Member Info for mulledwine

Mikhail Ivanov, Chief Executive of Volga Gas commented: "We are delighted to have established a further meaningful exploration target within our portfolio which can be tested at low cost. This prospect will also fulfill a licence obligation which will enable Volga Gas to maintain the material deep sub-salt potential which remains evident in the licence area. The costs of this year's exploration activity will be comfortably covered by operating cash flow which in recent months has been in excess of $2 million per month."

Precaspian Area: new supra salt prospect Volga Gas plc ("Volga Gas" or the "Company"), the oil and gas exploration and production group operating in the Volga Region of Russia, is pleased to announce that the State Committee for Resources has approved new C3 prospective resource estimates for a new supra-salt prospect in the Company's Precaspian Licence Area. The new resources add approximately 58 million barrels of oil equivalent to the Company's Russian C3 resources. On 29 July 2011, the Company received notification that a well passport has been approved for a new exploration well, called Mirnaya, in the Precaspian Licence Area. The C3 prospective resources in Mirnaya comprise two separate horizons of Jurassic and Triassic age which contain cumulatively unrisked resources of 7.4 million tonnes (54 mmbbl) of recoverable oil plus 0.7 billion cubic metres (26 bcf) of associated gas. These resources are within a depth of 1,220 metres. Volga Gas has commenced the process of planning for an exploration well to test these potential resources and drilling operations are expected to commence before the end of 2011. An exploration well to test these C3 resources is estimated to cost approximately $1.5 million.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201108010700124425L

CEO of Croma Group Sebastian Morley comments: "These contract wins are significant in that they represent exactly the type of project that Vigilant is winning consistently in the face of aggressive competition. We are identifying projects that require a premium boutique security service. This not only strengthens our credentials as the high end security service provider of choice to high net worth corporate, residential and individual clients; it also strengthens our margins. Every new and existing project is now also an opportunity to sell integrated security systems as part of our developing partnership with CSS Total Security. This partnership is creating the leading boutique total security service."

Contract Wins Croma Group Plc is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Vigilant Security Services ("Vigilant") has won two 3 year contracts worth £500,000 per annum. The two projects are to secure two highly prestigious residential communities in Central London and Surrey.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201108010700083960L

Dear Mr. Hachigian, Re: Proposed Cash Offer for Laird PLC ("Laird" or the "Company") Thank you for your letter concerning our proposed meeting tomorrow, your letter does not satisfy the terms of which we are prepared to meet. We remain prepared to meet you and your team tomorrow to discuss value related points. This will not be due diligence, but information to allow you to indicate to the market, if you so wish, that you are prepared to offer 220p for each Laird share ex dividend. We are not prepared to meet if you are not, in principle, prepared to increase your indication of value from the 200p cum dividend you have mentioned to the value shown above, and if you come to the meeting we expect you and your team to be acting in good faith to attempt to do this. In addition, we wish to replace the Agenda you have provided with the redrafted Agenda attached to this letter. We look forward to hearing from you confirming that you agree with the principles set out in this letter. Yours sincerely, Nigel J. Keen, Chairman

Update on approach from Cooper Industries ("Cooper") Laird PLC ("Laird") confirms that, on Friday 29 July 2011, it wrote to Cooper to inform them that senior management is prepared to meet with them to provide value related information to allow them to consider an increase in their valuation of Laird. The full text of the letter is set out below. Cooper confirmed it was not prepared to meet in these circumstances. In particular, Cooper has confirmed that it is not prepared to contemplate an offer at a level of 220 pence per share. The Laird results announcement on 27 July 2011 outlined strong performance from its core businesses for the six months to 30 June 2011 along with medium-to-long-term targets for the business. These targets consisted of · Organic revenue growth averaging 10% per annum · Underlying return on sales margin of 15% · 2011 full year dividend of 8.0 pence to be recommended, up 27% (2010: 6.3 pence) · 2012 full year dividend of 10.0 pence, and 2013 full year dividend of 12.0 pence to be recommended · Resulting Annual compound dividend growth 2010 to 2013 of 24% The Board of Laird is committed to and focused on delivering shareholder value, and remains open to constructive dialogue. There can be no certainty that any possible offer will be made or as to the terms of any such offer, even if any preconditions are satisfied or waived. For the purposes of Note 7 on Rule 2.4 of the Takeover Code, this announcement has not been made with the consent of Cooper. A copy of this announcement will be available on the following website www.laird-plc.com. The content of the website referred to in this announcement is not incorporated into and does not form part of this announcement.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201108010700074594L

