Ingenta, Jaywing and AstraZeneca

“The FTSE 100 opened in positive territory ahead of this morning’s fourth quarter GDP figures, which will give some insight into the general state of the UK economy,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.

“Ingenta, a leading software and service provider to the publishing and media industry, was a double-digit riser following further margin improvements in 2017. The group has made significant progress on operational efficiency and profitability and is now poised for the next stage of its growth. Investors were cheered by the group’s confirmation that it intended to pay a dividend of 1.5p per share for 2017 and a proposed capital reduction of the company's share premium account. Ingenta’s shares were up by more than 16.1% in early trading.

“Data science specialist Jaywing’s shares rose after the group launched Archetype, a new technology product that uses artificial intelligence to generate statistical models. Jaywing has also launched a new consulting service to help clients implement AI into their processes and operations. AI technologies and predictive data analytics are set to be one of the most significant competitive differentiators in business over the next few years and Jaywing is well-placed to help clients take advantage of this. Jaywing’s shares were up by over 4%.

“Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca was up in early trading after a trial showed that a treatment being developed using the group’s aerosphere delivery technology showed a significant improvement in patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The results will now be presented at a medical meeting with AstraZeneca likely to make regulatory submissions in Japan and China in the second half of this year, followed by potential submissions in the US and Europe in 2019. AstraZeneca’s shares were up by more than 1%.”

These articles are for information purposes only and are not a personal recommendation or advice.