For anyone still following this one, I do have a look from time to time, it appears they are now buying back their own debentures, as quite simply with banks offering very low interest rates, its cheaper to borrow from the banks.
Not only that, their bonds are junk status, so they can use low interest bank loans to buy back their own high interest bonds (as people want cash), not only reducing their finance costs in future, but they can buy them back at well under face value due to junk status.
Quite an astute move, and should move them back into being profitable, as one of their major "costs" is the finance costs of the bonds.
Might be interesting to watch again moving forward.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2101983/
Leadcom swaps debentures for bank loans: The company will buy back up to NIS 20 million of its bonds.
Mon. December 29, 2008; Posted: 03:34 PM
The board of telecommunications infrastructure integrator Leadcom Integrated Solutions Ltd. (AIM: LEAD; TASE:LEAD) has approved a plan to repurchase up to NIS 20 million its Series A debentures, which will be financed by bank loans and/or other means. The company said that a bank had agreed to provide a $3 million loan (about NIS 12 million) for the plan.
Leadcom became dual-listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) earlier this month. Two years ago, the company raised NIS 125 million in an issue of Consumer Price Index (CPI) linked bonds to institutional investors. The company's stocks and bonds are both listed on the TASE.
Leadcom said that its board had authorized management to buy the debentures on the TASE or in off-floor transactions, at times and prices of its discretion.
Leadcom's share rose 5 percent in morning trading on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) to aen0.032, giving a market cap of aen3.85 million. The share has fallen 95 percent since the beginning of the year. The company's bonds are currently traded at junk yield of 41 percent, at a price of NIS 0.70 compared with their nominal price of NIS 1.10. The share was unchanged this morning at NIS 0.22 on the TASE.
In effect, Leadcom is exchanging its bonds for bank loans because the low interest rate in Israel enables it to obtain loans at a much lower cost. At the same time, the buyback of the bonds at their current price enables the company to obtain bank loans that are less than the debt it has to cover. The buyback may also help restore investors', especially Israeli investors, confidence in the company.
Leadcom said, "The company's board of directors believes that the plan will reduce the company's liabilities, will improve the company's financial ratios, and will enable the company to recognize a profit from such reduction in its liabilities."
Leadcome had $26.7 million in cash at the end of September and its current liabilities to banks and bondholders totaled $40.7 million. The company's long-term liabilities totaled $31.3 million. Its shareholders' equity totaled $31.2 million, amounting to 18 percent of its balance sheet total.