Conduit Share Discussion Threads

[jimbowler] 22/10/2012 17:43

markt - Have you expressed your comments to CRE, or better still aired your comments at the AGM in front of all the other shareholders? You repeat yourself continuously on this board. If you dont stand by your convictions dont make us listen to them. Man up or shut up. IMHO

[markt] 21/10/2012 18:34

"The conditional shares subject to the Awards granted will vest in three years, contingent on the individual's continued employment and stretching performance criteria which are based on the performance of the Group's Diluted Earnings Per Share (DEPS), over the three year performance period, compared to UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "

Don Elgie got 740k new share awards.
Barrie Brien got 362k

Shame that the performance conditions dont include that the share price after 12 years needs to be higher than 12 years before when Creston 1st started as a marketing venture.
Don Elgie havign his boots filled while shareholders have got poorer. Not impressed.

"No consideration will be paid for the contingent shares upon their vesting"

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"stretching performance criteria"

Complete intentional LIE imo.

If I recall the performance just has to be higher than GDP.
So if GDP comes in at -1% then if CRE achieves 0 growth then the dirs. get shed loads of shares for free. Farce imho.

GDP !!
Is CRE the ONLY London listed company which gives massive share awards with no exercise price.....and ONLY have to beat a small GDP figure in order to get the free shares ??!
Only 1 I have seen.

(at least David Marshall hais no longer the chairman of the renumeration committee and hopefully such awards wont be repeated in the future......but looks like it is too late....2M shares already under award with tiny perf. targets to beat.....diluting the shareholders with nothing required in return imho)

Company Act 2006 requires true and fair reporting. imho it looks like the law is being broken.
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Since June it looks to me like the shares awards have made the CEO around 200k. Or 50k per month. Added to his already very high benefits package.

And got 1.3M shares under options.
So Don Elgie will own 2.5% of Creston if the awards vest, for free !

And at the same time shareholders have LOST money !!!
(Creston needs to be at around 150p-200p just to break even for the founding investors (90p + 7% annual return, inflation + risk) and perhaps around 200p if calculate including the share issues that have taken place at higher prices)

FARCE imho !

[madengland] 17/10/2012 12:41

Its not looking too comfortable at this level, with volumes right down. Leg up or leg down.....show your hand CRE

[madengland] 15/10/2012 09:02

D1nny, a good call to consider. It does look like we could see a bit more downside in the short term.

[rivaldo] 11/10/2012 10:45

Cheers Madengland. At 84p CRE is on a P/E of 6 with around a 4.5% divi yield, based on 13.61p EPS this year and 14.49p EPS next year, with 3.71p and 3.96p dividends respectively.

As you say, assuming trading is in-line the downside here is limited and the upside is large, especially with the bonus of the Havas stakebuilding. This is a risk/reward ratio that I like! So I'll stay put and see what happens, especially with interims due next month.

[d1nny] 11/10/2012 10:23

If it drops to anywhere near 72p, i would be straight back in

[madengland] 11/10/2012 09:18

D1nny, funk, I agree totally. Pleased I bailed when I did (something I have never done in the past). Am using most my cash to set up a business, but keep watching here. This stock has over the years never failed to fall to extremely good value levels, with buy written all over it. In current market with havas fading, I think you are right personally. Equally, good luck for die hard holders. Totally relate to your thinking so if it spikes from here and I miss it, its deserved Rivaldo.

[funkmasterp12] 10/10/2012 14:04

Argh, with a heavy heart I'm out. I have to agree with D1nny above and I'm too nervous that the "true" price of CRE is really within the 75p-80p range on current trading.

Will definitely come back in if we get any more news but for now I've been shaken out.

GLA.

[d1nny] 10/10/2012 11:30

I dont doubt that this is a good buy, and i dont doubt that the company will perform in the long run.

My observation was that the rumors of a Havas bid has completely overinflated the share price. Which after the recent news about Havas looks like it might not happen (or if it does it will take longer).

I think the price will drop more in the short term, before picking up in the long term. I am out at the moment but i am keeping a close eye on this share and i have every intention of buying back in, if the price was to drop.

[rivaldo] 08/10/2012 10:14

At present all 3 covering brokers on CRE say Buy.

The consensus is for 13.61p EPS this year and 14.49p EPS next year, with 3.71p and 3.96p dividends respectively.

CRE is therefore on a P/E of just 6, with a 4.2% divi yield. The EBITDA will be even more attractive.

The last IMS was pretty mixed, but the Corkery acquisition was to be "immediately earnings-enhancing", and I take comfort from the fact that three brokers are all so positive.

With Havas bid speculation on top, which should limit any downside, I'm happy to hold for potentially substantial gains.

[d1nny] 08/10/2012 09:05

Its a stong company with a good profit margin, it is also well placed if/when the global economy picks up. However i feel that the price has been inflated due to hype/speculation of a takeover.

