Bioprogress is a stock I have been in and out of quite a few times since it floated in May but not much mention here on the Investors' Room. Does anyone else follow this stock. I see it is up 1.5p today and a few good buyers seem to have appeared.

But am looking to buy them back again to pay for the next few cases

Hargreave Hale have issued a buy Note.

BioProgress Plc Buy
Company description: Patented encapsulation technology using water soluble film for tablets/pills/strips for dietary supplement, pharma, food and other sectors. The film is non-gelatin based and is heavily patented. Also, water soluble Ostomy Bag technology.

Bull points:
Industry-changing advantages, including new delivery mechanisms, and cost and
efficiency benefits
Claimed major industry shift away from gelatin-based encapsulation, driven by
desire to avoid animal-based materials (BSE, religious factors)
The company appears to be a true global trailblazer
Proprietary nature of machines and consumables
Substantial potential for profits and cash: machines up to $1.4m each,
generating up to $1m of revenues (with high margins) per annum
Deals and relationships with big Pharma players including Wyeth, Perrigo,
Bristol Myers Squibb
Impressive Chief executive; ambitious, imaginative, cautious, flexible,
strong enough to deal with Big Pharma-types
US roadshow in October, leading to ADR listing

Bear points:
Execution risk: BioProgress must close key global customers swiftly, and
prosecute manufacture efficiently
Apparent total reliance on CEO
One of the all-time AIM punter favourites: volatility

Investment summary and conclusion: BioProgress , remains one of the most exciting smaller companies around. The company appears to have truly disruptive technology: this is rare. They have a real shot at a leading position in substantial new markets.

Speculative, but with enormous potential: Buy.

Current Price 119.5p, Code BPRG, Mkt Cap 138m, High Risk

I believe BPRG have complained to the FSA about the inaccuracies in SEA RNS

Firm wins patents battle
02 October 2004

CHRIS STARKIE, EDP BUSINESS EDITOR

A hi-tech Fenland firm has won an important legal battle over the ownership of some of its pioneering technology.

A court has awarded March-based BioProgress outright ownership of the master patent that gives it exclusive worldwide rights to a particular way of making gelatine-free pill coatings.

BioProgress believes there is a massive market for the pill-coatings which are easier to swallow than conventional pills.

The judge found that Stanelco Fibre Optics had misused information given to them in confidence by BioProgress in 1998 when the two companies worked together, and awarded damages against Stanelco.

There will now be a further hearing to determine the level of damages awarded to BioProgress. The hearing will also determine how the main patent will be transferred to BioProgress.

Graham Hind, chief executive officer of BioProgress, said: "This judgment validates the position we have taken during the proceedings. The technology will strengthen significantly our position in the global encapsulation market and adds significant revenue earning potential to our SWALLO TM. liquid capsule technologies.

"By combining the intellectual property in this patent with our existing technologies, BioProgress will now be able to deliver an even more cost-effective, product enhancing, animal free solution to the encapsulation of liquids which is a truly large global market."

Fighting the court case had pushed BioProgress significantly into the red. Earlier this week it revealed a pre-tax loss of 3.8m for the year to June 30 after exceptional expenses of 4.4m.

These included consultancy fees and legal fees associated with the court case.

In a separate development BioProgress has raised 5m via a bond issue. The bonds have been placed with a leading institutional investor by broker Collins Stewart,

The institutional investor will also have an option to subscribe for up to a further 5m of the convertible bonds within the next two years.

Mr Hind said: "This bond issue has enabled us to strengthen our balance sheet further. It also represents a significant vote of confidence in BioProgress, which is reflected in the attractiveness of the terms we have achieved."


http://tinyurl.com/6bzcd

Just like to wish everyone good luck with this one especially nematode as he as stuck with it through thick and thin. I still hold a few tranches of stock but keep away from posting as this one seems to create far more than its fair share of arguments.

cheers GF.

at least discussions have been fairly civilised here unlike advfn

From the Telegraph

A story is one of the most powerful drivers in the stock market

Aim-listed BioProgress is one of the best current examples. This company has developed a range of patented methods to replace conventional gelatine pills, which could revolutionise pharmaceutical drugs and dietary supplements. Its technology has other applications and major companies are signing agreements. Since BioProgress floated on Aim 16 months ago the story has seized attention and created strong momentum in its shares. In nine months, the price soared from 22p to near 160p.


Notice how a story is most potent when a share has little or no financial record. Last Wednesday, BioProgress declared interims to end-June that showed a gross profit of 430,000 on turnover of 992,000, but a pre-tax loss of 3.8m as the company continues to invest in development. Since underlying progress looks promising, this attractive story means that at 131p, a share BioProgress is capitalised at 152m.

But the lack (as yet) of a benchmark for financial value meant bear raiders hammered the shares down to 57p recently. Unless you know what you are doing and can stomach the risks and volatility, this is how private investors become easy meat.

I treat a share as speculative where it is hard to be sure of the financial values. I prefer not to be weighted in speculative shares, as they get hit worst of all in a general financial panic or bear market. You never quite know when or from where the next shock will come.

