Here's a Giant that Points in the Right Direction Even if the Shares Rarely Charge Ahead
Hello, Share Chewers. It’s a bit disappointing how shares in the giant caterer Compass (CPG) fail to soar. I’ve held the shares ever since it was called Granada, which is over 20 years ago. I get average dividends year in year out. Yet no matter how good the figures look - and there’s usually an improvement every year - the share price can be comatose...
- By Malcolm Stacey |
- 12 February 2020, 08:11 |
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Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice!
This podcast is dedicated to all those trolls who have given me and my family such grief over certain stocks. I discuss Indaba and crony capitalists and a bloke who did the wrong course at Oxford. I look at Versarien (FRAUD), NMC Health (NMC), Bidstack (BIDS), Intu (INTU) and Nakama (NAK).
- By Tom Winnifrith |
- 11 February 2020, 14:59 |
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Please will Versarien sue me for libel
I have, for several years, warned that the valuation of Bulletin Board darling Versarien (VRS) was crackers. At one point it reached £200 million. As I write, ahead of the market open, it is still – with the shares at 49p – valued at c£70 million. Given that its core graphene business generated sales of just £27,000 last year and that the cash guzzling PLC is fast running out of cash, I am sure you’d agree the valuation is bonkers.
- By Tom Winnifrith, The Sheriff of AIM |
- 11 February 2020, 14:58 |
JD Sports Fashion – responds with fury as CMA provisionally finds against its Footasylum takeover
March of last year saw JD Sports Fashion (JD.) “pleased to make this offer for Footasylum, which is very complementary to our existing businesses in the UK. We believe that there will be significant operational and strategic benefits through the combination of the very experienced and knowledgeable management team at Footasylum and our own expertise”. Now “the Competition and Markets Authority's in-depth Phase 2 investigation has provisionally found that the deal substantially lessens competition nationally”. Uh oh…
- By Steve Moore |
- 11 February 2020, 14:39 |
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NMC Health – was possible offer announcement a lie?
Shares in NMC Health (NMC) made something of a recovery yesterday, back above 900p, on the back of seemingly competitive takeover interest. However, how true was the announcement from the company?...
- By Tom Winnifrith & Steve Moore |
- 11 February 2020, 11:41 |
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At least the incoming Marks & Spencer CFO knows how to admit a wrong strategy!
I had a feeling that the Marks & Spencer (MKS) regulatory news update was something to do with a new CFO appointment. Longer-term readers may recall back in September last year I mused about the resignation of the wonderfully named Humphrey Singer, concluding that 'my guess is that Humphrey despite a big old salary and historic reputation just cannot quite cut it'. Today's news that in June this year 'Eoin Tonge will be joining the Board of Marks and Spencer Group PLC as Chief Financial Officer' looks positive…
- By Chris Bailey |
- 11 February 2020, 09:50 |
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Bidstack: after yesterday’s insider dealing a dreadful trading statement today – bailout placing inevitable
This is a total omnishambles clusterfuck and it is hard to know where to start. So let’s just note the strange coincidence that yesterday shares in Bidstack (BIDS) were marked sharply lower and today the company has served up the most godawful of trading statements. But this is AIM, supervised by those stormtroopers of propriety, the Oxymorons at AIM Regulation with assistance from the chocolate teapots at the FCA so there cannot have been any insider dealing. No really. Stop sniggering at the back please.
- By Tom Winnifrith, The Sheriff of AIM |
- 11 February 2020, 08:47 |
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ITM Power – a great 5 bagging share tip... but where’s the share price going now?
I called ITM Power (ITM) a speculative buy in August 2019 at 38p. My best call as a buy by some margin while writing for this site. The share price advanced to 71p by the start of the year and has now almost doubled again to 140p as I type. That is a gratifying reward for anyone who read my views and was influenced to buy only some 5 months ago. But where’s the share price going now?...
- By Peter Brailey |
- 11 February 2020, 08:46 |
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Tandem Group – updates including to let team “get on with it”. Er – but you’re a listed company!...
A “Trading Update and Board Changes” announcement from “designers, developers, distributors and retailers of sports, leisure and mobility equipment” Tandem Group (TND), which gets, er, ‘interesting’…
- By Steve Moore |
- 11 February 2020, 08:22 |
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BREAKING: Muddy Waters "NMC is reminiscent of Enron"
I see that my pal Richard Jennings of Align is tweeting like a Bulletin Board Moron, welcoming a falling share price in NMC Health (NMC) as an opportinity to buy more shares. Whatever. I think on this one I remain firmly with Carson Block of Muddy Waters and view this as an accident that is already happening but will get far worse. Today Carson has compared NMC to Enron.
