If you'd invested in: Oxford Instruments and Allied Minds
Investors are keen on maker of research tools Oxford Instruments, but have shunned intellectual property company Allied Minds.
If only...
Oxford Instruments (LSE: OXIG) supplies tools for researchers and industry, such as spectrometers and atomic force microscopes. Latest half-year results report a "stable" performance, with revenue up 4.1% to £171.5m, but profit down by 5% to £19m. The sale of its industrial analysis unit to Hitachi netted £80m and will allow it to focus on its more profitable nanotechnology sector. Investors responded positively the share price is up by more than 67% in the last year
Be glad you didn't
Allied Minds (LSE: ALM) is an intellectual property company backed by Neil Woodford that invests in start-up businesses in the US life sciences and technology sectors. It's based in Boston, US, and listed in London in 2014. In April, a write-down of its investments in seven businesses, totalling $146m, sent the firm's shares tumbling. The price is down by 58% in the last year, and is 20% down from its initial public offering price.
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