But enterprising players can still scrutinise a good story and consider what aspects of the business make the risks worth taking. BioProgress continues to win customers and its licensing approach is attractive. Yet valuing the company remains subjective. The shares are a market makers' dream, heavily traded.

To me, a sensible approach is to recognise the extent you want to engage in speculation. It can have a place in your portfolio, so long as you are adept at trading and apply discipline such as stop losses. But avoid chasing a lot of exciting stories, which lead to high transaction costs and a capital gains tax accounting headache. It is all very well thinking: "If only I'd made that switch" in hindsight. You can make astute trades in the short term yet end up no better (or even worse) off, flitting from one story to the next.

As for BioProgress, be mindful that some of its ardent holders promoting the shares do not recognise risks. Perhaps a reason why the shares don't get a lot of coverage is that unless a commentator proclaims: "Five pounds by Christmas!", he is liable to face an angry mob of BioProgress enthusiasts. Life is too short for this.

A story is one of the most powerful drivers in the stock market | Can history not be repeated? | Oil still rising



Can history not be repeated?

Superscape, the interactive 3D software group, is a useful example how a story can adapt and revive.

It is usually best to sell shares in a loss-making company as soon as its story changes for the worse. Superscape's 10-year chart shows the depths to be avoided, even if it means selling into a 20 to 30 per cent fall.

Some investors admit their worst mistakes have been buying a share after it had fallen, only to realise it is a chronic poor performer. Superscape's chart illustrates this, despite showing how alertness to the changing story can yield big gains for traders.

Superscape's technology has existed for some 20 years and it has yet to deliver any profit. The company owes its continuing existence to the goodwill of investors who have kept refinancing it. But this time around I genuinely believe Kevin Roberts and his team have a winning strategy.

Well, I would say that, wouldn't I, as a holder. But like BioProgress the extent of commercial momentum (in recent news, and underlying prospects) improves the probability that this is now a growth share.

Once again the challenge is valuation. At 44.5p Superscape is capitalised at 55m, which initially seems high enough while the market for mobile gaming (the group's current focus) is evolving. It is vast but liable to change, and the time-honoured principle applies that until there is a financial record it is hard to judge how the story boils down to earnings.

Superscape's broker projects a 5.3m loss in the year to end-January 2005 improving to a 700,000 loss in 2005/06. There may be better news; the snag is that it may not be in Superscape's commercial interests to reveal much about the deals it is signing when announcing interims on October 15.

Although the guessing game is likely to continue, I intend to stay with this share.

http://tinyurl.com/6b8s7

i agree with much of what has been said above but it fails to note one thing. All new technology shares will perform between good and bad until the technology comes to the market, if it all it does come to the market. Surely this is the decision one has to make now with bprg and sps, ' are these companies going to turn technology into finance revenue'.

If sps had this technology 20 years (ie 3d games) surely there was not the platform to use that technology, now there is with the introduction of 3g phones AND THE PROMISE THEY SHOULD BE AVAILABLE THIS XMAS. I think both these companies are just starting out on a whole new adventure. nothing is guaranteed but good luck to holders.

Big Al,
Am of course still holding. As on AIM, holding for 2 years cuts my potentially large payment to the taxman from 40% to 10%. Personally I reckon BPRG will get taken out but not for less than 3 and within a year or so. Just back from a sunny week in Benidorm, so with the SEO announcement the holiday seemed pretty cheap ;-)

news out today...buy,buy,buy!!!!

http://tinyurl.com/5a9y3

Erm, isn't this the same news as last week's?

Signed, A Holder.

What news is this? Please advise, price moving today has someone got wind of something?

patience my friends patience...you will be rewarded even more!!!!

More wind this coming week

123.75p today...on the uptrend

Something in the wind, large volume of buys around 12 o'clock onwards, me thinks there is something happening... Aint getting my shares at this price, lol. Good luck to all.

BioProgress CEO Hind sells 300,000 shares, cuts stake to 0.21 pct
AFX


LONDON (AFX) - BioProgress PLC, which provides delivery systems for the pharmaceutical oral dosage markets, said chief executive Graham Hind sold 300,000 shares in the company at an average price of 1.25 stg apiece.

Hind now holds 247,773 BioProgress shares, representing a stake of 0.21 pct. He also holds 3,005,889 options with exercise prices that range from 19-84 pence.

These are the first shares in BioProgress Hind has sold to date, and the proceeds will be used for personal purposes, the company said.

Hind as no plans to sell further shares in BioProgress in the foreseeable future, it added.

newsdesk@afxnews.com

ak/

The AFX summary conveniently and misleadingly omitted the phrase:

"....including the provision of cash to enable the exercising of share options in BioProgress which expire on December 31st 2004."

after the bit about his using the proceeds for personal purposes. I would have thought that was of interest to shareholders! Are these journos paid for their work?

Bones-where did you get the rest of it?

It was on the RNS, bit of poor reporting from AFX

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200410181600011904E.html