Smaller companies report: Friday close

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated:

 

SHARES in UK small caps closed lower, with Healthcare Holdings and Landround among the casualties. At the close, the FTSE SmallCap index was down 3.4 points 3,510.3, against the trend of the wider market, as the FTSE 100 moved 12 points higher at 5,759.3.

Healthcare Holdings continued to fall following yesterday's announcement that possible reverse takeover talks have been terminated. Today the shares dropped a further 0.88p to 1.12p.

Aim-listed travel promotions company, came under pressure as the market played catch-up with a large seller who yesterday offloaded stock at 50p. The shares fell 16p to 61½p.

Regal Petroleum hit a new low, as punters continued to head for the exit after Kiev's court of appeal refused to rule in its favour over disputed production licences in Ukraine. Regal fell 6¼p to 34½p.

A profits warning knocked Careforce Group. The shares fell 9½p at 112½p after the care services company said full-year results are expected to be below current market expectations.

News of possible problems with production sharing contracts off Mauritania, pushed Hardman Resources 4¼p lower at 80p.

Watermark sank 3½p to 122p as traders fretted that the airline catering services provider's earnings could come under pressure due to the airlines' need to counter the effects of high oil prices and pension issues by squeezing margins on contracts.

 
Read about the stocks our small caps experts say are set to fly, or dive
 

Miner Celtic Resources fell 11p to 224p after saying it had reluctantly agreed to dispose of its investment in the disputed Nezhdaninskoye gold mine in Russia after agreeing to sell a 20% in the company holding the licence for £80m.

On the upside, e-retail led the gainers, rising by 2½p to 5½p, after proposing the reverse takeover of EBTM, a specialist online retailer of music merchandise and music inspired fashion. E-retail will pay £1.5m via a rights issue.

Empire Interactive rose 1½p to 7p, following news that the computer games publisher is in talks that may lead to an offer being made for the company.

Oil and gas explorer Meridian Petroleum says it has discovered a substantial gas show on its Calvin field in Louisiana. The shares gained 2½p at 15p.

Medisys edged up 0.28p to 2.20p following news that Hypoguard USA, the operator of the company's US blood glucose monitoring business, has settled the patent infringement complaint brought by Roche Diagnostics.

Property company Panther Securities (up 36p at 362½p) reported that an independent revaluation of its portfolio has been completed, showing a total increase in value of approximately £20.5m over the balance sheet book value shown in the interim results.

Croma Group, the specialist surveillance, security and defence products company has bought Vigilant Security, a Scottish security firm, for an initial £804,000 in cash and shares, with further performance-related payments.

Croma has raised £325,000 from a placing of 6.5m shares to part fund the acquisition. Its shares rose 0.25 to 5.50

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