Chrissie, I think if anyone knew the answer we'd all be piling in. I hold Thus shares, they are on a bit of an uptrend & I would be delighted if they did double. They certainly have more chance of doing it than Lloyds, BUT they are much higher risk so you may lose more as well. I lost a fair bit when Energis, considered to be one of the better telecoms, crashed, even though noone suspected it. Watch the prices daily. At least with Lloyds you have a good dividend,even though it may be cut. Trading is an exciting and frustrating game. You take a risk - sometimes it pays off handsomely, sometimes you take a loss. Lloyds are safer, Thus are riskier.

Why not sell half you Lloyds, put the money into Thus. If they double your Lloyds are your profit. If they halve you still have your Lloyds.

No advice intended, dyor etc.

I am fairly new to stocks and shares also and consider myself as a very small player - infact I was only made aware of Moneyam last week! I had THUS on my watch list for a while when the price was less than 10p but took it off as nothing was happening to the price.....big mistake I'll put it down to experience. Since then I have had major gains on Inovation Group (purchased for 9p) Motion Media (purchased for 6p) medisys (purchased for 8p) and IQE (purchased for 9p). On the down side I have lost heavily on British Energy and Weston Medical. I am still a novice but I think the experienced investors and their words of wisdon will help considerably.

Don't forget Warren Buffett's rules about investing:

Rule no. 1: Don't lose money

Rule no. 2: Always follow rule no. 1.

And I've sold my Thus, still fancy a flutter again but made a small profit so out.

Thus has both a support and resistance level around 30 and recent congestion around that level. In the short term it looks like heading South. If you're in I would watch the price, down 1 at 15:45. If you are looking at being a buyer, I would wait for the 30 barrier to be broken. Hope this is helpful.

Thanks John S, Your comments have reassured me as I decided not to go for Thus at this point in time. But I will be watching them closely. I still hold 3k Lloyds shares. Do you (or anyone else) think they will hit 4.80 again anytime soon? I have recently bought RTD shares (up 15.4%today) any thoughts on them ??

chrissie
RTD are looking good for some near future gains, check out the rtd thread started by jules99, some intresting reading in there.
Thus have recovered well since the price dropping following the loss of scottish power as mother company. i came in at 9p and recently sold out at 27p. Looking at the market however i think they will be hard pushed to gain further in the short term but as you say worth keeping an eye on.
cant help you on lloyds im afraid.

Hi Chrissie, My thoughts here are purely from a Tecnhnical Analysis point of view, so I suggest you do your own research on news, fundamentals etc. News is excellent from the MoneyAM site, fundamentals and analysts views are very good from Comdirect although there are other sites which can provide this. Lack of time prevents me doing a more comprehensive report as I need to be out quickly now so here's my TA view:

Lloyds TSB (LLOY) Oscillating in range 412 to 480 since late April and currently in the low end of that range at 425. Last high was 31 July close at 483, since then it has been in downtrend. Moving averages, MACD and RSI all looking down. I would watch tomorrow to see if price bounces up off support and make a decision. as to whether to hang in there or not. It's best to monitor stocks regularly in these markets and not just buy and hold, waiting for something to go up eventually. Swing trading within a channnel can be more profitable than simply buy and hold.

Retail Decisions (RTD) has been mentioned here on BB so I have nothing further to add - again check news and fundamentals as mentioned above. However from a TA viewpoint stock has been un uptrend since 29 May. There's generally good volume with this stock, which is a good sign. There's more room in trend before price reaches trendline parrallel so if I held this I would monitor closely and make decisions based upon future price movements.

Again, hope this helps, I'm off to play tennis now - JohnS

Big deals going through after 16.30 These shares should now be looking to break the 30p barrier.

Found that there was 2 deals of 7 million followed by 2 more deals of 8 million, should make for an interesting day tomorrow

Bought thus yesterday morning as i believe they are displaying a very nice u shape recovery type chart my mid term target is 50/60p looking very strong at the 30p level

a bit quiet here?! Hell of a lot of trades this morning - >11 mill!! Any guesses on how the trading statement will pan out?

IF we get a pre quiet period statement, it should be in the next 2-3 weeks. Like last years it should suggest figures that it will beat when the full announcement comes in the first week of November. I'm looking for EBITDA of 19 mil minimum. Better than that and they MAY suggest being cash flow positive in the December quarter. That would really help the share price IMO.

I hold THUS and was interested to read the comments of the CEO in last Sunday's Mail on Sunday. He said "he couldn't understand why the share price was so low".

I assume this chap knows the numbers and the likely prospects for the company. He will look a bit of jerk if this side of Christmas comes up with bad news.

Accordingly, I'm 'betting' he will have some good news in the next few weeks.

RNS Number:2581Q
Thus Group PLC
29 September 2003


29 September 2003

THUS Group plc
Pre-Close Period Trading Update
First Half ending 30 September 2003

Continued turnover and EBITDA expansion
On target for free cash flow positive in the final quarter

The following is an update of the trading position of THUS Group plc ahead of
the Interim results for the six months ending 30 September 2003 due for
publication on 3 November 2003.

Following strong first half performance, THUS is on track to meet expectations
for full year turnover and EBITDA growth and confident of achieving its target
for sustainable positive cash flow after interest and capital expenditure in
quarter four of the current financial year.

Specific highlights for the first half are expected to include:

*Double-digit turnover growth compared to the first half last year.

*A near doubling of EBITDA with robust EBITDA margin expansion.

*Operating loss more than halved.

*EBITDA less capital expenditure positive for the first time.

Commenting on today's announcement, William Allan, Chief Executive said:

'During the last six months, we have been encouraged by strong growth in many of
our individual service lines and by the addition of new corporate contracts that
will positively impact our second half performance.

'While we remain cautious on the continued impact of financial distress from
some competitors on the market structure for the telecommunication sector, we
remain on track to meet full year expectations and to deliver sustainable
positive cash flow after interest and capital expenditure in quarter four of the
current financial year.'

Ends

Further information

THUS Group plc

Kathryn Rhinds, Investor Relations Manager 020 7763 3126

Deborah Rodger, Head of Press and Corporate Communications 07747 770051


Smithfield Financial

John Antcliffe 020 7360 4900

Nicholas Bastin



This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

have purchased 658 at 29.45p fingers crossed

Theres some interesting history on thus on this thread.

Also theres some interesting history in the 'news section' on the Thus website. The contracts gained over the last few months are quite impressive. This also applies to Kcom, both these companies have made significant acheivments in gaining new business in recent months. Which must show through in the balance sheets in the not too distant future.
By the way little woman I share your views on the multiple threads on the same subject and note another one was started on Thus this morning which could have been contained in this one.

Very few comments on Thus recently. Has everyone taken good gains and gone away or are most sitting quietly on the side waiting for the next series of upward moves?

the graph of THUS group looks stable and also keep rising but not quick, slowly build up. I also holding THUS group, couple of month ago I bought some and sold it with small profit and I bought this again and waiting for profit as well. but i am quite confident of this company will rise again, just need to keep waiting.

Thanks for your comment it is good to see someone else still has an interest in the thread. I am very happy with my holding having bought @ 8+p but like you also feel there is a more to come in THUS. Bill Allen seems to be both dedicated and confident in his management of the Co. and as I mentioned in an earlier comment news of new contracts seem to come on quite a regular basis.

another thing, thus share is LOW risk share and very STABLE.

I agree on that, certainly at todays price.
Havn't heard from Chrissie since the creation of this thread, are you still there Chrissie and did you take the first step to 'doubling your money'

We seem to have lost Chrissie! Anyone else any interesting thoughts on THUS

Nov 3 Interims:

.......significant new corporate customers.
Quote----steady trajectory to turn operating positive 31 march 2005

Today--+ .25/.70 per cent

Over 60 mil shares traded so far today and still over an hour to go!
A break through 34p and upwards finally on the cards, surely

tempted to get back in as testing the 30p support

anybody know why everyone is selling today ?

Its a bad week so far...

i facer
Is it possible traders are establishing a cap gain for this tax year?
I did last month and looking to going back in after the 30 days. Perhaps I'm a tad selfish in hoping the price stays weak until just after Christmas.

Rgds
Optomistic

i for a load @ 30p on t20 expect to be out around 33p no reason for negative
sentiment ??

gordon geko
go for less than 30p! I agree no need for negative sentiment.
good luck

look s like some support @ 29p as the buyers almost caught up what was a wide gad earlier on perhaps some big late trades to go thru but dont expect it to fall tommorrow with some specific news/rumours

Something big coming maybe? A LOT of buys after closing....

going back in the right direction today

try hard to get above 30p plenty of buying going on hope not lost ...

lets hope so GG - another bad day for homestyle - you've stopped posting that thread!

Seems as though the trading range is between 29 - 33p, hopefully this will be broken next year...

Fell 3p all to easily last week and looks as though clawing it back might take a week or so...

moving back towards the 33p mark @ 0.5p per day

Hanging around at 30p mark. Where to now? Upward and onwards?

Trying to persuade myself to go back in at around 30p. The 40 million or so that Morley Fund bought in November had little lasting impression on the price but some senior fund manager must have had some firm info to go in with that lot! but I keep asking myself what is going to push them up in the near term, the news flow seems to have dried up from the Company recently and little movement out of the 30/31p range. I think I just need something a little positive in the picture and I will be back in again. Keep the posts coming, this could become a moneymaker again.

Optomistic, did you go back in? I'm tempted myself. I've got a good feeling about THUS's future if things keep going the way they have been and by all accounts they will. Bill Allan said recently that shareholders will one day be as proud of THUS as the shareholders in the likes of RBOS. I've got faith in the man.

mtd118
Put a limit buy order on for the day. It looks like I put it a touch too low, I was just looking for that odd weak spot in the day. Last time I looked the price had firmed so looks like that policy hasn't worked. I am very much like you I have a good feelings about THUS, I know I'll be back in soon!
Optomistic

looks like about to break above 31p and head towards 34p IMHO

less worried than would fall below 30p than last few days

Bought @ 30.73p 'in the running again'

few big buyers at end of pay willing to pay 31p looks good for tommorrow

Gordon Geko
A lot more sellers than buyers through the day and the offer price held up very well. Doesn't always mean a lot but as you say it looks promising for tomorrow. Took the precaution of buying 50% of what I originaly planned so I can average on a drop or buy more on an uptrend.
Good luck
Optomistic

looks like going to get back to 34p at this rate could it break that barrier ?

Not looking too bad this morning 'in the money' already. Just to balance things up (or down) Shell caught a few out today, including myself. As the saying goes you can't win all of them all of the time. Will keep trying though!

more sells than buys yet prices going up dont have level 2 any idea why ?

Have a look at Logica thread Chartist2004 Jan 9 03.43
good postings by Quento & Croc covers this subject.

Chart breakout. Look at moving averages! If price breaks 34 its blue sky!!!!!!!!

ttt

First new contract news for 2004: THUS chosen as preferred supplier of Various services to Virgin Group. Full details on THUS website.

Over 45 million shares traded in THUS this morning.
Something in the wind or is it lots of investor/traders joining in the new uptrend?
Any info anyone?

60 million plus shares traded, must be pretty near the top of the volume board today!
Dunskey, broken that 34p resistance now looking for that 'clear blue sky'

When to get out that is my question ?

