(Anyone lucky enough to buy my 2003 share of the year enjoyed a roller-coaster. At one time Holllis Eden on Nasdaq reached 5 bagger status before falling back. i recommended selling at 2.25 bagger time but hey not bad!)
I don't expect this year's one to be quite so dramatic but here's hoping! I think it could easily be a bagger+ though!
Gladstone is a relatively little known software stock with solutions for internet and broadband that appears to be ahead of its competition. The market cap is 5.8 million but the total assets are 8 million. Anyone sneaking out results in Xmas week might well cause suspicion but GLD's were really good. It has turned a 1 million+ loss into a small profit and there is a lot more to come as the company has now a strong customer base. It looks like they are on the acquisition trail as a close reading of recent statements shows a Director taking a more active role in the search but they could easily become a target themselves. They have cut costs too and a very confident board paint a rosy but not rose-tinted picture of the outlook. A reorgnisation of the share capital will reduce the shareholder base from 8000 to nearer 2000. A sensible move as some paid several pounds a share in the dotcom days and they are now to be offered a return wothout costs on their investment.
At 12.75p they are in a narrow trading range which has lasted most of 2003 but when or if they breakout a substantial upside move is on the cards.
Undervalued. Buy.

Well done Hawick - an excellent spot. NB price doubled in May following upbeat trading statement.

Total assets are 8m as you say but most of that is goodwill.

I hold a few - upbeat statements from Chairman & CEO & maybe an acquisition on the way.

Well congratulations to Hawick for a very good tip. The breakout has now started following strong interims. Price up to 16p at 11am

well done - more to come. imo

Hi All. Thanks for kind comments! Rather :o .

I think that it will take 12-18 months to see the real value here and i am thrilled by today's results and outlook. Here are my reasons: Results this morning from GLD are superb. Post tax profit of 232,000 may not sound earth shattering but the accompanying outlook statement certainly, as expected, is! Talk of increasing 'long term recurring revenues' and 'international market expansion' should enable the company to meet its last remaining challenge and increase turnover significantly to go with the profits increases already starting to come through.

They also report a strong order book.

2004 looks like an exciting year. Given that BDI and MNS trade on approx double the market caps of this one and have similar (IMHO slightly less persuasive) profiles, GLD remains a very strong buy. The chart is breaking to a 52 week high, golden crosses and moving averages point the right way.

Lastly and perhaps most persuasively the introduction of chip and pin technology, for which GLD's product is the internet industry leader, should guarantee further growth. A market cap up to 6.5 million this morning is most undemanding. I always said this was a 12-18 month (at least) share and my price target is 31p in that period, giving a market cap of around 13 million.

Powerful Buy.

Agreed Hawick. If we are looking at EPS this year of around 2.2p then on a multiple of 15 (?reasonable) that equates to a share price of 33p - so I am pretty close to you Hawick.

However of course this is a small and relatively obscure company so that we can expect the price to fall away when there is lack of newsflow. I would see that as a buying opportunity (on the assumption of no profit warnings etc).

I wouldn't expect to see 30p until after the final results - back end .of 2004 at the earliest. All DYOR.

I reckon we will see 30p this year & will hold till we do so.
Market leading software companies with International growth prospects are hard to find at this price.

Seeing how few posters there are on this topic, it is little surprise that the share has such a low value in the marker. If one looks at other companies in the sector, it seems to me that this should at this moment be trading at or about 20-22p and that is not taking into account growth prospects.

I feel the companies own website lets it down to some extent. Mind you that said, far better spending time on customers and building this exciting business that has returned from the ashes and is now debt free and cash positive. With cash just rolling in now and growth under way the prospects are outstanding for this leading supplier of MRM software.

Website is undergoing a transformation & their broker has tipped them as a buy.

Cheers Orion, any more on the broker tip, is there a link atall? Thanks, Jim.

Have a look at the AFN site & gg will mail it to you.

Who are their brokers?

Who are their brokers?

Brewin Dolphin are brokers.

