something happending today big volume of buys very early on anything said in the sunday papers ????

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The Sunday Times - Business

December 28, 2003

Ousted Tomkins chief prepares for a comeback
John Waples

THE entrepreneur Greg Hutchings, who was ousted as chief executive of Tomkins, the industrial conglomerate, nearly three years ago, is preparing to make a stock-market comeback.
Some bankers believe Hutchings is in talks to inject capital into a stock-market minnow called Lupus Capital, which is capitalised at 14m.

In October Hutchings considered a bid for Bodycote International, the heat-treatment and coatings company that issued a profit warning earlier this month. He teamed up with John Chesworth, Bodycote’s former chief executive, but the plan was aborted.

Hutchings left Tomkins after revelations about his use of corporate jets and household expenses, but an investigation by Ernst & Young said he had not breached corporate-governance standards or the law. Hutchings has remained bitter about his treatment. Friends said it paled into insignificance against corporate scandals that have been uncovered since. It is thought Hutchings is keen to repeat the success he enjoyed at Tomkins. Over 17 years he turned the company from a shell into a FTSE 100 business. In the process he made a lot of money for himself and investors, and he retains a City fan base.

If the talks with Lupus are successful, it is expected Hutchings will take an executive position on the board. Since the beginning of the year Konrad Legg, chairman of Lupus, has been tidying up the group’s balance sheet. Its debt has fallen from 3.8m to 300,000 and it is selling Gall Thomson, a specialised couplings business.

Hutchings is not the only former “conglomerate king” who is returning to the stock market. Chris Miller, David Roper and Simon Peckham, who in the 1990s turned Wassall, a mini-conglomerate, from a 2m company into one worth 627m, have returned to the quoted arena with a company called Melrose Resources.

The three entrepreneurs sold Wassall in 2000 to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, the private- equity firm. At Melrose they intend to acquire British manufacturing and industrial companies in need of improvement.

Hutchings still holds a big personal stake in Tomkins from which he receives a large dividend cheque. When he left, Hutchings agreed an out-of-court settlement whereby he took shares worth 6m and was given 300,000 for legal costs. He also received a 500,000 supplement to his pension.

Yes Sunday Times had an article that Greg Hutchings is in talks to inject capital into Lucas Capital.

i have posted the article above

buyers outnumber sellers 5:1 today with plenty of volume so far will it maintain this momentum and what is the timescale for this being confirmed ????

buyers no 6:1 and some big trades going thru get the felling the price is being held back

Should be interesting, I am watching closely. Expect a rights issue though if a takeover goes ahead IMHO.

should be update in share magazine soon also in their tip they suggested news before xmas
Below is from posting on 27/11/03


Been tipped in Shares mag today. This should give it a bit of exposure. Trades have been healthy, both buying (on the tip) and selling (to take advantage of rise). Once the sellers are out of the way,I can see price reaching double figures. Remember it's profitable,it pays a dividend and there may be an exciting announcement ahead. All of these factors combined make Lupus one to watch.

LUPUS CAPITAL (LUP) 7.37p BUY

An offer for Lupus Capital is likely to be announced before Christmas valuing it close to its current market valuation of 13 million. A well-known corporate figure is expected to become chairman and a major shareholder.

This chap intends to expand Lupus into a leading UK oil industry servicing company, possibly quadrupling its size within a couple of years.

Lupus main asset, other than its listing, is the highly successful Gall Thomson company based in Great Yarmouth. It is the worlds leading supplier of marine breakaway couplings and its offshoot Klaw Products supplies quick release couplings to the oil industry.

Stricter environmental legislation means oil companies are increasingly penalised for spills and leakages. They are spending more on anti-leakage devices like GTs couplings which enable a loading line to part safely and then shut off automatically instead of spilling the oil if the vessel moves off station. GTs sales are rising by around 15% a year and are expected to total almost 8 million this year and produce operating profits of about 4.5 million.

Current chairman and turnaround expert Konrad Legg was appointed by disgruntled shareholders a year ago. They were fed up with the previous management failing to deal with Lupus problems and large overheads.

Legg and his team have sold the six listed investments, slashing debt from 3.5 million and leaving the balance sheet ungeared. The dividend is expected to be maintained at 0.5p a share equating to a juicy yield of 7%.

Profits before tax are expected to total some 1.2 million this year. Since Lupus announced it was in talks to sell the company at the interim stage in late September the shares have risen sharply but have since eased back a tad making it a good buying opportunity.

Shares Summary

The wolves are closing in on this tasty titbit. The Gall Thomson pipeline couplings company is likely to be sold part and parcel with Lupus to form the basis of a new rapidly growing oil services business.

BUSINESS: oil service business that was formerly an investment company

VITAL STATS:
market capitalisation: 12.7 million
historic PE 2002: losses
prospective PE 2003: 9.3
prospective PE 2004: 5
spread: 3.4%
dividend yield: 6.8%

plenty of buyers today yet price goes down ???

couple of big trades going thru ??

hoping shares magazine do an update in next few weeks as expected this to be resolved by now..

something going on plenty of volume and price begining to go north ??/

someone late on willing to pay 10p expect to open up tommorrow then
can see annoucment in very near future

How do you think the shares will perform now longer term. Hutchins isn't popular with everyone in the city ?

got out on friday @ 11.65 o.k timing again not good but paid 8.35 so wasnt that bad expect it to fall back toward 12p level unless something annouced cannot
continue much higher IMHO

Hi Gordon, IMHO you will see this one fly on the first acqusition announcement.
Greg Hutchins is no fool. I'm sure he already has his sights on several possible acqusitions already.

Just hang on in there and wait for the announcement, then the fireworks will really begin. This current rise is just for starters.

regards

Peter

its all about news flow if it is slow it will fall back