Wh Smith Share Discussion Threads

[davydoo] 10/10/2013 09:24

Im not sure I will ever fully understand the logic of share buybacks.

Lets tell the market we are going to be big buyers so that they can lift the price and make us pay more.

[johnwise] 10/10/2013 08:48

Only a fool queues to spend money

Worst service on the high street , usually only two tills open 15/20 standing in a queue, pointed this out to the manager several times all I received was a shrug of his shoulders and that is from a business that is from a bygone era as most of what it sells can now be bought at a discount on the Internet.. W.H. Smith is usually number one in the yearly Which report for the worst service on the high street.

[davydoo] 10/10/2013 08:04

"Looking to the year ahead, we continue to plan cautiously in an uncertain environment, however we are a resilient business and are well positioned for continued growth in both the UK and internationally."

How is 5 years of falling sales continued growth?

Maybe he means the share price.

[saltaire111] 26/9/2013 09:29

Thanks for this. Time will tell.

Salty

[gargoyle2] 25/9/2013 20:39

Just in case you didnt see it saltaire.. from today's FT:

WH Smith bears have already been squeezed. The newsagent is London's second-most disliked large-cap stock with short interest peaking in January at nearly a quarter of its free float. Since then, the shares have jumped 30 per cent.

Full-year results next month provide the next trigger for the bears, who still account for nearly 14 per cent of WH Smith's free float according to Markit data. Yet with the retailer already reassuring that it would meet forecasts, analysts reckon the squeeze will continue.

New chief executive Steve Clarke was likely to use the results to raise cost savings guidance and reload a £50m share buyback fund, said Barclays.

The broker also expected news of more contract wins for WH Smith's international travel concessions business, which it said could be worth 160p per share by 2016 yet was "ignored in the current valuation".

Barclays set a 935p target price on WH Smith, which closed up 2.9 per cent at 841.5p.

[saltaire111] 25/9/2013 16:57

Went short on this one yesterday at 8.40. Cannot understand why this share is priced at this level. Only one way to go now as they cannot keep cutting costs forever and I just don't see where growth is doing from.

Salty.

[henryd14] 17/7/2013 08:11

V ASCIIchxhg xo Chouk of

[pug151] 29/1/2013 07:33

Sp 666 significant ?

[pug151] 28/1/2013 16:29

Fest NV seem poised to take this down

[deanroberthunt] 23/1/2013 07:57

wish i'd gone short yesterday afternoon.

[simpler] 23/1/2013 07:12

Referring back to my recent post that am expecting L4L sales to fall. I was right! Xmas trading results out. Most telling is that travel sales were also down. Expect share price to fall back to 600p but city may view this statement differently. Roll on 8am

[d40eq6] 21/1/2013 19:31

No. More buyers than sellers perhaps in the expectation that results will be in line with recent good performance?

[simpler] 21/1/2013 17:23

5% gain 48 hours before results. Short squeeze?

[simpler] 19/1/2013 08:38

Also does anyone know how much of WHS revenue is made up of book sales?

[simpler] 18/1/2013 18:02

Xmas results out on Weds. Am expecting L4L sales to fall. The promotional mix Smiths campaigned with (e.g 75% off books) over the Xmas period smacks of desperation and will surely affect margin and therefore earnings.

Unsure of whether this has already been baked in the recent share price fall from 700p to 600p though. Any other views?

[georavello] 10/1/2013 11:04

Entirely agree amazon for books,the stores look tired and never busy with customers. Sure this could end up with a profits warning.

[kibes] 25/12/2012 11:05

Everyone buying their Xmas books on Amazon yet this continues to go up? Price is looking very silly. The fall will be hard when it comes.

[e-boffin] 13/12/2012 09:51

Surprised this is up after the news at HMV. Expect Xmas results to disappoint.

[johnwise] 07/11/2012 07:29

Hedge funds betting millions against Britain's high street

The secretive financiers have bet millions of pounds that companies including WH Smith, Home Retail Group, Ocado, Sainsbury, Tesco and Dixons , WM Morrisons,will fall in value, according to a list published under new rules by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

Lansdowne Partners, one of London's best known hedge funds, has short sold 0.63pc of the value of Tesco - a £163m bet that the supermarket's shares will fall. The Mayfair-based group has a 2.51pc short position in WM Morrisons, worth £159.8m.

[georavello] 02/11/2012 15:32

looks like a shorting opportunity

[philanderer] 17/10/2012 09:39

Morning saltaire, I`m sure I posted on here within the last few weeks that SMWH was the most shorted FTSE 350 stock.

Been lucky here .. I`m out first thing this morning with a good profit but will keep it on the watchlist.

Luck with your trade.