I sold my holdings as i thought that this hype would burst and that the price would drop in the short term. However in the long term i see this company growing nicely, so i have not ruled out the option of buying back in

[markie7] 08/10/2012 08:53

oh yeah, havas will turn up en masse, just to keep things nice and quiet.

[funkmasterp12] 08/10/2012 08:04

Funny old RNS today. They give notice of a presentation for investors on the day it occurs with no timings etc. But I think there's some subtle encouragement to be had from the fact they're showing off their Digital services.

I wonder who WILL be in the audience...

[funkmasterp12] 06/10/2012 11:10

Some very big assumptions being made RE Havas. If that is indeed the reason for the drop yesterday then it shows how nervous investors are about this company. My first instinct yesterday was tree shake - why else would the spread be so enormous?

I still hold here. You'd expect this to bounce back to c.90p resistance again unless we get further news. As for Havas being sold though this won't happen any time soon IMO.

[qs9] 05/10/2012 19:18

So someone takes over Havas, still have to do something with stake or find someone to off load it to. Much will depend on trading....if good, then no reason if others being bought/re-rated that CRE cannot trend higher but over a longer period. if bad, then........

[markie7] 05/10/2012 18:58

Good article

[markie7] 05/10/2012 17:26

Havas takeover rumours - so, Havas distracted - not doing this.

rumours though.....dyor etc.

On Bloomberg

[d1nny] 05/10/2012 15:09

if it gets much lower, i might buy back in

[fargonorthdakota] 05/10/2012 12:42

Its a tree shake, it looks like someone wants the shares and the MM are shaking out the stop losses - spread is 5p at the moment....hopefully Havas have put in a large order....

[d1nny] 05/10/2012 11:27

seems i timed my exit well. This does seem a serious drop considering there hasn't been any new news.

If Havas were serious, then they would be watching this very closely

[rivaldo] 05/10/2012 10:17

Volumes are tiny QS9. And it's a quiet Friday. And MMs don't have much stock (judging by prior posts anyway). Looks more like an MM adjustment to shake out some stock and cater for a few small sells than anything else imho.

[qs9] 05/10/2012 10:04

a bit odd to be off recent highs by a decent chunk...either big seller, or something on trading front perhaps? still holding for bid...views?

[rivaldo] 05/10/2012 09:22

Great news yesterday - CRE's Nelson Bostock have won a bigger role in EE's PR campaigns. Given the upcoming spendinmg on promoting 4G this is excellent news:



"EE shakes up comms line-up as 4G mobile service launch looms

Lynsey Barber, prweek.com, Thursday, 04 October 2012, 8:00am,

Newly rebranded mobile operator EE has revamped its agency line-up as it prepares to launch the UK's first 4G mobile broadband service.

FTI Consulting has taken over responsibility for EE's corporate and strategic comms, just weeks after the operator of Orange and T-Mobile announced its rebrand from Everything Everywhere. The brief was formerly held by Weber Shandwick and GolinHarris.

The agency will look to build awareness and understanding of EE as a company and its soon-to-launch 4G services, including corporate positioning and reputation management.

FTI's account will be led by strategic comms MD James Melville-Ross, who has significant experience of capital markets transactions and IPOs, particularly in the tech sector. Both Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom, EE's joint owners, have been linked with a possible float or sale of their stakes this year.

EE head of PR and corporate comms Mat Sears said: 'This is an exciting time for EE, and we felt FTI, with its wide-ranging expertise in comms consultancy, was the best consultancy to advise us through it.'

WS and GolinHarris will continue working until the end of the year on industry analyst work, while GolinHarris will also continue to handle consumer PR for EE's Orange network.

Meanwhile, on the consumer side, Nelson Bostock and M&C Saatchi have been given expanded roles promoting the EE brand in addition to their current duties for EE's T-Mobile.

Both agencies were involved in the launch of the EE 4G network and Everything Everywhere's rebrand to EE at the beginning of September.

The agency reshuffle follows director of comms and corporate affairs Stuart Jackson's move into a wider business role, reported in PRWeek last week."

[cutlosses] 04/10/2012 16:58

All the best

[madengland] 04/10/2012 14:34

Riv, a growth company recommendation....defo time to sell! Lol. On a serious note, MadE has now left the buidling. After a long and not hugely prosperous relationship with Don 'overpaid, feather my nest' Elgie, I have now sold all. Thanks to all who have posted views over here in the many years I have read and contributed. Good luck, I hope Havas comes up trumps for you. I hope I bump into some of you on other boards in coming years. My top punt for you.....AMC - the Russian mining Company. Aim listed, not for the faint hearted but little downside as trading below compensation levels. I wish you all prosperity and good health. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee