Oxford Instruments Share Discussion Threads

[shammytime] 21/1/2016 09:51

This should smash through 700p tomorrow

[wad collector] 10/12/2015 09:31

Sp is moving towards a 3 month high in the long climb back to respectability , though you wonder when the next bad news will appear.

[wad collector] 24/11/2015 11:47

Disposal of Austin Scientific ("Austin")

Oxford Instruments plc, a leading provider of high technology tools and systems for industry and research, today announces that it has completed the disposal of its non-core Austin business for a cash consideration of $1.3 million.

In the six months to September 2015 Austin had revenues of GBP1.7 million and made an operating loss of GBP0.4 million.

The business was classified as discontinued and 'held for sale' in Oxford Instruments' Half Year accounts.




Hard to value loss making subsidiaries ; the buyer knows the score.

[wad collector] 10/11/2015 12:25

Half yearlys out .There appears to be no new bad news , though easy to hide in accounts. The market seems positive ; currently up 7%. long climb back though and not much of an income on 3.7p divi.



10 November 2015

Oxford Instruments plc

Announcement of Half Year Results for 2015/2016

Oxford Instruments plc, a leading provider of high technology tools and systems for industry and research, today announces its Half Year Results for the six months to 30 September 2015.

Highlights:

-- Order book up 21% since start of the year (excluding acquisitions and joint ventures)
-- Adjusted operating profit* up 7.0% to GBP20.0 million (2014: GBP18.7 million) and operating margins up from 10.7% to 12.1%

-- Reported revenue down 5.8% to GBP164.8 million (2014: GBP175.0 million)
-- Adjusted EPS* up 1.9% to 21.3 pence (2014: 20.9 pence)
-- Nanotechnology Tools and Service sectors performed well. Difficult trading environment for Industrial Products sector

-- Cost reduction programme delivering planned savings
-- MIR Acquisition and Scienta-Omicron joint venture performing as expected
-- Good cash performance with inflow before acquisitions and dividends of GBP1.4m (2014: GBP9.2m outflow)

-- Proposed half year dividend of 3.7 pence (2014: 3.7 pence)

[meijiman] 20/10/2015 13:54

The Telegraph also carries a piece today in its Questor column-'one to say away from'.Major concerns about debt. Major factor being the Andor deal for £175m.
(Suspect it was worth more like £17.5m!?)

[wad collector] 20/10/2015 00:01

Flattered that you have the time to search through my posts , I won't bother searching for your £4 price prediction here earlier this year.
Yes , I am sitting on a paper loss here , but I am big enough to acknowledge that I did not call it right. And mature enough not to be wound up by a poster who names himself after a fantasist . And rich enough not to worry about one under-performing stock .
I expect I will get my money back in the end; I usually do.

[wad collector] 19/10/2015 12:53

Down 11% today ; seems like a big drop just from one newspaper article.

Oxford Instruments shares should be sold, said the Sunday Times' Inside the City column. The high-tech device maker spun out of Oxford University in 1959 needs to operate right on the bleeding edge of technology, and often depends on acquisitions to stay relevant - but not even that strategy is guaranteed to deliver reliable profits. The company has suffered two profit warnings in the last year, blamed on the sanctions on Russia and China's economic slowdown.
Although OxInst is trading at an attractive discount to rivals on a price-to-earnings basis, the balance sheet is a worry. With the squeeze being felt from weak Japanese demand, slowing industrial sales and lower prices for superconductor parts, management cut 7% of staff last year and recently negotiated better credit terms from lenders. Broker Jefferies has warned that the company's leverage ratios could get close to the higher level its banks have allowed, which any worsening of the Chinese economy, for example, will land OxInst in big trouble.
from digital look

[wad collector] 12/10/2015 15:29

Did I say slowly ?

[wad collector] 29/9/2015 16:20

Dare I say it but the price has begun to stabilise around £6 now. I suspect a long slow haul upwards will ensue , barring more bad news.

[meijiman] 18/9/2015 17:30

In my experience they stay on the gravy train till they get booted off. There is nearly always a back story-the RNS releases are designed to smooth over any issues.But some may do as you suggest and leave voluntarily.

[wad collector] 18/9/2015 17:00

Such cynicism. There must often be an element of CEOs departing because they know bad news is coming and don't want it to be their swansong.

[meijiman] 18/9/2015 08:53

If that's right than I stand corrected because that's not long enough to make a difference. It is rather remiss of me not be on top of the detail but I had rather put this into the box to forget about.
No one should be judged much before 18 months really.
As an aside its simply staggering how many companies undergo profit warnings/kitchen sink provisioning after a new ceo is installed. Wonder if its linked to options!

[wad collector] 17/9/2015 21:50

I suppose that it could be argued that he has only been in post for 5 months so cannot reasonably held accountable for recent performance.
But at some point he must ....

[meijiman] 15/9/2015 08:36

What do you have to do to lose your job as ceo. The man running this company is incompetent yet keeps his job -very strange. Chairman and non-execs supine.

[bamboo2] 08/9/2015 16:12

It's looking like this pattern and target will be confirmed today. No position.

[wad collector] 08/9/2015 15:37

From Motley Fool today
Oxford Instruments
Oxford Instruments designs high-tech tools and systems for research and industry. Until recently, the company was a darling of investors — from the start of 2009 to the start of 2014 its shares soared from 150p to nearly 1,800p. However, there has been huge fall since, showing what can happen when a highly-rated growth company doesn’t live up to earnings-growth expectations.

A statement ahead of the company’s AGM today saw the shares take another downward lurch — a 15% dive to 680p, as I write — with the Board announcing: “we have reduced our expectations for the full year”. The company cited “the sudden tightening of trade sanctions for sales to Russia, a slower-than-expected recovery in Japanese markets, and weaker trading in our Industrial Analysis business” as the primary factors.

The group has been in the process of restructuring and lowering its cost base, and, while the Board believes the company is “well positioned to deliver its growth strategy over the medium term”, today’s news shows a continuing challenging environment. The once high P/E is now down into the low teens, but, with sentiment weak, the shares could fall further yet, and I would be looking for clear evidence of the company getting back on track before buying in.

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[meijiman] 08/9/2015 10:02

Could start by changing the ceo IMHO.

[tratante] 08/9/2015 09:45

Wonder if this is becoming a takeover target. Struggling at the moment.

[bamboo2] 08/9/2015 09:41

Needs eod close above approx 680 to avoid confirming H&S chart pattern.

[meijiman] 08/9/2015 09:13

A difficult business to analyse ie compare with other companies -thus I'm not sure where your optimism came from? I think they overpaid for acquisitions which have not delivered. But its all smoke and mirrors really.

[wad collector] 08/9/2015 08:44

So much for my optimism , looks like a very slow 5%.

[wad collector] 18/8/2015 14:14

Added a few at 885. Just for trading ; I see a quick 5%.

[wad collector] 04/8/2015 09:46

An imminent return to above £10 looks likely to me , barring new bad news.