II Editor
21 Feb 2018
NEW ARTICLE: A share for your shopping list, or could it get cheaper? "Morrison (WM) (LSE:MRW)It's aways tempting to declare a lack of Interest when covering LSE:MRW:Morrison supermarket. In our little part of Argyll, the choice of supermarket is limited to one and, frankly, they can be less than efficient. What ..."[link]
II Editor
20 Feb 2018
NEW ARTICLE: Trends and Targets for 21/02/2018 " MORRISON (WM) (LSE:MRW)Â It's aways tempting to declare a Lack of Interest when covering Morrison Supermarket. In our little part of Argyll, the choice of supermarket is limited to one and frankly, they can be less than efficient. What other ..."[link]
Herald
15 Feb 2018
Re: SHORTS DATA Now at 9%. Just another 212 million shares to repurchase and they will have all gone. Every 1% equals about 23.5 million shares. If they don't that's another 212 million divi payments due, guess about 4.15p per share. Are any of them making money on this? Not that any of the long term holders are either, but shorter pain is some compensation.
Herald
31 Jan 2018
Re: SHORTS DATA Publicly disclosed short positions now at 9.87%. MRW has fallen out of the top 10 hall of shame (no.11). How can a seemingly financially robust outfit like this have been just behind CLLN for much of the last two years. The hedgies seem to be giving up in slow motion. There will be another divi payment along soon enough, plus their loan fees etc. [link]
lastminute-world
22 Jan 2018
Short Capitulation Amazing OCDO capitulation and how the institutional investors do get it wrong.Loving it.Please do you own research.
II Editor
03 Jan 2018
NEW ARTICLE: Supermarket shares: Should you buy Tesco, Sainsbury's or Morrisons? "From LSE:TSCO:Tesco's recovery to the peak trading test of Argos shops in LSE:SBRY:Sainsbury's, there's plenty riding on updates from the big food retailers in the coming days.Sales in festive week can be double normal levels, but the Christmas ..."[link]
EssentialInvestor
18 Dec 2017
No click and collect I'm heading to their Weybridge store this morning to buy some spirtsas Christmas presents. It may be my lack of technical literacy, but theredid not appear to be a click and collect option, so unable to check product availability.
pancaked
29 Nov 2017
Re: OCDO Hello 'lastminute-world'I fail to see what DIRECT reference this (or your previous 2 messages) has Wm. Morrison Supermarkets - or am I missing something. I know you mention 'shorters' targeting M & S etc but I think this sort of message should not be on a specific company message board other than those mentioned.I read this board for COMPANY SPECIFIC comments.Incidentally, I think Morrison's have got a super team on board right now, and I am keeping my holding for a rise towards 300p by about Jan. 2019 (14 months time) + dividends getting back towards their level of 2 - 3 years ago
lastminute-world
29 Nov 2017
OCDO Wow got this one OCDO correct today shorters burnt to toast today.[link] did they get it so wrong number two most shorted stock.They lost 23.98% in a day....
lastminute-world
25 Nov 2017
The Short and Distort [link] Short-sellers bet £1 Billion on high street decline as they target M&S, Next and Debenhams Shorts have created a bear market supermarket sweep. The Short and Distort: Stock Manipulation in a Bear Market.[link] The Net Effect When the short and distort maneuver succeeds, investors who initially bought stock at higher prices sell at low prices because of their mistaken belief that the stock is worthless, caused by an effective distortion campaign. At the same time, the S&Ds cover at low prices and lock in their gains. Right after prominent bankruptcies such as Enron in 2001 or Nortel in 2009, investors could be more susceptible to this type of manipulation than during prosperous periods such as the 1990s in the U.S. During downturns, the first appearance of impropriety could cause investors to run for the hills much easier. As a result, many innocent, legitimate and growing companies could get burned, and investors along with them. (To learn about how you can profit when everyone else is heading for cover, read Profit From Panic Selling.) How to Identify and Prevent S&D 1.Do not believe everything you read - verify the facts. 2.Do your own due diligence and discuss it with your broker. 3.Hypothecate your stock - take it out of its street name to prevent the short sellers from borrowing and selling it. (Learn more about doing your own due diligence in our related article, Due Diligence In 10 Easy Steps) The best way to protect yourself is to do your own research. Many stocks with great potential are ignored by Wall Street. doing your own homework you should feel much more secure in your decisions. And, even if the S&Ds attack your stock, you will be better able to detect their distortions and be less likely to fall prey to them by selling the stock at a loss. Please do your own research.
lastminute-world
24 Nov 2017
Bricks Holiday Shopping Still DominatesThe busiest period for brick-and-mortar stores is still the Christmas holiday shopping season. This stretch of time between Thanksgiving and the end of the calendar year has become ever more competitive, with brick-and-mortar retailers increasing hours and running near-constant promotions. In recent years, some large retailers have even opened stores on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, which resulted in a fair amount of backlash from customers and employees.But the picture has not been perfect for online retailers over the holidays in the last few years, either. Procrastinating shoppers who waited until the last minute to order holiday gifts online overwhelmed the package delivery companies that online retailers rely on, resulting in packages delivered late or after the holidays.So there are plenty of pros and cons for both brick-and-mortar and online stores when it comes to retail's busiest shopping period.But that's not the end of the story. Amazon.com is now opening its own bricks and mortar stores. they have learned that a significant portion of the population will only by in s store and so the once giant of online is now a back and mortar retailer.
cricket2
23 Nov 2017
Re: Merry Christmas for Morrisons Article in today’s Times by Tempus, good positive write up.
Bertie Biddle
21 Nov 2017
Black Friday I like what they are doing for Black Friday.Spend £50 in store and get a voucher for 10p off a litre fuel.That should generate some custom, attract more to shop in store, see their Christmas offerings and possibly spend over the £50 while the biggest fuel discount should not exceed £5.Offer is open all this week and voucher can be cashed up to Dec 1st.Clever stuff.
EssentialInvestor
11 Nov 2017
Re: MRW v KGF Hi Bill, very much appreciate your view, and reply, as always.I have KGF on a watchlist, they also have an aggressive share buy back program currently.KGF arguably more cyclical and I noted the recent Homebase figures in the Westfarmersupdate(they also own Target in the US from memory) which painted a weak picture imv.Screwfix looks the jewal in the crown, however they have significantly grown thatbusiness during begine conditions. Would assume there is flexibility in the cost base should trading conditions toughen, to mitigate at least some of this.BT my main add this week.
Bill1703
10 Nov 2017
Re: MRW v KGF "Which is the better value?... Any views appreciated."As always, you have to look at the whole valuation picture, from a number of angles - while putting it in the context of the respective market sectors and competitive positions.On an earnings basis, 13.8x prospective P/E for KGF vs 17.6x MRW... KGF looks the cheaper, prima facie, though hardly that cheap against the market or a challenged retail sector (with valuations that reflect this). And MRW earnings have been in decent recovery for a couple of years, with this forecast to continue - while KGF EPS has been flat-lining in recent times, and will likely be down a bit this year. The inference is you don't have to look too far ahead to see this P/E gap converge - unless something happens to arrest the current trend. It's a similar story on EV/EBITDA, though the gap somehat narrower - 6.2x KGF vs 7.5x MRW (actual last FY). Again, undemanding relative to the market, but hardly exceptional within a sector abundant with undemanding valuation metrics. Likewise, FCF is attractive for both, though actually more so for MRW currently (10-11% FCF yields last 2 FY) than KGF (around 7% each of last 2 FY) - and there are plenty of big FCF yields across the UK retail sector. Both have very well-covered dividends - KGF with better EPS cover, but MRW much better FCF cover - yet neither stock is a stand-out income play, with KCF yielding slightly more (3.4% vs 2.8% prospective) but MRW probably offering the better forward growth profile. Not much to choose between them here - but there are plenty of better yield stories elsewhere, even just within their own sector.On balance sheet strength, you would pick KGF - sitting on significant net cash. But it is hardly a weakness for MRW, with strong freehold asset backing, relatively low leverage (1.4x ND/EBITDA last FY) and the strong FCF likely to reduce this steadily further. Overall, then, KGF is arguably a bit "cheaper" than MRW, but it depends what you want to focus on, not much in it IMHO - and MRW unarguably has the better operational momentum and financial trajectory at the moment. So perhaps a toss-up as to which is the "better value"... and of course, both are operating in tough markets experiencing both structural issues and fierce competition, neither of which is likely to alleviate any time soon.Personally, of the two, I would probably buy MRW - but then, I am more impressed by FCF than others might be. And I am not sure either would be that high up a list of "best value" UK retail plays at current prices...
