Company News In Brief

Raglan Properties is staging its second rights issue in a year, three- for-four at 32p to raise pounds 20.4m. The proceeds will part fund the pounds 30.8m acquisition of Letinvest, a property investment group.

Crown Eyeglass, the spectacles maker and retailer, increased pre- tax profits from pounds 423,000 to pounds 530,000 for the year to 31 March. Turnover rose to pounds 5.5m ( pounds 3.75m). Earnings per share are 22.4p (15.3p). Final dividend is 6.5p, making 9.5p (7p).

Yorkshire Chemicals, the textile dyes maker, achieved a 19 per cent jump in pre-tax profits pounds 7.2m ( pounds 6m) despite being forced by its customers to reduce its selling prices by between 4 and 5 per cent. Overall, sales rose by 9 per cent to pounds 60.5m ( pounds 55.5m). Earnings per share were 11.2p against 9.8p and the dividend was lifted 6 per cent to 2.75p. The shares rose 29p to 421p.

Scott Pickford, which provides technical and management services to the oil and mining industries, reported a sharp increase in pre-tax profits from pounds 231,000 to pounds 498,000 for the year to 31 March due to a boost in turnover to pounds 4.8m ( pounds 2.3m). Earnings per share are 5.25p (0.93p). Total dividend is 0.9p (0.8p).

Ewart, the property leasing and development group, climbed from pounds 156,000 taxable loss to pounds 1.1m pre- tax profit for the year to 30 April on a marked improvement in turnover from pounds 4m to pounds 5.9m. Earnings per share jumped to 5.21p (0.44p). The final dividend is 0.6p, making 1p (nil).

Vivat Holdings, which makes and sells clothes, fell to pounds 1.1m ( pounds 1.8m) pre-tax profits in the half year to 30 June as sales declined to pounds 33.6m ( pounds 38.3m). Earnings per share were 1.3p (2.4p). No dividend.