|
The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers among London Main Market small-caps on Friday. ---------- SMALL-CAP - WINNERS ---------- Oxford BioMedica PLC, up 2.0% at 448.25 pence, 12-month range 232.5p-464.5p. The Oxford, England-based gene and cell therapy developer has raised gross proceeds of approximately £60 million through a placing and subscription. Says 12.2 million shares were placed by the joint bookrunners at 431p each, a discount of approximately 1.93% to the closing price of 440p on Thursday. Alongside the placing, existing shareholders have agreed to subscribe for 1.7 million shares at the placing price. Oxford BioMedica says it will use the net proceeds on strategic investments to expand its US commercial-scale capacity and advance process quality, productivity and yields. ‘This will allow the company to address growing client demand, including visible near and medium-term opportunities across all clinical phases, including late-stage and commercial supply,’ it explains. ---------- Card Factory PLC, up 1.0% at 104.8p, 12-month range 79.6p-143p. The greeting cards and gifts retailer has completed its acquisition of personalised greeting cards business funkypigeon.com Ltd from WH Smith PLC, with terms unchanged from those announced in July 29. Card Factory said at the time that it expects the deal to be earnings-enhancing in financial 2027 and the annual synergy benefits to exceed £5 million. ‘This acquisition represents a key milestone in delivering our strategic ambition to build a scaled and competitive digital presence in the celebration occasions market,’ says Chief Executive Darcy Willson-Rymer. ‘We welcome our new Funky Pigeon colleagues into the group and look forward to working together to accelerate our growth in the direct-to-recipient card and gifting segment, bringing together Funky Pigeon’s high-quality technology platform and digital expertise with our strong store estate and broader celebrations offer.’ ---------- Invesco Bond Income Plus Ltd, up 0.3% at 174p, 12-month range 164p-174.75p. The investment firm focused on the high-yield bond market’s net asset value per share was 170.32p as of June 30, down from 170.87p six months prior. NAV total return was positive 3.4% for the six months ended June 30, compared with the 3.8% delivered by its reference, the ICE BofA European Currency High Yield Index. Dividends for the half year totalled 6.125p per share, up 6.5% from 5.75p the year before. ‘The direction of high yield markets over the next six months will undoubtedly be shaped by...[US President Donald Trump’s] dramatic shake-up of the US economy,’ Chair Time Scholefield says. ‘The consensus outlook is broadly one of some weakening in economic growth followed by...a possible uptick in growth in 2026. This would turn out to be a largely supportive environment for high yield securities given that a protracted or deep recession would be avoided.’ Adds, however, that ‘markets are set to remain jittery over the reminder of the year’. ---------- Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
|
