Member Info for Grayling

National Grid did exactly this a few years ago. It is not a dividend per se, it is a return of capital accompanied by a share consolidation in order to maintain the SP at the same level it was before the capital disposal. To get back to where you were before the disposal you will have to reinvest the money generated by sale of the the B shares in the re-rated AV ordinary shares. This is usually an option that will be offered by the big platforms such as Halifax etc. To be honest I would have preferred it is they had just used the £3.75B to buy back their own shares (as long as they then cancelled them). Less hassle for us all!

The brakes really seem to have come off this now. Glad I was not tempted to take profit when it hit 100!

Could not agree more. This is a solid unflashy income share and has not given me a moments concern since first purchase. I have taken up the rights issues each time and have been reinvesting the dividends as they are paid. Where else can you get a near 8% yield at this relatively low level of risk to your capital? Perhaps MNG will be the next such Co?

AZN last split 2:1 in 2015 if memory serves? How long do you think they will let this run before splitting again. Past splits have served to lower the psychological barrier to entry and stimulated more buying. However several platforms now allow fractional share ownership so that need may have diminished. You certainly need to hold a good chunk to get auto divi reinvestment at this price.

Don’t see how they can maintain margins once the perfect storm hits. Energy costs (running kitchens and heating) through the roof, wages and NI both up and raw materials (food, beer wines/spirits & mixers) all going up plus transport and logistic costs rising fast. They can jack up prices but that busts the pack em in for cheap booze and eats business model. They were growing fast and opening new outlets but most towns/cities now saturated so where is the growth if custom stays flat or only recovers very slowly?

Sadamb I don’t think you understand Spoons business model at all, which makes me wonder if you should be invested here. A 1-5% decline is massive for an operation like JDW. If they were down 50% they would be in administration by now!

For a high-volume, low margin business like Spoons to take 1-5% less than it did on the same day three years ago would seem to answer your question don’t you think? Times is tough.

Shame UKOG only produce enough oil for a greasy handshake then eh what old boy!

With hospitality businesses facing soaring costs, some are warning that a rise in VAT from Friday will force them to increase prices for customers. "Everything's coming at once," says Clive Watson, chairman of the City Pub Group chain, which has 45 venues across England and Wales.He says the industry is dealing with a "minefield" of challenges, including increases in food and energy costs, as well as the rise in National Insurance payments

UKOG, watching paint dry is more interesting than this LOL. On the real Oilco front analysts expect that if restrictions on North Sea exploration are relaxed SHELL could close the valuation gap on its American rivals Exxon and Chevron and the SP could gopast £30! I notice Ian Cowie (iii and Sunday Times) is now regretting his recent decision to sell out of Shell.

“Very odd statement, Grayling.
You are, effectively, saying that shares cannot rise if they decline to a "low" price.”
That is not what I said at all. I was alluding to the fact that UKOG’s SP has had either been steadily declining or latterly had its arse nailed to the floor for as long as I can remember. Why? Because it promised to deliver a commodity (oil) from it’s UK onshore assets (hence the name). This it has singularly failed to do despite years of hype (the Gatwick gusher LOL) so in a frantic bid to rescue something from the debacle it went to……Turkey! You have to laugh. So based on a track record of total failure and just abour zero oil production and an SP which is just about non-existent would I invest or continue to hold out hope of a miraculous turnaround? No I would not. Buy Shell or BP if you are into Oil UKOG produces nothing but hot air.

Shares like AZN are gold dust in the present market. I have been in since 2010 and well remember the muppets on here bleating about the rejected £55 Pfizer bid and berating management (and the govt) for not taking the cash and running. Well Pascal has delivered a blinder since then. GSK can only look on in envy. Rock solid Hold.

The cynical might say that the Broadford bridge extension application is in the hope that the company goes into administration before they need to pay for the restoration of the site once it is proven commercially non-viable. A transparent attempt to kick the cleanup costs into the long grass.

If you think that a low share price is an indication of future prospects of vast riches you are deluded mate. The low SP means that the company is fairly valued and it is low for a reason. I can think of any number of AIM Co's that have been ramped to the eyeballs in years past but have come to nowt. This may go the same way.

Any sane reading of the RNS makes it crystal clear that existing holders of UKOG can expect much more pain and dilution of their existing shareholding long before UKOG makes any meaningful progress towards economically viable levels of oil and/or gas production. Buyer beware!

Correction UKOG is not currently supplying any significant quantity of said goods so the price of same is totally immaterial LOL.

Be careful what you wish for! More permissions = more upfront CAPEX = More shares to be issued = even more dilution. Perhaps that nutter that claimed that infinite dilution was the key to antibody responses ( a result much supported by the the nutters of homeopathy) in a now completely discredited Nature paper might come to the AID of UKOG LOL.

Nothing at all for the OAP's from Rich boy Rishi today, so little to increase the spending power of the majority of JDW's customers (as judged by my two local Spoons). The only way is down.

Today’s FT
The UK government has failed to demonstrate the economic benefits of its post-Brexit trade deals and must do more to consult with business and consumers over future free trade agreements, MPs have warned.

In a mixed verdict on the first year of post-Brexit dealmaking, the House of Commons public accounts committee said it was doubtful that the government would hit its target of ensuring that 80 per cent of all UK trade was covered by a free trade deal by the end of this year.

Bloke is a complete hypocrite. If his staff weren’t already on near minimum wage I am sure he would consider doing a P&O! City centre footfall is way down and I cannot see how growth in this business can recover. When the looming recession hits discretionary spending next month this can only go one way…….down.