Marston's Share Discussion Threads

[diku] 03/9/2009 08:51

This seems to have lagged behind in the rally...

[5dally] 27/8/2009 08:18

Looks like we are on another run up this morning :-)

[broadwood] 26/8/2009 12:10

Its the upgrade for Punch Taverns this morning thats shaken this up.

[mhw28865] 26/8/2009 11:29

up we go marstons are a v good company and will be a hell of a lot higher in a couple of years!! Brought in to the share save scheme got at .94p and in 3 years the sky is the limit ;-)

[5dally] 26/8/2009 11:01

Playing catch up with the others ?

[5dally] 26/8/2009 08:25

Nice rise this morning :-)

[jeffian] 25/8/2009 15:09

I think the PUB reaction is just relief it's not going bust (yet?). MARS is a different kettle of fish altogether.

[5dally] 25/8/2009 15:07

Would be nice if this did a PUB

[timbo003] 24/8/2009 17:55

I stayed at the Wellington Hotel (a Marston's Inn) last night (very comfy, albeit a bit noisy during the night)



The Wellington is a very large pile of bricks, right next to Waterloo station. I had had a few too many drinks at the Oval, following England fantastic victory in the test series, so it made sense to stay local, it only cost £89.95/night and that includes a full English Breakfast (which I declined on this occasion, due to the hangover!)

Edit: and in case I didn't mention it before, I doubled up last week at around 96p, so I now own 25K shares. I intend to continue to accumulate, assuming MARS stay at these sort of levels and there is no change in fundementals.

[5dally] 24/8/2009 08:50

Moving up nicely here this morning :-)looking at our local here "The Green Lodge" it is outdoing all the pubs in the area,,,even lunch time is busy :-)

[whackford] 05/8/2009 09:01

Oniabsta - agree. MARS must be a buy.Took up rights in full on expectation of high inflation and a better government in due course.

[oniabsta] 05/8/2009 07:47

Independent's view

Marston's

Our view: Buy

Share price: 95.8p (+0.6p)

When we last looked at pub group Marston's a few months ago, the company said that, at last, it was emerging from the nuclear winter that has engulfed the industry over the past couple of years.

We were cautious and wanted more evidence that the numbers were not just a blip, especially after its chief executive Ralph Findlay, warned the market not to get carried away too.

We think that now is the time to buy. The group put out another set of steady-as-she-goes numbers yesterday, saying that like-for-like sales in the six months to the start of August were up 2.3 per cent, with a 6 per cent rise in food sales. Mr Findlay is more optimistic, saying that since February trading has been stronger, despite rising unemployment and, almost unbelievably, a wetter July than last year.

Buyers should still exercise caution, but with the stock falling by 25 per cent in the last quarter, and offering a dividend yield of 6 per cent, we think punters are getting a bargain. Buy.

[jeffian] 04/8/2009 10:29

fortyfive,

The dividend policy and forecast was clearly set out in the Rights Issue prospectus -

"The Board believes that it is appropriate to rebase the dividend and as a result the Company intends to pay a 2009 final dividend of 3.7 pence per Ordinary Share (2008 adjusted final dividend: 5.9 pence per Ordinary Share).

The Board also expects to rebase the interim dividend in 2010.

The Board's dividend policy remains to target a dividend cover of around two times over the medium term although the level of cover in any one year may vary."

[fortyfive] 04/8/2009 08:35

Is that December dividend safe though?

[looky] 04/8/2009 07:27

Decent trading update. All looks pretty safe for £1.30

[oniabsta] 21/7/2009 12:31

Hedge funds shorting this stock must be spitting blood now!

[jeffian] 21/7/2009 10:30

marvelman,

Ref posts 250/251, it may be that you "...don't agree with (my) economic logic", but it seems the mighty Merrill Lynch do! (this from today's Independent Market Report - )

"Pub companies were in focus last night after a leading broker weighed in, highlighting the scope for a sector-wide rerating as the market regains its appetite for cyclical stocks.


Marston's, up 3.8 per cent or 3.25p at 88.25p, Greene King, up 3.1 per cent or 13p at 432.75p, and Enterprise Inns, up 1.4 per cent or 1.75p at 125p, firmed up after analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said the sector, which has been hit by tougher trading conditions and a growing aversion to debt, was on track to pare losses as the trading picture stabilises and debt-related fears recede. The threat of inflation may provide an additional boost, Merrill added, highlighting what it called "the natural hedge" offered by pub companies. "They own property assets which will increase in value as inflation occurs and securitised debt which will fall in value," the broker said. "Interest rates on the debt are mostly fixed, which will be an advantage.""

Regards, Ian

[stevefoster] 20/7/2009 20:55

My ISA provider is iDealing. The information was in the corporate action email they sent out to me as a MARS holder.

They're pretty good, though they're not always right on the ball - I've had to nudge them about such things on occasion (usually relatively obscure stocks, like the EuroTunnel warrants offer recently). Their electronic trading platform couldn't cope with me trying to sell those warrants either - but a quick phone call to their trading desk took care of it.

[drattuts] 20/7/2009 16:28

Sure, Ian, though my concern was that it might make a significant difference, if rights sold tomorrow could not achieve as good a price as before. I should have acted earlier, of course.

[jeffian] 20/7/2009 16:09

drattuts,
If you were going to sell your MARN anyway, does it make any significant difference? If you don't take up your Rights they'll be sold in the market tomorrow and the proceeds credited to your account anyway.

Regards, Ian

[drattuts] 20/7/2009 16:02

Steve, thanks for that, it has been useful as Selftrade gave no last date for dealing, electronically or by phone. I have taken this up with them as a complaint as this is clearly material information that should have been available to their clients. Can you tell me which broker you use please?

[stevefoster] 20/7/2009 14:57

My ISA Provider had the following dates:

13th July, Last date for electronic dealing in MARN (call to deal after that)
16th July, Last date for requesting take up of Rights
17th July, accounts debited cost of RI
22nd July, shares credited to ISA

These are all a bit ahead of the timetable set out in the RI Prospectus (which states the deadline for taking up rights is 11am tomorrow), but I suppose that's necessary to ensure all the appropriate administration actually gets done in time.

The difficulty in trading MARN today would be arranging to have everything settled by 11am tomorrow!

[drattuts] 20/7/2009 13:53

I tried to sell my nil paid rights this morning prior to the apparent expiry date of 21 July, and was told by Selftrade that the last day for dealing in the nil paids was Friday 17 July, though they had given no prior notification of this. They also say that there is no market in them anyway so I would not have been able to sell them prior to the 17th. I'm suspicious of what I'm being told here. Has any reader of this BB sold these rights, or can advise whether what they're telling me is correct? TIA

[jeffian] 17/7/2009 19:45

whackford,

Thanks for that feedback, though I'm worried about that "lengthy" bit. I clearly haven't learned to edit out extraneous stuff and that 'less is more' despite having been told more directly on another thread -

"Jeffian

Having waded through another one of your turgid, overwritten, repetitive posts....."

8-)

I'll try to keep 'em shorter!

[timbo003] 17/7/2009 18:44

I suspect there may be some share price weakness after the nil paids convert (for a week or so), at least that is what happened (big time) after the recent Green King rights issue. Should this be the case, I will bags a few more.