Fountains Share Discussion Threads

[cocodot] 03/5/2008 13:43

Has anyone else heard about Fountains losing their IT department? Any views on how this might affect their share price? Anyone seen this in other companies - what was the effect? I can't see this being a good thing ...

[typo56] 02/5/2008 21:36

The dividend arrived in my selftrade account yesterday - over 5 weeks late. No email or other confirmation.

[typo56] 23/4/2008 17:00

Yes, I had problems before when selftrade were comdirect and a lot of dividends wouldn't get paid unless you chased them.

I sent them two secure messages a couple of weeks ago. They replied saying the back office would contact me within a four days. Nothing. I wonder how much in dividends they fail to credit to client accounts which go unnoticed. A very poor service from a broker IMO.

[praipus] 22/4/2008 11:43

I recieved the FNT dividend cheque on the 25th of March.

[praipus] 22/4/2008 11:41

Typo56

Have had the same problem with Selftrade myself. Selftrade unfortunately are a law unto themselves when it comes to dividends. I have had delays of over three weeks very poor for a broker to be so slow on divi's IMHO.

Part of the reason for only holding dividend bearing stocks in certificated format where I can.

[typo56] 21/4/2008 17:43

Have other holders received the dividend due to them on 25 March? It still hasn't been credited to my selftrade account and, in spite of chasing, selftrade have not come back to me with any explanation as to why it has not been paid.

I guess the problem dates back to the AGM debacle. However, my understanding is the dividend was approved and should have been paid on 25 March.

[woozle1] 13/4/2008 21:58

Tday

Thanks for that. Makes me wonder why they did not accept that bid and that maybe the board think that they can get more. The recent rise in the share price tells me either an overhang has been cleared or there is a bid about to come??

That being said, not v. happy about the part time CEO when a full time job needs to be done. I can't help but wonder that he's been bought in to clean up the bus for sale.

W

[tday] 08/4/2008 08:39

Woozle1,

If you had been at the EGM, you would have witnessed the chairman and ceo in great discomfort.

By written questions to the chairman prior to and at the AGM shareholders sought confirmation as to the disclosures which would be expected in the remuneration report in the 2007 annual report includint its financial statements.

Prior to the vote by shsreholders and in response to a specific question at the AGM held on 27 february 2008 the chairman confirmed that he was satisfied as to the correctness of the remuneration report disclosures which included basic pay for the ceo of £165,000. The subsequent admission by the chairman in a letter to a shareholder on 4 March 2008 that £56,000 had been omitted from the reported ceo remuneration raised serious concerns as to the quality and accuracy of the audited financial statements.

On the basis of information made available to the shareholders prior to the AGM the CEO would appear to be available to the company not full time but for a minimum of only 3 days a week.

The remuneration report further states "The committee also has regard to rates of payment in similar jobs in comparable companies". But readers of the financial statements would be unable to form a view on the rate of pay since by virtue of the matters diclosed above the actual rate would appear to be an astonishing 220% of that disclosure.

By the way, I believe the ceo's wife is a recruitment consultant

[woozle1] 31/3/2008 16:55

Tday, according to the report and accounts for the y/e Sept 07, which were published recently, Richard Hadden was paid £170k and he was given 150k of nil priced options .. the only not so great thing is that Hadden Associates was paid £81k; £31k for HR consultancy and a further £51k for the recruitment (must have been a signing on bonus!) .. nothing there sounds that agregious and given that he has sorted as fine mess, he deserves to be properly paid .. have read the report and accounts and found no mention of the 3 day that you say Hadden works .. can you point me in the right direction as if this is true I will be selling the shares!

W

[woozle1] 31/3/2008 16:28

TDay .. as far as I am aware the CEO is full time on the job .. what evidence do you have that he's part time ?! .. he's not that incompetent .. he turned around the company when it was in real trouble and not sold out to a low ball bid .. Woozle

[miked500] 18/3/2008 19:16

March 16, 2008

It's true! Money can grow on trees
INVESTORS seeking a shelter from the storm in markets could consider forestry.

The value of woodland has surged by up to 40% in the past year as it has become a new and unexpected investment hotspot.

Forest owners have seen the value of their plots more than double in the past four years, according to Savills, the estate agents, and UPM Tilhill, a forestry-management company.

