In line with my thoughts of recent, stay well away from momentum stocks at the moment. Go into boring but stocks that can be seen to generate an increase in earnings. Ive been with this a few weeks and think a few may have picked up on that. Now breaking out and looking for further earnings enhancing Acquisitions.

Its a top notch architect company and not over exposed to the housing market. Has top management and is derd cheap on fundies, more to come on that . Any views appreciated, good or bad but I feel we could be onto a winner here.

Just look at this report from a tip sheet, all things checked out and OK........

Lifted this from another board..........

SMC stacks up - STRONG BUY
Companies: SMC
27/09/2005

Architecture and design group SMC, which works on major office, retail and residential projects in the UK, Eire and Europe, joined AIM via a 4.6 million placing in June with ambitions to consolidate this fragmented industry. Founder and chief executive Stewart McColl hopes that by creating a larger outfit, his company will be able to win bigger projects producing higher margins.

McColl founded SMC in 1996 and has delivered appetising organic growth in recent years by offering national coverage. This has allowed the group access to substantial and more profitable construction projects across a range of sectors and locations. Clients now include British Land, Canary Wharf Group, Morgan Stanley and Wm Morrison, amongst others.

We have already got the 100 million projects, explains McColl, but there is another step-change in scale to come that will allow us access to projects worth 200 million, 300 million, 400 million and even 500 million. Increased scale pays off because larger projects are higher margin, with higher fee levels and longer timescales, helping SMC plan staff requirements more accurately.

Last November, ahead of the AIM float, SMC appointed ex-Wembley stalwart Sir Rodney Walker, who has brought recent AIM success stories like Goals Soccer Centres and Spice Holdings to market, as non-executive chairman. His presence and contacts have boosted the groups cachet and, following the AIM listing, McColl is also keen to boost scale through acquisitions.

Shortly after the float, SMC completed the two acquisitions mooted in the prospectus Corstorphine & Wright Hills Erwin, a Manchester
and Lancaster-based commercial architecture specialist, and Philip Lees & Associates, an outfit based in Leeds city centre, with a bumper proportion of revenues wrought from repeat business.

We are one of the few consolidators that I know of in this market, adds McColl, and now that we are on AIM, we are after acquisitions that are far more significant in size.

SMC recently cheered followers with an update on new deals. Among a plethora of 100 million-plus projects was work on new headquarters for Deeley Properties in Coventry, Sports Centres for Warwick County Council as well as developments for Pillar Properties and Canary Wharf.

Overseas work included manufacturing and office units in Slovenia, as well as a 290-bed InterContinental Hotel in Pakistan. There was also news of planning consent for a 50 million British Land office campus at Coventry.

2004 was exceedingly strong for SMC, with turnover lifted by 43 per cent to 8.1 million and pre-tax profits sparking up from 100,000 to 1.1 million. Gross margins were a healthy 50 per cent.

More recently, SMC unveiled extremely strong maiden interims to June, sending the shares sharply higher to 70.5p. These revealed a 255 per cent profits jump to 1.1 million on a 47 per cent leap in sales to 5.4 million. McColl was particularly pleased with the 260 per cent vault in earnings per share and a 140 per cent surge at the EBITDA level to 1.45 million, especially since we only had 20 days worth of revenues from the two acquisitions completed at float in the numbers.

He says subsidiaries are already enjoying larger scale project wins as part of the larger AIM group. 'We are looking at a few businesses that we might acquire, and as the business grows bigger, we'll be more equipped to handle PPP and PFI projects'.

Analysts envisage further profits improvement this year to 2.9 million, with sales climbing to 12.8 million. On those numbers, earnings of 7.1p leave the stock trading on an undemanding multiple of 9.9. We believe SMC offers high earnings visibility as well as tasty levels of repeat business, and we are strong buyers.ENDS.

Worth doing your own research if you are interested.


DYOR

cheers GF.

Moving up nicely on a rotten day all round. Shows quality.

cheers GF.

Info from another board, 'keep on Buying' a tip sheet says this weekend.

cheers GF.

This one looks like a good short...I wonder what will EK say ;)

I see hardman have upgraded forecasts for the year.

cheers GF.

Nice to see this one moving up this morning on a general dull day so far.

cheers GF.

A good take up here.

SMC Group Plc
15 February 2006




SMC Group Plc
('SMC', 'the Group' or 'the Company')

Placing of New Ordinary Shares

SMC, the architecture and design business, today announces that the Company has
raised 1.72 million, before expenses, by way of a Placing (the 'Placing') of
1,707,400 new ordinary shares of 0.5p each in the Company (the 'Placing
Shares'). The Placing has been completed at a price of 101p per Placing Share.

The placing was substantially oversubscribed and was taken up by new and
existing institutional investors, thereby widening the shareholder base.

Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange for the Placing Shares to
be admitted to trading on AIM. Dealings in Placing Shares are expected to
commence on 21 February 2006.

The proceeds of the Placing will be utilised to increase working capital.

