Company News

IBP Special Administration and Thames Ventures VCT 1

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. I have a very small holding in Thames Ventures VCT 1 (TV1). This is the remnant of holdings in other VCTs originally invested from 1997 onwards and which have generated a total return of minus 58% to date according to Sharescope, although I doubt that is accurate due to multiple consolidations and name changes. I would have sold the holding long ago if it were not for the roll-back ...

RBS/NatWest: Has the leopard changed its spots?

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Farage Fiasco forces CEO’s resignation; governance concerns at NatWest Dame Alison Rose stood down in July over the closure of Nigel Farage’s account by Coutts & Co, and more specifically over her indiscrete communications with the BBC on the matter. Alison Rose clearly made a huge blunder in chatting to Simon Jack, the BBC news editor, about a customer’s personal financial information. I’m sure she will kick herself until the ...

BP Shareholder Meeting 19 April 2023 – Report

This article reflects the opinions of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. I attended the BP shareholder meeting on 19 April, held at the BP Head Office 1 St James’s Square, along with about 60 - 70 other shareholders. The meeting was organised by UKSA and ShareSoc members were also invited to attend.   The case for investing in BP shares is clear. They plan to grow ROACE to 18% with careful and limited capex split 50/50 between transition (green) energy ...

The New Realities and Private Healthcare

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. The editorial in this week’s Investors' Chronicle was full of doom and gloom. Under the headline “Facing up to new realities” the editor said “The threats identified by the WEF (World Economic Forum at Davos) include climate change, the cost of living crisis, geopolitical confrontation, high debt levels, recession, low growth, social unrest and cyber crime. These crises are converging, it says, to shape a ...

Fundsmith Annual Investor Letter

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Terry Smith has published his thirteenth annual letter for investors in the Fundsmith Equity Fund (which I hold). As usual it’s a good mixture of sound analysis of market events and witticisms. I’ll cover a few significant points: The fund underperformed the MSCI World Index with a total return of minus 13.8%, which was better than my own portfolio. As he points out, the only way ...

Results from Intercede and Telecom Plus

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Two more sets of results from companies I hold in my portfolio came out on 23/11/2022. Recession? What recession? Telecom Plus (TEP) reported revenue up by 51.5% and adjusted profit up by 22.5% with dividends up to match in its interim results. Reading this company’s results helps you understand the impact of the energy crisis on household bills and the impact of government interventions to cap ...

Webinars Galore – Intercede + AB Dynamics + Augmentum

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. I seem to be filling my days with webinars of late. Two today and one yesterday, partly because this is the season for half-year results announcements. I’ll cover the recent ones – all on the Investor Meet Company platform, but I’ll only give you some general impressions and highlight particular points as you can watch recordings of them for the detail: Intercede (IGP). Positive results and the ...

Market Trends, WeWork, Cryptocurrencies, Passive Saturation

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Note that it was written on 14th November, before the Chancellor's autumn statement. Last week was a remarkable one for my stock market portfolio. Share prices were up on almost all my holdings. This was no doubt sparked by good news; inflation seems to be under control in the USA with CPI falling to 7.7% and the war in Ukraine is looking up as Russia ...

Dunelm Results and Pay at Safestore

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Dunelm (DNLM) published their preliminary results this morning (14/9/2022) – I no longer hold them. They were surprisingly good bearing in mind they are a homeware retailer – sales up 16% and EPS up 30%. Clearly the anticipated vulnerability to rising inflation and consumers being hit by a recession has not yet come to pass although forecasts for next year are lower. They say trading in ...

Comments on Possible Offer for GB Group

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Announcements late yesterday and this morning (7th September 2022) indicate that GB Group (GBG) may receive a cash offer for the business from private equity firm GTCR. I have held these shares since 2011 – first purchased at 42p, closed last night at 522p. It’s one of my larger holdings and needless to say I have been very happy with my investment as it has ...

Energy Caps, Verici DX, Equals and Paypoint

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. PM Truss's proposal is a cap on prices, not on overall cost so people with big houses with large gas consumption will still pay more. Fracking is also being permitted to boost local gas production. Truss did not give in to calls for this largess to be funded through a windfall tax. She said this would undermine the national interest by discouraging the very investment we ...

BHP and Woodside Energy Announcements

The views expressed in this article are those of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc There were announcements this morning (30/8/2022) from BHP Group (BHP) and Woodside Energy (WDS). Many BHP shareholders will also hold Woodside following the merger of the BHP oil/gas operations into Woodside. I continue to hold both having decided that now was not the time to exit a major gas producer. Woodside announced half-year results and their Underlying Net Profit After Tax was up 414% on the ...