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Essentra (ESNT) said trading in the first four months of the year was in line with the board’s expectations, with order intake running ahead of sales and early indications of a recovery in some parts of Europe.

Ahead of its annual general meeting today, the company said group revenue had risen 7.2 per cent on a constant currency and trading day adjusted basis, with like-for-like sales up 5.2 per cent during the period.

Europe, Middle East and Africa saw high-single digit growth, driven by both volume and pricing, with some “early, albeit modest” indications of recovery across western Europe. The Americas reported low single-digit growth, with Asia Pacific recording flat sales.

Net debt leverage at the half-year is expected to be around 1.6 times Ebitda following the agreement to acquire Boteco, an expert designer and manufacturer of mechanical components, for €7.4mn (£6.4mn).

The board has left its full-year expectations for the rest of the year unchanged. The shares rose 2.7 per cent to 84p, but remain down 13 per cent so far this year.

Impax Asset Management (IPX) shares continued their downward spiral as they fell 5 per cent in early trading on poorly received interim results, which confirmed that revenue and profits plunged on a continuing decline in assets under management (AUM).

The beleaguered Aim-traded environmental, social and governance-focused fund manager reported revenue of £58.8mn for the six months to 31 March, down 23 per cent from the same period the year before. Statutory pre-tax profit fell 56 per cent to £8.2mn.

Net outflows of £2bn, which had been pre-reported, took AUM down 15 per cent from the start of this financial year to £22.3bn.

The shares are down more than 40 per cent over the past year and have shed north of 90 per cent of their value over five years.

Earnings and revenue climbed significantly for Severn Trent (SVT) in the year to 31 March because of higher tariffs on customers. 

The water company serves an area stretching from the Cotswolds to Lincolnshire, including Birmingham. Its FY2026 results showed regulated water and wastewater service profit before interest and tax of £850mn, up 45 per cent on the year before. The group pre-tax profit climbed 64 per cent, to £524mn. Severn Trent said higher demand from drought conditions had also pushed up sales. 

The water industry has just started a new regulatory period where billions of pounds will be spent on cutting down on the continued dumping of sewage into waterways. Severn Trent’s plan for 2025-2030 is worth £15bn, and it may add £600mn to this through Ofwat’s ‘reopeners’ programme. 

Investors have backed this higher spending approach, sending Severn Trent’s shares up 11 per cent so far this year even while the government has promised a tougher regulator for the water industry.

4imprint (FOUR) said revenue in the first four months of the year had been in line with the board’s expectations, with a lower order intake and new customer orders offset by “carefully considered” price hikes.

In a statement ahead of its annual general meeting today, the FTSE 250 promotional goods group said overall revenue was flat year on year. At the same time, order intake fell around 2 per cent over the period.

Orders from existing customers were also flat, while new customer orders fell around 7 per cent, though these rates were a slight improvement on last year. Order trends improved as the period progressed, with average order value rising 2 per cent in April following price increases.

The company said anticipated tariff-related supplier cost increases expected in early 2026 were “manageable”, but resulted in slightly lower gross margins in the first four months compared with 2025. 4imprint added that its marketing mix gives it flexibility to adapt to market conditions.

The group’s half-year results for the 26 weeks ending 27 June are due on 5 August. The shares were flat in early trading, but are up 4 per cent over the past year.

Shares in Keller (KLR) rose 2 per cent after the groundworks contractor said trading in 2026 was expected to be in line with expectations.

In an AGM trading statement, the company said trading in the first four months of the year was ahead of the prior year. Its order book has risen 10 per cent to £1.7bn since December, with a healthy pipeline of work across all geographies.

Chief executive James Wroath said the performance reflected “the resilience of Keller’s portfolio, the diversity of our contracts and the Group’s ability to pivot to growing markets”.

The company has repurchased £18mn of a £100mn buyback announced at the end of March. The shares are up nearly 50 per cent over the past year.

Shares in Indonesian palm oil producer M.P. Evans (MPE) slid by 17 per cent in morning trading on reports in the Financial Times that Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, will centralise exports of key commodities through a new state-run agency.

The main impact of this proposal in the short term has been to push up the price of palm oil, with the Crude Palm Oil Near Term index showing a rise of 1 per cent as traders worried about the possibility of tightened supplies. M.P. Evans has been contacted for comment on the situation.

Shares in Experian (EXPN) fell more than 5 per cent this morning despite reporting what management hailed as a “record year” and unveiling a fresh $1bn (£747mn) share buyback.

Total revenue reached $8.45bn, up 12 per cent on a statutory basis, in the year to 31 March. Ongoing activities saw 13 per cent growth at actual exchange rates and 8 per cent organic revenue growth.

Every region posted organic growth. North America led with 10 per cent organic growth, Latin America grew 8 per cent, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific rose 5 per cent, and the UK and Ireland grew 2 per cent.

Statutory profit before tax jumped 26 per cent to $1.95bn. Benchmark operating profits, meanwhile, rose 14 per cent to $2bn, with the margin expanding by 50 basis points at actual rates to 28.6 per cent.

Building on the $725mn in shares bought during FY26, Experian announced a fresh $1bn share buyback programme running through to June 2027. The full-year dividend was hiked by 11 per cent to 69.25 cents (51.75p) per share.

For the upcoming fiscal year, Experian is taking a “prudent approach” regarding macroeconomic uncertainties in the Middle East, but still expects total revenue growth of between 8 and 11 per cent, with organic growth guided at 6 to 8 per cent.

FTSE 250 investment platform IntegraFin (IHP) delivered better-than-expected half-year profits and raised its first interim dividend by 15 per cent. Still, the shares slipped 4 per cent in early trading.

Revenue was up 11 per cent to £85.8mn and statutory pre-tax profit surged 47 per cent to £43.9mn for the six months to 31 March, the latter helped by slower cost growth.

Management stuck with previous guidance that costs would rise by a maximum of 3 per cent in both FY2026 and FY2027.

Net inflows (which had been pre-reported along with revenue) rose 14 per cent to £2.4bn, taking funds under direction to £77.8bn. The company said it took around a quarter of UK adviser platform market net inflows in the period.

British Land’s (BLND) full-year results contained few surprises as the FTSE 100 property developer had pre-released most of the key figures. The board did, however, announce a 1 per cent increase in the dividend to 23.1p.

Underlying profit rose 5 per cent to £294mn. Looking ahead, the company is guiding for a 6 per cent increase in FY2026 earnings per share to 30.5p, underpinned by rental growth at the top end of its 3 to 5 per cent range.

Outgoing chief executive Simon Carter said that the group’s office offer was “clearly resonating with customers”, noting that British Land accounted for 15 per cent of London office leasing activity last year, well ahead of its 5 per cent market share. There was no update on the search for his replacement.

Shares fell 1 per cent in early trading.

Distributor RS Group (RS1) posted flat like-for-like sales, but its first increase in pre-tax profit for three years and much stronger cash generation than expected, allowing the group to announce a £100mn share buyback.

This, and an upbeat outlook statement that “most of our major markets are now back into low single-digit growth”, meant the group’s shares rose by 10 per cent.