Ncc Share Discussion Threads

[jerseyman1] 26/4/2018 14:40

I noticed that re Stone. One of three things:-The ego he has means he can't give up the Executive bitNew CEO needs extended hand holding period, which would be a concernMistake.....maybe!Very very wordy and verbose RNS for describing a fairly straightforward appointment. She looks well experienced which is good, but the RNS takes a bit of getting through.Not necessary to talk so much!Less is more....

[cerrito] 26/4/2018 12:39

I agree this seems to be a good appointment; certainly her experience in ARM is what my reading is that NCC needs.
Notice that Stone is described as Executive Chairman and I am going on the basis this is a typo and that he continues as Chairman.

[a2584728] 26/4/2018 07:24

High quality appointment

[mr dexy] 23/4/2018 00:03

Just FYI, came across this :

"On 16th April 2018 Mandica (XSPEC founder) had a meeting with a specialist team from The NCC Group (hxxps://www.nccgroup.trust/uk/) to discuss a targeted review of the XSPEC cryptocurrency implementation. XSPEC is seeking to employ the Group’s Cryptography Services practice who would focus on validating that the XSPEC implementation is adhering to the cryptographic Protocol Specifications of Zerocoin and Cryptonote. This would be followed by an assessment looking for security errors within the cryptographic implementation. This would allow XSPEC to produce proof that the system is capable of performing anonymous transactions and to plug any security issues.

The NCC Group is currently assessing the XSPEC source code and various documents submitted to them and we will have a further meeting in the near future to agree on an audit strategy and timeline.

One of our current devs, Ivan, is currently working on the cryptographic implementations of XSPEC and will take part in the next meeting with The NCC Group with Mandica and discuss technical details of the audit.

The NCC Group has previously completed a similar audit for Zcash: hxxps://www.nccgroup.trust/uk/our-research/zcash-cryptography-and-code-review/

We will publish a further update after the second meeting with The NCC Group. XSPEC will remain committed to getting the foundations right for a top tier privacy cryptocurrency."

hxxps://news.spectreproject.io/xspec-cryptography-audit/

Regards to all


Mr D

[warranty] 16/4/2018 18:56

Excellent find rivaldo, maybe part of the reason for our good performance against the poor General market today. Let's hope it continues.

[rivaldo] 16/4/2018 09:42

Intriguing report from last week showing NCC advising Parliament re North Korean cyber activities - access to the full report is subscription-only unfortunately:



"Inkster and NCC Group come to parliament's aid on Korea

Intelligence Online-10 Apr 2018

On cyber matters, the committee was assisted by NCC Group, a cyber-defence company that briefed it on the modus operandi of Bureau 121, the cyber-branch of North Korea's General Reconnaissance Bureau, and its informal offshoot, the hacking team Lazarus Group. NCC Group employs several former ..."

[warranty] 15/4/2018 22:43

According to the government he biggest retaliation to the Syria bombing is via cyber wars. Surely that should help companies like NCC to pick up increased business?

[warranty] 06/4/2018 23:40

Thanks boadicea, I think you're probably right about my entry price but the company seemed to be recovering well with a steady rise in the share price the story and sector also looked good but not being a seasoned holder in NCC it just puzzled me why it should suddenly turn back down. I'm not one for chopping and changing so like you I'll stick with it but won't average down until I'm more convinced.

[boadicea] 05/4/2018 13:21

Maybe at 230p the recovery story was running a little ahead of events. However, at this price I consider it to be reasonable bargain and would consider adding if I didn't hold a fair chunk already. I expect 230p, more likely 250p, to be justified within a year if background markets play ball.

[warranty] 04/4/2018 18:01

Think I wasted my money buying into this. At 230p and on a solid, recovering uptrend it looked good and in a sector becoming more prominent but how wrong was I? I do invest long term but usually for yield so this one was my growth stock for capital gain but all it's done since I bought in is fall. Anyone think it's worth holding on to or am I best cutting my losses and re-investing elsewhere?

