Galliford Try PLC

Galliford Try Holdings PLC has landed a spot on the latest £3 billion Constructing West Midlands Framework, selected for the major works lot covering projects over £10 million. Connecting Excellence Group Plc has completed its first acquisition, buying James Gray Recruitment, and has grown its Bitcoin holding to over 81 coins, worth around £5.25 million. Bradda Head Lithium Ltd has intersected visible spodumene mineralisation in all three of its first Whistlejacket holes in Arizona, with lab assays now the next key test. Tower Resources PLC has secured a one-year extension to its exploration licence at Thali in Cameroon and is now working towards a drilling campaign targeted for Q2 2027. Premier African Minerals Ltd has raised around £1.2 million to restart operations at its Zulu Lithium project in Zimbabwe, with the plan now focused on processing ore already sitting on the stockpile.

Diversified Energy Company PLC has agreed its biggest-ever deal, paying $1.8 billion for Permian Basin producer Birch, a move expected to boost production by around 35%. In other corporate news, Galliford Try Holdings PLC has landed a £110 million contract to build a 23-kilometre pipeline for Severn Trent to improve water quality in the River Mease. Sunda Energy PLC saw a major upgrade at its Halcon prospect offshore the Philippines, now assigned 8 trillion cubic feet of gas resources, giving Sunda a net share of 3 Tcf. Rockfire Resources PLC reported promising early processing tests at its Molaoi zinc project in Greece, with ore classed as "Medium-Hard" and within normal grinding energy requirements. Solvonis Therapeutics PLC received a key European patent allowance for its PTSD drug candidate SVN-114, calling it a vital milestone. Futura Medical PLC has initiated a formal sale process for the business behind its Eroxon gel and raised £1.6 million to fund the process.

London BTC Company has staked 36 mineral claims at its new Black Star gold-silver project in Nevada, with surface samples returning up to 16.23 grams per tonne gold. The project is the company's fourth in Nevada and sits just 16 miles from the 16.4 million ounce Hycroft Mine. In other company updates, CelLBxHealth reported its commercially weighted pipeline has grown to £3.5 million, with second-quarter revenue doubling to £0.4 million, and still expects at least £2.1 million in revenue for the full year. Anglo Asian Mining delivered record first-half copper production of 8,840 tonnes, driven by its Demirli mine ramp-up, with net cash climbing to £57.6 million after a $39.9 million cash build in the quarter. Galliford Try expects full-year profit at the top end of market forecasts, with cash up to £258.8 million and an order book of £4.3 billion, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth in revenue, profit and cash. Iofina produced a record 393 tonnes of iodine in the first half, beating its own upgraded guidance, and a new plant due online in September should push annual capacity significantly higher. NextEnergy Solar Fund has launched a formal sale process, inviting offers for the whole business, with shares rising 4% as the board moves to close a persistent discount to net asset value.