Ben Merrett the CEO will be on AFN's Intercast giving a live Interview
at 2 o'clock Monday the 29th if you want to listen in.

Well so far so good - well done Hawick! Serious breakout in the last couple of days way out of the 12 month trading range. The trading update was tremendously positive.

Well so far so good - well done Hawick! Serious breakout in the last couple of days way out of the 12 month trading range. The trading update was tremendously positive.

Cheers beaufort! Yes the real breakout is above 16.5p from where it could really run very quickly up. And we are right on that now. The chart shows higher lows since early February and clearly the initial uptrend is now pretty firmly established. Hope people are holding. As I said this was very much one I tipped on the grounds of 2004 and beyond being a time of growth for the business. Not a short term punt.

Despite the recent corrections in the Aim index and technology in general this one has kept getting stronger, which is gratifying!

hawick - nice steady one for 2004 with no sleeplesss nights!!
New website looks good too with regular updates, we will see 25p+ this year! :-)

http://www.gladstonemrm.com/gladstoneinternet/default.aspx

Half time whistle, so far so very nice!!

Now it's really motoring. The IC tip has made all the difference.

And i thought it was my tip, lol, ha ha!!!!!!!

It is a cheap stock and I reckon plenty upside still. Spent 12 months cleaning out stale bulls and hefty resistance, so now every time someone buys they are struggling to find any sellers, as those in, know it is too cheap.
That's why charts can be so useful especially on a breakout. This is a classic case.

Yep, it was a great tip Hawick, IC just ripped it off from you!

19.75p at the close of a great week.

LOL again Beaufort!! Yes a terrific breakout, consolidation then some more would be ideal!

Nice chart gap!! But I am not greedy 30p will do nicely!! For now!

Yes 30p will do on current projections. I am hanging on to this one now it has broken through. With new offices in Glasgow and Oz it could be getting into a major new phase of expansion and that could transform the P/E. Why shouldn't the P/e for GLD as a software co. be more like 25, in which case share price ought to be around 55p!?

Still going up - 21p this morning.

High PE. I am not so sure it will go higher until the company issues results later in the year.

P/E on forecast 2004 EPS (2.2p) is still less than 10. Not high in my book.

catch a falling star................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


but when??????????????????????????????????????????????

The newsflow has been excellent since Interims & they are no longer holding back in promoting themselves - more to come.imohttp://www.gladstonemrm.co.uk

I suggested it at 12.75p at the turn of the yer, now around 20p up some 60% so far. Rising, not falling, star mpw!! -:)

SEY..check out the thread

nice one hawick the star so far!!!!!!!

From their website:-


MRM.plus2 - the choice for Holmes Place

Holmes Place evaluated 21 companies before selecting Gladstone MRM as the only company that could deliver a solution to meet their complex requirements.

The system is currently being implemented across 50 plus sites spanning 6 European countries, and will utilise thin client software to centralise operations and .net technology to integrate with a membership services centre. The centralisation is anticipated to improve membership service by providing a database for reporting and administration. Holmes Place are opening a membership services centre in their Head Office that will accommodate membership enquiries from across their estate. They have also chosen to implement MRM.analyser and MRM.datamine to deliver a unique programme of marketing and retention activities.

Over the last nine months Gladstone MRM and Holmes Place have worked in partnership to further enhance MRM.plus2. These developments include a integrated prospecting module and automated workflow designed to improve retention

Ian Burke (CEO) Holmes Place comments
We have made this investment to help us improve our service to members and working with Gladstone MRM has been a true business partnership. It has enabled us to develop a product capable of meeting our operational requirements as well as allowing us to implement a co-ordinated centralised approach to customer interactions and retention activity.

30 June 2004

Still in a nice uptrend...with further to go

Got into this stock back in March as looked undervalued. Do you think the occasional drops are people impatient and taking smaller profits or even losses after jumping on the bandwagon following IC tip?
I too set an optimistic 30p but recently reduced to 25p before finding that more people also have faith. Fingers crossed for nice Christmas.
note to colleague: will you hold until after Christmas Chalkmeister?

