Member Info for jenashon

If the shorts are around 5% - about 34m shares - todays volume is showing about 9m traded, so out of those 9m shares traded if a good amount of those are bot trades being churned, same shares bought & sold on a repeat - things are looking interesting .

In 2016 Dar Group(Sidara) made a friendly takeover approach to Worley - it was rejected, Sidara was still determined & built a 23% stake in Worley - Finally in 2024 (8 years later) Sidara gave up the battle, sold 19% of its stake & started pursuing Wood Group (as soon as Apollo gave up) - Sidara is determined to takeover an energy services company ! Will Wood be that company, Sidara is hopeful - Sidara must know after an 8 year battle with Worley that in order to succeed it will need to present a respectful bid .

Longfell - or Bluewater https://www.bluewaterpe.com/news/bluewater-to-accelerate-energy-transition-play-after-kent-exit/

Who sold Kent to Nesma & Partners

Climate-based private equity firm Bluewater Energy LLP is fresh-off what it views as a thesis-proving exit and has set its sights upon some lofty investment targets for the years ahead.

Not only Market abuse but, Spies, politicians and allegations of corruption: (CIA, Mossad, Hezbollah) Inside the bitter corporate war between engineering giant Worley and Dubai's Dar Group. Dar (Sidara) owned nearly 23 per cent of Worley's stock, it remained shy of the 26 per cent stake it needed, which Worley argues would have handed Dar control. The full story of Sidara's takeover attempt of Worley.

The Australians put up quite a fight ""Any change in control would enable Dar Group to access sensitive engineering and operational data relevant to Australia's critical infrastructure assets.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-18/dar-worley-takeover-mired-in-political-intrigue/11802584

Sidara has got quite a determination in acquiring a company of Worleys stature & Wood is Worleys biggest compettitor,

Is the takeover of Wood group by Sidara in the National Interest." Does the Uk Government care ? Does the PM even know what's going on ? Sidara need to put forward a very respectful bid ! Sidara did not just walk away from Worley, Worley put up a good fight, Then Sidara saw Wood turn down Apollo & so changed tactics, "The UK will be easy"

@Dazpink - Sidara built up a 19% stake in Worley & failed at gaining control, so sold that & started talking to Wood, Really does look like they need Woods expertise.

@sandstonetrader2, Is there a connection between all of the institutions who are posting these forms, which show they have bought & sold a small amount compared to there actual holdings - Are they all in it to hold the price, or is it a coincidence & the bots are running it & doing a bit of day trading ?

Were the shorts bots programmed to short each time any news mentioned "Deloitte" or "Review" - Hit in Nov, Feb & March on same news

The Middle East is home to several major players in the energy and engineering sectors, many of whom are actively pursuing growth in energy transition and sustainable solutions. Companies like Saudi Aramco, ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), and QatarEnergy could potentially show interest, given their focus on expanding capabilities in areas like carbon capture, hydrogen, and renewable energy—fields where Wood Group has significant expertise.

(They may be following the current situation here, Sidara must know that, given the fact that the Middle East is in overdrive & having seen Nesma & Partners take over kent a $1.4b revenue business in conventional energy, renewables, low carbon, chemicals and processing sectors. Kent had been backed by global energy investment firm Bluewater since 2015. Now there is another possible suitor global energy investment firm "Bluewater" having sold Kent may be on the lookout. There must be quite a lot of eyes watching the shenanigans of Sidara, ready to pounce !

Interesting article about Apollo & Mubadal focusing on global oportunities. (Apollo partnering with Middle Eastern co's)

https://www.mubadala.com/en/news/apollo-and-mubadala-extend-partnership-focused-on-global-origination-opportunities

https://www.mubadala.com/en/

Sidara may not be the only company looking at Wood Group

Re borders - just looked at one of there funds " UK Equity Fund March 2024" , they were holding 6200000 at a cost of 8205700, £1.32 each, it looks like they are now holding 8728571, (an increase) so they must be trading these few that they have sold. What interested me is that, this is the 2nd fund I have looked at, the first was St James Place which had a similar valuation on its cost at around £1.32 to These Borders. (I looked at annual report & accounts at Borders). if other funds have a bought cost of £1.32 surely they will want to see a premium to their investments.

Morning All, @Profit Jock - I agree these trading bots seem to be programmed to buy & sell, making it look like there is actually a market, it can be the same buyer (HFT Bot) repeatedly buying & selling, placing orders etc to drive the price in a direction, in the meanwhile the trading bots co is profiting. They don't seem to care about the fundamentals - its the direction.

How this has effected Wood Groups news & SP

May 15th 2023 – Apollo walks away after a £1.66 billion proposal convinced wood to open its books SP slumps, SP drops from 220p to 139p.

August 20th 2024 – Sidara walk away after bids snubbed, also 6 month revenue dips from £2.3bn to £2.2bn, SP drops from 211p to 131p.

Nov 1st 2024 – Wood Group Launches write offs review to assess accounting & governance, WG says does not foresee any material impact on its overall position ,SP drops from 127p to 57p.

