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MERL Merlin Entertainments Plc

454.60
0.00 (0.00%)
Last Updated: 01:00:00
Delayed by 15 minutes
Merlin Entertainments Investors - MERL

Merlin Entertainments Investors - MERL

Share Name Share Symbol Market Stock Type
Merlin Entertainments Plc MERL London Ordinary Share
  Price Change Price Change % Share Price Last Trade
0.00 0.00% 454.60 01:00:00
Open Price Low Price High Price Close Price Previous Close
454.60
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Top Investor Posts

Top Posts
Posted at 28/6/2019 10:41 by leading
QP - The answers to your two questions are that I don't know! Sorry that's not very helpful. I agree with you about the sector and am sorry to see it go too.

I bought in March 2018 at £3.49 so I thought that was a good buy in price then. I liked the business model, expansion opportunities and also the move into themed accommodation. This latter point did suggest increased capital requirements and the activist investor has a point there.

I am happy to be taken out at this price, but will sit on my hands and see if another bid turns up. The price is sitting at a discount to the offer, so the market is not particularly expecting a counter bid, but if one turns up that's when it gets really interesting.

There is a lot of money out there looking for a sensible home, so I don't rule out a counter offer, even though it has been recommended. DYOR etc.
Posted at 16/10/2018 12:30 by my retirement fund
Indeed and this was probably one of their best years given the weather and foreign income from visitors. Next year the weather could be worse, more over the natives will be harder squeezed than this year and without uber silly investment by Merlin the natives will have seen it all before, especially some of the overpriced crud I mentioned before.Any recovery on todays sell of will probably represent a blood good long term shorting opportunity imo.I have first hand experience of Merlins disjointed corporate haphazard management of it main UK attractions ala Alton Towers and Thorpe Park.One the cracks really start to become visible here, I suspect the professional hedge funds will get stuck in with their bear raids will can only lead to debt investor upset, a lack of new capital becoming available and then the entire edifice will come crashing down.All a matter of time imo.
Posted at 13/6/2017 13:27 by philanderer
International revenue to support Merlin through decline in UK visitors...

Neil Wilson, senior market analyst at ETX Capital, said the warning about visitor numbers in the UK this year is "not encouraging, but it is worth noting Merlin is only about a third of the way through a planned global expansion of Legoland".

"The Japan site opened in April and with plans for further expansion in Asia and US (a site in South Korea is planned, while it is exploring options for sites in China and New York, too) there ought to be considerable new revenue streams coming in the longer term that investors who are worried about terror threats to the UK business in the near-term may want to look more closely at.”

proactiveinvestors.co.uk


FT:

Analysts are predicting Merlin’s underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation will come to £499m in 2017, following the £433m recorded last year.

However, Simon French, analyst at Cenkos, said he expected earnings estimates “to edge down slightly to reflect the comments in the trading update”.


FT Alphaville..... Panmure and Cenkos
Posted at 26/4/2017 18:26 by philanderer
Market Report: Merlin rallies on bullish broker note

Alton Towers and Legoland operator Merlin Entertainments powered to an intraday record high after Morgan Stanley predicted the company’s stock price could double by 2022.

In a bullish note, the US investment bank lifted the stock’s price target by 20p to 580p as it believes Merlin’s themed hotel opportunity is “significantly underappreciated” and could bolster earnings by 30pc over the next five years.

Analyst Jamie Rollo said: “Themed hotels provide an immersive experience for families and premium revenues to standard hotel offerings.”

