nk1999
11 Feb 2017
Re: NEW ARTICLE: Share of the week: A divide... Extract from this article:"With management maintaining full-year forecasts, broker UBS has done the same. Analyst Peter Larkin reckons revenue will jump 9% to £5.7 billion this year, with operating profit up 8% to £325 million, giving earnings per share of 11.85p.He's also confident a return of the dividend could be on the cards. If FirstGroup pays out a 4.6p (re)maiden dividend, the shares are currently yielding 4%.This recovery story is still just finding its legs, however. With plenty of hurdles ahead, Larkin has kept onto his 108p target price and 'neutral' rating for now."
II Editor
10 Feb 2017
NEW ARTICLE: Share of the week: A dividend payer? "This time last year, British transport company LSE:FGP:FirstGroup was hurtling towards an all-time low, as terrible weather and flooding forced the group to lower its profits guidance after a tricky few years. Filling the gap, the shares then ..."[link]
Nice to Michu
08 Feb 2017
nice s/p rally The key statement in yesterdays update for me was:''We remain focused on disciplined execution to deliver significantly increased cash generation for the full year."They spent big on fleet renewal etc in recent years and so now ongoing good cash generation can be used to pay down debt and eventually recommence a dividend.That's good in anybody's language..Results are still patchy - First bus for eg as pyuk says - and so I'm not calling this the beginning of the meaningful rally that long suffering holders such as me have been waiting for .. but there's a chance this sleeping giant is now waking up..And charters will now like this too .
pyueck
07 Feb 2017
Re: Encouraged... The results were ok, however they have to be put in context Q3 2015/16 was dire. I do want to pull out one of the results, Firstbus, for what is another Oscar winning performance by Firstgroup in excuses. Let's take a bit of a closer look and pull apart the marketing rubbish from the facts.a) Firstbus had exactly the same excuse last year 'lower than expected high street retail footfall in the run up to Christmas'!!! How can you use the same excuse to explain why results in Bus are worse this year than bad. Maybe that's how Christmas is now, more people buying online, less in town centres. b) The results are actually worse than they appear as last year there was 'exceptionally wet weather and flooding impairing services in some of our markets'. So far the winter weather this year has been benign, so where is the uplift from this, or even any mention of it in the comparisons. A classic example of hoping FGP investors have sieves for memories.c) And then a new excuse, traffic, please!!!! Is there any evidence traffic was worse this year than last? And how come congestion is worse, yet high street footfall is 'mixed'. It's a bad excuse.
dronaig
07 Feb 2017
Re: Encouraged... Return of dividend??
Trugthing
07 Feb 2017
Encouraged... Quietly encouraged by today's statement and immediate SP reaction. Confirmation that the Board appears to be doing the right things - and that at least some other investors share that analysis/sentiment. If Transport was a more favoured sector we might see a stronger SP, but it's all about having the basics right, whichever sector, and these guys are making reasonable progress now on most of the key indicators.
Graham Morrice
13 Jan 2017
Re: Back in today "Lose" not "loose". Otherwise, I agree with earlier correspondents that now may be the time to buy - or wait for the next downturn? but never run out of patience!
pyueck
13 Jan 2017
Re: Back in today Well this has been a great stock for bringing on a severe and long lasting bout of depression.Remember the promises made by this company and how many of them it's hit.Personally I don't buy the whole impact of oil price argument, they made it in particular to Greyhound and I see their problems are more better competition and poor service.Yes the devaluation of sterling will help us profits, however it could also impact on costs for Uk business, if I remember correctly they said it would have little benefit.I do think there is a big potential upside, if margins could be sorted and once the debt is refinanced at lower rates this could fly. But my issue is I have been dissapointed so many times, after a while you loose the faith.Good luck though!
evenlongershot
13 Jan 2017
Back in today Hello board. I'm back in today for the following reasons 1. we've seen share price testing levels above £1.10 and second half trading is usually stronger, 2. sterling weakness against the dollar will translate favourably for US earnings 3. oil prices have risen making motoring more expensive so we might see those previous highs broken this year. Potential fallout from Croydon tram could be a risk but after waiting so long for the tide to turn for this company this could be the year??Any other thoughts out there?
numberbiter
19 Nov 2016
Tired drivers Following the Croydon tram crash, the Sun has shown a video of a driver on the same route (not the same driver as the crash driver) having difficulty staying awake. What needs to be established as a matter of urgency is whether drivers' tiredness is due to negligence or unreasonable rostering causing them to have insufficient sleep.
forwardloop
16 Nov 2016
info [link]
Recovery required
15 Nov 2016
Re: Hold I agree. This has been a very poor investment on my part and following the rights issue is worth far more of my portfolio than it should. I thought they had finished their capex spend which is actually higher than last year! Goodness knows whether we will see a dividend again. All I can do is cross my fingers for the second half but they seem to consistently underperform. What happened to the activist shareholder?
magoo100
15 Nov 2016
Hold Don't think any progress has been made at all here,should be doing a lot better than what they are.
pyueck
15 Nov 2016
Re: Results far from spectacular but solid Really??I quote from May 2014 final results "Although this approach may result in a modestly smaller revenue base and some short term costs, over the medium term this approach - coupled with the further cost savings - will result in a more sustainably attractive contract portfolio, which will deliver double digit margins and better returns on capital."I would say two and a half years is medium term and they are no way near double digit margins, so according to their own targets they are miles off! Maybe these companies hope investors don't remember promises, another one broken by FGP, still not got over the broken promises regards dividends.
numberbiter
10 Nov 2016
Re: Croydon Tram Disaster Yes, but cars and trucks do not carry 60 people. Most public transport do have fail safe devices. If a train driver blacks out the train will automatically come to a halt. After this, trams will have to be modified.
