Yes I know Im on holiday so Ill make it quick. Just had a phone call and an e- mail from a City pal of mine and hes drooling over this company. Hes a trust worthy chap and has given me some fantastic tips over the last 10 years.
Hes going on about it being a ten bagger, but I dont like that kind of talk, best to just see how the market rates it. He says theres going to be a lot of news flow so that should provide for a momentum driven price. Have to say I have never known him quite so excited about a stock. Ive just gone in and bought a nice holding.

Heres the e-mail he sent me. It might be worth your while having a dabble. Citywire seem to think its going to be a hit.

Health minnow makes strong return to market
Published: 11:51 Wed 22 Oct 2003
By Joanne Wallen, Associate Editor
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The chief of Healthcare Enterprise Group sold his last business to private healthcare firm Bupa and he's now raring to go again; the business may be worth a second look.

Shares in the 24 million AIM-listed business were suspended in August pending a couple of key acquisitions, and returned to the market on Monday after the deals were announced.


Healthcare Enterprise Group (HCEG) (HCEG) paid a total of 11.5 million for the Safa Group and Industrial Pharmaceutical Service (IPS) as well as a 60.7% stake in SafaTec. The company raised a total of 10 million via a placing of shares at 1p to fund the acquisitions and also took on 3.5 million of bank debt.


Chairman Stuart Bruck, who previously founded private medical services business Barbican, which he sold to Bupa in January 1999, is hoping to build a significant business providing medical services to corporate customers. He is hoping to be a consolidator in what he told Citywire is a very fragmented market.


Both Safa and IPS provide first aid kits, training, first aid suites and a host of other medical and occupational health services to large corporate customers such as British Airways, Marks & Spencer, BT, Sainsbury and government procurement agency OGC. Both companies also have advanced 'replenishment systems,' which enable companies to maintain adequate supplies to satisfy UK health and safety legislation.


Bruck said these acquisitions would provide a 'platform' for further acquisitions.


The company had previously accrued minority stakes in a total of 14 small healthcare services companies in the UK and the US. In March it listed on AIM by reversing into a cash shell.


Bruck said the minority stakes offered it an entry into the market, but the company has now decided to focus on wholly operating and owning businesses. It has therefore identified four of its US businesses that it would like to buy the remaining stakes in. These are all within a two hour drive of the company's Los Angeles office, and would be run from there.


The company has also 'packaged up' the remaining eight businesses with a view to selling each of its minority stakes. Bruck said the pricing being talked about is already ahead of the indicative pricing given in March.


Safa and IPS apparently already have a 30% share of the corporate medical services market in the UK. They are both cash generative from operating activities. Both companies are based in the North of England and do not have a huge penetration in London, where Bruck believes the company has 'a huge opportunity.'


He reckons they have so far penetrated around 50% of the FTSE 100, and therefore have a 'great client base' to which they should be able to sell additional services.

SafaTec has interests in a number of early stage companies that have developed some innovative healthcare products and technologies, which the company is hoping to commercialise. For example, Safa has secured a sole international distribution agreement with Ebiox, a manufacturer of a unique decontaminant and cleansing product range based on a patented formula. SafaTec UK has a 35% interest in Ebiox and HCEG is negotiating to acquire a controlling interest for the enlarged Group.


Bruck does not expect to make any more major acquisitions in the next year or so, but thinks there are a lot of small players that the company might be able to mop up.


'This is very exciting, I am looking forward to digging in,' he said.


Shares are currently at 1.7p.


Citywire Verdict:


The corporate healthcare market is becoming increasingly regulated, which favours HCEG. Bruck's track record should also be worth buying into.


The corporate structure looks pretty complicated at present with all of the minority shareholdings, but Bruck now seems keen to get the point quickly where HCEG controls the majority of the businesses it operates.


This is obviously early days, but for anyone that fancies a speculative punt on a penny share, HCEG is worth a second look.ENDS.

Well it looks very good to me although its a speculative punt, what isnt in the markets today. Good chance to get on board aswell on a bad day.

Please DYOR. You are responsible for your own buying and selling actions.

GF.

Does anybody know the exact number of shares in issue of this company. I find MAM shows 145m and other sites have 1.55bn, 2.3bn and 3.1bn.
Thanks sw

I thought 2.7bn - any more offers ?

