TAKING STOCK

o Shares of IES, which develops electronic security equipment, have made dramatic progress even by the often rip-roaring standards of the soon-to-disappear 4.2 market. Last year they were 55p; now the price is around 680p. A hi-tech camera system that photographs users of cash dispensers has prompted the surge. The group made a pounds 271,000 profit in its last financial year. An AIM presence is planned.

o Riva, the loss-making electronic till maker, is seen as a recovery buy by stockbrokers John Siddall and Albert E Sharp. Siddall's Audrey Carroll looks for profits of pounds 500,000 this year while Sharp's Steven Robertson is on pounds 400,000, with pounds 1m next year. The group has had a difficult time, suffering heavy losses in recent years. The shares are 25p.