Lpa Share Discussion Threads

[999henry] 25/9/2007 19:09

Shares are in the doldrums - financial year end is this month. On sales of £16M we should expect to hear of a PBT in excess of £500K but must wait till January ! The next AGM could be very interesting if once again the directors are promising that 2008 will be the year of recovery. Perhaps some more large family shareholders will defect to the "Young Turks" who belive it is time for a change at the top now.

[cyril4] 25/9/2007 15:46

who's the stranger who bought 7000

[999henry] 09/9/2007 21:19

Investors should note that at last one of the bright stars from LPA Channel has been promoted to running the sales operation at Niphan - If this had been done 5 years ago we might have seen some results by now!

[castlefordtiger] 07/9/2007 18:41

Tiger looking for 3%

Hit the market today but only got a further 40k to add to the 150 holding.

some way to go.

tiger

[cyril4] 07/9/2007 15:15

where is ap,has he lost interest

[999henry] 01/8/2007 18:06

At the AGM in Feb 2007 Andrew Perloff requested a poll to be taken on the resolution allowing the Directors to allot share options. He was only able to secure 42% against. He took the opportunity to point out the excessive "take" by the Directors in the form of share options, salaries and pension contributions against the background of a cumulative loss of £350K over the preceding 7 or so years. The two exceutive directors taking £250K in salary and expenses plus an increase in pension transfer value of £197K in 2006/7. The shareholders will get an interim dividend costing £20K and are told of a PBT of £150K

[blandfordfly] 01/8/2007 13:00

No comment on the large slice of share options the directors have awarded themselves? Considering the poor performance of this company this does seem to me to be taking the Michael. Hasn't the CEO after exercising options recently effectively just been given options that put him back to where he was before?

[999henry] 30/7/2007 09:49

Apologies LPA - The situation on WCML 10th coach for Pendolino is as follows:-
"DfT Rail is still trying to do a deal. Virgin has dropped out so it is
now a case of signing a contract with Alstom and Angel. Virgin will
still need to be compensated for risk, There is a clear commitment to
the lengthening in the recent White paper."
But as you can see it may take a very long time as a government department is now playing the lead!

[999henry] 29/7/2007 12:35

Whilst on the subject of profit- an annual tunover of £16M was projected to produce an operating profit just short of £900K so we shoud be looking at another £740K in the second half and a final dividend in the region of .4p - Pigs Might Fly

[999henry] 27/7/2007 09:47

Yes according to the valuation commissioned by the Directors. First they have to shift the manufacturing/assembly elswhere. We are not told why this cannot happen soonest. Perhaps shortage of suitable industrial units at a fair rent so close to London? The choice lies between doing all the planning permission, site clearance and decontamination before selling it or selling as an empty factory unit. But then the company that does the clearance etc makes the big profit. Incidentally the sale of the Niphan premises and transfer of the Niphan connector business to Saffron Walden in 1997 was something of a minor disaster. The sale was OK but they lost "the knowledge" on the way and are still paying the price ! Same manaagement team in place now!

[felix99] 27/7/2007 08:50

you are very knowledgeable Henry - thank you . Depsite all that the property is worth a few bob though ?

[999henry] 26/7/2007 18:24

Immediate opportunities include extra coaches for West Coast Mainline which, if the order is placed, would have a significant impact on the final quarter of next financial year and subsequent periods quote from- Well if you read Roger Ford's article in March 2007 copy of Modern Railways entitled "Competition refrerral wrecks Pendelino lengthening plan" you may consider that the Board were misleading the shareholders as the project was already in the same state as John Clees's parrot when they saw fit to make that announcement The fact is a half year PBT of £150k is pathetic and just another false dawn designed to keep the Director's on the gravy train.

[999henry] 26/7/2007 16:35

It just depends who gets the business. Remember the hugue slam door replacement programme? This all went to Siemens and so Niphan just got the scratchings. The new rolling stock talked about in the news yesterday looks like 2014 not 2008. I am not up to speed on the WCML extra coaches - it all looked very good with Alstom keeping the build team in place and the incorporation into the train sets taking place at major refit in 2008. However the government trains department dragged its heels and then the banks who finance the ROSCOs got wind of a monopolies commission enquiry and would not fund it. Maybe there has been a rethink. As for the LED business that is with Excil and not NIphan. Niphan should have been sorted out as a manufacturing business in 1998 instead executives blundered about until 2003 when it was realised that manufacturing should have been sub-contracted. The problem is that you have a manufacturing business being run by an accountant!

[felix99] 26/7/2007 12:29

yes please carry on - loads of money being spent on rolling stock to improve trains elsewhere so should be plenty for them

From last results :-

Immediate opportunities include extra coaches for West Coast Mainline which, if the order is placed, would have a significant impact on the final quarter of next financial year and subsequent periods.

Our LED lighting technology for rail vehicles is increasingly recognised as
world class with initial opportunities in Europe, which have the potential to
result in major contracts. This technology has potential beyond rail vehicles in the areas of infrastructure, aerospace and defence.

[999henry] 26/7/2007 11:45

I wonder what effect the Metronet situation will have? Presumably they were going to place the order for Victoria Line stock for which LPA suppied trials installations. The main order could be delayed and thus create another hole in the accounts. Niphan would be the big loser on this and as they constitute the biggest wedge of overhead - need I go on?

[ba5hir is back] 26/7/2007 09:46

I think with the cautious statement lately the share price will resume its short term downward trend.

[cyril4] 16/7/2007 09:34

does ap come to mind

[999henry] 14/7/2007 19:24

Did somebody really go out and buy 80,000 shares at 38p on Friday? Or is it a computer glitch?

[999henry] 03/7/2007 15:14

Ho Hum - Was the news not good enough to induce some buying? The Chairman seems to indicate Jam Today but a shortage next year? I suspect the problem is that whilst Excil,Channel and Haswell are all in profit it is not enough to sustain the dead weight of the Group HQ and that lame duck Nipahn which is sitting on the golden egg at Saffron Walden!

[cyril4] 27/6/2007 14:41

who's started buying again could it be ap

[felix99] 25/4/2007 22:26

Wait for Saffron to be realised - then the value will be seen.

[999henry] 25/4/2007 19:19

Interesting that the Chief Executive took up 330,000 of his expiring share option at a gnats whisker from the market price. He is clearly trying to send a signal that there is good news and that the share price will go up. Furthermore, it looks as if someone is snapping up any shares being sold as price is remaining steady in situation where previously it would have gone down. AP's best move it to sit quiet until there is bad news in say 18 months time. Incidentally there has been no announcement about a new non-exec. Finding another tame poodle should not be that difficult. No opinion on any matter save where to dine and what to drink is required. As there is no actual business plan minimum intellect needed.

[cyril4] 25/4/2007 16:20

WHERE IS AP,ANY MOVE ON THE CARD'S YET?

[arthur_lame_stocks] 09/3/2007 10:16

If you get AP on board LPA will end up a subsidiary of EKT and AP will sell himself all of the properties on the cheap, a bit like he did at HOH.

[cyril4] 09/3/2007 08:54

WE NEED TO GET AP RUNNUNG THE SHIP,AND THROW THE WASTE OVER BOARD