28th Mar 2025 09:59
(Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers among London Main Market small-caps on Friday.
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SMALL-CAP - WINNERS
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JPMorgan US Smaller Cos Investment Trust PLC, up 3.2% at 421.00 pence, 12-month range 373.00p-528.00p. Net asset value total return for 2024 is 11.3%, falling short of a 13.3% return on its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. Despite this, the trust delivered an 18.7% total return to shareholders during the year. Its pretax net return more than doubles to GBP28.7 million from GBP12.4 million. The trust declares a dividend of 3.1 pence per share, upped 3.3% from 3.0p the year before. JUSC Chair Dominic Neary says: "We are confident that the investment team continues to focus their investment decisions on valuation-conscious, all-weather stocks that will be robust in the face of political and economic developments. With the relative valuation of small cap investments so attractive, and the US small cap bias towards the home market, we believe that as the domestic-growth oriented policies are implemented those that 'Invest in the Heart of America' through your company will benefit from strong investment returns over time."
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Ricardo PLC, up 2.4% at 264.30 pence, 12-month range 206.00p-536.22p. Ricardo's board unanimously rejects a demand by Science Group to replace Chair Mark Clare, as says it understood Science Group would seek to put the Science Group executive chair in the role instead, giving Science Group "effective control of the board without paying a premium for that control". Science Group has been progressively building its stake in Ricardo over the past month, and now holds a 16.2% interest. Ricardo believes Science Group actions to be "solely for the benefit of Science Group" and "contrary to the interests of Ricardo's other shareholders". Ricardo confirms trading to date is in line with expectations, and is due to give a strategy update in mid-April. Says first-half order intake is up 11% on-year to GBP221 million from GBP199 million, while operating profit has multiplied to GBP8.3 million from GBP1.0 million.
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SMALL-CAP - LOSERS
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Smiths News PLC, down 0.8% at 53.20p, 12-month range 46.73p-71.00p. Confirms a "solid" trading performance in the 26 weeks that ended March 1, and says it remains on track to deliver results for the year ending on August 30 in line with market expectations. It cites a company-compiled consensus of GBP33.3 million in adjusted pretax profit for financial 2025, against GBP33.2 million in financial 2024. Smiths News will release its half-year results on May 7.
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By Emily Parsons, Alliance News reporter
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