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Today's paper, Fri 23rd Sept
HOSPITAL admissions with coronavirus in England have jumped 17 per cent in a week and are now rising significantly for the first time since July, latest figures show, amid fears of a new wave.
NHS statistics show that 718 people were admitted to English hospitals on Sept 19, a large increase compared to the previous week when daily admissions did not rise above 586 and fell as low as 476. It is the first time there has been a significant rise in admissions since numbers began to fall in July.
Today's paper Fri 23rd Sept...
HOSPITAL admissions with coronavirus in England have jumped 17 per cent in a week and are now rising significantly for the first time since July, latest figures show, amid fears of a new wave.
NHS statistics show that 718 people were admitted to English hospitals on Sept 19, a large increase compared to the previous week when daily admissions did not rise above 586 and fell as low as 476. It is the first time there has been a significant rise in admissions since numbers began to fall in July.
I ordered three test kits they were excellent for the price. Very easy to use and understand. They are a fraction of the price of those such as 'Medichecks" and the COVID tests are the best price I could find, (with a welcome 10% off, they beat the rest).
I was pleasantly surprised by the customer care, back up and quality of the product.
I am a shareholder, having bought a very modest amount in the Primary Bid and held.
I found this little snippet of news on Business Standard
"Serum Institute of India may use Oxford Biomedica's plant to make malaria, flu vaccines
Plans to utilise the UK capacity over the 10-year tie-up"
Tipped in the Telegraph in the Questor column today, with a buy recommendation.
Having spent an age waiting for Bacanora, a brief fling with KDNC, I got my Zinnwald shares but sold out as they got a bit toppy. But, I was still keen on having a Lithium stock and a friend mentioned SAV.
I spent a while reading up on them and although there is a long way to go, there are good prospects. Time will tell.
Barratt Development was on the rise after Sky News City editor Mark Kleinman tweeted over the weekend that the housebuilders was set to announce its "first significant corporate acquisition for years", with the target being "a smaller regional player".
EMail from PB
Thank you for subscribing to the offer for Halfords Group plc (LON:HFD).
We would like to provide you with an important update in relation to this offer:
Due to overwhelming demand, the Company has decided to allocate solely to existing shareholders on this occasion.
Etc etc...
From the Telegraph a couple of weeks ago. Tipped at 109, now 20p less. With all the green and blue Hydrogen interest at the moment, having a cylinder to store it in must become a must, sooner or later.
"A micro-cap stock whose dividend has been cut to zero, whose profits have given way to losses and whose long-standing and highly respected founder and chief executive has just retired will not appeal to everyone – and rightly so.
Turnaround stories such as this are fraught with risk, especially as they can take a lot longer to bear fruit than originally expected (assuming they turn around at all). However, the potential rewards at Pressure Technologies may justify the risks for patient, risk-tolerant investors who can speculate to accumulate.
Established in 1997 and floated in 2007, Pressure Technologies sells into the oil and gas, industrial gases, defence and alternative energy markets through three divisions: cylinders, alternative energy and precision machined components.
A fourth arm, Hydratron, acquired in 2010, has just been sold to reduce exposure to the oil and gas industries, and help to reduce debt.
The cylinders arm specialises in high-pressure gas containment, from huge units that keep oil rigs afloat to oxygen containers on jet fighters.
Alternative energy supplies biogas upgrading equipment, while the components arm makes parts for valves used in oil exploration. In all cases, Pressure Technologies’ expertise in high-grade stainless steels and alloys, and in precision production, makes it one of the very few firms to which certain buyers can turn.
The problems lie largely with that oil and gas exposure. Acquisitions in 2014 increased the company’s presence here, just as the oil price peaked. Sales peaked at £54m, operating margins at 14.5pc and earnings per share at just short of 28p.
June’s interims offered some signs that oil and gas orders were starting to increase again and the defence pipeline was healthy, but order delays at alternative energy were a further handicap and that unit will now make a loss this year. New divisional heads have been brought in and all Pressure Technologies needs for profits to surge again is more orders.
The balance sheet no longer has net cash – a legacy of the acquisitions and two lean years for profits – but the £9.3m in net debt looks manageable, especially now the company’s banks have extended the repayment date on a £15m loan facility. That means investors can afford to be patient. In all honesty, they may have to be. But it will not require a return to the glory days of 2014 for the shares to look cheap.
Pressure Technologies’ average operating margin since 2007 has been 10pc. Apply that to sales of £35m, knock off the interest and tax, and the company could make 14.7p in earnings per share – for a price-to-earnings ratio of barely seven.
A very speculative selection but one that could reward patience". Thank you Questor.
Peel Hunt says SigmaRoc looks ‘very good value’
Building materials company SigmaRoc (SRC) has delivered ‘strong first-half progress’ and broker Peel Hunt expects momentum to continue.
Analyst Clyde Lewis maintained his ‘buy’ recommendation and 135p target price on the stock, which closed up 2.5%, or 2.5p, at 104p on Monday.
Lewis said solid interim numbers had been driven by acquisitions, a market recovery and internal efficiency measures, while the recent deal to buy Finland’s Nordkalk, which quarries and manufactures limestone-based products, was another positive step.
‘There is more of that to come in the second half, especially with the Nordkalk deal completing shortly,’ said Lewis.
