Koovs has given an update on trade for the third consecutive quarter since it has been able to deploy funding raised in 2018. A 69% increase in Visits to the Koovs website and 100% increase in Gross Order Value (GOV) speak to improved fundamentals. Trading margin rose to 12% (7% 2Q 2018/19). These metrics are in line with pre-existing forecasts and are in line with this stage of the long-term plan. The company continues to report progress in its relationship with Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd (FLFL) in areas like range development for FLFL, website services and physical trading in FLFL retail space.
Companies: Koovs
African Export-Import Bank a supranational financial institution w hose purpose is to facilitate, prom ote and expand intra- and extra- African trade, of its potential intention to publish a registration document, the Bank hereby confirms its intention to proceed with an Initial Public Offering. The GDRs are expected to be admitted to the standard listing segment of the Official List of the FCA and to trading on the Main Market of the LSE. DNEG Limited intends to apply for adm ission of its Shares to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the FCA and to trading on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities. The Offer will be comprised of new Shares to be issued by the Company (to raise expected gross proceeds of £150m). Admission is expected to take place in November 2019.
Companies: ECK KOOV PLUS TSI GWI ORR ANIC TCM KEFI SIS
Since their privatisation in 1989, the 10 water companies have faced a periodic review every five years; it is undertaken by Ofwat, and prescribes customer prices, along with the investment requirements. As part of the ongoing review, PR19, Ofwat will publish its Final Determination numbers on 11 December 2019; they will apply as from April 2020, although water companies do have the option to seek a reference to the CMA.
Companies: AJB AGY ARBB CLIG DNL DPP FLTA GTLY GDR KOOV MCL MUR NSF PCA PIN PHP RE/ RECI RMDL STX SCE SIXH TON SHED VTA W7L
Koovs has announced expansion of its activities with Future Lifestyle Fashions Limited. These relate to a deeper relationship on product between the two groups. Koovs will be designing and sourcing an exclusive menswear brand – called Chelsea King – for introduction into 25 of FLFL’s Brand Factory stores this month (out of a total of 93). Additionally Koovs Private Label concessions will opened in five further Central department Stores (taking total to eight) and Koovs Private Label Menswear will be trialled in three Brand Factory stores. In total these extensions to its offer will add just under £1m of revenues and be profitable. So numerically they are of reasonable significance in our view – plus offering scope to be increased.
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Companies: AVO AJB AGY CLIG DNL DPP FLTA GTLY GDR KOOV MUR NSF OXB PCA PHP RE/ RMDL STX SCE TRX TON SHED VTA W7L
The introduction of IFRS 2 in 2004 generated considerable debate about the best approach for handling ‘share-based payments’ (SBP). While it is clearly a cost to shareholders, which should be included in the statutory reporting lines through the P&L account, the question arose as to whetherit should be part of our underlying EBIT calculation.
Companies: AVO AJB AGY ARBB CLIG DNL DPP FLTA GTLY GDR KOOV MCL MUR NSF OXB PCA PHP RE/ REDX RMDL STX SCE TRX TON SHED VTA W7L
Koovs FY/1Q results/update showed progress on both a transactional front and in terms of re-establishing the differentiation given by its branding that should underpin longer term prospects.
The important information from Koovs’ FY19 results is not the results for the year but the trading since the company secured its additional financing. With Gross Order Value (GOV) up 104% in 1Q20, Koovs is once more showing the sort of growth associated with online success. FY19 itself was a lost year, as the company conserved cash while it successfully sought new investors; they eventually arrived – not only with money but with important synergistic benefits too. The GOV data is a function of being able to finance growth again. The benefits of the Future Lifestyle (FLFL) tie-up are still to come in additional distribution and improved buying.
Koovs latest update covering 1Q 2019/20 shows good recovery from a weak comparative in-line with its own and consensus estimates. Improvement in web traffic +148% yoy, conversion (orders/visit) and trading margin (gross margin) all suggest that the initial phase of trading with the benefit of adequate funding is going according to plan. The company has stated that it is happy with current year consensus estimates which we believe are for Gross Order Value (GOV) of £22-23m and EBITDA of c£17m loss.
