TRADING UPDATES: Argo Blockchain, HC Slingsby suffer profit drops

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The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

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Argo Blockchain PLC - London-based cryptocurrency miner - For the first quarter of 2022, pretax profit plunges to £1.5 million from £19.3 million the same period a year before, driven by a change in the fair value of digital currencies, with a loss of £4.6 million compared to a gain of £13.2 million. Revenue meanwhile grows 9.6% to £14.9 million from £13.6 million, due to a rise in the hashrate in spite of lower bitcoin prices. Total bitcoin mined increases 21% to 470 bitcoin from 387 a year prior.

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HC Slingsby PLC - Shipley-based industrial and commercial equipment distributor - For 2021, pretax profit drops 25% to £822,000 from £1.1 million the year before, on revenue which declines 9.2% to £19.8 million from £21.8 million, due to a decline in demand for Covid-19-related products. Due to continued uncertainty, the company does not recommend a final dividend for 2021, in line with the year before. Looking ahead, for the first quarter of 2022, sales grow 4% year-on-year.

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Science Group PLC - Cambridge-based science-focused product development company - Reports strong start to 2022, with performance in April ahead of management expectations. As a result, for the first half of 2022, company expects adjusted operating profit to be 20% higher year-on-year. As at April 30, gross cash stands at £38.4 million.

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ZAIM Credit Systems PLC - Russian focused fintech company - For 2021, reports net interest income at £9.4 million up from £4.8 million, leading to a swing to pretax profit of £801,497 from a loss of £614,519.

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EKF Diagnostics Holdings PLC - Cardiff-based diagnostics and central laboratory assay maker - Trading in first quarter of 2022 is strong with revenue in line with the same period in 2021, and is on-track to deliver full-year results in line with current market forecasts.

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Benchmark Holdings PLC - Sheffield, England-based aquaculture genetics, health and nutrition company - For the six months ended March 31, pretax loss widens to £5.1 million from £3.3 million the same period a year prior, on higher operating costs related to the launch and roll-out of Ectosan Vet and CleanTreat. Meanwhile, revenue grows 32% at £79.2 million from £59.5 million as a result of a strong performance from all areas, particularly Advanced Nutrition and Genetics. Looking ahead, company is currently trading in line with expectations, and has a strong outlook for salmon egg sales for the rest of the year.

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Cornish Metals Inc - Vancouver, Canada-based investment firm - For the year ended January 31, the company's loss widened to C$2.9 million from C$1.6 million the year before, due to total operating expenses rising to £3.0 million through professional fees and a widened foreign exchange loss.

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Jersey Electricity PLC - electricity supplier in Jersey - For the six months ended March 31, pretax profit drops 33% to £7.0 million from £10.5 million the year before, as revenue declines 3% to £65.0 million from £67.1 million, as a result of lower unit sales of electricity, due to lower domestic consumption associated with less homeworking linked to the pandemic. Declares interim dividend of 7.60 pence per share, up % from 7.20p a year prior.

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Pure Gold Mining Inc - Vancouver-based gold mining company focused on Canada - For the first quarter of 2022, net loss widens to C$21.5 million from C$16.8 million the same period a year prior, in spite of revenue more than doubling to C$18.4 million from C$6.4 million. While gold produced dipped to 6,653 ounces from 6,796 ounces, however gold sales rise sharply to 7,876 ounces from 2,924 ounces.

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