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HAT H&t Group Plc

471.00
13.00 (2.84%)
06 Dec 2023 - Closed
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
H&t Group Plc LSE:HAT London Ordinary Share GB00B12RQD06 ORD 5P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  13.00 2.84% 471.00 25,310 16:35:16
Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price
460.00 469.00 474.00 456.00 474.00
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
Finance Services 173.94M 14.91M 0.3401 13.76 205.22M
Last Trade Time Trade Type Trade Size Trade Price Currency
17:11:00 O 620 455.997 GBX

H&t (HAT) Latest News

H&t (HAT) Discussions and Chat

H&t Forums and Chat

Date Time Title Posts
20/11/202316:56Harvey and Thompson Pawnbrokers1,322
15/8/202316:33*** Harvey and Thompson ***70
16/4/201215:55Trading Story21
24/5/201006:39H&T - Growth in recession and credit crisis times173
17/1/201013:15H&T with Charts & News13

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H&t (HAT) Most Recent Trades

Trade Time Trade Price Trade Size Trade Value Trade Type
2023-12-06 17:11:13456.006202,827.18O
2023-12-06 16:55:21471.0184395.65O
2023-12-06 16:47:35465.204,00018,608.00O
2023-12-06 16:35:16471.003,83818,076.98UT
2023-12-06 16:28:47468.0049229.32AT

H&t (HAT) Top Chat Posts

Top Posts
Posted at 06/12/2023 08:20 by H&t Daily Update
H&t Group Plc is listed in the Finance Services sector of the London Stock Exchange with ticker HAT. The last closing price for H&t was 458p.
H&t currently has 43,850,484 shares in issue. The market capitalisation of H&t is £205,220,265.
H&t has a price to earnings ratio (PE ratio) of 13.76.
This morning HAT shares opened at 474p
Posted at 20/11/2023 10:47 by lord loads of lolly
I said some time ago I expected HAT to break through 550p at some point in 2024.

That remains the case, as I can't see them announcing anything other than record-breaking results in Q1 2024, with another strong outlook.

The trick then will be knowing when to reduce. I've learnt the hard way not to wait too long, mistakenly expecting an ever-increasing share price.

As some of my holding was purchased just below £2, I'll start reducing if/when they breach 550p. I wouldn't want to ditch my entire holding though, as a) I can't imagine HAT will suddenly go from riches to rags & b) its yield is decent. More a case of maybe not continuing to grow at the current rate. Which would likely lead to the share price eventually softening a bit, having risen another £1 or so from its current level in the interim.
Posted at 18/11/2023 07:54 by ymaheru
Hi all (especially NTV and The Cronk)

Firstly, markets are not always rational. They are forward looking, though. With inflation now seemingly under control some investors may just cash in, weakening share price. So, I’m not buying more.

@Aeonflux, I would agree it seems risky, but HAT’s management seem conservative enough that it appears bullish. They’ll know it’s expensive money, but must think it’s worth it. Sounds like pledge book is doing well. Also, Store expansion has always added to bottom line previously.
Posted at 07/11/2023 19:40 by lord loads of lolly
Gold may have a small influence on HAT’s share price. But it is only small.

HAT’s price has been very volatile of late, rising over 20% since September, before falling back around 7% from its recent peak. Gold’s price movement over that same period has been relatively pedestrian in comparison.
Posted at 21/9/2023 13:24 by lord loads of lolly
Asagi - I agree - it doesn't make any sense! Nor has it for some time. The share price is often shown as rising or falling significantly day to day. When in reality, all that's happened is that the spread's narrowed or widened.

Today offers a particularly bizarre example on LSE, where the (mid) share price is shown as 428p, yet the Bid is 413p & the Ask is only 424p. Go figure!

I take no notice now and just monitor the slightly longer term trends. Fortunately, that's currently moving in the right direction for me, as I added again recently at just under 396p, getting in the day before it went ex div.

H&T is now my largest holding. At the current price, it's likely to yield around 5% going forward. And I can't see anything to prevent the next 12 months being record-breaking for this company, both in terms of sales & profit.

I'd be very surprised if, within the next 12 months, the share price didn't re-visit its previous peak of >£5 at some stage.
Posted at 21/9/2023 12:54 by asagi
I can never square the price on here with what shows on the London Stock Exchange website. I thought that advfn charts showed the mid price.

Our chart says 428p mid price since 12:00 but Stock Exchange website says that the bid:offer is 413p:424p. A trade at 428p was reported to the LSE at 12:04, the same time that the displayed price on advfn rose to 428p.

Baffled.

Asagi (long HAT)
Posted at 30/8/2023 13:30 by lord loads of lolly
Odd how the share price has dropped since the beginning of the year, whilst HAT’s prospects have - if anything - improved even further. Its progressive dividend policy means this now yields around 5%. H2 is traditionally stronger than H1 and the company has consistently issued positive outlook statements this year. Also, strong Director buying since Sept 22 (CEO c. £277k, Chair >£66k at prices between 425p & 444p). And a very undemanding P/E ratio, given the company's short to medium term prospects.

