UK 04:52 Tuesday, 6 October 2026
Breaking news and expert analysis on fast-moving AIM and LSE listed shares
We’ve hardly been chief cheerleaders for New Range Resources (RRL) here at ShareProphets. However, the efforts of CEO Rory Scott Russell and his team were slowly starting to win me (but not TW) over. In dealing with the Augean stables left behind by Peter Landau, Mr Scott Russell had embraced an openness, never before experienced by long-suffering shareholders of this wretched company. It is true that there were some justified complaints about the level and speed of some of Mr Scott Russell’s disclosures, but for the most part this man was a paragon of virtue compared to his predecessor. To be dumped from his job, because shareholders couldn’t be bothered to vote in the latest AGM is a travesty.
It’s another day & another truly shocking piece of news lands via the London Stock Exchange RNS news service. This time it comes from Range Resources (RRL) that shining example of how to lie, cheat and defraud UK Investors.
Today’s epic disaster of an annual report from Range Resources (RRL) cannot have come as a shock to anyone. Worse is still to come. By any stretch of the imagination Range is vastly overvalued. At 1.07p (last seen), Range is valued at £53.4million. The company has just announced a $102.5million loss, has never been able to cover its costs, has substantially written down the value of its “assets” and has just been forced to borrow another $15million (what happened to the “game-changing” LandOcean deal?!). To top it all off Chief Executive Rory Scott Russell made the hugely embarrassing admission the company is “unlikely to meet [his] previously stated target of an exit rate of 1,000 barrels of oil a day by the end of 2014”. Apparently Mr Scott Russell is now confident of achieving this goal in H1 of 2015. Given the steaming mountain of manure he has had to shovel his way through since he took charge of Range in February, perhaps Mr Scott Russell has earned a little leeway in hitting his production target. This doesn’t change Range’s overvaluation problem. Nor does it solve the cash flow problems. Nor does it answer a far more relevant question. Just what has happened to all of Range’s money?
In its eagerness to convince all and sundry what a brand “new” company it is, Range Resources (RRL) has adopted an innovative approach to board appointments. It looks like the company’s “new” directors will only last six weeks, thus ensuring the board always has “new” faces and the company can stay on message that this is most definitely a “new” stock. On Thursday, Ian Macliver quit Range “with immediate effect”, having only started his “new” role on June 27th. Apparently Mr Macliver tendered his resignation based upon his “increased commitments in other endeavours”. This doesn’t sound at all convincing and immediately calls into question Range’s recruitment process to “strengthen” its board. This is not least because Mr Macliver’s successor has been found very quickly and comes from… wait for it…yep, you guessed it… Perth, Australia.
Back in April 2013 Range Resources (RRL), then run by Peter Landau agreed to buy International Petroleum Limited, a company stablished and run by convicted heroin dealer Frank Timis. IPT was technically insolvent but Landau was happy to hand over 40% of an enlarged Range share capital to get his hands on this POS and so also loaned International Petroleum $8 million. The cash was repayable of the deal fell through and Range got security over IPT’s Russian assets. The deal fell through. Range has today given us an update on getting the cash back which is truly laughable. It is sheer comedy genius.
Range Resources’ (RRL) CEO Rory Scott Russell has one hell of a job ahead of him. The latest quarterly production figures won’t have come as much of a shock to anyone who has followed the company closely. I must admit I hadn’t seen the bulletin board disappointment at the release of the country’s production figures from January to May this year, by the Trinidadian Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs. However, Range has now confirmed that Q2 this year was another very disappointing quarter production wise. In his accompanying statement, Mr Scott Russell talked of a “transformational quarter”, but like his repeated claim of “world class assets” in May’s conference call, there is only so long the market will continue to buy this hype. At 1.81p, Range is valued at £91.35million and it is very hard to see fundamental reasons to justify this.
Perhaps the winds of change are genuinely blowing through Range Resources (RRL). After I wrote my first piece on the company earlier today, highlighting the 1.14% dilution of shareholders just to pay fees, I spoke with Buchanan. Given our recent history with the PR firm that no longer plays dirty tricks on Range’s shareholders (sorry – I couldn’t resist, that line still makes me chuckle), I was surprised to get a call back. But I did and I have to say the conversation was far more constructive than others I have had with the firm. This time, rather than being summarily dismissed or just downright ignored, Buchanan responded to my questions and confirmed one fact, which could prove most telling for Range’s future. Range Resources no longer has any relationship, whatsoever, with Okap Ventures.