PDX - steadily climbing and without good news - if and when it comes look out !!

Wrong thread oaky, woopsy! This one is about GLD, going well, up some 40% this year..

Sorry hawick - silly me - I am even more dizzy to-day as all of my stocks are in the blue

Well Hawick, how about that - a really nice upward bounce on the great RNS news. More to come I think.

Superb trading statement from GLD! Still holding. :)
Gladstone plc

Year-end trading update


Gladstone Plc ('the Company') today provides an update on its performance
following the end of its financial year on 31st August 2004. Quoted on AIM,
Gladstone (stock code GLD), is the leading provider of software and related
services to the leisure industry. It is headquartered in Wallingford,
Oxfordshire, with offices in Scotland, Ireland and Australia.

The company is pleased to announce that it expects its results to show
significant improvement on last year. Cash resources have grown to approximately
1.6 million at 31st August 2004. During the year the company purchased new
offices in Glasgow at a cost of 531,000. The Company also invested a further
240,000 in office equipment and computers. This included load-testing and call
centre support management software. The successful scalability testing of our
core application for large chains, with more than 500 concurrent users, has
enhanced our competitive positioning. Improving our day to day call centre
support will benefit all our clients.

The strong start to the second half of the year reported in our May trading
update has been maintained and private-sector chains that recently installed
Gladstone software include JJB (Fitness Club), Bannatyne's Health Clubs and
Miracle Light Ltd.

Councils that have recently installed our products include Salford,
Aberdeenshire, Plymouth, Walsall and Restormel. The Local Authority contractor
market has also been strong, with roll-outs continuing at Leisure Connection and
Parkwood Leisure.

Our office in Sydney, Australia opened this month and we are confident of
securing initial sales orders that will quickly assist us in gaining credibility
in this new market.

Our website
www.gladstonemrm.com
has been re-launched, and we have also
appointed Abchurch Communications Limited as our PR agency for investor and
trade promotional activity.

Preliminary results for the year ended 31st August 2004 will be announced by
22nd November 2004.

Ben Merrett, Chief Executive, said: 'The business has benefited from continued
investment and our customers are responding with good orders for our established
and new software product range. Our stand at the recent Leisure Industry week
conference was very well attended and I look forward with confidence to
Gladstone's continuing success.'

Yep, I am holding too. Bought in March and topped up at 16.75 a week ago.

Beaufort I think we crossed after months of no posts!!!!
posting this because i really believe this is an explosion about to happen, and I do not normlly get this excited, days or weeks not too sure but inevitable, that I am sure! Wow, some chart!!

Having got in to GLD in March I have been tempted to top up so many times on the dips but have always had other things in action. Won't be too disappointed with a dip in next few weeks ahead of results as now have funds to top up.
The question is whether the price will hold after the results? That leaves the question as to get out at a peak with a tidy profit and get back in later or hold and hope for an upward trend from then on.
Still don't know what I'll do yet!

Great to hear from you again Hawick. I am very positive about GLD on fundamentals, but why do you think it is about to blow? The good news has been there in the tea leaves for a long time.

Beaufort nice to know not everyone these days buys and then sells a fortnight later! My excitement is based on the chart, I think it could actually overheat to the upside, (not necessarily all good) as resistance has been cleaned out. It would take only a little to spark the long overdue surge. With markets rising too, any successful small caps could benefit and none are better placed after this week's statement than GLD.

And we are off.............!!!

Excellent year end trading statement and International expansion is now happening, so little reason to bailout for awhile yet:-

RNS Number:4818D
Gladstone PLC
29 September 2004



Press Release 29 September 2004

Gladstone plc

Year-end trading update


Gladstone Plc ("the Company") today provides an update on its performance
following the end of its financial year on 31st August 2004. Quoted on AIM,
Gladstone (stock code GLD), is the leading provider of software and related
services to the leisure industry. It is headquartered in Wallingford,
Oxfordshire, with offices in Scotland, Ireland and Australia.