Make it easy on yourself just remember you will never do exactly the right thing when trading shares If anyone knew the answer to your question we would all be millionares
A profit is a profit whatever

Breydon.
Things are looking up I feel. I'm in for the long haul. Although nothing is certain Thus's future is looking bright. I'm going back for more!

Optimistic

The chart dosen't lie. Unfortunately I'm out. Thought it might test 34p. Hoping to get backin loweeeeeeeeeeeer! Only a break thru 34 would be bad. Good luck longs.

A BUY trade for 1 million shares just gone through @ 37.43p Trade type entered as type 'BC'. Anyone help me in what type BC actually is?

Closed with a buy for 1,801,762 shares @ 37.35p possibly a late reported trade but what a buy, just tops my holding by a small margin + a bit.

Not opomistic then?

Thanks Fundamentalist,
Error corrected, it must have been the wine gums.
Will buy you a drink in the Tea Rooms.
cheers optomistic

Some more positive news - little reaction in the share price yet tho


TRADING UPDATE

THUS DELIVERS POSITIVE FREE CASH FLOW AHEAD OF TARGET

THUS Group plc today announces that the Company turned free cash flow* positive
in the third quarter of the financial year, which ends on 31 March 2004, one
quarter earlier than expected. As a result, THUS will be free cash flow positive
for the second half of the current financial year.

The early delivery of free cash flow positive marks an important milestone in
the development of the business. THUS believes that it is the first UK
alternative telecommunication operator to have achieved this goal on a
sustainable basis.

The Board remains comfortable with expectations for the full year and is
confident that the business is on a steady trajectory to deliver positive
operating profit in the second half of the next financial year ending 31 March
2005.

The company will announce a pre-close trading update on 29 March, ahead of its
Preliminary Results on 4 May 2004.

Commenting on today's trading update, William Allan, Chief Executive said:

'Today's announcement validates our consistent focus on delivering profitable
growth to create sustainable shareholder value. Despite challenging trading
conditions and continued uncertainty on the market structure for UK
telecommunications, we remain confident on our trajectory for our key financial
objective for operating profit in the second half of the next financial year.'

* Cash flow after returns on investments and servicing of finance and capital
expenditure

big buys going in and very little reflection on the price i would bet that the ceo was hoping for a better response from the markets on what is essentially good news
Any thoughts as to why the hold back?

I agree planttec but instead it is retreating. i think that's general sentiment all around today.

Positive write up from todays Scotsman:

MUCH like Tony Blair, Bill Allan would never be found guilty of "sexing up" one of his trading statements. The chief executive of Thus has been hammering on about the importance of going "free cash flow positive" ever since he floated the telecoms company back in 1999. Yesterday he got there.

The phrase, perhaps one which not many of its retail shareholders will be familiar, sounds like the sort of jargon hangover from the dotcom days when companies did not have to make real profits.

Another expression of the same ilk is Ebitda - which stands for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, but used to pass for "earnings before I trick da auditor" at some dodgy dotcom companies before the bubble burst.

Unfortunately, this lingo comes with the territory in telecoms - but maybe not for that much longer.

Thuss milestone means that, for the first time, interest payments, operating costs and capital expenditure will be covered by cash flow. For a young company, it is a key staging post on the way to turning a profit. It also puts its development marginally ahead of rivals such as Kingston Communications and Colt.

Shareholders who bought in at the time of Thuss over-hyped stock market flotation must long ago have realised their fingers have been burned.

But after a rocky few years, the City does not need any hype to warm to the companys prospects today.

Carvaggio
Not to miss that Bill Allen states that he is just half way through his development plan for THUS and is free cash flow positive ahead of plan.
Not least he states that he is on track and exactly where we should be, I am sure he is sincere in his statements and if he continues to meet his targets we must be in for a long period of share price growth. Albeit like all other shares it will have 'its ups and downs' giving rise to the possibility of long term growth coupled with short term trading oportunities.
IMHO
optomistic

AFX News Feed
Monday, 02/02/04, 09:18

Thus Group wins multi-million stg services contract from Southern Water

LONDON (AFX) - Thus Group PLC said it has won a "multi million pound" strategic managed services contract with Southern Water.

The strategic agreement will see THUS provide telecommunications infrastructure and services including a fully managed wide area network (WAN), managed local area network (LAN), voice services, and video conferencing.

The contract was awarded after a competitive tender and will initially last for three years, with the potential to extend a further two years.

newsdesk@afxnews.com

rf/

THUS Group plc ('THUS')

THUS was today informed by Legal & General Group plc that on 2 February 2004
Legal & General Group and / or its subsidiaries had a notifiable interest in
54,409,011 THUS Group plc ordinary shares (representing approximately 4.03% of
the THUS Group plc ordinary shares in issue).

Just to note that Legal & General previously held 41,497,890 shares (3.08%)
An increase of 12,911,121 shares over their previous holding.

I see that Legal & General have reduced their shareholding to 3.98%. Does anyone know why? I, on the other hand have, just bought a further 10,000 @ 36.7 and am hoping that the recent slide will be reversed.

mtd118
Just read your post, I was thought that L&G had increased their holding by approx 1.7 mill shares. Would as always stand to be corrected.
Rgds
optomistic

mtd118
Correct myself,L&G holdings at 2 Mar 53.739.011 shares 3.98% reduced from approx 54.4 mill. No idea why but IMO does not seem an amount of size to cause any concern.
Rgds
optomistic

I like this company and it's management but have no faith in sp at present. Seems more that management deliver the worse the sp!!
Looking to get back in when it settles, hopefully soon.

Never expected to see this price again and certainly not after these results.
Nothing fantastic in the figures really but everything in line with what Bill Allen has predicted, and at this stage in the company's development I would have thought that a small increase in the share price would have been more appropiate. Choice is sell out or be patient and hold and look to topping up.
I'm going for the latter option.
LOL
opto

Held firm yesterday, up 1p today, could this be the start of a small recovery?
Anyone volunteer L2 info on Thus please,
opto

Optomistic

I joined the fun yesterday. I previously sold out at 38p and have taken a long Dec spreadbet from 25.4p (have no cash available to buy actual shares). I hope I am bottom fishing but my take on the results was positive with the targets set being met.

The cashflow position appears to now have turned to positive, which to me was always the key with this company. This increased cash generation and debt reduction will be key to the long term performance of the company and its share price. Turnover is growing on the back of new contracts, the only real concern being that margins have shrunk slightly. The focus of the business now appears clearer before, how the change in Chairman will affect this only time will tell.

Fundamentalist, thanks for your post. Re your comment on shrinking margins. I consider that in the ultra competative world of telecoms to have only slightly reduced margins is a positive achievement in itself and I am sure several other telecom outfits would be pleased to have similar results (time will tell)
Good luck with your spreadbet, dont understand those, I only run cash positions and am holding THUS at a small loss at the moment so am patiently holding on.
Overall I feel in the long term we are going to get good returns here but at the moment it seems that we are going to move sideways. Yet as you know nothing is certain in this game so we could get lucky.

Opto

Like you I think the long term will be good but the short term is liekly to be quite volatile. I have a target price of 34p for these by year end.

The spread bet as a long is just like buying the shares (but without the stamp duty)

for example:

Thus share price bid offer is 25p - 25.5p.

IG index quote me a spread for Thus share price in Dec of 24.2 - 25.4p. I decide to buy so go long of 25.4p. Rather than actually buying the shares I take a position for every point the share price moves. Say for example I take a 10 per point and the spread moves to 27.2p - 28.4p (on the share price rising). I can close my bet at 27.2p and my profit is (27.2-25.4)*10 = 18 or I can leave it until December and receive whatever the mid price is. The alternative is to go short where I would bet that it would go down from 24.2p. In this eg I would be losing as I could close at 28.4p so I would be 42 down. As you can see IG make there money on the difference from the buy sell spread. Hope this makes sense.

Fundamentalist, thanks for your insight to spread betting. Your year end target is not wildly optimistic, 34p is not too far away now. Wait for the next new contract news to give support, and of course there is always the possiblity of takeover talk, which however spurious will give rise to a price increase to your target. My target is openended but certainly higher than 34p. Could be wrong, have been before!!
lol
opto

THUS was notified yesterday that Deutche Bank now held 41.9 m shares 3.11% of the company's o shares.
Not a potential bidder but good to see another major institution taking an interest in THUS

Smith Barney starts Thus Group with 'buy' rating; price target of 34p May 10 2004 10:20

http://mwprices.ft.com/custom/ft-com/quotechartnews.asp?osymb=&ocountrycode=&pageNum=&company=NEW&industry=&region=&extelID=∈=&ftep=&sedol=&FTSite=FTCOM&symb=thus&countrycode=&t=e&s2=&q=thus

Deutsche Bank have just sold their stake - what's all that about ???

blanchard1
The news release states that the Deutsche Bank no longer have a notifiable interest in THUS shares not that they have sold their entire holding.
Have just arrived home and have not had time to look around if I see any further details I will post later.
Regds
optomistic

THUS confirms today the signing of the Mil42 contract with Glasgow City Council

Taken from The Herald today
http://www.theherald.co.uk/business/19340.html

pjbenne,
Why not copy and paste the article then it can be read by all easily?

Regards
opto

optomistic
Are there any issues regarding copyright when doing this ?
I did email moneyam about this some time ago but got no reply

Rampage, have seen it done many times, and have copied/pasted articles myself with no problems. As regarding the copyright laws I can't help you there

optomistic
thank you

Guardian link

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1256402,00.html


Lower down the market, Thus Group, the alternative telecoms company, eased 0.5p to 22.75p despite word that tomorrow's annual meeting statement will be nothing like as gloomy as the recent trading update from rival Colt Telecom, off 2p at 44.75p.

cheers all

Similar message in the Times. Hopefully tomorrow's statement is upbeat. Then we can start climbing back to 30p.

.

Why the huge slump this morning on the back of a statement that THUS are forecasted to meet analyst's estimates??? I can't understand why these shares keep falling without any bad news - can't just be following the general market??

Anything I've missed??

"Are THUS shares about to double?" Not going by this mornings performance so far :o(

blanny,
Market must have been expecting more and lets face it telecoms are not the favorite sector at the moment, nor have been for some while. Things never stay the same though so lets look forward to some favorable changes.
In the meantime lots of buys going through this AM, could be some money to be made here for the brave.

50 % more trades than VOD this AM!!!

Fucking hell, does anybody think that THUS has been totally oversold??? THUS shold be at least double this price on fundamentals alone. Shame there's always been such negative sentiment towards THUS.

Fill ya boots!!!

M/M taking the piss ref buy/sell ratio!!!

Aerotus
F... hell ..... they better had do
Thats where we are all going to end up if these chinless wonders keep hammering this share price like this

There must be a huge seller in the background for the price not to rise with all this buying!

What happened to the 43 million from Morley Fund? Can't be involved in this they wouldn't throw that kind of money away!!

Am I correct in saying that THUS is not a Market Maker share???

Traded on SETS and of course by brokers, not forgetting the real villans of the act the 'Institutions' they being the ones that do large deals that are never seen by the market until the RNS is published.

Whats the RNS????

simon click on 'News' in the header

Pity the poor sap thats just paid 22.5p to buy 157k
just goes to show there is always someone worse off than yourself

Aerotus

How do you value this company at double on fundamentals - it is loss making so any fundamental value is surely only speculative. I agree the price fall has been overdone but I feel that the sector is so under pressure that a couple of the negative comments in the statement were all the market needed for this to be marked down/the shorters to pile in. Any other sector comments are likely to drag it further

Ps I dont hold this share but have been watching recently and will continue to do so.

