Universe Share Discussion Threads

[quotes_4_u] 05/7/2007 16:21

Deleted post brando !

It was not intended as a ramp, i have actually got shares in a few
small caps that are valued less than Ung and making good profits, i
suppose this is the time to take a chance with stocks like this.

Hope this comes good for you.

[brando69] 05/7/2007 16:18

cheers quotes... feel free to tell us teh name of your wonderstock!

[brando69] 05/7/2007 16:04

quotes - you are right they are clearly clearing an overhang... but once they do, i believe that we will zoom forward...

[quotes_4_u] 05/7/2007 15:48

So great L2 but Evo has a seller, finally balanced.

[quotes_4_u] 05/7/2007 15:45

hmmm 10k v 100k online does not get me involved.

[brando69] 05/7/2007 15:22

level 2 update

now 4 mms on 7.25 for the bid and only two on 9 for the offer and 2 on 9.25 for the offer.

still just evo holding it down. the others are running out of stock


ps that 47K sell that is showing now is a repeat of the same trade from this morning before 10am...

[brando69] 05/7/2007 15:19

aha - yes - here it is... it is basically stressing the same points that winnifroth has been making for some time re the cash generative appeal of htec etc at the moment there is no good news in the price and all the old bad news, hence a very low p/e going forward...




A whole new Universe - BUY
Companies: UNG
02/07/2007

A focus on its strengths in payment and loyalty scheme systems under a new management team and a move away from distracting activities such as bureaux de change are two key reasons to invest in AIM-quoted Universe.




The third reason is that, after disappointing investors for some time, the business is slated to deliver meaningful sales and profits growth over the next three years.

HTEC, Universe's core payment and loyalty scheme systems business – it supplies payment solutions and managed services to petrol retailers – has a very strong market position in the UK. Its customer base already includes the likes of BP, Chevron, Morrisons, Asda and Total, and John Scholes and Paul Cooper, who took on the roles of chairman and chief executive respectively earlier this year, plan to build on these foundations and take advantage of HTEC's expertise and contacts internationally. HTEC handles more than £6 billion of transactions each year and one-third of UK petrol stations use HTEC systems. Visibility levels are strong, with recurring revenues accounting for two-fifths of its turnover.

Over recent months there have been stories of frauds involving petrol stations and the type of systems Universe supplies can help combat this. The systems can make real-time status checks for petrol purchasers and alert the company if equipment isn't working. The company's Virtual Back Office (VBO) system makes it easier to manage a chain of sites and monitor stock levels. Supermarkets group Morrisons uses VBO and only needs four people to run the administration of its petrol forecourt business.

Aside from the retail operation (which includes the HydraPOS system and outdoor payment terminals, which are used on unmanned petrol forecourts) Universe has two other divisions: international oils and loyalty; and manufacturing services.

International oils and loyalty encompasses online payment and loyalty schemes for multinational customers. The loyalty systems connect the pumps with a central system that issues loyalty points for purchases. This means that any terminal can run a loyalty scheme without having to be adapted.

Manufacturing services makes terminals and other hardware, although its margins are much lower than the rest of the group. It is unlikely to be a significant part of the business for long because the growth will be concentrated on the rest of the group.

In terms of its target audience, it is worth noting that Universe is widening its customer base, having recently installed an electronic point of sale (EPoS) system for Clinton Cards. Although the big oil companies and petrol retailers will continue to dominate, no single client accounts for more than 12 per cent of turnover.

'We can still expand in the UK,' insists Cooper, who adds that a lot of businesses are looking at loyalty schemes at the moment. International expansion will help Universe grow faster – the company has developed a software interface for overseas clients that will be rolled out over five years.

As for acquisitions, Cooper says he is focusing on similar companies in different countries and regions, or businesses that are involved in niche markets where Universe's skills can be used. Any market requiring unattended payments could prove a potential new area for the company.

Universe lost £3.5 million last year, if all write-offs are included, although the continuing businesses made a small profit. House broker Charles Stanley is forecasting steady growth over the next three years, with forecast profits moving from £1.3 million this year to £1.9 million in 2009. The shares are trading on a lowly six times prospective earnings for 2009.

In March, the group raised £3 million at 7p a share, a funding that should leave Universe with net cash at the end of this year; and with the business very cash generative, the balance sheet should remain strong. Investors should take the opportunity to get in at a similar price to the institutions that took up the placing shares. Buy.

Andrew Hore

[sharestriker] 05/7/2007 15:14

I am not a member of the site but was able to access the article

[sharestriker] 05/7/2007 14:57

Having reread the article from GCI it does give me renewed confidence that we have turned the corner and will see an increase in the share price.

[brando69] 05/7/2007 14:28

yep... and the offer price is getting tougher to get under now... 7.4 buy just went through... as anyone who knows this share will know, once it goes, it really goes... 20% in the next couple of days would not surprise me based on Level 2 and previous patterns

[sharestriker] 05/7/2007 14:09

7.375 are buys
starting to bring fresh interest in this company

[brando69] 05/7/2007 12:36

cheers sharestriker = looks like a few are doing just that.

i hold 5K's worth at an average of just over 8p. wld welcome the chance to bring that down, but am all tied up for at least the next week elsewhere.

[sharestriker] 05/7/2007 12:33

the article finishes with the words

Investors should take the opportunity to get in at a similar price to the institutions that took up the placing shares. Buy.

[brando69] 05/7/2007 11:31

masurenguy - i'm subbed to the max thanks to t1ps.com who are also tippers of this co - i'll show you mine if you'll show me yours...

[masurenguy] 05/7/2007 11:21

Brando - GCI is a subscription site. The article tipping UNG and titled "A whole new Universe" was published on Monday this week but unless you are a subscriber you won't be able to access it.

[brando69] 05/7/2007 11:18

very tempted to buy some more at sub 7.50 before evo run out of stock.... we just need to see the spread stay at these levels to stop deterring new punters. when it is 0.25 it is manageable. when it is 0.75 or even 1.25 it is crazy.

[brando69] 05/7/2007 11:06

someone mentioned this being tipped in Growth Company Investor. cldn't find the article. is there a link to it?

[brando69] 05/7/2007 10:59

i just took a look at level 2 for UNG

there are five market makers for this stock.

at the moment it is crystal clear that only one of them, evolution, has too much stock and is keeping the price down.

they have 7.5p on the offer and 4.5p (!) on the bid. i.e they want you to buy from them and they definitely do not want to take your shares off you.

the other four are much less happy to be parting with UNG shares: all of them are now 9p on the offer, except SCAP who are 9.25p.

In other words, once EVO clear their surplus, UNG should rocket.

[sharestriker] 05/7/2007 10:55

interest in this forgotton company increasing

[brando69] 04/7/2007 13:51

i noticed that. suspect it was a buy. there has been a bit of buying recently. the gci tip will not do it any harm either.

[sharestriker] 04/7/2007 11:41

reasonable trade of 100000 shares results in small increase this morning
a lot more of these needed though to more this share upwards

[nig295] 03/7/2007 15:43

Jumped in today for a few as it was tipped in GCI last night, not expecting too much in the short term but I will forget about them for a year or so.

Good luck to all investors, I've had a good year so far and long may it continue.

[thorne3] 28/6/2007 17:10

The directors have now been legally granted significant options,which is why the shares have recently been artificially depressed.Ishould imagine that we shall now see a reasonable newsflow and a movement up to 12/15p.