Merlin has already opened around 3,600 rooms and is ahead of its target to open 2,000 rooms by 2020. “Hotels are highly attractive financially. We see 7,000 rooms by 2022 at the current expansion rate,” Mr Rollo added. In its wake, shares rallied to a lifetime peak of 508.5p in intraday trade, before closing up 14.1p, or 2.9pc, to 499.7p.
Posted at 23/3/2017 13:25 by philanderer
Merlin Entertainments PLC (LON:MERL) had its price objective cut by equities researchers at Peel Hunt from 510p to 450p in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock
Posted at 22/3/2017 11:58 by philanderer
Research analysts at Numis Securities Ltd started coverage on shares of Merlin Entertainments PLC (LON:MERL) in a note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm set an “add” rating and a 553p price target on the stock
Posted at 16/3/2017 12:53 by philanderer
Berenberg:


'Lego Batman cannot save Merlin Entertainments as patience 'wearing thin'

(ShareCast News) - Shares in Merlin Entertainments are only worth 375p and should be sold, said Berenberg on Thursday, downgrading its rating on the Legoland and Madame Tussauds owner.
With the stock closing at 497p the day before, analyst Owen Shirley in London moved to a 'sell' recommendation from his previous 'hold' due to a feeling that investor patience is wearing thin and that "Merlin is potentially one misstep away from triggering a material de-rating".

Results two weeks ago showed its largest division, Midway, recorded a constant-currency EBIT decline of 10% in 2016 and Shirley calculated that, on a same-site basis, visitation has been declining for the last three years.

Although management blamed weak holiday visitation to the UK for the weak performance in the first nine months of 2016, despite a material improvement in the final quarter, Midway achieved a "negligible" improvement in like-for-like sales.

"Even more of a concern is the fact that Merlin's ability to offset declining visitation with pricing appears to be diminishing."

What's more, hitherto-exceptional Legoland has seen LFL growth decelerate and turn negative against tough previous year comparisons.

Despite the release of 'Lego Batman Movie' and 'Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu' in 2017, Berenberg cut its LFL estimate to 5% growth this year from 7% and cautioned that downside risk into the first quarter "is significant, with only California, Malaysia and the struggling Florida park contributing for most of the period".

With capital expenditure being bumped up, free cash flow yield is only forecast to be a lowly 0.4%.
Posted at 15/3/2017 23:15 by philanderer
'Five shares to consider for last-minute ISAs and SIPPs'

Merlin Entertainments


Merlin Entertainments, the company behind Alton Towers, Madame Tussauds and LEGOLAND, is the world’s second largest operator of theme parks and attractions. It only floated on the market in 2013, and while the shares remain higher than the IPO price, investors have not had a completely smooth ride.

Recent concerns over terrorism have limited the number of visitors to city centre attractions, while the horrific rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers in 2015, for which the group received a £5m fine, dented visitor numbers at its theme parks.

Despite these short-term headwinds, we think Merlin has plenty going for it in the longer term. Merlin has some great brands, with LEGOLAND the jewel in its crown. The strategy is as simple as rolling out more of what the people want, wherever demand is likely to grow fastest.

More LEGOLANDs are scheduled to open in Asia, and the smaller Midway attractions will continue to spring up in cities the world over. The increasingly international composition of the group’s portfolio of attractions makes it a beneficiary of any sterling weakness too.

The roll-out story is expected to fuel double-digit earnings growth in the coming years, with most analysts expecting dividends to come along for the ride. This means that while the prospective yield is 1.6% now, analysts expect this to increase by around 50% by 2020.
Posted at 03/3/2017 13:18 by philanderer
Merlin Entertainments remains excited about long term growth opportunities

Written by: Graham Spooner on March 2nd 2017

Category: Investments, Shares

As Merlin Entertainments updates the market Graham Spooner, our investment research analyst, explains what it could mean for investors:

Merlin Entertainments beat some profit and revenue estimates citing portfolio and geographic diversification for progress

The group acknowledged that it had made good progress towards 2020 milestones courtesy of new attractions opening across number of regions


The Share Centre currently lists Merlin Entertainments as a ‘hold’ for medium risk investors seeking growth
Posted at 21/10/2015 11:15 by eaaxs06
It sounds like a great move, especially as it’s with a local partner, in China Media.

I’m not surprised the share price has reacted so well to the news, let’s hope it received a favourable press tomorrow, and reassures investors we’re not a One Trick Pony.

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