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My contact has been moved to accounts to look at numbers - so must assume something is going on. I have been given another contact who I chased this morning - so no news yet, but I expect something soon.
thank you!
Ok Barchild thanks I have already had one reply and am waiting for some further information. Fingers crossed we will get something positive very soon.
In 2018 they gave a trading update on 10 Oct & in 2019 it was 15 Oct.
Their website says the trading update for 2020 will be in October but does not give a date, this has historically been the timing of their autumn updates
Just to let one and all know I have written in to the Company and asked them if we may get anything more positive coming out from them in support of the govt. scheme or if they intend to extend it due to good business, or if there is any other news. If I receive anything that is Marstons related (if we here nothing in the meantime) I will keep the board posted.
Have the sales figures been released?
Fairdealer
I think our views on Mars are pretty similar, the Wells purchase with the cut price placing to institutions was their "bridge too far" imho.
I was just lucky in my timing to sell Mars in early January & I fully agree re EIS schemes and VCT's too, which for income and capital are permanently tax free.
As I said earlier I'd be happy to pay more for MARS once we have a much clearer idea of direction and debt reduction.
barchid,
Tax Planning is an essential. My Accountant utilises EIS investments to reduce liability. If as rumoured the Chancellor is seeking to raise a minimum of £20billion p/a, CGT is a soft target. The introduction of Tax on individual short term transaction gains would not be difficult to implement. Just a thought, what is certain HM Gov have an enormous financial hole to fill,
I reduced my holding in MARS a short time ago basically on the back of the company's indebtedness and the dependence on Carlsberg. As many I nvested some 4 years ago on income and solid assets. IMO it started to go wrong when the company became Aquistitive especially the Charles Wells deal which created an over-borrowed situation at a time when the speed of Pub closures was accelerating. Marstons were building it's accomodation/motel business, however the development programme hit the buffers in the summer of 2019 when without notice some schemes were pulled even though contracts were in place. Failure of the Pitcher and Piano sale to complete and then what appears a " fire sale" to Admiral, indicated concern within the BOD to reduce debt , possibly due to pressure from Funders! This was all before COVID and the JV agreement ( discussions with Carlsberg had been underway pre Christmas). What occured in March dealt a devastating blow too virtually every trading company in particular those in the hospitality sector where some had the foresight to bolster balance sheets with fund raising, Whitbread for instance and Fullers who have/are in a position to pick up distressed companys.
Marston's SP is sticking at it current level becuase Major Investors have comfort from NAV and the uncertain future which effects many Businesses. Marstons with the brewery business going, needs to diversify, almost re-invent itself , the hospitality sector is in danger of over-supply, it is critical we find niche and innovative outlets. This all cost money and it is difficult to see how Marstons , given the present state of play, will be able to fund without going into the market. Current borrowings must reduce, the JV ties the company's hands in respect of asset disposals. Until obscurity of the future is cleared, many investors will sit on their hands.
Do wonder if we need a more dynamic team at the top as they could be stale and lacking ideas.??
Jim, and others, understand your comments regarding " squabbling" unfortuneately some of these boards have become "bear-pits" since lockdown. That said I am not prepared to sit idly by reading nonsense and abuse from uninformed posters who have an agenda. My agenda is to see Marstons succeed and build shareholder value, long term value not short terms gains for Traders.
The mission is set, destination is what we need to know.
.
Agreed. Concentrate on Marstons issues.
@supercharger
I fear you are confused, I never said anything about an accountant, HMRC yes, but not an accountant.
Long term for me is years, have had gold shares for many years, as I mentioned I held Mars for 6 years in varying sizes, just like shares in SE Asia which I started investing in many years ago.
Enough is enough, you all have interesting points to make but can you please stop this thread now.
I am confused by your posts when you refer to long time holder of share I suspect a couple of weeks? When you refer to you have been lucky settling an HMRC Capital gain - you then insult me for needing an accountant? You are right on one thing from what you have said I am perhaps a lot younger than you, and was lucky to have made my own mint early to retire when most of my peers were told by St. james place to invest in GBP related investments and I only gave that 5% with the rest in USA and the Far Eastern economies - so maybe i was lucky too? Good luck with your own choices.
@supercharger
Having been a long term holder of gold shares I am happy to take my own advice thanks very much.
