AMTE Power, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery cells for specialist markets, announced its intention to seek admission to trading on AIM. Admission is expected to take place during March 2021. The Company intends to raise approximately £7 million by way of a placing of new ordinary shares in the capital of the Company. Timing TBC. Samarkand Group Limited, the cross-border eCommerce technology and retail group opening up the world's largest market for brands and retailers, intends to IPO on the Apex Segment Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market. Admission is targeted for March 2021. Cellular Goods a UK-based provider of premium consumer products based on biosynthetic cannabinoids announced its intention to join the main market (standard) this Spring. Target valuation £20m raising c. £8m “to finalise the development and launch of a range of the Company's premium-quality consumer products based on biosynthetic cannabinoids, which is fully compliant under UK law.” Kanabo Group (RTO by Spinnaker Opportunities SOP.L) on the main market (standard). Raising £6m, enlarged mkt cap £23.4m. Kanabo focuses on the distribution of Cannabis-derived products for medical patients, and non-THC products for CBD consumers . Due 16 Feb. NextEnergy Renewables to launch an IPO on the Main Market. NREN is a differentiated renewables investment company that aims to capture the most attractive private renewables and energy transition infrastructure investment opportunities globally. Targeting a £300m raise. NREN is targeting total returns of 9-11 per cent. per annum (net of all fees and expenses but including the Target Dividend and capital appreciation) . The Company's target dividend yield for the first full financial year to 31 December 2022 is 5.5 pence. Due Early March 2021. Auction Technology Group is considering an IPO on the Main Market. The Group operates six world-leading online Marketplaces and proprietary global auction platform technology for curated online auctions . In FY20 the Group delivered pro forma revenue of £52.3 million, supported by notable underlying year-on-year growth from both Standalone ATG Group and Standalone Proxibid Group (12.4 per cent. and 40.4 per cent., respectively). For the same period, the Group delivered a strong profitability performance of £22.3 million pro forma Adjusted EBITDA representing a pro forma Adjusted EBITDA margin of 42.6 per cent. Expected March 2021. Digital 9 Infrastructure launch an initial public offering on the Specialist Fund Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, by way of an initial placing and offer for subscription for a target issue £400m. Digital 9 Infrastructure plc is a newly established, externally managed investment trust. The Company will invest in a range of digital infrastructure assets which deliver a reliable, functioning internet. The IPO Prospectus is expected to be published in March 2021. Cordiant Digital Infrastructure to admit its shares on the Specialist Fund Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange . Targeting a £300m raise. Cordiant invests in global infrastructure and real assets, running infrastructure private equity and infrastructure private credit strategies through limited partnership funds and managed accounts. Due 16 Feb. 4basebio UK Societas is a specialist life sciences group focused on therapeutic DNA for gene therapies and DNA vaccines and providing solutions for effective and safe delivery of these DNA based products to patients. The Company has been divested from 4basebio AG , a German company listed on the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange . No capital to be raised on Admission. Anticipated market capitalisation on AIM Admission: £14.53m. Due 17 Feb Cornish Metals (TSX-V: CUSN) intends to list on AIM. The Company is proposing to raise £5m by way of private placement of new Common Shares to advance the United Downs copper-tin project. The Company expects that Admission will become effective 16 February 2021. The Company's Common Shares will continue to be listed and trade on the TSX-V in Canada. Raising £8.2m. £18.7m mkt cap.
Companies: FRP BZT NAR FFWD SRB GRL RRR JET2 FARN INFA
Umuthi Healthcare Solutions Plc, the technology led healthcare business focused on the distribution of pharmaceuticals and the provision of medical facilities in remote areas, seeking admission to the Standard Listing segment of the Official List The Hut Group. Expected intention to float on the Main Market. THG is a vertically integrated digital-first consumer brands group, retailing its own brands in beauty and nutrition plus third party brands, via its proprietary technology platform to an online and global customer base. For the year ended 31 December 2019, THG's revenue was £1.1 billion, up 24.5 per cent. year-on-year, and its Adjusted EBITDA was £111.3 million, representing an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 9.8 per cent . The Company has experienced an acceleration in growth during 2020, with revenue of £676 million, up 35.8 per cent. on the equivalent prior year period , achieved in the 6 months to 30 June 2020, which the Directors believe evidenced the non-discretionary nature of the nutrition and beauty categories . Kibo Energy PLC, the multi-asset Africa focused energy company, is seeking admission for its 100% owned UK subsidiary Sloane Developments Ltd , which will be renamed Mast Energy Developments PLC (MED), to the Standard List of the London Stock Exchange plc . Targeted for Q4 2020. The MED business strategy is to acquire and develop a portfolio of flexible small-scale power generation assets, exploiting a growth niche market in the UK for Reserve Power generation to balance out the national grid at critical times.