When advisers first start looking at business relief (BR) products, there is much to take in: the rules governing such products; the investment strategies being used; and what the investment risk is. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that, for non-AIM products, the investment is being made directly into a company or partnership, rather than a fund. It is, therefore, essential that governance is part of the diligence process.
Companies: AVO AJB AGY ARBB CLIG DNL DPP FLTA GTLY KOOV LWRF MCL MUR NSF OXB PCA PHP RE/ REDX RMDL STX SIXH TRX TON SHED VTA W7L
Companies: AZN AVO AJB AGY ARBB CLIG DNL DPP FLTA GTLY GDR HAYD KOOV MCL MUR PCA PHP RE/ REDX STX SIXH TON SHED VTA W7L
Koovs has updated on trade over the second half of the financial year. This period included roughly a quarter where its operations were running with renewed marketing support following its re-financing. We think these results are encouraging.
How small- and mid-cap quoted companies make a substantial contribution to markets, employment and tax revenues.
Companies: OPM AVO AJB ARBB CMH CLIG DPP FLTA GTLY GDR HAYD KOOV LWRF MCL MUR OXB PCA PHP RE/ STX SIXH TRX TON VTA W7L
Although the focus of Hardman & Co is predominantly on companies in the smallto mid-sized market capitalisation range, when writing research reports, it is important to position them relative to the industry in which they operate. Apart from Japanese companies, all the major global pharmaceutical companies have reported full-year results for 2018 over the past few weeks; therefore, we have taken the opportunity to update our industry database and generate the first cut of global rankings for 2018. For an industry that requires a long investment cycle – it still takes, on average, 10 years from discovery to launch of a new drug – decisions made many years ago have important consequences on current financial results. Therefore, looking back at operational performance over 20 years reveals how different company strategies have panned out.
Companies: TIME AVO AJB AGY ARBB CMH CLIG CSH DNL GTLY HAYD KOOV LWRF MCL MUR NSF OXB PCA PHP RE/ REDX STX SCE SIXH TON VTA W7L
In the investment world, before MiFID II, essentially every institution talked to every broker, and the whole, professional market could see every research note and the forecasts in detail. This was the ‘Age of Consensus’. Everyone had the same information (well, everyone except retail investors), and this transparency helped share price formation and liquidity
Companies: TIME AVO AJB AGY ARBB AVCT CMH CSH DNL GTLY GDR KOOV MCL OXB RE/ REDX STX SCE SIXH TRX TON VTA W7L
Research Tree provides access to ongoing research coverage, media content and regulatory news on Koovs. We currently have 38 research reports from 3 professional analysts.
Taking into account the adverse impact of the pandemic, the Air Europa acquisition price has been halved to €500m with payment deferred until the sixth anniversary of the acquisition’s completion, which is now scheduled for H2 21.
Companies: International Consolidated Airlines Group SA
Entain reported strong Q4/FY 20 sales with 7%/1% cc growth respectively (ahead of estimates). The performance was driven by the strong broad-based momentum in online (Q4 20: +41%, FY 20: +28%), which more than offset the decline in retail. The US stood out with 131% growth, pushing FY 20 revenue expectations higher to $175-180m. We will be upgrading our estimates to factor in the stronger than expected performance. In other developments, Jette Nygaard-Andersen was appointed CEO with immediate effect.
Companies: Entain PLC
We were bullish about the ongoing effects of strategic/operational initiatives at G4M, seeing forecast upside risk. It has not disappointed. Q3 sales and margin outperformance drive a 30% upgrade, and a shift into net cash. Extensive planning and systems/delivery changes have helped it after Brexit too, with trading stronger than expected so far in Jan. Valuation looks undemanding given upgrade momentum and the discount to lower margin peers.
Companies: Gear4music (Holdings) PLC
Escape Hunt (ESC) has conditionally agreed to acquire its French master franchise partner, BGP Escape (BGP). Together with UK sites currently in build, ESC expects BGP to add enough scale for the group to reach positive EBITDA when conditions normalise and new sites have matured. The acquisition is attractively priced at only 1x EBITDA before earnout payments.
