Devro PLC (LON:DVO) shot up 7% to 157.4p as it said it expects to achieve good progress in 2020 with volume growth in all its markets.

The producer of sausage casings added that cost savings will more than offset cost pressures due to inflation.

In the year to 31 December, it swung to a 21mln loss before tax, from a 17mln profit in 2018, due to closure of a UK facility and non-cash impairment charges related to US and Chinese plants.

TT Electronics plc (LON:TTG) advanced 9% to 208p as the majority of its operations in Asia have restarted after closing to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.

The manufacturer of electronic components has three facilities in China and one in Hong Kong, accounting for 25% of its total revenues.

The company said the closures will hit this years profits by 3mln.

Edenville Energy PLC dipped 2% to 0.044p on Wednesday afternoon as it expects further disruption at its Rukwa mine in Tanzania if the rains continue.

The AIM-listed coal producer said it expects to start mining from the northern area of the project during this month, as the ramp-up in production continues.

The plant is taking material from the 6,000-tonne stockpile established last month which needs to be replenished.

Fellow miner Condor Gold PLC (LON:CNR) was doing much better, rising 9% to 31.75p.

The AIM-listed firm said results from mining dilution studies supporting a 1,000 tonnes per day production feed at the La India project in Nicaragua.

Management said it could be possible by establishing a small plant or a toll milling agreement.

Amigo Holdings PLC (LON:AMGO) jumped 11% to 43.99p inearly afternoon trade as it announced that its founder James Benamor has resigned with immediate effect.

Benamor forced his way back on to the board at the guarantor loans lender in December after resigning post-float in 2018.

Amigo embarked in a transformation programme in August and recently was given some feedback from theFinancial Conduct Authority over areas for improvement, such as increasing the explanation of key information provided to potential guarantors and disclosure on the likelihood that guarantors could be called to make payments.

Meanwhile, Haydale Graphene Industries PLC (LON:HAYD) surged 11% to 1.75p after it said its graphene nano-platelets have been incorporated into a cosmetic face mask recently launched by South Korean firm iCraft.

The masks will utilise the thermal and electrical conductivity of graphene to help the skin absorb its contents.

The AIM-listed firm said thatwhile the initial volume of graphene required to meet early-stage demand may not be significant, the deal marked a significant step-change in the use of the material.

Attraqt Group PLC (LON:ATQT) slid 18% to 32p as its full-year loss before tax widened by 38% to 4mln due to higher staff, research and development costs.

The e-commerce solutions provider said it still expects double-digit growth in its 2020 annual recurring revenue.

Elsewhere, Hostelworld Group PLC (LON:HSW) shed 10% to 94.6p after warning the coronavirus outbreak could hit its quarterly earnings by 4mln.

The budget accommodation provider said trading since late-January had been challenged by the outbreak with a significant impact on global travel demand, particularly within Asia and Europe.

As the coronavirus has spread from region to region, we have observed a material reduction in bookings and an increase in marketing cost as a percentage of net revenue, the company said.

Urban Exposure PLC (LON:UEX) shot up 10% to 64.98p mid-morning after confirming it is in exclusive discussions with Pollen Street Capital following media speculation.

The finance provider to property developers is looking to offload its loan book to Pollen Street, while the existing executive team would buy its asset management business.

If all goes ahead, the firmwill de-list from AIM and return 73p per share to its shareholders.

Meanwhile, Oncimmune Holdings PLC (LON:ONC) jumped 8% to 88p after praising its US partner Biodesix for exceeding expectations.

The two firms have agreed to sell Oncimmunes diagnostic kit EarlyCDT Lung alongside Biodesixs Notify XL2.

They will be offered via a national sales force plugged directly into pulmonologists and, corporately, into national hospital systems.

In the chemicals industry, Itaconix PLC (LON:ITX) advanced 7% to 1.66p on the back of a joint development agreementfor a biodegradable packaging venture.

According to the deal, the unnamed partner will evaluate the use of Itaconix's BIO*Asterix line of functional additives in new biodegradable packaging solutions.

Itaconix said that if the efforts are successful it will produce and supply one or more BIO*Asterix additives for the partner to use in its product range.

Proactis Holdings PLC (LON:PHD) was a bigearly faller on Wednesday, crashing 38% lower to 29p as it revealed it is no longer up for sale.

The business e-commerce solutions provider announced a formal sale process last July but said today that it did not lead to any firm proposals.

The company has now committed to make a series of changes to keep shareholders happy, including the annual re-election of directors.

Similarly, Nanoco Group PLC (LON:NANO) shares tanked 36% to 16p as it said it has not received a formal acquisition offer after months of discussions.

The nano-materials firm, however, said it is still engaging with a number of parties hoping someone will pop the question.

The firm added it continues to review all strategic options including additional funding.

Meanwhile, Intu Properties PLC(LON:INTU) dropped 26% to 7.91p as the shopping centres firm revealed it hasfailed to raise the 1bn-1.5bn lifeline it hadhoped for.

The real estate group said in January that it was in talks with investors, but noted today that many of them were not willing to dish out the money in such an uncertain market.

The firm said other options are being explored, including alternative capital structures and asset disposals, after several expressions of interest.

