Hat Pin Share Discussion Threads

[cockneyrebel] 11/5/2004 15:23

Blimey, this is waking up too!

We've known rates are going to go up for moths, why the market is surprised I don't know.

CR

[cambium] 11/5/2004 08:17

Duetsche Bank has put a sector note out saying that revenues from recruiment firms shadow the US base rate with a 10 month delay. If Greenspan increases the rates they believe that recruitment rates will fall. Just look at Harvey Nash to see, if you want to hedge, HTP should give you some protection or Whitehead Mann.

[cockneyrebel] 07/5/2004 22:28

long term holder me.

CR

[liarspoker] 07/5/2004 21:15

Oh almost forgot.
IC says mkt cap 6.73 M
Return to profits was largely driven by improving markets in the UK and US. Increases activity towards the end of the period looks set to continue into current year.
Turnover up from 2002 by 450,000
Pe 17.57

Nothing new but worth watching.

[liarspoker] 07/5/2004 21:08

CR are you guys spread betters or day traders, just trying to figure things out.

[cockneyrebel] 07/5/2004 20:56

Hi Cambium, don't have a clue what that's about then - do Reckitt have MBY in their pension fund?

As for HTP - poor respose to the IC tip - think there are dumpers here too - crazy imo.

Market will turn positive at some point, then we'll be off imo.

CR

[cambium] 07/5/2004 10:09

CR, I have heard that MBY's price drop is something to do with Reckitt. I dont have any more info, and I don't know what to do with it,

[cockneyrebel] 07/5/2004 10:06

The question I keep asking myself Cambium, seems most need to be told what to buy by a mag or the press.

NRG is the same, the dummies out there will sit and watch - then bundle in when they are tipped at 10% higher.

DYOR - best 4 letter an investor can invest in.

CR

[cambium] 07/5/2004 10:00

April nonfarm payroll numbers from the US, which are expected to
show that the economy added 173,000 jobs in the month, compared to 308,000 in
the previous month.

[cambium] 07/5/2004 08:59

About time, this is a bargain - why does it take an IC tip to make people see?

[longsider] 07/5/2004 08:57

Thanks for that post aderemi

Hopefully the IC tip will help raise the profile of this little gem and we'll see an increase in interest and volume.

Martin

[saddam bin laden] 07/5/2004 08:24

I likes the story - I'm in.

[smow1] 07/5/2004 07:50

Yes - nice tip, maybe they will start to move forwards now. Though have to say that it's NRG that still look the real bargain after that trading statement, amazed they have dropped back to 153p as were higher than this before the statement earlier this year.

[cockneyrebel] 07/5/2004 07:39

Cheers - well cheap imo :-)

And if these are cheap then NRG are being given away after their recent trading statement saying results will be substantially ahead. Just a seller been holding these back.

I hold both :-)

CR

[aderemi] 07/5/2004 07:04

TIPPED IN ic

57p - aim: recruitment - As you might expect, recent times have been good for Hat Pin. As a provider of recruitment services to the advertising industry via the Kendall Tarrant brand, it has been able to significantly strengthen its position. Last year, Hat Pin moved back into the black as a global upturn in the industry provided a useful boon for its international operations. And now the group is well placed to continue building on its solid base, with growth likely to be both organic and via acquisition.

While the improvement in conditions has helped to underpin strong rises in Hat Pin's share price during the past 12 months, there should be more to come. To date, much of the upside has been purely on the back of the early stages of recovery in the advertising market. A combination of ongoing improvement and expansion into other areas of the media will help the group rebound further from the disappointments of 2001.

Back then, Hat Pin was struggling in tough conditions and suffered heavy losses. So it focused on reducing costs and cutting operations where demand had fallen. Subsidiaries Red Door and White Door were closed, along with its Australian office, while the group worked on improving its core offering. Its remaining offices in the UK, USA and Hong Kong have since performed well.

Last year, Hat Pin achieved a record performance in the US. Despite a weak dollar, turnover from the US grew by 40 per cent to £777,000, while profits more than doubled to £309,000. And during the latter half of 2003, there were some real signs of recovery. As part of its strategy of broadening its global appeal, Kendall Tarrant is now looking at other regions, such as Latin America and the Canadian market.

Although costs will rise as the group moves outside of its immediate catchment areas, Hat Pin will benefit from increased revenue streams. In the UK, it's trying to focus on search, rather than contingency, business. Search refers to assignments where it receives an upfront fee, as well as an additional fee for providing a short-list, and then a final fee for when the positions are filled. Contingency business, on the other hand, only pays a one-off success fee, and is a lower-margin offering.

Conditions in the UK have improved and the group has branched out into other areas of the media, including public relations, market research and media communications. Operational gearing within the business and tight control of the cost base helped operating profits to jump by nearly 60 per cent to £420,000, while sales grew by 12 per cent to £2.3m.

The only real challenge for the group last year was in Hong Kong. Much of this was due to the outbreak of Sars, which resulted in a weak market as media agencies downsized. As a result, the group targeted a core group of clients committed to recruiting quality talent. The candidate focus was very much on the top end, and there was more temporary-to-permanent hiring. This year, the plan is for Hat Pin's Hong Kong consultants to expand their reach - the group is also likely to open a satellite office in Shanghai.

Hat Pin remains well placed to take advantage of improving market conditions. By focusing on its core operations, it will benefit from further recovery in the media cycle. There will also be plenty of scope for geographic expansion. Currently trading at a good discount to the market, the shares look attractive. Buy.

[longsider] 05/5/2004 08:53

CR,

Are you attending the AGM and if so will you be able to be able to provide an update?

Thanks in anticipation.

Martin

[lafiamma] 05/5/2004 08:41

Just looked back over the last 5 years, indicates statement could come anytime between 11am and 4pm. On occassion, nothing more than "all resolutions have been duly passed" has been said, but I will be disappointed if that's all that's said this time around. There have been times when no statement has been issued, such was the case with Pennant Intl yesterday...

laf ;-)

[cockneyrebel] 05/5/2004 08:38

ticking up - looking forward to a positive AGM

CR

[cockneyrebel] 01/5/2004 11:54

AGM next week, should be interesting :-)

CR

[cambium] 23/4/2004 09:10

US wholesale prices rose by more than expected, with the producer price index up 0.5 pct for March, and jobless claims were weaker than forecast, declining by 9,000 last week.

The generally benign data appeared to back up comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan yesterday that US companies were regaining the power to raise prices, but that growth had not yet sparked inflationary pressures.

[cambium] 22/4/2004 15:47

I have top sliced and got into asc. My hands firmly in the air lafiamma.