Companies: Escape Hunt Plc
HeiQ is a materials innovation technology company, marketing products that increase the functionality of technical, medical and consumer textiles. The company's core products are at the leading edge of innovating the c$25bn textile chemicals market, while the recently launched antimicrobial technology, HeiQ Viroblock, enables the forward integration into the c$10bn antimicrobial textile market and OTC textile medical devices. The company is grounded on three strategic success factors, materials innovation, mass manufacturing and ingredient brand marketing, which will support the company's ambition to grow its revenues from $30m to $300m in the medium term. HeiQ has listed on London's Main Market via a reverse takeover, raising £20m in new equity. We initiate coverage with a BUY.
Companies: HeiQ PLC
…..drive further forecast upgrade
Air Partner has reported a record H1 performance, with PBT increasing by 250% to £10.5m. This was driven by COVID-19 related work, in particular repatriation flights and transportation of PPE, which offset more challenging trading conditions elsewhere. Air Partner’s diversity has insulated it from the significant COVID-19 impact felt elsewhere in the sector. As expected, COVID related work has slowed down in H2, though there have been some early signs of improvement in Private Jets (number of JetCards sold +50% YoY) and Safety & Security (multiple contract wins in Redline). Given continued subdued demand, gross profit has reduced YoY in Q3 to date, though this was offset by cost initiatives. We reintroduce forecasts for FY21, assuming PBT of £10.5m, which implies break even in H2. The balance sheet remains strong, with net cash of £18m and the Board has proposed an interim dividend of 0.80p.
Companies: Air Partner plc
M&B’s poor trading performance in Q1 FY20/21 was not a surprise. Lfl revenue in the current quarter is also likely to remain deep in the red. Management is exploring an equity issuance to remain afloat / meet the fixed cost and debt service obligations. After all, the cash coffers are fast depleting and the choice on the table is limited.
Companies: Mitchells & Butlers plc
In conjunction with the government’s new tier 4 restrictions, ANG has closed 12 stores. These stores remain operational for ‘call & collect’ though. The remaining estate, websites and DC continue to trade normally, and are geared up to fulfil demand. Positive sales momentum has continued since the update at the start of December, and angling continues to be permitted. The Board therefore reiterates full year guidance of no less than £3.8m EBITDA.
Companies: Angling Direct Plc
Dixons’ trading performance in the 10 weeks ended 9 January 2021 was a mixed bag. The strong lfl growth in the first six weeks is in contrast to the subsequent period. Management has expressed it is comfortable with the consensus of the current financial year and reaffirmed its mid-term guidance. Overall, the business remains in good shape despite the adverse impact of frequent lockdowns and the dilutive impact of the growth in e-com. We maintain a positive stance on the stock recommendation.
Companies: Dixons Carphone PLC
IAG may have reached an agreement to acquire Air Europa at a lower price (edited as per IAG’s request). The deal should be approved by the Spanish government.
Today's news & views, plus announcements from FERG, AHT, KAZ, LMP GLO, ERM, MCS, STU, SEIT, SOLG, INCE, AEXG, BEG
Companies: AEX GLO SEIT SOLG STU INCE
Kingfisher continued to register strong sales growth in Q4 FY20/21, buoyed by the higher DIY spend by consumers since the onset of the pandemic. Management continues to refrain from providing full-year revenue guidance, citing the pandemic-related uncertainties and the impact of lockdown restrictions. We maintain a positive outlook on the stock.
Companies: Kingfisher Plc
Following continued delays of a Brexit agreement, few sectors within the UK market have remained attractive to investors despite low valuations. One sector which has continued to outperform despite the political drama has been the UK video gaming sector (henceforth UK gaming), which we are fans of. We believe a combination of sector-leading growth, strong cash conversion and timely cyclical positioning support our positive view on the UK video gaming sector.
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Strike-led negative jaws effect brought IAG weakened Q3 results, which was still in line with market expectations. There was no guidance update.