Trying to pick a company with turn around potential in the share price.
With the share price still close to long-term support 275p,UK Mail
looks quite capable of delivering some welcome portfolio profits.




https://www.ukmail.com/


The UK Mail Group (formerly known as Business Post Group) is the largest independent parcels, mail and logistics services company within the UK, offering innovative delivery solutions both locally and worldwide.


Over the past 40 years we have built up a business offering that we believe is second to none. With a national network of more than 55 sites and 2500 vehicles we are able to offer business customers an unique integrated service with a full range of time-sensitive and secure delivery options for parcels, letters and pallets – all of which can be tailored specifically to meet the needs of your business.

Over the past 40 years we have built up a business offering that we believe is second to none and our loyal customers now range from multinationals such as 02 and Talk Talk to family run businesses like Northamptonshire based Podington Garden Centre.

A dynamic and forward thinking company, UK Mail is committed to pushing the boundaries of the postal and express parcel delivery markets and continues to launch a range of innovative delivery solutions.

24 Oct Cantor... 700.00 Buy

Half Yearly Report

RNS


RNS Number : 2495X

UK Mail Group PLC

18 November 2014








18th November 2014



UK MAIL GROUP plc



UNAUDITED INTERIM RESULTS

For the 6 months ended 30 September 2014



Highlights



· Group revenues of £241.4m level with the previous year, adjusting for one less working day (2013: £243.4m)



· Group operating profit (pre-exceptional) increased by £0.1m to £11.4m, adjusting for one less working day (2013: £11.8m)



· Group profit before tax (pre-exceptional) of £11.4m level with the previous year, adjusting for one less working day (2013: £11.9m)



· Exceptional items of £6.5m (2013: £nil), comprising Pallets' goodwill impairment of £7.3m offset by HS2 compensation of £0.8m



· Net cash at period end of £9.5m (2013: £19.5m), after funding capital investment of £17.9m



· Interim dividend increased by 2.8% to 7.3p per share (2013: 7.1p)



· New products and service offerings continue to make good progress, with our one hour delivery window roll-out complete



· Relocation of hub from Birmingham to Ryton with full hub automation on track for completion, on budget, in May 2015



Guy Buswell, Chief Executive Officer of UK Mail, said:-



"Overall the Group had a satisfactory first half, with adjusted operating profit ahead of what was a very strong performance in the first half of last year.



"Trading in the initial weeks of the second half, and overall trends within our individual businesses, have been as anticipated, with our peak trading weeks still to come. Our expectations for the full year remain unchanged.



"We are now in a period of significant investment and transition, as we put the infrastructure in place for the next phase of growth. The new fully automated hub under construction represents the largest strategic development in our history. Ours is a growth market that is rapidly polarising between high quality, innovative and sophisticated operators and those at the opposite end of the value scale. Against such a backdrop, the investments we are making place us at a significant competitive advantage for the medium and longer term."



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



By John Ficenec, Questor editor

6:00AM GMT 19 Nov 2014


UK Mail
410p+13¼p
Questor says HOLD


UK MAIL [LONUKM] said that parcel delivery operations had been resilient across the first half and that was enough to send the shares 3pc higher yesterday as markets had been expecting tough competition to hit profits.


The delivery group said online retail had once again increased parcel delivery revenues by 3.4pc during the first half when compared to the same period last year.

The more important information was that UK Mail said it achieved £6.2m in operating profits during the first half, down from £6.3m last year and that came despite increasing competition from the likes of Royal Mail and TNT. With an increasing amount of consumers using click and collect, causing parcel volumes to fall, the market was fearing the profit performance would be worse.


Trading was in line with market expectations with group revenue down 1pc to £241.4m and pre-tax profits of £11.4m, down from £11.9m last year.


Guy Buswell, chief executive, said the company is still on target to hit full-year, pre-tax profits of £22.5m, giving earnings per share of 31.2p, increasing to 36.0p next year.