OK, so RNS is a release of news yes?? sorry, still get stuck on all these turms :)

Also, as with many people I guess, I am currently looking at the Level2 demo you get for free for the next week or so with MoneyAM, now if I look at THUS I see the buys and the sells, but I dont understand why this does not instantly effect the buy and sell orders, is there a delay?? or as is far more likly, am I missing the point??? I have read the most useful "read me" that MoneyAM have supplied (most useful I must say) but it implies (to me) that when somebody makes a sell you should see that removed from a selling order, but I dont see that?? Anybody care to share there knowledge???

Ta

S its only the AT trades that effect the share price

RNS is the Regulatory News Service. If you have the stocks you hold on stockwatch you will get a N next to the share if any news is released that day.

As for level 2, your understanding would be correct in a perfect world where market makers didnt exist. It is also possible that people input repeating orders, ie sell 20k and as soon as it is sold, sell another 20k and so on. i believe if you search you will find a thread on level 2 which explains in a lot more detail (too much for most)

Rampage, reckon that trade @ 22.5p must have been entered incorrectly

Rampage

OK, I am getting it now, so whats AT stand for?? and what are the other codes for (and what do they do), ie if they dont effect the share price, what are they??

Mr Fundamentalist

Interesting what you say about the company value, I only purchased THUS today, I have been looking for a while but thought this low price was to good to miss, now based on there profits and such, its still looks a good year or two before they even break into profit. I am buying this share based on what it will be worth in 3 years.

Simon,

You will find a list of these abbreviations for the codes on our help pages under trades, but here is rundown of what you will find there:

Code Definition
O Ordinary trade - A standard type of trade with normal settlement date traded through the Market Makers.>
B Broker to Broker Trade. A transaction between two broker firms.
EU Euro Automated Trade
ER Euro Trades
K Block Trade - A transaction utilizing the block trade facility.
L Late Trade - when a trade is reported to the Stock Exchange some time after it has been executed it is known as a Late Trade.
LC Late trade correction.
M Market Maker to Market Maker. As the name suggests this is a transaction between two Market Makers who are registered in the security which is being traded.
N Non Protected Portfolio. This is normally a transaction of a number of stocks dealt with by one market maker at an agreed discount to the market price.
NM Not To Mark. In some cases the Exchange can grant permission for non publication. This is known as a Not to Mark.
NR Non Risk (SEATS). As the name suggests this is a non risk transaction.
P Protected Portfolio Transaction.
R Risk less Principal transaction at a different price
RO Result of Option. A transaction which resulted for the exercise of an option
RT Risk Trade. (SEATS) A risk transaction.
ST SEAQ Trade. This is used for the single uncrossing trade. Gives details of the total executed volume and uncrossing price as a result of a SEAQ auction.
SW Stock Swap. Transaction comprised in a stock swap or stock switch
UT Uncrossing Trade. This is used for the single uncrossing trade, detailing the total executed volume and uncrossing price as a result of a SETS auction.
X Cross at the same price.
AT An automated trade generated by the SETS system through the order book. (Level 2).
PA a protected transaction at the time that protection is applied.
PC Post Contra. When the contra trade is not on the trade date this is used to report it.
T If reporting a protected transaction.
WN Worked Principle Transaction. When a member firm enters into a worked principle agreement for a single security this is used to notify the Exchange.
TS Test Security. Used when testing trade reporting.
WT Worked Principle Trade.
CT Contra Trade. Used to publish a contra trade in previously automatically executed trade through the order book.
AI Automated input facility. Used when a member firm has disabled its automated input facility in response to a request from the Exchange.
PN Worked principle Portfolio Notification.
VW volume Weighted Average Price
RC Regulatory Conformance.
BC Bargain Condition.

Ian

Just beat me to it Ian

Thanks..

Making much more sense now, I have looked for the using level2 posts in both Traders and Inversters rooms, cant find nothing, if anybody comes across the using Level2 thread please let me know

Sorry, I will try to shut up soon...

If only AT prices effect the price and most are O trades, then when people go spazzy (now theres a word) about ramping, well how would people ramp a share when most trades are O, am I correct in saying O shares are what most peoples would be if they buy from say TDWaterhouse????

I'm assuming some large late sells from the institutions after 4-30pm, is prob. the reason for this not creeping up a bit?.IMHO

Any thoughts????////

Agreed fairford, there have been a multitude of buys, but price is being depressed buy a large seller. Give this a few days to clear up before buying.

News from this evenings Standard

I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE 3RD FROM LAST PARAGRAPHS COMMENT BY MR ALLAN!!!!



Thus pulls plug on its call centres
Steve Hawkes, Evening Standard
9 July 2004

THUS is quitting the call centres business in a shake-up that will delay the telecoms group's move into the black.


The Scottish Power offshoot is selling its loss-making centres to put more cash behind its core voice and data business.


Chief executive Bill Allan said the sale of the interactive division, which makes money from scratchcard competitions, may not be far behind.


Thus will be in profit towards the end of the financial year to March 2005. Two months ago, Allan was hoping for profits across the second half. 'We will be ebit [earnings before interest and tax] positive at the back end of the year,' he said today.


The group has been looking to sell the call centres for two years, after clients baulked at the idea of buying such services with a telecom package.


Murray International subsidiary Response Handling is paying 4m for the business. Allan said: 'The price is good for us and good for the shareholders.'


In a trading update, Thus said first-quarter cashflow was ahead of last year but it was still suffering from an increase in lower-margin business. Overall revenue was 'strongly in line with year-end expectations'.


It plans to access BT exchanges to target smaller and medium-sized firms. The shares today fell 2 1/4p to 20 1/2p.

wish it was closing at 20 1/2p ,


Aerotus...
That knocks my theory in the head.
7-5,million late trade............total of 62,million buys, and the blighter still keels over.
Whats a foot with these m/m's??

Have a nice weekend away from the shares....till 8-00am monday then////

From this level very possible. Reaction was well overdone as can be seen by the buying.

chrissie can we please change the title to "Are THUS shares about to halve?. I'm a holder but loosing heavily at the moment.

Azhar,
Quite right,
I'll go along with that, reiterating loses, we are being shafted by the m/m's yet again, more buys than sells and down again

Don't get sucked in by these Buys and Sells columns.
Every Buy is also a Sell, and every Sell is also a Buy.

Look for trend and volume.
Is the volume coming in on down days?
IE, more folk wanting to sell than buy that pushes the price down to attract
buyers.

Or is it coming in on up days?
IE, more folk wanting to buy than sell that pushes the price up to attract sellers.

MM's make their money on the spread. They won't want to take a position
unless they have a big buy or sell order to action.

IMHO, of course.

Melnibone.

Dont believe all you read .I sold a stack on Friday and all listed as buys .

And the last two 2.5m/2.7m look like buys to me?

Which way is THUS trending.
Stick a ruler on the screen if it helps.:-))

Which days have the high volume?
The up days or the down days?
Which way is the Macd indicating?

Melnibone.

thus shares to double ......thought i was doing nicely but just realise i have the chart up side down

Maybe management are standing on their heads. That's why everything looks OK. The statement wasn't meant to be a profits warning but all analysts saw it that way. How can you say that all expectations will be met and still see a 30% fall in share price. Is there any hope for us?

Thus is becoming more and more like a coiled spring. Negative sentiment and the failure to recognise Thus's brilliance has been going on for at least 9 months now. At some point in the future, there will be a SHARP correction, a rise of 50-100% within a week. This will happen when the final results come out showing a decent profit compared to the other flagging telcos. Only then will people wake up and show THUS and Bill Allen the respect they deserve.

Aerotus.
Go for it and tell the world (investors world that is) the sooner the your views are accepted by the majority the better.
This last week has been a disaster for THUS but the trend must surely change soon as this is a good company operating in a very competitive field, yet producing results as forecast and continuing to gain good new business on a regular basis.
Bill Allen continue on this format and THUS will be on a much different rating than it is today.

My views
opto

From www.Frequentrader.info (Monday 12th July) ...

"I see Thus (don't hold at the moment) is getting a bit of a battering. But at some point soon it'll start to look undervalued - keeping my beady eye open for a possible good entry point. Just watching for the moment."

1anT

what is a protected portfolio transaction see posting no. 118

mpw777,

To be honest I am no really sure - this is the description from the stock exchange if this helps:

Protected Portfolio
The transaction was reported as a protected portfolio or, was as a result of a worked principle agreement for a portfolio transaction.

I will try to get a more details explanation.

Ian

THUS is not looking good....

ROUNDUP Thus shares plunge after PROFIT ALERT stuns city

LONDON (AFX) - Shares in Thus Group PLC (LSE: THUS.L - news) plunged today after the UK group stunned investors, warning full-year profit will be depressed by ongoing margin erosion at its main telecoms business and problems at two of its other operations, one of which it has agreed to sell.
A spokesman said the company expects to report earnings before interest and tax of 47-53 mln stg in the year to March 31 2005, down from 53-59 mln previously.
House broker Investec (LSE: INVP.L - news) meanwhile slashed it forecast for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by 16 pct to 49.3 mln stg.
That compares with reported EBITDA up 61 pct to 43.6 mln stg in the year to March 31 2004.
The company said margins at its core telecoms operations, which provide voice and data services to business customers throughout the UK, as well as offering high-speed internet access were under pressure.
It said that was partly because growing numbers of Britons have been switching from dial-up internet access to broadband, on which its margins are lower.
Thus also warned its telephone-based marketing promotional business was unlikely to make money this year, having previously expected the business to generate underlying profit of around 4 mln stg.
It said following the 'poorer than expected' performance of the unit, which was created by Thus' former parent Scottish Power PLC, it is 'reviewing its options' and will make a further announcement when it delivers interim results in November.
The so-called Interactive division, which makes money from newspaper scratch cards, inviting the holder to dial in to claim a prize or promotion, last year generated generated sales of 13.0 mln stg, around 4 pct of the total.
Separately, Thus said it had agreed to sell its loss-making call-centre business to a subsidiary of Murray International Holdings, one of Scotland's largest private companies, for around 1.75 mln stg.
Thus will also retain working capital of around 2.25 mln stg.
Although the unit has consistently lost money since Thus was floated on the London stock exchange (LSE: LSE.L - news) in December 1999, Investec had expected the unit, which has a net book value of 3 mln stg, to contribute around 2 mln stg to underlying profit in the current year.
The alert mirrored a similar warning from rival Colt Telecom PLC (LSE: CTM.L - news) last week, when it said profits would be hit by tough market conditions and pressure on margins.
The company, which has seen its shares plunge from a high of 862 pence in March 2000, attempted to make light of its latest difficulties.
'Although we remain cautious on the general economic outlook and the competitive dynamics of the existing market structure for UK telecommunications... we remain comfortable with the range of market expectations for the full year, and will now exit the year EBIT positive,' the company said.
At 12:30 pm, Thus' shares were trading 4.5 pence, or 20 pct, down on the day at 18.25, valuing it 246 mln stg.
rob.branch@afxnews.com

Old news hyleo98!

optomistic
Agreed, for anyone who is holding Thus shares last Friday seems a very long time ago
I do however, as your name suggests remain optomistic for the long term

Hi Rampage, optomistic also remains cautiously optimistic for the long term, hopefully we could see some earlier return to 'normality'. THUS seems to be on target for Bill Allen's projections and just the slightest change in sentiment to the alt telco sector would see a tremendous boost to THUS's share price IMO.

p.s. I was going to have optimistic as my name, not really very creative I know, but someone else had used it with a number attached so I chose optomistic, perhaps it could be changed to just opto

optomistic
optomistic is a great name for anyone who buys or trades shares
Why else would you buy them if you were not optimistic??
Whats an o or an i between friends/fellow investors etc etc

Hi rampage thanks for that, it is a suitable name certainly. At the moment I am a buyer not so much a trader, NOT the original intention with some of my buys I might add. I suppose we all have this problem though!!
All the best
opto

Aye well .. definition of a "hold" is a short term trade gone wrong.


