Member Info for revshep

My parishioners and I are in both of the above stocks which, as we know, have been hard hit by the decline in the retail sector. We believe that there may be a silver lining. Why not convert empty shops to residential properties as the country seems to be crying out for housing. Certainly they could be converted to get the homeless off of the streets and give them a "fixed abode" so as to able to apply for employment. Empty shops could also be developed into flats for the general public, with all amenities, shops etc on the doorstep. Ham/Intu could then sell their empty properties to developers and get back near to their book cost?

Just some thoughts.
every blessing
rev shep

Not a good trading statement to state the obvious. It would seem more prudent and cheaper to cut dividend payments until the debt has been substantially reduced. Mars IOHO was considered a ripe takeover. However we are not so sure with all of this debt. M & B cut their dividends some time ago and are thriving. Perhaps MARS should do the same.
every blessing
rev shep

I parishioners and I have just topped up our holding as they have IOHO fallen too much. An RNS has just come out indicating Barclays have taken a 6% stake,unless we misread it. They would fit quite nicely into their mortgage portfolio?
every blessing revshep

My parishioners and I seem to be running out of luck. We have held Mars for some time and still consider it a likely candidate for a bid on the back of Greene King. It seems that one little bit of bad news send the shares lower. They are at least paying a dividend, not like M & B which seems to be roaring ahead, and their PE ratio is less.
every blessing rev shep

The significant 4:35 today produced a buy/buys of nearly 12 million shares. We still think that someone is building up a stake. Anybody got similar thoughts/ideas?
every blessing

rev shep

About 4:35pm each afternoon there is a significant amount of shares being traded. At first there were an awful lot of buys, now there are an awful lot of sales. Does anyone know why. We thought that it was activity from abroad?
every blessing
revshep

If you notice there seems to be a pattern emerging. At about 4:25 in the afternoon big buys seem to come in. Another 300k yesterday adding to two recent ones of over 600k. Could it be an overseas buyer gathering a stake in the company? We have held these shares for a number of years so will continue to do so as a bid may be around the corner?
every blessing Rev Shep

It seems that most afternoons around 4pm there is a sizeable buy. The last two days it has been well over 600k shares.

It would seem that someone is quietly amassing a stake? As I have said before, it would fit very nicely into a US brewer despite its debt.
every blessing
rev shep

My parishioners and I have held M & B for a number of years. We bought following the sizeable purchases by JP McManus and John Magnier who made a lot of money when they invested in Man United some years ago. They have been very patient since and the share price has not exactly set the world alight and dividend income has been very sporadic. We are just wondering what the end game will be? They have not sold their stake so what are their plans? We would like to know. It was rumoured some time ago that it would be taken private by Joe Lewis, the other big shareholder, at about £4 per share. An interesting play we feel. We are also invested in Marstons. Despite increasing costs, we feel that at the bottom of the market, both shares are fairly recession proof. GLA. Every blessing Rev Shep

There used to be a time when M & S could do no wrong even when coming out with poorish results. The city has now lost its faith, hence the decline in the share price. Getting Ocado on board, when their contract with Waitrose was soon to expire, is, IMO a very bad and costly move and smacks of panic. Ocado must be nearly as ridiculously rated in terms of share price as Uber. Good job I and my parishioners have still kept some faith. However we feel that it will be a long and rocky road before we see the value of our original investment break even,even allowing for a discounted rights issue. We can see the shares falling to nearer 200p. Keep the faith. Every blessing Rev Shep

No it is 20% off food,sometimes drinks depending on who is serving. To get this as a shareholder you have to apply for a Marston Privilege Card. Yes we are in Mitchell & Butler as well and also get 20% off. The cook at the vicarage will soon be redundant but I may not fit into my cassock!!

My parishioners and I have held MARS for a number of years and apart from our 20% off food bill, they have been very disappointing. We were expecting a rise today as two very large buys went through yesterday. They seem to go up one way raising false hopes only to fall back. We know that debt is an issue but their craft beer side is very attractive IOV to a large brewer. We shall continue with our eating there as it has become cheaper than eating in at the vicarage .GLA.
every blessing
revshep

I suppose playing devils advocate on this one that the board could be sued for negligence. They had a deal from MA on the table at 5p per share. As this was the best scenario for shareholders should they have not recommended it?

every blessing
rev shep

There wee a lot of sizeable buys yesterday which suggests that there may be something afoot. With their craft beers MARS would fit nicely into a foreign brewers portfolio I think.
GLA
every blessing
Rev Shep

This is a common saying. Ocado IMO is the most over rated equity in the stock market. Just making a profit and paying no dividends,yet the shares trade at over £10. Yes they have good technology in distribution, but when will this be transformed into profits. M & S is proposing to pay over the odds for a JV which IMO will bear little long term reward. ON LINE grocery is already being done to death and this seems a panic measure on the part of M & S. There was a time when M & S was the darling of the market and shares would always rise on good or bad news. That has changed with increased competition and change in consumer choice and spending. I hold M & S and will reserve judgement on whether to take up or sell my rights. but the long term prospects for the company IMO are not good. We have had several changes at the top in the last few years. Mr Rowe was appointed as he was old school and new the M & S business. That was back in the day and things have moved on. Clearly we need somebody at the helm who knows and is proven in modern day retail. I hope that large institutional shareholders will veto this mad venture or we can kiss goodbye IMO to any future growth and return of our original investments.
Every blessing
Rev Shep

Hello,
My parishioners and I have held these shares since the Vialogy days. We think that if managed properly this business has a great deal of potential. Turnover and gross profit is increasing-great. However what is worrying if that the level of overhead does not seem to be reducing fast enough to achieve at least a break even. Hopefully all litigation costs have now washed through the accounts, so why are the overheads so high? R & D or is it a typical aim company with too many snouts in the trough?

every belssing

rev shep

We have recently come back from a break in Cambridgeshire. We eat at The Cobblestone near March and the food was excellent. It was busy with the 2 for 1 offer. This however IMHO is a con. The prices have doubled and you get 2 for 1. La meme chose. We also eat at the Wetherspoons at Wittesey. Cheaper than Marstons but the food was markedly inferior. MARS imho are worth at least 130p a share. The probem seems to be that there are too many outlets vying for the same business. Greene King, MARS, Wetherspoons and M & B. Every blessing rev shep

We have now called in KPMG to "advise". These will cost a bomb and my own view is that if you call in outside advisers to tell you how to run your company, then the BOD are incompetent and they should be replaced with new ones. The shares are languishing, but the company is still profitable and the shorters are winning. Shares on the stock exchange, in my day, used to go up and down on fundamentals. Profits, dividends, dividend cover and PE ratios. Today it is all about manipulation. Shorting should be banned as it is in Germany, The stock exchange should be somewhere to invest and not be treated like a casino. End of rant.. Every blessing Rev Shep

My parishioners and I held these shares and sold out at about £3 only to see them rise again C'est la vie. However we were tempted to go back in at these levels. However having looked at the balance sheet we have decided not to. At present it is stuffed with intangible assets (goodwill). The asset backing per share is -11p. I think that the market is worried that this takeover will result in more "intangible assets". I hope that we are wrong as they are en excellent sound company.
every blessing
rev shep

I still hold a few Alpha but not enough to sell and pay expenses. I am a rev but also an accountant who has been trading for over 50 years. Am I missing something here? In my and my parishioners view, Barclays has well and truly shafted a very good little company, with gbbledegook interest rate swaps etc etc. However, the company has clearly stated that there will not be any return to the ordinary shareholders. Why therefor are the shares still trading? Can someone please explain. thanks and every blessing. revshep