The company had previously warned that the rapid increase in parcel volumes would slow throughout this year. The UK parcel delivery market is profitable and fiercely contested with Amazon launching its own service this year and eBay also providing a collection service through Argos shops. This is significant because parcels contributed about 60pc of the group’s profits and about 40pc of the revenue in the annual results last year.

By contrast, traditional mail delivery is undoubtedly in structural decline which has affected UK Mail. The company reported revenue from mail delivery down 5.1pc to £109.7m and operating profits down 2.4pc to £6.2m.

Shares in UK Mail fell sharply from around 560p to 470p on September 25 when the company warned on the slowing growth in the parcel market. The forecast dividend on the shares is 22.7p, which offers a yield of 5.7pc. The shares are trading on 12.7 times forecast 2014 earnings and remain a hold.

Wrong Thread.

Director/PDMR Shareholding

RNS


RNS Number : 5458X

UK Mail Group PLC

20 November 2014






UK Mail Group plc ("UK Mail" or the "Company")



Director/PDMR Shareholding



20 November 2014

UK Mail Group plc. received notification that on 19 November 2014, Jessica Burley, a Non-Executive Director and person discharging managerial responsibility, ("PDMR"), purchased 1,500 ordinary shares of 10p each in the Company ("Shares") at a price of 405p per Share.



Following this purchase Jessica Burley holds voting rights attached to 1,500 ordinary Shares representing 0.003% of the issued share capital of the Company.

Ex dividend 4 Dec 7.3p

Signal Update

Our system’s recommendation today is to BUY. The BULLISH STOP LOSS pattern finally received a confirmation because the prices crossed above the Stop Loss level which was at 437.7500, and our valid average buying price stands now at 455.2500. The previous SELL signal was issued on 26/11/2014, 6 days ago, when the stock price was 429.5500. Since then UKM.L has risen by +5.98%.

Market Outlook

A rally after a bear setup can occasionally turn into an explosive long trade. We may be on the verge of catching one of them. There is now a strong positive sentiment in the market despite the absence of a bullish pattern. The bullish stop loss is finally confirmed and a BUY signal is generated. Market wants to reward the bulls. It may be now the right time to be part of this boost and bullish market sentiment by joining the growing bullish crowd


https://www.britishbulls.com/SignalPage.aspx?lang=en&Ticker=UKM.L

From the company website

Trading Statement
05 Jan 15 UK Mail Group PLC [UKM]


Now changed


Q3 Management Statement 13 January 2015

StockMarketWire.com
UK Mail Group said its expectations for the full year outcome for its core businesses remain unchanged. Trading in that business in Q3 to Dec. 31, 2014, has been in line with its expectations. It has proposed the closure of its non-core UK Pallets business.

"Our core businesses have performed well with our Parcels business successfully handling record volumes, and our network remaining robust, during the peak weeks running up to Christmas," the company said in a trading update.

"The demise of City Link is likely to have a positive impact on the overall UK parcels industry. We have taken on some volumes from ex-City Link customers but it will be some time before the longer term outcome, on our business and on the industry as a whole, can be properly assessed."

The construction and fit out of the new hub is on track for completion next week. The hub automation has been installed and is now entering a commission and testing phase ahead of implementation in May 2015.

UK Mail said at the time of its interim results that its non-core subsidiary UK Pallets Ltd, having suffered declining profitability in recent years, was continuing to experience a number of challenges and that it was taking action to address this underperformance.

"As previously indicated, we have been actively considering all options for this business and a proposal has now been made to close it," UK Mail said.

"This process will be managed over some three months, ensuring that all employees and customers are properly supported. It is hoped that a number of employees would be able to take up alternative roles within UK Mail.

"We estimate that the cash costs will be approximately £1m, with asset write downs of some £2m, including the residual goodwill that arose on acquisition. These will be treated as exceptional items.

"Pallets is the Group's smallest business, contributing just 5.3% of group revenue and 2.3% of group operating profit in the year to 31 March 2014, and is run separately from the Parcels, Mail and Courier operations. These core businesses will therefore be unaffected by the proposed closure."