Companies: JET2 KRPZ IRON DNL RBG MPAC AGY SENS TGP
Dart Group has released an AGM statement this morning indicating satisfaction with load factors and financial performance achieved year-to-date in the context of the challenging operating environment. In addition, the Group has applied to change its name to Jet2 Plc in recognition of the recent sale of the Fowler Welch distribution business and the sole focus on leisure travel. We keep our forecasts withdrawn at this time.
Companies: Jet2 PLC
FY20 results – All Focus on Resuming Operations
Sale of Fowler Welch
FY20 year-end trading update
Industry volatility – FY20 guidance withdrawn
Robust FY20 trading update but FY21 a difficult market
Dart Group has reported another strong set of interim results and indicates that the Board now expects current market expectations for FY20 to be significantly exceeded. In our view, the Group’s strategy and focus on customer service and a flexible offering has put it in a position to benefit from the current market conditions following the exit of Thomas Cook and we anticipate the Group will continue to build on this position in the medium term to overcome inherent industry cost challenges. Reiterate buy rating.
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.
Companies: ABBY AMS ANX ARS ATYM AVON BLVN PIER BUR CGS CAML CDM CSRT TIDE CYAN JET2 DEMG ELM EMR FPO FDEV GTLY GENL GHH GRI GEEC GKP HMI HAYD HEAD HILS HTG HUR IBPO IOG INDI JHD JOG KAPE KEYS KWS KCT KGH LAM LIT LOK MACF MANO MOD OXIG PCA PANR APP SRE PHC PMO RBW RMM RBGP RSW RNO ROR SUS SCPA SEN SHG SOLG SOM SUMO TM17 INCE TWD TRAK TRI VNET VTC ZOO ZTF
Dart Group has released a positive trading update indicating booking trends have continued to strengthen, boosted by later season bookings, and that the Board believes market expectations for FY20 PBT will be exceeded. There had been indications from other market players that demand had been strengthening in the later season and this announcement suggests Jet2 has been well positioned to capture the upside. Reiterate Buy.
Registration document approved for Helios Towers. The Group provides essential network services, flexible infrastructure solutions and reliable power supply to mobile network operators in five African growth economies. Revenue increased 7 per cent. year-on-year to US$191m (H1 2018: US$178m), with Adjusted EBITDA up 15 per cent. year-on-year at US$99m (H1 2018: US$86m) for the six months ended 30 June 2019. Pricing rumoured at 115p to 145p implying valuation of up to $1.8bn. Expected Oct 2019.
Companies: IDEA MACP QUIZ TRMR SYM CLP CDM JET2 CERP BLTG
Dart Group has released an AGM statement this morning with the Board remaining optimistic that current market expectations for FY20 PBT (pre-FX revaluations) will be met but with caution over the outlook given rising costs and uncertainty which could impact FY21. We continue to believe that, in the face of industry headwinds highlighted in the statement, Dart Group’s well differentiated Leisure Travel strategy positions the Group very well vs competition and should contribute to ongoing share gains in the industry in coming years. Reiterate buy.
In January, we provided a list of 11 stocks for 2019 that we believed would perform strongly with attractive catalysts that could lead to material outperformance. In this Quarterly Research Outlook, we revisit these views, analysing what has happened and how the remaining six months of the year could play out.
Companies: AMS ANX ARS ATYM AVON BLVN PIER BUR CGS CAML CALL CSRT TIDE CYAN JET2 DEMG ELM EMR FPO FST GTLY GENL GRI GEEC GKP HMI HAYD HEAD HILS HTG HUR HYR IBPO IOG INDI JHD JOG KAPE KEYS KCT KGH LAM LIT LOK MACF MANO PCA PANR PXC PHC PMO RBW RMM RSW RNO RKH RBGP ROR SUS SCPA SHG SOLG SOM TWD TRAK TSG TRI VNET VTC ZOO ZTF
Dart Group has released FY19 results ahead of current market expectations albeit this was flagged at the trading update in April. The Board remain optimistic of meeting FY20 market expectations and commentary in the press release indicates that customer demand and operational momentum continues to be strong. We have long viewed Dart’s Leisure Travel strategy as well differentiated vs competition and see this contributing to ongoing share gains in the industry. Buy.