THUS needs an analist to say that the share are "oversold" for a temporary recovery to take place, but I doubt this will happen until the beginning of october.

Might expect a small relief rally with the sale of the Contact center at the end of the month but who knows.


Monday low of 16.25 didn't break today, but personally I'm looking for some support @ 12.5p which was resistance late 2002. Much, however, will depend upon how bad the CTM numbers are later in the month since THUS is not due to report until november. The trading update at the AGM was a carbon copy of the interims with the expection of the sale of the contact center which is a positive.

Scotland on Sunday article

It was ever Thus

TERRY MURDEN
tmurden@scotlandonsunday.com
Business editor

IT WOULD be fair to say that Bill Allan, chief executive of Glasgow telecoms company Thus, is rarely content with the world: his targets have ranged from disinterested politicians to the behaviour of some of his rivals. Not for the first time he is upset with the City. Earlier this year he threw his toys out of the pram over a "reduce" recommendation on Thus from Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein; now he is now raging about the marking down of the companys shares when, he argues, Thus is performing reasonably well in a battered sector. Allan, who commutes to Scotland from his home in Tunbridge Wells, is truly disgusted.

There is some justification for this latest show of indignation. The company is in better shape than its peers and, according to Allan, is "getting stronger year by year", although in a sector suffering a severe hangover from the late 1990s boom it is merely less drunk than some of its rivals.

The cause of his concern this time follows a near-20% markdown in the shares after his firms annual meeting. Allan was apoplectic, and his fury continued into a media dinner last Wednesday when he kept up his rant for the best part of an hour.

He now admits that de-listing may be something for the board to consider and it may be that after a series of meetings with analysts this week, he will ask his fellow directors to take a view. It would be a pity if that were to be the chosen route, but Thus, which spent a few weeks in the FTSE 100 shortly after flotation, would not be the first to show its disillusionment with the City by taking the company private.

Jim McColl at Clyde Blowers was the first in recent times to instigate a Scottish public-to-private transaction after seeing his company so undervalued that overseas customers were beginning to ask if there were fundamental problems. Geoff Ball at Cala Homes was among those who followed suit. It is no wonder that the bosses of small companies are wary of treading the stock market path.

Allan, however, has to be careful not to overreact. Thus is not alone in the telecoms sector in feeling the pinch. Most of his peers are trading at or about their year lows. The markets remain cautious, particularly about the alternative carriers, not least because there are too many of them: apart from Thus, there is Colt, Fibernet, Kingston, Energis, along with overseas competitors - and none is making any real money.

One of the main reasons shares in Thus fell last week was nothing to do with the companys own performance. Colt, a company with far deeper problems, put out a profits warning just days earlier and worried traders ran for cover. After that, Thus didnt stand a chance.

One analyst I spoke to last week was surprised to hear Allans comments on de-listing, but said it would be a last resort to take such a decision. It would also find it difficult to raise funds for a leveraged buy-out.

The most likely stimulus for the shares will be consolidation. Allan would prefer Thus to be an acquirer and his outburst over the plunging shares probably owed something to the frustration over opportunities lost to use the firms paper. He was, after all, in talks with Kingston and had made veiled suggestions in the past about making an acquisition using the companys shares.

It is just as likely, however, that Thus will be acquired, possibly by an overseas player. France Telecom and Telefonica have been suggested as possible buyers with Cable & Wireless an outside bet, although C&Ws shareholders will be so wary of repeating past mistakes they will want the company to concentrate on getting its own house in order before attempting to pick off any of its rivals.

An interesting article

but it still remains.....

if Allan seriously considers that the recent fall is 'grossly overdone' and remains 'apoplectic'

he should be filling his boots at these levels

indeed if he considers it even a possibility to go private then unless he expects to get the company for less then again he should be picking up stock at todayslat weeks prices

of course if if he isnt buying then it begs the question WHY????????

he should put his money where his mouth is.

remain hopeful and doubled my holding last week

Does anybody know whether we would have to sell our precious Thus shares to a take-over bidding company, especially if they are offering much less than what "MOST"
of us have paid for? ie: 20p offer ...paid 35+p???

Where do we stand if a company were to try and buy our hard HELD shares for THUS?

If they get the required %, which i beleive is usually 90% then the offer can go compulsory
(I hope someone better informed than I will correct that if reqd)
in which case you have no options open
however you can hold out until then in case!

but its not there yet i think

If they get the required %, which i beleive is usually 90% then the offer can go compulsory
(I hope someone better informed than I will correct that if reqd)
in which case you have no options open
however you can hold out until then in case!

but its not there yet i think

It would be done through a majority shareholder vote.

For you guys : press mention in Today's Guardian Newspaper

Thus, the alternative telecoms operator, firmed 0.25p to 17.25p after chief executive Bill Allan told a Scottish newspaper that taking the company private was an option.


Best Wishes.

One of the articles taken from The Scotsman.

TERRY MURDEN
tmurden@scotlandonsunday.com


IT WOULD be fair to say that Bill Allan, chief executive of Glasgow telecoms company Thus, is rarely content with the world: his targets have ranged from disinterested politicians to the behaviour of some of his rivals. Not for the first time he is upset with the City. Earlier this year he threw his toys out of the pram over a "reduce" recommendation on Thus from Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein; now he is now raging about the marking down of the company's shares when, he argues, Thus is performing reasonably well in a battered sector. Allan, who commutes to Scotland from his home in Tunbridge Wells, is truly disgusted.

There is some justification for this latest show of indignation. The company is in better shape than its peers and, according to Allan, is "getting stronger year by year", although in a sector suffering a severe hangover from the late 1990s boom it is merely less drunk than some of its rivals.

The cause of his concern this time follows a near-20% markdown in the shares after his firm's annual meeting. Allan was apoplectic, and his fury continued into a media dinner last Wednesday when he kept up his rant for the best part of an hour.

He now admits that de-listing may be something for the board to consider and it may be that after a series of meetings with analysts this week, he will ask his fellow directors to take a view. It would be a pity if that were to be the chosen route, but Thus, which spent a few weeks in the FTSE 100 shortly after flotation, would not be the first to show its disillusionment with the City by taking the company private.

Jim McColl at Clyde Blowers was the first in recent times to instigate a Scottish public-to-private transaction after seeing his company so undervalued that overseas customers were beginning to ask if there were fundamental problems. Geoff Ball at Cala Homes was among those who followed suit. It is no wonder that the bosses of small companies are wary of treading the stock market path.

Allan, however, has to be careful not to overreact. Thus is not alone in the telecoms sector in feeling the pinch. Most of his peers are trading at or about their year lows. The markets remain cautious, particularly about the alternative carriers, not least because there are too many of them: apart from Thus, there is Colt, Fibernet, Kingston, Energis, along with overseas competitors - and none is making any real money.

One of the main reasons shares in Thus fell last week was nothing to do with the company's own performance. Colt, a company with far deeper problems, put out a profits warning just days earlier and worried traders ran for cover. After that, Thus didn't stand a chance.

One analyst I spoke to last week was surprised to hear Allan's comments on de-listing, but said it would be a last resort to take such a decision. It would also find it difficult to raise funds for a leveraged buy-out.

The most likely stimulus for the shares will be consolidation. Allan would prefer Thus to be an acquirer and his outburst over the plunging shares probably owed something to the frustration over opportunities lost to use the firm's paper. He was, after all, in talks with Kingston and had made veiled suggestions in the past about making an acquisition using the company's shares.

It is just as likely, however, that Thus will be acquired, possibly by an overseas player. France Telecom and Telefonica have been suggested as possible buyers with Cable & Wireless an outside bet, although C&W's shareholders will be so wary of repeating past mistakes they will want the company to concentrate on getting its own house in order before attempting to pick off any of its rivals.

opto

THUS SELECTED TO INSTALL AND MANAGE PRIMARY COMMUNICATIONS LINK BETWEEN
ICELAND AND EUROPE
26 July 2004 - THUS Plc today announced that it has been selected by FARICE (the international submarine
cable system connecting Iceland and the Faroe Islands to Scotland) to design, install and maintain an optical
backhaul network between FARICEs landing station in Castletown Northern Scotland and the companys
Point of Presence in Edinburgh. Together with FARICEs submarine cable the connection forms the primary
connection between Iceland, the Faroe Islands and mainland Europe. THUS has been awarded a ten year
contract to provide a managed fibre solution, to supply network management to the customers backhaul
network in Scotland.
The THUS managed fibre solution will deploy Dense Wave Division Multiplexing technology to significantly
enlarge the capacity and capability of the FARICE network to carry advanced voice and data services. This
solution will significantly enhance Icelands credentials as a primary location for global businesses to locate
mission critical back office support systems, including off-shore complex web hosting services.
Gudmundur Gunnarsson, chief executive officer at FARICE said, THUS was chosen in a competitive tender
because of its extensive experience and existing support and management systems in Scotland. This
network forms the primary communications link to Europe for Iceland and the Faroe Islands and THUS is
working closely with us to deliver a cost effective solution that meets our needs on such a critical project. It
made sense for THUS to tie the management of this DWDM system into its existing network management
centre which already manages our fibre in Scotland, giving us simple access to a single management view.
THUS already provides the FARICE fibre connection from Castletown to Edinburgh following a contract
announced in 2002. The submarine cable was operational in January 2004 at an initial cost of 45 million
and DWDM is now being used to maximise fibre capacity. The CIENA Metronet system used in the
backhaul in Scotland will initially deliver 4 x 2.5Gbit/s wavelengths but it is capable of delivering 33 x
2.5Gbit/s wavelengths if bandwidth requirements increase in the future.
Bill Allan, chief executive officer at THUS said, This solution has been specifically tailored to FARICE. We
believe this is the first time that any UK operator has offered a managed fibre solution, supplying dedicated
DWDM on a customers optical fibre network. We are delighted to be involved with FARICE, to support and
enhance the capability of this important international communications network. This new contract
demonstrates the close and successful relationship we have established with FARICE.

Further to Optomistic's scotsmans article, could anyone give me a clue as to what would happen if THUS were to de-list i.e. what would happen to share price?
Ta

it would plummet...

Very reassuring hlyeo98! But would we get any warning? i got two different answers of my brokers. One said they get to hear about 2 or 3 days before the other said they just suspend them at mid day.

Yes bestblinds lots of warning, like when you see it on RNS and would you have to be quick to beat the MM's !!
Lets be positive about this THUS is a company making good progress and when Bill Allen made the comment he was probably quite p****d of like the rest of us with the big price drop. Non of the telcos are the markets favourites right now, KCOM made a very good AGM statement followed by an excellent contract win, result no movement, in better times gains would have been in evidence.
All in all when the market decides the time is right the telcos will have their day again and THUS will not be at the bottom of the 'list'

Regards
opto

just a bit on egde that's all got quite a large holding and dont want to lose the lot, thanks for the advice.

