15:12 24/01/2012	hammers
That bag of hammers must be getting really heavy.particularly when all the nails know what to do............... By captain oh captain
17:11 05/12/2011	Re:
hey captain, I am still alive :-) nothing really much to comment on from a business perspective other than the acquisition of the Chinese subsidiary (which is/was run by a former KSA partner) and the fact that both management are buying stock as well as Blue Gem exercising their options to buy stock at lower prices.. so it seems like at least the insiders are showing some level of confidence.. that confidence, however, seems to be completely lacking on the broader market, as refelcted in the stock price development.... cheers exconsultant By exconsultant
19:39 30/11/2011
its so quiet here. can someone say something please ? I'm not sure rthat this stock is goiong anywhere.what a complete and utter shambles ? its like being a chelsea fan.year after year of excessive spending, key people are prima donnas but at the end of the day they just keep losing.Should the CEO leave ? bears and forests spring to mind. By captain oh captain
12:14 24/08/2011	Japan
On subject of Proudfoot what is it with Japan.On website they have announced a new line up or a re-shuffling of pack with a new face in Japan. Now he has been removed from website.Do they trade there or not ? Do they intend to trade there or not.Historically Japan has always featured on website but those in the know realise that they have not traded there for a while and particularly since they closed their Pacific operation.Or maybe they have a Pacific operation but have not told us. perhaps we should be told By captain oh captain
13:15 19/08/2011	results
I don't get the Proudfoot results.I don't ever remember them declaring mining projects to be their strategy.They seem to have happened upon it as their appeal to their traditional markets has declined due to their lack of product development.Even that work is suspect- they have just had a project closure in Sierra Leone. They also pride themselves in links between accountability and results. So what do they do when their US results have declined consistently over a period of time.Put the guy in charge of that decline back in charge of the whole company.strange.I wonder how strong the new CEO actually is They claim to be able to ride this market well as they can assist throughput in good times and reduce costs in poor.Declining or flat performance does not back this statement up. Lots of financial engineering. Little internal re engineering. By captain oh captain
16:29 01/08/2011	Edison Investment- Positive momentum
Management Consulting (LON:MMC) - Positive momentum Monday, Aug 01 2011 by Edison Investment Research http://www.stockopedia.co.uk/research/positive-momentum-58678/ http://www.edisoninvestmentresearch.co.uk/?ACT=18&ID=5535 Aug 01st 2011 - Edison Investment Research today published a report on Management Consulting (MMC.L, LSE:MMC, LON:MMC) entitled "Positive Momentum". In summary, the report says: Interim results show continuing momentum, with a particularly strong performance from Alexander Proudfoot, extending its reach in natural resources. Kurt Salmon is taking shape post the Ineum merger, with margins moving up the recovery curve. Group cash flow was better than expected and, with a further Â£10m+ of financing income from warrant exercise due in H211, the debt position is unwinding well ahead of schedule. The share price has been recovering since end 2009, with the discount to other consulting businesses narrowing By SpikeyDT
11:51 10/07/2011	Re:
yes, almost back in the black... 5 more % to go ;-) By exconsultant
19:48 05/07/2011
is anyone there ? By captain oh captain
15:07 10/06/2011	projects
re updates on website.seems to indicate something that Proudfoot's updates now are about individual projects.things must be bad.they used to talk in terms of regional success. By captain oh captain
13:22 07/05/2011	Re: Stock to Watch: Management Consulting Gr...
Thanks you for an excellent summary. I think this reflects the current situation properly. Guess the company will have to show several quarters/ years of solid performance before real trust will be back. Prior to that I would argue its a "trading" investment at best if one or the other more speculative investor jumps in and, given the narrow market for this stock, moves it. best regards, exconsultant By exconsultant
19:42 29/04/2011	Stock to Watch: Management Consulting Group
Stock to Watch: Management Consulting Group Thu, 28/04/2011 - 00:00 \| Edmond Jackson This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The value of an investment may fall. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser. A firming chart, bullish updates, directors buying shares and a single figure price-earnings ratio: it all sounds too good to be true for Management Consulting Group (MMC), and indeed the main business has a chequered history. Yet with a serious new investor and chief executive applying influence, has this FTSE Small Cap management consultancy group (epic code: MMC, if referred to as MCG) finally got itself on a path of robust earnings growth? Two brokers project £25-26 million pre-tax profit this year, for earnings per share of about 3.85p and a 0.6p dividend, rising to EPS of 4.4p in 2012. If this is realistic, then at about 36p a share currently the forward price-earnings multiple is in single figures; but so it was even before the recession, given this company's long-term record which even its chairman has described as "turbulent". The forecast dividend yield is only just above 1%, based on a payout of 15%, and the dividend was omitted last year. I believe all this reflects consultancy services being hard to predict over an extended length of time. Even when they involve "profit improvement", like here, they are often costs that clients find easiest to cut in a downturn. MCG's history has also involved frequent management changes, which may reflect consultants being rather fleet of foot, although in February 2008 both the chairman and chief executive resigned following shareholder pressure. At that point, the new (and current) executive chairman said: "They leave a group which has a strong platform for continued organic growth, and revenue and cost synergies." Indeed, 2008 revenue jumped 60% to £343.1 million and underlying pre-tax profit by 33% to £34.7 million and the group also undertook a restructuring such that "by the end of the year [it] had created a more balanced and broad based business that is far less reliant on any one industry for its success". But revenue and profit slid 19% in 2009 and net debt rose from £62.1 million to £83.5 million, necessitating a £25 million placing and open offer at 22p a share in May 2010 which boosted the shares in issue by 114 million to 447 million. For long-term shareholders this has set back earnings per share, which peaked at 6.2p in 2008; the EPS scenario going forward is unlikely to match recent years (at least for a few). While 53 million warrants were attached to the share offer, which could help cut debt further this year, raising funds up to £11.4 million, it means ongoing dilution. But in terms of intrinsic value it's interesting to note a trend in buying. Some £17 million of the new funds raised last year were subscribed by BlueGem Capital Partners LLP for a 17% stake, implying firm belief in MCG's longer-term prospects. BlueGem is effectively locked in, so if this company has another turbulent phase it is going to be very hard to reduce exposure to a relatively illiquid small cap. This helps explain why BlueGem has appointed two non-executive directors. It is also worth noting that 46 employees became new shareholders via the 22p placing and open offer, which was over-subscribed. Then just after the 2010 prelims in early March, there was director buying at 33p if mainly linked to bonus entitlements. The chairman bought 136,363 shares, the chief executive 45,454 shares and another executive director 167,625 shares, which are not to be sold before end-2013 meaning incentive to create sustainable value. At end-March the chief executive bought a further 15,250 shares at 33.5p, seemingly unconnected with bonuses, so he continu By SpikeyDT
20:45 07/03/2011	results RNS
The results tell a very mixed story but the three purchases by directors at 33pence and totalling £114,000 does offer some cause for optimism. By latecut
17:27 17/01/2011	looks like
the expected new-year sell-off from our big institutional investors seems to be happening veeeery slowly and cautiously. no interest on the buy side due to ZERO growth fantasy and slowly eroding stock price...well managed by Gartmore I guess ;-) Lets see whether they fall under the 21% mark again in the next days and weeks... By exconsultant
14:05 13/01/2011	Re: WORD ???
US slang for "spot on/ nothing else to add" :-) By exconsultant
12:45 13/01/2011	WORD ???
WORD ???? By captain oh captain