(Alliance News) – Reckitt Benckiser Group (RKT) on Wednesday confirmed it intends to return around GBP1.6 billion to shareholders through a special dividend following the completion of the sale of the Essential Home business to Advent International LP. The Slough, England-based consumer health and hygiene products company behind Durex, Nurofen and Vanish proposes to pay the 235 pence per share special dividend on January 30.
Comment: RKT is the kind of company which makes one wonder what the point of looking at small caps / “growth” stocks is. The shares are in a rising trend channel from last summer targeting £64 in Q1, no doubt helped along by the prospect of the special dividend.
Galantas Gold Corporation (GAL) announced that on January 6, 2026 it has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire a 100% ownership interest in the Andacollo Oro Gold Project, located in the Coquimbo Region of central Chile (the “Transaction”). The Project is a past-producing, large-scale open pit heap leach gold operation with existing infrastructure, permits, and extensive historical technical data. The acquisition represents a significant strategic step for Galantas and is expected to constitute a Fundamental Acquisition under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.
Comment: Now let me see. Who in recent days has been giving GAL a 20p technical target via the Bulletin Board Heroes? And who even after doing so will not be acknowledged? I hope some people found it useful. The shares peaked at 21p this morning, up over 100%.
Eden Research plc (EDEN), a leader in sustainable biopesticide and biocontrol technologies, is pleased to announce that Mevalone has been granted approval by the French authorities for use on grapes to control downy and powdery mildew, subject to customary restrictions.
Comment: There has actually been an uplift in the newsflow from EDEN in the recent past. Presumably though, this will not be enough to prevent the odd psychotic jibe against the company from the shorting conspiracy later today, or even already. Once you are on the shorting list, you can never come off it. No balanced argument, no mea culpa when wrong. Just celebrations when correct and investors have lost money.
ECR Minerals plc (ECR), the gold exploration and development company focused on Australia, announced that the Company has secured an experienced team to commence initial mining operations at its Raglan alluvial gold project in Queensland. With the operating team secured, and all site infrastructure, wash plant and mobile fleet already onsite, ECR now expects initial gold production before the end of January 2026, marking the Company’s transition into a revenue-generating gold producer. This development follows completion in December 2025 of ECR’s acquisition of the Raglan Project, a fully permitted, turnkey alluvial gold mining project.
Comment: Messrs Tulloch and Scott really are delivering the goods for ECR, albeit in a very friendly stock market and macro environment. But of course, one makes one’s own luck, and there are plenty of explorers / developers who have yet to get over the line even with gold et al going through the roof.
Tekcapital Plc (TEK), the UK intellectual property investment group notes that Innovative Eyewear, Inc. (NASDAQ: LUCY; LUCYW), the manufacturer of smart eyewear under the Lucyd®, Lucyd ArmorTM, Reebok®, Eddie Bauer® and Nautica® brands, announced its preliminary unaudited sales results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025. Innovative Eyewear achieved Q4 2025 sales of approximately $1m, representing an increase of approximately 45% compared with Q4 2024 revenue. Preliminary full-year 2025 sales are estimated to be $2.7 million, a substantial increase of approximately 65% year-over-year from $1.6 million in 2024.
Comment: Making eyewear for others sounds like a decent business, and the sales rise hints that it is. The question is perhaps what level of sales takes the company above the clouds in terms of cash generation / profitability?
Greatland Resources Limited (GGP) provided the following preliminary production update for the December 2025 quarter. Production of 86,273 oz Au and 3,528 t Cu (September Quarter: 80,890 oz Au and 3,366 t Cu; FY2026 H1: 167,163 oz Au and 6,894 t Cu); All-In-Sustaining-Cost (AISC) is still to be finalised and will be reported in the December 2025 Quarterly Activities Report; Sales of 72,212 oz Au and 3,301 t Cu; and Cash at 31 December 2025 of $948 million (30 September 2025: $750 million) and nil debt which represents a cash build of $198 million for the quarter.
Comment: GGP seems to have combined the attributes of not only King Midas but also Croesus, with no debt and cash coming out of its ears. Unhedged is particularly exciting at the moment as gold heads to $5,000, and we look forward to the AISC, even though these days it really does not matter.
Aptamer Group plc (APTA), the developer of next-generation synthetic binders for the life sciences industry, announce a trading update for the six months ending 31 December 2025 (H1 26). Aptamer’s unaudited revenue for H1 26 is £0.83 million, representing a substantial 27% increase from the same period last year (H1 25: £0.65 million), and gives the Board confidence that full year revenue will materially exceed the prior year. The Group has an FY26 fee-for-service order book of over £2.0 million in new contracts.
