Equals Gp Share Chat (EQLS)

I see the 5p has been paid today. The 135p should arrive on Monday.

Missed it yesterday. I guess I'll wait now. Markets are pretty jittery. Might have further to fall.

You have your answer now, deal closing in the next few weeks and the spreadsheet is down to just a penny, so you could just sell into the market.

Hi all,. is there any clarity when in Q2 we might see the finalisation of the deal?

I have a few ideas where to redeploy but will be sticking a decent sum into a family trip to Vietnam.

GLA DJF

SBTX is a good choice, Q1 2025 should see a steady rise as we head towards the launch in April. I'm already heavily invested there with a nice profit but plenty more to come IMHO.

I haven't sold here yet, let this play out for a few weeks unless something interesting turns up.

Well done LTH's and GLA.

If you are looking for something simple to Equals you could do worse than running the slide rule over Finseta , they also operate in the fintech space and are growing rapidly, sp has appreciated from circa 5p to a recent high north of 40p , it’s come off a little recently ( back to 33p) but still appears to be moving in the right direction.

For clarity I was in at around 14p and bought in again around 6.75p so I’m nicely in profit but I continue to hold .

Please DYOR but worth a look imo

Ideas for investing..

The Hut Group (THG). Just going through a legal process to split off its technology division (Ingenuity) into a new private company leaving the two profitable divisions as THG. The Beauty and Nutrition divisions should allow THG share value to re-rate significantly. as Ingenuity has been a financial drain on the business since its IPO.

Share price breaking up through 49p, where monies were raised to spin off Ingenuity.

Shorts are reducing..

Share price up 7.26% today at 51.85p. A couple of years ago, the shares were around 150p, but group today is in much better financial shape, albeit sales have flatlined, but margins are improving...

I'm going to add to my holding in Skinbiotherapherap (SBTX). High risk but plenty of potential to go to multiples of current SP. I keep a high-risk portfolio but that is my #1 hope at the moment.

Where are people going to re invest their money? Any companies on the radar?

I happily sold up,as not worth waiting....Good result and a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush....

Agreed bandit. I shall not be waiting 6 months for 3.5%

.....or you can give up the 5p which is only 3.57% and assuming it will take 6 months to complete you could recover most of that in a low risk investment yielding 8%-10% as the FTSE is awash with them given the extreme undervaluations we see in UK. Of course if you think another bid is coming wait for the 3.57%. I have sold a hefty chunk @135p to pursue other opportunities. Thanks to Simon Thomson from Investors Chronicle for putting this on my radar who is a top financial journalist.

Good news and very happy with the little bit more. JUst a bit of a wait now until Q2 '25. Had hoped after all this time that the conclusion would have been earlier.

Glad we finally got an offer almost gave up waiting and was going to sell these in the new year.

Cant actually believe I'm reading this.

Finally! - I was starting to feel like a melon still holding here! But a nice little earner in the end.

I like the 5p divi £1.40 a share not too bad. Well done all those that kept in.

Done deal!

Higher bid coming 134p to sell!

But slow here

The Times ‘insider dealings detected in a third of takeovers’ . Gosh, shock horror. who would have thought the city was full of bent barstewards!

RNS could drop any time. Looks like there will be no more PUSUs. Its either deal on/off IMO

So no RNS at 7am. Will either be during the day or at close of play. Deadline was 5pm I think. Keep the uncertainty going.

Groundhog Day. Needs to happen or move on. Due dilligence doesn't need 6 months.

Good chance that the deal completion is on for tomorrow and we are seeing insider buys. That, or some are simply taking a punt. Total guesswork when you are not in the know! I do know one thing which is that the Takeover Panel will be getting pretty annoyed at this obfuscation if there is yet another delay. Not long to find out.

I'm in profit - Been in here a while - Tempted to sell out of sheer boredom! #groundhogday

Well buys coming in during the last hours

Yes, looks this way unfortunatelly.

Looking like a further extension...If a bid was coming or rejection ,it would have been announced a couple of days beforehand...Because directors are so keen to sell the company,the proposed bidders are taking the Mickey ..Why does a small company need three bidders.. It's hardly worth their while..

👍

Are we ready for yet another damp squib

On the consortium, they increased the offer by 2p (dividend), can’t see them reducing it now after the DD has been done.

I’ve been here since 02/20, the management team have always indicated that an exit was their final destination. Ian Strafford-Taylor imo one of the best CEO’s on AIM. His straight talking and good communicator and has been a breath of fresh air, also the BoD’s delivered on their targets. The redirection from B to C to B to B transformed the business.

Anyway, happy either way, if it falls through, yes the share price will drop probably knowing the markets under 100p maybe 80’s who knows but as long as they keep delivering it should recover to around 90-100+, so imo it’s risk ward.

ps still haven’t pressed the buy button (yet!)

Another nagging doubt is that management seem too keen to sell...The consortium might well chance their aim with a lower offer.

I am agonising as to wether take a position with the view that it might actually happen..If they pull out the SP will probably drop to just over 100p,which is a massive drop from today's price..My feeling there will be another extension.. Shall I or shall I not?????

