Alaska-focused oil explorer 88 Energy Limited (LON:88E, ASX:88E) saw shares advance over 5% in London as the firm update on its operations at Project Icewine.
The firm said that a 450 sq km 3D seismic programme was completed on March 28, highlighting that the work was finished on schedule and within budget.
It expects processed data from the first areas will be available in June.
"The 88E team have been extremely busy on multiple fronts over the last few months, with refinancing of debt, exercise of options, expanding our lease position, planning for, and acquisition of, two 3D seismic surveys and, of course, the re-opening of the Icewine#2 well," said Dave Wall, 88 Energy managing director.
"The remainder of 2018 promises to be pivotal for the company and its shareholders, with near-term activity related to the Icewine#2 flow test, expected prior to mid-year, results from two 3D seismic acquisitions and one or more farm-out transactions targeted for the second half of the year."
Another oil mover was Eland Oil & Gas PLC (LON:ELA), which also gushed over 5% higher to 84.20p as it also updated investors - this time on the financial front.
The group updated on what's called a reserves based lending (RBL) facility which, following the success of its Opuama-8 well, now puts the company in a stronger financial position, because it has more cash it can draw on.
A re-profiling of the Opuama field's RBL, which is provided by Standard Chartered Bank, leaves the company with the same headline scope of US$35mln but the company notes that the borrowing base for the loan increases significantly to just over US$70mln, from US$40mln.
Pharma group Shield Therapeutics PLC (LON:STX) saw shares surge over 30% in London to 20.25p as it hired a new non-executive director and confirmed plans to submit a new drug application for Feraccru to the key US FDA as soon as possible.
Rolf Hoffmann has been hired with immediate effect. He is currently chairman of Biotest AG, sits on the board of the large European biotechnology company Genmab AG and is director of San Francisco-based Trigemina Inc.
Separately, the firm said it had received final minutes from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its recent NDA submission meeting for Feraccru - an iron deficiency therapy.
"These minutes form the official record of this meeting with the FDA and they have provided Shield with the necessary guidance to progress submission of an NDA for Feraccru without conducting additional pivotal clinical trials.
"The NDA will be submitted as soon as possible in 2018 and the work will be funded within the company's current cash resources," it said.
Meanwhile, Symphony Environmental Technologies plc (LON: SYM), the "make plastic smarter" group saw its stock on the rise Friday.
Shares gained 8.64% to 22p each as it said Robert (Bob) Wigley had joined the company as a non-executive director with immediate effect, having acted as an adviser in recent years.
"Bob is an experienced City professional having enjoyed a successful career in banking, latterly as Chairman of Merrill Lynch for Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and now works with several growth companies. Bob is also Chairman of UK Finance, which represents nearly 300 of the leading firms providing finance, banking, markets and payments-related services in or from the UK."
Top gainer in London was broadcast software firm Pebble Beach Systems Group plc (LON:PEB), which shot up 100% to 2.30p in early deals as it agreed new terms with its lender Santander UK.
The arrangements include a 'simplification' of its banking covenants, the firm said and involved the company securing until November 30, 2019 its current revolving credit and term loan facilities at 'competitive rates'.
"We are delighted to have agreed headline terms under which we expect to shortly secure our facilities at competitive rates," said John Varney , non-executive chairman.
"We see this as the result of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a strong banking relationship and continue to be well supported by Santander.
"The proposed new facilities give us the headroom to continue with our strategy to remain independent and focus on Pebble Beach Systems as a platform to rebuild the group."
The firm added that it had hired Pitman to join the board as a non-executive director and member of the audit, remuneration and nomination committees.
A notable loser on the day was Appscatter (LON:APPS), which shed almost 7% to stand at 76p as it revealed it was buying German firm Priori Data for ?13.5mln.
The tech group said it would raise ?15mln through a placing at 70p to help pay for Priori, with ?9.45mln of the consideration in cash and ?4.05mln in shares.
Berlin-based Priori runs an app data intelligence operation and combined with appscatter's existing service will enable the performance of millions of apps and billions of devices to be analysed, said Philip Marcella, chief executive.
Echo Energy Plc (LON:ECHO) told investors that the rig has been mobilised for the planned three well programme at the Fracci??n D asset, onshore Argentina. The Quintana-01 rig is travelling around 250 kilometres by road to Fracci??n D and the mobilisation is expected to take 3 days.
Symphony Environmental Technologies plc (LON:SYM), a global specialist in products and technologies that "make plastic smarter", has announced the appojntment of Bob Wigley as a non-executive director with immediate effect, having acted as an adviser to the company over the last few years. Wigley is an experienced City professional having enjoyed a successful career in banking, latterly as chairman of Merrill Lynch for Europe, the Middle East & Africa.
88 Energy Limited (LON:88E, ASX:88E) has provided an update on its operations in Alaska, where it has both conventional and shale interests within the Project Icewine acreage. The company said that a 450 square kilometre 3D seismic exploration programme was completed on March 28, highlighting that the work was finished on schedule and within budget. It now expects processed data from the first areas will be available in June.
Appscatter Group PLC (LON:APPS) is to strengthen its app monitoring service with the acquisition of German firm Priori Data for ?13.5mln. Berlin-based Priori runs an app data intelligence operation and combined with appscatter's existing service will enable the performance of millions of apps and billions of devices to be analysed, said Philip Marcella, chief executive.
Range Resources Ltd (LON:RRL) (ASX:RRS) has said it does not consider its interest at the Perlak field in Indonesia to be 'a material oil and gas project', citing the 'significance of its oil and gas assets in Trinidad'. The AIM and ASX-listed oil and gas explorer said based on its initial 23% indirect interest in the Indonesia-based Perlak project, the net forecast production is estimated at 46 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and net 1P reserves of 64,183 barrels.
Bacanora Minerals Ltd (LON:BCN) reckons it's on track to begin production from its Sonora lithium mine in Mexico in the first quarter of 2020 and expects construction to begin in the first half this year Design of both the roaster/kiln FEED (front end engineering design) and the crystalliser/evaporation/IX FEED has begun, the firm said in a broad update.
Lansdowne Oil & Gas Plc (LON:LOGP) has raised ?900,000 through a share placing, giving it sufficient capital to cover its costs for the Barryroe project until the group's Chinese farm-out deal completes. Some 69.2mln new shares are being sold at a price of 1.3p each. The placing investors will also receive share warrants, which will exercise at 1.3p also.
Eland Oil & Gas PLC (LON:ELND) has updated investors on its reserves based lending (RBL) facility which, following the success of the Opuama-8 well, now puts the company in a stronger financial position. A re-profiling of the Opuama field's RBL, which is provided by Standard Chartered Bank, leaves the company with the same headline scope of US$35mln but the company notes that the borrowing base for the loan increases significantly to just over US$70mln, from US$40mln.
Sunrise Resources Plc (LON:SRES) said it was pleased to see the company, which bought its Junction copper-silver-gold project in Nevada, USA expand its footprint there. Sunrise holds an interest in VR Resources Ltd and says the latter's claim staking on the ground has increased nearly sevenfold since the project was sold.
Pembridge Resources PLC (LON:PERE) has announced the appointment of Paul Fenby as its chief financial officer with immediate effect. The mining-focused acquisition company noted that Fenby has over 25 years' experience in natural resources, most recently as CFO at Asia Resource Minerals PLC, a UK-listed, Indonesia-focused coal mining company, with responsibility for both the London and Jakarta listed entities.