I’ve waited a few days before reporting on Range Resources’ (RRL) announcement on Friday. I wanted to see if a holdings RNS was released. So far it hasn’t been, but more on this another day. In the meantime it is worth focussing on the various share payments that Range made at the end of last week. I’ve received a lot of comments from Range’s shareholders about “New Range”. This might be true. Perhaps Rory Scott Russell is a genuine breath of fresh air. The current 2.1p share price at least suggests he might be. The problem with this line of argument is that Friday’s RNS was very much “Old Range”, as shareholders lost 1.14% of their company in share payments made to settle fees on old debts and, what appears to be, a new mystery consulting agreement.
Range Resources (RRL) has seen a dramatic turn-around recently, but now needs to start delivering. As recently as mid-April it was sat at an all-time low of just 0.61p and there were fears for its future as it struggled to re-pay debts that were due. Then along came a financing deal with Abraham Limited which cleared pretty much all of the money owed and triggered a change in sentiment.
On Monday, I published a public call for the AIM Investigations Team (AIM Regulation) to investigate the Platinum Partners loans scandal. This morning, we heard that Peter Landau and Anthony Eastman (directors at the time the loans were entered into and throughout the period they weren’t reported) have stood down from the company. Range claims that this is “part of a corporate restructuring initiative”, but the timing doesn’t look like a coincidence to me. If I am correct, then today I want to take the opportunity to applaud AIM Regulation for moving swiftly.
The timing of this piece probably could be better. However, after last week’s revelation, about the 100million Citation shares held as collateral against the Platinum Partners loans, it surely must now fall on the AIM Investigations Team to examine the conduct of Range Resources (RRL) and its former Nomad, RFC Ambrian, over this matter. Irrespective of how the share price has performed over the last week or so, it appears that a material breach of the AIM rules has occurred. Range appears to have admitted this, so how will the London Stock Exchange respond?
This morning, Range Resources (RRL) slipped out yet another crucial detail concerning the controversial Platinum Partners loans, which it had previously failed to inform shareholders adequately about. It turns out that as well as the 100million shares in Range held as collateral, Platinum also held the 100million of Range’s shares in Citation Resources, held in trust. Together, these blocks of shares are worth roughly £1.91million, based on last seen prices. It is anyone’s guess what else Range has failed to update the market properly about, but if you really believe this is a company experiencing a new dawn then dream on.
Despite the market’s reaction, this morning’s announcement by Range Resources (RRL) leaves shareholders in this company with many of the usual guessing games we have come to expect. Why can’t new CEO Rory Scott Russell prove he is his own man and break from the past? Why do RNSs released under his watch still leave more important questions unanswered than answered?
Nominations for the 2014 AIM Cesspit awards close at 7 AM on Friday so you have less than 24 hours to nominate for the six (of nine) categories which are voted on and can do so HERE. Already Pete Landau of Range Resources (RRL) looks to be widely supported in ALL categories. But we welcome other nominations. If you are stuck for ideas:
Range Resources’ (RRL) recent announcement, about the proposed $12million investment from Abraham Ltd, based in Hong Kong, sounded like quite a triumph for new CEO Rory Scott Russell. After all, Range was on its knees, production has been falling, money was running out, debt repayments were overdue, legacy projects continued to drag and the company was forced to issue new equity almost every two weeks to cover financing costs. At a stroke, the cash injection bought Mr Scott Russell some desperately needed time, but no one seems to have asked who is Abraham Ltd?
Apparently I damned Range Resources (RRL) with faint praise yesterday. While the ramping brigade worked themselves up into a lather over what an incredible deal the $12million placement is, the realists recognised that 1p is a pretty dreadful price. The market clearly agrees. Only about £980,000 worth of stock changed hands (c.130million shares). It remains to be seen what Range’s new management team does with the slender lifeline it now clings to, but assuming it can genuinely turn the company around, then there is still a massive prize to play for in a few years time; Puntland.
What better way to shut up a pair of loud mouth agitators than to announce a $12million funding package? And at a 49% premium to the previous close no less! The headlines are certainly impressive enough that even the travelling clown parade employed at Buchanan couldn’t anti-spin these into another PR disaster for the company. Even so, the underlying numbers do require closer examination. The muted market reaction confirms that all is still not entirely well aboard the good ship Range (RRL), but at least it looks like she isn’t going to sink. Yet.
