Company News in Brief

Automagic Holdings, the shoe repairer and dry cleaner, recovered from taxable losses of pounds 436,000 to make pounds 76,000 profit for the six months to 9 January. Earnings per share are 0.9p (loss 7p). No dividend.

Dakota Group, the packaging products and technical manuals publisher, boosted pre-tax profits from Ir pounds 144,000 to Ir pounds 1.4m in the six months to 31 March. Earnings per share surged from Ir0.2p to Ir4.4p. No dividend.

James Dickie, which makes engineering components, climbed from pounds 292,000 taxable loss to pounds 250,000 pre- tax profit for the six months to 28 February, helped by higher turnover of pounds 7.9m ( pounds 6.9m). Earnings per share are 3.03p against 4.73p loss previously. No dividend.

Lowland Investment Co, the investment trust, declared a 3.2p dividend for the six months to 31 March, up from 3p last time. Taxable revenue eased to pounds 1.2m from pounds 1.3m. Net asset value per share grew to 252.3p (201.2p).

S Lyles, the carpet yarn maker, fell from pounds 468,000 to pounds 102,000 pre-tax profit for the six months to 31 December, hit by an 18 per cent drop in turnover to pounds 6.7m ( pounds 8.2m). Interim dividend held at 1.55p.

How Group, which provides mechanical and electrical engineering services to the construction industry, slumped from pounds 1.3m pre-tax profit to a pounds 2.3m loss for the year ended 31 December. Turnover was slashed to pounds 135.7m ( pounds 223.9m). Loss per share is 3.96p (earnings 1.82p). Total dividend is cut to 0.75p (1.5p).

Wensum Company, the clothes maker, incurred pounds 44,000 pre-tax loss (profit pounds 607,000) for the year to 31 January, on lower sales of pounds 6.6m ( pounds 7.6m). Loss per share is 0.33p (5.63p). Final dividend is 1.25p, making 1.82p (3.5p).