Fed up of typing this subject title! However, I must say I’m very tempted to add a few this afternoon. Surly if the bidders weren’t going to go forward they would have said by now, why wait to the next deadline. Yes another extension is likely, so I thinking of adding a 3rd of the amount I had in mind for my 110 buy.

Also the MM's over the last week leaving the spread that gives the impression that buy's are sells. Even now I just did a dummy buy for 5000 shares and got a price under the mid point. This last week when the spread was 114 -117 was even worse. As you probably all know Sells/Buys need to be taken with a pinch of salt, but here at the moment a pint of sea water comes to mind.

It feels like a game is being played to manipulate the price. If the bidding consortium holds on then they can potentially disrupt the price lower, or at least signal that and game the negotiation. I cannot imagine that DD cannot be completed in a month and negotiations partly in parallel. They must have already established a plan when they entered discussions. As many others have signalled this is completely irrational. It's a growth stock. If they pull out then you will recover the value from growth. If they buy then you get an upside over the current valuation.

The company and Consortium have finished the DD, it’s now in the hands of the Consortium to make an offer if they wish. I’ve alway thought this is being sold on the cheap, and don’t really mind if it falls through or not.

Yes it is circa 12-months that the company has been in an Offer period which must be a distraction . If there is yet another delay to this potential transaction there will be some serious question marks of management as it would appear that the tail is wagging the dog. Not sure which Bank is advising management but they need to step up and ensure that negotiations don’t drag on into 2025!

Just hope all these negotiations are not diverting management time away for running the business. This is a cracking Company which eventually will be sold. If the current offer falls throughly which must be a possibility, it will present a fantastic buying opportunity.

As I commented on 1st November, despite others getting over excited, I could not see how this could be a done deal when the SP was fairly surpressed compared to the supposed offer price. When its effectively a 'done deal' the SP usually aligns to the offer price or close. I'm not saying it won't happen, but I wouldn't be surprise me if it falls through. The delay in knowing one way or another is not beneficial to the business.

EQLS plummeting again, this is going to be a cracking buy when, hopefully, it all falls through

That last RNS definitely seemed to indicate this was far from a cert and I think this will see 110p again ASAP

Seems to indicate that the deal may not happen. Crunch time this week IMO. If the 2 VCs cannot agree the finance split it will sink. Hard to believe after all this time they have not worked this through.......Jeeez

Has always felt that Equals is a bit under the radar. No idea why it would be so. This needs to be done or called off.

IMO the strategic review has created a false market of low expectation. If we had traded in line with the market, not forgetting the stellar growth we have had over the past 12 months the SP would be higher that the mooted bid price. I hope it does not go through and we can get to fair value

That would be quite something Tothemoon, if after all these negotiations the shareholders revolt. The fact that the consortium still appear not to have got their act together is a little surprising. If successful what will their first act need to be ? An IPO by the sound of it!

Unquestionably this is frustrating and I can’t remember seeing so many consecutive Rule 2.7 announcement in my 40 years investing. Important to be aware however that The Takeover Panel at every deadline will interrogate the advisers to Equals and the Consortium to ensure that there are bona fide reasons to justify yet another delay. Why would the consortium members spend so much time invested here if they did not really want a share of the prize? If they walk away the risk to them is that someone else will come in and take the prize. There is a risk of course but also a 14% opportunity in the short term here and if the deal does not conclude, yes there will be a short term hit but this company is growing market share and revenue so longer term will either be taken out or will grow value over time. All IMHO.

Personally I can’t see why the board are even entertaining the offer , from what we know the company is still growing nicely has a healthy balance sheet and there’s plenty more market to capture. 135p +2p seems extremely cheap .

I’ll be voting against this proposal as I see far greater value in the medium term , very much aware my 15k share vote will hold no sway but at least I’ll register my dissatisfaction.

Is it too much to hope for a white knight to come in at this late stage and give the board something to really think about?

I hovered over the sell button yesterday (1 tranche bought at 110) but FOMO set in. This morning a bit disappointed but happy to hold and may add if back down around 110.

This is a can't loose in my humble opinion. You buy in and get either a growing share or a premium if it's bought. What's not to like?

Just a slow process. Feels like the end is in sight. Ie we have all completed DD. Monies agreed. Just to need to agree final carve up. I suspect this is more operation dividing lines

Something doesn't seem quite right here IMHO and that latest update didn't sound like this is definitely going to go through

Anyone else agree or disagree

Still no news.. I'm guessing another extension

Maybe 2025.. Maybe

Good point could be, but not sure if private equity companies need to inform the markets.

May also be a PM RNS to align with US element

Yep, I did some dummy buys, when the spread was 124 -127, my dummy buy price was a slightly over 125, thus below the mid price which would have shown up as a sell.

A lot of those marked as sells are buys.

A lot of significant sells today. Not sure why anyone would sell now, but still....

Well, at this lowly valuation, a counter-offer (perhaps from the other earlier interested party) wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Then I shall pull up a chair and reach for a glass of cyder and watch the fun begin and the price climb :)

Quite a lot of buys now looking for an easy and quick profit when the deal completes. As the margin narrows I do wonder if some expect a counter offer?

