Company News in Brief

Year to 30 September

City Site Estates, the property group, recovered from an pounds 18.1m taxable deficit to make pounds 349,000 pre-tax profits. Loss per share 5p (120p). No dividend.

Hill & Smith Holdings, the steel stockholder and engineer, sharply increased pre-tax profits from pounds 1.5m to pounds 4m. EPS jumped to 9.91p (1.95p). Total dividend 6.2p.

Six months to 30 September

Hampson Industries, the manufacturing engineer, increased pre-tax profits from pounds 1.7m to pounds 2.5m. Turnover grew from pounds 35.3m to pounds 43.5m. EPS 2.22p (1.41p). Dividend is raised to 0.5p (0.4p).

McKay Securities, the property developer, lifted pre-tax profits to pounds 1.3m ( pounds 877,000). EPS 4p (2.9p). Dividend is 2.1p.

Ransom (William) & Son, the pharmaceutical, food flavours, healthcare and cosmetics firm, made pounds 285,000 ( pounds 289,000) profit before tax. EPS 1.22p (1.24p). Dividend is 0.769p (0.525p).

Six months to 31 October

AIM Group saw pre-tax profits slump from pounds 2.8m to pounds 1.2m, following a 24 per cent decline in turnover to pounds 15.5m ( pounds 20.4m). EPS 5.4p (15.9p). Dividend is held at 1.5p.

Crest Packaging, the packaging maker that was admitted to the stock market last November, has reported virtually unchanged pre-tax profits of pounds 2.4m, on sales up 7 per cent to pounds 21.6m ( pounds 20.2m). EPS rose to 4.27p (3.95p). No dividend.

Whinney Mackay-Lewis, the architect and interior designer, has reduced pre-tax losses from pounds 353,000 to pounds 282,000. Loss per share 4.3p (3.7p). No dividend.