Gusbourne Share Discussion Threads

[enami] 05/10/2006 12:56

Just short covering I guess, could get complicated if you are short on a stock that is going to be split. Maybe HOME will tank and EXPN rocket next week, who knows?

EDIT

Yes I expect an equal number of shares in both new companies, haven't got a clue wthat theSP,s will be. Took up the EXPN offer just in case it goes up.

[slyfox1] 05/10/2006 12:49

I believe it to be 50-50 according to my broker on the 12th September. It may have changed since then, but I havn't been informed of any change.
What do you think of the hike today? Do you think it will continue tommorrow?

[enami] 05/10/2006 12:33

Well up ahead of the demerger at the close of business on Friday.
Has anybody got an idea as to the split between HOME and EXPN?

[enami] 04/10/2006 15:45

Hi guys, the EPIC codes after the demerger are as follows. Could not find this info anywhere in any RNS, so emailed GUS investor relations.

HomeRetail Group will be HOME
Experian will be EXPN

[garybaldi] 04/10/2006 13:42

I think , 400p for arg. and 660p for experian.

[ccnp] 25/9/2006 16:20

many thanks Barry

[barry11] 25/9/2006 12:27

I believe the way it works is:

The maximum cash you can pay is the amount of shares you currently hold X 69p, so if you have 100 shares you would pay £69

That is then divided by the offer price to calculate the number of shares you would get . So at 610p it would be 6900/610 = 11.3 (or 11 rounded down)..
At 475p it would be 600/475 =14.5 (14 shares)

It is confusing as an email from etrade to me got it wrong and NatWest have sent out a 'further clarification' letter

Hope this helps

[ccnp] 25/9/2006 11:27

does anyone understand the experian offer?

it seems you pay 69p per share for the right to buy an unspecified number of shares at an unspecified price in a bloody enormous range that includes a too silly for words price.

scam ?????????????????

[mastercfdtrader] 22/9/2006 21:15

ARG is valued @ approx £4 Billion and Experian @ approx £7 Billion, that means a 25-30% upside on current £9.60 level, Elsworths £8 test is load of cobblers Fortyfive

[jackohelp] 18/9/2006 20:04

Nyone taking up the sub shares in experian on demerger?

[fortyfive] 13/9/2006 12:28

little news on the demerge yet. ARG would seem to be worth c. £2 billion subject to above competitive trials, but Experian seems to be valued at up to £7-8 billion estimates and looking at their huge range of database leveraged sellables I am not surprised. I still can't see Elsworth's price of £8 being tested soon, so I will keep them until the de-merge and then dump ARG.

[spracklin] 18/8/2006 20:29

I had some trouble with Experian's "free" trial credit expert service. They sent me an email the day after my free trial expired warning me that someone had checked out my file and tried to apply for credit. I was forced to look into it, thus incurring a month's fee. Turned out to be a routine building society address/ID check at least two weeks old. Eventually got my money refunded, but sly is not the word i would use.....

Also appreaciate your comments about CW's on that thread. After some lucky breaks on the first few trades I found myself getting eaten alive by the time decay and gave much of the profit back on later trades. As you suggest it's almost impossible to make money with them.

[elsworth] 12/8/2006 00:05

This stock is looking set to becomming a recommended short.....market share is definately an issue, not only from the likes of Tesco, but other supermarkets who are happy to contribute 10% of floor space to non-food goods!

Charts showing a retest at £8-£8.25

[typo56] 11/8/2006 07:37

According to the Mail, "Tesco is secretly gearing up to launch a homewares catalogue in four weeks' time, in a move that will send shivers down the spine of rival Argos."