Feb 7th 2025 Deloitte uncovers weakness in review ( this is same news as Nov) WG says does not foresee any material impact on its overall position SP drops from 68p to 29p ( 2nd impact on SP on same news )

April 4th 2025 – Deloitte Revue uncovers cultural findings & WG says accounts to be restated, WG says does not foresee any material impact on its overall position– SP drops from 39.95p to 25p. (3rd impact on SP on same news)

Wood Group's repeated share price (SP) declines appear tied to negative news articles and governance concerns, exacerbated by algorithmic trading and high-frequency trading (HFT). These automated systems react swiftly to news, sometimes amplifying trends like sell-offs, even when the information is repetitive.

Does anyone else think this is happening ?

Has anyone had a look at what the institutions hold & what they paid ?

I had a look at St James Place & it looked like the valuation they had on the amount they held was = to £1.26/share as

they were showing 5,279,945 shares in WG

Good Morning All, Yes Longfell , I also feel the valuation is bonkers.

The stock market seems to be a rich pickings when you can use the amounts of funds that the shorters can use to benefit there own games & also have high frequency computerised trading equipment to control the price of a share to the shorts advantage.

As Longfell says, PE firms & others must be also looking at this & doing the numbers.

Looking at the fundamentals - if Apollo or Sidara had never approached WG, & if WG had carried on as it was, carrying out the work it does, gaining contracts etc - would the share price be were it is now ?

Timescale - Sidara returned on 24th Feb - they probably said we have taken 2-3 months on deals of this size, we are now 6 weeks into negotiations, 1 month 2 weeks - they have until the 17th April - time is getting short for the shorts.

What we know - Sidara wanted Worley, they gave up after years of trying, Sidara are patient, they Now want Wood.

The Middle East is going through its own industrial revolution - it needs companies like Wood - Sidara know that.

Good luck to all,

Past Deal examples Carried out by Neil Bruce & Timescales.

SNC takeover of Kent, 14,500 employees, cost £1.66billion(2013) timeline 2 Months

SNC takeover of Atkins, 18,300 employees, cost £2.08billion(2017) timeline 2.5 Months

Current situation Sidara - Wood Group talks Started 24th Feb 1 Month 2 weeks

Taking the talks up to 17th April will be just under 2 months - for the same sort of deal as the SNC takeovers above.

Bearing in mind Sidara had a look last year & may have spent the time in between strategising.

Sidara is not the only Middle Eastern Company expanding its portfolio, Nesma & Partners acquired Kent (formerly SNC Lavalin, (where Neil Bruce who is now on board of Sidara was CEO, before Kent took over SNC ) in August 23.

Both Sidara and Nesma & Partners are Middle Eastern companies showing ambition by expanding into engineering and consulting through acquisitions.

Sidara's interest in Wood Group is similar to Nesma's earlier acquisition of Kent—they're looking to strengthen their expertise and global presence.

The Middle East is focused on big projects like renewable energy and infrastructure that need specialized skills, and these companies are gearing up to meet those demands.

Essentially, these moves reflect the region's growing focus on innovation, sustainability, and competing globally.

What strikes me is that Sidara spent YEARS trying to take over Worley - Can't see Sidara walking away from Wood without a deal.

Reasons Behind the Sale: Sidara had been a long-term shareholder in Worley, even attempting a takeover in 2016. However, after years of not gaining governance control, the group decided to exit its position.

Looks like Sidara definitely want to be in Control of an Engineering services company.

In relation to Wood Group - does it look like the shorts have since sidara walked away previously had an agenda ? As the pattern seems to follow this strategy - have they now come to the crossroads ? What is their next move ?

"Short selling hedge funds may discreetly manipulate stock prices by high-frequency trading (HFT) , leveraging high-volume selling, strategic buying, and rapid trades to drive prices down and pressure long investors to sell. They often rely on “others” to present seemingly valid reasons to short the stock, amplifying fear and uncertainty."

Analysts will see the latest award as confirmation of the company’s underlying strength .

https://dailybusinessgroup.co.uk/2025/04/wood-secures-middle-east-deal-amid-sidara-talks/

Looking at other takeovers in the same sector as Wood Group, These companies all had debt on books at time of takeovers.

Worley acquired Jacobs' ECR division for $3.3 billion in 2019, 31,000 employees, Jacobs ECR generated $4.2 billion annually and carried typical debt levels.

Kentz and Atkins acquisitions by SNC-Lavalin were valued at $2.1 billion and £2.1 billion respectively, with workforces of 14,500 and 18,000. Both carried debt.

Wood Group's potential acquisition by Sidara has seen bids valuing it at £1.56 billion, while it employs 35,000 personnel and generates $5.9 billion annually. Media scrutiny, and speculative trading have negatively impacted sentiment despite its operational strengths.

Average valuation for Wood Group, using multiple methods, is estimated at £3.63 billion.

Revenue Multiples: £8.85 billion.

EBITDA Multiples: £2.36 billion.

Net Asset Value (NAV): £2.7 billion.

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF): £1.31 billion.

Comparable Transactions: £3.53 billion.

Reserves-Based Valuation: £3 billion.

Average Valuation: £3.63 billion.

In the oil and gas sector, debt is typical across these companies. Wood Group appears to face disproportionate market criticism compared to the reality of its operations and industry presence.