- By Tom Winnifrith |
- 11 February 2020, 08:18 |
Bumper Results for the Watery Company That Stops Leaks, but It May Not Be Too Late to Dive in
Hello Share Trundlers. As predicted, the full-year numbers from Water Intelligence (WATR) look to be a bumper set and the share price rose on the news. A few weeks ago I was well down on my fairly new investment and now I’m nearly back to par. I’m rather confident that better is still to come. Let’s have a look at the trading update info...
- By Malcolm Stacey |
- 11 February 2020, 08:18 |
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Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: At this rate Gervais Williams will be gated by Easter
In today's podcast I look at the terrible and mounting woes of "star fund manager" Gervais Williams, at Versarien's (VRS) cash woes disguised in today's RNS by breaking AIM Rule 10, at NMC Health (NMC), Finablr (FIN), Bidstack (BIDS), Uk Oil & Gas (UKOG), and Bahamas Petroleum (BPC)
- By Tom Winnifrith |
- 10 February 2020, 15:05 |
Xpediator – “pleased to confirm… 2019 is expected to be in line with market expectations”… Really?
“Xpediator (AIM: XPD), a leading provider of freight management services across the UK and Central and Eastern Europe is pleased to confirm that trading for the year ended 31 December 2019 is expected to be in line with market expectations”. The shares have responded higher to around 29p… but earlier in the year were comfortably above 50p! Hmmm…
- By Steve Moore |
- 10 February 2020, 14:36 |
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BREAKING: Panic stations for Gervais Williams, Miton Small cap deluged by redemptions in January
No wonder Premier Miton has been so tardy in updating the market. It has emerged today that the Gervais Williams Smaller Companies Fund was deluged with redemptions in January on a scale which must beg the question of whether it will, Neil Woodford style, need to be gated.
- By Tom Winnifrith |
- 10 February 2020, 12:11 |
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UP Global Sourcing – set for profitability in line with market expectations… or not?
A “Trading Update and Notice of Results” from “value-focused consumer goods” company UP Global Sourcing (UPGS). Particularly pertinent as “the majority of the group's manufacturing is based in China”…
- By Steve Moore |
- 10 February 2020, 11:40 |
The Bulletin Board Moron of the week is natch a Versarien shareholder
I asked you to nominate the moron making the most moronic comments on twitter or the LSE, ADVFN and iii asylums last week and there were many fine entries as you can see HERE. But the winner is clear and was spotted by me so I win the non prize. From the ADVFN Asylum, Versarien thread
- By Tom Winnifrith |
- 10 February 2020, 11:40 |
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NMC Health and Finablr – has Dr Shetty been a very naughty boy?
NMC Health (NMC) has announced highly preliminary approaches from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and GK Investment Holding (GKI) regarding possible offers for the company. But in tandem, a second RNS from NMC suggests that Dr Shetty’s holdings and others’ may not be all they appeared to be. This was accompanied by an RNS from Finablr (FIN) suggesting similar shenanigans may be on the cards regarding the same people. Both companies are trying to get to the bottom of it, but from my perspective it all stinks and I would not be hanging around to find out what the true position actually is with either.
- By Nigel Somerville |
- 10 February 2020, 11:20 |
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Letter to AIM Regulation: Versarien Breaches of Rules 10 & 11 & sanction of Bobbie Hilliam
Versarien (VRS) has today issued an RNS which suggests that its Nomad, Bobbie Hilliam at Canaccord, has allowed it to drive a coach and horses through AIM Rules 10 and 11. I have written to the Oxymorons at AIM Regulation asking that Versarien and Hilliam be sanctioned and that it force the company to issue a clarifying RNS.
- By Tom Winnifrith, The Sheriff of AIM |
- 10 February 2020, 09:02 |
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Muddy Waters lashes Burford claiming second half results & big US legal setback validate its thesis
My pal Carson Block of Muddy Waters has savaged Burford (BUR) this moring with a savage report on recent results. His golden prose is below.
- By Tom Winnifrith, The Sheriff of AIM |
- 10 February 2020, 08:22 |
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Versarien says it comes clean but it does not! A scandalous RNS that stinks to high heaven
Jeepers I know that Bobbie Hilliam signed off on most of the fraudulent releases made by Quindell (QPP) but how on earth has he signed off from today’s cobblers from Versarien (VRS) which may impress the morons but should set alarm bells ringing. The issue is cash.
- By Tom Winnifrith, The Sheriff of AIM |
- 10 February 2020, 08:21 |