Comment: A decent pipeline bodes well for APTA in 2026, something which is set against the company still being relatively under the radar, and presumably only half a dozen people in the market knowing what a synthetic binder is. Answers on a postcard.
Blackbird plc (BIRD), the developer of the browser-based collaborative video editor elevate.io, today announces a partnership with Epidemic Sound, the leading music licensing platform for creators and brands. This partnership will mean Epidemic Sound’s expansive music catalogue will be integrated directly into elevate.io, the Company’s online collaborative video editing platform, before the end of the first quarter of 2026. This integration will give elevate.io users instant access to Epidemic Sound’s world-class catalogue of music and sound effects within the platform’s editor, making it easier than ever to create polished, professional content and removing the stress of copyright worries or additional royalties.
Comment: New tech has to go viral / take off immediately to prove itself and gain traction. One would like to know whether this has been the case with elevate.io, and whether this latest partnership will make it happen?
Netcall plc (NET), an enterprise software company that unites automation and customer engagement in one AI-powered platform, today announced a new £3.0m multi-year Liberty cloud contract with an S&P 500 global financial services firm. The expanded partnership builds on the Customer’s initial adoption of Netcall’s Liberty platform in H2 FY25, lifting the Customer’s annual subscription to £1.0m and embedding Liberty deeper into its core operations.
Comment: Another under the radar company with a decent contract win that is nothing to be sniffed at. That said, judging by the typical London stock market reaction so far this morning, it is being sniffed at.
Solvonis Therapeutics plc (SVNS), an emerging biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines for high-burden central nervous system (“CNS”) disorders, announces that it has received a Notice of Allowance (the “Allowance”) from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for a series of compounds within its proprietary SVN-SDN-14 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”) discovery programme. One compound from this series is currently being evaluated alongside other candidates, with a lead compound expected to be selected in Q1 2026 in line with prior guidance.
Comment: SVNS continues to show it is loyal to its goals and its timelines, especially in terms of pushing towards blockbuster treatments for vast unmet needs. On this basis the still very modest market cap of £21m and last year’s 51% share price rise suggest we are only at the foothills of what can be achieved and what will be seen later this year.
EnSilica plc (ENSI), a leading fabless chipmaker of mixed signal ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), provided the following update on trading for the six months ended 30 November 2025. The Company report that it generated solid new business momentum across the Period alongside producing strong levels of Non-Recurring Engineering (“NRE”) and recurring supply revenue from existing contracts, delivering revenue growth in excess of 35 per cent during the Period on a like for like basis.
Comment: It has been the case here at Zaks Traders Café that ENSI could be a UK tech giant like Autonomy or ARM. So far this has not been the case. But there are the first signs that the almost comical dream is starting to become a reality. The shares are approaching the best levels for 18 months.
There was a TR1 released by Tungsten West (TUN), a company which has hit the big time now that Tungsten is a critical metal, especially for bullets etc. The good news is that Henry Maxey, one of Notting Hill’s finest, has increased his stake in the Devon based company from 7% to 14%. What a decent chap.
Panther Metals Plc (PALM), the exploration company focused on mineral projects in Canada, announced the appointment of Extrakt Process Solutions LLC to conduct phased metallurgical testwork for the recovery of metals from the Winston Tailings Project in Ontario, Canada. The testwork will be conducted in association with TDI Solutions LLC an independent laboratory authorised and equipped to implement the Extrakt innovative hydrometallurgical extraction technology. This work and associated studies are inputs into the Application for Recovery of Minerals Permit process as announced 1 September 2025.
Comment: After years of hard graft, it would appear that while the hard graft will continue, companies like PALM, with its chirpy CEO will have their day in the sun in 2026 – so to speak. It could even be that tailings become the new rock and roll for explorations companies.
Predator Oil & Gas Holdings Plc (PRD), the Jersey based Oil and Gas Company with producing hydrocarbon operations focussed on Trinidad and Morocco, announce a significant increase in Trinidad production following the completion of drilling and heavy workover operations ahead of schedule in the Bonasse and Goudron fields.
Comment: For much of 2025 PRD seemed to have the PR skills of Harry and Meghan, so it is to be hoped that today’s news from the company marks the start of a more touchy feely approach to the market, and less of the Brillo pad / treat ’em mean, keep ’em even less keen approach of the recent past.
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