Research Tree provides access to ongoing research coverage, media content and regulatory news on Jet2 PLC. We currently have 119 research reports from 4 professional analysts.
The group has announced the Board’s decision to terminate the Strategic Options Review announced in June 2020 and to continue to focus on its existing online strategy, which continues to generate exceptional growth and strong cash flow. The statement also provides a trading update that confirms continuing strong trading through Q3. Our current year forecast PBT is upgraded by 79% from £7.8m to £14.0m.
Companies: Best of the Best plc
Further to the upgrade delivered on the back of its impressive Q3 peak trading period, G4M has continued to perform strongly in Q4, resulting in another upgrade. Management now anticipates that EBITDA for FY21E will be not less than £18.2m, compared with our previous forecast of £16.6m. We have subsequently raised our FY21E EBITDA forecast by £1.7m (+10%) to £18.3m. G4M will make a more detailed announcement on FY21E’s trading performance no later than 23 April.
Companies: Gear4music (Holdings) PLC
Gear4music has continued to perform strongly since its Q3 update. As a result it has increased Mar’21 EBITDA guidance by £1.7m, equating to a c11% EBITDA margin and a 15% EPS upgrade. Today’s news not only highlights the continuing improvements in gross margin, but also the effectiveness of its cross border logistics solutions post-Brexit. This has allowed it to gain market share and maintain a clear customer proposition in contrast to others in its sector. Given its growing competitive advantages and discount relative to peers, valuation looks undemanding in our view, on <1x EV/sales or 9x Mar21 EV/EBITDA.
tinyBuild— a leading video games publisher and developer with global operations. tinyBuild's strategic focus is in creating longlasting IP by partnering with video games developers, establishing a stable platform on which to build multi-game and multimedia franchises is to join AIM. Offer details TBC. Due mid-March. AMTE Power, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery cells for specialist markets, announced its intention to seek admission to trading on AIM. Admission is expected to take place during March 2021. The Company intends to raise approximately £7m by way of a placing of new ordinary shares in the capital of the Company. Timing TBC. Samarkand Group Limited, the cross-border eCommerce technology and retail group opening up the world's largest market for brands and retailers, intends to IPO on the Apex Segment Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market. Admission is targeted for March 2021. Cellular Goods a UK-based provider of premium consumer products based on biosynthetic cannabinoids announced its intention to join the main market (standard). Has raised £13M in an oversubscribed placing. £25m mkt cap. Due 26 Feb. NextEnergy Renewables to launch an IPO on the Main Market. NREN is a differentiated renewables investment Company that aims to capture the most attractive private renewables and energy transition infrastructure investment opportunities globally. Targeting a £300m raise. NREN is targeting total returns of 9-11 per cent. per annum (net of all fees and expenses but including the Target Dividend and capital appreciation) . The Company's target dividend yield for the first full financial year to 31 December 2022 is 5.5 pence. Due Early March 2021. Digital 9 Infrastructure launch an initial public offering on the Specialist Fund Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, by way of an initial placing and offer for subscription for a target issue £400m. Digital 9 Infrastructure plc is a newly established, externally managed investment trust. The Company will invest in a range of digital infrastructure assets which deliver a reliable, functioning internet. The IPO Prospectus is expected to be published in March 2021. Team PLC announced their plans for an AIM IPO. Team owns Theta Enhanced Asset Management Ltd, trading as Team Asset Management. This is a Jersey-based active fund manager providing discretionary and advisory portfolio management services to private clients, trusts and charities. Assets under management were GBP291m in November, up from GBP140m in December 2019 . The Company is seeking to raise no less than £5m. The Placing will be priced on a pre-money valuation for the Company of £7m. Targeting March Admission. Virgin Wines UK Plc has out their plans for an AIM IPO. Virgin Wines is a direct-to-consumer online wine retailer that sells products to retail customers in the UK through two subscription schemes and a pay-as-you-go offering. The Group also sells a range of beers and spirits and operates a B2B sales channel for corporates. Anticipated mkt cap £110m. Raising £13m in new money and vendor sale of £34.9m . Due 2nd March. Fix Price announces its intention to float on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Fix Price is one of the leading variety value retailers globally and the largest in Russia, with more than 4,200 stores. Fix Price has revenues of RUB 190.1bn, RUB 142.9bn and RUB 108.7bn for 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA for the same years was RUB 36.8bn, RUB 27.2bn and RUB 14.2bn, respectively. The Offer would consist of an offering of GDRs by certain existing shareholders of the Company. Great Point Entertainment Income Trust PLC announced its prospectus has been approved by the FCA. Great Point Entertainment Income Trust PLC is a newly established, externally managed closed-ended investment company. The Company will provide project finance to content makers and commissioners in the global television and film production industry via senior loans secured against pre-sold intellectual property (IP) rights. GPEIT's investment objective is to provide Shareholders with dividend income and modest capital growth through exposure to media content finance. According to media reports, Deliveroo, are expecting to release their IPO plans on 8th March. The company raised more than $180m in January with a valuation of more than $7bn.
