RE: COM results14 Jan 2025 18:29
This ongoing board/ownership battle continues, perhaps starting in 2022 for anyone interested to look more into it. It's really unclear what this means for shareholders, but Kitous, especially when combined with Hanna, dictate the company's future.
This is a shame as their holdings would provide them far more value in capital appreciation if they allowed the availability of their stock to entice interested buyers. In view of continued post-inflation growth which suggests that they have a valuable service/product. This fact is further attested by comparision with many failing restaurant businesses and being depsite increasing competition due to food apps.
Their shareholdings would appreicate many times over if this achieved a real market valuation (given growth, cash, and cash generation) with increased, even token, emphasis on shareholder return. Their shares could easily 10x.
Wagamama was bought for at £560m (they had 6x number of Comptoir Group restaurants, £560mn/6=£93m). You can futher discount this £93m sales valuation for things like different brand values, different growth prospects etc,) but even extremely heavy discounting makes this a potention multibagger... but only if the company's share are allowed to trade more freely on the market with strong confidence in shareholder support and representation.
If Kitous and Hanna, if rationally bothered about enriching themselves as much as possible, see the bigger picture then they would realise they stand to make far more - through capital appreciation of shareholdings rather than increasing wages from the growing company - from allowing shares to freefloat and enticing investment houses