Come on Goldfinger, let bob know...are they still worth buying??????

The answer to that is yes if you are an investor and look at medium to long term investments. Dont forget about the long list of pro investors in this stock including Nigel Wray who on average holds his investments for around 8 years.

If you are a short term trader no.

cheers GF.

seawatcher here you are. It certainly beats going back to tthe last results and then adding on the new shares issued.

It takes a while to load. Click on company map to the left of the page and then shares in issue on the right of the new page. Cheers Gf.

http://www.hemscott.com/equities/company/cd03931.htm

Healthcare Enterprise Group PLC
01 March 2004


Healthcare Enterprise Group Plc

Environment Protection Agency approval of Ebiox products

Healthcare Enterprise Group PLC (HCEG), the healthcare products and services
company, announces US Environment Protection Agency approval for a range of five
Ebiox decontamination products.

The products, Neozyme, Ultra P, Ultra L, RDA and SSC, are directed at the
surgical instrument cleaning market.

Stuart Bruck, Chairman, Healthcare Enterprise Group PLC, commented:

'This represents another achievement in opening up our marketplace for Ebiox.

' Yesterday we announced Laboratory results which confirm that Ebiox is highly
effective against bacterial contamination in hospitals. The laboratory results
together with this EPA approval will enable us to accelerate our marketing plan
for the products in the USA, the world's largest healthcare market.'

1st March 2004


Enquiries:

Healthcare Enterprise Group PLC Tel: 020 7659 6158

Stuart Bruck, Executive Chairman
Gordon Wood, CEO Products & Distribution Division

College Hill Tel: 020 7457 2020
Nicholas Nelson / Corinna Dorward

Note to editors

Healthcare Enterprise Group PLC

A healthcare products and services company operating via two synergistic
divisions:

HCEG Products and Distribution division provides a wide range of
healthcare products and services
HCEG Advisory and Healthcare Services division provides services to
healthcare businesses

HCEG is listed on the UK AIM stock market with its head office in London and
subsidiary offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Germany and the USA. HCEG is a
business engaged in medical product distribution, occupational health and
medical consultancy markets. These businesses underpin a range of innovative
medical devices, which will be introduced to the market via HCEG's own
distribution network on a world-wide basis.


Ebiox

Ebiox produces a range of patented cleansing and decontamination products, which
are designed to penetrate and remove the bacterial biofilm that harbours
pathogens such as prions, bacteria and viruses. Ebiox cleans surgical
instruments and surfaces to molecular level - achieving a 6-log reduction in
contamination levels.

Ebiox has a reputation for cleansing without drying or irritating the skin,
unlike alcohol-based products, which cause sore, dry hands, and therefore tend
to disincentivise hospital staff from adhering to hand hygiene protocols.

As well as the current range of products, which are now being marketed in the UK
and will shortly be introduced to the US market, Ebiox had a range of exciting
product innovations in development. These will assist in the control of MRSA and
SARS. The company also has products for the decontamination of dental aspiration
lines, hand disinfection products and retail disinfectant wipes. Ebiox has a
user-friendly alcohol free product range which is non harmful to all surfaces.


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



http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200403010700139453V.html

Thanks GF - that is the site I use for such info but it's been locking me out for the last few days and Hemscott aren't responding.So do we agree that it's 2.7bn!? Thanks to all.
Looks good so far today.
sw

Looks excelent. Now up 39% since date of tip. Patience is rewarded.

cheers GF.

Ps just over 2.7bn

Not another shrewd investor in Healthcare Enterprise?

Published: 06:39 Mon 1 March 2004
By Patrick Sherwen, Deputy & Secret Buying Editor
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If any more shrewd investors buy shares in superbug-busting health company Healthcare Enterprise, there may not be room for anyone else to buy the shares.

The latest to join in the fun is legendary former fund manager Leonard Licht.


Licht is now a private investor but was a founder director of Mercury Asset Management, which now trades as Merrill Lynch Investment Management, and deputy chairman of Jupiter Asset Management. He has been mentor to several leading fund managers such as Carol Galley and William Littlewood and is respected for his smaller company stock picking ability.


