Member Info for boselecta

Brent Walker Group PLC

McBride PLC - 20/11/25 - This could easily be read as Easyjet PLC

The Board continues to have confidence in the Group's strategy, leading market position, and financial prospects, and will continue to assess future investment opportunities in that light. However, the Board believes the current market capitalisation fundamentally undervalues the Group to a significant degree and therefore views the Company's current share price as presenting a compelling opportunity to create substantial shareholder value through capital returns. The Board will therefore commence a £20m share buyback programme shortly, utilising the maximum allowance of approximately 10% of outstanding ordinary shares, using the relevant 2025 AGM resolution being passed as expected later today.

Sleepy Jarvis.

Airlines with premium seating offerings, globally, are holding up well and those without are feeling the lower income/cost of living client pressure. If the stock markets have a moment you don't half seem premium airlines share prices drop. There is a clear divide and Easy is feeling it. The market is well ahead on this and the price reflects this so only time is your friend. Don't help that the press start competing with each other in speculating around FOUR to FIVE months pre budget and what they THINK will be in it. If you are lower income you probably worry about what you are reading and likely retrench even if it is highly speculative. I feel for those.

OTB and TUI likely to provide updates soon with obvious commentary. Stelios might would like to take private at the depressed price although maybe the family holding is leveraged against other interests and in any event, who wants to buy an airline?

If Exane said outperform it wouldn't rise 8%. Shorting it (under 0.5% or by any other method) then releasing the market note on the morning they know inflation would likely be higher than predicted is smart. Fevr in close period so can't respond and wouldn't anyway given Exane's poor call record . Can't fault the tactics though.

U.S director buying £250k in June gives weight to the push, and tie up, in to the U.S.

Fevr trading statement 11 Sept. Find out who's call is right.

There is no chance whatsoever of a near term takeover of Close. You wouldn't buy a company were there is high uncertainty, as of today, and your external advisors would not even suggest it. Close would need to be on its knees and then it would be a rescue takeover and at a peanut price.

Knot, Considered post, well done.

As for the market opening prices, I think that the ability to trade at 08.00 will be completely out of reach for retail traders (could easily come after 08.30). Given their previous history, HL, AJ, II, Barc etc will be 'down' or other. Hope they post that this may be the case so we know where we are.

As for the FCA. They will need to guide. At what number below 55% is the starting point for being considered unfair? Above that number the lender just refunds their client keeping the claims companies out of it.

The FCA have a major credibility issue. Given this, two days instead of forty two was always on the cards given this. Tactical.

I thought Lord Reed related the 55% to the consumer credit act that states that the commission or similar should be fair and reasonable (to the consumer). He and his team decided, and clearly stated, it was not, and disallowed the appeal.

Therefore, I believe the the FCA, among other issues, could be looking at up to which point a percentage is considered fair and after that you have been fleeced.

If so, a starting point (£) would then need to be set before allowing lenders to automatically refund clients without them needing to make a claim (keeping claims companies out of it). Clearly the lower the FCA set the percentage and starting point the better outcome for lenders.

Not quite. If read the report through, you will see they state that they are looking to get the dividend back to a historical date payment situation. So, a nice Christmas present paid in early December.

Close Brothers Group PLC - London-based merchant bank - Confirms the UK Supreme Court will announce its judgment in respect of the company's appeal of the "Hopcraft" motor finance commissions case next Friday after the close of trading. Close Brothers says that the parties will not receive a copy of the draft judgment in advance of publication and therefore does not know the outcome of the appeal. The appeal was heard in April. Close Brothers is challenging a Court of Appeal ruling from October last year, which found that "secret" commission payments to car dealers as part of finance arrangements made before 2021 without the motorist's fully informed consent, were unlawful.

The court found that three motorists, who all bought their cars before 2021, had not been told either clearly enough or at all that the car dealers, acting as credit brokers, would receive a commission from the lenders for introducing business to them, and should receive compensation.

Thursday: What I feel will be announced.

* Better H1 than expectations (rocket)

* Therefore, FY25 consensus being raised (rocket)

* Announce share buyback (rocket)

* Move to twice yearly dividend, after H2, for regular income seekers (sparkler)

Jarvis needs to big up the company and its superior brand recognition like Stelios did.

Everyone on here is looking forward to the results tomorrow. I am looking forward to them this evening, on the RNS, after the London market closes. If so, historically, this has been very good sign.

We will all be boarding the delayed delivery of the new Airbus 250-ft soon and departing soonest. Please go to gate number MAR25.

