As Gulf Keystone (GKP) sputters toward its inevitable fate, the hunt is on to spot the next equity wipeout in this space. There are quite a few runners and riders. I mentioned Xcite (XEL) a while back and Premier Oil (PMO) is also in the frame. My nap however is Igas Plc (IGAS) as the next for the chop.
Shares in AIM-listed and debt-ridden Igas Energy (IGAS) hit a new low point today of just 11.5p per share. They have since recovered to 12.25p (last seen) which is still below anything registered during the slide from the heady days when previous head honcho Andrew "piggy" Austin did his sale-and-repurchase deal with Equities First Holdings LLC. Is the penny starting to drop about how big the debt problems are?
We previously flagged that the "Dutch Auction" tender offer by an un-named client of Pareto Securities for the senior secured bonds of AIM-listed Igas Energy (IGAS) might present a bit of a threat to shareholders. We've now had the result of the tender offer...
Armageddon It. I'm a getting it...maybe the morons are finally getting it as IGAS shares are now firmly on the slide, down 6% at 13.25p to sell at the time of writing. But for we bears the best is yet to come.
I’ve been a bear of Igas Energy (IGAS) ever since previous CEO Andrew “piggy” Austin’s shady dealings with Equities First Holdings LLC (EFH) when he walked away with millions in cash whilst still being able to claim that his interests in the shares were unchanged by the transaction. It ran rings around the disclosure rules. Ever since he walked (or, more likely, was pushed) it has been clear that he left the company drowning in debt and sitting on a ticking time-bomb. Yesterday came a surprise move, but one which could, perhaps, spell the end of the road for equity holders. Quite why the shares spiked (albeit temporarily) on the news is a mystery.
This morning AIM-listed and overindebted Igas Energy (IGAS) released a company update RNS. There was some positive waffle about good progress on its five year shale developments plans, pointing investors to the recent planning permission given to Third Energy for fracking to be employed at a site in Yorkshire. But it is the parlous state of Igas’ finances that this RNS addresses. It looks grim.
Shares in AIM-listed and over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) had a good week last week, rising by about a third in value before slipping back again. But its balance sheet problems (well documented on ShareProphets, see HERE) continue to mount and this morning it was announced that Investec has been appointed Nomad and joint Broker, replacing the previous incumbent Jefferies International. Whilst one might wonder if Jefferies jumped or was pushed, the bigger question is when the bail-out re-financing will come and how big the shafting for existing shareholders will be.
This morning AIM-listed and over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) released a trading update ahead of its AGM to be held this morning. The elephant in the room is, of course, its outstanding debt in the form of bonds - £103 million worth as at the last accounts – which mature in March 2018, less than two years away.
This morning came an announcement (see HERE) that North Yorkshire County Council has voted to allow the use of hydraulic fracturing to extract shale gas from a site in northern England. It is the first fracking permit in the UK since 2011 and all of a sudden over-indebted Igas Energy (IGAS) shares have leapt 25% on the news. Of course it does nothing to relieve the balance sheet issues facing Igas and as such this seems to be a cracking (or fracking) good shorting opportunity.
AIM-listed Igas Energy (IGAS) is my share tip of the year – as a sell. This morning saw its results for the 9-month period to Dec 2015 which did nothing to make me change my stance. Indeed there was a clear warning that the company is on course to breach its bond covenants during H2. The shares remain a stonking sell.
Andrew “piggy” Austin, the former CEO of AIM-listed Igas (IGAS) and head honcho of newly listed RockRose Energy (RRE) has submitted an interesting TR-1 which was released by Igas yesterday afternoon. It raises a number of questions, not least of which is whether it was erroneous. Surely the Equities First Holdings LLP (EFH) saga is not taking yet another twist, is it?
Shares in AIM-listed Igas (IGAS) have been heading south for almost two years. First we had the oil price coming off sharply. Then we had the Equities First scandal involving the former CEO selling shares when the market was told he was buying. And then the oil price slid some more. In early 2014 the shares peaked at 160p and it has been downhill all the way since then. The Christmas Eve close at 18.5p values the company at £55.3 million (source: ADVFN). But there is much further to go. Here are ten reasons why.
We have noted already - in the wake of dire interims - that AIM-listed Igas Energy (IGAS) has seen its bonds selling off to well below par value, and that Igas has warned on its bond covenants. The sell-off on its bonds has continued. With the shares having headed south before a bounce in the wake of favourable permitting news, shareholders might want to note the latest move in the bond price: it says sell.
Yesterday Nigel Somerville quite correctly flagged up why IGAS (IGAS) is a slam dunk sell. It seems that at least one City broker has picked up on this and joins the attack today. Over to Andrew Monk of VSA who writes:
We noted the other day that AIM-listed Igas Energy (IGAS) had warned on its bond covenants in the dire Interims statement released last week. But it appears that we are not the only ones a tad concerned about Igas’ financial health.