Next news has got to be go / no-go and pretty soon.

No broker views in 2024. Either someone made an error or didn't! 123 to buy today . Still a quick 10+% to be made if it goes through this month. I'm tempted but already heavy here.

TBH I think this is mis information, I cannot find any published updated targets

Yes, it is surprising. When a company is under an active takeover offer, analysts are typically restricted from issuing or updating price targets. This is primarily due to the potential for conflicts of interest and regulatory constraints that aim to ensure a fair, orderly market environment.

For Equals Group PLC, under UK Takeover Code regulations, analysts are particularly cautious during an "offer period". The Code, discourages the issuance of new, speculative price targets to prevent undue influence on share price, given that the outcome of the takeover is still uncertain.

Analysts within the brokerage firms advising Equals (such as Canaccord Genuity) or any involved financial adviser typically avoid setting or updating price targets until the takeover process concludes. They may only report existing targets or comment on general market conditions without new recommendations. Additionally, any commentary issued would have to clearly disclose any potential conflicts, ensuring that no unfair advantage is conveyed to specific investors.

So, while official commentary is allowed within these limits, brokers generally refrain from publishing updated price targets to adhere to the standards of transparency and market neutrality.

It would be interesting to actually see the broker commentary to see what it says and by who.

Surprising that

https://x.com/baroninvestment/status/1853701306222825606

Yep, I reckon next week, maybe Thurs (as a guess)

Tuesday 12th

( is my guess)

I expect the deal to go through now as the DD has completed. Also expect the deal to be done at 135 + 2

If it was going to move above 135 it would have done so by now. The BoD /shareholders will also agree the price.

Tempted to add next week if SP remains or drops a little, the deal will conclude WC 11th Nov IMHO

Nothing is done until it's done. The SP leaves room for a late deal collapse. Could be a very quick and easy 10% if it goes through as expected. If not, this is worth more than 137 long-term.

A few here suggesting this is a done deal. The SP suggests otherwise. Am I missing something?

Thanks to you and Firsherking for the response and the clarification. I guess i'll just wait then for my shares to be bought off me then unless it somehow goes up the suggest 1.35 price. It's a shame that this company wasn't left to grow further. Seems like the loyal shareholders (those that invested because they believed in the growth of the company) aren't really considered at all. I guess the owners will be off to a sunny paradise in the next few months.

Although I've made money on this, I still feel the company is being sold on the cheap, primarily so that certain executives can exit with a tidy retirement fund. Maybe in their position I would be doing the same, but one wonders whether it is in the interests of other shareholders.

Don't know why they are showing 124p on the ask when you can buy these at 122.7. Interesting that they are showing them as sells when they are actually buys.

GLA

Https://www.investorschronicle.co.uk/content/d2de1e65-fe0f-5e23-841b-bbb780c41c19

GLA

Interesting observation that the PUSU has 'only' been extended by 21 days rather than the usual 28 days. I do not believe that's a regulatory requirement. With rose tinted glasses it may infer a real offer to be announced in a couple of weeks?

Getting the DD done was the risk. Now thats done, it should be closing out the formalities. I will watch the SP if it dips down to 118 I will bag another 25, but already have a good slug of these

It is nuts that this has not moved closer to 135p. Now a cash offer of 135p with an additional 2p dividend yet you can still buy more at 121p which I have just done. Yes there have been delay upon delay but it would be very unusual for this deal not to close at 135p + 2p. Markets have lost it.

The end is near. i's to dot and t's to cross. 2p divi as well, so 137 in all

Must have ben a lot if "I"s and "t"s! Will the market reaction reflect the improved likelihood of it happening?

The extension is for a shorter period, 20th Nov. So crossing the “T” and all that, hopefully.

Yep, that's what it sounds like. Not a matter of if but when.

So definitely happening then, just need a bit more time. 135p + 2p

But another 2p, so it does seem things are moving, just every slowly! RNS not showing here yet.

https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/EQLS/strategic-review-update-and-pusu-extension/16738676

Good spot. And now their profile has mysteriously vanished

You have just copy/pasted this on 8 different boards - not suspicious at all!!!!!!

A bid has just come in for the

GOOD [Good Energy Group]

The SP is now on 360p up 22% but last year they turned down 400p and the rumour is this is for 445/465p

Lots and lots of trades are on AQSE and not LSE.. normally a sign investment banks picking some up!!

An easy near 30% from here!!

A bid has just come in for the

GOOD [Good Energy Group]

The SP is now on 360p up 22% but last year they turned down 400p and the rumour is this is for 445/465p

Lots and lots of trades are on AQSE and not LSE.. normally a sign investment banks picking some up!!

An easy near 30% from here!!

Another extension is on the cards

Hope so, had an avg of 88p, I've just got 4000 more shares this morning, now my avg is 93p, risk/ reward all all that!

I did write to EQLS expressing my bitter disapointment. Long stor short - the length of time to conclude, the poor price offered based on where we are today, risk around IP etc.

EQLS response was nothing new as you would expect. Just an elaboration of the timeline needed for a consortium to all align

So the question remains ...how much longer, hopefully not long now