Small caps round-up: YouGov, TClarke and InterQuest...

Environmental Recycling Technologies, which owns the rights to the Powder Impression Moulding (PIM) process which is capable of converting mixed waste plastics into commercially viable products, has confirmed that its US parent application, entitled 'Process for Forming Plastic, Apparatuses for Forming Plastic and Articles Made Therefrom', has been granted by the US Patent Office. This is ERT's core patent in the US for the PIM process.

YouGov, the online market research firm, is anticipating that its operating profit will be in line with expectations with second half revenue similar to that achieved in the first half, reflecting the firm's focus on profitability in the German business and the expected end to a long-term contract in Iraq. The firm said its balance sheet remains strong with cash at July 31st of around £7.0m.

TClarke, a building services company, reported a decline in pre-tax profit for the half year at £0.5m (2011: £1.4m) on revenues of £90.7m (2011: £92.6m), with the profit margin also lower at 0.5% compared to 1.5% the previous year. Basic earnings per share dropped from 2.38p to 0.79p, while net cash climbed £0.1m to £0.7m. The interim dividend was maintained at 1p per share. The firm blamed a lack of confidence across the sector for the declines and said that with a number of projects due to begin shortly it is confident of significant revenue progress in the second half.

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Shares in InterQuest Group, a specialist information technology recruitment group, took a hit after it admitted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation are expected to be down year-on-year, in the region of £1.15m (2011: £1.86m), and warned the impact of investments and restructuring on profitability for 2012 will be around £1.6m. Trading conditions were poor in both the UK and Far East, particularly in the second quarter and particularly in the banking and finance sectors from which it derives 27% of its net fee income. This has meant profitability from investments has taken longer than anticipated.