It’s been another relatively subdued session for London’s AIM Index today, reaching the closing bell one and a quarter points lower at 1036.61.
- Beowulf Mining +30%
- The Pebble Group +22%
- Gemfield +11%
- Diurnal -53%
- Knights Group -50%
Beowulf Mining LON:BEM topped the board, adding 30% in the wake of news that it had been awarded an exploration concession for iron ore in Northern Sweden. There are certainly high expectations over the area in terms of mineralisation and today’s rally sees shares move back towards the 10 year highs it reached just over a month ago.
Digital commerce play Pebble Group LON:PEBB also fared well, advancing 22% by the bell. Full year results showed a recovery which had exceeded its pre-pandemic performance and also showed the potential for further strong growth moving forward. Margins were slightly down on pre-pandemic levels, but investors have been quick to shrug this off.
A notable mention for Gemfields [LON:GEM] which found itself towards the top of the table after a well received trading statement this morning flagged a potential for full year profits to be around double the pre-pandemic level. Shares reached the bell some 11% higher although that was on a spread of almost 6% and given the £200m market cap, that does highlight the comparatively thin trade seen on the day. The company counts Faberge amongst its subsidiaries, where revenues continue to advance impressively – $13.8m for ’21, $7.1m for ’20 and $10.5m for ’19.
Specialist medicines company Diurnal LON:DNL found itself at the foot of the table today, shedding some 53% by the closing bell. The company’s share price was rocked recently by the news that the Scottish Medicines Consortium wasn’t going to be recommending its Efmody drug and an update in today’s interim earnings highlighted that this meant further funding would be necessary for the project to reach profitability.
Legal services company Knights Group LON:KGH also struggled, down 50% on the day. Again, a trading update was behind the move, with the company noting the combined effects of Omicron and the recent macroeconomic conditions as undermining growth. If anything perhaps this argument seemed a bit over-hackneyed but with profits for the full year now set to come in under management expectations, investors were evidently quick to reach for the sell button.