I added recently at a fraction over 395p. The 6.5p ex dividend date is 7 Sept, so I decided to lock that in. I really can’t imagine this dropping below 350p (short of a major general market crash) and can quite see it moving beyond 550p post FY results. Next trading update is in January ‘24, which should generate record results (though this may already be partly priced in, as it’s already widely predicted). Still, I expect a strong upward re-rate within the next 12 months and will be happy to add even further if the share price continues to drift.
Posted at 16/5/2023 16:02 by lord loads of lolly
An interesting RNS announced after yesterday's close for H&T's new performance-related share option scheme: The way I read it, qualifying senior management don't have to pay for their options, providing they achieve set targets. If so, that to me is ridiculous. Surely they should STILL have to pay (even if at a lower-than-current-market price)? That said, the targets to qualify look fairly ambitious, with a MINIMUM 106% increase in EPS by 31 December 2025. If they achieve even that, there should be a substantial upward share price re-rate by then. Not to mention a significant boost to dividend payouts. I topped up further, both yesterday & today, on the share price weakness, as I can't see any obvious reason for it. Ex dividend this Thursday, so thought I'd get in beforehand to qualify for June's 10p a share payout. The price could well drift lower still (particularly on 18th when it goes ex-div). But on a 12 month+ view, I'm reasonably confident my latest buys will prove sound.
Posted at 18/1/2023 16:12 by lord loads of lolly
thorpematt - I agree H&T is continuing to trade well, steadily expanding both organically & via acquisition. I think it's a well run business & Shore Cap's forecast may prove right. Who knows? But it's worth remembering that 3 years ago (year ending 31/12/19), Operating Profit was £22.49M, EPS 43.88p with an Interim only Dividend of 4.7p. The share price then was around 360p-380p. H&T has always traded on a lowish P/E, despite its decent yield & track record. That said, I suspect we'll see the £5.00 share price level breached again within the next year. I just hope it nudges below £4.50 at some stage before then, so I can buy back the small part of the holding I sold at £5.03. If not, I'm confident the shares I retain will deliver anyway. But I'd be happy to increase my exposure here, as it seems one of the safer options currently (as much as any share ever is!) UPDATE: My limit buy order was triggered this morning (20 Jan) at £4.485. I'm happy with that, as It reinstates the value of the fractional holding I sold for £5.03 a share on 1 Dec 22. And it'll boost my final dividend payment in June. Given H&T's store expansion & the economic backdrop, I reckon it still has at least 1 years' decent growth left. But I'll be monitoring carefully, with a view to reducing again, if the share price nudges above the £5.50 level later this year.
Posted at 03/8/2022 07:46 by spob
UK risks deepening recession, warns think-tank


By 2024, millions will be left with no savings as cover, says National Institute of Economic and Social Research

Food and energy prices are set to remain at levels that will cause ongoing hardship for many people into 2024

Delphine Strauss


The UK economy is sliding into recession, with no let-up in sight in a cost of living crisis that will leave more than 5mn households with their savings exhausted by 2024, according to new forecasts by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

The think-tank expects GDP to fall “slightly” over the second half of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 but said on Wednesday that the risks of a deeper recession were growing. It saw an “evens chance” that GDP would be lower at the end of 2022 than a year earlier.

It also said that regional disparities were widening, with London powering ahead of the rest of the country.

Niesr called on the next prime minister to step up direct support for the poorest households, rather than prioritising tax cuts, arguing that even if inflation slowed next year, food and energy prices were set to remain at levels that would cause ongoing hardship for many people into 2024.

“Political uncertainty in Westminster is untimely and will delay fiscal support to millions,” Niesr said. It urged the government to increase its energy grant to low-income households and boost benefits payments for at least six months when regulated gas and electricity prices rise again in October.

The £200bn of savings some households had accumulated during the pandemic could help prop up consumer spending in the second half of the year, Niesr said. But these were distributed “highly unequally”, with demand for foreign holidays “surging as millions are reported to be struggling with shopping for household essentials”.

The think-tank predicts that the number of households with no savings at all to fall back on will double to 5.3mn by 2024, with almost 7mn households living from one pay cheque to the next with savings worth less than two months of disposable income.

More than 1mn households could experience severe destitution, Niesr added, with food and energy bills exceeding their disposable income and forcing them “to choose between eating and heating” or to turn to loan sharks.

“There is no substitute for continued targeted welfare,” Niesr said, noting that the race for the Conservative party leadership had focused on tax cuts rather than the “urgent necessity to continue support for the most vulnerable”.

It also said that the government should use some of its fiscal room to raise public sector pay according to the needs of individual sectors, rather than “with an eye to inflation”, arguing that public services were generally provided without a price, so did not directly feed consumer price inflation.

The think-tank blamed both the Bank of England and the government for allowing high inflation to take hold, arguing that a premature tightening of fiscal policy had left monetary policymakers “reluctant to raise rates with demand still fragile”.

Stephen Millard, Niesr’s deputy director for macroeconomics, said it was now “up to the monetary policy committee to make sure inflation does come down next year and the new chancellor to support those households most affected”.
Posted at 31/7/2022 18:34 by spob
Pawnbroking surges in UK amid cost of living squeeze



Leke Oso Alabi and Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan in London

July 29 2022


The customers that walk through the doors of Ramsdens pawnbrokers use the lending service in starkly different ways.

