Today marks the admission of Sintana Energy (SEI) to the AIM market and the first day of trading with an initial market cap of £128 million. Following the acquisition of Challenger Energy, the group manages a portfolio of ‘Atlantic margin’ (African and Uruguyan) offshore and onshore assets. Price: £25.5pP/E: n/aMarket Cap: £128mYield: n/a We don’t follow small-cap energy or mining stocks that closely because they tend to be fairly binary bets, but it’s good to see more companies coming to list in the UK and good luck to those who subscribed. Read the press release here: https://sintanaenergy.com/investor-centre/

AIM-listed business advisory firm Christie Group (CTG) group has announced that following stronger than expected trading, particularly in the final three months of the year, 2025 earnings will top its previous forecast. Professional & Financial Services saw ‘particularly strong’ invoicing in the final quarter, while renewals at the insurance unit were also better than expected. Price: 125p +4%P/E: 23.5xMarket Cap: £31.5mYield: 2.3% Better operating income and a cash inflow from the sale of the loss-making software business, announced previously, are both good news for investors. Unfortunately, due to the leakiness of the UK small-cap market, today’s news looks like it’s…

Smart thinking from the Essex-based, AIM-listed producer of electronic components means it can move ahead with its expansion plan earlier and at a lower cost than originally planned. Production to double Due to a planning hold-up with its initial choice of site, the firm has agreed a 10-year lease on 14,800 sq ft of office space right next to its existing facility in Colchester. That frees up space within the current 19,000 sq ft building allowing it to be reconfigured for additional manufacturing capacity and a more efficient layout. The firm expects the increase in space to allow it to…

Smithson Investment Trust (SSON) Price: £15.76NAV/share: £16.20Market Cap: £1.7bnDiscount to NAV: -2.8%Current Yield: 1.3%OCF: 0.9% Source: Smithson. Data correct as of 18 December 2025 The board of Smithson investment trust has proposed changing from a closed-end to an open-ended structure. We explain the rationale, the process and why investors should back the board’s proposal. Fund Strategy Smithson invests in shares issued by small- and mid-sized listed companies globally with a market capitalisation at the time of initial investment within the range of the constituents of the MSCI World SMID Index. The fund is a long-term investor in its chosen stocks…

Defence Holdings (ALRT) – Defence Price: 1.28p +16.7%P/E: n/aMarket Cap: £29.3mYield: n/a The defence technology group has released a few details on its operational progress since raising roughly £3.5 million from shareholders. Project Ixian, the UK’s first sovereign AI system, which is being developed with Whitespace and Google Cloud, has begun ‘formalising’ commercial activity and is in the final stages of contract negotiations with its first customer. Given Ixian is the first in a pipeline of sovereign AI products designed to counter modern information warfare and improve national security by ensuring information integrity against disinformation, deepfakes and cyber threats, the…

GSK (GSK) – Pharmaceuticals Price: £18.09 -0.6%P/E: 13.2xMarket Cap: £73.1bnYield: 3.6% GSK has signed a deal to lower the price of prescription dugs in the US, including medicines in its broad respiratory portfolio which are used to treat more than 40 million Americans suffering from conditions like asthma and COPD. The agreement delivers on all four actions requested by President Trump in his 31 July, meaning GSK will lower the price of some medicines in Medicaid and will launch new products ‘with a more balanced pricing approach which recognises the value of innovation across developed nations’. Our View GSK isn’t…

RANK GROUP (RNK) – Leisure Price: 96.2p – 8.7%P/E: 11.4Market Cap: £457mYield: 3.1% Unfortunate news for investors in Rank Group, who Spanish businesses Enracha and Yo have been the victim of payment fraud to the tune of €7.1 million. The firm has brought in an external law firm to investigate and is cooperating with the authorities. Meanwhile the loss will go down as an exceptional item in the FY26 results. Read the press release here: https://www.rank.com/investors/

SHIELD THERAPEUTICS (STX) – Pharmaceuticals Price: 11.65p +3.6%P/E: n/aMarket Cap: £123mYield: n/a Positive news from the late-stage AIM-listed drug company specialising in iron deficiency, with the US approving the extension of its ACCRUFeR indication for adolescents 10 years and above in addition to adults. The indication was supported by positive Phase 3 clinical trial results which confirmed the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Shield’s new oral formulation for children presenting with iron deficiency anemia. Our View The next step for Shield is to file for a further extension to include children one month and above, together with the submission of…

STRIX GROUP (KETL) – Consumer Price: 46.25p +14%P/E: 13.7xMarket Cap: £105mYield: n/a There was big news today from AIM-listed safety control firm Strix with the agreement to sell its Australian filtered water business Billi for an enterprise value of £110 million or around 48p per share. Strix bought Billi in November 2022 for £38 million, and although it hadn’t planned to sell, the deal represents a return of around three times its initial investment. Most of the cash will be used to pay off the company’s £68 million debt and £10 million will be set aside for a share buyback.…

SERAPHIM SPACE INVESTMENT TRUST (SSIT) – Investment Trusts Price: 99p +4%NAV: 119.6pMarket Cap: £225mYield: n/a Major news from the world’s first listed SpaceTech investment company in the form of a €1.7 billion deal between ICEYE, the trust’s largest holding, and German defence giant RHEINMETALL (RHM). The contract will see ICEYE support RHM in providing Germany’s armed forces with high-tech satellites from the end of this year through to 2030 with options for extension. Our View In its recent financing round, ICEYE was valued at €2.4 billion meaning SSIT’s stake represents over a third of the trust’s net asset value. After…