Dr Solomon's floats in Europe and in US

Dr Solomon's Group was the first company to float on Easdaq last week, the pan-European stock market for high-growth companies.

The antivirus software group also floated on Nasdaq, the US system, last week, raising #58 million, which gave it a market capitalisation of $310 million.

The group's initial public offering was priced at $17 per American depositary share (ADS). The total offering comprised 5.7 million ADSs, representing 17.1 million ordinary shares. Lead manager Goldman Sachs recommended a dual listing for the company after concerns about the liquidity of Easdaq during its early stages.

Other technology firms joining Dr Solomon's on the European stock market will include Artwork Systems of Belgium and Activcard of France, which are expected to go public by mid December.

Dr Solomon's conducted a #30 million management buy-out in February.

It reported a pre-tax profit of $5.3 million on turnover of $33 million for the year ended May 1996.