Merlin Entertainments Share Discussion Threads

[philanderer] 08/5/2017 10:28

Merlin Entertainments is jumping into the Memorial Day weekend competition going head to head with the big theme parks by offering an annual pass to six of its attractions.

[philanderer] 08/5/2017 10:28

Merlin Entertainments is jumping into the Memorial Day weekend competition going head to head with the big theme parks by offering an annual pass to six of its attractions.

[philanderer] 05/5/2017 22:40

Theme park operator Merlin Entertainments dropped after its chief new openings officer sold a large chunk of shares.

John Jakobsen sold 150,000 shares at around 500p each, totalling more than £750,000.
It is likely Jakobsen wished to cash in on Merlin’s strong performance of late; it is up 12.6 per cent this year alone.


Read more:

[philanderer] 04/5/2017 08:47

4th may Barclays overweight tp 575p

reiteration

[philanderer] 02/5/2017 19:45

Good PR

'LEGOLAND honors 'real-life heroes' with free admission'

[philanderer] 02/5/2017 16:10

Merlin Entertainments increases LEGOLAND® New York community benefits for Goshen at the Town Board’s request

[philanderer] 28/4/2017 23:00

Expanding hotels / themed hotels seem to have been the spark this week.



MERL getting a mention in tomorrow's Mail...

'As UK stores post their biggest quarterly sales fall for seven years... The stocks that can beat the High Street slowdown'

Read more:

[eadwig] 28/4/2017 00:18

philanderer, "Yes, but how much of Merlin's revenues/profits are generated in London? We know it is a global business."

MERL is geographically diversifying as fast as it can, but its biggest single concentration of business is in and around London, as stated by the CEO in the results presentation. Mdme Tussauds is the number one tourist attraction in the UK, plus the London Eye, London Dungeon, out of town pleasure parks etc.

That makes them vulnerable to any impact from terror attacks in London especially, but they also saw drop off in business in the UK that correlated with other European city attacks.

The mass shooting in Orlando last year could have happened anywhere that couple lived, it just happened to be Orlando which was badly affected for some weeks afterwards, and that is probably MERL's most prolific regional earner after London/UK.

They had some very bad luck in 2016. If terror attacks are lessened, and the pound doesn't keep strengthening (hard to imagine), I think 2017 will see a rate of growth that actually justifies the price multiple MERL currently carries. Last year's results didn't with the results showing a drop in like for like sales in much of the business.

I was expecting a drift down in share price, but its holding up very well and many analysts are remaining enthusiastic, which I didn't expect.

I may have to add at higher levels than I was intending. No rush though, this one keeps growing for years .... before the takeover from a major media company which is a coming a few years down the road, in my opinion.

[philanderer] 27/4/2017 08:57

27th april Barclays overweight tp 575p

reiterates

[philanderer] 26/4/2017 23:13

Yep, no worries fg :-)

[farmergeorge] 26/4/2017 20:43

Ok - just my frustration at not being able to access the FT article. Still, I'm an enthusiastic holder of Merlin, even more so after the hotels publicity.

[philanderer] 26/4/2017 20:27

No problem farmergeorge , I`ll delete it.

[farmergeorge] 26/4/2017 20:24

philanderer, not everyone subscibes to the FT so what's the point of the link? I appreciate your excitement, but the general drift has already been posted.

[philanderer] 26/4/2017 17:26

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.

[philanderer] 26/4/2017 15:22

Merlin Entertainment hotels could lift share price to 800p - Morgan Stanley


(ShareCast News) - The plan by Merlin Entertainments to add hotels to their theme parks is underappreciated by the market, said Morgan Stanley on Wednesday as it set a bullish share price target for the years ahead.
Adding hotels to theme parks increases the visitor catchment area, revenue visibility, ancillary revenues, trading periods and guest satisfaction, Morgan Stanley gushed, with themed hotels such as Lego rooms at its Legoland parks providing an "immersive" family experiences and premium revenues.

Its analysis suggests around £450 revenue per room per night, which is three to four times higher than the market average, with management's ambitious target to increase the current 3,600 rooms by 2,000 by 2020.

With an average of 400 at its large parks being well short of the 1,000 at some competitors, Morgan Stanley sees 7,000 rooms by 2022, with hotels growing to 30% of adjusted operating profits, adding 5% to the annual group number.

Analysts calculated that earnings per share, which came in at 19.56p and are forecast at 22p for 2017, with continuing strong London hotel and visitor statistics expected to help Midway performance this year, could reach 50p by 2022.

A target price of 580p was set, with the bull case putting a 1,000p share price based on a forward multiple of around 20 times.

[philanderer] 26/4/2017 10:51

26th april Morgan Stanley overweight tp 580p up from 560p

[philanderer] 26/4/2017 08:10

Bit of interest returning this week.

[philanderer] 24/4/2017 07:56

24th april Credit Suisse neutral tp 500p cut from 510p

[philanderer] 13/4/2017 06:41

HSBC 'buy' tp 560p. Reiterates

And adds MERL. to European Super Ten

[philanderer] 12/4/2017 20:45

Numis intitiating coverage with ADD and 553p target price

[philanderer] 05/4/2017 11:06

5th april HSBC buy tp 560p up from 530p

[philanderer] 04/4/2017 22:50

Merlin Entertainments opens LEGOLAND® Japan New LEGOLAND® Park launches in the second biggest theme park market in the world

Poole, UK, 3 April 2017:

Merlin Entertainments (“Merlin”; or “the Company”), one of the world's leading visitor attraction operators, announces the opening of LEGOLAND® Japan, the second largest theme park market in the world. Ideally positioned for Japan’s population of 127 million, the park is located in Nagoya, Japan’s third-largest city.

LEGOLAND® Japan has more than 40 rides, shows and attractions, including the first Augmented Reality ride in a LEGOLAND® park. The park has seven different lands and 10,000 LEGO® models, including a 2.1-metre high reproduction of Nagoya Castle. Merlin also unveiled the world’s first LEGOLAND® themed train on Nagoya's Aonami line, allowing guests to begin their LEGOLAND® experience before they arrive at the park.

The attraction is Merlin’s eighth LEGOLAND® Park, and follows the opening of LEGOLAND® Dubai in October 2016. Merlin has announced its intention to open a LEGOLAND Park in South Korea and there are plans for further parks in North America and China.

LEGOLAND® Japan is set to open a 252-room themed hotel and a SEA LIFE Centre in early Summer 2018 as Merlin looks to develop each of its theme parks into destination resorts.

John Jakobsen, Chief New Openings Officer, said:

“We’re excited to bring the much-loved LEGOLAND® Park to Japan, and build upon our success in Europe, the US and Asia. Japan is the largest theme park market outside of North America and represents a fantastic opportunity to further embed the LEGOLAND experience after successful launches of two LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres in Tokyo and Osaka in preceding years. This investment further confirms our commitment to expanding in the important Asian market and complements our existing attractions in the region, including 15 Midway attractions and LEGOLAND® Malaysia. Today’s announcement marks further progress towards Merlin’s stated ambition of opening four LEGOLAND® Parks before the end of 2020.” Ends

[philanderer] 04/4/2017 22:47

Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation and Merlin Entertainments to Bring SEA LIFE Aquarium & LEGOLAND Discovery Center to Shops at Rivercenter in 2018

[philanderer] 31/3/2017 19:56

Sneak peek: Legoland Discovery Center in Plymouth Meeting (Video)