Timber prices have surged partly because of growing demand from China and India as well as the constraints on supply and high transportation costs due to rising oil prices.

Nearly 16,000 hectares of woodland were sold in the UK last year, at an average price of about £4,250 per hectare – an increase of about 80% in value compared with 2006.

An attractive feature of woodland investments are the tax breaks they offer investors.

Normally, your heirs would pay inheritance tax (IHT) on the value of your estate above the annual exemption, currently £300,000. But if you manage woodland commercially, the land and trees become exempt from IHT after two years.

Income derived from any type of woodland is free from income and corporation tax.

And any increase in the value of the timber is exempt from capital-gains tax (CGT). This doesn't apply to the land, however.

Woodlands also qualify for CGT roll-over relief. You can avoid CGT that has arisen following the sale of a business by reinvesting the proceeds in forestry. If you hold the woodland until death, the CGT bill is forgotten.

There are also government grants for growing trees, maintaining woodland and environmental initiatives. Contact the Forestry Commission to find out more (0131 334 0303, forestry.gov.uk).

If you want to invest in woodland, you can buy through an agent or investment manager, such as Tilhill, John Clegg, Fountains or FIM. Woods themselves start at about £30,000.

[9degrees] 14/3/2008 14:21

tday where do you get all this info from ??

[9degrees] 31/1/2008 22:54

is something stirring out there - a bit of buying today

[illiswilgig] 14/12/2007 22:04

Woozle,

I was thinking along the same lines.

cheers

Mark

[woozle1] 04/12/2007 14:22

It was bleeding obvious that it was a low ball bid given the share price was only 130. If it were a proper bid it should have been nearer 200p. I suspect it's the disgruntled former CEO trying to take it on the cheap and thinking that investors would take the cash. There's plenty room for more growth and I think that we should be at 200p within the year, assuming the US does not launch some nukes against Iran.

DYOR

W

[9degrees] 04/12/2007 13:33

the results will have put the asking price up

[praipus] 04/12/2007 11:05

How humbling investing is......"hoisted by ones own petard"...again... lol

I wonder if the "talks terminated" is more to do with the bidders inability to raise the cash....dont suppose we will ever know.

Going to hold fast as I like the earning and forestry part of the business.


Fountains says potential offer talks terminated

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Fountains PLC confirmed that it has terminated
talks with an interested party and is no longer engaged in any discussions
regarding a potential offer for the company.
The environmental support services company said it remains confident about
the future prospects of the company, and is in a strong position to further
benefit from developing its product offering into broader managed services.
Fountains also said it has appointed its senior independent non-executive
director and acting Chairman, Michael Holmes, as its non-executive chairman with
immediate effect.


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[praipus] 29/11/2007 13:35

I understand that once an offer is made that specific reports have to be made available to other potential bidders so in theory it is in the buyers interest to conclude the deal as far as possible before announcing anything.

Conversley its in our interest that the sale process drags out so the maximum number of potential bidders become aware of the company being open to offers.

Thus creating an auction like senario and good value for shareholders.

Strong buy IMHO.

[woozle1] 22/11/2007 09:08

I suspect they will announce the terms of the offer for the business. They've been in bid talks for some time and this is a small company with a relatively simple business, which has recently been cleaned up. The question is, what price?

DYOR

W

[9degrees] 21/11/2007 06:34

Prelim results on thursday 29 nov and hopefully an update on bid talks . Results should be good

[praipus] 29/10/2007 17:26

Thanks Gengulphus. Are there any other Forestry related quoted businesses? If this is the only one it will be a shame if it gets taken over. World demand for timber rising, more Wealthy Individuals looking to invest in forestry than ever before....perhaops the takeover premium will cover future earnings potential.

[gengulphus] 19/10/2007 18:11

For individual owners of investments, they affect CGT on all investments from next April 6th, because the rate at which CGT is charged is changing. In addition, the removal of taper relief affects all investments held over 3 years and all 'business asset' investments held for over 1 year, and the removal of indexation affects all investments held since before April 1998.

Company owners of investments are unaffected,because they are taxed on capital gains via corporation tax rather than CGT, and that's unaffected.

Gengulphus

[praipus] 19/10/2007 10:46

Does anyone know if the recent CGT changes affect Forestry/Property as well?