SMALL-CAP WINNERS & LOSERS: ASA International restarts dividend payouts

(Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers among London Main ...

Alliance News 5 December, 2024 | 11:56AM
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(Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers among London Main Market small-caps on Thursday.

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SMALL-CAP - WINNERS

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Card Factory PLC, up 6.8% at 96.45 pence, 12-month range 79.6p-143p. The Wakefield, England-based greeting cards and gifting retailer announces its takeover of Garven Holdings LLC, a Minnesota gift and "celebration essentials" designer and wholesaler which trades as Garven Design and Cadence Packaging. Card Factory paid the USD25 million consideration upon completion of the deal on Friday. Says the deal will allow it to "further explore design and buying synergies, alongside opportunities to introduce its own ranges into the US wholesale market". Company also reports that second-half trading has been in line with expectations, with an encouraging start to the Christmas season. Its full-year forecasts are currently unchanged.

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ASA International Group PLC, up 7.3% at 69.75p, 12-month range 45.9p-101.5p. Declares interim dividend of 3 US cents per share, or 2.37p based on the exchange rate as of Friday, for the third quarter of 2024. The Weybridge, Surrey-based microfinance lender says approval is based on "the sustained improvement in ASA International's operational and financial performance...and in line with the capital allocation framework". ASA International has deferred dividend payments since 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19, and said in its half-year report it was still monitoring the timing of the potential resumption. Expects to also declare a final dividend for this year, alongside its annual results which will come out in late April.

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SMALL-CAP - LOSERS

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Carclo PLC, down 12% at 33.4p, 12-month range 6.85p-40.7p. Reports revenue of GBP61.0 million for the first half, down 8.9% from USD66.9 million the year before. Pretax loss nonetheless narrows to GBP91,000 from GBP2.5 million. Basic loss per share narrows to 0.8p from 3.0p. Loss from exceptional items narrowed to GBP973,000 from GBP2.1 million. Finance expenses decreased to GBP2.8 million from GBP2.9 million. Carclo, a Surrey, England-based provider of high-precision components, also says it is on track to complete debt financing in the fourth quarter of 2025. Says it has "increasing confidence in meeting sits full-year expectations" due to its "solid" half-year performance combined with "stable" markets for its businesses. Adds that "we are confident that we remain on track to achieve our long-term strategic goals." Chief Executive Officer Frank Doorenbosch comments: "Through continued execution of our restructuring plan, Carclo has reinforced its foundation, ensuring long-term resilience and positioning the business for sustainable growth. Our operational shifts - guided by efficiency, specialisation, and valued partnerships with our key customers - act as a catalyst to elevate Carclo's performance and support sustainable value creation."

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By Emma Curzon, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
ASA International Group PLC 77.50 GBX -4.91 -
Card Factory PLC 96.90 GBX 1.04 -
Carclo PLC 25.80 GBX 0.00 -

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