RE: Monday predictions?31 Oct 2020 22:52
Marston's no longer has the same financial vulnerability the company had back in march and during the last lockdown. It's a whole different kettle of fish now that the company has joined forces with Carlsberg, a £125 billion global giant. Risk has been greatly reduced. Carlsberg wasn't put off by the prospect of further lockdowns - they would definitely have weighed up all eventualities, including the possibility of further lockdowns, and for the deal to go ahead, they're clearly not concerned about the pandemic. The plan will be to sell more Carlsberg products in Marston's pubs so Carlsberg have a strong interest in ensuring Marston's pubs survive and thrive going forward. Having a cash rich partner with a global reach puts Marston's in a much stronger position than they ever were before. The lockdown is only scheduled to last 4 weeks - December 2nd it's due to be lifted. Meanwhile businesses can once again rid themselves of wage costs as furlough has been extended into December and the 20% top up is voluntary. In short, I don't think being closed for 4 weeks with no wage costs is that much worse than being open with reduced footfall due to restrictions and having wages to pay. Taking all this into account, any downward movement, in my opinion, is likely to be very temporary and largely sentiment driven. Considering the JV with Carlsberg, I think it's highly unlikely we'll see anywhere near the march lows again. And don't forget the supermarkets will continue to sell the company's beers throughout the 4 week lockdown, as well as online sales. Very few professional investors would be so shortsighted as to base investment decisions on a 4 week lockdown! The JV is a huge deal and as investors we really need to keep focus on that. And in the meantime, try to look a bit further ahead than the ends of our noses!
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