Company News in Brief

An appeal by Simon Engineering to classify the company within the engineering rather than the distributors' industry sector has been upheld by a FT-SE appeal committee.

Year to 30 April

Crest Packaging, maker of packaging products, revealed a sharp drop in pre-tax profits from pounds 17.3m to pounds 4.8m. Turnover edged up to pounds 43m ( pounds 41.8m). Earnings per share slumped to 9.1p (30.7p). Final dividend is 2.43p.

Westport Group, a company that provides marketing services and which builds retail merchandising units and markets, incurred a taxable loss of pounds 448,000 (profit pounds 8,000). Turnover slipped to pounds 14.3m ( pounds 15.1m). Loss per share is 0.4p (EPS 0.1p).

Whinney Mackay-Lewis, the architect and land planner, cut taxable losses to pounds 195,000 ( pounds 2.4m). Loss per share 2.8p (34.6p).

Half-year to 30 June

Anglo & Overseas Trust maintained the dividend payout at 1.75p. Earnings per share fell to 3.28p (3.75p). Net asset value per share grew to 472.8p (427.1p).

Rotork, control and instrumentation equipment maker, registered an increase in pre-tax profits from pounds 6.2m to pounds 6.9m as turnover grew to pounds 41.3m ( pounds 34m). Earnings per share improved to 5p (4.5p). Interim dividend is 1.9p (1.75p).

Year to 31 March

Firth (GM), the steel stockholder and roller, reduced taxable losses from pounds 6m to pounds 2m. Turnover fell to pounds 13.2m ( pounds 21.2m). Loss per share was cut to 3.97p (11.43p).

Williamson Tea Holdings, the tea producer, lifted pre-tax profits to pounds 8.95m ( pounds 6.2m) on the back of higher sales of pounds 39.4m ( pounds 34m). Earnings per share are 143.8p (109.74p). Total dividend is 25p (22.5p).