Kier Group, up 1.0%, announced that it has been selected by the UK Department for Education (DfE) for the redevelopment of Northolt High School in the London Borough of Ealing, England.
Tristel, up 7.8%, in its trading update, announced that revenues for the year were up 16.4% to £41.9m (FY 2023: £36.0m), ahead of market expectations and above the company's performance target for revenue growth (an annual average of 10-15% over three years).
Quartix Technologies, up 1.6%, in its interim results, announced that revenues rose to £16.11m from £14.62m recorded in the same period previous year. The board has recommended an interim dividend of 1.50p (2023: 1.50p) per share, £0.7m in aggregate, which will be paid on 30 September 2024 to shareholders.
Science Group, up 1.0%, in its interim results, announced that revenues dropped to £53.69m from £56.10m recorded in the same period previous year. The cash and cash equivalents stood at £38.8m as of 30 June 2024.
Oracle Power, unchanged at 0.02p, announced that the drilling has resumed at the Northern Zone Intrusive Hosted Gold Project located 25km east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
Nexteq, down 35.2%, in its trading update, announced that it expects to report group revenue for the period down 15% to $48.2m (H1 2023: $56.3m).
Dialight, down 17.0%, today, announced that it has signed a contract for the sale of its business manufacturing signal lights used in traffic, pedestrian and railroad management in North America (the Traffic Business) to Leotek Electronics USA LLC and realising gross cash proceeds of $5.8m.
CyanConnode, down 6.7%, in its final results, announced that revenues climbed to £18.73m from £11.73m recorded in the previous year. The directors do not recommend the payment of a dividend (2023: £nil).
SDI Group, down 2.9% announced that it would release its audited final results for the year ended 30 April 2024 (FY 2024) on 30 July 2024.
Cambridge Cognition, down 2.2%, in its trading update, announced that it executed measures to accelerate sustainable profitability during the period. Development and operational costs have been reduced substantially and funds raised to drive profitable growth. The company would release its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2024 in August 2024.
GetBusy, down 1.4%, announced that it expects to release its results for the 6 months ended 30 June 2024 on 3 September.
UK markets closed mostly higher last week, following upbeat quarterly corporate earnings reports. On the data front, the UK manufacturing sector rose to a 2-year high in July. Meanwhile, the UK services PMI advanced less than expected in July. The FTSE 100 index advanced 1.6% to settle at 8,285.7, while the FTSE techMARK 100 index gained 1.1% to end at 7,001.8. Meanwhile, the FTSE AIM 100 index fell 0.5% to close at 3,753.2.
US markets ended mixed in the previous week. On the macro front, the US annualised gross domestic product advanced more than anticipated in 2Q24, amid a rise in consumer spending. Additionally, the US personal spending advanced as anticipated in June, while the nation’s services PMI climbed to a 28-month high in July. Moreover, the US weekly jobless claims dropped more than expected in the week ended 19 July 2024. Meanwhile, the US manufacturing PMI declined to a seven-month low in July, while the nation’s durable goods orders unexpectedly fell in June. Also, the US Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped less than expected in July, while the personal income rose less than expected in June. Further, the US existing home sales dropped to a six-month low in June, while the nation’s new home sales unexpectedly fell to a 7-month low in June. The DJIA index rose 0.7% to end at 40,589.3, while the NASDAQ index lost 2.1% to close at 17,357.9.
