Work Service Share Discussion Threads

[topvest] 17/7/2015 21:36

New strategic investment in Bilby plc. Interesting. Bit of a competitive sector to get into, but will need to look at in more detail. Is it better than Creston?

[smithie6] 13/6/2015 12:32

The creston divi looks to be about half of westerns running cost.

Creston. One could discuss its value at current price...but I think we'd all agree it is low growth...which is important when taking a 5-10 yr view. Been a loss maker for Western.

While D.C.Marshall got over 400k via dirs. fees....so whether he minds much is another qu....he did fine out of it !
..and the accounting/accounts fees paid to City grp helped pay dirs. fees for Marshall junior at City grp.

[russman] 13/6/2015 11:15

Just found the new western selection website so maybe they are "moving".
The hit to the Marshall empire's fees is quite significant compared to the interest on £4m cash (at the moment)

[topvest] 12/6/2015 20:14

LOL...I very much suspect so!

Their timing is not what you would call "top drawer". 135p and £4m is a big move though for WSE and gives them firepower.

The concern, of course, is what they invest it in. Creston were a good value company. 135p is a medium term high in the price so maybe it is time to move on though. Can't see it ever being a wonderful success.

[oooff] 12/6/2015 18:33

Will Creston rocket, as WSE have sold their entire Creston holding ?

[smithie6] 08/6/2015 19:53

..they do seem to have a reliable knack for...getting it wrong !

At least the boss for day to day decisions and looking at new investments wont mind too much...he doesnt own even 1 share !

[russman] 08/6/2015 19:23

& they have brilliant timing.

[russman] 02/6/2015 19:43

& I thought that they had dropped off.

[russman] 22/5/2015 10:12

We are still riding a two legged horse with a deaf jockey.

[smithie6] 20/5/2015 10:47

..for prior history of FIF..imho the msg brd
"-ve factors about FIF" is worth reading. Whether any dubious actions in the past..we will probably never know...well I think we do !.. the acquisition by FIF when the chairman sold most of his stake was a dubious action..

[smithie6] 19/5/2015 21:06

Creston.

Don Elgie made around 6m squid.
D Marshall around 400k.
fees to City group helped pay dirs. fees of son L.Marshall..maybe 700k over 10 years..

BUT

...US !!

Whose money was at risk..whose money was being used..
well we LOST money !!..investing in Creston...

[smithie6] 19/5/2015 20:42

...Id agree with Topvest.....partly since the share price is doing well at present...and needs time to let its acquisitions perform...

....i havent got any fif.....got some STM....going up 1-2p per day over last 10 days...

Doubled for me in a few months....

..if I was able to spot it how come the dirs. couldnt ? (..a big stake...well Miton managed to get a big stake in STM ....things can be done if not asleep)

----

The gains or losses from share price changes of western investee companies..are much bigger than the gains via divis....
..eg. Hartim , lost 3m squid in Auz. Would need years of any divis to ever pay that back.....same for NBI....shareholders have lost a lot in recent times...millions..
----

If the Marshalls are just parasites to milk lfi/western and Associated cos. via dirs. fees and expenses.....and to benefit from share tips from moving in city circles...
...generation after generation....

Recalling they had (have) use of the London apartment that LFI owned....without reporting it to shareholders. What else is hidden ?

Then shareholders should imo vote to remove them and run as a diversified portfolio....by say Slater or Artemis or Liontrust....or return cash..or put into a Slater/Artemis/Lion fund if holders voted for that. The perf. of those funds wipes the floor with lfi/wse perf.

[topvest] 18/5/2015 20:05

For what it's worth I wouldn't sell FIF quite yet. Top-slice above £1 yes, but not quite yet as it's still quite cheap and carries lots of momentum. Very good Stockopedia score also points to more gains.

[russman] 18/5/2015 10:04

If you were in charge of LFI/WSE combine; what would you do with FIN now?
83p mid today 12m High - Buy - Sell - Top Slice - Hold.
Remember you are running out "strategic holdings" to generate fees from.

[smithie6] 15/5/2015 10:41

..a recent buy of mine has almost doubled...in 3-4 months...
if I know what I am doing....and others as well...how come our board is useless ..yet the big shareholders keep voting to keep them !!

I dont understand !!

P. Allen....Charlton...Lamb Ltd...hope you are reading..!

[smithie6] 15/5/2015 10:38

Strange trade of 15000 at 51p on 12th May...

[smithie6] 15/5/2015 10:35

...they lost a few million squid for us by not selling big chunk of nbi around 5.5-6 quid..

For my website I even managed to make a quid buying at 3.85 and selling 1 pnd higher...western could even have sold some at 4.8 and bt. back at 3...

6 to 3 quid fall has cost around 5million pnds i think !!

---

Are Marshall family trusts buying selling for themselves ....to make loads ?
..if shorted at 6..close at 3...doubled their money in few months..with board presence to give confidence in putting money behind positions...

Then wait till board info somewhere gives next hot tip...??

[russman] 10/5/2015 15:26

WSE / LFI has always been a pig's ear.

[smithie6] 10/5/2015 11:17

...phps they/we ! could do worse than get me to run it.....or some recognised inv. co. with a good track record

I picked Disney as sole USA buy for website ...and its gone 83$ to 110$..a big rise
...while the new USA buy by the sleeping Western crowd was 3M...which has done nothing or 5% down....


sadly the same sort of story is spread across the history of Western and LFI...over last 20-30 yrs.....imo they are pretty useless as the 20-30 yrs chart shows...


Twitter
@fulltimeinvest

[russman] 29/4/2015 22:14

Not sure if their silence is good or bad.

[smithie6] 05/3/2015 12:19

the Marshalls maybe dont care much about 10-20 year gains....since as long as keep some assets...then it gets passed on to next generation...to keep getting dirs. fees and expenses etc...

but I want to see a gain in this lifetime...not after I am 6 feet under !!

[smithie6] 05/3/2015 11:56

Thread was started Dec 2001. Share price was 64 p, adjusted for 4 to 1 consolidation.

Now 14 years later the share price is 52p to sell.
LOWER !!!!

[smithie6] 05/3/2015 11:49

Btw
if Hartim is yet another wipe out for shareholders
(after previous small investment in Doctors Direct also was...would make 2 in a row !!)
it is around 10p/share smoked !

20% of current share price !

20 !!

And info or truth in accounts or excuses or apologies , yet again, ?
No. Just silence.
and imho LIES.

"big hopes for Hartim" in previous "annual" reports but reality is profit CRASH to basically 0 !!
and no comment in these interim results....so the big hopes seems to have gone
which infers perhaps that the 500k loan was to prop up the accounts, as I thought at the time (accounts were very simple to quantify)

and that is after the H. bod ,incl 'junior', smoked 3M quid a year or so before !!

repeated bad luck over 30 yrs or incompetence.
whichever, the Marshalls need to go imo.

Official investiing qualifications ?
NONE:

Official accounting qualifications ?
NONE

Official University Qualifications ?
NONE

One has to ask, are the Marshalls 'academically challenged' ??
(ie. not too bright)
A fair question imo.

[smithie6] 05/3/2015 11:44

Imo distribute the shares held pro rata to s.holders except Hartim and ICH ..(if needed that new western to be unlisted hold. co)
around 100p of assets per share.

Return per share would be 2p/share higher since avoid 360k costs of western.