NoQuestionMarks
01 Aug 2017
Re: Share Buy Back As of today."The issued share capital of the Company is comprised of 640,602,369 ordinary shares of 10p each. As 111,133,343 of these ordinary shares are held as treasury shares, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 529,469,026."
Radaking
29 Jul 2017
Re: French Connection I am surprised super Mike Ashley hasn't got any NBROWN GROUP (BWNG).Its a niche stock JD Williams, Jaco and Simply Be.This is the sort of stock that I thought would appeal to him.Currently up 36% this year,pretty much a good recovery play like his very own SPD,but pays a healthy div of 4.52% at todays price..............
NoQuestionMarks
28 Jul 2017
French Connection Stake increased from 10.7m to 26m shares following the sale by a couple of insti's.We now own 27.04% of the issued shares.nqm
Radaking
25 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? malj1 m8 do you work for the said below?GOLDMAN RAISES SPORTS DIRECT TO 'NEUTRAL' ('SELL') - TARGET 350 (260) PENCESPORTS DIRECT UP OVER 20% IN THE PAST FEW TRADING DAYSOOP`S!Next resistance level is around £4-£4.20ish,support around £3.50BoomshakaRada
NoQuestionMarks
25 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? Foolish?So, buying at under 300p and sat here with a 14% paper profit in less than a year is foolish?Making money is the game, it's binary, up or down and quite often common sense and reason doesn't play a part. Spotting an opportunity and acting on it. For me, SPD was always going to bounce given the positive news flow and the oversold position from where we were.I'd much rather put my cash in with Mike Ashley. He backs his judgement with cold hard cash, unlike the majority of CEO's who barely hold a share, sell options as soon as they vest and draw millions in salaries regardless of success.
malj1
24 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? Is any one here actually reading the a/c?! Just for a laugh you might wish to consider, amongst others:FX contract write back +£18.3m. Not on the face of the p&l. Tucked in the fin review with no note explanation. Significantly flatters the cost servicing debt. OopsUnhedged $ fx hits gm%/op%. This won't unwind anytime soon. Accelerated depreciation (the previous policy undercharged for the companies assets, thus overstating 'profits'). This won't unwind full stop. Consequently h2 operating margin from retail pre exceps falls to 1.8%, which is dire. Also this indicates historic profits have been overstated. MA never takes a dy, he just received share bonuses based on overstated profits (as do employees) at the expense of the other shareholders. Arguably this is fraud. No wonder he hasn't had a FD for 3 years. Oops.The major profit on the p&l came from the sale of Dunlop brand. With o/l brands on gm% ca 60% & 3rd party brands on gm% ca 30% this is selling the crown jewels & is v bad new for future profits/margin. Oops.There isi no strategic use for the 'strategic assets.' This is MA gambling. Oops.The strategic reposition is as feasible as rebranding/repositioning Lidl as Waitrose. Oops.The derivative/fx trading is only valid if you wish to finance MA gambling again. Oops.There continue to be payment streams to the Ashley clan. Either the Ashley clan are to retail what the Rothschilds are to banking or this is financial nepotism / aka dodgy payments.I could go on. The above is hardlyt the full iceberg. The key issue is the real business of selling sports stuff is generating virtually no profit. If you want to finance MA's gambling addiction (sorry derivative & strategic trading) then that's your choice! But my view is hot with a barge-pole. For my part I have no holding in SD. I do however have a holding in JD & take comfort from the fact that their main competitor is somewhere between awry to imploding.One for the very very brave or more likely the rather foolish. We shall see.
takenoprisoners
24 Jul 2017
Rock n Roll I'll raise a glass to another good week after last week.SPD had been constantly buying its own shares for months and months taking many out of circulation. Results then drew a line in the sand. £ / $ exchange rate which previously caised concern is now about £1 / $1.30 so vast improvement and now allowing r good hedging. Several shorts I also expect closed out.Result: Up she goes.Imvho and please dyor.
