Small Cap Awards 2025: Dividend Hero of the Year Nominees
Held annually, the Small Cap Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the UK’s sub-£350m market cap quoted company sector. This prestigious event brings together industry leaders, fostering trust, innovation, and excellence among smaller quoted companies.
The awards will recognise companies and participants listed on or before January 1, 2024, across various categories. Winners will be unveiled at a black-tie gala dinner on Thursday 19th June, at Merchant Taylors’ Hall, City of London
This exclusive event will be attended by institutions, fund managers, brokers, company directors, entrepreneurs, and advisors, providing a unique opportunity to connect with those driving exceptional growth and performance in the small-cap sector over the past year.
The nominees for Broker of the Year are as follows:Held annually, the Small Cap Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the UK’s sub-£350m market cap quoted company sector. This prestigious event brings together industry leaders, fostering trust, innovation, and excellence among smaller quoted companies.
The awards will recognise companies and participants listed on or before January 1, 2024, across various categories. Winners will be unveiled at a black-tie gala dinner on Thursday 19th June, at Merchant Taylors’ Hall, City of London
This exclusive event will be attended by institutions, fund managers, brokers, company directors, entrepreneurs, and advisors, providing a unique opportunity to connect with those driving exceptional growth and performance in the small-cap sector over the past year.
The nominees for Dividend Hero of the Year are as follows:
MTI Wireless Edge
MTI Wireless Edge develops and manufactures high quality antennas for commercial, military and RFID markets. MTI continuously invests in groundbreaking technologies and explores new frequencies and innovative solutions to maintain our position as a leading antenna vendor. Our ongoing investment in innovation allows us to empower our partners in the wireless communications field with cutting edge antennas for diverse and challenging applications as well as tailormade antennas.
Bioventix Plc
Bioventix plc was founded in 2003 as a biotechnology business specialising in the creation and supply of high-affinity sheep monoclonal antibodies (SMAs) for use in immunodiagnostics. Our antibody technology, laboratory and some of our team of scientists have been based at the same location in Farnham, Surrey, UK since the 1990s.
Focusing on the areas of clinical diagnostics and drugs of abuse testing the Company’s strategy is to identify new or existing commercial assays for which there is or may be a need for improved antibodies. We aim to provide customers with high quality SMAs that address the shortcomings of other antibodies. The high-affinity antibodies created at Bioventix have advantages over conventional rodent monoclonal antibodies where the target is present at low concentration, or where the target is a short peptide sequence or where the target is a small molecule or drug. In many assay formats, the use of high-affinity SMAs confers improved assay sensitivity and precision.
Bioventix has successfully developed SMAs to targets where conventional monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies have failed to produce a suitable reagent and supplies antibodies to almost all of the global multinational immunodiagnostics companies.
The company was admitted to trade on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) on the London Stock Exchange in April 2014. Since then the company has consistently delivered high levels of growth in both revenue and profitability resulting in excellent value creation for our shareholders.
We are a small dedicated team of scientists committed to providing our customers with innovative solutions to diagnostic challenges and thereby helping to improve lives around the world.
Fonix: Driving the future of mobile payments and engagement
Founded in 2006, Fonix has become a market leader in mobile payments and messaging solutions, helping organisations across media, charity, entertainment, and enterprise sectors to engage audiences, enhance interactivity, and drive revenue. Based in London, the company’s innovative technology powers seamless mobile experiences, enabling millions of consumers to connect, contribute, and transact using just their phones.
Fonix is the trusted partner of some of the UK and Ireland’s most recognised brands and broadcasters, including ITV, Bauer Media, Global, RTÉ, Comic Relief, and BBC Children in Need. As the mobile landscape evolves, Fonix continues to be at the forefront of change – delivering cutting-edge solutions that support real-time engagement and efficient monetisation.
The last 12 months have marked a period of outstanding growth and strategic progress for Fonix, driven by innovation, international expansion, and deepened partnerships with high-profile clients.
A major milestone this year will be Fonix’s planned entry into the Portuguese market. By securing contracts with all major mobile network operators in Portugal and establishing a strategic partnership with NOS, the company has laid strong foundations for future growth in Europe. This expansion will enable the roll-out of Fonix’s Campaign Manager product to NOS’s wide network of broadcast customers, reinforcing its leadership in interactive services.
Back in the UK, Fonix has further solidified its position with key media players. The launch of interactive services with News UK across talkSPORT and Virgin Radio adds to an already impressive media portfolio, while a renewed two-year exclusive agreement with Bauer Media confirms Fonix’s trusted role in mobile payments and interactivity.
Innovation continues to be a cornerstone of Fonix’s success. Two new product launches in 2025 have opened up fresh revenue opportunities from existing customers:
- PayFlex, a pioneering solution that recovers failed mobile payments by integrating with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal, offers both convenience for consumers and added value for partners.
- DonationPortal enhances the giving experience for charities, offering branded donation pages, Gift Aid processing, and real-time analytics – all tailored to increase donor engagement and drive fundraising success.
Operational performance remains exemplary. Fonix has maintained 100% platform uptime, a client retention rate of over 99%, and continued growth across all core service lines. Interim and special dividend payments reflect the company’s strong financial position and commitment to shareholder returns, supported by a healthy underlying cash balance of £11.0 million at period end.
Leadership has also played a vital role in preparing Fonix for future growth. The appointment of Michael Foulkes as CFOO brings additional expertise and operational oversight, ensuring the company is well-equipped to scale both in the UK and internationally.