Best blinds, I have also got a 'few' and wouldn't like to lose my pot. As we all know there is always an element of risk in the stock market but IMO the risk here is worth taking. The one thing I did not like was the institutions selling their holdings (Morley Fund Management for one) at a large loss as well! This is a worry, but the stock appears to have been absorbed into the market now.
These are my views of course and I hope to be helpful but each of us must make our own decisions, it is our own cash!

Sure Optomistic, i've pulled out today i think i'd rather sit back and see what happens these next 2 or 3 weeks if it pans out ok ill get back in...i think.

bestblinds, I certainly did not wish to encourage you into selling in a hurry, however as you are now holding cash you now have no worries about THUS. When the market turns you will then be able to repurchase if you wish and perhaps show us LTBH'ers how it should be done.
Good luck in your investments
opto

THUS has gone pear-shaped recently - 16p now. I think it will go down to 10-12p within the next month.

Anybody got any idea why its going mad on THUS trades today?

If you check back to the 12 July on this thread, I said to lay
a ruler along the chart that I posted and see which way it pointed.
Nothing has changed.

I can't be bothered to check, but this stock must now be getting
close to dropping out of the Ftse350 into the small caps.
If it does you will have the Ftse 350 and 250 trackers selling
their holdings.
Also, all the CFD and Spreadbetters that use companies that only
make markets in the Ftse350 will also be forced to liquidate
their positions as there will no longer be a market in them.

Any THUS fans care to check this out and post their findings?

Melnibone.

Apparently this is because of a possible bid rumour going around of re-newed interest from C&W.....

Rumour has it that C&W are sitting on 1bn cash pile with THUS or CTM as possible target !

Got this from www.iii.co.uk

Rumour has it that C&W are sitting on 1bn cash pile with THUS or CTM as possible target !

Rumour, possible, maybe.... the list goes on.

Quick mental maths says approx 6m changed hands in THUS today.
Peanuts, really.

I dare say that there will be consolidation in this sector at some
point, but that's no reason to go LTBH on a company. You don't
know when, what price, or if like TWT they just let the company
go to the dogs and wipe out the shareholders so that the debt holders
take the company.

THUS and CTM are fond of quoting EBITDA, but they are still loss
making in an increasingly competitive environment.

Melnibone.

Melnibone
Interestingly you compare Thus with TWT a little unfair I would say
On one major point alone , Compare the massive debts of TWT when they went to the dogs. Thus does not suffer from that kind of millstone and unless we are seriously being mislead Thus will be in profit early next year

I'm not saying that THUS will go bust. I'm bringing the possibility
to the attention of folk who are buying purely for the reason
of a takeover bid.

If it can happen to 'biggies' like TWT, Marconi etc... as well as
companies like Redstone and Energis, then you can't rule out the
possibility of a minnow like THUS.

If you make less than you spend then eventually you will go broke.
THUS and CTM are still losing money in a competitive environment.
And it's not getting any easier.

You can only reduce Capex so far. If THUS doesn't get the growth
then it won't make money. By buying THUS, you are putting your
faith in the company continuing to grow at the expense of the
competition.

IMHO, there's got to be less risky areas to invest your money
that will give you a return without the possibility of a total
loss. If you want to take the risk for the possible greater reward
then that's cool. Just be aware of the risk.

Melnibone.

I have taken this statement from a collegue on the www.iii.co.uk site.
Interesting reading ......

From looking at TD Waterhouse the analyst most likely to have upgraded either HSBC or Smith Barney Citigroup who issues notes on Thus in July and August respectively.

I know HSBC had Thus as a hold for a while when it was at 37p so they must be thinking the fundamentals have not changed much and the share price is worth a flutter at the current levels.

Smith Barney's recommendation has a 1S next to it, not sure what this means any ideas?

In terms of analyst estimates for THUS here goes

HSBC buy with 2005 eps estimated at -0.55p and a loss of 10.55 million they are predicting a 2006 profit of 4.93 million and earnins per share of 0.26

Concensus view of 9 analysts is that for the year ending March 2005

Thus will report a loss of 10.78 million

Consensus view of same analysts for year ending 2006 is profits of 6.45 million.

Not sure how accurate this figures will be in light of the sale of the contact centre business and impending sale of the interactive division.

All in all the picture does look quite positive, but like a lot of people have mentioned with the oil price as it is, negative market sentiment etc prices are being depressed, further pressure is added by shorters, but you can't blame them for that.

Hope that helps.

PS A plug for TD Waterhouse they have some great and very easy to understand research on their site.

Two days of enormous volume and today a mere 2 1/2 million, any thoughts?

This is interesting
http://boards.fool.co.uk/Message.asp?mid=8730130&sort=whole

Same minds here Rampage, just copied the article:

i wrote to the company mainly as I am about to receive broadband, as to whether the offer for shareholders was still available. I also suggested as they had cash in the bank of 30million plus they might consider a buy back scheme the price being at these levels. I did get a very nice reply. It didn't actually tell me anything I didn't know, but you may as well read it anyway


You are not alone in finding the share price performance of THUS not
only
very disappointing but also very frustrating. Please rest assured that
he
company is not about to go bankrupt - as you rightly note, we have
significant cash on our balance sheet and have been cash generative for
the
last three quarters.

Let me try to explain some of the reasons behind the share price fall.

As you are aware, we issued our year end results at the beginning of
May.
We believed these to be a strong set of results showing accelerating
revenue
growth - something very few of our peer group have been able to achieve
and
generating cash for the last two quarters of the financial year.
Despite
the company meeting, or actually exceeding, market expectations, the
market
reacted adversely - worried about the tough market conditions in the
telecoms arena. Sentiment was, and still remains, negative on the
sector as
a whole. This is due to a severe profits warning by COLT, after which
our
share price was also hit, and what the market considered less than
impressive results from other operators.

In July we made a trading statement to coincide with our AGM where we
announced the sale of our Contact Centre business - one of our non-core
divisions; investment in advanced technology and local loop unbundling,
that
our non-core interactive division was not performing as well as
previously
but that our core telecoms business revenue was continuing to
accelerate and
we were continuing to generate cash. As a result of these
announcements,
consensus forecasts had to be changed (when selling a business, you
obviously no longer receive revenue from it) and some parts of the
market
considered this to be a profits warning and hence our share price was
negatively affected again. The message of our accelerating core
business
seemed to be lost in the mix. Since then, sentiment has continued to
be
negative due to the investor lack of confidence in sector revenues and
the
pressure on gross margins following other operators disappointing
trading
updates. As THUS is a liquid stock, we seem to get hit hard with every
piece of negative news from other operators.

The management's interests are closely aligned with shareholders and
whilst
they cannot control the vagaries of the stock market, they can control
the
performance of the company. They are spending a significant amount of
time
with investors explaining why they believe THUS will continue to
perform
well and how it differentiates itself from other operators through its
product and service offering. They are doing all they can to ensure
that
THUS continues to produce good results, despite difficult trading
conditions, and they are confident that they will achieve good results.
They hope that on delivery of these results, the market will reflect
the
company's true worth.

A buy back scheme is obviously something for the Board of Directors to
deliberate when they consider the circumstances to be appropriate and I
am
sure they will do so if those circumstances arise. The Board is in
place to
act in the best interest of the shareholders in overseeing the business
and
how it is financed.

Due to lack of take-up, the shareholder offer on broadband was not
renewed
this year but even without it, I believe that you will find THUS's
rates
very competitive and we do of course, pride ourselves on our service.
The
shareholder offer will be something that we reconsider next year again.

Thank you for the interest you have taken in THUS.

Yours sincerely,

Samantha Ashworth
Investor Relations Manager
THUS Group plc



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Volumes will go up as the price comes down.
Folk trade in position size and look for % gains,
not the actual number of shares.

IE, today's volume is currently approx 360,000.
Nothing to get excited about really.

What would be more worrying was if the Bears have closed
most of their shorts with the price not having moved up.
Which appears to have maybe happened on Mon/Tue.

Melnibone.

Thanks Melnibone

Whilst we're on the the subject of position size and
percentages. If THUS was to drop from the 15p support/resistance
area to the next 12p Support/resistance area, then you are talking
about a 20% loss of capital.

Which is why I keep saying, why don't you all find something less
risky to go LTBH on.
Unless of course you are in the business of taking big risks with
your hard earned dosh hoping for the big reward.
Down to all your own individual aims and strategy I suppose.

Melnibone.

Thanks Melnibone
"If Thus was to drop from the 15p......
Ifs and buts .... if we had the benefit of foresight or hindsight life would be so much easier
Iam happy with my INVESTMENT in Thus

there seems to be a lot of buying today
is this the time to get in .
any opinions out there ?
cheers shonky

Shonky
Good time to get in IMHO
Register free with www.iii.co.uk
More active BB on Thus

cheers rampage might just try that

News just in....
RNS Number:6913C
Thus Group PLC
07 September 2004


Chrysalis Radio Connects Five Key Sites Over THUS's MPLS IP Network

7 September, 2004 - THUS plc today announced that Chrysalis Radio, owner of
Heart, Galaxy, LBC and The Arrow radio stations, will use THUS's national MPLS
IP network to carry data and broadcast traffic between its five major UK sites.
Chrysalis Radio is replacing its current point-to-point network connecting
London with Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham with a converged MPLS IP
network from THUS. The network will utilise MPLS' inherent Class of Service
differentiation technology enabling Chrysalis to prioritise broadcast traffic
over all other data on the network. This will ensure the audio quality is
maintained regardless of the volume of other traffic on the network.

Chrysalis Radio broadcasts live from all of its sites each day and it is
imperative that the network is reliable as any interruption to service will be
immediately audible by listeners. The new network will ensure that transmission
quality is preserved at the same time as enabling the sites to efficiently share
content such as networked programming or live studio session. The new THUS
network will provide Chrysalis Radio with valuable scalability and flexibility
through access to its technologically advanced national network. This will allow
Chrysalis Radio to integrate any new sites to the national network easily and
cost effectively.

The new network also supports Voice over IP (VoIP) enabling Chrysalis to move
away from traditional telephony between its sites to a fully converged VoIP
environment when the time is appropriate.

"We wanted to link our five sites with a flexible, cost effective converged
network that could be developed to incorporate new technologies," said Bruce
Davidson, Group Technology Director, Chrysalis Radio. "We chose THUS because of
its vast experience in, and understanding of, the broadcast industry and its
willingness to work closely with us to design a solution around our existing
equipment."

When providing critical network solutions it is imperative that a supplier know
its customer's business inside out," said Phil Male, Chief Operating Officer,
THUS plc. "THUS is now a mature player in the broadcast industry having
developed a unique depth of experience working with the UK's five largest
commercial radio groups. Our national MPLS IP network will ensure that Chrysalis
Radio can manage its voice, data, and broadcast traffic efficiently and cost
effectively."

THUS worked closely with Chrysalis Radio's broadcast equipment supplier, The UK
Office, to design a solution that complements Chrysalis' existing network
equipment, a key requirement in the decision-making process.

Today news from moneyam traders thread.