‘We are not changing our forecasts at this stage but continue to believe the shares look very good value given the material upside potential we expect from Nordkalk and the opportunities for further bolt-ons and incremental investments.
I have bought various share issues using Primary Bid. I have the app on my mobile and have notifications switched on loud! The ilika offer came through about 7.25am this morning. I had not previously heard of ilika, but a quick search of blogs, their website and the PB info, persuaded me that it was worth investing. I applied for 750 shares.
These offers are not pre-announced, obviously the share price would fall if they did and the discounted issue fail. Out of hours, the 140p offer looked good against a 200p previous close, although I knew from previous experience the sp would open down. PB can be a bit touch and go and you rarely get what you ask for. But no spread, no broker's fee and no stamp duty (where applicable), makes a cheap buy. And if your with Jarvis x-o you can sell for £5.95 if you have second thoughts.
To me Ikila looks promising, I will hold and probably add to make a long term investment. PB is owned by Jarvis Securities JIM.L
FASHION RETAIL
Share
Boohoo grows own cotton to counter Xinjiang misgivings
Laura Onita
BOOHOO will produce its own sustainable cotton as Western concerns grow about the mass production of the plant in Xinjiang.
John Lyttle, chief executive of the online fast fashion firm, revealed that the company has planted its own crop in ****stan, which it plans to harvest in the first half of next year.
Its first crop will yield about 2,000 tons, which will go into Boohoo’s supply chain and be used to create “millions” of garments for its leisurewear and denim ranges. The company said the move will allow it “complete traceability” on the source of its cotton.
The initiative follows widespread reports of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region of north-west China, affecting Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities over many years.
Boohoo has denied using products made with forced labour in the region following an investigation by the business, energy and industrial strategy committee. The retailer said it did “not knowingly source any yarn or fabric” from the region, as MPs questioned auditing processes at the business following a row over working conditions at its Leicester supply chain.
Boohoo plans to publish a list of its global suppliers in September.
I got a disappointing 271 BEG shares on the Primary Bid offer. This was my 25th PB purchase, the better ones I have kept and added to. Some went for a small profit, some a small loss. A couple did really well.
You need to be quick, a loud notification on your phone helps. Offers tend to come through just before the market opens or after it closes. Quick research is essential, no prevarication, a yes/no decision and get your debit card out. Theres little point going large, allocations are often small and it just ties your cash up,. Avoid Investment trusts.
I will add to BEG, but one of the PB drawbacks is that the balance return is not always rapid. Primary Bid is run by Jarvis Securities (JIM.L), they also have the share dealing site x-o.com. I switched my ISA and Nominee from H&L to X-O, deals are just £5.95 with no other charges. On the downside the website is basic, but at least they answer their phones.
Just to clarify, I am aware Beg is AIM, therefore not all costs apply.
Cost savings are a factor to be taken into account when buying PB placings, (just preempting the more pedantic readers)
Interesting Primary Bid offer, existing shareholders will be happy there is no dilution. New investors have no dealing costs and no stamp to pay and there's no spread. Take that into account and there is a 1.5p to 2.5p per share saving depending on whom their broker is. Only downside is that there is not much incentive in the pricing and the placing might not be that successful. Although it is of course a good addition to the portfolio of the longer term investor.
Primary Bid is a good way of buying shares with no cost, (no £20 fee). The problem arises when the issuing company provided too little shares for us punters. Its out of the hands of PB who are only the supplier of whats available. But, they could close it down quicker or they could set a minimum number of shares rather than pro-rata. I got 461 shares and will probably have to wait three days for the balance to arrive back in my bank account. Primary Bid is owned by Jarvis Securities (JIM), who run x-o.co.uk share dealing, who have a no charge Nominee/ISA accounts and a £5.95 dealing charge, which is handy when you've only got 461 blooming shares!
I've bought into several Primary Bid bids, Taylor Wimpey. Croda, Diploma, Essentra, Shantra, Ricardo, I3E and several others. The number of shares available is sometimes limited, but if you avoid the Investment Trusts, it's quite rewarding, (not always). Buying without any fees, no stamp duty and no spread, certainly helps.
It occurred to me Jarvis must be receiving some pretty hefty fees for all these deals.
Also, I have used the x-o dealing platform for many years, but switched to H & L . I like a dabble in shares, but also like the ease of funds, (which x-o don't do). Although the H&L website is all bells and whistles, the fees soon mount up and the dealing charges are double x-o's, so I moving back and having a little dabble in JIM.
Last week an IAG share was trading around £2.
On Monday the "Excluding Nil Paid Rights" kicked in, the price fell accordingly to around 135p.
That was because IAG shareholders became the owners of the right to buy a IAG share for €0.92 ( 82-85p)
Tomorrow (17th) you will see that you own IAG shares and IAGN (nil paid rights).
IAGN will begin trading tomorrow, so you can sell (or buy) them.
If you keep them, you will have to pay €0.92 ( 82-85p) per IAG share to your broker.
If you sell them, IAGN is currently around 70p, you are roughly back to your £2 a share you had last week.
But, the the IAGN price may well fall tomorrow as there will be more available to trade, (currently grey trading).
The current IAG share price is likely to remain around its current price for the time as there will be a lot more of them around.
What I wonder, is if the price of €0.92 will be set in pence or allowed to bob up and down with the currency.
Tomorrow will tell.
Don't prevaricate for too long, shareholders must act before the 25th, a week on Friday.