Member Info for courtier

Crossed lines. We were discussing BNC, banco Santander. I know this sp[ace is HSD but someone mentioned an interest in BNC and as I hold them I replied about that...

"The Unite Group plc, the UK's leading developer and manager of student accommodation, will announce its half year results for the period ended 30 June 2015 on 5 August 2015."

http://www.lse.co.uk/share-regulatory-news.asp?shareprice=E2V&ArticleCode=yf9qsqgb&ArticleHeadline=AGM_Trading_Update

It is 1.5% over a quarter which gives 6% per annum!

Joe Lister, Unite Students Chief Financial Officer, commented: "The demand for high-quality, well-located student accommodation, together with rental growth, has resulted in an 8.5% and 12.5% like-for-like increase in the values of the USAF and LSAV property portfolios respectively during the first half of the year. The yield compression has been supported by a strong operational performance with reservations already at 86% for the forthcoming academic year." This should feed into share value right away. These are 'independent' valuations.

"Global technology firm e2v, has provided NASA’s New Horizons Mission with two image sensors which hope to capture the first ever close-up images of Pluto. New Horizons which launched in January 2006 plans to examine Pluto, its moon Charon and other icy worlds at the edge of our solar system. After travelling over three billion miles to reach Pluto, it will provide scientific data about this little known region and the conditions at the origin of our solar system." Now I remember why I bought these shares five years ago... Isn't it great!

I have held Banco Santander for a long time. The shares are in a Selftrade Isa and they do not allow me to use the share option. My last quarterly dividend was 1.5% or 6% over a full year, and that is after tax deductions. I hope this helps...

Here, I think... http://www.lse.co.uk/FinanceDiary.asp?shareprice=BNC&share=banco_san

From The Economist June 20th: Country___GDP2015___Unemployed %__________GDP is rise in 2015 Britain_____+2.4%_____5.5% Greece____+1.4%_____25.6% Spain_____+2.7%_____22.7% Italy______+0.6%_____12.4% France____+1.2%_____10.5% Germany___+1.8%____6.4% These do not give the full picture of Greece's woes as their big problem is debt.

Channel 4 last night chose to use the term Grout for Greece leaving the Euro. I like this better because it has echoes of filling the cracks...

I really feel for anyone who bought Santander as high as £15. I was lucky and bought at £4.76 and have enjoyed really good dividends for some years, and regard the current price as a blip. I wish I could hold out some hope for a return to £10 plus, but at best I see a gradual recovery once Greece is sorted. I do not agree that buying shares using personal experience is a bad thing. I was a member of a small investment club for about five years. Different members brought different experiences to bare on share selection. We alighted on Acorn (now Arm Holdings) when they were about £2, because one member was an IT teacher. Workspace Group and Unite Group were both discovered through members experiences with the companies, and both have soared. E2V was bought because one member was an employee, and is an interesting and profitable holding. Santander was added because several members changed their accounts to one of their many new branches opening at that time and we did not like the other banks much. All these remain in my portfolio except for Arm, which I almost regret selling at a huge profit. I really believe in buying companies in which people I know have knowledge and experience! The other important factor may also apply to your situation. Buy shares carefully and HOLD them, giving them time to grow. Top slicing is for professionals not individuals like us. Of course this has merely worked in my case and may be quite wrong for others.

This acquisition sounds perfect for Workspace, well positioned and an interesting building. http://www.lse.co.uk/share-regulatory-news.asp?shareprice=WKP&ArticleCode=topqqzxb&ArticleHeadline=Acquisition There is always a next plan with this brilliant company.

Mid June under RNS: http://www.lse.co.uk/share-regulatory-news.asp?shareprice=UTG&ArticleCode=a1vkqw0v&ArticleHeadline=Acquisition The managers at Unite Group do not sit on their hands.

Available from here: http://investors.e2v.com/download-centre/reports-and-presentations/rp-2015.aspx#2015

I am not hands on enough to keep up with sudden market changes, so as usual I missed the quite sudden drop in BNC which coincided with my grandchildrens' Christmas and New Year. But as I have stated here too often I believe Santander to be one of the best run international banks. I particularly like the way each international section is give freedom to operate in a way that suits their environment, and the way they have avoided most of the regulatory difficulties of other big players. So much so that I predicted £6 less than a year ago. Although I am currently in the red this years' dividend will halve my deficit (Sorry to sound like a Chancellor) and I am confident that Santander will continue to grow profits in line with past performance so still expect to see my prediction of £6 before the end of 2017. ( chancellor talk again) Just hang in for a gradual return to prosperity...

Thank you BlueDealer. This has been really worrying me, mostly because I couldn't understand the problem, but I am very happy with this outcome.

ps These results led to an immediate share price rise of over 6%. Not surprising given the years figures.

As presented to meeting of analysts today, 3rd June: http://investors.workspace.co.uk/assets/downloads/2015/Investor_Analyst_Presentation_03_June_2015.pdf

I think this is a really good fit for Workspace: http://online.hemscottir.com/ir/wkp/news_xml.jsp?item=2082182965231616

Thank you QueenElvis, I failed to spot this excellent report.