Looking ahead, Fonix is actively exploring new opportunities across Europe, with discussions underway with mobile operators and broadcasters in several high-potential markets. With its customer-first approach, robust technology, and a clear vision for the future, Fonix is well-positioned to continue leading the mobile payments and engagement space for years to come.
Galliford Try Holdings Plc
Galliford Try is one of the UK’s leading construction groups, working to improve the UK’s built environment and delivering lasting change for communities.
Operating predominantly as Galliford Try in England and Wales, and Morrison Construction in Scotland, our business is organised into three areas: Building, Infrastructure (comprising Highways and Water) and Investments, which cover our core markets, and we have growing capabilities in higher margin Specialist Services.
Galliford Try delivered a fourth year of sequential and profitable growth with its full year results to 2024. Revenue was up 27% to £1.8bn (up 27%); profit up 40% to £32.7m, and dividend was up 48%.
Our success can be attributed to:
- Disciplined risk management, careful contract selection and only pursuing projects we have the ability to deliver successfully and profitably. We have a high-quality order book of £3.9bn.
- Collaborative client relationships – 84% of our work in frameworks. These are long-term procurement vehicles used by Government to procure services under agreed T&CSs. They provide deeper, collaborative working, early planning, and support the achievement of wider strategic and social goals, better understanding between parties, early mitigation of risk, better allocation of risk and repeat business.
Our emphasis on the water sector has been particularly successful. Following targeted acquisitions, we hold 54 frameworks with all 13 of the UK’s major water companies. Across our business, 93% of our work is with repeat clients.
- An aligned supply chain for whom we are contractor of choice – we align key supply chain members with our culture and develop collaborative relationships using our Advantage through Alignment programme which offers training, access to resources and greater visibility of pipeline. We choose our partners based on their ability to deliver the work and improve wider social, environmental and economic outcomes. We exceed Prompt Payment Code requirements, paying 97% of invoices within 60 days. Our reputation as a prompt payer and collaborative client works to our advantage, particularly in times of high demand or supply chain shortages.
- Passionate and skilled people – people are pivotal to a construction company’s success. One of our USPs is our people-orientated, progressive culture which enables us to retain and gain the best people. We have an industry-leading employee advocacy score of 87% and voluntary churn of 11.4% (UK: 32% and sector c20%). We are TheJobCrowd’s number one employer for apprentices in the sector and number two for graduates.
- We are innovative – we are at the cutting-edge of digitalisation, using robots, AI and Modern Methods of Construction to deliver the future of the industry.
- We have excellent carbon credentials – in 2024/25, we published a detailed Net Zero plan setting out how we will achieve net zero. We received an MSCI AAA rating for the fourth time; and a B from the Carbon Disclosure Project for the second time. We are one of the first companies to achieve PAS 2080: 2023, the leading standard for carbon across both buildings and infrastructure.
M.P. Evans Group Plc
M.P. Evans is a responsible producer of certified sustainable crude palm oil (“CPO”) with plantations across Indonesia. The Group manages over 66,000 hectares of planted oil palm, alongside which it operates six palm-oil mills. In 2024, the Group produced over 450,000 tonnes of palm product.
With a head office in the UK, the Group is listed on AIM and has a market capitalisation of approximately £550 million. The Group’s strong balance sheet and ability to generate substantial cash inflows form a sound basis for both shareholder returns and further investment for continuing growth. M.P. Evans has a more than thirty-year track record of maintaining or increasing normal dividends.
M.P. Evans’ continued success is strongly underpinned by its core strategic pillars of responsibility, excellence, growth and yield(“REGY”).
The Group has continued to deliver on its commitment to progressive dividends and, in 2024, increased total dividends by 16.7% from 45p to 52.5p per share. The Group has now achieved more than 30 years of either maintained or increased normal dividends (Graph A shows the last five years).
Responsibility – the Group is a responsible producer of sustainable palm oil. Its operations in Indonesia are supported by local knowledge and long-standing partnerships with associated smallholders. As a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (“RSPO”), the Group’s mills and estates are RSPO certified which reflects its commitment to sustainability. A notable milestone was reached in 2024, with over 250,000 tonnes of certified sustainable CPO processed.
Excellence – the Group is focused on delivering operational excellence which helps to maximise profitable utilisation. M.P. Evans continues to invest in new and innovative estate management techniques and the introduction of training programmes for its Indonesian workforce.
Growth – the Group has continued investing for the future, including new planting in Sumatra and East Kalimantan to support long-term crop growth, as well as adding to its estate portfolio through acquisition. In 2025, the Group announced the acquisition of a further 3,000 planted hectares close to one of its existing mills.
Yield – the Group’s investment strategy has led to a significant improvement in shareholder returns. In line with its growth programme, the Group aims to deliver increasing returns to shareholders.
2024 was a record-breaking year for the Group with record profits and a record dividend. Alongside the continued delivery of its REGY strategy, the financial results were supported by operating cost control and robust CPO prices. As a result, M.P. Evans reported revenue of $352.8 million, up 15%, operating profit of US$115.7 million and operating cash generation of US$152.6 million, a significant increase of 54% and 48% respectively, and EPS of 129.6 pence per share, a sharp increase of 66%.
Looking ahead, the Group will continue to plant new areas on its estates in Sumatra and East Kalimantan, with work underway on land compensation, site preparation and nursery development. As a result, the total planted area under management will increase again in 2025 as the Group maintains a strong balance sheet, with net funds at the end of 2024 of almost $50 million that support it strategy to acquire further planted areas.
Comments (0)