Compass Share Discussion Threads

[yewtrees] 16/5/2007 23:30

No Transaction in Own Shares today!

[amla] 16/5/2007 14:02

We are a bit at the mercy of market sentiment re:sell in May.Looking at the charts we might hold on rising a bit longer to 380p or even 400p although the MACD points to profit taking etc and I can't see my target of 450p being reached short term.
What should the target price be?Will I ever see the 507p I paid for these in days of yore?

[alter ego] 16/5/2007 11:22

and buying back £1bn of shares (approx 1/7th of market cap) will materially enhance earnings.

[utsushi] 16/5/2007 11:00

AMLA, yes..looking fine.

[amla] 16/5/2007 10:57

An excellent set of results and a strong price reaction today promises to nudge the share price to a new trading range.
Since February there has been a definite momentum helped by the hefty share buy backs.I do not consider CPG would consider selling at this price if there was a bidder(that old rumour)but you never know.The business seems to have been turned around in a considerably short time.
LOL to all holders.

[yewtrees] 14/5/2007 19:04

The company is happy to buy back at this price though.

[boadicea] 14/5/2007 15:20

v01 - Who can say?
The share has had a good rise over the past 18 months and those showing a tidy profit may now take the view that the most of the good news is out so it's time to cash in.
Only time (a few weeks) will reveal the longer term trend.

[v01101999] 14/5/2007 15:00

why the drop in late trading after such a good start

[boadicea] 14/5/2007 07:32

Another £500M added to the share buy-back programme - cannot be bad for the share price
With interest rates now higher, it is also a sensible time to make the required top up to the bond content of a maturing pension scheme imho.

[lizafl] 30/4/2007 10:32

What a great share this is turning out to be! Sitting on a nice gain since my purchase at about £2.10. How much higher can it go?

[v01101999] 13/4/2007 18:32

and nice share buy backs!

[beechtree] 02/4/2007 19:43

Regardless of talks of bids and takeovers, CPG now appears to have well and truly turned the corner. Citigroup's confidence appears to be well placed as judged by the recent rise in share price

[maiseymouse] 30/3/2007 07:02

citigroup seems to be very bullish on citigroup

[gulliverr] 29/3/2007 09:05

You can't say I did'nt tell you !!!

Compass says 1st five months trading ahead of expectations UPDATE


(updates with further detail throughout)
LONDON (AFX) - Compass Group PLC, the world's biggest catering company, said
trading in the first five months of the current year has been ahead of
expectations and is optimistic the positive trends will continue.
However, in terms of the phasing, it expects operating profit in the first
half to be slightly higher than in the second half.
For the six months to end March, Compass expects organic revenue growth to
be mid-single digit. It anticipates an improvement in margins of around 60 basis
points or around 40 basis points on an underlying basis.
"This positive trend is being achieved due to the underlying quality of the
business combined with the greater transparency and intensity that is being
introduced," the group said.
It added that its management and performance (MAP) programme is helping to
drive revenue in a "more disciplined" way with greater focus on like-for-like
growth and on cost reduction.
Compass warned, however, of a 20 mln stg impact on operating profit in the
first half, having seen a weakening of all the major currencies to which it is
exposed in the first five months of the year.
In North America, Compass said trading has been strong and organic revenue
growth for the first half is expected to be mid-to-high single digit with
margins forecast to improve by around 40 basis points, or 20 basis points on an
underlying basis.
In Continental Europe, the group expects organic revenue growth to be
slightly ahead of 2006, but still low single digit. It anticipates good margin
growth of around 90 basis points or 60 basis points an an underlying basis.
Compass said the acceleration of the expected improvement in the first six
months of 2007 is in part being driven by the pace of the turnaround of poorer
performing countries, notably France, the Netherlands and Italy.
In the UK, the group said revenues and operating profit in the first half
are expected to be in line with the same period last year. However, it
emphasised that it has continued to strengthen the UK management team and is in
the process of re-focusing the business for the medium term.
In the rest of the world, Compass expects to see mid to high single digit
organic revenue growth in the first half and a margin improvement of around 60
basis points.
The group confirmed the planned sale of its Selecta European vending
business "continues to progress well" and is on track to be concluded by the
summer of this year.
Compass announces first-half results on May 16.

[linsay33] 21/3/2007 09:37

There are always talk of bids and takeovers with this company its one way of keeping the price up

[reeshar] 20/3/2007 21:04

Breakout to the upside from the ranging pattern ?????????

Talk of a bid in the offing today - lots of that around though - may not come to anything.

Happy to wait for the trading statement.

[wad collector] 20/3/2007 21:00

I just sold out at 320- I feel this has gone well for the last 12 months and cannot see much upside in the short term.

[reeshar] 08/3/2007 22:41

I think we'll see some action with the results. The company plays it quite modest but I think it will do well. Gut reaction - not inside info.

[amla] 08/3/2007 09:58

Agree,seems to be a very steady mover....no shocks.

[astol] 01/3/2007 11:38

From the chart you can see that this share falls back and then progesses upwards with the peaks outperforming the troughs.Bodes well and 320p must be on the cards soon + news forthcoming on selecta sale will further boost the share price

[astol] 28/2/2007 09:45

good bounce back off lows and well above 300p resistance now.

[palmleaf] 26/2/2007 20:13

MR.T

I bought in Nov '05 at 208p as a "safe home" for cash - so no complaints here plus a good divi. Always thought the UN contract debacle was overdone.

FWIW - I met a CPG functional director at a dinner last Summer - he was tipping them for 500p in two years. Good new CEO in place whose just splashed out £150k of his own money, a more focused business and still with enormous scale and the continuing macro-trend to "out of home" eating - I would say the prediction is a distinct possibility. Given CPG's turnover, you don't need to be that brilliant to grow margin by 0.5%, cut costs by 1% and grow sales by 1% per annum - the bottom line impact is huge if all three can be achieved.

Add in the ongoing share buy-back and I think CPG is a good steady bet from here for two years at least - probably no fireworks, but if that's what you want buy into uranium!

IMHO of course, no advice intended.

[mrthomas] 26/2/2007 18:11

Any views on were th price is heading to over the next few months or the rest of the year. Though that after seeing it at £3.23 we were at last seeing some up side to see it only fall again. As I have held these shares for over 2 years and have to say that they not done well till now.

[amla] 26/2/2007 10:40

Maybe,the Selecta sale has been for a better price than anticipated?
There certainly seems more life in the company than there has been for years.Things are looking up for CPG,finally.

[i maximus] 26/2/2007 09:47

have they been paid too much