The company is pleased to announce that it expects its results to show
significant improvement on last year. Cash resources have grown to approximately
#1.6 million at 31st August 2004. During the year the company purchased new
offices in Glasgow at a cost of #531,000. The Company also invested a further
#240,000 in office equipment and computers. This included load-testing and call
centre support management software. The successful scalability testing of our
core application for large chains, with more than 500 concurrent users, has
enhanced our competitive positioning. Improving our day to day call centre
support will benefit all our clients.

The strong start to the second half of the year reported in our May trading
update has been maintained and private-sector chains that recently installed
Gladstone software include JJB (Fitness Club), Bannatyne's Health Clubs and
Miracle Light Ltd.

Councils that have recently installed our products include Salford,
Aberdeenshire, Plymouth, Walsall and Restormel. The Local Authority contractor
market has also been strong, with roll-outs continuing at Leisure Connection and
Parkwood Leisure.

Our office in Sydney, Australia opened this month and we are confident of
securing initial sales orders that will quickly assist us in gaining credibility
in this new market.

Our website www.gladstonemrm.com has been re-launched, and we have also
appointed Abchurch Communications Limited as our PR agency for investor and
trade promotional activity.

Preliminary results for the year ended 31st August 2004 will be announced by
22nd November 2004.

Ben Merrett, Chief Executive, said: "The business has benefited from continued
investment and our customers are responding with good orders for our established
and new software product range. Our stand at the recent Leisure Industry week
conference was very well attended and I look forward with confidence to
Gladstone's continuing success."

For further information, please contact:

Gladstone plc Tel: +44 (01491) 201 010
Ben Merrett, Chief Executive
bmerrett@gladstoneplc.com www.gladstonemrm.com
---------------------------

Looking good! Sit back and watch the continued upsurge

nice chart.............wary of this as it was a malcolm craig tip on C5 text a few years ago and it bombed. things seem to have changed though...reasonably tight spresd for now for such a wsmall cap co......will deffo keep on my watch list

Hi Superrod, understand your caution but much slimmed down since those days and now profitable little business on a tiny market cap. Nice trading update recently.

Chart is looking very nice - set to make another new high?

30p very soon as results will please.

Hope so mackem but we have hit another quiet phase just as the chart was ready to burst. Patience, but no worries, value will out and I still think sooner rather than later!

Right again Hawick - chart still as strong as ever after another spurt upwards!
Looks like it could continue up to 30p

PS what's your share of the year for 2005????

This has been up all year slowly but surely - should be in the 30's after the figures come out.

LOL beaufort (but will see if i can come up with one if people want, a few candidates around!!).
Just one word of caution, yesterday's move might have been a few T-20s speculating on good results and one or two days after the numbers might be volatile, but the results will be great and 30p is a very reasonable - indeed modest - target over the coming months.

Agreed Hawick - the price might come off a bit after the results - I suppose the key will be what the projections are for 2005 - if predicted EPS is about 3p, then the 30p SP level ought to be reasonably secure.

eps of 3p and shareprice of 30p is actually not reasonable - it is way too low, especially when considering this company is in growth stage.
Similar companies showing growth are on p/e's of 20-30 - not 10!

Just look at that chart! Progress after the results all depends on the outlook.

Beaufort this might demonstrate better why i, like you, am excited by the chart!

Nothing between 28p and 1. Glad I didn't hold these early in 2002!!
That's a very long upswing from MAy 2003.
Still a long way to go, although they have basically doubled so far this year.

Now up to 26p, the SP curve is going almost straight up now.

Good results - pretty much inline. Bit of a sell-off this morning (perhaps not surprisingly). We await predictions for y/e Aug 2005.

Question is, is this sell off a good time to stock up on some more ?

Real robust set of numbers. As anticipated with a bullish outlook too! Bit of buy on rumour sell on fact today and t-20s, exactly as i forecast a few posts ago! Very happy!

WOuld hope to see some broker projections soon for 2005 and 2006.

SP holding up reasonably well considering. Most of recent gains being retained.

Disappointing drop off this week, part wishing I hold sold and taken 80% profit, part thinking about waiting for the bottom and topping up?
What do you think, Beaufort/Hawick?
Did any of you here about a fight at a meeting, director kneed in bollocks?
You thoughts apreciated

Heard a rumour Andy! Someone who invested in boom apparently blamed CEO for everything.

I think a few people punted in before results and now the shares have eased back they are getting out. I am keeping what I have and think everything remains positive, I think the pullback represents a very decent value opportunity.

Thanks for your thoughts, When full year results confirmed at EPS 2.15p then GLD are now trading back around PE10 which does seem low. With planned share buy-back and provided same or better profit forecast for next year it seems like top-up time soon or am I talking nonsense.
When are confirmed results and 2005 forecast due out?

I am new to this game and picked GLD before tipped in IC so quite chuffed but if fall below 20p I might get worried!! Don't want to lose a profit for once!!
Don't suppose GLD board could be selling a few to get price down ready for buy-back? like I said I am new, can this happen?

When you say bought in boom, I assume you mean a few years ago?
Hope it doesn't balls things up!!

Thanks Andy.

Well found! Andy if you are in for the next 6-12 months then i cannot see GLD being below their recent highs by then. I suspect reading the report they are close to a small acquisition and that would lead to new shares, and or cash being invested to grow the business. If it did fall to 20p I would look at buying more.
Good chart support around 20p, back at the uptrend too. I think it will consolidate 20-25p before going up again.
In the dotcom boom, it hit 500p! Another poster on another board, with a supposed 'reputation' (lol!) seems to think it was a great wheeze and when he made a joke of it was surprised that the CEO was a tad miffed. Oh dear!

Hi Andy et al. Shares mag play of the week today!
Must have found our thread at last! :)

Hopefully now more people discover this it might realise its true potential.
CEO won't be happy though, doesn't he want to reduce number of shareholders.
Best he buy a box in time for the next meeting!!
Glad I decided not to panic and bale out.

Fortunately my GLD holding :-) is balancing my EPO holding :-( but still a little dismayed that the price has not recovered after the 'sell on the results' activity.

I am presuming that it was talk of raising capital to fund purchases that has spooked the price + as Shares says, there is little institutional investment at the moment.

On another note, seeing as it is entirely down to Hawick, (and many thanks to you) that this share made it to my watch and then purchase list, have you had chance to narrow down your list for next year yet ?

Paul i think you are right, a bit of dilution and acquisitions can spook the market, usually if the cash isn't there especially, (GLD have 1.6 million, useful but unlikely to fund a 'whole' acquisition), as they take time to deliver. But GLD if people are patient should deliver plenty more.
Delighted you have made money, always wary of 'tipping' bacause inevitably (even though I have been around markets 20 years!!) I am going to make some bad calls!
Which brings me to a tip for next year, with the cautionary note already thus inserted!!!! I have something in mind, but I need to make sure with a bit more research first! You'll have to give me a couple of weeks!

It's a bit slack on GLD right now, anyone got any views on forecasts for 2005, have we come to a halt or can we expect more. Sat on 60% profits and deciding whether to take or hold for more?

Buy gladstone now before the breakout to 27 begins.

I received an email circular this morning from UK-analyst I think which was Zak Mirs purporting that there are only 7 stocks which currently have golden crosses.

My only interest in this is that Gladstone was one of them, though he chose not to write it up. If anyone has any more info or insight on this could they please post on here.

In March last year, in this thread, I forecast a 31p target in 12-18 months. That is almost achieved but with one of the nicest charts around, more to come. Keep buying imho.

I'm still in here - I like what I see! ;-)))
This is fast becoming an International company and they have a good product.

Anyone know why this is dropping? When are next results due?
Still in healthy profit, deciding whether to take it or top-up?

Someone dropping batches of 25k (5 so far), I sold yesterday because the chart, though still intact, was showing clear signs of pausing. Expect to get back in slightly cheaper, but my view on the stock is unchanged. Very good buy, at this level or cheaper, once the seller is gone.

They look a good buy here - not likely to breach recent placing price. imo