Sir Alan Sugar plans comeback with new videophone; the AMSTRAD

chairman understood to have signed a deal with THUS to launch a

mass-market fixed-line videophone, named E3 - Independent on Sunday.

Thus is down to 13.25p - I think this will go down to 10p next week

From the Scotsman - 25/9/2004

WARNING MAY SIGNAL END OF THUS

THUS, the Glasgow-based telecoms company, saw its future as an independent firm cast into doubt yesterday after it issued its second profit warning in the space of three months.

The struggling internet provider, which first warned of tough conditions
in July, lost a third of its market value as it admitted that aggressive pricing tactics from rivals would hamper full-year earnings.

The update saw investors scrambling for the exit, sending the shares down 27 per cent, or 4.5p, to 12.5p. The value of the company has almost halved in three months, despite a steady climb over the past two years.

The pressure on Thus has come from a UK marketplace flooded with competitors such as Cable & Wireless (LSE: CW.L - news - msgs) and Colt, some of which are prepared to offer corporate services at a loss to maintain market share.

Thus's woes have led to renewed speculation that it could become an acquisition target for a rival company, with C&W and former giant Energis (LSE: EGS.L - news) potential suitors.

One analyst said: "This could be the end of the line for Thus as an independent company. The only option for alternative providers is that some supply is taken out of the market and that would need some consolidation."

Thus chief executive Bill Allan agreed, saying that a shake-out "needed to happen". He would not be drawn on whether Thus itself would be a target, although he said he thought the firm was in a better position than at the end of the dotcom crash.

Andrew Darley, an analyst at ING financial markets, said that Energis or a private equity bidder were the most likely suitors. He said C&W was less likely, as it had recently bought UK-based Bulldog.

Thus said the profit warning meant earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITA) will be "not less than 39 million", down from 44m last year and initial forecasts of as much as 58m.

It blamed the setback on cut-throat pricing for corporate accounts by rivals, while a growing transfer from dial-up internet to lower-margin broadband was also hitting profits.

Bill Allan said that pricing conditions had been "much more severe than we had expected", and crucially could not put a date on a likely market recovery. He said: "I hope the environment can be improved. It's not normal for the industry, but predatory pricing is forcing down what we can charge for our services."

His comments confirmed the tough trading environment gripping the UK's splintered corporate telecoms market, marked by overcapacity and the return from bankruptcy of former US giants such as MCI Worldcom.

Allan added: "We have not lost any contracts, but we have had to renew them at a lower cost. Unfortunately, due to our size, we are a price follower not a price leader."

He insisted that Thus was not doing any of its business at an unprofitable level and said that revenue growth would continue to be healthy. Sales at its core business have risen 18 per cent, meaning full year revenues will come in at 360m.

Thus will also maintain its proud record of being cashflow positive for five straight quarters, something Allan claimed was "unique" in the UK sector.

But he confirmed that the firm had shelved plans to make its first operating profit by March 2005, saying that the pressure on margins had put paid to that goal.

Thus rivals such as Cable & Wireless, Colt and Kingston Communications, all of which have been blamed for the "unsustainable" pricing, lost out as the trading session went on. C&W was the biggest faller on the entire FTSE (news) 100, losing 2 per cent, or 2p, to 101p.

LOFTY DREAMS COME CRASHING DOWN

BILL Allan, the chief executive of Glasgow telecoms group Thus, is not a man prone to modesty.

"One day Scotland will be as proud of Thus as it is of the Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS.L - news) ," he told The Scotsman less than a year ago, boosting the shares to a healthy looking 34p.

Sadly, while RBS continues its relentless pursuit of world domination, Thus has suffered two profit warnings and has gone backwards.

Its shares are stranded at 12.5p and analysts reckon that if it does not get swallowed by another firm, it will be a long, hard slog to achieve anything close to Allan's vision.

To recap, Thus was founded by ScottishPower (LSE: SPW.L - news - msgs) in 1994, but was spun off on to the stock market five years later.

The flotation price was originally put at 310p, but rose to the lofty heights of 800p during the height of the dotcom boom.

After the obligatory crash, Allan did better than most of his rivals by managing to keep the firm afloat.

He then set a target to become cash-flow positive by the end June 2004, a target the company made with ease - over three months ahead of schedule.

But now fresh challenges have emerged, forcing Thus to discard its operating profit target of March 2005. RBS is safe for now.

By: JOHN BOWKER -- 25-Sep-04

Indicators look set for a rise

Goldman Sachs buy a large batch and CVC also....WHY ?

Adding Monday.

Current recorded institutional holdings:

Shares in issue: 1348.6m 2.5p Ords

Major Shareholders Date Amount % Holding

Columbia Ventures Corporation 30/11/2004 96,070,756 7.12%
Legal & General Investment Management 30/4/2004 53,739,011 3.98%
Prudential PLC 30/4/2004 41,142,455 3.05%
Littledown Nominees Limited 30/4/2004 40,865,000 3.03%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc 30/11/2004 40,475,523 3.00%

If only we knew what those guys know
Something is going on behind the scenes thats for sure!

DAILY MAIL
Investment Extra:
* Wichford shares are a long-term buy

Other comment:
* Takeover rumours return at Westbury - Punters queuing for Thus as takeover gossip swells - Talk of a possible share buy-back lifts Bovis Homes - Earnings upgrades on the way for Hampson Industries in the wake of its recent 22.5 million cash acquisition of Texstars

Article from The Scotsman

Sun 12 Dec 2004

RUMOUR OF THE WEEK

DOUGLAS FRIEDLI

TAKEOVER talk returned to Thus, the telecoms group, after Columbia Ventures of the US upped its stake from 6.5% to 7.1%.

Thus was last week forced out of the FTSE 250 index following a collapse in its share price prompted by sharply increased losses. Some investors are concerned that Thus may be missing out on the latest round of consolidation among smaller telecommunications companies.

Fridays purchase by Columbia Ventures put 0.5p on Thus share price, lifting it to 14.25p on heavy trading. Columbia, an investment firm, owns Hibernia Atlantic, the company behind a new cable linking the US, Canada, Ireland and the UK.

Analysts believe Columbia may be interested in adding Thus to its portfolio of telecoms and industrial businesses stretching from Iceland to Mexico.

A few weeks ago, a Columbia spokesman described Thus as "an interesting company in an exciting market".

Columbia Ventures is a privately-owned investment company headquartered in Vancouver, WA. Its major investments are in CTC Communications, the largest facilities-based Competitive Local Exchange Carrier headquartered in New England; Hibernia Atlantic, a transatlantic fiber-optic cable providing broadband connections between Boston, Halifax, Dublin and the United Kingdom; Og Vodafone, a full-service facilities-based telecommunications company in Iceland; Globalstar, the satellite telephony and data provider; Tecnol, an aluminum extruder in Mexico; and Columbia Commercial Building Products in Rockwall, Texas.

The recent purchases could be the precursor to a bid, or as a holding company they might just want a stake in what they think is an undervalued Company with a future. Had the feeling for some time that something could happen, if not now, then in the new year. If not from Columbia then someone else. Hopefully they won't drop much from their present position and there is a good upside prospect. Worth a punt IMO. Thinking of doubling tomorrow if they do not run away from me.

Great start today. Putting the Telco sector into flavour.

Look at TTL also go.

Should move fast after 15p.
About 1M (750k +200k) buy at 15p earlier in the day.

Thus wins 'multi-million' stg contract with Johnston Press
AFX


LONDON (AFX) - Thus Group PLC said it has won a multi-million sterling contract from Johnston Press, the regional newspaper and internet publisher, to provide a converged MPLS Wide Area Network (WAN).

Thus said it will link more than 160 Johnston Press sites, including local newspaper offices (such as the Yorkshire Post and Sheffield Star) with a WAN network that will centralise business applications and position the company for the migration to Voice over IP (VoIP).

Any ideas as to why the price hasn't moved despite the RNS & 9 Million trades so far today? You would have thought there would be some movement in price.

Thanks

Chris

Chrispine, it appears to be a feature of THUS that when new contracts are announced the sp goes down, today so far the price is unchanged. Lets take this as being positive :-))
Perhaps it is because this is a Yorkshire based contract and KCOM being a player around here that the market thinks that the margins may have been cut to get the deal.

Chripine, where did you get your trade figs? showing as 4.7 million on am

Sorry Opto..got squiffy eyes for a minute there

chris

your eyes didnt go squiffy - a trade for 4.6m showed up for a while taking the vol to 9m then disappeared

Thanks Fundy, I missed that one, do you think they took them back and got a refund :-)

I wouldn't be asking for a refund just yet !

Full details on Website Thus.net.


6 January 2005

THUS Wins Multi-Million Pound Contract From Johnston Press
Leading publishing company selects THUS to provide bespoke MPLS Wide Area Network
January 6, 2005 - THUS plc today announced that it has won a multi-million pound contract from Johnston Press, one of the UK's leading regional newspaper and Internet publishers, to provide a converged MPLS Wide Area Network (WAN). THUS will link more than 160 Johnston Press sites, including many well known local newspaper offices (such as the Yorkshire Post and Sheffield Star) with a resilient WAN network that will centralise business applications and position the company for the migration to Voice over IP (VoIP).

As a UK newspaper and Internet publisher, Johnston Press relies heavily on the transfer of data in its day-to-day business. Stories, photographs, advertisements and even complete newspaper pages need to be moved quickly from one office to another to ensure that Johnston's 240 newspapers are ready to print on time and its web sites are updated continuously. The company wanted to improve network performance and resilience, and needed a supplier with the experience and capabilities to provide this, along with a migration path to VoIP. THUS's competence in the media sector made it an obvious choice for Johnston Press, who selected the company following a competitive tender with some of the UK's leading telecommunications providers.

"We chose to work with THUS, not only because its solution fulfilled our needs but also because the company's people and its knowledge of the media sector impressed us," commented Graham Gould, head of information technology at Johnston Press. "THUS worked hard to fully understand our needs and worked closely with us to tailor a solution that suited our business. THUS will now play a crucial role in improving our overall network performance and resilience, and allow us to be more efficient in our operations and so serve our customers better."

Network downtime has an immediate and serious impact on business performance in the publishing sector because newspapers can't be printed if the network fails. Using a range of connectivity methods to take into account the size and diversity of Johnston Press' offices, THUS will provide a range of connections to 43 core sites and private access DSL (PaDSL) connections at 113 regional sites around the UK. The network will enable Johnston Press to support all its editorial and advertising databases as well as email, Internet, intranet, financial data, page transfers and voice calls in the future.

In addition to this, the network will be convergence ready, allowing Johnston Press to roll-out VoIP and move away from traditional telephony between its sites in the future.

"Because it already has a highly competent internal technology team, Johnston Press needed a supplier that could complement this resource," said Phil Male, Chief Operating Officer, THUS plc. "THUS is a proven player in the media sector, already providing technologically advanced solutions to a number of large media companies Through this experience, we understand the challenges facing this sector and are well positioned to tailor solutions that provide our customers with a competitive edge. The Johnston Press win adds to our media portfolio and further endorses our experience in this area."

http://www.Thus.net.

