Small cap round up

Irish hotel operator Dalata Hotel Group bought the freehold of 216-room Clayton Hotel in Cardiff for £24m (€27m). The hotel, which is close to Cardiff Central train station and the Principality Stadium, was bought from Rush Central, which owned the freehold interest.

AIM-listed financial advisory firm Lighthouse Group has agreed a new contract with Fire Brigades Union (FBU) to be the preferred provider of expert financial advice to its members. As part of the contract, which will run for three years, Lighthouse will be the preferred provider of financial advice to FBU members, encompassing advice on savings, investments, pensions and protection, plus mortgages.

Cross-border payment network Earthport’s revenue increased as investments during the year helped improve transaction flows in European and North American banks. Revenue climbed 18% for the year ended 30 June, to £22.8m, compared to last year, while transactional revenues comprised 91% of total revenue.

Investment company St Peter Port Capital announced its interim results for the six months to 30 September on Wednesday, with its investments in 17 companies at period end valued at £20.7m. The AIM-traded firm’s net asset value was 37.14p per share at period end, down 0.9% since 31 March.

Exploration and development company Mariana Resources posted an update on the ongoing diamond drill program at the high grade Hot Maden gold-copper project in north east Turkey on Wednesday. The AIM-traded firm reported results for a total of 13 infill and extension drill holes (HTD-63 to HTD-74 and HTD-76), with drill log data provided for a further seven holes (HTD-75 and HTD-77 to HTD-82) for which assays are pending.

Benchmark Holdings, an aquaculture biotechnology and food chain sustainability company, expects full year results to be in line with expectations as it remains cautious about investing in South East Asia and Latin America due the regions' climate cycle.
In a trading update for the year ended 30 September, the company said the ongoing effect of El Niño, a climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean, in South East Asia and Latin America, along with the disease challenge and low market prices in the shrimp sector, led to delayed sector investment and lower growth rates in the short term for both regions.