AIM-listed and over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) released a “Corporate Update” RNS this morning. It seems to say nothing we don’t already know but the ShareProphets RNS Translation Service has a few observations (original in bold).
AIM-listed and over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) equity may still be valued by the equity markets at £36 million but the read-across from the bond market tells a very different story. I'm sure readers don't need reminding that when the equity and bond markets disagree, it is generally the latter which wins out. With the unsecured bonds in Igas now trading all the way down at just 20.94c in the $, the implication on the equity is clear: it is toast.
Yesterday AIM-listed and over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) was pleased to announced that Notts County Council had approved a planning application for the development of a hydrocarbon wellsite and the drilling of two wells. This, of course, is with a view to developing a fracking project.
That AIM-listed Igas Energy (IGAS) is in trouble is in little doubt as the company battles with the over-indebtedness legacy of the Andrew “piggy” Austin days. KKR-backed Trans European Oil & Gas is in possession of a blocking holding of the secured bonds and the cash is draining away. But the latest warning sign comes not via the secured bonds, but via the unsecured bonds. The price has crashed from around 54c in the $ to just 28.6c in the $. The implication for the equity is clear.
Yesterday afternoon AIM-listed and over indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) announced that it had sold some of the secured bonds hitherto held in treasury and that this has now shored up its finances such that it now no longer expects a breach of its daily liquidity covenant in 2016. Good news? Er, no – this simply kicks the can down the road (and not very far at that).
Yesterday saw Sky News unmask the mystery buyer of AIM-listed and over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) Oslo-traded secured bonds via the recent Dutch Auction conducted at 75c in the dollar – see HERE. We already knew that the previously un-named buyer had acquired a 34% stake in the bonds – enough to block any proposed debt restructuring that it didn’t like.
This website has pointed out that AIM listed IGAS has been a slam dunk sell for more than two years but for a good few months as it warned that it would breach covenants on its bonds any moron could see that the writing was on the wall. Except loyal house broker Cannacord, shamed over the Quindell fraud, its research on this has been laughable. It shows that a buy note from a house broker, especially one as shoddy as Cannacord, is just worthless. You will remember how Canaccord fired heroic Kevin Ashton, the world's number 1 tech analyst, when he refused to write a buy note on the Quindell fraud.
AIM-listed and over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) has just announced the result of its bondholder meeting. The unsecured debt voted the proposals through, but the secured debt voted it down. The company says it has not yet breached its bond covenants, but that this is now expected next week.
At time of writing bondholders in AIM-listed over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) are meeting in Oslo, having been summoned by the company to consider proposals to waive certain bond covenants while a restructuring of the company’s capital is negotiated. Igas previously indicated that a bond covenant breach was anticipated to occur this very week. Will the bondholders play ball?
The denouement has started – you can’t say you were not warned over and over again here in ShareProphets. AIM-listed and over indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) has gone cap-in-hand to its bondholders to seek a series of waivers and a standstill agreement on its bond covenants while a capital restructuring is negotiated. Shareholders face a bloodbath this side of Christmas, but already the stock is down 11% on the day.
For all the positive news of late regarding permits for the fracking industry (even if its own application for planning permission from Notts County Council saw the decision deferred to next month), AIM-listed drowning-in-debt Igas (IGAS) still has the pressing problem of staying within its bond covenants. The company stated in its interims to June 2016, released on deadline day of 30 Sept, that it was expecting to breach its daily liquidity covenant in the second half of October – that could be as early as next Monday.
Rarely does one find good news in results which are released at the last minute, and in the case of Igas the recent record of fairly prompt reporting suggested that leaving the interims to deadline day would be a bad omen. This morning’s numbers and, more to the point, update on the bond situation reads badly – for all the positive spin applied. The numbers aren’t good, a bond covenant breach is expected in the second half of next month and then there is the question of how long it may be before the cash simply runs out.
When I penned my one and only suggestion in the 2015 ShareProphets Christmas tipfest, AIM-listed Igas Energy (IGAS) shares sat at 18.5p on a market capitalisation of £55.3 million. They have been all over the place since then – up as high as 21p twice and down as low as 10p. They are currently 12p as the last bubble nonsense deflates gently but has anything really changed? Er, no. The company is still drowning in debt which it can’t repay and the lit fuse is now almost ten months shorter. Igas remains a stonking sell.
Shares in overindebted AIM-listed Igas Energy (IGAS) have shot out of the traps this morning on news that Theresa May is in favour of fracking and wants to bribe the locals into letting it happen. There is also a technical matter announced last week that Igas underwent a capital reduction which apparently strengthens the balance sheet......if only. The share price reaction has seen the shares race ahead by as much at 47% (30% last seen) but has anything changed? Er....
Tom Winnifrith has already quite correctly berated the Sunday Telegraph for its piece yesterday on the ongoing travails of AIM-listed Igas Energy (IGAS) and its little debt problem. The sense of desperation which saw this piece of abject puffery in a national newspaper is apparent to anyone who looks at the balance sheet, or read the comments from the company about its expected bond covenant default in the second half of this year (ie any time now). But the article reads like a dodgy RNS aimed at getting the bulletin board morons to pile in while the crony capitalists get out.
Having exposed the appalling goings on at the Daily Telegraph with regards to going bust Avanti Communications (AVN) last week, now it is the turn of the sister paper the Sunday Telegraph which on its from page today has a quite shocking piece on IGAS. This might as well have been dictated by the PR flunky it is so jaw droppingly bad.