[uapatel] 03/4/2018 18:37

Speculation on my part, but might be some peeps selling and buying into ISA for year end?

[ilovefrogs] 03/4/2018 18:29

Odd fall in the price today, although thankfully a recovery in the last couple of hours. Can't really find a reason for it.

[cerrito] 03/4/2018 15:06

You are right sharw and had not read note 4
Thanks

[sharw] 03/4/2018 14:21

No - if you read it more carefully net assets for sale were £10.6m

[cerrito] 03/4/2018 12:05

Given that assets held for sale were valued at £17m+ at November 30 I am assuming they are expecting to get more from software testing than website performance, and I agree with Jerseyman1 the price for that was pleasing.
Sensible to see the proceeds of the recent sale to reduce debt and as and when software testing is sold I will be interested to see if they use proceeds to repay debt or for investment; I guess if a sale was imminent they would have mentioned it in the RNS.

[markth] 03/4/2018 10:01

Has fallen more than the market. Through support levels and is starting to look interesting again.

[jerseyman1] 28/3/2018 11:06

Well at least one of the businesses to be sold has happened at a reasonable value. Personally thought they would struggle, but this seems a good outcome. One more to go...

[masurenguy] 28/3/2018 08:03

RNS Number : 1226J
NCC Group PLC
28 March 2018

Disposal of Web Performance

NCC Group plc (LSE: NCC, "NCC Group" or "the Group"), the independent global cyber security and risk mitigation expert, is today announcing the disposal of the Web Performance business. The Group completed the sale of the Web Performance business ('Web') to Eggplant (formerly known as Testplant) for immediate cash consideration of £7.5m on a cash and debt free basis (subject to any final post completion adjustments to working capital). Eggplant is a company backed by the Carlyle Group and specialises in user-centric, digital automation intelligence solutions that enhance the quality and performance of the digital experience. Its core test automation and analytics activities are closely aligned to the business of NCC Group's Web Performance business.

NCC Group's Strategic Review which completed in July 2017 concluded that the Web Performance business had little strategic overlap with the Group's broader cyber security and business continuity activities and therefore it would be more likely to flourish under new ownership in a group that was more aligned to its core activities of Website Performance monitoring. This would also allow the Group to focus on its two retained divisions, Assurance and Escrow. At the end of February 2018, Web's net assets were £6.0m, which included the Group's remaining goodwill from the original acquisition of Web Performance (and is subject to post completion adjustments to working capital). In the nine months to the end of February 2018, Web contributed £0.4m of Adjusted EBIT(1) to the Group's performance.

Web Performance was designated as a discontinued activity in the Group's Interim results that were published on 16 January 2018, given the earlier decision to sell the business. The disposal therefore has no impact on expected full year Adjusted EBIT from continuing activities and only an immaterial impact on total full year Adjusted EBIT. The cash proceeds will reduce the Group's net indebtedness. Separately, the disposal process for the Software Testing business is ongoing.

The Group continues to trade in line with the Board's expectations for full year Adjusted EBIT(1) , as announced in its Interim Results on 16 January 2018. The Group expects to report its full year results, for the year ended 31 May 2018 on Tuesday, 17 July 2018.

[a2584728] 12/3/2018 09:29

Chart looks good.

