Elecosoft PLC (LON:ELCO) shares jumped 5.8% to 54p in late-afternoon trading as the software company hiked its final dividend.
The AIM-listed firm proposed a final dividend of 0.4p for 2017, compared with 0.25p paid the year before, taking its total dividend for the year up 50% to 0.6p, having paid a dividend of 0.4p for 2016.
Pre-tax profits were also up 53% to ?2.3mln on revenue increases of 12% to ?20mln. Meanwhile, direct sales grew 13% to ?18.8mln and resellers were up 5% to ?1.2mln.
Looking forward, Elecosoft said it performed "well" in the first months of its current financial year and remains confident for the year ahead.
At the other end of the market, shares in spread better IG Group Holdings PLC (LON:IGG) fell 3.4% to 788p as the European regulator tightened the rules for contract for difference (CFD) trading operations.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is restricting sales of CFD products as well as limiting leveraged trading.
Europe's watchdog has also banned the sale of binary option trading services to retail investors.
IG Group, in a stock market statement, noted that the ESMA measures are temporary lasting three months at a time, and, that UK regulator The FCA is expected to consult on permanent measures.
eServGlobal Limited (LON:ESG) saw its shares soar 16.7% to 9.7p in mid-afternoon trading as it signed for HomeSend, a joint venture with Mastercard Send - a service for cross-border payments - in which eServGlobal will hold a 35% stake.
The financial services firm said the agreement enables an unnamed large financial institution to use Mastercard Send for cross-border payments. This agreement leverages the capabilities of the HomeSend network to reach millions of disbursement end-points.
US company Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA), which owns Mastercard Send, has a stake of 55% in HomeSend, while BICS, a communications enabler of Proximus Group, holds 10%.
In other news, shares in GlaxoSmithKline plc (LON:GSK) jumped 6.3% to 1,369p as the pharmaceutical giant sought to buyout Novartis AG's 36.5% stake in their consumer healthcare joint venture for US$13bln in cash.
The news comes just days after GSK bowed out of the race to take over the consumer healthcare unit of Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE).
The deal with Novartis is set to be completed in the second quarter subject to shareholder approval.
UBS said the valuation of the stake is broadly consistent with the contingent liability on GSK's balance sheet of ?8.6bn at the end of December.
"After walking away from bidding for the Pfizer business last Friday for returns and capital allocation priority reasons, we do not see GSK return to the bidding process," it said.
Gunsynd PLC (LON:GUN) shares slid 5.5% to 0.04p in lunchtime trading as the company said operations at the Bodo Mine in Brazil had been suspended following a fatal accident.
The natural resources investor said Brazil Tungsten Holdings (BTHL), the mine operator an in which Gunsynd holds a 6.18% investment, had had operations suspended at the mine and process plant as well as a list of non-compliance issues including three interdictions.
The group added that as a result of the incident, restrictions would be in place until BHTL rectifies the issues raised, but it did not yet know how long these rectifications would take or when the suspension could be lifted.
Meanwhile, SuperDry PLC (LON:SDRY) saw its shares drop 7.9% to 1,520p as it announced that one of its founders, Julian Dunkerton is to leave the business and donate over ?1mln worth of his company shares to charity.
The FTSE 250-fashion retailer said Dunkerton would step down as a director from 31 March 2018, adding he was resigning to devote more time to his other businesses and charitable interests.
In a note to clients, analysts at Liberum cut the target price for the firm to 1,850p from 2,100p, citing 'an increase in SuperDry's risk profile' and that the management "should alleviate concerns that the exit of the founders will not in any way diminish the design process, and that the brand remains in a robust position expressing they have the necessary skills across all areas of the Group".
Elsewhere, shares in transport operator Stagecoach Group PLC (LON:SGC) fell 1.75% to 128.9p as the company revealed that recent adverse weather conditions caused by the 'Beast from the East' had affected its UK regional bus revenue, though its full-year expectations remain unchanged.
In a trading update, the FTSE 250-listed company said like-for-like-revenue growth for its regional UK Bus operations dropped by 2.5% year-on-year for the most recent four-week period, 'illustrating the scale of the impact of these extreme weather conditions."
FreeAgent Holdings PLC (LON:FREE) shares rocketed 80.6% higher to 116.5p in mid-morning trading as Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (LON:RBS) agreed to acquire the cloud-based accounting software and mobile applications provider.
The bank is to buy FreeAgent for 120p per share in cash, valuing the company at ?53mln, with its RBS Bidco sUBSidiary undertaking the acquisition.