Licht bought 9 million shares in Healthcare Enterprise (HCEG) at the end of last month, which gives him control over 0.33% of the 54.4 million company. With this investment he joins AA-rated Michael Barnard, whose Marlborough UK Equity Growth fund Marlborough UK Equity Growth owns 85 million shares and Mark Horrocks, whose Intrinsic Value investment trust (IV.) holds 65.5 million shares in addition to a 3 million-share personal stake. It is also heavily backed by entrepreneurial investors Nigel Wray and Nick Leslau.


The Artemis UK Alpha investment trust (ATS) run by AA-rated John Dodd has 18.5 million shares but unlike the others, has been cutting this recently. Since November Dodd has sold 21.5 million shares.


Healthcare Enterprise's most significant product from a commercial perspective is Ebiox, an unusually effective decontaminant. It takes effect in 30 seconds rather than the more usual five minutes for rivals. Last week National Health Service tests found it to be effective in killing the MRSA 'superbug' when used on hands, work surfaces and floors, which means it can now be sold to hospitals.


The stock has virtually doubled to 2.14p in the last year. It is still loss making and very high risk but the high quality backing and recent good news are very encouraging.


* This article also appeared in yesterday's Financial Mail on Sunday

cheers GF.

Looks like a winner.
rgds aj

I love it when this happens!

Only wish I'd bought more now! We're never happy are we!

Should you buy still? Difficult call, but med to long term these will be a sound investment if Ebiox takes off in the US and then world wide. I'd like to see someone far more intelligent than me predict a forecast of potential earnings, considering this is the ONLY product known to destroy the bugs it does actually do!

The spread is only 2% or so, which is ridiculously tight for a penny share that is on the up. It has been like this throughout its rise up from the 1.5p mark when I started watching it.

Short term this may drop on profit taking, but it has proved that it can sustain a rise over the past few months without too sharp a drop. Check the chart if you don't believe my mad rantings!



I must say that Goldfinger has once again come up trumps with a quality smaller company tip. Thanks big man!

I back that--thanks G F. I am holding and hoping!

Cheers guys. We may even get Mags and share tip sheets tipping this one at the week end, dont forget its that monthly time again when they all come out.

Cheers GF.

ps, this from front page.........

Healthcare Enterprise has put on 26% to 2.465p over five days. On 26 February it said its Ebiox cleansing and decontamination products have shown to be an effective solution for eradicating bacteria, including the MRSA hospital 'superbug', both in hand contact and cross contamination from bacteria-laden work surfaces and floors. Tests were carried out by the NHS Hospital Infection Research Laboratory City Hospital, Birmingham.

Just taking an interest in this stock, note todays trades in excess of 131 million, seems a lot, is this outside of the normal range?
optomistic

Yes 131 mil is higher than normal, but if you can find somewhere to check out a history of trading volumes (anyone know of anywhere that does this?), you'll see that it has consistently traded in the 10-60 million volume range.

Remember the trade value overall is low as the share price is tiny, but to have a high volume over a sustained period of time shows a certain confidence in the stock among the investors buying in. There are 2.7 billion give or take a few in issue, so the stock is extremely liquid at present, but if they continue to be hoovered up by institutions and major private investors, the calibre of those already in, then that liquidity will soon dry up.

Barring profit taking and MM manipulation (which there has been no sign of in the last 6 months at all, correct me if I'm wrong though) the price should increase steadily upwards IMHO, given the qualty of Ebiox alone. Let's hope HCEG have a good marketing and PR team in place to bring this product to the mass market in the USA and world wide.

Gary K

Yahoo provide volume data, follow this link:

http://uk.table.finance.yahoo.com/k?s=hceg.l&g=d

February's av daily trading works out at about 20 mil

Regards

PTH

Here's the monthly averages for volumes traded, quite good for a smaller company. Hopefully this will keep rising as the price does!

Date Open High Low Close Volume Adj. Close*
Feb 04 1.91 2.22 1.80 2.24 22,609,866 2.24
Jan 04 1.64 1.93 1.64 1.88 19,691,846 1.88
Dec 03 1.50 1.70 1.48 1.60 10,582,130 1.60

Thanks gary k & pth.
So today seems to have been quite an exceptional day for volumes, perhaps the reason will become clear soon.
Good luck
optomistic

The only thing that will hold this back is the massive amount of stock around.