The set up for tomorrow is quite likely missing profit expectations. The share price languishing suggests something is still awry. LHR store again empty of customers in mid December. Two mega stores in major cities in Europe I visited then were thin on customers and high on pricing (non discount ticket prices - sizeable discounting included in the tag price - according to JD) . Given the current operating environment tomorrow could pan out like below.

Excuses:

- Integration of U.S buy (threat, but not really being talked about)

- Challenging customer environment

- Changing customer environment

- UK budget

10 to 12 days before their last set of results the same thing happened to the share price - high volatility. It was pretty wild. Then after the very positive update the price dropped, in what seemed like day after day, by c.£1.00. It subsequently regained about a high of c.£1.20 on no public news and a missing trading statement.

Now, just like before, which was the first time I have witnessed that, there is a lot of price volatility about 2 weeks before results. It is not ebb and flow. Something is not right.

The stock remains on thin ice.

The CEO and Chairman have a fantastic record of selling at the top and buying at the bottom, since Feb '20. Have a look at the Directors deals on this page. However, having monitored airlines for many years, I sniff another warning coming on 7th Nov '24. Granted, Varadi bought 10k a day after the profit warning but this was just a token gesture to the market and not a suggestion of buying at the bottom. Rather embarrassing given 99% of his trades have been sells. Sell.

It is quite likely that the market, on the quiet, it takes place make no mistake, has asked the question you are all debating – why no pre results trading announcement?

On this occasion, I feel they are keeping their cards close to their chest as their FY24 follows the announcements of competitors (Ryan 4 Nov, Wizz 7 Nov, IAG 8 Nov updates). Some may offer there is a significant market moving announcement coming - Stelios is getting out, merger activity... As well mentioned, by other contributors, the market reaction to the last earnings report was very disappointing along with waiting for the forthcoming budget detail. I do think a trading announcement should only be used for setting the market up for unpleasant news to come. So, I am easy with no trading announcement now or in the future.

Package holidays are obviously a growth driver for EZJ. This has not gone un-noticed by the wider industry. Think also all mid to long haul airlines piling in to retro fit their planes with premium economy seats. Southwest Airlines recently stated that holidays are an area they want to get in to on their own (not third party). Ryanair mentioned the same recently and with their market cap of €20bn they could just gobble any European package holiday company and hit the ground running. Competition is there and real. However, EZJ have a very strong brand (must not get complacent and keep innovating) and franchise, hoteliers seem to love the in house set up and trade user interface tools (the same for the general public, using the online booking facility). If you were to go on a package holiday who would feel confident going with - EZJ and JET2 (both well trusted) or Ryanair?

Buy.

Horrible.

24 June 2024: In FTSE 100

08 Oct 2024: Out FTSE 100 (effectively)

Profit warnings come in threes...

Shorts pile in...

Directors heads called for...

Analyst downgrades to come...

Due diligence battles to come...

Very long road back from a warning like this. Avoid.

Brilliant stuff from Sidara. Rejected at £2.05, £2.12, £2.20 and £2.30 then dumped on from a great height on 5th August of all days. Take that! Bosh, Bosh, Bosh!

Brilliant.

There seems to be a divergence taking place with EZJ and IAG leading this.

Both have emerging high margin profit centres complementing an already well known and trusted profitable brand. EZJ with holidays and IAG with IAG Loyalty. This is what investors like, opportunities spotted adding to further growth with high margins. Throw in a likely increasing dividend as the cherry on top. Those are your buffers when things become a little volatile.

Ryanair and Wizz seem to have been left behind. Maybe this ultra low cost model has had its day with sharp minds having gone to sleep. I don't think Wizz can afford anymore poor results as there could be liquidity issue a couple of quarters down. Ryanair will keep doing what its doing. Great for EZJ and IAG.

As I previously posted, I do think that EZJ and IAG could become top FTSE 100 performers in due course, they have been there before, however this could take to 2026 but will be worth the weight. Buy.

Well, if you listened to O'Leary a couple of weeks ago putting an accountant in charge is the exceptional thing to do. He puts that down, emphatically, as to why his business has excelled. If you can read the interview and absorb, do so. Please don't condemn me. I am not a fan of O'Leary's antics but the price of his airlines shares have nearly tripled since Oct '22. It is why Lundgren has gone - underperformance. It won't be tolerated, particularly with Hester, ex RBS and RSA, looking down on you along with weary shareholders. 'There won't be any change going forward'. I don't think so. Getting rid of the CEO, for no stated reason with no job lined up, and then more of the same old? No. They have to manage the sudden departure of a CEO carefully and the less said the better at this time. But shareholders can read between the lines.

Easyjet, is now in a much better position with this change and, with a significant profit centre in the growing holidays division, it is now a longer term hold for me rather than a trading stock.