[a2584728] 09/3/2018 07:37

Sopheon PLC Trading UpdateSource: UK Regulatory (RNS & others)TIDMSPERNS Number : 1235DSopheon PLC29 January 2018 For Immediate Release SOPHEON PLC("Sopheon", the "Company" or the "Group")TRADING UPDATESopheon plc, the international provider of software and services for complete Enterprise Innovation Management solutions, is pleased to provide a further update on the Group's performance for the year ended 31 December 2017.On 4 January 2018 we reported that continued momentum and market recognition had led to solid growth in 2017, with particular strength in the closing weeks of the year. Final quarter performance included signing two substantial deals, one in the USA and one in Germany, each with a multinational enterprise that is an undisputed leader in its field. These wins further validate the acceptance of our Accolade solution as a global platform, within some of the world's largest and most influential corporations. Volume of transactions was up, with 59 license deals recorded during the year compared to 49 in 2016. This includes three new SaaS (Software as a Service) customers, enhancing recurring revenue alongside the more traditional maintenance and hosting streams connected with our perpetual license sales.The Board expects that reported revenues for the year ended 31 December 2017 will be over $28m, up from $23m in 2016, and comfortably ahead of current market expectations. The Board expects that both EBITDA and pre-tax profits will be significantly ahead of current market expectations. The year-end net cash position is expected to be $9.5m (2016: $4.2m).In addition to its impact on 2017, the business performance described above contributes to a higher recurring revenue base going forward, a higher services backlog, and further license events driven by the fourth quarter signings. Overall revenue visibility* for 2018 already stands at $18m, compared to $13m at this time last year.An important aspect of 2017 growth was the increased adoption of Accolade as an enterprise platform for areas outside our traditional innovation arena. Licenses sold in 2017 included applications for Accolade as diverse as capital expenditure management, IP management, IT project and portfolio management and enterprise initiativemanagement - each representing extension business beyond innovation. We believe our Accolade platform extension strategy represents a significant growth opportunity, and this will be a key area of investment in 2018.Financial expectations noted above are subject to the completion of year-end financial close and audit processes. Sopheon intends to issue its results for the year ended 31 December 2017, on 22 March 2018.For further information contact: + 44 (0) Barry Mence, Chairman 1276 919 Arif Karimjee, CFO Sopheon plc 560 Carl Holmes / Giles Rolls (corporate finance) Mia Gardener / Camille + 44 (0) Gochez (corporate broking) finnCap Ltd 20 7220 0500

[jerseyman1] 08/3/2018 16:47

markth I understand that Sophos serve a different segment of the cyber security market to NCC, and that NCC are in the main more reliant on selling expensive consultants hours rather than standard solutions as per Sophos. However Sophos wouldn't be the first company to take over a company in the same sector with a view to improving its services offering whilst also believing it could shift more standard solutions to the acquiree's customer base. It would also probably be a welcome move in the City with them claiming to be diversifying their income stream in a rapidly growing market, particularly following the share price fall in Feb which looks like it was due slowing standard product billings in the second half of their financial year, despite confirmed profit guidance for full year. It's also four plus times the size of NCC's market capitalisation so a deal could easily be accommodated.

[a2584728] 08/3/2018 16:44

Sopheon Sir

[markth] 08/3/2018 15:19

Sophos is a product company, with a mix of largely shrink-wrapped low-end solutions for small and mid-tier business and retail consumer. NCC is a service-led company, focussed on consultancy and high-end bespoke solutions for larger enterprise and government segments. The two companies have different offerings into separate markets, and a hugely dissimilar business model. If they came together, there'd be no synergy premium, little savings on duplication (apart from one board) and hardly any cross sell or channel consolidation between the two sets of customers. Not sure why they'd be interested?

I don't disagree with the idea of a bid at some point. More likely though to be a company whose capabilities and customers overlap, who would remove the diddy management team at NCC and improve execution in the business.

[rivaldo] 07/3/2018 08:52

Shore Capital yesterday raised its rating to Buy as follows:

"NCC Group Has Reduced Staff Turnover Concerns: Shore

1238 GMT - Cybersecurity company NCC Group has allayed concerns over staff turnover rates, boosting prospects for margin recovery, says Shore Capital. The brokerage says figures from NCC show that net staff levels at its key assurance division are broadly steady at 25 leavers and joiners a month, indicating that the unit is operating in a sustainable manner. "As the margin begins to rebound and the long-needed enterprise planning improvements take hold, we believe NCC's valuation credentials in the high-quality end of cyberservices will emerge," says Shore, raising its rating on NCC stock to buy from hold. Shares are up 0.1% at 199.30 pence."