ECO Animal Health lifted by hopes of pig vaccines

10.45: ECO Animal Health biggest Aim riser after results

Any company developing vaccines at the moment is likely to be in demand. In the case of ECO Animal Health Group (AIM.EAH), the vaccines are for pigs, but in any case the market likes the idea.

Following news of a rise in half year profits from £1.3m to £3.9m, the company’s shares have jumped 29.29% making it the biggest riser on AIM. It has seen a good recovery in China following the impact of African Swine Fever in 2019 after a stronger than expected restocking of the pig herd. It said: “This is turn has resulted in the greater use of premium medications such as (its antibiotic) Aivlosin.  It is believed that the efficacy benefits that new users have experienced will result in a number of new, long term, customers.”

As for the vaccine, it said: “The group will continue to invest in building a product pipeline targeting both viral and bacterial diseases of economic importance in pigs and poultry, with the intention of developing a range of vaccines and new products to complement our existing antimicrobial business… These are in various stages of development thereby ensuring that the group has several mid and late stage projects able to deliver revenues from 2022/23.  We were very pleased to announce the approval of the first of these vaccine projects – this was received in January 2021 in Brazil and is for the combined vaccination of pigs against Porcine Circovirus Type2 and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae.”  

Still with pigs, sausage and bacon producer Cranswick (LON.CWK) forecast full-year sales and profits would beat its previous expectations despite lower pig prices. Strong retail demand for its meat products over the festive period offset lower UK pig prices at the end of December 2020 than they were at the same stage last year.

Demand was so strong in the UK that exports to the Far East were lower than the same quarter a year ago.

The upbeat outlook lifted its shares 3.03% to 3542p.

8.45am: NCC boosted by demand for cyber security

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has not stopped the cyber hackers from their work, with the US government a notable recent victim. So while some industries are suffering COVID-19 related troubles, cyber protection does not look like one of them.

Security firm NCC(LON.NCC) has benefited from this, seeing a 2.2% rise in half-year revenues and an 18.9% jump in pre-tax profits. Chief executive Adam Palser said there was robust demand for its services despite the disruption of the pandemic, and the outlook was promising

“Cyber risks are greater today than they ever have been.  The rapid adoption of cloud technologies, coupled with spending decisions being delayed in some customer segments, has built up a “compliance debt” that must be paid down in the future. Therefore, although ongoing disruption to some customer segments is still holding cyber resilience spend back from its full potential, we expect accelerated market growth in the future,” Palser said in the interim result statement.

The news pushed NCC’s shares 7% higher to 273.5p.

Elsewhere construction materials group SigmaRoc (AIM.SRC) jumped 8.9% to 70.25p after it forecast that its full-year results would beat market expectations. It said the strong trading reported in its December 9, 2020, market update continued through to the end of the year.

expects to report revenues for 2020 of around £124mln, up 77% year-on-year, while underlying earnings (EBITDA) are expected to be 54% higher than the year at before at £23.8mln.

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() has announced further gold discoveries on its Glenish gold licence in Ireland. In a statement, Conroy said it had identified a new gold-in-soil anomaly and a new gold mineralised outcrop indicating an extension of the Glenish gold target. The new anomaly is 2 kilometres northeast of the Glenish gold target on the border with the Clontibret gold licence. 

SigmaRoc PLC (LONM:SRC), the…