Sirius Minerals PLC (LON:SXX) is set to be acquired by Anglo American Plc(LON:AAL) for 405mln after its offer was approved at yesterday's shareholder meeting. Over 1,300 investors cast their vote on Tuesday with 80.28% in favour. The offer needed 75% approval to go ahead.

Itaconix PLC (LON:ITX) has inked a joint development agreement for a biodegradable packaging venture. The agreement envisages a collaboration to evaluate the use of Itaconix's BIO*Asterix line of functional additives in new biodegradable packaging solutions.

Haydale Graphene Industries PLCs (LON:HAYD) graphene nano-platelets have been incorporated into a cosmetic face mask recently launched by South Korean firm iCraft. The company said the masks will utilise the thermal and electrical conductivity of graphene to help the skin absorb its contents.

Oncimmune Holdings PLC (LON:ONC) chief executive Adam Hill has heaped praise on the companys American partner following the launch of its lung diagnostic into the worlds largest healthcare market. Biodesix Inc exceeded our expectations, Hill said. Oncimmunes EarlyCDT Lung test will be sold in the US as Notify Lung for use by doctors in identifying nodules at high risk of lung cancer.

SDX Energy PLC (LON:SDX) told investors that the BMK-1 exploration well has encountered commercial quantities of gas in two targeted horizons. BMK-1 was described previously as a play-opening well and the result confirms that the core productive area in Morocco extends north, de-risking some 20bn cubic feet of prospective gas resources. The result is expected to significantly extend the life of resources.

BATM Advanced Communications Ltd (LON:BVC) has seen earnings double in 2019 after what its chief executive said was a great performance in the second half. For the year ended 31 December, the networking tech and bio-medical firm reported earnings (EBITDA) of US$9.8mln, up from US$4.9mln in 2018, while revenues rose to US$123.4mln from US$119.6mln. Adjusted operating profit, meanwhile, was up to US$5.3mln from US$2.6mln.

Allergy Therapeutics PLC (LON:AGY) has made a steady start to the financial year, according to its chief executive Manuel Llobet with revenue and profit up, respectively, by 9% and 10% backed by a strong operational performance. Turnover for the six months to December 31 advanced to 50.5mln from 46.7mln as the firm reported good growth across the product portfolio and a small gain in European market share.

Xpediator PLC (LON:XPD) has taken out a 20-year lease on a new 200,000 sq ft distribution centre at Southampton's container port. The opening of this new facility will take the freight companys UK warehousing capability to approximately 700,000 sq ft with the new distribution centre scheduled to be built in 2021.

Argo Blockchain PLC (LON:ARB) has reported a 56% increase in monthly income from its Bitcoin mining operation while also completing a capacity expansion ahead of schedule. In a monthly update, the cryptomining firm said it had mined around 337.5 Bitcoin equivalent in February, a 37% increase on Januarys figure, generating revenues of 2.54mln compared to 1.63mln in the prior month.

Tekcapital PLC (LON:TEK) revealed that its portfolio company, Salarius Ltd. has signed an agreement with iLevel Brands Inc as part of the launch of North American sales of its new SaltMe! full flavour-low sodium snack line. The UK intellectual property investment group which is focused on creating marketplace value from investing in university technology - said the agreement, combined with a previously announced distribution agreement, will expand Salarius' market penetration and brand awareness for its new potato chip snack line with retail brand placements across the entire East Coast, Midwest and Southwest geographic areas of the United States.

Seeing Machines Limited (LON:SEE) has appointed Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited as its joint broker with immediate effect to assist in broadening the groups investor base across North America. The advanced computer vision technology company, which designs AI-powered operator monitoring systems to improve transport safety, said Stifels appointment follows a successful introduction to US-based investors in New York in January.

Condor Gold PLC (LON:CNR) has published a low-capex, high-grade open pit mining scenario based on updated mining dilution studies for the La India Gold Project, located in Nicaragua. These dilution studies have demonstrated that Condor Gold could use a selective mining approach to focus on mining lower-volumes of high-grade mineralisation, reducing the size of the required plant and as a result reducing the amount of capex required to build the plant. Alternatively, the focus on high-grade mineralisation could support a toll treatment operation with a nearby plant owned by another operator.

PCF Group Plc (LON:PCF), the AIM-listed specialist bank, has advised that given the current concerns surrounding travel the bank will be offering shareholders the option of viewing the its forthcoming AGM remotely via an online video stream. The group said this does not affect any of the other arrangements for the AGM, which will take place as previously announced at 1 Cornhill, London EC3V 3ND on Friday 6th March 2020 at 10.00am, and to which shareholders remain welcome to attend in person.

Ergomed PLC (LON:ERGO), a company focused on providing specialised services to the pharmaceutical industry, will announce its preliminary results for the year ending 31 December 2019 on 25 March 2020. The group added that Miroslav Reljanovi, its executive chairman, Richard Barfield, chief financial officer and Lewis Cameron, chief operating officer will host a presentation and conference call for analysts at 9.30am GMT on the day of the results at the offices of Numis, 10 Paternoster Square, London EC4M 7LT.

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Devro lifted by confidence over growth in 2020 - Proactive Investors UK