UK Mail: Investec upgrades to 'buy' with a target price of 600p.

Broker Cantor has sent a positive message to parcels firm UK Mail (LON:UKM), repeating a 'buy' stance on the stock.

In the recent Q3 update, it was revealed the group handled record volumes in the three months and that trading was "in line".

The company is a clear winner in the shake-up of the UK parcels business, reckons analyst Robin Byde, although he does says he's cautious on the outlook short term and trims estimates mainly for 2015.

"Generally, the next 12 months are pivotal for UKM with its new hub coming on-stream. This should deliver significant benefits and further improve competitiveness," he said.

The target price is lowered to 620p from 700p.




http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/columns/broker-spotlight/17615/broker-spotlight-including-uk-mail-rbs-british-american-tobacco-and-itv-17615.html

Buy UK Mail on record parcel numbers

UK Mail says that the parcel delivery business delivered record Christmas volumes

the company is still on target to hit full-year, pre-tax profits of £22.5m, giving earnings per share of 31.2p


By John Ficenec, Questor Editor

8:00PM GMT 17 Jan 2015


UK Mail
500p
Questor says BUY


The demise of parcel delivery firm City Link was good news for rival operator UK Mail [LON:UKM]. The company last week announced record volumes of parcels during the vital Christmas period.


Shares in UK Mail jumped more than 7pc last week as the delivery company said it had taken on ex-City Link customers.


UK Mail shares have now gained more than 18pc in the past three months. This could mark a turning point for the company which saw its shares tumble almost 25pc last year as investors shunned small-cap companies.


The company was rocked by fears for parcel delivery after Amazon launched its own delivery service. This is significant because parcels contributed about 60pc of the group’s profits and about 40pc of the revenue. UK Mail shares peaked at 715p in Febraury last year before falling as low as 380p in October.

In the most recent detailed update for the first half ended September 30 trading was in line with market expectations. Revenue down 1pc to £241.4m and pre-tax profits of £11.4m, down from £11.9m last year.

Guy Buswell, chief executive, said the company is still on target to hit full-year, pre-tax profits of £22.5m, giving earnings per share of 31.2p, increasing to 36.0p next year.

The shares are trading on 15 times forecast earnings and we upgrade to a buy.

Why I Would Buy UK Mail Group PLC But Sell Vedanta Resources plc And Enquest Plc

http://www.fool.co.uk/investing/2015/01/20/why-i-would-buy-uk-mail-group-plc-but-sell-vedanta-resources-plc-and-enquest-plc/

some strange goings on....any thoughts?

Trading Statement
RNS
RNS Number : 3804V
UK Mail Group PLC
07 August 2015

7 August 2015

UK MAIL GROUP PLC

("UK Mail" or the "Group")



TRADING STATEMENT



As stated in its preliminary results statement on 20 May 2015, UK Mail is in the midst of a period of major investment and transition. Whilst the longer term opportunities for the Group are substantial, the first half of the current financial year was expected to be challenging.

It is now clear that the near-term challenges and their impact on the current year's performance are more significant than anticipated.

The Group has now completed the move of its Birmingham hub and head office to a new, fully-automated facility in Coventry, with the relocation contract with HS2 expected to complete on the 10th August 2015.

While parcel volumes for the first four months of the new financial year were some 4% ahead of the comparable period last year, the move has caused a greater level of customer churn and loss of volume than anticipated, with an associated adverse impact on parcels revenue mix. In addition, a greater than anticipated proportion of current parcels volumes is incompatible with UK Mail's new automated sortation equipment, resulting in additional operating costs and therefore a delay to the full benefits expected from automation.

Management is taking action to resolve these issues, and the Group remains satisfied that the anticipated financial and operational benefits from the new hub and increased automation will be achieved in the medium term.

The Group's Mail business continues to perform well, with volumes up by some 6% during the first four months of the new financial year, representing a further increase in UK Mail's share of the access mail market. The Group has recently won a number of major contracts and has a good pipeline of opportunities, as a significant number of competitor contracts are now coming out to tender. UK Mail's packets initiative also continues to make good progress, with a strong pipeline of opportunities in this market.

