Entain (ENT), the global sports betting and gaming group, today reported Interim Results1 for the six-month period ended 30 June 2025. H1 ahead of expectations with accelerating strategic progress; FY25 guidance upgraded. H1 Group EBITDA6 of £583m, ahead of expectations, up +11% year on year.
Total Group EBITDA including 50% share of BetMGM3 at £625m, up +32% vs prior year. ENT said “Entain’s transformation journey is well underway, gathering pace and is supported by our high-quality portfolio of iconic brands with podium positions in attractive markets.”
Comment: ENT would be a perfect clay pigeon for Rachel Reeves as she is reportedly taking a keen interest on raising tax from the sector to reduce growth, waste on the Welfare State, and then build the national debt. Perhaps it is just as well it has swung to a half year loss, if only to escape our tax hungry Chancellor for a little longer.
Solvonis Therapeutics plc (SVNS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines for addiction and mental health disorders, today announced positive results from pre-clinical screening in its SVN-SDN-14 programme, identifying three high-performing candidates to advance into in vivo studies. The SVN-SDN-14 series is a novel class of serotonin (“SERT”), dopamine (“DAT”) and noradrenaline (“NET”) modulators designed to enhance pro-social behaviour and improve therapeutic outcomes for people living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”), which the Company estimates affects over 20 million people across UK, US, and main EU markets.
Comment: The market is starting to appreciate SVNS’s focus on disorders that have massive addressable markets. Alcoholism is one of them, and today is the turn of PTSD. The run up to a breakthrough in both should see an ongoing re-rate in SVNS shares, especially from the current modest £20m market cap.
Petards (PEG), the AIM quoted developer of advanced security, communication and surveillance systems, announces that its subsidiary, QRO Solutions (QRO), has recently won a contract for the support and maintenance of one of its UK police force customer’s ANPR camera infrastructure. The contract, scheduled to commence in November, is for an initial period of three years with the customer having the option to extend this to a maximum of five years.
Comment: Anyone who hates the UK’s surveillance state should be interested in this RNS. One might assume that PEG is not popular with anyone who has been caught speeding, in a yellow box, or a bus lane, or ULEZed. But then again, the police have a job to do, and public sector contracts are generous and long lasting.
ICFG (ICFG) announce that its Mongolian subsidiary, Connect Life LLC, has been granted a specialised life insurance licence by the Financial Regulatory Commission of Mongolia, effective 24 July 2025. This licence authorises Connect Life to provide a comprehensive range of life insurance and annuity products – including term life, whole life, endowment, pension, and annuity solutions – across the Mongolian market.
Comment: The RNS Hotlist specialises in shining a light on companies that are rarely in the spotlight. To this end we have ICFG, which given a little more limelight would have a market cap of rather more than £40m, given its focus and footprint in high growth markets and geographies.
Boku (BOKU), a global network of localised payment solutions, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Canva, the world’s leading all-in-one visual communication platform, to help expand Canva’s reach in Asia as well as its plans to expand across Europe. The collaboration will enable millions of people to more easily access Canva’s creative tools through innovative, localised payment solutions – an alternative to traditional card linked payments.
Comment: Shares of BOKU remain at cruising altitude, and the deal making / contract wins continue to be delivered. The latest is with a hot company in its space, Canva, underlining the impressive Rolodex of clients BOKU has.
Zenith Energy Ltd. (ZEN), the listed international energy production and development company, announced that its Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Luca Benedetto, has advised the Company that he has purchased a total of 633,000 common shares.
Comment: Given the recent tumble in the shares off the back of arbitration disappointment, it is significant that the CFO of ZEN has stepped up to the plate with a decent sized purchase. It would be nice to assume he knows something we do not.
Amazing AI plc (AQSE: AAI), a global fintech group specialising in online consumer loans and AI finance-related services, announced a Strategy and Commercial Update and a Bitcoin Treasury Policy Update. AAI said “We are excited to have established our new 100% owned subsidiary company, Amazing AI Services Ltd, in Mauritius and look forward to the imminent launch of our Bitcoin Treasury and further progress in our best-of-breed AI finance-related services international business.”
Comment: With shares of AAI down 92% YTD, one could say that there is everything to play for. Perhaps the trigger for revival will be buying BTC out of tropical Mauritius. But three months on from the initial BTC bubble, companies in the space really have to 1. Be seen to know their onions and 2. Have a differentiated strategy.
ZOO Digital Group (ZOO), the localisation and digital media services partner to the global entertainment industry, today announced its audited financial results for the year ended 31 March 2025. Operations restructured to return the Group to operating profit and cash generation in FY26. Zoo said, “Today we believe most media companies are operating profitable streaming platforms, supported by new content formats and monetisation models. We enter FY26 better positioned to navigate this environment and capture profitable revenue opportunities as the market continues to evolve.”
Comment: The Promised Land of reaching profitability next year should be enough to deliver at least an intermediate rebound in ZOO shares, even though it occupies a space that the stock market is weary of, and certainly is of “feat and famine” in nature.
The Smarter Web Company (AQUIS: SWC), a London listed technology company, announced the purchase of additional Bitcoin as part of “The 10 Year Plan” which includes an ongoing treasury policy of acquiring Bitcoin. Details are as follows: Number of Bitcoin Purchased: 295 Bitcoin. Average Purchase Price: £89,000 per Bitcoin ($119,412 per Bitcoin). Amount Purchased: £26,255,143. Total Amount Purchased: £197,346,551. Approximate net cash in treasury available to be deployed into Bitcoin: £700,000.
Comment: The current market cap of SWC is £631m, versus the near £200m holding in BTC. This is quite a healthy premium, something which underlines that the company remains ahead of the Bitcoin Treasury Strategy brigade by quite some distance.
