Hercules Props. Share Discussion Threads

[rivaldo] 27/2/2004 15:43

No probs Speccy (!), I assumed that was the case. More importantly, the price is forging ahead again....instinct tells me someone is interested here, but whether it's just stakebuilding or the bid scenario coming back who can say.

[spec12] 27/2/2004 13:48

Re Spec / Spec12....long story but to do with one PC at work and one at home.

All you need to know is that they are one of the same.

[rivaldo] 27/2/2004 10:46

Many thanks for that Spec (or Speculator - whichever one you are today!).

Looks like others are recognising the potential here. And the shares are up again I see.

[the speculator] 26/2/2004 22:37

SHARES Mag today

HERCULES PROPERTY SERVICES (HPS) BUY

Pre-tax profits leapt 80% for this Property Insurance ans Services company.
Some of this was due to a strong performance in the Insurance property arms - especially at Deacon, the residential property insurance operations.
A big cut in interest payable also helped.

The medium term outlook for the UK property market continues to be uncertain, but major restructuring at Hercules residential management arm should help offset this.

Interim dividends were up fractionally to 1.6p from 1.5p. Cash stands at £10 million and debt has been reduced to £33.9 million.

SHARES summary

HPS Stands to benefit from immediate strong market conditions.


END

Regards
Spec & Spec12

[diamondal] 26/2/2004 12:16

Pause for breath. Before the next set of results ,this one should surge past the £3 mark , in fact nearer to £4.Watch out for positive comments
by Sharewatch. This will hike up the price as well.

[rivaldo] 26/2/2004 08:09

Well, now we know that Safeland have been top-slicing, selling 175,000 shares with 1m left. More interesting will be who's been buying....

[diogenesj] 25/2/2004 21:54

Very interesting indeed. Some big buys there.

[penpont] 25/2/2004 20:54

Yes, very impressive performance against a weak market over past couple of days - wonder if an RNS is due re the large vol today?

[rivaldo] 25/2/2004 14:56

Indeedy. Moving on up, and over 800,000 shares traded (4.5% of the shares in issue) with some rather chunky delayed buys. Something seems to be up, and it ain't just the share price.

[spec12] 25/2/2004 13:41

Steady re-rating before our very eyes.....

;

[rivaldo] 25/2/2004 12:26

Hey DJ, sorry for waking you up at the back there! Considering the smaller companies sector is pretty poor at the mo', HPS' performance is terrific. Could be down to any one of:
- cheapness on fundamentals (forward P/E of just 6.9)
- presentations to institutions/analysts post-results went well
- bid situation reviving itself once more?
- upcoming introduction of REITS livening up interest in property?

[crawford] 25/2/2004 12:05

Looks like this might hit £3 before taking a breather.

[greatbear] 24/2/2004 22:33

I'm listening as well rivaldo.

No update in the SCSW since being the NAP in October.

GB

[diogenesj] 24/2/2004 15:22

Hard not to. :-)

[shanksaj] 24/2/2004 15:18

I'm listening.

[rivaldo] 24/2/2004 14:30

Still 6.5p up - pretty impressive for a down day on the markets. A load of buying earlier on drove the price up. I'm probably speaking too soon, (and to myself it seems!) but such strength is impressive.

[rivaldo] 24/2/2004 11:07

Now at a new high I believe. From memory a few 2,000 share buys went through yesterday, and the same has happened today. Don't know if someone is trying to build a stake through stealth, but the buying at the highs is encouraging.

Any further positive comment (SCSW anyone?) should see further highs and Flagon's initial £3 target come within range for a forward P/E of 7.6 or so. Not exactly a demanding earnings multiple.

[rivaldo] 24/2/2004 09:07

On to new highs? Looks like those presentations went well.

[rivaldo] 23/2/2004 12:15

Yep - the results were in line and indicate even better things in the second half with the sorting out of the residential division.

With a forward P/E of around 6.5, the market only has to start looking forward with this stock rather than behind. A 50% re-rating would still mean a P/E of only 9.8, so the rating is just very undemanding at present.

Two buys of 15,000 shares each this morning. HPS every so often comes in for takeover speculation. It'd be an unexpected bonus, but given that the company is now virtually fully turned around now would be the time to step in with a bid before the market had fully cottoned on. Anyway, just a thought.

[flagon] 22/2/2004 23:22

Well, well, well Hercules Property's share price was all over the shop last week.

Wonder what will happen this week ? Personally I have no idea. However, the results seemed to me to be up to scratch and what I had expected albeit the lack of topline growth.

I'm still expecting a share price beginning with a '3' sometime during 2004 and if further results come in as expected possibly a '4'. All based on increasing profitability, current low PE and debt reduction.

Looks good to me and am happy to hold.


Good luck,


Flagon

[crawford] 20/2/2004 16:44

Good to see a quick recovery in HPS, its hard to find a another stock I like so well.

[rivaldo] 20/2/2004 15:18

Too right - sometimes it's good to have someone put a contrary point of view to shake out the weak holders and to reassess your own position, even if that view is cleverly put to exaggerate the downside and ignore the evident truth.

HPS moving up again now after a short pause - getting near to the highs now.

[diogenesj] 20/2/2004 14:44

Must say it's been a lesson in doing your own research, spec. :-)

[spec12] 20/2/2004 14:40

I'd like to thank everyone for posting their thoughts on HPS over the last 2 months and especially this week as I did consider selling for a moment.

The bulls won me over and I'm here for the 2nd half now.

thanks all.

Spec

[diogenesj] 20/2/2004 14:33

Greatbear: Freddy is a fool, and rather an unpleasant one, but even he can't have believed the rubbish he posted here. The only rational explanation for what he did is that it was an infantile attempt to deramp the stock so that he could buy in.

Er, I mean, yes, I think you're right.