Overall, as a result of the above factors, the Board anticipates that the Group's performance for the current financial year will be materially below current market expectations, with profit before tax (before one-off exceptional items) now expected to be in the range of £10m to £12m, and with some continuing impact into the first half of the next financial year.

Guy Buswell, Chief Executive Officer of UK Mail, said:-

"This near-term setback to our financial performance is clearly very disappointing. However we are taking decisive action to address these issues and we are confident that they can be reversed.

"The completion of our new fully-automated hub represents the largest strategic development in our corporate history and the rationale for this significant investment remains compelling.

"We continue to believe that it will make us one of the most efficient and competitive operators in our markets and, with number of significant new customers keen to use our services as a result of this investment, we remain confident in our medium and long term growth prospects."

ENDS

7 Aug Investec 485.00 Add
7 Aug Cantor... N/A Buy

Market Buzz

Fri, 07 August 2015


UK Mail receives Investec downgrade after profit warning



UK Mail Group Quote more






Price: 460.00

Chg: -70.00

Chg %: -13.21%

Date: 12:19



(ShareCast News) - Investec has downgraded UK Mail Group to 'add' from 'buy' after the postal services company issued a profit warning.




UK Mail said it expects its full-year will be materially below current market forecasts, with profit before tax now predicted to be in the range of £10m to £12m.

The profit warning comes as the company has suffered hitches with its new fully automated facility in Coventry which is struggling to cope with many of the parcel sizes, which were said to be "incompatible" with its new automated sorting equipment.

"The rate of parcel volume growth has slowed with a negative parcel revenue mix and a greater proportion of parcels volume than expected is incompatible with the new sortation equipment resulting in higher costs and lower asset utilisation," Investec analysts noted.

"Consequently, we cut our forecasts, reduce our target Price to 485p (from 535p) and downgrade to add."

Investec has cut its parcels revenue and operating profit forecasts, "assuming a slightly lower revenue per parcel due to the negative mix and higher operating costs".

The analysts' parcel volume forecast has been reduced from 5% to 3% for the full-year 2016. The parcels revenue projection has been slashed 2.1% in full-year 2016 and 2.1% in full-year 2017.

shares-hurt-parcel-pickle-Blundering-bosses-invested-20m-new-plant-t-handle-large-items.

Pre-close Trading Update
RNS
RNS Number : 2994B
UK Mail Group PLC
06 October 2015

6 October 2015



uk mail Group plc



PRE-CLOSE TRADING UPDATE



UK Mail Group plc today issues the following pre-close trading update for the half year ending 30 September 2015.



Overall Group performance is in line with our revised expectations, which take account of the near-term challenges outlined in our trading statement of 7 August 2015.



Reported Group revenues (for continuing operations) for the first half increased by some 4% compared with the same period in the previous year.



In our Parcels business, average daily volumes for the first half increased by some 8% compared to the same period last year. We are now achieving improved rates of parcels volumes growth. This increase continues to be weighted towards B2C customers, related to the growth in online shopping.



In our Mail business, average daily mail volumes were some 8% ahead of the same period last year. The Group has recently won a number of major contracts and has a good pipeline of new opportunities.



Guy Buswell, Chief Executive Officer of UK Mail, said:

"We are focused on executing the plan we have put in place to address the recent challenges associated with our Parcels business. Progress to date has been encouraging and an update on this will be provided at the interim results in November.

"We remain confident in our medium and long term prospects and in the operational benefits that our new fully-automated hub will bring, with a number of significant new customers keen to use our services as a result of this investment."

The Group intends to report its interim results for the half year ended 30 September 2015 on 18 November 2015.



- Ends -

6 Oct Cantor... 450.00 Hold
6 Oct Investec 485.00 Buy

Cantor Fitzgerald Hold 280.00 - 300.00 Reiterates