Halma (HLMA) remains a "hold" for Brewin Dolphin with a target price of 420p. The hazard protection company is performing in-line with the brokers expectations, with underlying revenues up 8% and acquisition adding a further 6%. Brewin feels that Halma has a core holding in the industrial sector and notes an attractive dividend over the last 32 years, consistently over 5%. The price is calculated on an EV/EBITDA of 11x, which is at a 30% premium to its peer group

Compass (CPG) retained its "buy" rating from Seymour Pierce, with a 650p target price after achieving 5.3% organic revenue growth for the nine months ended 30th June, ahead of its closest peer Sodexo, which reported 5.2% growth. The broker adds that in North America the contract catering company grew 6.9%, but that the UK saw a decline of 1.5% in the third quarter. Seymour Pierce notes that the company is trading on a price-to-earnings multiple of 14.7x while French quoted Sodexo is on 18.4 times.

Singer Capital has initiated coverage of Amino Technologies (AMO) with a "buy" recommendation and a target price of 78p. The hardware and software developer has spent the last two years developing new products and the broker believes it is now at an inflection point. Singer reports that the company's revenues grew by 36.2% to 24.7 million pounds following the delivery of a new internet video service, and notes that its newest technologies are initially being sold at a discount while old products are phased out and replaced.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201107250700109425K

Interim dividend raised by 8% to 14.0p. Marjorie Scardino, chief executive, said: "Though market conditions are anything but easy, we are sufficiently encouraged by our start to the year to raise both our guidance and our dividend. Structural changes in our industries are gathering pace, but we are confident that we have the strategy, the competitive positions, the investment capacity and the culture to sustain our strong record of performance."

PEARSON 2011 INTERIM RESULTS (unaudited) Pearson sales up 6% to £2.4bn and profits up 20% to £208m* · Education sales up 9% and profits up 31%: o Good sales growth in International (up 26%) and Professional (up 35%). o In North America, sales 3% lower with tough first-half comparables; full-year growth expected with easing H2 comparables and further market share gains. · FT Group sales up 7% and profits up 10%, enhanced by digital subscriptions. · Penguin sales 4% lower (underlying sales level); profits sustained with rapid digital growth. Strong growth in digital, developing markets and newly-acquired businesses · Education digital platform and service registrations up 15%; FT.com subscriptions up more than 30%; Penguin ebook revenues up almost 130%. · Sales up approximately 40% in developing markets (headline growth). · Strong growth from recent acquisitions including Wall Street Institute, SEB (Brazil), TutorVista, CTI (South Africa) and Melorio (now known as Pearson in Practice). Full year outlook upgraded · Pearson expects sales and margin growth for the full year, based on good trading momentum - especially in digital businesses and developing markets - and easing comparatives. · Pearson expects to achieve adjusted EPS of approximately 80p for the full year (2010: 77.5p). This guidance is struck at current exchange rates (£1: $1.63).

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201107290700163261L

St James’s Place Capital caters for those with more than GBP30,000 to invest, with the help of a 1,600 strong army of financial advisers. It’s proved hugely successful. SJP is majority-owned by Lloyds Banking Group, which said it had no plans to sell up after a recent review. Good decision. Keep buying, says the Independent.

Sweeteners group Tate & Lyle’s shares have gained GBP2 since last August and sell on about 12 times rival stocks. Fair enough for now, says the Times.

Invensys‘s controls side supplies white goods manufacturers such as Whirlpool and Electrolux and has been hit by the consumer downturn. Those customers have indicated they expect a sharp upturn from the flat conditions in the first half of the year. The operations management side supplies huge infrastructure projects such as Chinese nuclear plants, oil and gas in Brazil and the equivalent in the Middle East. These are at the beginning of the production cycle, and margins for suppliers such as Invensys then tend to be lower than later on when the real work arrives. Invensys shares on a little more than 12 times this year’s earnings. High enough for now, unless you are convinced that bid will appear, according to the Times.

Oberthur is in the final stages of an auction to sell large chunks of its business to private equity bidders, in a move that analysts said would provide the French group with fire power to eventually relaunch a bid for troubled UK banknote printer De La Rue. US financial investors Advent International and One Equity Partners are the two remaining contenders vying for a 60 per cent stake in Oberthur's smart card business in a deal that could be worth up to €600m ($855m), several people close to the situation said, according to the Financial Times.