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Ultimate Products – from “continues to trade in line with market expectations” to profit warning in less than 5 weeks!

Homeware brands company Ultimate Products (ULTP) has issued a third quarter, to 30th April 2024, trading update including to “expect FY24 revenues to be at least £156m, with gross margin being in line with last year, and Adjusted EBITDA to be in a range of £17.5-18.5m… the order book for FY25, at this early stage, is significantly ahead of FY24 as retailers continue to increase their forward orders as the overstocking issues brought about by the pandemic subside and consumer confidence builds as we see a return to real wage growth”. So what of the shares currently falling below 150p?

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Ilika – quelle surprise! As warned here, after “Capital Markets Day” & “Q&A session for retail investors”… discounted fundraising

Previously writing on company describing itself as a “global expert in solid-state battery technology” Ilika (IKA), last month I noted “Capital Markets Day” and a “Q&A session for retail investors” – hmmm, attempted ramptastic? after previously noting, with the shares at 36p on half-year results, house broker Liberum forecasting revenue/grants falling to £1.6 million and at what point is it AGAIN more bailout funding required?. Today “Proposed Placing and Open Offer… at a price of 28 pence”. You were warned…

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Light Science Technologies – “South Africa Distributor Agreement”, attempted ramptastic?

Light Science Technologies (LST) has announced a “South Africa Distributor Agreement” for its nurturGROW sustainable grow lighting products, emphasising that it “look forward to targeting high-growth regions”. So what of the announcement currently seeing the shares more than 11% higher at 3p?

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DG Innovate – placing including ‘to support the establishment of a joint venture and other commercial strategies’. Er, for how long will it so “support”?!…

Describing itself as an “advanced research and development company developing pioneering solutions in sustainable mobility and energy storage”, DG Innovate (DGI) is “pleased to announce” a placing including to “support the establishment of the joint venture with EVage Automotive Pvt. Limited and other commercial strategies, and also to strengthen the company's balance sheet”. How ‘pleasing’ is the announcement from a prior 0.1125p share price?

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Eckoh – trading update, further risk to forecasts from elongated sales cycles with new enterprise clients?…

Technology for customer engagement data security company Eckoh (ECK) has issued a trading update including, for its year ended 31st March 2024, that it “expects to report adjusted operating profit of approximately £8.3m… marginally ahead of market expectations, which represents a 17% increase on FY23 pre-forex… with an improved net cash position of £8.3m at the end of the year (FY23 £5.7m), also marginally ahead of market expectations”. So what of a current share price response to 40p, approaching 6% lower?

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XP Factory – argues “continued strong performance”, but how “strong” really?…

Escape Hunt-branded ‘escape-the-room’ and Boom Battle Bars company XP Factory (XPF) has issued a trading update emphasising “continued strong performance… investments into new sites are generating industry leading returns setting the business well to generate growth in shareholder value and providing the blueprint to continue our expansion”. So what of a currently up to above 14p share price in response, but still down even from a start of 2024 17.5p?

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Plant Health Care – argues “strong” trading, sufficiently strong for a more than 25% share price increase response?

Describing itself as “a leading provider of peptides for plant protection to global agriculture markets”, Plant Health Care (PHC) has issued a trading update including emphasising “in the US, on-ground sales have started the year strongly… Outside the US, sales by PHC grew strongly in 2023 and have continued that trend in the first four months of 2024”. Just how ‘strong’ is that trading though, with the shares currently up more than 25% at 4.345p?

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Mobile Tornado – “contract win” ramptastic, how’s the balance sheet position now?!

Describing itself as “a leading push-to-talk over cellular and workforce management solution provider”, Mobile Tornado Group (MBT) has issued a “Contract win with MNO in Middle East” announcement, just headlined “Push-to-Talk among range of solutions to support workforce management”. So what of a current share price response to 2.40p, up more than 150%?!

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CAP-XX – argues “current trading on existing products remains strong”, but how “strong” really?...

Describing itself as “a world leader in the design and manufacture of supercapacitors and energy management systems”, CAP-XX (CPX) has issued a trading update commencing that; “Following the successful completion of the recent fundraise, the board is pleased to announce that current trading on existing products remains strong, in line with management forecasts, and trial shipments of pre-samples of new product have recently commenced”. Good news from a 0.08p share price?

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BREAKING: Chamberlin – shares suspended with winding up petition court hearing already held… and only announced now?!

Previously writing on castings and machining company Chamberlin (CMH) early this year I suggested balance sheet strain. At 11:45am today a shares “Suspension” announcement just stating “pending clarification of the company's financial position” before the company only got an update with some detail out at 12:36pm. This included that it “has been issued with a winding up petition by the company's main power supplier and a court hearing was held this morning”. Hmmm, when was this first known about then?!