Companies: YEW IKA UPR WYN ENW BWNG TRAK DBOX HZM G4M
tinyBuild— a leading video games publisher and developer with global operations. tinyBuild's strategic focus is in creating longlasting IP by partnering with video games developers, establishing a stable platform on which to build multi-game and multimedia franchises is to join AIM. Offer details TBC. Due mid-March. AMTE Power, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery cells for specialist markets, announced its intention to seek admission to trading on AIM. Admission is expected to take place during March 2021. The Company intends to raise approximately £7m by way of a placing of new ordinary shares in the capital of the Company. Timing TBC. Samarkand Group Limited, the cross-border eCommerce technology and retail group opening up the world's largest market for brands and retailers, intends to IPO on the Apex Segment Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market. Admission is targeted for March 2021. NextEnergy Renewables to launch an IPO on the Main Market. NREN is a differentiated renewables investment Company that aims to capture the most attractive private renewables and energy transition infrastructure investment opportunities globally. Targeting a £300m raise. NREN is targeting total returns of 9-11 per cent. per annum (net of all fees and expenses but including the Target Dividend and capital appreciation) . The Company's target dividend yield for the first full financial year to 31 December 2022 is 5.5 pence. Due Early March 2021. Digital 9 Infrastructure launch an initial public offering on the Specialist Fund Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, by way of an initial placing and offer for subscription for a target issue £400m. Digital 9 Infrastructure plc is a newly established, externally managed investment trust. The Company will invest in a range of digital infrastructure assets which deliver a reliable, functioning internet. The IPO Prospectus is expected to be published in March 2021. Team PLC announced their plans for an AIM IPO. Team owns Theta Enhanced Asset Management Ltd, trading as Team Asset Management. This is a Jersey-based active fund manager providing discretionary and advisory portfolio management services to private clients, trusts and charities. Assets under management were GBP291m in November, up from GBP140m in December 2019 . The Company is seeking to raise no less than £5m. The Placing will be priced on a pre-money valuation for the Company of £7m. Targeting March Admission. Virgin Wines UK Plc has out their plans for an AIM IPO. Virgin Wines is a direct-to-consumer online wine retailer that sells products to retail customers in the UK through two subscription schemes and a pay-as-you-go offering. The Group also sells a range of beers and spirits and operates a B2B sales channel for corporates. Anticipated mkt cap £110m. Raising £13m in new money and vendor sale of £34.9m . Due 2nd March. Fix Price announces its intention to float on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Fix Price is one of the leading variety value retailers globally and the largest in Russia, with more than 4,200 stores. Fix Price has revenues of RUB 190.1bn, RUB 142.9bn and RUB 108.7bn for 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA for the same years was RUB 36.8bn, RUB 27.2bn and RUB 14.2bn, respectively. The Offer would consist of an offering of GDRs by certain existing shareholders of the Company. Great Point Entertainment Income Trust PLC announced its prospectus has been approved by the FCA. Great Point Entertainment Income Trust PLC is a newly established, externally managed closed-ended investment company. The Company will provide project finance to content makers and commissioners in the global television and film production industry via senior loans secured against pre-sold intellectual property (IP) rights. GPEIT's investment objective is to provide Shareholders with dividend income and modest capital growth through exposure to media content finance. According to media reports, Deliveroo, are expecting to release their IPO plans on 8th March. The company raised more than $180m in January with a valuation of more than $7bn.
