A “Joint Broker Appointment” announcement from Lekoil (LEK), with a 2.95p share price giving a market cap of £15.8 million. Hmmm...
Previously writing on Lekoil (LEK), it included noting the sheikhs indeed fakes! Another massive scandal on AIM. Now the company announces “the following results of the Investigation: • The facility agreement was a part of a fraud perpetrated against the company”… Er, yep! and…
Previously writing on Lekoil (LEK), it was updates at 6:04pm… the sheikhs indeed fakes! Another massive scandal on AIM. Now it’s an intra-day, 2:29pm, “OPL 310 Project Update”…
Other than shareholders, few could have failed to be amused and appalled in equal measure by Lekoil (LEK) - which has repeatedly referred to itself as an indigenous Nigerian oil company - falling for the long running Nigerian e-mail scam of the ”we have loads of money..send us a deposit and we will make you rich..” type. By itself this incredible incompetence merits my original award of a Vomit list backup place. But we know now about partner payments and obligations after yesterday’s RNS and that merits a hurl to a full blown Vomit List place...
Just over a week ago, Peter Brailey wrote on this website on AIM-listed, Nigeria and West Africa oil and gas-focused, Lekoil (LEK) it’s a good deal for the Partner and CEO..but is it for shareholders?, concluding it is simply not a business that I could invest in at the current time. This followed him having earlier included it as a back-up for the Vomit List. He might want to consider ‘promoting’ it to the list after an update on the ‘funding deal’ today – though it’ll require the shares' return from suspension first!...
Lekoil (LEK) shares have really motored this year, posting a 100% gain in two days on the back of funding news for the Ogo asset in Nigeria. The realignment of interests with its partner (Optimum Petroleum Development Company) announced back in August 2019, was clearly a good deal for Optimum. This funding deal sees the asset move forward without costing it a penny and Lekoil’s CEO in particular does well from the deal, but is it a good deal for Lekoil shareholders?
After pontificating on the position of Lekoil (LEK) prior to the results, it merits a review now that the results have been issued. So how did I do with my crystal ball, and where does it leave the company?
I have followed Lekoil (LEK) for some years now, and as each year goes by, I’ve become more questioning of the investment case. Like so many Nigerian based oilers, the potential seems high but is the reality ever realised?
Many AIM oil companies promise the earth, yet in most cases are still no nearer to actually producing anything despite a number of years having passed since their initial discoveries, so it is refreshing to see that there are exceptions to this trend.
It might appear that shares in Lekoil (LEK) make a somewhat unusual choice for a Bull Call of the Day, especially as it is difficult to imagine what the big fundamental driver here may be for a significant upward move in the share price.
Lekoil (LEK) has had the misfortune to be tainted by the whole Afren (AFR) saga, but looks to be making good progress. Its share price had been on the decline anyway thanks to the falling oil price, but it really took a hit at the start of this year when the full extent of the problems that Afren were having came to light.
Lekoil (LEK) made one of the largest new oil discoveries of 2013 but since then its share price has dropped back to pre-discovery levels. The oil explorer is mainly focused on Nigeria and its Ogo-1 discovery on the OPL310 block, in which it holds a 30% interest alongside Afren (whose license Lekoil farmed into) and Optimum Petroleum.
