Poorly managed, having to sell assets to maintain dividend and stop gearing spiralling out of control. This company has lost its way but It could be an attractive takeover target for a competent manager at, say, 115p?
Are you sure that NAV disposals are net of all expenses and taxes? In any case, buying in shares, increasing gearing to the maximum and then selling assets to pay the dividend is simply crazy. The company has lost its way and winding it up as soon as possible is almost certainly the best shareholders can hope for.
It is open to any potential buyer to offer more than 30p. Shareholders do not have to accept any offer. Whatever the outcome, I hope none of the directors is appointed to another company in future.
What used to be a fund giving equity exposure to wind farms is not what it used to be. Schroders seem to regard it as a vehicle for financial engineering. The 40% maximum and temporary gearing is now the norm. If this doesn't change, the shareholders should consider winding up the company.
BT has a very large amount of copper installed, much of which can be recovered after the switch to Fibre. I recall that a city analyst put a huge value on this a long time ago. Has this been updated?
The whole Idea of UKW was to be a vehicle giving equity exposure to wind farms. Gearing would only be used to facilitate transactions and would be temporary. Since Schroder took over, it seems to have lost the plot and 40% gearing is becoming the norm. Sadly, it is yet another company where financial engineering is taking priority over investment in productive assets.
The uncertainty is extremely concerning for Wood employees. There should be no further extension and management should get on with managing the Company.
It seems that the possible demise of Thames Water and likely losses for equity and possibly bond holders, is feeding through even to well managed companies like UU.
RE: Average but still an unbreakable money making machine6 Mar 2024 09:11
Nigel Wilson was in charge when they paid up for Cala and poured over £400m down the drain in an ill fated prefab manufacturing venture. Hopefully now they will stick to businesses they understand.
The Blackrock statement is not much comfort. They and LGEN offer this service. If they didn't stress that it was potentially value destructive and Pension funds must take professional and legal advice and sign a disclaimer before investing....When even the simplest products like interest rate swaps were deemed to be too complex for well educated business people to understand, I see the potential for multi million (tens of millions or hundreds?) pound claims for damages.
Just anecdotal - visited Trafford Centre last weekend. M&S almost deserted but Primark buzzing, with queues at the tills. I guess that taking a lower margin will promote sales and build a better business for the future.
Recently, stock control at Sainsbury has gone haywire. Many own label products are unavailable or have been withdrawn. Promising to match low prices is meaningless if only higher priced alternatives are on the shelves!
Does anyone know Marshalls' exposure to Avonside? Were their invoices insured? Did they insist on c.o.d? I have confidence in Marshalls' management but Marley is a recent acquisition!
Devro is another world class company with a low valuation even after the sharp price rise over the past year. Plenty of upside with or without an increasingly likely bid.
RE: another golden opportunity at these prices - festive season and indoor activities20 Oct 2021 17:35
Unfortunately, the Government's failure today to stop speculation on further lockdown measures - i.e. no current plans to implement Plan B but are monitoring the data constantly - leads me to suspect that new restrictions may well be imposed in time to ruin the Christmas pub trade. '
RE: Mysterious contracts overseas19 Oct 2021 12:24
I do know what it does. However the nature of the business is such that many contracts are obscure. You will recall that ISC contracts were shrouded in secrecy due to their sensitivity and this obscured the scandal for a long time - despite (so-called) due diligence at the time of the acquisition.
Vesuvius is a world class company. It operates in cyclical markets and has the experience to navigate its way through. In making steel manufacture more efficient, it is also a leading 'green' company. The current share price looks to be far too low.