Gama Aviation Live Discussion

gretel 07 Mar 2018

RNS: CEO buys £625,000 of shares This confirms the CEO's purchase of £625,000 of shares in the recent placing.......quite a show of confidence:[link]

gretel 06 Mar 2018

Another contract win More good news - GMAA have won a 2 year service contract which could run to 4 years:[link] Aviation awarded two year contract.Gama Aviation Europe wins a two year West Africa transport contract with a comprehensive Challenger 604 solution incorporating its Air & Ground services.Farnborough, UK, 2nd March 2018 – Gama Aviation Plc, the global business aviation services company, is pleased to announce it has won a competitive tender to supply air & ground services to support a major oil company’s management transportation requirement. The contract award is for two years with a further two-year option.Mark Gascoigne, Managing Director, Europe commented: “We are delighted to have extended our relationship with this client winning a hard-fought tender process. focusing on the end client’s needs, we have been able to create a solution that delivers the right mix of security, safety, resilience and value using a combination of our air and ground assets.” The contract offers a prime aircraft in the ever-versatile Bombardier Challenger 604 with a back-up fleet aircraft being supplied on an as required basis. Line and AOG maintenance is provided in country with base maintenance taking place at Gama Aviation’s Oxford facility which specialises in Bombardier Challenger 601 / 604 / 605 aircraft.Scott Corbett, Head of Jet maintenance, Europe commented: “We are well positioned to support this aircraft both down-route and through its contracted lifecycle via our Oxford base. However I also anticipate, according to the aircraft’s mission profile, that we also will draw upon our teams in Nice and Sharjah all of whom have support capabilities that we can draw upon. We believe this, alongside our experience with the type, was a major factor in the client’s decision to award the work to us.”

gretel 05 Mar 2018

New Asian contract win Good news, with a new Asian contract win - and it's encouraging that they say they've had a "fast start" to 2018::[link] "Bombardier Global 6000 enters Asia fleet Gama Aviation adds Bombardier Global 6000 to aircraft management fleet in Asia. Hong Kong, 27th February 2018 – Gama Aviation, is pleased to announce the addition of a Bombardier Global 6000 to its aircraft management fleet in Asia. Following a competitive process, Gama Aviation’s ability to support the aircraft locally and international were amongst the defining factors in the client’s final decision. The addition of the Global 6000 follows the recent addition of a Gulfstream G550 to the fleet, which also required global support given its mission profile. Sergio Oliveira e Silva, General Manager, Asia said: “I am delighted with the fast start we have had to the year. Our new client wanted a high-quality team who could fully support their mission wherever they were. With our local, regional and international resources, strong working relationship with Bombardier and deep experience with the Bombardier Global series of aircraft, we deliver just that. Few aircraft management companies in Asia can think global and deliver local in the way that we can; consequently, we are witnessing strong interest in our offer when clients wish to maximising the performance of their aircraft.”

gretel 01 Mar 2018

Excellent results from JV partner GMAA'S American JV partner BBA reported results this morning - and they were excellent for the Signature division which we're interested in, as well as showing good potential going forward:[link] operating profit in Flight Support increased by 12.0% to $329.4 million (2016: $294.0 million), driven by continued strong underlying operational performance in Signature Flight Support and an $11.6 million contribution from acquisitions. Underlying operating profit includes our Signature TECHNICAir™ and our aircraft management and charter business which is accounted for as a joint venture. On an organic basis, adjusting for acquisitions ($11.6 million), FX ($0.6 million) and disposals ($7.8 million), underlying operating profit increased by 11.3%.""Signature Flight Support's locations delivered another strong performance in a good growth environment, as we started to capture the benefits of our strong and customer-relevant network.""Signature is well positioned to focus on optimising its unique and high quality global network of FBOs and line maintenance locations, through the provision of a broader range of B&GA services to our extensive customer base and enhancing network performance to accelerate value creation. The unique Signature network has the unmatched ability to satisfy the needs of our customers at many more locations that they want to fly to, supporting anticipated continued outperformance in 2018 and beyond.In 2017 Signature expanded its affiliate FBO programme, Signature Select®. It signed an extended licence agreement with Fly Across at Toluca International Airport in Mexico, just a 30-minute drive from Santa Fe, the country's financial and business district. This location increases the Signature Select® network to 19 locations globally and we continue to look for further opportunities to expand this proposition. Signature has continued to invest in its current network, with the successful opening of its newly constructed FBO, with premium hangar space to satisfy the growing tenant demand, at Boeing Field, Seattle which completed in June 2017. It also secured a new strategic lease at Washington Dulles International Airport."

