Real information about thinking of SND staff/director shareholders is non existent.
A hedge fund or financial operation is not going to buy SND because key staff will wander off to greener fields.
A technology company takeover from abroad will also have difficulty holding the business together.
A microelectronics company like ARM could easily make a success of a Sondrel takeover. There is synergy there and Sondrel staff would see a good future in staying.
Plus ARM and Sondrel are geographically close.
Phrontist
Earlier today I noticed a 'forecast' from some financial institution suggesting no profit this year and likely no profit in 2025. For better or worse I decided to sell.
S4 is a great medium/long term share but in the short term it cannot muster any strength.
Maybe a serious buyer will appear, but it seems likely Mr Golden Share Holder will block them until at least S4 makes some profit and also makes a serious inroad into the debt pile.
P
I feel that gently passing 0.6p soon is only part realising that for 88E, this is the first time that 88E has successfully flowed oil. Since 2014 as 88E, and since many years before as Tangier Oil.
When upgrading to multi lateral drilling, ten times the 70 bopd is likely.
With 10 such wells in the area, 7,000 bopd is realistic.
And this is just the first of multiple oil layers in quite a wide area.
After 10 years our 88E Team have held in there to finally prove all has NOT been in vain.
Will offers start coming in for Accumulate Energy? I would say by / during May this is certain.
88E can move forward well funded for other projects we would still own, Namibia (could be big), our other areas of Alaska, and the scraps in Texas.
Well done Ashley and Team.
I imagine the stress has been terrible, but it was worth it.
Phrontist
16:25 30/03/2024
What went so wrong etc question...
It is obvious what went wrong.
Far too much of the shareholding was held by company employees/directors, the founder in particular.
This left under 50% shareholders providing money, unsustainability low.
Generally speaking, founders and early employee shareholders are looking to SELL and buy a house or something, not sacrifice their salary Buying more shares.
The backbone of financing Sondrel was carried by too few shareholders. Full stop.
Phrontist
Where is 88E's short/medium term value?
I think many of us here are positive about these two Oil Flow Tests.
Plus, the site is near the highway and the pipeline.
Panr have made good progress quite near with shared discoveries.
But, should these 88E tests prove excellent, what next?
It will still be a few years until Commercial Oil Flow, and money coming into 88E.
During that time, plenty more share issues for money to fund this period.
Meaning, a likely answer is for 88E to SELL the Accumulate subsiary where Hickory-1 lies.
And use the money for investment in the numerous other projects that 88E owns.
Plus likely, some extra dividend payout based on selling an asset.
On this basis, the 88E share value could pass 2p, and go much further.
Phrontist
S4 itself is in very good shape, strong assets, strong capability.
They just need the wider business environment to show growth and profitability, and the USA is the global weather vane for this.
Also it appears that China are moving in some disastrous directions under their interfering and violent minded autocratic 'leader'.
This clears the path for improved USA trade dominance, dragging us with it.
Phrontist
Meta (Facebook) announced last quarter results with substantial improvement over forecast.
The share price surged a phenomenal 20%...
I think that Facebook are (were) one of S4's Whoppers
70% of S4 business is USA based.
This could throw some added optimism into the S4 share price.
Phrontist
Surely the company is more than one man.
There must be many excellent people in S4 to achieve what they have achieved.
The problem is one of growing volume, which should develop as global economies recover and thrive.
P
21% of S4 is owned by Insiders, 29% by Institutional Investors, almost 50% by individual/Small business investors.
For sure a share issue will not be popular, though a 10% issue could raise £24 million to reduce expensive loan pile.
I think that the Insiders are moderately happy with S4 events. The Big Plan is very likely to work well given time. Meanwhile Insiders are all earning pretty substantial salaries.
This can only be mitigated if Gross Margin is strong, Sales Growth is strong proving asset strength and capability strength.
I am thinking back to £8 within 3 years. But the micro model of getting there is still open.
P
Figures announced must prove to larger investors that the new SMS S4 business model is working - sales growth, bottom line profit, proof that S4 has stopped spending money / share issues in order to pay for yet more acquisitions.
Has SMS lost his touch, age creeping in, no longer ambition to be best?
Maybe, maybe not. The S4 figures are important because S4 have had a warning two years ago. Remember the Audit delays? Everyone blamed but SMS?
Two years to reform. We shall see.
In favour of S4, the last 4 years have had unexpected global tragedies. 2020/2021 COVID mass scare and deaths across the planet. Then 2022/2023 Russia invasion of Ukraine, possibly almost half a million deaths. The establishment of an anti-democratic anti -west war mongering collective of Russia, Iran, North Korea, and to some extent China.
Without question 🤔 these situations have damaged SMS's grand plan of 2019.
Also it is clear that thousands of other western businesses have suffered, so not all S4 fault, just very unlucky timing.
Phrontist
Boom boom, a realistic assessment, avoiding the excessive end of multi bagger estimates.
Personally I am hoping for over 1p.
A good Oil Flow Test result combined with 88E's quite stable Accounting position could/should be an attractive investment prospect IMHO.
Phrontist
First, all LSE companies will raise money from shareholders until money generating production eventually takes over. So don't complain.
Second, we should all be very pleased that 88E has not raised loans, suffered interest costs, the company has no debt.
Third, once 88E proves commercial production is possible, it is often the case raising money is then 50:50 shareholders:loan money.
Fourth, as the company nears production, the SP will rise since the amount of oil that can be produced is $ substantial compared to any outstanding debt.
Fifth, there will be a time when larger production companies will perceive that buying into 88E or buying out Accumulate Energy for substantial $ amounts. Either way the SP will rise, possibly very substantially.
Hickory-1 Oil Flow Test results could be a big step forward towards increasing 88E's value.
Phrontist
The USA finance press on average have predicted a reversing of Q3 and earlier quarter negativity, for a mild positive Q4 growth. I am sure that S4 will have taken advantage of this and put in every effort possible to deliver good Q4 results.
What are we hoping for? Q4 returning a strong sales growth. Announcing a £ borrowing figure below the worrying revised forecast. Delivering a bottom line profit.
If S4 deliver on all three the SP will rise above £1 IMHO showing the company has capacity and capability for 2024.
I think that we can take some comfort in seeing that all businesses focused on digital marketing and advertising have taken a big hit. The free world is taking a hit from the emergence of violence, corruption and unity of authoritarian countries. If Europe and the USA can reverse this we should see a rise in free enterprise based business. In fairness to SMS, he was/is very unlucky with the timing of S4 growth plans.