Where do you think they will go to or should i sell now

The shares of bookmaker William Hill have gained more than 50% over the past year, and a 12p (3%) rise to 355p today helped push the price even further. The occasion was a third-quarter update that told of a 26% rise in operating profit, with a 43% rise in online profits.

Even after the price rise, forecasts still put the shares on an undemanding forward price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 12, with a dividend of around 3.3% expected for the full year.

Trading Statement

Full year key financial highlights

· Group net revenue grew by 12% (52 week basis +10%) and Operating profit1 was up 20% (52 week basis +18%)
· Online net revenue grew by 27% (52 week basis +24%)
· Retail net revenue grew by 6% (52 week basis +4%)

Q4 strategic highlights

· Recommended offer made for Sportingbet's Australian and Spanish licensed online businesses
· Initiated valuation process under call option to acquire Playtech's 29% stake in William Hill Online

Yummy ... you got any of these skinny ?

Bought a few myself around October time.

Dil - no I sold my last in September.

The odds of this happening -

A man has died after being hit by a large metal sign that fell from a William Hill shop.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, was treated at the scene in Camden, north London, on Monday afternoon before being taken to hospital, where medical staff were unable to save him.

He has not yet been named.

"Every effort was made to resuscitate him at the scene and on the way to University College Hospital," a London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.

The 30ft sign, which had covered the length of the betting shop, was seen on the pavement. Police erected a forensic tent to cover the scene and taped off the surrounding area.

He wasn't heading into the shop with a winning slip was he? Sounds highly suspicious to me...

Stan, Out of respect I did not post any jokes. :-)) Now thinking about it hmmmmm

Results out today .... choo choo

Broker note from Panmure Gordon today:
"William Hill has reported £293m PBT, broadly in line with the upwardly revised consensus of £295m. The full-year dividend of 11.2p is also broadly in line with consensus expectations of 11.3p. Current trading is strong with underlying group net revenue up 17% for the seven weeks to 19 February driven by WHO revenue up 29% and Retail revenue +13%. The group has announced the exercise of the call option for Playtech's shareholding in William Hill Online (WHO) for £424m, which will be funded by a fully underwritten rights issue of £375m (2 for 9 at 245p; TERP 375p or c369p adjusting for the final dividend). We think William Hill is paying a sensible price for Playtech's shareholding in WHO (we had estimated £408m) and the strategic rationale is compelling. The financial rationale is less compelling given the size of the rights issue which is higher than we had forecast, but combined with the Sportingbet assets acquisition we still see 2014E EPS c6.6% higher at 31.1p. We reiterate our Buy recommendation and 436p Target Price."

http://www.edisoninvestmentresearch.co.uk/researchreports/WHill010313qv.pdf

William Hill eyes US after £424m deal for full control of online business
By Nathalie Thomas | Telegraph – 4 hours ago
William Hill (Other OTC: WIMHY - news) is betting on becoming a £5bn business in the next five years after agreeing a £424m deal to take full control of its fast growth online division.

Britain’s biggest bookmaker, which currently has a market capitalisation of £3bn, is now turning its gaze east to the US after securing two major acquisitions in less than three months.

The group on Friday announced it had reached agreement to buy out Playtech, its joint venture partner in its digital division William Hill Online, which grew revenue 27pc to £406.7m last year

The £424m deal brings to a end more than four successful but rocky years with gaming software group Playtech, which has involved staff strikes, former Israeli spies and £250,000 fish tanks.

William Hill is raising £375m through a rights issue to fund the acquisition, which comes less than three months after the bookie agreed a £460m joint takeover of Sportingbet (LSE: SBT.L - news) .

Ralph Topping, William Hill’s colourful chief executive, said the deals represented a “major milestone” in the 79-year history of the company but signalled that his ambitions did not stop there.

Freedom from the online joint venture with Playtech will allow William Hill to explore further opportunities, particularly in the US, the gambling veteran said.

A major source of strife between the two companies had been Playtech’s ability to veto strategic moves in the online business, which frustrated William Hill in pursuing other acquisitions and partnerships.

“In a five year time frame this organisation should be a £5bn company,” Mr Topping said. In today’s market, a £5bn valuation would allow William Hill to enter the FTSE 100 (FTSE: ^FTSE - news) .

The group has already acquired a cluster of companies that run sports betting operations in bars in Nevada. Other states such as New Jersey are liberalising the online betting market and Mr Topping said there could be other opportunities in the US such as running lotteries.

He insisted the group wouldn’t make any further “large scale” acquisitions in the near future but it will look at “smart” and “targeted” bolt-on deals. “We are not gold medallion men with hairy chests who like to acquire, acquire, acquire,” he stressed.