gretel 28 Feb 2018

News from Hong Kong [link] Feb 2018 Gama Aviation Asia delivers first Gulfstream G650/650ER engineering course in Hong Kong.Hong Kong, 27th February 2018 – Gama Aviation Plc, the global business aviation services company, is pleased to announce the completion of the first of its theory and practical training courses run in-conjunction with Global Jet Services and China Aircraft Services Limited (“CASL” for the Gulfstream G650/G650ER.Eleven engineers from four local MRO’s attended the course for seven weeks receiving B1 / B2 training with formal approvals from Hong Kong CAD, EASA, GCAA and the FAA.J D McHenry, President, CEO, Global Jet Services, Inc. commented: “This most recent class was an excellent example of how the continued partnership of Gama Aviation Asia and GJS will successfully support a global business aviation maintenance market. The class concluded with awarding a large group of students from multiple geographic regions with their respective certificates required by Hong Kong CAD, EASA, GCAA or FAA. They were all served at this central site provided by Gama Aviation. The combined talents, expertise, and flexibility demonstrated by this alignment of quality training providers are proof of a highly effective maintenance training solution, available to a diverse audience with specific requirements.”Sergio Oliveira e Silva, General Manager, Asia commented: “This G650/650ER engineering course is the first of its kind in Hong Kong that combines the skills of our team, CASL’s comprehensive business jet maintenance approvals and the talents of Global Jet Service’s instructors. Running this very well attended course in Hong Kong saved local companies thousands of dollars in travel and accommodation costs, removed the inconvenience of having valuable resources in different time zones and allowed the engineers to return home to their families at the end of the day. Based on the success of this G650/650ER engineering course we will be running further Gulfstream and Bombardier courses in 2018.”

gretel 25 Feb 2018

Private jet market growing fast This article in the Times suggests GMAA's aviation servicing market is only getting bigger and bigger:[link] jets chartered for as little as $500February 24 2018After the financial crash of 2008 the writer Tom Wolfe imagined the dismay of bankers and chief executives forced to give up their private jets and move through the clogged intestines of commercial airports.A decade later executives are flying privately once more. Yet there are also signs that some of the great unwashed multitude are joining them. Tumbling prices for second-hand private jets have pushed many owners to charter their aircraft rather than sell at a loss.Companies have sprung up selling seats on Gulfstreams and Bombardiers for not much more than they might pay on Delta Airlines. Industry observers have recorded a 10 per cent increase in charters and prices as low as $500.Bob Seidel, who runs a jet charter company called Alerion, said that since 2000 the resale value of some jets had dropped from $32 million to $4 million.He thought that American television might have helped too. “Shows like The Bachelor, where they are taking private jets everywhere,” had helped to popularise the idea of private jet travel, he said.Among his customers he counts a cat that flew to London on a Gulfstream jet, sent by a woman whose daughter had gone to university there. “Her daughter missed the cat,” he said. “It was the only passenger on the plane.”

gretel 19 Feb 2018

Just tipped by Simon Thompson Simon Thompson of the IC has just published this afternoon a Buy tip update on GMAA, which should bring in more buying interest. A couple of quotes - imo WH Ireland's 370p target is nearer the mark, but 325p would be a good start:"The fundraising makes commercial and strategic sense. Around $19.8m (£14.2m) of the capital will be used to acquire Hutchinson’s Hong Kong aviation interests, including a 20 per cent stake in China Aircraft Services, a company founded in 1995 and one of only three operators that provide maintenance, repair and overhaul aviation services at Hong Kong International Airport. The $16m being paid for that stake implies a value of $80m for the equity, hardly a punchy valuation for a business that made pre-tax profits of $7.8m in its last financial year and has net assets of $72m.""In the near term, the placing will be dilutive to EPS, which is why analyst John Cummins at broking house WH Ireland expects EPS to dip from 32.9¢ to 30¢ this year, even though pre-tax profits are forecast to rise 29 per cent to $22.6m on revenues up 18 per cent to $691m. The payoff will be seen in 2019 when he predicts a 50 per cent hike in pre-tax profits to $33.1m on revenues of $758m to deliver EPS of 41.2¢, or almost 30p, implying the shares are being priced on a forward PE ratio of 8.5. It’s not hard to understand why chief executive Marwan Khalek is investing £625,000 of his own money to purchase 255,000 shares in the placing. I continue to rate Gama’s shares a buy and reiterate my 325p target price"

gretel 19 Feb 2018

Re: Telegraph Questor Column Reiterated ... Thanks - here's the complete tip from Questor FYI. Some very positive commentary from the fund manager at Downingaily Telegraph Business section 14/2/2018 : " Update : Gama Aviation . Gama Aviation , tipped at 193.5p in August last year , has announced plans to raise £48M by selling new shares . Gama's existing partner in Hong Kong , Hutchinson Whampoa , has committed £ 32.7M for 21pc of Gama's enlarged equity ." This is a coup for Gama , giving it the financial firepower to take the company to the next level " , said Nick Hawthorn of Downing , who holds shares in the group . " Since we invested , management have done everything they said they would . It's only a matter of time before the true potential of this business is realised . The shares continue to look cheap at only 8.8 times 2019 earnings . We believe that they deserve to be rated at least in line with peers at 12.5 times earnings , which would imply a share price of 370p " . Questor [ the Telegraph's shares tipster ] says : buy ."

gretel 19 Feb 2018

Re: Good news re placing I note that the RNS also confirms GMAA's intentions to use part of the proceeds for acquisitions in both Air and Ground in the UK and Middle East.So it's likely that the paltry fundamentals above will be improved even further.Good to see GMAA tipped here as part of an article on small-cap growth stocks (I hold LPA and KWS which are also tipped):[link] meets Giles Hargreave's rules for such growth stock investing per the article:•Positive earnings-per-share (EPS) that have been growing by more than 10% compounded over three and five years.•Return on Capital of more than 12%.•Net Margins are increasing year-on-year.•Positive relative price strength.•A constituent of the FTSE SmallCap or AIM All-Share index.

gretel 19 Feb 2018

Good news re placing Excellent news whilst I was on hols re the 245p placing to fund further growth - really hardly any discount considering GMAA's usual volatility and illiquidity, which should now be reduced somewhat.In particular, great to see the mighty Hutchison Whampoa taking 21% of GMAA. This is a big vote of confidence going forward.The confidence in saying this so early in the financial year is also striking:"Directors are confident in the strength of the Group's operations and believe the Company is well placed to achieve its expectations in the current year"WH Ireland's forecast is now for 30c EPS this year rising to 41.2c EPS next year.That's a forward P/E of just 8.8 - and a PEG of a miniscule 0.23! Their 370p price target implies 43% share price upside from here.

San Jaime 14 Feb 2018

Re: Telegraph Questor Column Reiterated Buy Must admit that GMAA has managed to hold up better than many other stocks during the recent bot attacks. However 370 maybe a dizzy height. Will be very happy to be up around 300 after the interims next month.

saul_investor 14 Feb 2018

Telegraph Questor Column Reiterated Buy Predicting 370

gretel 29 Jan 2018

Tipped by the IC's Simon Thompson Tipped as follows by the IC's Simon Thompson - hopefully more buying to come tomorrow:"Gama in the ascentShares in Aim-traded Gama Aviation (GMAA:260p), an operator of privately owned jet aircraft, have reacted positively to a pre-close trading update ahead of results on Monday, 19 March 2018. I expect the share price to continue to make headway towards the 325p target price I set out at the time of the interims ('Riding earnings momentum', 6 September 2017).Analyst John Cummins at broking house WH Ireland expects revenues to have climbed by over a third to $586m in 2017, buoyed by significant growth in Gama’s US air division following the Landmark fleet joint venture with BBA Aviation (BBA), and in its US ground handling business, too. As expected Gama’s European air division has produced a far better margin improvement on the back of cost savings. As a result, pre-tax profits are forecast to rise by 28 per cent to $17.5m and deliver EPS of 32.9¢. The strong operational progress is set to continue in the new financial year especially as the US economy remains buoyant, suggesting that Mr Cummins’ EPS estimate of 36¢ is well supported. On this basis, Gama’s shares are rated on 10 times earnings estimates.One reason for the modest rating is that Gama is involved in legal proceedings relating to its legacy Hangar 8 business brought by its former chief executive Dustin Dryden who resigned in September 2015. In a separate case, the company is trying to recover a long standing trade receivable on which it holds adequate security. The board expect the net effect of these proceedings to lead to a net cash inflow to the company. I am unconcerned.More importantly, with net debt reduced by almost a third to $13m year-on-year, and the trading outlook upbeat, I would expect a hike on last year’s dividend of 2.6p a share and see potential for further earnings-accretive bolt-on acquisitions. Buy."

gretel 23 Jan 2018

Impressive news flow Lots of good news recently:[link] Jan 2018 Oxford airport maintenance facility receives FAA approvalGama Aviation Oxford airport maintenance receives FAA approval to support private jet maintenance for Bombardier Globals, Challengers and Embraer Legacy.Gama Aviation’s Oxford airport private jet maintenance base has added to its comprehensive coverage with the addition of FAA approvals for ‘N’ registered Bombardier Globals, Challengers, the Embraer Legacy series and the Bae Hawker series.Scott Corbett, Base Maintenance Manager, Gama Aviation Oxford, commented: “This summer has seen a high volume of maintenance activity taking place in Oxford. The new FAA approval, combined with our 24/7 AOG coverage for these highly popular types creates a compelling proposition for individuals and fleet owners who want holistic coverage for their aircraft.”[link] Jan 2018 Hong Kong Bombardier maintenance approvalGama Aviation, is pleased to announce China Aviation Services Limited has been awarded Hong Kong Bombardier maintenance approval with a comprehensive FAA Ops Spec at its Hong Kong International Airport base.The FAA Bombardier Global maintenance approval for the BD-700 series, enables Gama Aviation’s Hong Kong business to sell, under its general sales agreement with CASL, base maintenance (up to and including 3C / 24 month inputs) to local and regionally based FAA registered Bombardier clients.etc"[link] Jan 2018 Night vision NVIS integration for special mission"

gretel 22 Jan 2018

Moving up strongly Great start to the week, after a very good Friday move up, with buying now coming in at 258p. Hopefully new almost 2-year highs coming soon, but still lots of upside to WH Ireland's 370p target price.WH Ireland have reiterated their forecasts of: last year: 32.9c EPS this year: 36.0c EPS next year: 41.2c EPSThe pound has pushed up to $1.38 at present, but may be back to say $1.30 in terms of translation pretty soon.A single-figure P/E and a PEG of less than 1 marks GMAA as cheap and with a good value growth rating. The legal shenanigans may or may not hold it back for a while, but it'll only take a little interest to cause a good re-rating.And it looks like there's a decent-sized buyer out there now, as any selling has been mopped up easily.