WH Ireland held on to its “underperform” stance on Marshalls (LON:MSLH) this morning despite a robust set of interim results from the landscaping products group. Total revenue came in at £169.8m while pre-tax profits topped £7.5m, slightly ahead of WHI’s expectations. From the statement, management appear cautiously optimistic given the healthy domestic order-book and lead indicators suggesting a slight pick up in activity towards the end of 2010 and into 2011. However, WHI said that concerns over public sector cuts could dent the group’s volumes and margins in the future.

Astaire Securities gave the nod to interim result from oil and gas group Aminex (LON:AEX), which posted revenues from continuing operations of $2.6m against $3.2m last year and a loss before tax that doubled to $2.5m. Astaire said the figures reflected the fact that Aminex is primarily an E&P business and its prospects are “at an early stage though increasingly promising”. The broker noted that the company had made significant progress in Tanzania and with its Shoats Creek property in Louisiana during the period. Further progress has been made since the period end in resolving regulatory issues in Tanzania which should bring commercialisation nearer. Moving on, Astaire said it was reducing its full year expectations for support services group Lavendon Group (LON:LVD) after the company posted a 7.0% decline in half year revenues to £106.0m and a pre-tax profit of £1.0m down from £5.3m. The broker said that a weaker than expected recovery in Germany and project slippage in the Middle East had represented a set back for Lavendon although the group is continuing to pay down debt.

Evolution Securities continued to urge a “buy” at Heritage Oil (LON:HOIL) (price/target 305p/700p) on interim news that the Miran West-2 well has encountered hydrocarbons in the Jurassic section of the well. This is upside resource potential to numbers Evo currently carries in its model. The broker said Heritage’s Ugandan exit seemed to have been optimally timed, given reports that Tullow Oil Plc (LON:TLW) has apparently failed in its attempts to renew Block 3a license in which the Kingfisher discovery sits. Elsewhere, Evo recommended a buy at oil and gas group Melrose (LON:MRO) after what it called a “stunning set” of interim results “that will generate upgrades of at least 15% in…

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