INSPECS GROUP (SPEC) – Consumer Price: 82p n/cP/E: n/aMarket Cap: £83mYield: n/a Over the weekend, Italian eyewear firm SAFILO has bowed out of the takeover battle for AIM-listed glasses maker Inspecs. Shares in Inspecs jumped nearly 14% on Wednesday last week when the company said it had accepted an 84p per share offer from UK private equity firm Risk Capital Partners. Our View Private equity buyers have been circling Inspecs for some time, and it looks as though we finally have a winner. Given the premium being offered by RCP (over 100%), it’s no wonder SAFILO decided to walk away.…

BP MARSH (BPM) – Financials Price: 675p +1.8%P/E: 3.7x Market Cap: £243m Yield: 1.9% AIM-listed specialist insurance investor BP Marsh has announced a special dividend following the sale of its holding in Stewart Specialty Risk Underwriting. Shareholders will receive a special payout of £8 million or 22.23p per share on 26 March 2026, with the stock going ex-dividend on 5 March. In addition to the special dividend, the firm says it intends to pay an annual ordinary dividend of at least £5 million for the financial years to 31 January 2027 and 2028. Our View After a strong 2024, BPM shares…

TRIBAL GROUP (TRB) – Software Price: 67.6p +8.2%P/E: 18xMarket Cap: £145mYield: 1.5% AIM-listed education software and services firm Tribal revealed it has enjoyed stronger-than-expected second-half growth and will deliver revenue and EBITDA ahead of current market expectations for the year to 31 December. The group also said it expects a ‘substantial’ improvement in its cash position, and is now sustainably cash-positive so it will pay a special dividend of 1.5p per share at the end of January. Our View While it may not quite be on the same scale as NEXT or GAMES WORKSHOP, it’s nice to see another firm…

CARD FACTORY (CARD) – Retail Price: 72.8p -24.5%P/E: 5.8xMarket Cap: £249mYield: 5.1% Specialist retailer Card Factory unexpectedly downgraded earnings expectations on weak consumer confidence, which it blamed for soft high-street footfall and lower spending by shoppers. Instead of an increase for the year to January 2026, the group now sees pre-tax profit between £55 million and £60 million compared to £66 million last year. Our View Card Factory will need to send out condolence cards to shareholders after today’s bombshell, while investors will be hoping the warning is company-specific and the rest of the retail sector is enjoying better trading…

1SPATIAL (SPA) – Software Price: 66.8p +43.7%P/E: 211xMarket Cap: £75mYield: n/a Geolocation data and software provider 1Spatial has agreed a possible cash offer for the business from rival UK firm VertiGIS at 73p per share compared with last night’s close of 46.5p per share. The offer represents a 57% premium, valuing the company at just over £87 million, and has the support of its two largest shareholders Columbia Threadneedle and Cannacord who together own 33.8% of the capital. Our View VertiGIS is itself a leading provider of spatial asset management and GIS (geographic information systems) services, so it’s reasonable to…

AUDIOBOOM (BOOM) – Media Price: 605p -0.8%P/E: 44xMarket Cap: £110mYield: n/a After an ‘excellent’ performance in November, AIM-listed podcast provider Audioboom (BOOM) has released a flash trading update ahead of its scheduled update in January. The firm generated record revenue of $9.1 million and record EBITDBA for the month thanks to a record 152 million downloads and video views, a 66% increase on the same month last year. Our View The acquisition of Adelicious in July has had an immediate impact, boosting output, distribution and advertising inventory and cementing Audioboom as number one in the video chart, strengthening its ability…

TRUFIN (TRU) – Media Price: 123.7p +4.8%P/E: 19xMarket Cap: £120mYield: n/a AIM-listed conglomerate TruFin – which brings together niche lending, early payment services and games publishing – has raised its guidance again thanks to strong sales of its back catalogue and its latest game, Unbeatable. For the year to December 31, revenue, EBITDA and pre-tax profit are now expected to be ‘materially’ ahead of previous expectations. Not only that, the firm’s cash position is likely to be bigger than expected so the board will consider how to allocate any surplus, including potentially returning it to shareholders ‘in a disciplined and…

Ahead of its AGM, disinfectant maker Tristel (TSTL) revealed it had made a strong start to the financial year. The company also said it was ‘firmly on target’ to deliver revenue growth of at least 10% by June 2026. Price: 368p +3%P/E: 30xMarket Cap: £175mYield: 3.5% BIG US SALES BOOST The AIM-listed firm said it saw strong H1 momentum driven by ‘solid’ UK growth and accelerating demand across Europe. More healthcare providers are adopting its products and its investment in improving its commercial execution is delivering. Meanwhile, five-month US sales of its ULT ultrasound product are already equivalent to last…

FIRSTGROUP (FGP) – Travel & Leisure Price: 187p +1.9%P/E: 9.5xMarket Cap: £1bnYield: 3.8% FirstGroup has acquired the UK sightseeing bus operations of French firm RATP for £17 million to grow and diversify its business. The RATP assets include 63 buses, 42 in London and 21 in Bath, as well as a large freehold depot in Wandsworth and a leased depot in Bath, plus the Airdecker bus service between Bath and Bristol airport. Our View It may not move the needle much, butr this looks like a shrewd deal as it not only bolsters the group’s offering but adding the Wandsworth…

VOLUTION (FAN) – Industrials Price: 658p +7.3%P/E: 20xMarket Cap: £1.3bnYield: 1.9% Heating, ventilation and aircon group Volution released a pre-AGM trading update to say activity in the first four months of its new financial year was positive with 5% growth in sales on a constant-currency basis. Add to that 25% growth from last year’s acquisition of Fantech and total sales are up around 30% since the start of August. The firm also revealed it is buying another Australian HVAC business for an initial outlay of AUD$ 150 million (around £75 million) with a follow-on payment of up to AUD$ 28.9…