Tadpole returns to the black

SHARES in Tadpole Technology, the portable workstations maker, slipped 20p to 309p yesterday despite a return to the black in the first half to 31 March, writes Neil Thapar.

The company, whose shares have soared by almost five times since its introduction to the stock market last December, turned a taxable loss of pounds 1.4m into pounds 26,000 profit. Group sales have surged from pounds 4.6m to almost pounds 9m.

The results reflect the successful launch of the company's SPARCbook 2, the world's only portable workstation, which had led to a 'steadily increasing number of customers, particularly in North America and Europe'. Group order books amounted to pounds 5.5m at 31 March.

The company has signed a joint marketing agreement with Sun Microsystems, the US workstations giant, to promote Tadpole's expertise in custom board designs.

Growing interest from US investors has prompted the company to seek an American depositary receipt listing. A financial adviser is to be appointed shortly.