“We’ve got a very good customer [with] a platinum Rolex, which is probably worth about £50,000 [or] £60,000,” said Peter Kenyon, the company’s chief executive. “He’s a builder and when his cash flow is short he gives us the Rolex, borrows between £10,000 and £20,000 . . . pays interest at 2 per cent a month, then pays us back when his cash flow improves.”

But Kenyon noted the chain also assists customers who need small sums because they’ve “got to feed the kids, or buy the school uniform”.

The UK’s pawnbroking sector is reporting strong post-coronavirus lockdown growth, as rapidly increasing living costs boost demand from borrowers seeking small loans, while a crackdown on high-interest lenders has left customers with limited options. Listed companies that offer “pledge lending” — typically small loans secured on assets such as jewellery and watches — have reported strong growth in sales and profits, boosting their share prices in recent months.

Shares in H&T Group, the UK’s largest pawnbroker, have risen 37.6 per cent this year, while those in rival Ramsdens are up 8.6 per cent over the same period as of the close of trade on Monday.

Kenyon said weekly customer numbers within Ramsdens’ shops were 20 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels: “A lot of that is driven by what the consumer [is] facing and the cost of living increase, but we lend for a raft of reasons — we do lending to businesses . . . we’ve lent for school fees.”

H&T this month said its pledge book — loans linked to a customer’s asset — was worth £84mn in June, up sharply from £48mn in the same month last year.

“The cost of living, yes, absolutely that’s driving the need to borrow, but I think the larger of the two issues is that people have got less options open to them,” said H&T chief executive Chris Gillespie. “The need of people to borrow has returned . . . but that need has returned into a market where the supply of small sum credit is massively reduced.”
Line chart of Share prices rebased showing 'Pledge lending' boosts UK pawnbrokers

He added that the clear difference between pawnbroking and most other forms of lending was that “our only recourse is to the asset . . . we don’t and can’t ever go back to the borrower if there’s a shortfall [in repayment]”.

However, like other forms of lending there are risks associated with using pawnbrokers.

“Using a pawnbroker can be a relatively expensive way to borrow and you can usually only borrow a percentage of the value of the item you want to pawn,” said Caroline Siarkiewicz, chief executive of the Money and Pensions Service, which is sponsored by the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions.

Consumers can expect to pay a pawnbroker a higher rate of interest than they would for a high street loan — but less than a payday lender, according to the Money and Pensions Service.

If a borrower fails to repay the loan, ownership of the asset passes to the pawnbroker, who could sell it. They have to try to secure the best value for the item, and any surplus generated after the debt is paid must be returned to the customer.

Ramsdens said pawnbrokers typically charged 8-10 per cent a month. Customers have six months to repay their loan and more than 95 per cent pay the full loan back in one instalment.

Siarkiewicz noted that this method of borrowing can be tempting “because it is a quick way to get access to cash”. But she stressed it was important customers “shop around to find the most competitive rates and make sure they’re FCA regulated”.

Around 130 members of the National Pawnbrokers Association run 870 outlets around the UK, accounting for 97 per cent of the industry. The largest brands are H&T, Cash Converters and Ramsdens, but most members run just a single store.

Many of those companies have benefited from the demise of subprime lenders or non-standard finance providers, which prospered after the 2008 financial crisis, as mainstream banks became reluctant to lend to consumers with blemished credit files.

Ramsdens said it ended its own payday lending offering when market conditions shifted.

“It was scary where the pricing had got to, so people would borrow £100 and have to pay back £140,” said Kenyon.

The Financial Conduct Authority clamped down on the sector in response to fears about rising levels of consumer debt. The number of active high-cost, short-term lenders in the UK fell by almost a third between 2016 and the third quarter of 2020, according to FCA figures.

“The FCA have regulated the market almost to death,” added Kenyon.

Wonga, once the UK’s largest payday loan provider, filed for administration in 2018 after a surge of customer complaints. Provident Financial, one of the largest participants in Britain’s subprime market, shut a unit providing “high cost lending” last year.

Amigo Loans, which offers “guarantor loans” backed up by a borrower’s friends or family, has also been out of the market. The group is awaiting FCA approval to recommence lending for the first time since November 2020 following a backlog of complaints and uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

There are now concerns that people struggling to access credit may turn to buy now, pay later services, a type of short-term lending that allows consumers to pay for purchases in instalments.
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UK outlines plans to tighten ‘buy now pay later’ rules

These services boomed during the pandemic as online shopping surged. However, according to polling data from debt charity StepChange, half of those with buy now, pay later loans in the UK said they found it hard to keep up with household bills and credit repayments.

Debt charities have also raised concerns about the increased use of pawnbrokers.

“With everyday costs soaring it’s no surprise to hear more people are using pawnbrokers,” said Theodora Hadjimichael, chief executive of Responsible Finance. “But you shouldn’t need to put your wedding ring or a family heirloom at risk to pay an unexpected expense.”
H&t share price data is direct from the London Stock Exchange

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