nk1999
22 Jul 2017
HL view Post results(with SPD ~ 353p):"With Sports Direct, it's always a challenge to focus on the company and not the media circus surrounding its CEO. Fortunately that's not too hard with their full year results for 2017, they're something of a mess. The group buys its products in dollars and the collapse in sterling, combined with a complete lack of currency hedges, means its products are now significantly more expensive. That's blown a huge hole in the group's margins and, despite continued sales growth, sent profits tumbling. That raises the question: why did the shares rise so strongly following the results? Well, Mr Ashley's plan to turn the business into the 'Selfridges of Sports Retail' seems to be bearing fruit. The comparison with Selfridges may be overblown, but the group's new 'flagship' stores are delivering significantly better results than the existing Sports Direct estate. Displaying products in a more flattering environment may do something to heal Sports Direct's troubled relationships with the major sports brands as well. The plan to 'elevate' the store estate isn't coming cheap, but the group is far from heavily leveraged and even in its straitened state still generates plenty of cash. Sports Direct hasn't paid shareholders a dividend since 2010 - arguing that the money could be more usefully invested back in the business. That makes the recent decision to launch a share buyback notable, particularly since the shares are trading on a PE ratio of over 20 times next year's earnings, compared to a long term average of just 16 times .However, our real worry is that attention isn't fully focussed on turning round the core business. The acquisition of 50 sports stores in the US suggests a trip across the pond is on the cards, and the US has been something of a graveyard for UK retailers. Added to that is an eclectic, and growing, collection of 'strategic investments' - which must surely demand considerable amounts of management time. Combined with a corporate governance record that is erratic at best, there are plenty of reasons to be cautious where Sports Direct is concerned. "
Hugh from H Q
21 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? M. A. has never taken a dividend (Neither have I ) Give the man some slack.The new CFO has created a gain to pay for a lovely holiday.
this is new to me
21 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? What an absolute load of rubbish ! Do you really believe any of that or are you just trying to drive the share price back down for your own interest !This company and Mike Ashley himself are really trying to make a difference here.He believes in and truly cares for his company and his only fault is he is too honest in his comments sometimes. My favourite being his comment about flying to work in a helicopter shorty followed by the event where he pulls thousands of pounds out of his pocket in £50 notes while demonstrating a security sesrch amazing ! This company has been under valued for a long time and is well overdue a return to a sensible share price ! All my own oppionion of course but far more constructive than that last unfounded rant !
malj1
21 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? The a/c are awful (as is the 'strategic' reposition) with every dodge under the sun in them. I haven't quite seen anything quite like this for a couple of decades. I think there's a good chance spd implode. I've thought for a long time MA is the Robert Maxwell of our era. These a/c do nothing other than reinforce that view. Remember RM put considerable time, energy & ability into his businesses & in this sense he was a very gifted man (& MA is a gifted retailer) - but as for his integrity: oh dear! So I have no desire to be MA's junior partner. I suspect the outcome at some point will be the same. MA's body will be found circling sharks, as the RM joke went, with the end being swift & MA discovering he is friendless. These a/c beg an awful lot of questions. I rather think the larger funds will be trying to unobtrusively exit before the smelly stuff hits the fan.
claude reins
21 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? Thanks for that. Any thoughts - anyone on the BB - on the suitability / likely contribution of the new CFO, given the recent history of his last company's SP and the several years' management/mismanagement which led up - or down - to it? Especially the way specifically financial matters were dealt with?
Radaking
21 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? claude reins m8,the starting a fire and the fire rises is the beginning of change in the Dark Knight Rises.In SPD `s case its good.Its a reference to the film which was released with these tag lines on the 20th July,just as the SPD`S prelims was released............enjoy[link] basara deshi deshi basara basaraAnd another day of RISES for Sports Direct!
claude reins
20 Jul 2017
Mmm. New CFO Well the shares have gone north, which is always good. I trust they have not gone north on the basis of the appointment of the CFO. I know there is always a question of being in the right place at the right time, and only being able to do what the big boss allows you to do, but the new CFO's time at UTW did not exactly push the UTW price up. This was the announcement last Oct that Jon - if I may call him that - would be leaving (on his own volition) at what had been a turbulent time for the UTW SP.'Utilitywise plc (AIM:UTW), a leading independent utility cost management consultancy, today announces that Jon Kempster, Chief Financial Officer, has decided to step down from the Board and leave the Group to pursue other career opportunities. Jon has made a significant contribution to the strengthening of the day-to-day finance function of Utilitywise, creating a strong team to support the Group's growth, and the Board wishes him well in the future.'When he joined UTW the SP was 180p; when he resigned it was around 120p and is now down to 68p. Bad luck or bad management?Now he working for another headstrong top man with his own agenda. Mmm. frying pan into fire comes to mind, and also is he really the right man for the job? Hs he demonstrated the right credentials.Perhaps the price rise today is despite his appointment or possibly because SPD has actually made AN APPOINTMENT of some kind, and has shown some growth - in sales as well as losses!Thoughts, anyone?
claude reins
20 Jul 2017
Re: Are we starting a fire? Dont know what you are talking about. Probably a sign of my age. Please expand.