So called full details - doesnt tell the size or length of the contract

Sorry I meant the full details publisged on their web site

Hi BANKONE, sure Fundy was not critical of you, more the company for lack of info. At least they have announced it as a multi million pound contract which must indicate it will extend for several years rather than just One or two.
opto

Spot on Opto

Bankone - the criticism was aimed at the info in the RNS not you

Bit of old news below from Thus web site in relation to NATS contract which would appear again has no value and details re length of contract - but may become relevant as in this mornings Daily Mail it makes partuclar reference in the City and Finance (Not to THUS) but to Nats and reads as follows:-

"Britains Air Traffice Control operator handled more flights than ever with fewer delays last year. National Air Traffic Services handled 2.18m flights through the UK airspace in 2004, up 4.9pc. The average delay fell from 44 secs to 25 secs."

16 December 2004

National Air Traffic Services Chooses THUS To Improve Network Communications With The Western Isle
December 15 2004 - THUS plc today announced that it has won a new contract with the National Air Traffic Services (NATS), to provide resilient connections between NATS remote radar and radio sites in the Western Isles in Scotland and its Air Traffic Control Centre in Prestwick. This service will play a fundamental part in NATS plans to provide greater resilience to the existing radar and radio services covering the transatlantic flights leaving and arriving in the UK.

NATS provides air traffic control services to aircraft flying within UK airspace and over the eastern part of the North Atlantic. NATS currently handles more than two million flights carrying in almost 200 million passengers per year, with this figure expected to reach three million flights by 2010. In order to do this, and maintain overall safety, NATS is currently undertaking a renewal programme at many of its radar and radio facilities. As part of these restructuring plans, THUS is assisting NATS in its creation of a data and communications ring linking all of its sites by providing alternate routes to its sites in the Western Isles by deploying new microwave installations into these remote areas.

THUS already supports a number of NATS sites in the Scottish Isles and has proven that it has the technical competence to deliver this new service. THUS worked in conjunction with NATS on this project to undertake physical surveys to identify the best places to construct new microwave installations and structured a commercial deal to support this part of the NATS project. These new links will further enhance NATS existing network, enabling NATS to maintain their own high level of service, ensuring that the UK airspace is kept as safe as possible. NATS establishes strict Service Level Agreements for all services providers to ensure that availability and reliability is kept at an optimum level at all times.

Phil Male, Chief Operating Officer, THUS plc, said, "At THUS we fully understand that communication services can be mission critical for our customers and given our track record of proving high quality of service, we are confident that the solution we are providing to NATS will more than meet its high expectations. We are pleased to have extended our long-standing relationship with NATS to provide additional scope to its project by helping to make airline services more proficient and heighten safety."

Another bit of news that hasn't hit this BB.

17 January 2005

THUS Launches 1 MB Soho Broadband Package
Demon HomeOffice range provides low cost ADSL with superior business functionality
17 January 2005 - THUS plc today launched Demon HomeOffice, its range of new broadband products aimed at SoHo (Small office Home office) businesses, small enterprises and heavy residential users. The new range introduces a 1Mbps service 'Demon HomeOffice 1000' and also includes a 500Kbps service 'Demon HomeOffice 500'. Both services deliver always-on, high-performance Internet connectivity with key business features delivered at competitive pricing.

The HomeOffice range provides greater services and support than most standard broadband packages on the market. Business users can take advantage of a variety of features including a static IP address for secure remote access to company servers over a VPN, 20 Mb homepage hosting - enough for small business users to create a professional online presence - and free electronic fax and companion dial-up so that users can connect to email when on the move. Unlimited email addresses are also supplied with free Demon Spam Filtering, as well as optional supported Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), which provides users with a choice of modem, router or wireless router. In addition, users have access to round-the-clock dedicated telephone support from THUS's experienced technical support team.

Ideal for home working and small offices that need a fast Internet connection, HomeOffice 500 and 1000 provides users with a fixed monthly fee for unlimited, uncapped broadband access. Users can download large files and content in seconds, without having to worry about exceeding usage or download restrictions and incurring additional costs. Competitively priced at 24.99 per month for HomeOffice 500 and 29.99 per month for HomeOffice 1000 (both inclusive of VAT), the packages provide business services at affordable pricing, enabling SoHo workers to control their overall Internet costs.

""Until now, many SoHo workers have been at a disadvantage, having to pay through the nose for sufficient bandwidth with appropriate business support. After listening to our customers requirements we decided to launch the Demon HomeOffice range so that SMEs and home office customers could have all the broadband functionality required for their business at affordable costs," said Nigel Stevens, Product Director at THUS plc. "Through our continued commitment in developing the Demon Broadband portfolio, THUS now has the most comprehensive collection of SME targeted broadband products on the market which appeal to SoHo workers as well high-end SME users that require a top-end uncapped service."

Customers who sign up for one of the HomeOffice packages before the end of March 2005 can take advantage of THUS's introductory promotion. The offer comprises of a free installation worth 50 and an optional free modem worth 35 for all subscribers. "

The new HomeOffice products will replace THUS's Demon Express range of broadband products, which will be taken off the shelf in January 2005. The HomeOffice range is the latest offering from THUS's Demon branded communications portfolio, which includes Internet access, hosting and telephony services. More information on the Demon HomeOffice range is available from www.demon.net.

Click here to download the pdf of this release (10K)

bankone

is it just me or is the latter reports offering both reactive and not competitive on a price basis

"When a share doesn't drop on bad news - buy it. When a share fails to rise on good news - sell it" Old stockmarket truism.

THUS is firmly in the latter category, unfortunately for us. Really the only apparent possibility of making money on THUS seems to be an ownership change or deal of some kind. Roll on some news!

I keep thinking of Warren Buffet saying that stock dealing is the transfer of money from the impatient to the patient - and I hold on for another month!

pete

i dont think he was talking in terms of months - more like years/decades

seems to be a rumour that next lot of results will be poor again - no real shock there - like most im holding out for a takeover - please!!!!!

I'm out - put the money into NOP in the expectation of a rise when they finally get a drilling rig for their IOW project. If I cash in at a profit I will be back, but it could take some time for THUS to come good. Anyway I made 5.5% on them in 8 weeks which is something.

up we go, 21p next

are we seeing a recovery here?

Absolutely, good recovery play here

not yet. I'm holding

I'm hoping!!

I bought in Jan and keeping my fingers crossed

I suspect the rise will be slow up to 20p. A jump will should start around 21p IMO

is there a trading stmtn due soon ??

31st March

They can carry on ticking up til then

fireworks soon

CW. has more money now.

Very low volume this AM. No stake building up front. Wouldn't rely on CW to buy THUS, if they had wanted to go down that path it would have been done a long time ago. I'm more hopeful of a new party coming along for the 'buy' Not holding my breath though!

Either way I would rather be in than out at the moment,
just got a gut feeling something is brewing here

Hope your 'gut feeling' is reliable Rampage I'm well into THUS right now.

LONDON (AFX) - Thus Group PLC said it has been selected by Stirling Council to provide, manage and maintain its voice communications network.

Thus will take full control of the council's voice infrastructure and develop a strategy to strengthen its future networking capabilities, it said.



newsdesk@afxnews.com

Thanks for the info Budd, not had time to check around today.

Whats the views on thus,is there any point in getting exited with forthcoming results,or are those of us that bought at 30 doomed?

Only doomed to be patient

Doomed, Aye doomed! does it sound a bit like Dad's Army LOL.

Even Dad's army moves faster than Thus share price !

This 'lot' are still happy to hold....well let's hope they are happy!

Columbia Ventures Corporation 9/12/2004 96,070,756 7.12%
Legal & General Investment Management 30/4/2004 53,739,011 3.98%
Prudential PLC 30/4/2004 41,142,455 3.05%
Littledown Nominees Limited 30/4/2004 40,865,000 3.03%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc 30/11/2004 40,475,523 3.00%

That certainly puts my 140k into perspective
but Iam also holding for better times

It's sink or swim for me. I'm holding and hoping.

Rampage 140K is a good sized holding , much more substantial than mine.
One point to consider in our favour is that no profit warning has been given which to me indicates that the results will be at least in 'in line' with expectations. Just my view, have been known to be wrong before..... LOL

Thus Group said EBITDA for the full year is expected to be not less than 39m on sales of about 360m against 332.4m a year earlier.

In a statement ahead of results due May 23rd, the company said: 'The group is expected to deliver its first full financial year of positive free cash flow....with an improvement expected in the second half compared to the first.'

Some good news at last

Good news indeed
Good luck to all long term holders

I first bought these when they came to market at 8.00 plus!! Have hung on in hope ever since adding a small holding to try to average. Do other holders feel it's time to start accumulating as it does sound as though they are through the worst. fingers crossed!

High asset value, more new contracts and start of making money should all be good for Thus IMO.

Listened to the conference call today. Representative from Morgan Stanley asked an idiotic question about refinancing to put Allen on the wrong foot this morning followed by another idiot moaning about the drop from 8 a share .. hope that was not you moneyplus!

No not me--I take it on the chin!! still hope for a recovery sometime though. cheers MP

"In a pre-close trading update for the year to the end of March, Thus heralded the expected results - scheduled to be announced on 23 May - as a "confidence booster at a difficult time for the industry"."

I hadn't noticed this statement before. Saw it in the Scotsman this morning.
Most confident statement I have heard from a telco for some while.

To THUS holders every bit of info I'm sure is welcome.
A few lines from an article in The Scotsman:

But the performance of Thuss share price remains of serious concern to Allan.
Shares closed up half-a-penny at 14.25p on Friday, but remain a way off the year-high of 35p hit last March. Allan is known to be extremely frustrated with the performance of Thuss shares, and believes many in the City dont realise the true value of the company.

Then-- it's up to him to get on with pushing out the reasons he thinks it's undervalued
we long term holders have faith but it's down to those running the company to wake up the analysts and big city dealers. Without positive promotion the shares could languish in the doldroms for years!

BT should not be forced into separation - MPs
AFX


LONDON (AFX) - BT Group PLC, the UK's incumbent telecoms carrier, should not be forced to break up, according to a report from an influential group of politicians.

The House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee said BT should be given time to show it can offer rival operators genuine 'equality of access' to its network.

'The case for forcing BT to structurally separate has not been made, and (industry regulator) Ofcom's pursuit of genuine equality of access is the best way forward,' said Committee chairman Martin O'Neill.

O'Neill said he was 'unconvinced' that only a structural separation would guarantee rival operators, such as Energis PLC, Thus Group PLC and Easynet Group PLC, get the same levels of service and tariffs that BT's customer-facing arm receives.

Industry regulator Ofcom, which is undertaking an investigation of the UK telecoms sector, has given BT until this Summer to show it can provide competitors 'equality of access' to its local loop.

The Committee 'welcomed' BT's response to Ofcom, which was to set up an Access Services Division and an Equality of Access Board to ensure a level playing field for rival operators.

'Whilst BT's competitors may complain that the proposals do not go far enough, the Committee thinks that they represent a constructive engagement with Ofcom's consultation,' said the Committee in its report.

Only if BT proved incapable of offering equal treatment to its rivals should 'forcible' separation be considered, said the Committee.

Ofcom has already stated that it would refer BT to the Competition Commission, which could itself recommend the break-up of the group, should it prove unable to give competitors equal access to the local network.

simon.duke@afxnews.com

sd/jc

thanks opto.

nice to see blue. more buy volume.

Healthy move up today up .75p this is good. LOL

Troys, have you seen the trades re buys/sells? I don't know what to make of the position. All those sells must be going somewhere unless the MM's have started building huge positions themselves.

