Member Info for pasheast

You have to add in the 1.1p dividend due.

Agree. If WH renegotiate the bid price from £530m to, say, £485m then that's an offer price per share of 56p.

Surf57 -- Didn't SBT complete the purchase of Scandic and Danbook back in January?

Volume and price up -- something in the air? 60-40 bought-sold.

Surely the offer specifically included 0.0475 GVC shares per SBT share "based on a closing middle-market GVC Holdings share price of 233.5 pence on 15 October 2012"?

Oops, sorry scallop -- that should have been for dubs.

Scallop -- it's not whether 'they', the board, accept the offer that decides things. The shareholders will have to approve. While that process goes on, there may well be another bidder enter. And even if not, the shareholders may decide the existing offer is not enough.

"If they drop to the low 40's ... I'll buy some more ... because the dividend is due on 19/12!" Yes, all 1.1p per share of it -- which the share price will, cet par, drop by when it goes ex-dividend. The better reason for buying at that price is the future growth in share price and the prospect, still, of an bid for the company.

I agree with what you've said. My view is that WH has a new offer price in mind but is waiting to see if any other bidder (Paddy Power?) appears sometime before 16th, if not then the increased offer will be relatively small. Others who might be interested in bidding, on the other hand, are waiting for WH's next offer so that they can up it by as little as possible. Result: stalemate -- for now! Remember too that the 16th can be extended.

Would you like to revise your figures?!

Could not agree with you that, "results were pretty good". Revenue and gross earnings were up, yes, but there was a pre-tax loss of £56.2m, against a profit of £20.7m the year before. The market consensus forecast was for pre-tax profit of just under £29m, and even when you allow for exceptional charges and a £10.7m contribution from non-core businesses, the pre-tax profit comes out at almost £3m below expectations.

From the FT link below: "...Ivor Jones, Numis analyst, last week said the potential synergies and the growth potential of Sportingbet’s Australian business were strong enough to merit shareholders holding out for 90p a share. Nick Batram of Peel Hunt said Sportingbet’s valuation could be as high as 73p a share, or £637m, but that 63p a share was “a reasonable expectation”. Analysts see Paddy Power as a potential counter-bidder, given its established position in the Australian market."

RNS Number : 5849N Sportingbet PLC 01 October 2012 Sportingbet notes the recent press speculation regarding the approach by William Hill and GVC. The Board of Sportingbet confirms that it has received an indicative offer from William Hill and GVC of 52.5 pence comprising of 45 pence in cash from William Hill and 7.5 pence in shares in GVC. The Board of Sportingbet has responded that this indicative offer significantly undervalues the business and its future prospects.....

Has anyone had the time and expertise to go through the 60(!) RNSs relating to 8.3 declarations since last Thursday to make sense of them?

"Consensus forecast for SBT's results next Wednesday.." Source? Link?

Perhaps because the MMs have inside information on the trading results due next week. Maybe lower than expected?

What for? This was posted 2 hours before your entry. Don't you read earlier posts before you hit 'send'? "Thank me later ;) GVC Holdings plc: Response to recent share price movement..."

According to a poster on another discussion board, Killick & Co issued a buy recommendation on SBT yesterday with a "conservative" asset value of 60p, and reckoned that the Australian assets alone are worth more than the current SP. Over 5m shares dealt today!

A million shares bought, 200,000 sold and the sp goes south!

"The current climate in Spain and indeed the rest of the Europe is not conducive to increasing earnings...." True for most businesses but not so much for the gambling industry. When times are hard, even poorer people gamble -- in desperation.