Confident outlook
Shares in Acacia Mining (LSE: ACA) have tumbled by as much as 9% today after it released a disappointing set of full-year results for 2015. The company posted a pre-tax loss of $124.2m in 2015, which represents a major decline from the pre-tax profit of $115.2m which was recorded in 2014.
The gold and copper miner booked a significant amount of impairments and they contributed heavily to the fall in profitability, while a decline in revenue was also a key cause of the red bottom line. Furthermore, an increase in costs caused even more pressure to be put on Acacia’s margins.
Despite this, Acacia has decided to maintain its dividend at the same level as in 2014. While this is reassuring for investors, 2015 was clearly a tough year for the business. Even so, Acacia remains confident in its outlook and plans to increase production in 2016, as well as reduce costs in the coming months. And with it forecast to return to profit this year and its shares trading on a forward price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 13.3, now could be a good time to buy it for the long run.
Positive news
Also releasing an update today was Sound Energy (LSE: SOU), with the oil and gas exploration company announcing that all of the required contracts have now been awarded to allow the first well to be drilled at the Tendrara licence area in Morocco. This means that civil works on site at Tendrara have begun, which includes the upgrading of local infrastructure.
The contracts awarded include a binding rig contract with Saipem, with the National 110 UE traditional rig being prepared for mobilisation from Mauritania, which is expected to commence within the next couple of weeks. And with Schlumberger funding 80% of the capital expenditure for the first Tendrara appraisal well, Sound Energy is required to fund only the remainder, with the total cost of the well due to be £9.2m.
Clearly, today’s news is positive for investors in Sound Energy and with further news flow having the potential to be good, too, it could be worth keeping a close eye on the company following its 10% rise in the last month.
Shrewd move
Meanwhile, shares in infrastructure and smart building solutions company Coms (LSE: COMS) have soared by over 35% today following the release of its trading update. It has raised its guidance for the full-year to the end of January 2016, with continued robust trading within the core operating division, Redstone, being a key reason.
In fact, revenue and operating profit have both been significantly ahead of last year, with Coms having resolved the majority of legacy issues which were inherited by the current management team.
Clearly, the disposal of the loss-making telecoms business was a shrewd move and this allowed Coms to strengthen its balance sheet and reduce overheads. It has also invested in its Redstone business, and with a net cash balance of around £1m, it could be worth a closer look for less risk averse investors.