Playtech, which invested €177.7m (£154m) in William Hill Online in 2008 and has received €140m in dividend payments from the business, said it is already in talks with a number of other companies about partnerships. The group is in a good position “to replicate the success of William Hill Online elsewhere”, Playtech’s chief executive Mor Weizer said.

William Hill’s partnership with Playtech hit the headlines in 2011 when staff at offices in Tel Aviv and Bulgaria staged a walk out. Former Israeli intelligence officers were hired to restore order but the affair unearthed a series of bizarre activities including the discovery of a £250,000 fish tank at the Tel Aviv office.

William Hill on Friday reported a 48pc jump in pre-tax profit to £277.7m for the 53 weeks to January 1 on revenue 12pc higher at £1.3bn.

The bookie has proposed a final dividend of 7.8p per share to be paid on June 7, lifting the full pay-out for 2012 to 11.2p, up 17pc.

William Hill: Morgan Stanley ups target price from 410p to 460p keeping an overweight rating. JP Morgan raises target price from 410p to 510p and leaves its overweight rating unchanged.

Sold my holding, been in since June 2012, 280p.

I see in IC today they suggest that they are pricey compared with peers and that Hills decent prospects are increasingly priced in.

Q1 Interim Management Statement

Significant strategic progress and profit growth continues

19 April 2013

William Hill PLC (LSE: WMH) (William Hill or the Group) announces its Interim Management Statement for the 13 weeks end\ed 2 April 2013 (the period or Q1). All comparisons are with the equivalent 13-week period in 2012 (Q1 2012).

Financial highlights in the period

· Group net revenue grew by 15%1 and Operating profit2 was up 8%
· Online net revenue grew by 21% and Operating profit2 was up 13%
· Retail net revenue grew by 8%1 and Operating profit2 was 3% lower
· Sportsbook net revenue was up 47%
· Mobile Sportsbook amounts wagered grew by 145%
· Mobile gaming net revenue grew by 298%

Key Group highlights of the year-to-date

Development of Online and mobile business continues apace

· Online operations including Australia contributed 45% of Operating profit2 in the period
· Sportsbook3 amounts wagered surpassed OTC amounts wagered in all 13 weeks of the quarter, averaging 110% of OTC wagering levels in the period
· Mobile amounts wagered beat our £15m target, averaging £18.2m a week
· Mobile accounted for 35% of Sportsbook amounts wagered in the period

Successful completion of significant corporate activity:

· £424m acquisition of outstanding 29% of William Hill Online completed on 15 April 2013
· c£373m (net) raised from rights issue; completed on 5 April, with over 98% take-up
· £459m acquisition of Sportingbet Australian business completed on 19 March 2013

Probably the most user friendly of all the online bookies. I took up the rights issue and believe we could see a fiver over the coming year.

Wanna bet :-)

lol , no I always lose that's why I bought shares them :-)

Note the "M" word Dil :-)

Interim Results

Significant strategic progress:

William Hill Australia established with £459m acquisition of Sportingbet's Australian business, completed on 19 March 2013

Gained full control of rapidly growing Online business through £424m acquisition of 29% outstanding stake, completed on 15 April 2013

Balance sheet transformation with £373m rights issue completed on 5 April 2013 and £375m corporate bond issued on 5 June 2013

Continued momentum:

Group net revenue up 20% and Operating profit2 up 8%

Outstanding growth in Online Sportsbook net revenue +44%, driving overall online net revenue growth, up 18% and Operating profit2 growth, up 16%

Continued strong growth in mobile with mobile Sportsbook amounts wagered up 112% and mobile gaming net revenue up 198%

Strong over-the-counter (OTC) gross win margin growth drives growth in Retail net revenue1. Operating profit2 down only £2.2m after additional c£5m taxation charge following change to Machines Games Duty in February

Basic adjusted earnings per share +16% and dividend +16%

Net debt for covenant purposes increased to £821m (2 January 2013: £339m) with impact of acquisitions offset by £373m (net) rights issue

Shares in William Hill sank sharply on Friday morning as investors gave a cool reaction to the High Street bookie's first-half results. Even Canaccord Genuity, which labelled the figures as "strong", kept its 'hold' recommendation and 438p target price for the shares, highlighting headwinds for the company in 2015.

Growth is set to remain strong this year and 2014 will be helped by the World Cup, but 2015 "represents a bigger challenge in the form of UK point of consumption tax, which we forecast will result in FY15 earnings being in line with FY13", said analyst Simon Davies.