The purchase price represents an 86% premium on FreeAgent's closing price of 64.5p on 26 March 2018, and a 43% premium to its initial public offering price of 84p at its flotation on 16 November 2016.
Meanwhile, shares in AG Barr PLC (LON:BAG) jumped 3.6% to 637p as its most famous brand, Irn-Bru post its 'biggest ever year of sales' in spite of worries over a reformulation of the fizzy drink to offset the impact of an impending sugar tax in the UK, helping it report solid gains in full-year profits, revenue and dividends.
The FTSE 250-listed soft drink maker reported full year pre-tax profits up 4.2% to ?44.9mln as overall revenue increased by 8% to ?277.7mln, and raised its final dividend to 11.84p from 10.87p the year before.
The biggest story, however, was the strength in Irn-Bru sales, which jumped 8% during the year, the biggest year of sales for 'Scotland's other national drink'. The group also said Rubion and Funkin brand sales were up 5.3% and 25% respectively.
Elsewhere, Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. (LON:FOG) shares jumped 12.1% higher to 20.2p as the energy company received good news from Australia.
A scientific inquiry into hydraulic fracturing in Australia's Northern Territory commissioned by the region's government has concluded that the inherent risks of the controversial oil and gas extraction method can be mitigated, reduced to an acceptable level or in some cases eliminated entirely.
This was good news for Falcon as a potentially significant shale discovery was unearthed by the company back in 2016 but at about the same time the Northern Territory authorities put a moratorium on fracking (which would be an essential component in developing the shale).
Quadrise Fuels International PLC (LON:QFI) saw its shares crash 40% to 3.3p in early morning trading as it revealed one of its power trial projects may not proceed.
After the market close on Thursday, the AIM-listed oil company said it had been informed that the signing of a fuel supply agreement between a Saudi Arabian oil company and a refinery partner for its MSAR 'Production to Combustion' trial manufacturing facility had been delayed and that obtaining the required signatures before the 1 April 2018 deadline was unlikely.
As a result, the group - which also reported its half-year numbers this morning - said the MSAR trial may not proceed as planned due to its reliance on the fast-track solution offered by Quadrise and the refinery counterparty.
The company added: "As it is uncertain that the trial project will be going ahead as originally planned, Quadrise is now focussing its resources on other activities that can deliver meaningful progress.Further options to continue this project will be explored in the event that the 'Production to Combustion' trial project as originally planned can no longer proceed, but all have uncertain outcomes in the short-term."
Meanwhile, cash shell GoTech Group PLC (LON:GOT) tumbled 15.5% to 0.32p as turnover from its sUBSidiary companies failed to materialise in full-year results.
GoTech said it had hoped turnover from its acquisitions of Sportsdata Limited and Dataplay Holdings Limited would increase significantly during the year, however, this had failed to occur and the group has agreed to sell Sportdata to Starnevesse Limited for ?1.
Regarding the actual finances, GoTech reported a pre-tax loss on ordinary activities of ?494,000 for the year, up significantly from a ?3.91mln loss the year before.
Elsewhere, shares in mobile operator Mobile Streams Plc (LON:MOS) fell 9.5% to 0.95p as the company issued a revenue warning for the second-half.
Reporting interim results, the group said, due to trading conditions in its core markets in India and Argentina, revenue for the second half of the year would be 'slightly below' first-half levels.
Mobile Streams posted a pre-tax loss for the first half of ?568,000, up from a ?745,000 loss in the same period last year, with its revenue almost half that recorded in the same period in 2016, confirming its warning in a trading update at the start of February.
A scientific review into hydraulic fracturing in Australia's Northern Territory has concluded that the inherent risks of the controversial oil and gas extraction method can be mitigated or reduced to an acceptable level. In some cases the risks could be eliminated entirely, it said. The conclusion, which is intended to inform the region's politicians, will be taken as good news by Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd (LON:FOG), its partner Origin Energy and their respective investors.
ITM Power plc (LON:ITM) has announced the opening of the first 'under the canopy' hydrogen refuelling station at Beaconsfield Services on the M40 in partnership with Royal Dutch Shell PLC (LON:RDSA).
OptiBiotix Health plc (LON:OPTI) has announced that it is gradually transitioning from a research and development company to a commercial business, and plans to open its online store by the end of April.
Genedrive PLC (LON:GDR) has signed a new distribution agreement for its Genedrive HCV ID Kit and Genedrive platform in India. The AIM-listed diagnostics manufacturer said the agreement made with ARKRAY Healthcare pvt Ltd (ARKRAY), a sUBSidiary of ARKRAY Inc. Japan, will focus on securing regulatory approvals for the HCV ID Kit in India.