Companies: ARS ESC AQX ARTL KRS KBT GRP BOOM CNS ANIC
Lookers is emerging from its recent turmoil in good shape. It has replaced key management and enhanced its controls over processes, reporting, costs and cash flow. Restructuring exercises in late-2019 and mid-2020 have improved the dealership portfolio and cut £50m from payroll. This should enable the company to deliver a strong recovery in profits as demand returns with the ending of lockdown #3 on 12th April. On a FY22E PE of under 5x and trading at a 34% discount to NAV, the shares look undervalued, and our blue-sky scenario can justify a target value of over 100p.
Companies: Lookers 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
AF-KLM’s FY20 results were slightly stronger than the market’s expectations. The group foresees a sombre Q1 and has delayed its mid-term financial objectives as expected. The quasi-equity and equity injection proposal is expected to be settled within the next few weeks.
Companies: Air France-KLM SA
easyJet’s Q1 performance was largely hit by travel restrictions in Europe and the situation is expected to be worse in the next quarter. Nevertheless, the market was persuaded by the airline’s current liquidity position which could allow a survival of more than 14 months even in a fully-grounded scenario.
Companies: easyJet plc
Nightcap is building a portfolio of high-quality brands in the Premium Bars sector targeting millennials in the 25-40 age bracket. Nightcap’s first acquisition was the London Cocktail Club. Founded in 2010 The London Cocktail Club operates nine bars across London and one in Bristol. The New York style cocktail bars have their own individual themes ranging from ‘Downtown LA’ to ‘Saville Row’ making each unique. Customers are served sophisticated drinks, by world class bartenders in an unpretentious “party style” environment. The bars are typically basement located and so competition for sites is reduced and rents lower. Serving predominantly spirits based cocktails without a wide range of wines or beers creates a concentrated drinks list allowing greater purchasing synergies and high margins.
Companies: Nightcap PLC
Sales growth of 27% in FY’21 was slightly better than expected after a successful Q4 despite lock-down restrictions. This reflects its growing omni-channel status in fragmented markets. Previously upgraded EBITDA guidance of not less than £3.8m is well underpinned by this and progress on key strategic priorities, including gross margin expansion. While FY22 forecasts (set in early Dec) don’t factor in an extended lock-down until 12 Apr, these margin/efficiency gains also have positive implications for future profitable growth once restrictions end.
Companies: Angling Direct Plc
Various Eateries owns, develops and operates restaurant sites in the UK, having been established with arguably the strongest ever team assembled in the hospitality sector to take advantage of the disruption caused by the pandemic. This morning, the group has released in-line full year results to 27 September 2020, having listed on AIM two days prior to year-end. Importantly, the overall site performance when allowed to open has been positive. Since the beginning of the new financial year, Coppa Club in Cobham has been added to the estate and management is seeing a large number of sites and businesses becoming available. Although disruption will continue to affect its eleven sites in the coming weeks, restrictions in place continue structurally to increase the size of the opportunity ahead - more sites are becoming available at even lower rents, competition for customers is being further reduced and a larger and more distressed pool of potential acquisition opportunities will be presented, all firmly reinforcing the Various Eateries investment case.
Companies: Various Eateries Plc
Various Eateries listed on AIM last month, raising £25m in new growth capital. The business arguably has the strongest ever team assembled in the hospitality sector, one that is now looking to take advantage of the extraordinary conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board includes Andy Bassadone (Ivy Collection, Côte, Bill's, My Kinda Town), Hugh Osmond (PizzaExpress, My Kinda Town, Punch Taverns), Yishay Malkov (Ivy Collection, Roka Zuma) and Oli Williams (Itsu, McDonald's), giving it the experience to acquire and successfully convert sites at pace. The group has two brands ideally positioned for the post COVID-19 environment of the 2020s, including the trend for working from home. While some of the group's ten existing locations are likely to continue to see a near-term impact from the Covid response, these measures, are by their nature, structurally increasing the size of the opportunity ahead for Various Eateries - competition for customers being further reduced, more sites becoming available at even lower rents and a larger and more distressed pool of potential acquisition opportunities being presented. As such, we believe the current backdrop has created the greatest opportunity in casual dining since the sector began to emerge in the UK in the 1990s. We see fair value for the shares at 92p.
The final results reflect the impact of the UK Government’s enforced closure of bars and restaurants due to COVID-19 in March 2020, which resulted in the group being unable to trade for the final 14 weeks of the financial year. This offset the good progress made in the first half of the year and the first ten weeks of the second-half following the introduction of a number of management initiatives.
Companies: Revolution Bars Group 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.