I became interested in them having spent a morning down Kloof mine, then the richest seam & second deepest in the world in 1985, on the then Transvaal,but you probably don't remember that ?
Yes so desperate I feel time to top up again.
However remember I do not just hold one of two shares I have a broad spread across the whole market at the moment particularly the precious metals one. You should try it sometime, or buy a tracker.
Errh what with the USD falling what will happen to previous metals prices? You may need to ring your accountant but I am doing very well there.
@supercharger
Now you are starting to sound desperate, who cares if your prediction on price movements is correct or not, most of us here are looking for reasons whyit might go better, sales figures could well be a reason, but let's see them then make predictions ?
We all know that a broken clock tells the correct time twice a day.....
Hardly Marstons related, but entertaining all the same.
Lets get the sales figures for the last qtr through and then see where we are and if my choice of buying and even topping up Marstons has been a good idea.
Why is this? Shell like everyone else can only survive if they find an alternative to the natural resources that no one wants anymore. The price of oil should tell anyone with an ounce of intelligence this. Shell are very late to the Renewables market and their windmills should stick to producing grain. In ten years time we will all most likely be driving electric cars and no one will need Shell and they know it.
For Marstons I have a feeling everyone still be drinking beer - and the entry point for many will bring results. Nothing like your energy Companies at all.
@fairdealer
I am sure you are delighted to have received this months complimentary tax advice from the MARS board's personal IFA ?
Most people who were attracted to Mars pre-covid probably had 2 reasons to buy, a good yield and a potential take over target.
People who looked for the former could thus be assumed to likely hold it in their ISA or SIPP. Oddly enough our boards IFA appears to have overlooked that rather obvious fact !
Given the speculation this weekend of CGT being increased to taxpayers top income tax rate buying purely for capital gain will not be nearly so attractive as it is at present.
I have traded MARS quite happily for about 6 years in and out, in my SIPP and it was largely due to an unwelcome tax bill due in January that I sold the bulk of mine and took the cash out through drawdown to pay HMRC so that I now have just a token holding. I wasn't clever, I was just lucky, but I'm still following this plc in hope but am happy to sit & wait to see how the uncertainties pan out, and that is a subjective judgement which we will all have different views on. I would be happy to buy them again higher up once the fog has cleared, certainly not on the advice of someone who wasn't aware of the size of their pub estate !
That gobbledy goop statement just illustrates how little the spoilt Godchild knows.. Knows little or nothing about the UK Tax regime.......get another Accountant Supercharger..
Are you a Greenie as the need for energy will always be needed. Did you realise Shell are moving massively into renewables? NO is the answer.
Advocating buying at the bottom in some stocks that have an uncertain future against one that is World Class only comfirms a complete lack of knowledge.....clueless.
Concentrate on the numbers which are very important for intelligent investors.
& what an expert he turns out to be in that if you pay 50% tax on earnings you loose half to the govt straight away based on income which is why most people I know call it with excess supply of oil and gas "ROYAL DITCH SELL" - end of Sept last yr they were 24GBP a share now falling fast and down to £10 shortly to fall further. You were right the first time let him continue to support his own energy which is lost on me. I'd rather go for capital growth and not income and loss of Capital.
So in your expert opinion Supercharge, Norseman Gold would be a better investment than Royal Dutch Shell who are paying a dividend of 12.5% ?
Concentrate on the maths which needs considerable improvement, followers may then take notice of your posts.
He only appears strangely when the Marstons share price rises and we have had that for the past three or four days so he has to try and pull the price down. Just ignore him -not worth your time. He invests in the Oil and energy industries at the moment - who would do that when most have moved out into the precious metals market and have made a fortune. Certainly not worth mine. I can see us getting off to a good start next week as the no. of deaths from Covid in the Uk reduced to just one poor old person yesterday and the avge for the past week was only ten. So in a Country of over 60 Million the no. now is insignificant and clearly the pubs re-opening has certainly not caused additional concerns. In fact I wonder if Beer helps reduce the virus?
@ sandyman
Who’s ‘telling porkies’
Was that aimed at me?
The official web site gives you an update. Worth keeping an eye on.
See link :-
https://www.marstons.co.uk/docs/financials/2020/Transaction-Update-20200723.pdf
good luck with that Scambler!