Oxford Instruments Share Discussion Threads

[tratante] 09/3/2012 09:47

Tipped as a BUY by IC. Cite growth potential and possible bid target.

[cocomac0] 21/2/2012 23:25

Seems to be back on track to a moving average starting beginning of 2010. Cheers

[bluebelle] 21/2/2012 15:56

Clear of £11 for the first time. All time closing high !

[garywng] 16/2/2012 12:40

1000 looks like being the new support!

[sandmarr] 09/2/2012 17:51

And their target is 1409!

[bluebelle] 09/2/2012 15:39

Toby Green in The Standard :

A company that makes miniature tools may sound like something out of The Borrowers. But in the case of Oxford Instruments, you have to think much smaller. Their products are as tiny as you can get, being designed for use in nanotechnology to work with material at a molecular and atomic level.

Operating in something of a growth industry, the group has seen its share price rocket over the past few years and last September it gained entry to the FTSE 250.

Now there is talk that Oxford Instruments could find itself in the sights of a predator.

Liberum Capital raised the prospect of it becoming a takeover target today, saying that, with its pension deficit now "under control" and margins progressing, "we suspect the group [will] appear on the radar of larger US peers".

The broker's analyst Ben Bourne put forward two names as possible bidders, saying Thermofisher and Bruker were both "large enough and have strong balance sheets".

Mr Bourne was rather positive on Oxford Instruments' potential more generally, bullishly saying it was a "market leader that can double its profit, or more, within three years" while adding that current forecasts "look conservative".

In response the group climbed 21p to 1,042p, continuing a run that seen its share price more than quadruple over the past two years.

[bluebelle] 09/2/2012 13:21

Wouldn't disagree with any of that !

[edwardt] 09/2/2012 13:12

Oxford Instruments – Atomic smitten – This is a market leader that can double its profit, or more, within 3 years. This is achievable through the unique structural growth exposure to nanotechnology, ongoing efficiency improvement and sensible recent acquisitions. Oxford Instruments offers improving ROCE, margin headroom, net cash and a capable management team. We re-iterate our BUY recommendation.

[bluebelle] 09/2/2012 12:56

Thanks edwardt - do you have a link ?

[edwardt] 09/2/2012 12:51

a buy note out today from liberum

[bluebelle] 09/2/2012 12:27

Here we go again : surely must be something behind this.

[bluebelle] 08/2/2012 11:28

Still can't see anything concrete to explain the rise on Monday, although the pattern of buying from last Wednesday through to yesterday is a classic one leading up to a weekend tip followed by some profit taking. Did anyone see it written up or tipped anywhere ?

[bluebelle] 07/2/2012 12:14

Good call by both Standard Life and Kames Capital - each announced yesterday that they had sold a very large chunk before yesterday's rise !

[bluebelle] 07/2/2012 08:56

Well, for £10 in my posts over the last few weeks, read £11 !!!

[bluebelle] 06/2/2012 16:55

edwardt
Me neither, although I do understand - and like - the basic business model and metrics. As I once posted after they'd put out a particularly arcane press release about one of their products, if I can't even understand a press release, the barrier to entry to whatever it is they do must be so high that it will be very difficult for anyone to compete with them ! I was only half joking !!!

[edwardt] 06/2/2012 16:50

good for you , i was a little late to the scene on this one! Also can't say i fully understand what they actually do - seems a little complicated to me!

[bluebelle] 06/2/2012 16:42

Well my money's where my mouth is : as a result of today's rise it's now my biggest single equity holding !

[edwardt] 06/2/2012 16:40

don't disagree but this company is becoming loved by the city and am sure many remain underinvested.

[cockneyrebel] 06/2/2012 16:35

lovely breakout :-)

CR

[bluebelle] 06/2/2012 16:35

I must admit I'm not a great fan of companies winning these awards - can act as a distraction. There was always that list of 'time to sell' signals, one of which was when a company won the Queen's Award for Industry. I remember talking to a Swedish analyst who said that in Sweden the equivalent was if the Annual Report featured a photo of the Chairman in tennis gear !!!

[edwardt] 06/2/2012 16:30

mentioned in ft on the weekend as a nomination.

[bluebelle] 06/2/2012 15:57

Do you have a link edwardt ? I hadn't seen that.

[edwardt] 06/2/2012 15:55

nominated as company of the year may have something to do with it.

[wanttowin] 06/2/2012 15:27

I cant find any news, nothing new on their website, nor on a google search, could be £11 today at this rate !

[bluebelle] 06/2/2012 15:18

That's certainly true - you'd think there was some reason for a sudden rise like this though sureley ?