Conduit Share Discussion Threads

[markie7] 14/8/2012 15:41

this whole sector is being re-rated.

[markt] 14/8/2012 15:34

"Please be assured we shall continue to make all the appropriate disclosures and moreover continue to run the business with shareholder returns in mind."

je je !

...they have to first get the price up to 96p to be at the same price as when the CEO took over the company from being a shell in 2000 !...12 years later and at a lower price...

and many investors stumped up 130p or other prices to provide the cash for the company to grow....they need 130p just to break even on those new shares they bt. !

So while the recent strong price action is very good.....it is still showing a loss at present after 12 years....

[rivaldo] 14/8/2012 15:33

Remember, Havas' original notification from transactions on 31st July was only announced by CRE on 3rd August. Even allowing for weekends, there may always be two or three days' delay in getting the figures to market even if they're supposed to be issued as soon as possible.

[bsharman3] 14/8/2012 15:27

Why no notification of Havas reaching another %? Are they still buying?

[d1nny] 14/8/2012 15:20

90P by the end of the day ? well at this rate its possible.

[madengland] 14/8/2012 14:56

I don't think sub 90p by the end of the week, 100p+ would not surprise me

[d1nny] 14/8/2012 14:43

I have just sold some QPP stock to double up my holdings in CRE, i think this still has a long way to go. The price seems to have found a new base line at about 83p today with investors snapping up any stock when it drifts below that baseline

[madengland] 14/8/2012 14:33

110p to me is the level we should see us get to short term, pre any offer at around 140-150p. We shall see

[rivaldo] 14/8/2012 14:23

Yep, new recent highs now, and looking set for another shift upwards with buying coming in at the full 83.5p offer price.

[red army] 14/8/2012 13:50

90p next stop

[madengland] 14/8/2012 12:59

Dear Mr xxxxxx

We appreciate your continued interest in Creston and value your feedback.

As regards the recent share purchases by Havas, we can say only that we always comply with our disclosure obligations as a listed company and that these disclosures are made through the appropriate regulatory information service in order to allow all shareholders to be updated at the same time.

You would not expect us to comment about rumours. Please be assured we shall continue to make all the appropriate disclosures and moreover continue to run the business with shareholder returns in mind.

Regards
Investor Relations


Investor Relations
Creston plc
16 Charles II Street
London SW1Y 4QU
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7930 9757
Fax: [phone]

[madengland] 14/8/2012 09:57

Hi both, yes it was a bit of a cheeky attempt to try and shake a bit of a response. I did get one, not even worth copying and pasting. They will not comment on rumours and are focussed on running the business. Nice to know!

The 120p was a ficticious figure I made up to see if I could get comment, and yes I to would feel that was low. But surely if anyone was expecting a bid of say 150p, we would be trading at around 110p by now.

All very interesting

[dangersimpson2] 14/8/2012 09:46

In a lot of these situations management simply don't reply for the perceived risk of breaking the rules on inside info - sometimes no reply is as telling as getting an answer though. When in an offer period the rules are pretty strict and you know the state of play - it's the times like these where no offer has been made but there are moves afoot that a non-reply may have implications - particularly if a management have previously been fairly communicative with PI's.

In general you are never going to get any real info by emailing the directors but what can be useful even if you don't get a reply is to put your view across on acceptable bid levels etc. It obviously won't carry as much influence as larger holders but it's good to make your opinion known.

[rivaldo] 14/8/2012 09:22

Madengland, I would be EXTREMELY disappointed if any offer was at the 120p level - imo it has to be 140p-150p and potentially 175p upwards depending on how acquisitive Havas need to be. Which is quite a lot by all accounts.

Nice try on the e-mail, but I very much doubt if you'll get anything meaningful back, or even anything at all bearing in mind the current situation!

[d1nny] 14/8/2012 09:07

i'm sure they have crafted some stock response that doesnt give anything away, but it would be interesting to see what they have to say on the issue

[madengland] 13/8/2012 17:46

Have emailed DE/BB and asked for confirmation of whether the speculation of 120p offer from Havas is correct, what the board would feel a serious offer would look like and whether if there is no offer from Havas is their potential strategic alliances being discussed.

[madengland] 13/8/2012 17:01

I am pretty sure a lot of people will have watched today for a chance to get in lower than 80p, but will now be thinking of getting in tomorrow and not to misss the next leg up. Will Havas be thinking make an offer soon or let the speculation and price build. Elgie and Brien will be pleased with that last grant they gave themselves, and Brien with the shares he moved into his SIPP at a low price. Always seems to work out for those two thats for sure.

[d1nny] 13/8/2012 09:53

well that FT coverage has pushed the price up after that tree shake on Friday by the looks of it.

[funkmasterp12] 13/8/2012 09:01

Fantastic - just what we needed here. Every piece of coverage I've read has at least suggested Havas should/need to make an offer. Brilliant news on the FT coverage too.

[madengland] 13/8/2012 08:46

Come on havas, bid us a 50% premium from here.....while you still can

[madengland] 13/8/2012 08:41

Thanks gretel/riv. Missed that also, bit busy with Olympics all weekend. With a p/e of 6 it is a steal, not as much of a steal as it was at 50p mind you :-)), but its a deal, its a steal, its sale of the f'in century....

Its 80p, but it should be 160p....

[rivaldo] 13/8/2012 08:26

Ah, cheers - I forgot to look at his column this week! Good news...and nice to see him picking up the same points I made in my posts above from the FT etc:



"In a separate development, French advertising giant Havas just took a 6 per cent stake in marketing services group Creston (CRE). Several factors lead me to believe Havas will soon bid for the entire company.

Havas is struggling because of its significant exposure to the very weak European advertising market. Another problem is that it has a small presence in the fast growing digital marketing segment. The company recognises that it could become a take-over target unless it grows. It recently told the Financial Times that it plans to protect itself by making acquisitions and broadening its reach in the digital space.

Creston is the perfect target for Havas. It is small and affordable. Its digital and online operations account for 41 per cent of company revenues.

What especially interests me is that Creston's price/earnings ratio is currently under six versus a sector average of almost 13. There is potential for a huge share price bounce even if Havas does not acquire it."

[rivaldo] 13/8/2012 08:03

Not a bad start :o))

[cutlosses] 10/8/2012 16:06

So it's a case of holding ones nerve in the meantime