Hays Share Discussion Threads

[pkvidean] 01/2/2002 12:32

Thanks Pat O Hat,

It actually touched 180p on 30/01, but I rather rashly Added @ about 193p on 24/01. Do not think we are out of the woods quite yet (for a 180p second stage bottom) but reckon its about even money that it will not go lower. The next announcement from HAS will, obviously, confirm the direction! IMRO.

[pat o hat] 31/1/2002 19:27

Spot on pkvidean. HAS could have been bought at your 181p price point for about an hour yesterday Weds.

Didn't take advantage needless to say but I am a holder & encouraged by today's developments i.e. ABN Amro note re post deregulation.

[pkvidean] 23/1/2002 23:56

Sorry about that - was going to create a new thread "Hays - Classic Recovery Play???

Do not think HAS will re-trench more than 50% and defintely see 122p as the low. Next Add target would therefore be about 181p.

HAS has all the hallmarks of being the classic recovery play and not without recent sectoral precedent - Business Post and Jarvis etc. Think they may be sitting on a little pot of gold. Unemployment is obviously going to weaken but not that significantly, outsourcing and communication services seem like strong growth sectors in the future.


IMRO (In My Rubbish Opinion)

[big vern] 18/1/2002 17:31

mmm.....interesting one - pf charts suggest we're still range bound, candlesticks suggest down, trend is down....so wait and see - i dunno - flip a coin

[jhurbanek] 18/1/2002 17:11

Highest volume today since early December helped by some large trades after the bell. Support @200 tested over the last two days...which way now?

[jhurbanek] 18/1/2002 17:10

Highest volume today since early December helped by some large trades after the bell. Support @200 tested over the last two days...which way now?

[growbag] 21/11/2001 09:42

Down again today because of the CSFB note estimated 'fair value' at 180p. No doubt CSFB have been short selling and need to cover their position. They are nothing more than overpaid derampers. Strange isn't it. If they really believe that why do they downgrade from buy to hold - if the current price is higher than their estimate of fair value [whatever that means], surely they should issue a sell recommendation.

[big vern] 16/11/2001 10:16

looking like a good breakout.....

[growbag] 16/11/2001 09:19

LONDON (AFX) - Hays PLC said it has won a significant 7-year contract with
Liverpool Victoria Group, the UK's largest friendly society, to provide an
integrated Human Resources process management service.
Hays will provide a complete outsourced HR operation for the 2,800
employees, including HR administration and personnel records management,
compensation and benefits advice, payroll administration and management,
recruitment, training and development programs, financial services regulatory
referencing and employee relationship services.
The service provided will use integrated HR database and workflow management
software to ensure the achievement of Best Professional Practice within the
Financial Services environment.

[alfie0] 14/11/2001 11:13

Is there any info yet on when break up might occur?

[growbag] 13/11/2001 15:10

We've just broken through £2.00. The charts look solid and suggest an upward pattern towards £2.50 (IMO). Much touted break up of the company should also add to the upside.

[mali7] 02/11/2001 09:05

Strong BUY recomendation buy several analysts. See www.msn.co.uk and do a stock quote and the a research and you will see. This share will reach 250p price target end of this year.

[johnds] 29/9/2001 15:08

Have we seen the bottom and now it's the long road to recovery. Buying at £3.23 will mean a long road.

No big movements either way since the ruling on Post deliveries. Any idea why not?

[glidedj] 10/9/2001 07:52

Results out today. Far from being doom and gloom they show positive improvement, except for one off disposal costs the figures are actually good.
Revaluations should now follow.

[glidedj] 05/9/2001 10:13

JohnDS - If the results are above 'expectations' then I would have thought a return above £2.00 would be likely. There is no reason why a profitable company should be held back any further if the results are well received.

Averaging down can be risky so be careful, I've been burnt on that before now.

Logically city expectations should be some 48% lower than before the fall.
Of course it may be a bit much to expect the city to be logical given that they employ bizarrely young so called 'analysts' and mess up so often.

What does give me cheer is that Hays recruit and place a lot of people in sectors like construction and retailing which are booming and have been for some considerable time. Sure IT is bombed out, however Hays are well placed across other parts of the recruitment market. Competitors are often niche players.

The HR side will be interesting. There is a continued trend towards outsourcing amongst companies, therefore Hays may have picked up a decent amount of business in this sector, we shall see.

The other factors are the closing of the loss making Spanish mailing co. plus the good deal for the chemicals partial MBO. Which on balance may cancel each other out, but at least in outlook present a step in the right direction, i.e. no more losses and a focus on Hays core businesses. The MBO was nicely hedged in Hays favour since they still own a good proportion.

Consignia have gone somewhat quiet regarding the mailing lawsuit perhaps because they realised they were on to a loser. Also they are now changing their fleet transport arrangements at the risk of yet more strikes. To me this shows they are worried about their cost base prior to open competition.

Meanwhile Hays have 'trial' mailing licences coming their way - as announced - which should in theory add to their future income. As stated before by Hays the logistics division is having a tough time, however they at least had the sense not to take on loss making business. When undercutting occurs quality often suffers so they may yet have had some lost business coming back, again we shall see.

The sum total of all this looks reasonably promising to me, and is a far cry from the forecasts of doom and further profit warnings. The lack of any further profit warning seems to have been forgotten about by the markets. I would take no news as better than expected in these circumstances.

The HAS chart shows a tight bollinger band which signifies a sharp movement in pricing is on the cards. Whether this is up or down depends on events and market reaction. Since Hays have already lost a large slice from their price, it does seem that even modest results would trigger re-adjustment.

If I remember correctly the infamous statement did not actually warn on profit anyhow, it talked of making similar profits to last year and owned up to more difficult trading in logistics. If true, then it is about time the markets recognised this.

As ever DYOR, make your own decisions and be lucky.

[johnds] 31/8/2001 20:16

Having bought in at £3.23 just after the results thinking this was a good performing company the only question on my mind is do I buy more to bring the average down or wait a very long time before I see £3.40!!

If the results are good I cannot see a rise to above £2.00 or does anyone disagree?

[glidedj] 30/8/2001 10:41

Hays will be back in the spotlight shortly with full year results. Date currently unclear though FT.com carries an item stating 10th Sept.

Question is, how have they actually done - irrespective of all the press and market sentiment ?

Hays stated they would make profits in line with last year, which if true would probably be received very positively. CMG after all announced markedly lower profits and their share price flew up 25% due to beating 'expectations'.

Equally if they don't meet the market expectation that reaction would be the opposite.

It's been an 'interesting' period what with 'that' announcement, the sell-off of the loss making Spanish mail operation, the Chemical division partial MBO and of course the CEO change. So far the new CEO appears to be doing the appropriate things, of course the underlying performance of the company will be the real indicator.

Any news, views or info out there ? It's good to talk.....

[brickie] 07/6/2001 23:14

Anybody got any ideas as to hays are they worth a flutter or will they
drop any more?