Zetar snacks on a Humdinger

Confectioner Zetar (ZTR) gained ground on the acquisition of its second healthy snack supplier in four months, in the shape of Hull-based fruit and nuts supplier Humdinger. The company, led by chief executive Ian Blackburn, is raising £11 million at 400p to fund the £13 million purchase and its shares were trading 5p higher at 425p at the mid-way point on Friday.

Elsewhere, China based environmentally friendly fertilizer company Bodisen Biotech (BODI) delighted with news of supply deals with the Xinjiang province worth an estimated $45 million, sending the shares 24 per cent north to 674.5p.

Across the wider markets a modicum of order was restored on Friday, with London recovering from a recent sell off (prompted by fears over inflation and rising interest rates) with strength in oil majors fuelling its early rise. By lunchtime on Friday, the blue chip benchmark index was trading at 5,691.4, for a 94-point gain over the week, with AIM having a similarly agreeable five-day session, putting on 33.3 points to 1,066.5.

Results round-up

On the results scene CareTech (CTH), the provider of learning disability care services, cheered with news of a doubling of pre-tax profits to £1.2 million for the half to March. The company, which joined AIM in October, reported a 26 per cent top-line leap to £13.3 million and has its eye on acquisitions in a market that chairman Farouk Sheikh believes is ripe for consolidation.

Also doubling its half time returns, to £541,000 on revenues nearly trebled, was online market researcher Research Now (RNOW), strong results that sent its shares 23 per cent higher to 223p.

And Driver (DRV), which provides commercial and dispute resolution services to construction firms, motored home with a very healthy rise in first half profits to £850,000, despite investing in key people and offices for expansion. Despite the strong figures the company, which joined AIM by way of a placing priced at 73p in October, failed to enjoy any share price uplift. The current 72.5p, flat over the week, values the business at £17.9 million.

Fancy footwork from XKO

Following a disposal and subsequent acquisitions, XKO (XKO) seems to have successfully repositioned itself as a key player in the ‘revenue assurance’ market for utilities clients,  scoring a 42 per cent ‘adjusted’ profits spike to £5.4 million for the year to March. ‘We have sold and reinvested successfully, shown a good bit of footwork, and had a hell of a good year,’ reflected chief executive Simon Beart, although the shares lost tuppence to 104p over the course of the week.

Amid other movers, waste-to-energy developer Compact Power (CPO) clipped 23 per cent higher to 28.5p on an agreement with defence research body QinetiQ to tender for the supply of a waste management system for the Navy's largest vessel during her forthcoming 2007 refit.

However software specialist Adamind (ADA) crashed 60 per cent to 39p after disappointing the market with the news it expects first half revenues will be ‘substantially below market expectations’. Delays in customer upgrades, and in the completion of content deals, are to blame.