News And Announcements
WH Smith outlines plans for equity raise
WH Smith announced its intention to place shares among institutional investors, in turn potentially clearing the way for new financing arrangements on improved terms.
Schools to become focus for eEnergy amid Covid-19
Energy efficiency-as-a-service provider eEnergy Group updated the market on its third quarter of trading on Monday, as well as the effect of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on its business, reporting that from 1 January to 3 April, it signed 48 new contracts, including 21 schools in the UK and Ireland.
Secure Income REIT still intending to pay quarterly dividend
Secure Income REIT updated the market on its operations in light of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on Monday, saying that of the rents due to date, representing over 94% of the total quarterly rent roll, 76% had been paid on time.
OptiBiotix enters manufacturing deal with France's Laboratoire PYC
Life sciences company OptiBiotix Health has entered into a contract manufacturing agreement with Laboratoire PYC in France, it announced on Monday.
Ergomed joins Covid-19 therapy programme
Specialised pharmaceutical services provider Ergomed announced on Monday that it is providing support for a clinical development programme for ‘namilumab’, a monoclonal antibody therapy targeting granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), for the treatment of patients with rapidly worsening Covid-19 coronavirus symptoms.
Argo Blockchain pleased with March performance in 'difficult' conditions
Cryptocurrency miner Argo Blockchain updated the market on its operations in March on Monday, saying it mined 333. 8 Bitcoin or Bitcoin equivalent during the month, down from 337. 5 in February.
Vesuvius withdraws guidance, cancels final dividend
Molten metal flow engineering company Vesuvius updated the market in light of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on Monday, reporting that it was taking specific site-by-site actions as well as complying with the government instructions and guidelines of the World Health Organization.
EasyJet will have access to £2.3bn cash reserves this week
EasyJet should have access to cash reserves of around £2. 3bn later in the week, the budget airline said on Monday, after founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou warned it could run out of money by August.
RBC downgrades Antofagasta to 'underperform', cuts target
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets downgraded shares in Antofagasta to 'underperform' and lowered their target price, saying the South American copper miner faced more downside than its peers from the Covid-19 pandemic impact.
Pubs regulator to probe companies on Covid-19 help for tenants
The pub industry regulator said it had written to all companies under its jurisdiction asking why they have not waived rent for tenants and demanded to know what support they are providing during the coronavirus crisis.
Rolls-Royce pulls dividend, guidance as Covid-19 travel bans bite
Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce pulled its dividend and full year guidance as it moved to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bank of Georgia creates GEL400m buffer to counter Covid losses
Bank of Georgia Group said it had agreed with its regulator to set up a GEL400m (£113m) general provision as a buffer to combat the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
GSK joins up with Vir Biotech on coronavirus treatments
GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology of the US have joined forces to research treatments for the virus behind the Covid-19 crisis and other coronaviruses.
HSBC board to avoid angry investors at AGM behind closed doors
HSBC has switched the venue of its annual general meeting to its London head office and barred shareholders from attending in a move that will shield directors from investor anger after a turbulent year for the bank.
Immedia results to be ‘significantly below’ expectations due to Covid-19
AIM-listed Immedia warned on Monday that 2020 results are likely to be "significantly below" any previous market expectations as it takes a hit from the coronavirus outbreak.
Stobart Group withdraws guidance 50pc of workforce on furlough
Stobart Group updated the market on the measures it has taken to date in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on Monday, confirming that it had frozen all capital expenditure spend other than where it was considered critical for safety reasons.
CentralNic 'resilient' in face of pandemic
Internet domain name and services company CentralNic Group updated the market in relation to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on Monday, reporting that to date, it had not experienced interruptions in its services to customers or in its supply chain.
Avacta raises £3.75m, expects minimal impact from pandemic
Biotherapeutics company Avacta Group announced on Monday that, in response to “substantial” institutional interest, it has conditionally raised gross proceeds of £3. 75m under a placing, through the issue of 20,833,333 new ordinary shares at a price of 18p each.
LXi 'relatively well placed' to deal with Covid-19, confirms final dividend
Real estate investment trust LXi said on Monday that it was "relatively well placed" to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic as the company confirmed that it expects to approve the payment of its final quarterly dividend.
Arrow scraps dividend to save £15m in virus turmoil
Arrow Global has scrapped its final dividend to save £15m and withdrawn financial guidance in response to uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 crisis.