Company News in Brief

Year ended 31 December

Estates & General cut taxable losses from pounds 26.4m to pounds 4.5m.

Jeyes Group pre-tax profits pounds 4.4m ( pounds 5.5m). Dividend 4.8p (4.5p).

Johnston Group cut taxable losses to pounds 2.6m ( pounds 4.7m). Dividend 2p.

Macfarlane Group increased pre- tax profits to pounds 12.7m ( pounds 10.1m). Total dividend 3.84p (3.186p).

Metsec pounds 1.6m pre-tax profit (loss pounds 1m). Total dividend 2p (nil).

OIS International's maiden pre-tax profit pounds 2.2m. Dividend 2.1p.

Psion advanced to pounds 3m ( pounds 1.4m) pre- tax profit. Dividend 2.8p (2.5p).

Ropner lifted pre-tax profits to pounds 4m ( pounds 3.8m). Total dividend 8.25p.

Servomex fell to pounds 1.5m ( pounds 2.1m) pre- tax profit. Total dividend 6.4p.

Thomas Jourdan recovered to pounds 254,000 pre-tax profit (loss pounds 1.1m). Total dividend 1p (0.75p).

TransTec lifted pre-tax profits to pounds 11.2m ( pounds 9.4m). Dividend 3.3p.

Watts, Blake, Bearne & Co reported pounds 7.9m ( pounds 7.2m) pre-tax profits. Total dividend 12p (10.7p).

Ulster TV's pre-tax profits rose to pounds 5.1m ( pounds 4.2m). Total dividend 15p.

Six months to 31 December

Adwest improved pre-tax profits to pounds 3.9m ( pounds 3.2m). Dividend 2.1p (2p).

Lloyd Thompson pre-tax profits pounds 9.6m ( pounds 8.2m). Dividend 2.4p (2p).

Other

Alexon pounds 12m ( pounds 12.2m) taxable loss for year to 29 January. No dividend.

Ben Bailey Construction pounds 374,000 pre-tax profit (loss pounds 443,000) 18 months to 31 December. Dividend 1.05p.