Opto. Mostly sells Level 2 1 @14.75 Vs 5@15

Thus Group PLC
08 April 2005



8 April 2005

THUS GROUP PLC


Holding in Company

THUS was today informed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., ('GS Inc') of 85 Broad
Street, New York, NY 10004, USA, that as at close of business on 01 April 2005,
it was interested, by attribution only, in a total 53,968,433 shares:
Of these 53,968,433 shares:

a. The interest in 69,651 shares arose from an interest held by
Goldman, Sachs & Co. ('GS&CO'), a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of GS Inc,
acting as custodian for its customers. These shares are, or will be,
registered in the name of Goldman Sachs Securities (Nominees), Limited
('GSSN').

b. The interest in 1,677 shares arose from an interest held by GS&Co,
a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of GS Inc, acting as discretionary manager.
These shares are, or will be, registered in the name of GSSN.

c. The interest in 53,897,105 shares arose from a beneficial interest
held by Goldman Sachs International, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of
GS Inc. These shares are, or will be, registered at CREST in account
CREPTEMP.


- Ends-



For further information:

David MacLeod
THUS plc.
Tel: +44 (0) 141 566 3090




This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

The reason Opto. LOL

That was at the close on 1 Apr Troy, It dosn't explain todays sells over buys and the price holding, or am I missing something?

??? Whats happened to the 7mil sell that was on the trades page up to a few minutes ago
Strange goings on !!

Rampage, it was first recorded at 11.14am then it was deleted and reentered at 14.35pm and as you say now it has 'gone away' altogether.....curious.

RNS Number:9014K
Thus Group PLC
11 April 2005



11 April 2005

THUS GROUP PLC


Holding in Company

THUS was today informed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., ("GS Inc") of 85 Broad
Street, New York, NY 10004, USA, that as at close of business on 05 April 2005,
it was interested, by attribution only, in a total 70,827,317 shares.

:-)

Another vote of confidence

New Contract, should help things along:


13 April 2005

THUS Drives Teletext Into New Market
THUS Call Control solution facilitates Teletext's new car sales service
13 April 2005 - THUS plc today announced that Teletext, part of the Daily Mail and General Trust group, has selected THUS Call Control as the telephony backbone of its new 'Teletext Cars ' service in which over a thousand car dealers will advertise new and used cars across Teletext's four media platforms (Terrestrial analogue, Terrestrial digital, Sky, and the Internet) and receive customer calls driven by their advertisements.

THUS will provide each of the dealers with separate 0845 numbers to correspond with each Teletext platform. Once a customer has identified a car of interest, from the Teletext satellite service for example, he or she is invited to call the dealer directly via the specific number advertised on that platform. One of the key elements of THUS's service is that it includes a number-translation platform to convert the non-geographic 0845 number to the relevant dealer's contact number. This means the customer is quickly and efficiently connected to the dealer at minimal cost.

The service will enable Teletext to monitor call volumes and advise dealers on the most successful sales channels with a view to adjusting advertising levels as appropriate. THUS's service also includes a provisioning tool to give Teletext autonomy in assigning 0845 numbers to new dealers as and when they join the Teletext Cars service.

THUS Call Control is delivered over the THUS intelligent network which means it can provide features such as call forwarding and re-routing that would usually only be available with a highly sophisticated switchboard or call management system. In addition, THUS Call Control includes a host of extra call management and call routing features that can be tailored to suit the needs of businesses, ensuring a call is never missed.

"Teletext Cars is the UK's first free service to allow consumers to find the best new and used car deals via their TV remote control and it is set to become a major new distribution channel for the motoring industry. Given the scale of the launch we needed to find a high quality phone management solution that we could rely on from the outset. THUS has demonstrated a firm understanding of our requirements and its proven experience has given us great confidence in our ongoing relationship", said Neil Johnson, MD - Business Development, Teletext.

To provide consumers with confidence and protection the Teletext Cars service focuses on dealer, not private, sales. The service allows dealers to make use of 0845 numbers, making it easy for customers to call from wherever they are and allowing the dealer to identify the advertising route that works most effectively for them rather than having to use their normal geographic number on every advert.

Phil Male, Chief Operating Officer at THUS plc, commented, "This service takes Teletext into an entirely new market and it's a very exciting relationship for THUS to be part of. Not only does this contract win expand our experience in the media sector, but it underscores our desire and ability to constantly help our customers improve and grow their businesses with new and innovative services."

Optomistic.
Thanks for that. Not on RNS where did you find this info?

Budd, On the THUS website. Would have thought it ought to have been released on RNS, however that does cost the company money and if we are on an economy drive.............

Optomistic
Thanks again, My lesson learned, do not rely on RNS.

Budd, I have only just read that THUS do not subscribe to RNS any more (as to the reliability of the info it remains to be seen) only heresay as they say :-)

http://business.scotsman.com/technology.cfm?id=406502005

CVC. more shares on the QT

28 April 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THUS Group plc ('THUS')

THUS was today informed by Columbia Ventures Corporation that on 27 April 2005
it had a notifiable interest in 111,150,000 THUS Group plc ordinary shares
(representing approximately 8.24% of the THUS Group plc ordinary shares in
issue). These shares are held through Chase Manhattan Bank and Interactive
Brokers LLC.

For further information:

THUS
Kathryn Rhinds 020 7763 3126

SMITHFIELD
Tehsin Nayani 020 7360 4900

Despite this welcomed build up in thus stake ,the share price just does not seem to get out of the 13/14 pence range,what do you think guys?

I think it is a most odd situation, 23% now held by institutions 8%+ by CVC alone and as you say capetown the price is stuck! Surely the small selling will dry up soon as it does appear that the stock is being taken up (very nicely and at a low price by these chaps) Also shorting the stock must now be a very risky business so hopefully the flow of buyers taking a long position will return and push the sp up to a more realistic level.

Hey optimisic!!!

Positive on thus too,it WILL be a winner!!

Now folks what are your views with 52.5 million shares traded on Friday.
What do you think will be the outcome on Monday?

I hope it will be heading north,but the comment on telecoms in shares magazine in which thus is mentioned is negative,but stake building going on?

Must be stake building, probably by CVC. The question is who is the seller of those large blocks. Has to be another 'Fund', perhaps one that is having to balance its books or perhaps it is being done under a prior arrangement.
I do think that early next week will clarify the situation.
Whatever, we holders are due for a change in fortune! hopefully for the better.

Hey optimitic,holding thumbs here too!!!!,i have found your comments MOST encouraging.

capetown, I do hope my 'encouraging' comments prove to be on target.
regards
opto (easier pseudonym must change sometime)

May 9, 2005 - THUS plc today announced that it has won a new contract with
Standard Life to supply and manage its voice and data communications network.
The deal, which is worth more than five million pounds, will see THUS deliver a
range of solutions including a number of high speed ISDN circuits to the ten
sites that constitute Standard Life's Head Office Network in Edinburgh. These
lines will handle both inbound and outbound traffic to Standard Life in the UK
and the rest of the world.

et. etc. etc.... Should help the sp move upward. :-)

Looked to me as though there was a large forced seller on friday. Some news appeared about large margin calls over the w/e and forced selling of other positions as a result.

Might see that GS have counter hedged their long position by selling shares.

On the other hand could always be CVC topping up further.

CVC now hold 140,000,000 shares........... 10.38%

So CVC topped up then!

Just the odd 28.8 million! I find it incredible that the share price is glued down to this level with this sort of interest in THUS by a company in a similar field of operations. IMO THUS shares should be in excess of 20p if only for the speculation interest at the present time and looking to the region of 30p on a bid.......... Ah well here's hoping.

Indianna and optomistic,it is INCREDIBLE that the sp is still 13pence,unlucky number for some!!,heres hoping!!!

That's the power of short positions.
It will move when they start to close. QXL is a good example from 20 to 31 in two days.. I think MS sold a couple of 100k shares at 150p

This from the Scotsman on Sunday

Sun 22 May 2005



printer friendly email article
Thus shares buoyed by merger talk

TERRY MURDEN
BUSINESS EDITOR


THUS, the Scottish alternative telecoms carrier, is expected to announce this week that trading remains tough as analysts await potential bid action.

With the squeeze on pricing and margins showing little sign of easing, the company is nonetheless generating cash and has become a target for Columbia Ventures, a US private equity company.

Columbia has built up a 10.4% stake to become the single biggest shareholder in the company. Ken Peterson, chief executive, told Scotland on Sunday last month he wanted to combine Thus's UK network with his company's undersea transatlantic cable to supply telecoms services to both sides of the Atlantic.

It is understood that Thus chief executive Bill Allan has met Peterson but no formal talks on a merger have taken place.

Ahead of tomorrow's full-year results, Sam Morton, an analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, said: "Operational performance remains weak but further downgrades could trigger a bid." Bid speculation is likely to support the share price, which rose 9.43% on Friday to close up 1.25p at 14.5p. Turnover is expected to rise from 332m to 360m.

I think it will breakout

Well you have brought the thread ttt tarzan, that's a start :-)

The MM's happily taking stock on board @ 15.5p. Bid holding firmly. Reckon stock is being bought for CVC or another institution, should not be too long before there is another news release on major holdings.

Anyone trading CFD's on Thus? Is it worth a go?

Well someone likes thus.

RNS Number:8962O
Thus Group PLC
14 July 2005

14 July 2005
THUS GROUP PLC

Holding in Company

THUS was today informed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., ("GS Inc") of 85 Broad
Street, New York, NY 10004, USA, that as at close of business on 08 July 2005,
it was interested, by attribution only, in a total 82,344,633 shares:
Of these 82,344,633 shares:

c. The interest in 82,273,305 shares arose from a beneficial interest
held by Goldman Sachs International, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of GS
Inc. These shares are, or will be, registered at CREST in account CREPTEMP.

aye ... 19p will do me nicely.

something brewing here. Announcement soon?

More buying by GS
looking good :-)

city trader - 26 Aug 2005 14:49 - 296 of 297
something brewing here. Announcement soon?

Spot on:

At close of business on 26 August 2005,
it was interested, by attribution only, in a total 97,925,873 shares:
Of these 97,925,873 shares:



It's Taken 10 Days for some reason.

Thus Group PLC
05 September 2005



05 September 2005

THUS GROUP PLC

Holding in Company

THUS was today informed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., ('GS Inc') of 85 Broad
Street, New York, NY 10004, USA, that as at close of business on 26 August 2005,
it was interested, by attribution only, in a total 97,925,873 shares:
Of these 97,925,873 shares:

a. The interest in 69,651 shares arose from an interest held by Goldman, Sachs
& Co. ('GS&CO'), a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of GS Inc, acting as
custodian for its customers. These shares are, or will be, registered in
the name of Goldman Sachs Securities (Nominees), Limited ('GSSN').

b. The interest in 1,677 shares arose from an interest held by GS&Co acting as
discretionary manager. These shares are, or will be, registered in the
name of GSSN.

c. The interest in 97,845,545 shares arose from a beneficial interest held by
Goldman Sachs International, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of GS Inc.
These shares are, or will be, registered at CREST in account CREPTEMP.

- Ends -

For further information:

THUS plc
Kathryn Rhinds
+44 (0)20 7763 3126




This information is provided by RNS

is something happening at last , volume has shot up today and 78% were buys

petesteve

Even with the quieter day so far you could be right, with consolidation now under way within the sector and the bullish talk from William Allen before Christmas I am certainly not selling just yet !

ABout to announce takeover of YC enjoy the ride