H&T GROUP+ (HAT, House Stock, 403p) - Bradford store visits

The Hardman & Co Monthly: September 2023

Feature article: Equity Income – UK or Global? Should investors widen their horizons? Introduction: ► The UK Equity Income sector (UKEI) is the fourth-largest investment company (IC) sector in the Association of Investment Companies’ (AIC) universe, with £12.5bn of assets (as at August 2023), and is the traditional home for investors looking for income in the equity market. ► The UKEI not only provides investors with a better dividend yield than the ge

H&T Group (HAT): Delivering the pawnbroking growth opportunity

In our 15 March initiation, Pawnbroking royalty, with strong, profitable growth, we highlighted that H&T’s core is pawnbroking and related retail services operations. The 8 August interim results confirmed that H&T is delivering on the opportunities, with i) gross pledge book lending up 22%, to £128m, and the end-period pledge book up 14%, to £115m (December 2022: £101m) – with this growth achieved across the customer spectrum, ii) retail sales up 11%, iii) scrap volumes particularly strong, wit

H&T Group+ (HAT, House Stock at 402p) - Pledge momentum continues

The Hardman & Co Monthly: August 2023

Feature article: UK interest rates and “risk-free” gilts at their peak? Infrastructure stocks struggle Executive summary Infrastructure/Renewable Energy Funds ► The share price performances of the nine Infrastructure Investment Companies (IICs) and of the 22 Renewable Energy Infrastructure Funds (REIFs) have been dire over the past year. Undoubtedly, the sharp rise in interest rates has presented the sector with serious challenges, especially since the yield on “risk-free” 10-year gilts has r

H&T Group+ (HAT, House Stock, 433p) - New upsized debt facility highlights strategic ambition

H&T Group+ (HAT, House Stock at 422p) - Trading momentum gathering steam

The Hardman & Co Monthly: July 2022

This month, we feature a contribution by Stephen Isaacs, who is known in the hedge fund world for his, often, thought-provoking commentaries about markets, economics and politics. It goes without saying that the thoughts expressed in this article are those of Stephen, and do not necessarily reflect Hardman & Co’s views. Feature article: UK/OK – muddling through The past few years have seen previously unheard-of constitutional risks – from threats to the Union to the departure from the EU. Brit

H&T Group+ (HAT, House Stock at 435p) - A significant statement of intent

The Hardman & Co Monthly: June 2023

Feature article: UK Water – making waves Over the past year, UK utility share prices have been volatile, especially within the electricity sub-sector. The combination of the war in Ukraine and the associated impact of fluctuating gas prices, along with sharply higher inflation and the consequential rise in interest rates, have destabilised much of the sector. Indeed, most sector constituents have seen their share pieces fall (although not seriously), while Centrica, the UK’s leading gas company

H&T Group (HAT): Pawnbroking’s current appeal

In our 15 March initiation, Pawnbroking royalty, with strong, profitable growth, we highlighted that H&T’s core is pawnbroking and related retail services operations. As other small-sum, short-term lenders have withdrawn at a time of heightened demand, H&T’s well-capitalised, low-risk proposition has unique growth opportunities, which are expected to fuel strong earnings growth (2024E EPS 4.2x 2021 levels). We also note that the dividend is progressive (2024E yield 5.3%). H&T’s AGM trading state

Strong H1'23 results; forecasts upgraded

Strategic progress drives robust growth

H1 interims are in line. Argentex has delivered strong growth (+28% yoy revenue) by driving growth initiatives. New technology-enabled products have been launched, including Alternative Transaction Banking, which are already delivering compelling growth ahead of expectations. Pressing into Europe via the Netherlands is also delivering strong growth. At the core, client KPIs remain strong. We leave our forecasts unchanged, with revenue momentum continuing into Q3. We believe the current 12.4x Dec

Inflection point - fleet growth coming

Equals Group (EQLS LN) - Interims justify rise in forecasts

What’s new: Equals Group has delivered outstanding interims, which have exceeded even the positive commentary at the Capital Markets Day in May and the trading update on 5 July. With trading “ahead of expectations”, we raise our 2023E revenue forecast by 7% to £95m and adj EBITDA forecast by 11% to £20m, as well as nudging up our forecasts for 2024E and 2025E.

H1 23: focusing on capital generation

Promising results for M&G in H1 23. The new CEO, Andrea Rossi, continues to execute the company’s new strategy, and we have confidence that he is positioning M&G to surpass its financial targets for the 2022-24 plan. The H1 23 operating capital generation results significantly outperformed expectations, exceeding the consensus by more than 50%. This substantial capital accumulation is poised to deliver strong returns to shareholders, rewarding them for their patience during this transitional per

Gore Street Energy Storage + (GSF, House Stock, 84p) - Steady NAV growth

LIBERUM: Alpha Group International: Underlying strength

LIBERUM: Real Estate Investors: Further profitable sales reduce leverage

Taking the Upper Brand: Brands Sector Overview

The earliest dated brand has long been contested; the majority point to Kongō Gumi, a family run construction company that specialised in Buddhist temples in Japan; its documented record of ownership goes back to 578 AD. Like Kongō Gumi, several different brands have withstood the test of time, albeit without then same degree of longevity. The term brand originates from the 1500s and means "to burn" in Ancient Norse and was initially used to mark cattle for ownership. This practice can be consid

Morning Note – 26 September 2023

Debt reduction plan in face of higher interest rates

FY23 results were well flagged but the focus is likely to be on the outlook, where high interest rates continue to impact buyer confidence and therefore private sales rates, as well as increasing Springfield’s own cost of debt. This leads us to reduce our adj. EBIT forecast for FY24 by 24%, with a greater 48% reduction in our adj. EPS forecast. We expect net debt exc. leases of £55.1m in FY24. Management’s focus is on cash generation, with the dividend paused and a plan to sell c.£50m of land ov

SP Angel Morning View: Hawkish Fed statement weighs on market risk sentiment as dollar hits metal prices

LIBERUM: Forward Partners: Resilient H1, focus on cash

Morning Note – 18 September 2023

Hybridan Small Cap Feast 15-09-2023

Dish of the day Joiners: No joiners today. Leavers: No leavers today. What’s cooking in the IPO kitchen?** Announced ITF 12 July: Substrate Artificial Intelligence, an artificial intelligence company based in Spain that creates, buys and scales companies around AI in diverse sectors such as fintech, agritech, energy, human resources, and health, intends to join the Access Segment of the AQSE Growth Market. Admission delayed. Announced ITF 6 July: Blackpoint Biotech plc, a medical cannabinoids co