Member Info for TheMoss

I think the 40m is minimum. They have probably planned the project with Carillion doing certain jobs. Now they probably won't. There will be extra planning and no guarantee it won't cost more than it was costing Carillion. Tough short term. Still think the future is bright.

The 98m write down was in the price. Carillion have caused this problem. There will be another 40m one off dent in profits. It's not good but not terminal. Another year down the line this will be behind us and the shares will be worth �20. The important thing is to learn lessons. No fixed price contracts. No partners. Last time it cost you �140m.

I have no problem with the way Card Factory is run but I think it's worth considering a change of direction. There are so many Card Factory shops opening they must be talking business from each other. I like the expansion into Ireland. However what about France, Germany, Spain, USA, Canada etc.. They must have a wealth of designs. How hard is it to put Happy Birthday on them in Spanish or French instead of English? Is it not possible to think a little bit bigger?

It's hard to believe that is allowed to happen. The starting point should be the historic consumption levels. The employees are effectively deciding their own bonus and Utilitywise are overstating profits by any overdeclaration. Why do the in- house accountants and the auditors allow this to happen. Do the general managers rule by fear?

It was difficult to take account of just how unprofessional the Mediclinic board turned out to be. The Spire share price was low and it seemed and it seemed a good opportunity to pick it cheaply. Problem was they don't seem to have had the funds to make a fair offer. Why they thought Spire would accept the offer is the strange bit especially with someone on the board. The board made the right decision. They are better off by themselves. They might be a large shareholder but this board member has not got the best interests of Spire at heart. He needs removing ASAP.

Mediclinic doesn't seem to have had the resources behind it to finance the deal which is why it atemped to pay partly in new shares. If HCA were interested they would have declared an interest when Mediclinic made a bid. However the dodgy surgeon has been dealt with, there are new hospitals coming on stream and a new CEO who seems to inspire confidence. Could work out OK

Good decision that didn't work out. More will than won't. Share is down but hasn't bombed.

Mediclinic's fault. The offer was mean. They paid more two years ago for their present holding. Shares will bomb but bounce back in time.

You would think with Mediclinic having a seat on the Spire board this would have gone a lot smoother If the takeover doesn't go through there is a strong case for his removal.

That is just the commission on the overstated usage. How much is the actual overstated usage? More to the point how and why was it happening? You would have thought the starting point would be historic usage. You wouldn't have thought it could have been that far out.

Nothing wrong with paying bonuses but not offering the best deal or falsely inflating the value of the contract should have repercussions.

The model isn't broken. All they do is persuade people to switch supplier and take a commission for doing so. They can save businesses a fortune more by not going out of contract than by getting a cheaper deal. Not very complicated. They are just rubbish a t doing it. Did have some dealings with them a few years back. They perused a policy of signing people up to suppliers that paid the biggest commission rather than supplying the cheapest energy. That about sums them up. They take such a short term view of their relationship with customers and their accountancy policies they ask for medium and long term problems and they've certainly got them.

They have delayed to get a second opinion on when revenue should be released into the accounts. Depending on what conclusion they come to it would effect the numbers. I think there are two issues here. The timing of the release of revenues. Once you sign a client up to a two or three year contract do you take the revenue now or spread it across the years covered by the contract or something in between. Secondly when the commission is claimed on what usage do you claim the commission? Recently they have had to make large refunds. Why have they been over estimating usage. Is it workers trying to boost their own commissions or UTW improving cash flow? I would say having BDO as auditors and seeking a further opinion gives some cause for concern.

The are sitting on 30% of the company and have a seat on the board. They are deeply involved with Spire. If they sell they would lose cash This has got to be no more than an opening offer and it is a great opportunity for them to buy at a great price.

PFG had built up a business where agents were trusted to go into people's homes and advance loans. These agents left, with their clients in tact, to be snapped up by the likes of Morses Club and Non Stand Finance. They take on clients, unfamiliar with the clients and competing against experienced and skilled operatives and have to build up trust to the extent they will be allowed into client"s homes in preference to the established agents. Not saying they can't do it but I can't see it's as easy as some suggest.

Card seems to have a profitable niche in a market with an inelastic demand. However you see stores opening so closely together you feel the laws of diminishing returns must kick in.Expansion into Ireland sounds good. They must have a wealth of card designs. It can't be that difficult to use them in France, Spain, Germany etc. Would it not make a great target for a company with lots of European retail outlets? You get a great profitable business plus access to designs you can change slightly and sell with massive margins in Europe.

Apparently there was a recent border incident. I would prefer to see OPG progress without a takeover prioritising debt reduction to lessen risk. Still the profit to price leaves scope for a reasonable return. I think the Indian economy could boom in the coming years. However I think coal powered power stations might have a limited life.

Can see why they would be a takeover target at these levels. You would get your cash back very quickly. Would suit a Chinese company looking for a foothold. The only party that would know for certain would be the company looking to buy.

I bought a few of these this morning. Every business has hiccups caused by external factors which are difficult to control. 3.5 million out of 34 million isn't a major problem and it could easily swing the opposite way. I have a few shares in Anglo Pacific which is benefitting from the increased coal price. I quite like the diversification into solar power. I know its an AIM share based in India but it has real and substantial assets in a growing market where demand outstrips supply. Increased tariffs have been discussed and the output from solar will boost revenues. My target is to hold them for two years during which time I was hoping the price could double. You try your best and keep your fingers crossed. Thank you for the replies.

I have been reading digitallook. It suggests profits for 2018 were going to be £34.24 million. The press release says the increased coal price will increase costs by £3.5 million. Annoying but can't understand why it justifies such a big fall. Have I got it wrong?