Interserve – don’t panic, keep calm and carry on (to disaster?)

Yesterday we learnt what a complete disaster the rights issue for Keir Group (KIE) was: a whopping discount failed to attract more than 40% of shareholders to pony up at 409p and the underwriters took the hit, offloading at just 360p. But never mind, massively over-indebted Interserve (IRV) announced this morning that good progress is being made on its deleveraging plan, involving a debt-for-equity swap of, I reckon, about £500 million – against its current market capitalisation of just £16 million.

Interserve (#IRV) - in wake of failed Kier rights issue says it is going ahead with c. £500m D4E & public offer but doesn't name price

Can Interserve be Saved? Tipster and Broker Opinion

Another dismal year for public services provider Interserve (IRV) was capped off by a further 50% slump in the firm’s share price earlier this week. The price reaction formed a direct response to the revelation that Interserve is seeking a rescue deal which – according to Christopher Williams (The Telegraph) – represents “a disaster for shareholders”. In this week’s article, we take a look at current tip sentiment; do the consensus believe the firm now can be salvaged, or is it is doomed to fail? The answer: it depends on who you ask – tipsters, or brokers?

Interserve: you were warned - bring out the ouzo!

Whilst Tom Winnifrith enjoys an early morning glass of ouzo upon confirmation that MySquar (MYSQ) has finally departed the Casino amid allegations of fraud and someone’s fingers in the till, there is another party going on at Deputy Sheriff Towers: fully-listed Interserve (IRV) has finally confessed that its shareholders are going to get clobbered. Indeed, the shares this morning fell way below their nominal price of 10p in the scramble to get out and currently sit 47% down on the day at around 12p...

Interserve (#IRV) – confirms likely debt for equity swap, “material dilution for current Interserve shareholders”

Sun Tel: Interserve (#IRV) lenders seek to wrest control & wipe out shareholders (ouzo for Nigel moves closer)

Interserve – another new low as investors take fright: yikes have you seen the balance sheet?

Shares in fully-listed Interserve (IRV) had a bad week last week, tumbling to a new low point of just 27.5p, which makes my sell call at around £1 look like an act of pure genius. Having suffered something of a tremor following a BBC report that there were plans to tap shareholders up to sort out its balance sheet – which looked a little unlikely given the (then) market cap of around £50 million and debts of around £600 million without a massive debt-for-equity swap  – the shares recovered some temporary poise on a Statement following recent press coverage which failed to mention the issue.

Interserve – well, well, what a surprise!

Following the suggestion from the BBC that fully listed Interserve (IRV) was planning to tap up its shareholders for cash, and the non-denial which didn’t even mention it from Interserve, today the cat has partially escaped from the bag. We are told this morning that a Deleveraging plan [is] movng forward for announcement in early 2019. Given that year-end net debt is expected by the company to sit at between £625-650 million and the market capitalisation is (last seen) down to just £49 million it is clear that the BBC story is only partially true, as I suggested HERE.

Interserve (#IRV) – trading “in-line with management expectations”, to announce a ‘deleveraging plan’ in “early 2019”

Interserve: you haven’t answered the question – statement a screaming sell signal

The BBC has run a story suggesting that fully listed Interserve (IRV) is going to raise cash from its shareholders and quoted a former shareholder suggesting that it won’t survive. The media picked up on it and the shares crashed again. Of course, I’ve been a bear of Interserve for an age, as regular readers will know (and been proved 100% right so far)...

Interserve – reports & share price movement suggest close to ouzo o’clock for Nigel Somerville

Particularly Nigel Somerville has been warning on support services and construction company Interserve (IRV) – most recently with £35m contract: whoopiedoo, but it is insignificant, concluding that it left him wondering whether the company is simply trying to shore up its declining share price (then about 60p) ahead of a placing. So I still say sell. Yesterday the shares were down circa 15% to below 40p and currently today they’re further materially lower towards 30p…

Interserve (#IRV) - statement re press coverage completely ignores the elephant (fundraising) in the room. It won't work....

Interserve (#IRV) – agreement to sell access & hard services business for initial approx. £3.6m

Interserve - £35m contract: whoopiedoo, but it is insignificant

When I first commented last October 15^th on fully listed Interserve (IRV), it was sacking its old board and in a financial mess, and the shares were around £1. I said sell – and glory be, the shares sit this morning at about 60p after an RNS telling us of a new £35 million contract. The RNS strikes me as getting any good news out it can.

Interserve – FCA investigation misses the target

It wasn’t a great week, last week, for shareholders of companies starting with Inter. Whilst Interquest (ITQ) served up an after-hours notice of an EGM with proposals to delist the company and a derisory offer at 24p on Friday (at 5.22pm!), Interserve (IRV) announced at 7am that is was the subject of an FCA investigation regarding its market disclosures between 15 July 2016 and 20 February 2017 in relation to its (now) exited Energy-from-Waste business. I’m completely with Tom Winnifrith on the former. On the latter, however, the FCA seems to be missing its target completely on this issue.

Interserve (#IRV) – FCA investigation re. “handling of inside information and its market disclosures”

Interserve – another cash headache?

One minute everyone is celebrating the rescue deal to save fully listed Interserve (IRV) and the share rally strongly to peak at over 110p. Now all of a sudden, we are back to 82p. Perhaps it is the 25% dilution at 10p to come which has sunk in – or perhaps it has something to do with a story yesterday in the most excellent Construction News which tells of a horror story at an Energy from Waste project in Glasgow – from which Interserve was sacked in 2016. According to the report, Interserve could be on the hook for £95 million. The silence form Interserve if deafening.

More trouble for Interserve (#IRV) as Glasgow EfW (from which it was sacked) cost overrun hits £95m - Construction News

Interserve – rescue bailout announced, sort of

Shares in fully listed Interserve (IRV) have shot up on the almost after-hours announcement last night of some scant details of a rescue refinancing. The good news is that someone is putting up the bunce (subject to credit approvals), but at what cost?

Interserve – “unlikely” rescue bid?

I see that today’s Telegraph is reporting that Emerald Investment Partners (and the man behind it, Alan McIntosh) in emerging as a key player in the refinancing discussion of fully-listed Interserve (IRV). We are told that Emerald has pledged to back the refinancing, which is very good news. The last thing we want to see is another Carillion-style collapse.