable’ loan stock or the company would sell its Audit and Investigations businesses, for which it has received a £1 million offer from a venture connected to Capcon’s directors.

Another top riser was sexual disease specialist Henderson Morley (HML). It swelled 217 per cent to 6.15p after signing a ‘term sheet’ with a US pharma company for a potential licensing deal for possible products to treat non-genital warts.

Islamic bank loses money

Shariah-compliant Islamic Bank of Britain (IBB), where the ruling family of Qatar holds a controlling stake, lost £6.5 million last year after more than trebling customer numbers. The bank plans to introduce internet banking next month, wants to increase branch numbers from seven to 12 and is planning to launch an 'Islamic credit card'. The shares, which spiked up to 81.5p a year ago, lost 0.75p over the week to languish at 28p.

Southwark-based Claims People (CLM) managed to marginally increase its revenues to £2.7 million in 2005 even though chairman John French says last year's 'mild weather' depressed the company's claims volumes, 'which have traditionally been significantly dependent on weather-related losses'. Pre-tax profits were desiccated 77 per cent to £52,000 and the shares by 15 per cent to 1.37p.

Kitchen furniture maker Omega International (OME) enjoyed a strong calendar 2005, seeing pre-tax profits spark up 21 per cent to £4.7 million. It has now delivered compound annual profits growth of 50 per cent over the last four years and the shares fired up 11 per cent to a new high of 200p.

Marketing sparkling

Boosted by French acquisition AIMS, results for calendar 2005 from marketing software supplier smartFOCUS (STF) arrived ahead of expectations, with a maiden profit before tax and exceptionals of £0.3 million derived from sales up 112 per cent to £6 million. Chief executive Chris Underhill explains the area is ‘moving out of the evangelical stage into a demand-led market’ and the shares moved up 16 per cent to 20p.

Marketing solutions group Dowlis Corporate Solutions (DWL), fronted by former 4imprint luminary Martin Varley, posted encouraging inaugural prelims for the 2005 showing pre-tax profits, adding back costs related to restructuring and the November listing, tumbling in at £1.2 million. Dowlis joined AIM with a £4 million funding at 36p and was up a further two per cent over the week to 49p.

Sheffield United (SUT), whose 'Blades' football team is still confident about moving up into the Premiership, turned a £902,000 loss into a £126,000 pre-tax profit in the six months to December on turnover up more than threefold to £20 million, more than half of this from property dealing. The shares only scored a ha’penny gain to 16p.

Property Recycling (PROP), which looks to create value for investors by ‘recycling’ brownfield sites and attaining planning permission, turned out encouraging maiden annual results to December, with pre-tax profits coming in at £2.4m. The figures were boosted by the sale of a site in Norfolk for £3.5 million and the shares were helped up 14 per cent to 74.5p.