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Martyn Coffey CEO assured me at AGM this morning that Marshalls suffered no collateral damage from demise of Carillon as invlvement was through joint ventures avoiding direct exposure. Future projects including Crossrail stations,Hinkley, and HS2 bode well for the future-Martyn said that 75% of projects tendered for on Crossrail were accepted-what's not to like?
Hope you enjoyed div. last week. Yes there is a fair spread and few sellers as we holders know they are worth way more than current price. I regard this as a core hold, churning out solid results year on year with divs to match. The boss sticks to his knitting and has a good team round him. Rising interest rates don't matter as borrowings are low. I look forward with quiet confidence to results in a few weeks. Continue to enjoy the journey!
As I look out on a Siberian scene, warmed by my electric heater, it's good to know that day in day out , 20 miles to the east of me Drax is belting out, day in day out, 7% of the nations desperately needed power and at a very good price. It has been written off by some but it seems to me very much in the moment!
The Annual Report quantifies the extent of penalties involved in delays at Nine Elms and in the big picture it really doesn't merit much of one's time. Mark Allen is fine tuning the 'conveyer belt' of regeneration and construction projects. Residential and commercial are now the main focus for the in-house expertise and less retail. The company's strength has always been midlands based but the spread into Wales,the southwest and the north makes for exciting times ahead I feel.
The new chief executive is clearly making waves as evidenced by yesterday's impressive results. The new appointments will add further momentum and an already solid outfit appears to be going into another gear-still trading well below asset value unlike most in sector.
No doubt piles of Marshalls products are stacked in Carillion sites as with all major building suppliers. Fortunately they have the strength to weather this and lessens will have been learned, but the industry doesn't work on a C.O,D basis The setback presents an entry point .for those not aboard this smart outfit.
The lack of news following last year's major acquisition is causing some natural nervousness among investors. A statement from the management as to how the new properties look like fitting in would be greatly appreciated.
Following a lull Hansa must be attracting attention of smart arbitrage operators. Asset value is now approaching 400p ahead of share price despite an excellent year's performance. At a time when there appears to be a dearth of value opportunities this one stands out a mile and in over 50 years of watching these things I have learned that value inevitably gets recognised in time.
Had a further tour of plant today and in awe of a triumph of British engineering. Despite inept and inconsistent messages from various governments the management team has continued to innovate in new technologies and to reduce carbon and sulphur emissions . On a cold still day we witnessed all six awesome turbines belting out 7-8% of U.K.power output to keep the lights on and industry functioning. The entire set- up exudes efficiency and I would urge political policy makers to back this impressive management for once with some guidance as to future support which they so richly deserve.
Of all my holdings this one stands out as way below value. We are looking at profitable, leading edge technology in various growth areas . This ,together with a dollar currency play it's either a stonking buy or we're all missing something' no doubt we'll find out sooner or later!.)
One can never legislate for tiny day to day swings on low volume. What interests me as a long term holder is that a div of 200 p is on the horizon early next year produced from bricks and mortar assets worth around twice market value. You can tuck into your xmas turkey without too much concern about any cash parked here.
I read a lot into yesterday's significant purchase by Gordon Banham. The AGM flagged up great potential in the Blackwood earthmoving section from potential contracts with HS2 and the Moorside nuclear project. The latter has just got the go-ahead. This added to the massive land bank,realisation of cash from sales of redundant mining equipment from Maltby etc. and buoyant coal sales in German operation begins to point to interesting times ahead.
Following recent aquisitions the Board needs to , once again, demonstrate it's ability to manage the new assets, no doubt the asset value and share price will respond proportionately. This is a time for shareholders to have patience-the recent track record of the Management gives grounds for confidence and the rating is hardly demanding!.
Cetainly all commercial property companies rely on revaluations as part of declared profit. Whilst LOK has posted asset value comfortably above current market cap., it will be viewed as an asset rich, profitable and capably managed AIM stock.It is also in a good niche-current new housing being too small for storage of bulky items, As such it is mentioned by the D.T. as a solid inheritance tax avoidance vehicle and would appear to me to have very limited downside.