DP Poland Plc (LON:DPP) has seen costs ease and a better performance from its mature stores in recent months. Lower cheese prices and staff being easier to recruit compared to the last quarter had reduced pressure on margins said Peter Shaw, chief executive.
Healthy demand for second-hand car finance enabled S&U PLC (LON:SUS) to post another record year. Anthony Coombs, chairman, said that unlike new cars, where sales have tailed off recently, demand for used cars rose by 6% in volume terms and by 12% by value in 2017.
Alliance Pharma plc (LON:APH) hiked its full year dividend by 10% as strong demand for its key brands boosted earnings. The pharmaceutical company delivered pre-tax profit of ?28.4mln in the year through December 2017, up 28% on a reported basis. Underlying pre-tax profit rose 8% to ?24mln.
Summit Therapeutics PLC (LON:SUMM) (NASDAQ: SMMT) is looking to raise ?15mln via an accelerated book-build placing of up to 8, 333,333 new ordinary shares, at a price of 180p each, to advance its treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The AIM-listed group said the intended placing price represents a discount of 5.3% to its closing mid-market price on 26 March 2018 of 190p.
Frontier IP Group Plc (LON:FIPP) saw the value of its portfolio of its university spin-outs rise by almost 50% in its latest half-year. The AIM-listed intellectual property group's investments were worth ?8mln at end December, which included the additions of water pollution tester Molendotech and The Vaccine Group.
Be Heard Group PLC (LON:BHRD) has appointed the former chief executive (CEO) of GlobalData PLC (LON:DATA), Simon Pyper as its new chief financial officer (CFO). The AIM-listed digital marketing group said Pyper had led GlobalData in its AIM listing in 2010, with the company growing to a market cap of over ?500mln. Be Heard has a current market cap of around ?21.8mln.
e-therapeutics PLC (LON:ETX) saw its operating loss significantly reduced in the year ended 31 January 2018 having undertaken a systematic review of its operations under new CEO Ray Barlow. The AIM-listed drug discovery company saw its full-year operating loss reduced to ?6.8mln, down from a ?16.3mln loss a year earlier.
Sunrise Resources Plc (LON:SRES) has sent 120 composite drill samples from its CS pozzolan-perlite project for laboratory testing. The pozzolan samples will be tested for strength, while the perlite samples will be tested for application-specific qualities. Sunrise is now moving towards bulk sampling and reports interest from several potential customers.
Strategic Minerals Plc (LON:SML) has identified a potential nickel sulphide target at the Hanns Camp project in Australia. The target will now be tested with aircore drilling, subject to permission from the relevant government department.
Touchstone Exploration Inc (LON:TXP, CVE:TXP) has reported on what it described as a "transformational" year for the Caribbean oil firm. In the year, the company produced an average of 1,375 barrels of crude oil per day which marked a 6% increase from the preceding year.
Lekoil Ltd (LON:LEK) told investors that it has decided to apply to Nigeria's Federal High Court as it seeks to expedite the approval of its agreed acquisition of a stake in OPL 310, previously owned by Afren.
US Oil & Gas PLC (USOP) has issued 2.75mln new shares to private investors to raise gross proceeds of US$1.15mln. The placing shares are priced at 30p per share. The company said that the proceeds will be used for working capital and to fund planned drilling operations in Nevada.
Chariot Oil & Gas Limited (LON:CHAR) announced that it has received valid acceptances from qualifying shareholders in respect of 13,911,954 open offer shares, representing 41% of the maximum available, accordingly, the group has conditionally raised total gross proceeds of approximately US$2.5mln ( ?1.8mln). The company announced on 27 February 2018 that it had conditionally raised total gross proceeds of approximately US$15mln ( ?10.7mln) by the conditional placing of 82,582,747 new ordinary shares at an issue price of 13p each.
Eurasia Mining plc (LON:EUA) has announced that it will be presenting at two events this coming week commencing 26th March 2018. The group said that, in association with fintech company Bankex, it will be co-presenting at the Standard and Poor's Global Platts NORTH AMERICAN DIGITAL COMMODITIES SUMMIT on March 26, 2018 in New York. Subsequently, Eurasia Mining said it is attending the Mining Investment Asia conference in Singapore, 27-28 March 2018 in Singapore.
Metminco Limited (LON:MNC) (ASX:MNC) advises that its latest presentation has been released to the Australian Stock Exchange, with a full pdf version of the presentation available on the company's website.