Member Info for DC2007

Two months of inchmeal progress wiped out. Start again.

That's a relief to see. Let's get this started SB.

I'd estimated about that (55p) as fair value too The.Crowman. Thought 50p or at minimum high 40s would be a floor under the share. Obviously we were both wrong, but the magnitude of error is what is most startling. Maybe this is why I look for supplementary explanations to the debacle of the past 12 months. Atb

Makes it vulnerable tomorrow to further drops. The SP behaviour is that of something about to go bust. And yet they're not, but the SP movement is far beyond explaining in terms of anomaly or extreme negative sentiment.

So what's going on? Two possible conclusions remain: it's fishy and suspicious indicating a trap is about to be sprung that toasts most holders; or, it's one of the bargains of the decade. Wonder what Buffet would make of it.

To mint yet more new lows. Got a feeling 7.x is on the cards.

Makes for an illuminating market comparison. It's getting on towards double the market cap of Debs, and in the past five years made £21.4m in profit. Included one year posting a loss, and no single year above £10m. Yet the market thinks this company overall is worth much more than Debs. Mr Market must be wrong in their evaluation of at least one of these two equities.

The FT article painted the MKS results in gloomy terms usually reserved for Debs. I'd take a good look at MKS if I was not already overweight UK retail. MKS has a potential safety net with their NAV. A SP drifting towards that would be very tempting.

Yes, I think I detect a shift in sentiment with this from about the time it was announced there would be changes at the top. That has been potent enough to offset lacklustre results with no progress on the debt and shrinking revenues. If you believe in the diamond market, and that the bulk of capex is behind the company, it looks a risky buy.

Thanks, will be looking for sign like an eagle not a turkey. Not been in oilcos long time; future of black gold looks tarnished to me.
Atb

Be keen to hear your take on both.

Welcome again. What other things do you have an interest in at the moment? Atb

For those who elect to receive their dividend in the form of further shares. The amount received will be calculated on the reference price on the date given.

Reasonable news today about this. Potential harm out of the road which should settle the SP.

The awards are generous and potentially lucrative - would be good if they had to match the freebies with a purchase of the same amount otherwise the potentially awarded shares lapse.

If, and it's a very big if, they made those targets, then the SP would benefit indirectly by some indeterminate amount. Agree that it would be better for small investors if awards were based on future market cap; this in fact serves the benefit of every stakeholder more, rather than just the elites.

Voda's odds of going bust must be in the thousands to one. On a ten year timescale, the recent drop is just noise.

Seems impossible EPS targets anyway.

So maybe the usual premium will be greater if a bidding war happened. Still don't see that taking it beyond 15p which makes for a derisory exit for most long term holders. Most likely MA will get it on the cheap. Can't see PG having a shred of interest in this; know too little of the other Philip to judge.

That only leaves PE firms or foreign buyout specialists. I can't see why they would buy a business with earnings in decline that's hamstrung by future charges for their estate of £4.5bn. Would need a very creative dealmaker to prize value from the proposition.

The brand of a teleco provider for the consumer is almost nothing. You don't pay a premium to be seen using Vodafone or BT; you do pay a big premium to have Coca Cola, rather than supermarket cola. Now there's a brand worth a lot. The idea of a utilities company having a brand strikes me as fanciful.

Yes, there probably are potential purchasers eyeing this. But with such a depressed starting point, even if an offer comes with the usual 30% premium, then an implied buyout would be at 11.4p. Frankly, that's rubbish.

All dependent on the timescale; I'm expecting £10-11 in three years. Corbyn government is the only standout that could thoroughly derail this. Without government interference, the business should remain reliable and predictable.