Keywords Studios Share Discussion Threads

[1670127] 04/7/2019 13:31

Kws growth has been driven by acquisitions. The last 12 months has seen a few take place but these have all been small so expect the growth rate to drop significantly from last year. The founders sold 8 million pounds of shares a couple of months back which is not a great sign. Not sure if the current PE ratio supports the reduced growth rates but that is everyone's call. I expect this to go back sub 10 pounds when the results to end June are released.

[rivaldo] 04/7/2019 12:46

Amazing isn't it, the sheep/herd mentaility. Still, the sharp ones amongst them will now be buying back the shares they sold first thing. Congrats to them.

[christh] 04/7/2019 12:30

Growth for the last 5 years (as captured yesterday's data)
-------------------------------------
Name....................1W....1M.....3M.....6M......1Y....2Y....3Y.......5Y (%)
Keywords Studios plc...6.24..4.44...37.4...63.23..1.07..139.65..557.72 1,018.13

[bulltradept] 04/7/2019 12:12

Could be general market happenings, it's still valued pretty highly, so you never know from here.

[togglebrush] 04/7/2019 12:12

Last year share price 24th August 2018 was 2060 and then down to 1064 on New Year.
'
A great business model but with a Volatile share price

[melody9999] 04/7/2019 11:53

Amazing the share price can fall 10% in a day because a broker has increased their price target! Buying opportunity.

[alphabeta4] 04/7/2019 10:34

Nothing Ali - Peel have been consistently behind the curve - their last price change was a note on 9/4 (finals) with a £12.54 target, all that's happened is they've upped it 56p since. Berenberg had £16 9/4 and were proved correct.

[ali47fish] 04/7/2019 10:10

thanks wommble,we've been having good news-sowhat has changed?

[miss womble] 04/7/2019 10:02

Ali Not yet. I think there is a little further to go. "You pays your money and take your Choice" Good luck

[wynmck] 04/7/2019 09:57

Peel Hunt downgrades to Sell today

[ali47fish] 04/7/2019 09:30

so is today's pullback a good opportunity to add? no news

[rivaldo] 27/6/2019 13:59

Berenberg comment that "there is an abundance of structural tailwinds that are likely to drive the games industry forward over the coming years", with streaming heralding the "dawn of a new age" for companies including KWS, who are namechecked as follows:



"Video game streaming is the dawn of a new age
June 26, 2019

Analysts from investment bank Berenberg visited E3, the annual gaming expo held in Los Angeles, and in a comprehensive report provided a valuable analysis of the importance of the event to the industry, and pay-subscription patterns.

Berenberg’s first comment is that there is an abundance of structural tailwinds that are likely to drive the games industry forward over the coming years....

....Streaming will also provide a strong tailwind for Keywords Studios (Keywords) and Sumo, which have both announced agreements with streaming platforms also....

....Lastly, there is some concern from publishers that the increased graphical power of the new consoles will increase the cost, and risk, of new game development. Publishers may look to offset this risk by securing upfront licence agreements for new content. In terms of the outsourcing companies – Keywords and Sumo – backwards compatibility and the potential increase game development costs are supportive dynamics".

[rivaldo] 26/6/2019 07:13

Encouraging sector narrative from Sumo's update today:

"The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) reports that the UK market for games was valued at a record of £5.7bn in 2018, representing +10.0% growth on the previous year. Newzoo expects the global games market to grow from $152.1billion in 2019 to $196 billion by 2022....

...The resounding global confidence in the gaming sector was evidenced at the recent E3 Conference in Los Angeles. Microsoft announced its new console 'Project Scarlett', which is scheduled for release in 2020. Google confirmed its Stadia platform by releasing pricing options; and Apple Arcade continues to excite. Five of the largest businesses in the world, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Tencent are actively driving growth in our industry, so the demand for content has never been higher."

[bamboo2] 17/6/2019 09:12

This appointment should mean fewer bugs in the software.

edit, Well I thought it was funny.

[bulltradept] 17/6/2019 08:57

Nice pull back for those today to have a few more.

[melody9999] 17/6/2019 08:50

Does not look to be any concern with change of CFO here.
1 incumbent to stay in post until new replacement starts
2 looks like a quality hire

The whole process must have been planned for some time and guess the company will part on good terms with David. He in turn will leave the finances in good shape.

[bigbigdave] 17/6/2019 07:23

Poached new CFO from RTO.......His experience at Rentokil Initial with its operations across 73 countries world-wide and its highly active M&A program will be extremely valuable to us as we continue to grow Keywords Studios both organically and by acquisition

[rivaldo] 16/6/2019 18:11

Big interview with the CEO:



Extracts:

"Day says that Keywords has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

“There is a very active pipeline of acquisitions. On the one hand we have strong organic growth, and then acquisitions to come on top,” he says."

"Now, Keywords and Day are in the thick of another shift as massive players such as Google, a Keywords client, and Apple are looking to get a share of the market."

“What has been validated over the years is that, as a trusted provider of services to the industry, we are taken with the industry. When the industry goes to streaming they take Keywords with it. We are working with Google and others in the space to help them get their services up off the ground,” Day says.

"While games remains the primary focus, Day also has designs on broadening Keywords’ reach."

“It is an area of the strategy that we articulated at the time of our IPO in 2013, when we said we will step out into neighbouring areas. You can’t help (but) see the similarities in what we do for video games in film and television, where they are using a lot of the same technology,” he says.

A decade since taking over, Day’s enthusiasm is as strong as ever.

“I hope we can carry on doing what we are doing. Our plan is to get to the point where these big clients of ours would feel comfortable in offloading big chunks of what they are currently doing internally to a company like us,” he says."

[rivaldo] 12/6/2019 11:55

Relatively small, but quite significant. It's firstly very complementary, secondly gives DVW the opportunity to scale up through the KWS group, and thirdly brings a beachhead into Vancouver and new geographies/markets.

And it's also extremely good value and earnings-enhancing at CAD0.66m PBT for just a CAD3.2m price. Another canny acquisition.

[rathean] 12/6/2019 09:04

Well, not the most ambitious of purchases and follows a recent pattern of negligible acquisitions. Happy to continue watching and will buy on weakness.

[aimingupward2] 10/6/2019 22:07

The topic of video games being streamed in the near future was on the BBC news this evening, so clearly gaining greater public awareness.

[melody9999] 09/6/2019 09:00

Aim - certainly provided me with the catalyst to take an opening position, having watched for some time. GLAH

[aimingupward2] 07/6/2019 13:01

“Google has revealed more details about its new video gaming platform, Stadia, which was first announced in March.

Stadia is a cloud gaming platform - so instead of buying a games console, discs and downloads, players can stream games over the internet.

It's been dubbed the Netflix for games.

The service will launch in November with a limited edition starter pack for early adopters.

Studios such as EA and Bethesda will provide games but big developers, such as Epic Games, are still missing.

Analysts at Peel Hunt say it is "likely to revolutionise the video games industry".

So almost certainly to the future advantage of KWS.