Oxford Metrics Share Discussion Threads

[bearfoot] 19/10/2016 07:15

Thank heavens they've finally given up on OMG Life! Removing the constant losses from the bottom line bodes well for the future.

[billy5] 18/10/2016 08:02

lignum
Thanks a lot for your thoughts.
Its a shame that we cant look forward to a nice fat Special but any crumb will be gratefully received and in the meantime I continue to hold.
Thanks again.

PS Seems that they paid three Specials last year so fingers crossed.

[lignum] 17/10/2016 23:26

Billy - trading update expected in next week or two but I have no idea what they're going to say. This is more of a long term hold for me so unless something disastrous comes out, I'll be holding. Don't expect repeat special div as that came from disposal of a business. Company playing it close to their chest so your guess as good as mine on numbers.

[billy5] 17/10/2016 15:38

Last year we got a small Interim and a Special, both on the 17/12 (ex).

Any idea as to whether these will be repeated, how has the last year been trading wise?

Thanks for any info, I have not been keeping up to date.

[lignum] 28/9/2016 16:15

I don't understand why the Yotta strategic partnership with Lehmann they announced today has not been RNSd.
Lehmann is part of the Vectra Group. Vectra is an independent European group of companies with specialist expertise in road and infrastructure management employing 200 postgraduates, technicians and engineers. If Horizons works in Germany why wouldn't it be used in France as well?
This sound like a great partnership to me so why no RNS?

[spadman] 18/5/2016 17:06

OMG Julian Morris has dumped another million shares

[spooky] 04/3/2016 08:16

Thanks WJ.

[spooky] 04/3/2016 08:01

Has this been tipped somewhere?

[lignum] 09/12/2015 11:05

Bearfoot - agree entirely with your first para - exactly how I see it.

With regards to annual report I only see the online version. The printed version presumably has photos which in an IT business are always surplus to requirements and increase cost - but in my experience there is a base level of cost for producing these which can't be avoided.

The level of detail in the report is excellent and if I found the time I might try to reproduce their FY16/17 budgets for acquired businesses by reverse engineering the goodwill impairment information in Note 14. But this would only give half the picture and as you say the real uplift will come if they secure IP value from Autographed. Fingers crossed.

Note I also take comfort from the involvement of Harwood Capital (Oryx) and also hold shares via Oryx.

[bearfoot] 09/12/2015 10:12

Lignum, as a long term holder/accumulator I fully agree with you. The OMG 12-month share price chart masks the real return (including the substantial 'special' dividends) over the past 12 months. To my mind, it deos not recognise the unrestricted upside, and underpinned downside. If you remove the substantial investment/loss in OMG Life, and the huge cash pile, you're left with two very solid businesses both with scalable and proven IP (which could/should be very attractive to a global entitiy). I've always been hugely sceptical about the Autographer investment as it is a solution looking for a problem. Indeed, I had been mentally writing Autographer off and hoping management would focus on gearing the profitable entities. However, IF (and it's a big IF) there is some re-usable IP in with Autographer that has a real value, and they can licence that to gloabl player to drive material royalties (as they seem to imply) THEN that would be EXTREMELY exciting, and would lead to a substantial re-rating of this backwater share. Goodness, the various IP within the group must be worth a fortune in the right hands, as evidenced by the Boeing deal earlier this year.

As an aside, I hold the stock both in nominee and certificated form and so receive the annual report which (annoyingly to me) is a huge and exepensively produced rather self-congratulatory glossy tome to rival the largest businesses in the world! I hope that this is not indicative of poor cost-control throughout the group or any complacency within the Board or management! Indeed, sometimes I have to remind myself that OMG is Oxford Metrics Group and not Oxford Media Group! Just visit the website to get a taste of this:

[lignum] 09/12/2015 09:32

Add back the 9.5p special dividends already paid this year and the price has doubled in 12 months. If they announce meaningful licensing deals on the OMG Life IP then it will take off again. Meanwhile downside seems covered by the recurring business at Yotta and Vicon. Well managed and good, open detail in their reporting.

[billy5] 08/12/2015 15:50

lignum

Thank you for that info, much appreciated.

This is one hell of a share.

[lignum] 08/12/2015 15:39

Billy - Note 33 to the accounts - the special dividend will be paid on 12 January 2016 to shareholders on the register of members at close of business on 18 December 2015. The final dividend will be paid on 9 March 2016 to shareholders who are on the register of members at close of business on 18 December 2015 subject to approval at the AGM.

[billy5] 08/12/2015 10:21

Good news about the Special divi of 3.75p and the increased ordinary to 0.65p.

Unable to find the dates for these two but looking at 2014 the ex dates were around the 18th December.

Anybody have ideas?

[lignum] 08/12/2015 09:50

Good value here. No surprises and encouraging noises about the remaining product portfolio.

[lignum] 10/11/2015 16:34

Adam - no don't have any broker research. Top of Page 5 of the Interims states (re OMG Life) "The revised cost base of £0.9m per year partially benefited the first half and will fully benefit the second half."
This cost base is being retained presumably to try and recover value from the Autographed IP but as time goes by and no licence agreements are reached you have to question why they bother - cut the costs and move on.

[adamb1978] 10/11/2015 13:00

Thanks Lignum - I'll double check my spreadsheet when I get home this evening; I would usually have adjusted for this however maybe I mis-read the interims.

Looking at the interims now it says 'The reported adjusted loss for OMG Life of £1.7m (H1: FY14 loss: £2.1m) includes the full-write-down of previously capitalised Autographer specific IP of £0.8m (H1 FY14 £0.5m)'

I might have mis-read this as I would usually expect an adjusted profits figure to be pre that sort of write-down rather than post

Do you have any broker research on the company which you could send me?
Thanks

Adam

[lignum] 10/11/2015 10:04

Adam - £28m & 2.4p EPS is achievable for FY16. There is a 1.2m reduction in cost base for OMG Life from H1 to H2 15 - H2 revised cost base of 0.9m pa v 1.7m H1 costs which included 0.8m write down of Autographer IP.

[adamb1978] 08/11/2015 19:00

Had a look at these for the first time today. Does anyone have a view on likely outcome for the current year (just started)? Market forecasts - £28m turnover and 2.4p EPS (along with their EBIT forecast), are nonsense as they imply a hugely contracting cost base. Any have a more sensible view?
Cheers

[lignum] 29/10/2015 12:48

Seems about right with 10p cash per share. We need news on licensing the Life IP - if they're not going to do anything with this they should close the division down and save themselves 900k pa.

[rbennett] 13/7/2015 15:40

Div was paid today by my broker

[bakunin] 12/6/2015 11:23

They're either quoted on more than one exchange or some brokers might run a dark pool for them, eg Barclays.
My broker seemingly couldn't get a quote yesterday. To sell, that is.
The share price will drop by 5p on the 18th and when the 4.5p div was paid, the shares dropped much more than 4.5
The chart has a bit of a peaky feel to it, so chartists who don't bother with any fundamentals at all might chase the 5p drop. It is quite a liquid stock with average volume of 300,000
Alternatively, chartists might see an uptrend/flag formation and carry on buying the dips.
Overall market conditions seem a bit wobbly at the moment with the Greek issue.

[billy5] 12/6/2015 08:45

Bought some but nothing is showing.

Strange.

[billy5] 12/6/2015 07:36

Thanks Mr CI, I don't know why I missed that.

This is turning out to be a nice little earner!

Roll on the 10th July.