[grupo] 12/7/2006 07:10

GUS says Homebase sales continue to fall, margin pressure at Argos

LONDON (AFX) - GUS PLC, the retail and credit information group, said
underlying sales at its Homebase DIY chain continued to fall in its first
quarter and revealed significant margin pressure at its Argos chain of high
street catalogue shops.
The group, which plans to demerge Argos Retail Group (ARG, which consists of
Homebase and Argos) and Experian, its credit checking business, in October, also
issued a cautious outlook statement.
"In the first quarter of the financial year, the non-food, non-clothing
market in the UK was stronger than expected," it said.
"ARG remains cautious on the outlook for a recovery in the rate of growth in
consumer spending and expects the DIY market in particular to remain difficult."
However, GUS maintained all its businesses were trading in line with
internal expectations and were in "good shape" for a future as independent
companies.
For the four months to June 30 Homebase's total sales fell 1 pct and on a
like-for-like basis, which strips out the impact of new space, sales were down 5
pct. This compares to a fall of 5 pct over the previous five months.
Homebase trades from 300 stores and is the UK's second largest home
improvement retailer after Kingfisher PLC's B&Q, which is also struggling for
sales in the face of weak consumer demand.
GUS said although Homebase saw strong growth in kitchens and furniture, core
DIY and decorating ranges remained weak.
It noted that, as planned, gross margin was ahead of the previous year as a
result of a reduced level of promotional activity together with the benefits
obtained from supply chain initiatives.
Argos, which trades from 663 UK stores, saw total sales increase 14 pct in
the three months to June 30. Its like-for-like sales increased 7 pct -- an
outturn ahead of analysts' expectations and an improvement on flat underlying
sales in the previous quarter.
Consumer electronics performed very strongly, especially flat panel TVs and
set top boxes in the lead up to and during the World Cup. Argos also highlighted
good sales growth in bedroom furniture, photography and video game systems.
However, Argos' improved sales performance was "substantially offset" by a
related reduction in gross margin compared to the previous year.
This was driven by a shift in the product mix and by promotional offers in
the quarter, partially offset by benefits from supply chain initiatives.
Experian delivered another stellar performance in the three months to June
30, with sales at actual exchange rates up 23 pct and sales at constant exchange
rates up 21 pct -- organic growth of 8 pct with the balance from acquisitions.
Last week GUS revealed it had turned down several takeover approaches for
ARG and Experian, having concluded that shareholder interests are better served
by proceeding with the previously announced demerger.
The group did not name its suitors but reports suggested venture capital
groups KKR, CVC and Permira and the investment bank Goldman Sachs could be
interested.
Some analysts reckon GUS made public its rejection of the approaches to
flush out higher bids.
The demerger will see both ARG and Experian becoming independently listed on
the London Stock Exchange -- ARG in the General Retailing sector and Experian in
the Support Services sector.
At the time of the demerger GUS is also planning for Experian to raise some
800 mln stg, with up to 5 pct of the shares available to new investors.
GUS' outstanding bonds and loan notes, totaling about 2 bln stg, will be
held with Experian. This reflects ARG's significant ongoing leasehold
commitments -- over 300 mln stg a year in rent.
The demerger will mark the final chapter in the break-up of the conglomerate
formerly known as Great Universal Stores. Last year GUS disposed of Lewis, the
South African retailer and demerged its remaining 65 pct stake in luxury brand
Burberry Group PLC, and in January it sold its last remaining home shopping
business, Dutch group Wehkamp, for 320 mln eur.
GUS shares closed Tuesday at 989-1/2 pence, valuing the business at 8.78 bln
stg.


[e-mail]
jdd/slm

[andrewhbruce] 06/7/2006 10:11

tks matt, still look good value with demerger/takeover spec and well down from high.

[mattharrop] 05/7/2006 19:30

yep - and the price reflected that until 3.45pm! Big jump on close due to takeover announcement.
It's been rebuffed, but probably more to come

[andrewhbruce] 05/7/2006 15:49

presume they traded ex div to-day??

[andrewhbruce] 05/7/2006 15:45

presume they traded ex div to-day??

[11entrepreneur11] 07/6/2006 04:43

i envite you all to my new website where you can discuss shares and world issues the site is:

[davemake] 12/4/2006 09:21

Tue 11-Apr-06 GUS Gus Ord 29 3/43p Sell_at 1042 Stop_Loss 1074 Cls_Pr 1045

[waldron] 12/4/2006 07:00

GUS' Homebase undershoots market expectations for H2 sales

LONDON (AFX) - GUS PLC, has reported worse-than-expected second half
underlying sales at its
Homebase chain and warned on the unit's full year profit outturn, blaming a
further weakening of the UK home improvement market.
The disappointment at the DIY business overshadowed an in-line performance
from Argos, the high street catalogue retailer, and another stellar performance
from Experian, the group's credit information division.
For the five months to Feb 28 like-for-like sales at Homebase, which strips
out the impact of new space, were down 5 pct, compared to analysts' consensus
expectations of a fall of 3.5 pct and a third quarter decline of 3 pct.
Total sales at Homebase, the UK's second largest DIY retailer trading from
297 stores, fell 1 pct.
"Although kitchens and furniture showed continued strong growth core DIY and
decorating ranges showed significant like-for-like sales declines in the
period," GUS said.
Homebase's gross margin was also down year-on-year, reflecting an adverse
mix and more price reductions, especially in the latter part of the period.
GUS warned that the impact of these reductions, which did not generate the
required volume uplifts, coupled with higher costs, will result in EBIT
(earnings before interest and tax) at Homebase for the year just ended of around
50 mln stg -- lower than analysts had expected.
Looking forward, GUS expects the DIY market to remain weak for much of 2006,
but also expects Homebase to continue to take share driven by initiatives in
customer service and new space.
For the six months to March 31, Argos, which sells everything from
electrical appliances to garden furniture and trades from over 657 stores, saw
flat like-for-like sales -- compared to analyst expectations of flat sales and
after flat sales in the third quarter.
GUS said Argos again outperformed its market, with total sales up 9 pct.
Gross margin was in line with last year.
Over the second half Experian beat analysts' expectations with a 30 pct
increase in total sales at actual exchange rates and a 25 pct rise at constant
exchange rates.
Experian North America saw sales increase 35 pct at constant exchange rates,
while Experian International was up 13 pct.
Last month GUS detailed plans to demerge Argos Retail Group (Argos and
Homebase) and Experian, with both divisions becoming independently listed on the
London Stock Exchange in six to 12 months time.
Last December the group demerged its remaining 65 pct stake in luxury brand
Burberry Group PLC. In January it sold its last remaining home shopping
business, Dutch group Wehkamp, for 320 mln eur.
GUS shares closed Tuesday at 1045 pence, valuing the business at 9.37 bln
stg.

[e-mail]
jdd/bam

[broshm] 06/4/2006 18:41

brom
what is this split all about ?
How much is this business worth ?
strikes me there are too many products on sale but there are an awfullot
of people around who will buy anything they feel to be a bargain .
Wot news
Brom

[pitoe] 31/3/2006 15:43

Fantastic info here: