Companies: FLTA AEG RNWH CTG UFO SYME THW SQZ
Due to a change in Analyst role, Cenkos Securities plc has suspended coverage of the following stocks (see table 1). Our previous recommendation and forecasts can no longer be relied upon.
Companies: BDEV BWY BKG VTY COST CRST BBY FERG GLE KLR KIE MSLH MER MTO NXR PSN RDW RNWH SFR SHI MGNS TW/ CTO TEF TPK GFRD
Techniplas –global producer and support services company providing highly engineered and technically complex components, making the supply chain to original equipment manufacturers more efficient. FYDec17 rev $515m. Circassia Pharma (CIR.L) - specialty pharmaceutical company focused on respiratory disease transferring from the Main Market. No funds being raised. Due 4 Feb. Mkt Cap c.£185m. Greenfields Petroleum (TSX-V:GNF) production focused company with operated assets in Azerbaijan seeking AIM dual listing including $60m private placement. Mkt cap $12.6m CAD. Expected late January 2019. Chaarat Gold Holdings—RTO, the Company intends to acquire Kapan Mining and Processing CJSC, which owns the Shahumyan medium-sized polymetallic mine in Kapan in the Republic of Armenia. No raise, market cap of £110.1m, due early Feb
Companies: JHD RNWH MPAY ZNWD STM R4E ING TRMR RWI KDNC
Summary of Key forecasts changes since our last edition: - Collectively these are too numerous to mention and cover a variety of PBT, EPS, DPS cash flow and balance sheet measures; in general the P&L originated estimate changes are weighted on the negative but the cash flow & balance sheet ones are on the positive. - The biggest upgrades arithmetically are to Balfour Beatty (more balance sheet than EPS), Morgan Sindall, Renew and Severfield. - Fairly minimal changes are recorded to the Costain, Clarke, Keller and Kier forecasts. - Significant downgrades have been evident at, particularly, Interserve affecting all key metrics, MITIE (mainly EPS) and Mears (revenue through EPS).
Companies: COST BBY ISVJF KLR KIE MER MTO RNWH SFR MGNS CTO
Legalisation of online sports betting in the US will provide opportunities for AIM online gaming companies. The Supreme Court of the United States has decided to overturn the Federal prohibition of sports betting. The state of New Jersey argued that congress had exceeded its authority and the judges agreed. The US sports betting market, both onsite and online, could be worth $6bn by 2023, but individual states will have to enact legislation to enable online sports betting to commence in their territory.
Companies: RUA TYR SML STR MWE RNWH
Block Energy—a NEX Listed UK based oil exploration and production company whose main country of operation is the Republic of Georgia, looks to join AIM end of February 2018. Offer TBC OnTheMarket—Intention to float on AIM to raise c.£50m which will be used to fund the growth of the OnTheMarket.com portal, already the third biggest UK residential property portal provider. Offer raising £30m at 165p with mkt cap of £100m . Due 9 Feb.
Companies: BOTB VLG MAFL RNWH WSG TPFG BST OCI PPH ECHO
See what's trending this week...
Companies: SEECONNADNDSCVBOOTPCFRNWHFOURLOKEAHAMOCLLSTAFWYGUTWBHRDEHGRTHMWATRPPHMYSLFCRM
Topic of the quarter: It’s alive! Infrastructure and assets in general have traditionally been built to provide a fixed service and are maintained and renovated to a fixed schedule – dead and dumb. Technology will completely change this. Sensors and wireless networks have the potential to allow assets to ‘talk’ to us. These living, smart assets will be able to tell us when they need maintenance, how efficient they are being and provide the data that will directly influence their construction, availability and use. The implications for construction costs through to operating costs and the ability to service changing user needs are very significant. The Support Services, Construction and Technology sectors need to work together to maximise this potential, recognise and harness the power of data, and invest in and embrace change. These are daunting challenges in highly competitive markets where politics play a role, different skill sets (that are currently in short supply) are needed and shareholders are looking over management's shoulders. However, the prize for those companies who get it right is significant, and the risk from not changing much greater. There are positive early signs with Crossrail providing tangible examples of Smart Infrastructure using innovative sensors.
Companies: FOUR DSCV BOOT SNWS LOK RNWH VANL
Renew provides essential repair and maintenance services for UK infrastructure. These are very large, long-term markets providing significant potential for growth, but the key to Renew’s model is being selective with a focus on profits rather than just sales. Hence, while underlying Engineering Services sales in FY 2017 were flat, underlying EBIT was up +12% and total EPS up 17%. With very high and rising ROCE, strong cash flow characteristics and the potential from large, defensive long-term markets, we reiterate our Buy recommendation.
Companies: Renew Holdings plc
Patisserie Holdings (CAKE): Reassuringly good (BUY) | President Energy* (PPC): New Argentine debt facility (CORP) | Premaitha Health* (NIPT): Middle East customer wins (CORP) | Intercede* (IGP): Interims to September (CORP) | Trakm8* (TRAK): A longer road but a greater goal (CORP) | Renew (RNWH): Essential services carefully selected (BUY) | Universe Group* (UNG): Trading update (CORP)
Companies: PPC IGP RNWH UNG
Solid State* (SOLI): Interim results, distribution shows strong growth (CORP) | Europa Oil & Gas* (EOG): Holmwood planning update (CORP) | President Energy* (PPC): Open Offer result (CORP) | Stride Gaming (STR): Back to form (BUY) | Stride Gaming (STR): Back to form (BUY) | Telecom Plus (TEP): Optimism at interims (BUY) | Renew (RNWH): Solid foundation for continued growth (BUY)
Companies: SOLI EOG PPC TEP RNWH
eServGlobal* (ESG): Banking boom (CORP) | Real Good Food* (RGD): FY 2017 results (CORP) | Renew (RNWH): Growth, rising margin and net cash (BUY) | Savannah Resources* (SAV): Mahab 4 and Maqail South licencing and Oman scoping study update (CORP)
Companies: RGD RNWH SAV
Companies: CONNDSCVBOOTRNWHCMSLOKLRMCLLSTAFSXXULVRWYGUTWMVRSVCAPRSMPURPVANLWATRPPHTRMRBOOFCRM
Since our first quarterly at the end of 2015, 12 of the 59 companies we included in our valuation tables have been bid for. Given those tables were simply designed to show the range of companies present within the sector, not a hit-list of undervalued opportunities, the fact that 20% of them have been taken over is worth looking at in more detail. At a time when warnings and share price collapses from the likes of Interserve, Carillion, MITIE, DX and Capita and Serco have dominated newsflow, it should be remembered that the sector is broad and highly varied both in terms of business model and performance. If the troubles of a minority of the sector drag down wider valuations then the evidence is that there is an army of potential bidders (reinforced by the weakness of sterling) ready to take advantage.
In light of the UK election, we highlight our favoured overseas earners, operators in defensive markets and those capable of taking market share, but our main topic is the structure of the UK employment market. The UK has the lowest unemployment rate since 1975 at 4.6%, and there are, consequently, fewer and fewer candidates to fill vacancies. This suggests recruitment companies may struggle to grow, but there are structural changes in the UK labour force that offer growth opportunities. Temporary labour continues to expand relative to the point in the economic cycle, its importance accelerating since 2008, and part-time labour has grown at twice the rate of full-time labour throughout both the last cycle and over the long term. There are, of course, specialist temporary recruiters, but the part-time market appears relatively untapped (at least by the quoted companies) despite being c.5x the size of the temporary segment in terms of numbers.
Companies: FOUR DSCV BOOT SNWS LOK RNWH
Research Tree provides access to ongoing research coverage, media content and regulatory news on Renew Holdings plc. We currently have 117 research reports from 8 professional analysts.
Although 2020 will probably go down in history as one of the most challenging years experienced during our lifetime, it will also likely be chronicled as one of the best years for the recognition and appreciation of science. As we entered 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was in its infancy. However, it rapidly evolved through the exponential rise in infections and mortality globally. Much has been achieved during the past 12 months in the fight against COVID-19, but, as we enter 2021, there are considerable concerns about the emergence of a mutant version of the virus and the second wave that we are now facing.
Companies: AVO ARBB ARIX BBGI CLIG DNL FLTA ICGT OCI PCA PIN PHP RECI STX SCE TRX SHED VTA YEW
Capital Limited has released its Q4 and FY2020 trading statement this morning. Overall it shows 2020 was a strong year for the company with revenue growing 18% and most other operating metrics growing positively with it – see Fig 1. We have adjusted our forecasts accordingly and also to take into account the mining services contract for the Sukari Mine which the company won late last year. The latter is a game changer for Capital and its investment case in our view; turbo charging revenue growth, enhancing margins and diversifying cashflow all of which should lead to materially higher valuation multiples. We raise our PT to 127p.
Companies: Capital Limited
2020 ended with two positive moves for carbon capture and storage (CCS) which should benefit Velocys clients. In the US, the signing of the COVID 19 stimulus bill extends and adds support for CCS in the US where the Bayou project is working with CO2 offtaker Occidental to deliver a negative emissions project. The UK government has also published guidance on CCS funding making this option an additional opportunity for the Altalto project. Velocys remains one of the very few opportunities for investors to play negative emission technology. We see both these moves improving the operating environment for the company’s clients and their projects, stimulating demand for the Velocys technology.
Companies: Velocys plc
XP reported a strong finish to 2020, with Q4 revenues up 24% y-o-y and 4% ahead of our forecast, driving FY20 profitability ahead of expectations. Order intake has normalised to pre-COVID-19 levels, reflecting continued strong demand from the semiconductor sector. We have revised our estimates to reflect strong Q420 performance and the weaker dollar, driving a 3.0% increase in FY20 EPS and a 2.3% cut to our FY21 EPS.
Companies: XP Power Ltd.
Avingtrans has announced that it has continued to perform well in H1 FY2021 and is trading in line with market expectations. Our cautiously framed forecasts anticipate adjusted EPS growth of 17% in FY2021E and 10% in FY2022E, including the benefit of cost reduction measures. The Group confirmed high levels of order cover for FY2021E at 85% at the end of September and orders taken since then will have provided further comfort. The shares have given ground YTD and now trade on a forward EV/sales multiple of 0.9x and prospective PERs of 13.8x and 12.7x for FY2021E and FY2022E respectively which are well below sector metrics. Management is also making great progress within the medical division where the potential for its small scale MRI is substantial.
Companies: Avingtrans plc
Like many awful dreams, the Covid19 nightmare hasn’t quite finished, recently mutating into an ultracontagious super-bug. The risk being global transmission and infection rates spiral out of control, swamping healthcare systems again. However this time there is an answer. Hunker down for a few months, and inoculate as many vulnerable people as possible to reduce fatalities/hospitalisations. Plus, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is relatively simple to distribute (re 2°C to 8°C). Making rapid nationwide rollouts feasible, alongside ultimately bringing the curtain down on this dreadful virus.
Companies: Mpac Group PLC
Initiating with a Buy rating. We initiate our coverage of Proton Motor Power Systems (“Proton Motor”) with a BUY rating and a target price of 201p. Our valuation equates to a market capitalisation of £1.47bn, compared to a current share price of 65.5p and a market cap of £479m.
Companies: Proton Motor Power Systems Plc
Seeing Machines has announced that it has licensed its Occula® Neural Processing Unit to OmniVision Technologies Inc. This advances the relationship from the MOU announced in September 2020 and builds on a relationship that is over five years old, with the two organisations having worked on multiple automotive programmes with a number of Tier 1 customers.
Companies: Seeing Machines Limited
Directa Plus has released a trading update guiding to revenue for FY20 of approximately €6.5m. This is 9% ahead of the €6.0m in the trading update from 3 December and 18% ahead of our expectations of €5.5m which were set on 24 September 2020. The strong trading performance has been primarily driven by the sales of G+ enhanced face masks, including Co-Masks, and the strengthening performance of Setcar in the Environmental Division.
Companies: Directa Plus Plc
A £10m fundraising expedites the Protos project and opens the way for the £10.2m Peel warrant exercise in the current year. The funding will also give the company additional resources to pursue international opportunities. Adjusting for the raise and some timing differences, our UK only base valuation rises from 5.0p to the raise price of 5.5p and we see existing international opportunities taking this to 7.5p (from 6.9p) and including opportunities in Europe this could rise to 12.1p (from 11.2p).
Companies: Powerhouse Energy Group PLC
AFC Energy (AFC) – Corporate – Strategic Partnership with Ricardo
Companies: AFC Energy plc
Volex has reported interim results that are in-line with expectations following a strong trading update in mid-October. Of far greater significance is today’s announcement of the proposed acquisition of DEKA for a consideration of up to €61.8m on a debt free basis. DEKA is a leading and highly profitable power cord manufacturer, strategically located in Turkey, that serves leading European white goods manufacturers. The acquisition should close in early CY2021, subject to expected Turkish Competition Authority approval. We foresee 15% earnings enhancement in FY2022E with further opportunities for revenue synergies with Volex in the Far East as its operations also vertically integrate, production efficiencies increase and the cost of production falls. The statement highlights that pro forma net debt/EBITDA remains under 0.4x and this provides scope for further bolt-on acquisitions alongside a new $70m RCF and $30m accordion, also announced with the interims.
Companies: Volex plc
Directa Plus has released a positive trading update, prompting an increase in FY20 revenue forecasts after a strong conclusion to the year. The outperformance has come from Setcar and, again, from better than expected sales of G+ enhanced face masks (one of the drivers of revenue upgrades in early December). The Group enters FY21 with momentum and, in our view, attractive medium term growth potential, having responded very well to the challenges of the COVID pandemic.
Further media reports that Dr Martens, the British Boot brand is planning an IPO on the LSE. It is currently owned by PE group, Permira who is expected to sell down its stake at the IPO. March 2020 YE the group had revenues of £672m and EBITDA of £184m. Deal size TBC. Upon Admission to AIM, Nightcap will acquire The London Cocktail Club Limited (the "London Cocktail Club"), which is an award winning independent operator of ten individually themed cocktail bars in nine London locations and one location in Bristol. Offer TBC Due mid Jan. HSS Hire Group, HSS.L transfer from Main to Aim. Mkt Cap c. £70m. Recently raised £52.6m. Leading supplier of tool and equipment for hire in the United Kingdom and Ireland and has provided equipment hire services in the United Kingdom for more than 60 years, primarily focusing on the B2B market. Due 14 Jan. VH Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities plc, a closed-ended investment Company focused on making sustainable energy infrastructure investments, today announces intends to launch an initial public offering of shares on the Official List (Premium) of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Due by Early Feb.
Companies: IUG CBP KAT APP RST DIS NICL BOKU CNIC HE1
AFC Energy has announced a strategic engineering collaboration with Ricardo (RCDO). It will focus on global opportunities for AFC’s fuel cell technology in marine, rail and stationary power sectors. The agreement should open sizeable new markets for AFC which are not yet reflected in our long-term projections or the market capitalisation. Our valuation is under review for a significant upgrade given recent positive developments.
