#DEV Clever – argues “significant progress” but no bottom-line detail. Hmmm!
- 2021-02-03 07:54:59
UK 11:19 Saturday, 24 October 2026
Breaking news and expert analysis on fast-moving AIM and LSE listed shares
Even at just 6.75p mid, the market cap of Dev Clever (DEV) is £31 million which - for a company with sub £1.5 million cash, annual sales of, perhaps, £2 million and which is heavily loss making - is ludicrous. But what is now coming ever more sharply into focus is the ludicrous financing deal with AIM listed Asimilar (ASLR).
One hopes that the FCA is actively investigating the clear market abuse engaged in by Dev Clever (DEV) with its May 13 subscription announcement. If you wanted any more evidence that this grotesquely overvalued company was slippier than the slippiest of eels, it was provided today with a trading statement which is nothing of the sort.
Yesterday, both Nigel and myself covered the shocking Asimilar/Dev Clever/Mark Horrocks scandal. It is clear to me that in light of what we discovered on September 1, that on May 13 this year Dev Clever (DEV) issued a statement that was grotesquely misleading and, as such, constitutes clear market abuse. I have thus asked the FCA to launch a formal investigation into what is a scandal.
In a just world Dev Clever (DEV) boss Chris Jeffries would be in jail for selling shares while sitting on undisclosed adverse financial news. But while he still enjoys his liiberty he has announced the purchase of a crap company from some tax dodgers. Will he inform HMRC of the deal so ensuring the matter is dealt with? he is clearly an honourable man....
I contacted the FCA last week about what appears to be blatant market abuse, or possibly even securities fraud, at Dev Clever (DEV) and to its credit it has sent back a non standard reply indicating that it is taking the matter very seriously. As a reminder, Dev did a placing on December 20 2019 and its CEO sold £500,000 shares a month later only to admit in February that sales for the six months to 31 October 2019 were way below forecast. How can a software firm have not had any inkling of that before the placing and CEO share dump. It defies belief. The FCA writes:
As Dev Clever (DEV) is not on AIM but on the Official List it is the FCA that bears sole responsibility for regulating its activities and which should now be investigating whether the company has committed blatant securities fraud. I have written to the chocolate teapots explaining why an urgent investigation is needed into the company and its directors.
Dev Clever (DEV) joined the Standard List at 1p on January 21 2019. Boy: it has been a rollercoaster year of pumping and dumping.
The critical point about today's interims from Dev Clever (DEV) is that they are piss poor in the cash guzzling sense. Now I do not wish to sound like an accosting pedant and geek but there is another issue: auditors PKF Littlejohn who will have cast an eye over the numbers, have screwed up and the numbers need to be corrected and re-issued. Let me explain:
Dev Clever (DEV) listed on the Standard List in December at 1p with some true rogues subscribing for placing shares. One of them blogged a thesis that the shares were worth 50p (a £200 million market cap) and that sort of ramping saw the shares reach 13p. Today they are sharply down at 3p to sell after the release of dire interims.