Great Southern Copper (GSCU), the company focused on copper-gold-silver exploration in Chile, announced final results for its pole-dipole IP (“PDIP”) and audio magneto-telluric (“AMT”) surveys at the Cerro Negro project which confirm potential for a significant Cu-Ag mineralised trend south of the Mostaza mine.
Comment: Once again GSCU cuts the mustard (so to speak), in terms of its exploration. That said, the market seems to have become a little blaze regarding the incessant high grade results, with the shares down from 5p in the spring to 2.65p now.
Thor Explorations Ltd. (THX) provided an operational and financial review for its Segilola Gold mine, located in Nigeria, and for the Company’s mineral exploration properties located in Nigeria and Senegal for the three months and six months to June 30, 2025. 25,900 ounces of gold sold in Q2 2025 with an average gold price of US$3,187 per oz. Cash operating cost of US$715 per oz sold and all-in sustaining cost of US$915 per oz sold.
Comment: What particularly stands out here at THX is seeing the average sold gold price well over $3,000 and the cost well below $1,000. This increasingly looks like a cash machine, operating in one of the hottest commodities. All we need now is for THX to say that it will convert half its gold revenues into BTC…
Rome Resources (RMR) provides an update on the ongoing exploration activities at its Mont Agoma prospect, part of the Company’s flagship Bisie North Project in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. RMR said “We are pleased to see consistent mineralisation coming through in our follow-up drilling at Mont Agoma. Drill holes MADD030 and MADD030A suggest additional tin potential to the east of Mont Agoma and the copper grades emerging from MADD032 are equally encouraging.”
Comment: It takes some skill to mention a company as possible charting buy the day before it reveals a decent fundamental update, without knowing the update was on its way. But then again, that is what ZaksTradersCafe does. Ideally, the market starts waking up to the significant prospects here, and adjusts the share price accordingly.
Polarean Imaging (POLX), a commercial-stage medical imaging technology leader in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (“MRI”) of the lungs, announces the submission of a new Phase III clinical trial protocol to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support an expanded indication for XENOVIEW® (xenon Xe 129 hyperpolarised). XENOVIEW® is the Company’s FDA-approved contrast agent for MRI of the lungs. The proposed expansion would include quantitative gas-exchange imaging in addition to the currently approved ventilation imaging indication.
Comment: If my commercial-stage medical imaging technology company had the FDA on speed dial and was up to a Phase III clinical trial, I would probably be rather miffed that my shares were not only at year lows, but currently heading to be down for 4 consecutive years.
Sareum Holdings (SAR), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation kinase inhibitors for autoimmune disease and cancer, is pleased to announce it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Receptor.AI, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology-driven drug discovery company. The collaboration is focused on accelerating the discovery and optimisation of blood-brain barrier (BBB)-permeable, isoform-selective TYK2/JAK1 inhibitors, with the goal of generating high-quality candidates suitable for preclinical development in neuroinflammatory indications, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
Comment: Another biotech which is being transformed by AI, and looking to conquer a couple of our worst degenerative diseases. In the case of Parkinson’s, no doubt the late Ozzy Osbourne would have been proud.
Xaar (XAR), the leading inkjet printing technology group, today announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2025. H1 2025 performance as expected with revenue up 7% to £27.2 million (H1 2024: £25.5 million). Printhead revenue up 20% to £19.9 million (H1 2024: £16.5 million), contributing 73% of Group total, led by jewellery wax revenue growing from £0.6 million in H1 2024 to £3.3 million in H1. Printhead operating margin up 70 bps to 10.4% driven by robust pricing decisions and tight cost control. Printhead new business6 revenue growth of 96% to £9.8 million (H1 2024: 5.0 million).
Comment: Who knew that there was so much money to be made out of jewellery wax and printheads, but there you are. Shares of XAR are up nearly 70% this year, with today’s update suggesting that some more upside could be squeezed out of the stock before the year is out.
Atalaya Mining (ATYM) announced its unaudited second quarter and first half financial results for the period ended 30 June 2025 together with its interim financial statements. AYTM said “We are pleased with our performance during the first half of 2025. Good production and cost control have resulted in quarterly and half year records for EBITDA, and our net cash position has further improved thanks to strong free cash flow generation. Given the performance in 2025 so far, we are also pleased to announce positive revisions to our production and unit cost guidance.”
Comment: It is rather refreshing to see a company actually producing copper, as opposed to the plethora of those companies who are supposed to be getting there. It would appear that ATYM is doing for the green metal what Thor Explorations (THX) is doing in gold.
IXICO (IXI), a global leader in neuroscience imaging and biomarker analytics, using its AI-driven platform to help advance drug development in neurological disorders, today announced it has signed two separate new commercial contracts to provide neuroimaging services across different core therapeutic indications. The combined value of the new contracts is circa £1.3 million. Under the first contract IXICO will provide trial management and imaging analysis for a Phase 1 Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) clinical trial by a major pharmaceutical company. The contract scope covers a collaboration for approximately three and a half years.
Comment: There seems to be something of a biotech renaissance currently, with AI adding into the mix to make this one of the most encouraging areas of the stock market. It is also the case that companies like IXI can advance the battle against some of the worst diseases we have yet to conquer such as Alzheimer’s.
Disclaimer & Declaration of Interest:
The information, investment views, and recommendations in this Zaks Traders Cafe interview are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing in this interview should be construed as a promotion or solicitation to buy or sell any financial product relating to any companies under discussion or referred to or to engage in or refrain from doing so or engage in any other transaction. Any opinions or comments are made to the best of the knowledge and belief of the commentator but no responsibility is accepted for actions based on such opinions or comments. The commentators may or may not hold investments in the companies under discussion.