Commenting on the Placing, Stewart McColl, SMC's Chief Executive, said:

'The Board is delighted with the level of investor support in this Placing,
particularly from a number of new institutional investors. Our shares were
admitted to AIM in June 2005 at 43p and we are determined to continue to deliver
value for our growing number of shareholders.'

- ends -

For further information please contact:

SMC Group Plc Tel: 44 (0) 20 7495 5335
Stewart McColl
cheers GF.

A corker of a day, and an acquisition imminent?.

cheers GF.

Finished the day positive after a bad first half..... nice.

cheers GF.

Fantastic contract news, perice flying this morning....

SMC Group Plc
27 February 2006




SMC Group Plc
('SMC' or 'the Company')

New Contract Wins

SMC Group Plc, the architects and design business, is pleased to issue details
today of the construction value and new fees contracted since 5th December 2005.
The following projects have a total construction cost of over 0.5bn and
represent stage fees for SMC in excess of 10m.

Mixed-use Developments

30m Masterplan for 7acre business quarter for Leicester Regeneration
Company
30m mixed use development 800 student residential units, retail and
multi-storey car park
7m Retail, Hotel and Residential Development in Chelmsford for Turnstone
Estates
16m Retail and Residential Development in Bury St Edmunds for Halladale
10m 9acre mixed use development, Seacroft, Leeds
30m North West LIFT Initiative (ITN Stage) for Bluestone

Offices/Office Parks

22m Offices Pre-let to Norwich Union in Norwich for Lothbury Property
Trust
5.5m Office Development in Cambridge for Capital & Counties
2m Offices in Pampisford for Turnstone Estates
3m HQ Office Refurbishment in Huntingdon for Anglian Water Group
6.5m Town Centre Office Development in Chelmsford for Turnstone Estates
10m Various Business Parks in Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth for Roc
Developments Ltd

Industrial/Distribution

20m phase 1 1m sq.ft. Mercury Logistics Park Bucharest now on site
15m 350K sq.ft. Distribution Centre in the Midlands
15m 450K sq.ft. Distribution Warehouse, Northampton
42K sq.ft high bay cold store Holmewood, Chesterfield, for Innovate
Construction
7m Industrial/Business Park for starter workshop units for West Devon
Borough Council
8m New engineering facility, and redevelopment of Industrial Unit at
Nelson for Fort Vale


Residential

10m Various residential developments in Liverpool, Lancaster and
Trafford
14m residential in Trafford - Planning Permission granted 17th February
for Country & Metropolitan
11.5m Residential Development Cambridge for Miller Homes

Retail

7m Town Centre and Residential complex, Alnwick, Northumberland
10m 150K sq.ft. Retail Park East Midlands
3.5m B&Q Retail Unit in Bedford for Wrenbridge Land & Estates

Hotels

20m Various Hotel projects in the Lake District, Northumberland, new
build and extensions for which clients include De Vere Hotels
8m Four Star Hotel and Conference Facilities in Cambridge for
O'Callaghan Hotels

Schools/Universities

6m Phase 2 Innovation Centre for South West Development Agency
45m Bid for Building Schools for the Future Programme for Leeds Schools
by Land Securities Trillium
10m New Build Primary School, Lancashire, for Salford Diocese and New
Sports Facility, Oldham for Newbridge School
8.4m Student Residential Accommodation in Cambridge for Camstead Homes

The business continues to make considerable inroads into the Build Schools for
the Future programme and has now been invited to assist Land Securities Trillium
in their bid for Leeds Schools. We have also been appointed to the National
Framework for the National Grid and we are at present in a limited competition
for a major iconic building for a London University in competition with Foster,
Hopkins, Grimshaw and others.

-ends-

For further information please contact:

SMC Group Plc Tel: 44 (0)20 7495 5335
Stewart McColl

Noble & Company Limited Tel: 44 (0)20 7763 2200
Matthew Hall

Bell Pottinger Tel: 44 (0)20 7861 3232
David Rydell/Geoff Callow

cheers GF.

Firing on all cylinders. Corker of a start to the day.

cheers GF.

Just back from a fortnight break to see SMC has broken out.

Thanks for the update on the contract news goldfinger, serious money being earned by SMC and serious gains ahead for shareholders I fancy.

all the best

capa

Cheers Capa, yes were going in the right direction.

cheers GF.

http://www.edisoninvestmentresearch.co.uk/download/pdf.php?file=smc270206update.pdf

cheers GF.

Play of the Week in SHARES mag today

Brilliant news, mind they are a bit late on the scene.

cheers GF.

Going great guns now, 2.00 by the end of the year anyone ?

capa

Easy.

cheers GF.

Nice to see this one carrying its rise up.

cheers GF.

Moving up again and its still very cheap. Prospective P/E of 12.6 to 31st of Dec 2006 and a PEG of 0.2.

cheers GF.

Wasn't much of a pull back was it?

I fully expect the recent sellers to be kicking themselves shortly.

all the best

capa