I here a whisper that Ashtead may become the target of a takeover bid. Anybody have any further news on this? I've been holding this little gem for a while now. Got in at 11.25p and then sold 2/3rds of my stock at 18p to break even. Can't quite decide when to take my mega profit. 1 by Christmas? Here's hoping.

Hi starfrog

I too have been holding this for some time and have a target sell porice of 70 pence.
Is your 'whisper' a strong one??????????? I must admit I have not heard anything.

The stock still looks strong on the graph and I am considering top-choping and running the profit because I think it still has a way to go. On its own merit I think its good for 80 pence by christmas, if a bid comes along I think we could see the quid

. Rob

Rob

The 'whisper' actually came from the home page of this website sometime last week (one of the days where it did a big jump again) - hidden amongst the constant gainers of the day info. There was no link to any newsitem, hence my question if anybody new anything. Looking at there latest trading statement I would surmise that the increase in the sp has come about as a result of all the dditional tool hiring that they have done following on from the succession of hurricanes to hit the States. I anticipate the price to keep going north as we approach the interims in December. However, election results across the pond may have some effect on US stocks in general. I think you should reach your 70p target - I might think about bailing out then too. Don't like holding too long if I'm not sure what is moving the price.

Regards

Hi Starfrog

Interim results due 16th December............. the run up to then will be interesting....... think I will top chop @ 70 but run the profits as like you say they are benefiting from tool/plant hire that has resulted from the hurricane damage. This work is ongoing and aht are still likely to be reaping the benefits into next year........... do you just take profit or sell all?...........

cheers. rob

just few days away from results ... has been on a steady upward trend.. results expected to be above 'expectations'

Results are well above expectations but concerns about the weak dollar mean that future earnings may not be as high. However, this company (imo) has been demonstrating a great turnaround since restructuring earlier in the year. All divisions are in profit and there is no reason to see why this trend will not continue.

Initial reaction to today's interim report is creating a drop in share price (a bit of an over-reaction imo) but this presents a good buying opportunity. Watch the institutions top up.

Could not agree more StarFrog - I sold yesterday at a 34% profit and have bought in again this morning at 75p on the expectation that the US dollar will not remain weak (imho)

Oakapples142 - I decided to keep my holding for a while longer. I'm waiting for at least a pound, or might even wait longer. I was in at 11p last year, but have a lot of belief in this company. Thinking about topping up at the moment. I think it's reached its bottom for today's drop.

I'm hoping that they will soon return to a dividend policy, in which case I will keep it until my retirement.

I agree with you that the dollar will not remain week for ever - but it may take a couple of years.

Down she goes....then up she comes. Good example of bearish then bullish unfolding.

Thanks for that - beginning to look pretty as a picture. I am trying to convince my wife that "Blue" throughout would be a nice change for Christmas - but she dosn`t get my drift. To-morrow may be interesting

Ashtead wins $20m US settlement
MonAM
Tool and equipment rental company Ashtead Group said a US court has upheld an award of damages and costs of about $20m to its unit Sunbelt Rentals Inc from Head & Engquist Equipment.

Ashtead said the North Carolina Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal by H&E against an earlier ruling in a case that dates back to 2000.

Ashtead alleges that just before Sunbelt acquired BET USA, H&E carried out a plan to develop its aerial work platform rental business by raiding over 100 staff from BET USA to open competing rental stores.

Ashtead said the $20m award has not yet been reflected in its accounts but it has expensed all Sunbelt's litigation costs.

Anyone got any thoughts regarding AHT's recent takeover?

Ashstead is doing well in America... so why the drastic fall today?

RNS good first quarter results full year to be ahead of expectations, perhaps an indicator that the US economy is on the mend.

perhaps - broker target here is 235p

Surely we know the US economy isn't in good shape . . . Obama is fighting the wolves and has very little slack to play with. US-employment figures showed it was still downbeat and their credit-rating is downgraded still.

Apart from actually being Bankrup, what is the US-good news?

Now Ashtead - I don't understand where this increasing turnover is coming from. Is it due to competitors dropping out - if so, why is AHT immune?
The possibility of a "takeover" could slew the sp, but their RNS seem to say "Turnover on the Up" - however, apart from the UK-based Olympics (soon to stop construction), what good news is there in the UK? (Oh, yes, Crossrail to move folks to the Olympic site that can't get there by public transport already).
Maybe High-speed rail - but in my experience, any LT hire it is cheaper to "buy", esp as manufacturers might do a BOGOF style deal, to shift plant/ Selling to AHT is not something they should want to do.
+ The yield is pretty poor.

StockMarketWire.com
Equipment rental group Ashtead unveils record underlying pre-tax profits of £84.4m in the six months to the end of October - up 197% on last time.

Underlying operating profits were up 75% at £109.6m and revenues rose 24% to £575.5m.

Pre-tax profits on a statutory basis increased by 271% to £82.9m and the interim dividend rises 7.5% to 1.0p per share.

Chief executive Geoff Drabble said: "We are delighted to report record first half pre-tax profits of £84m in end markets which remain well below previous peaks.

"Market share gains, the on-going structural shift to rental in the US and operational efficiency meant we delivered a very strong performance across a broad range of metrics despite end construction markets being at a cyclical low point.

"This is encouraging for both the short-term, where we expect a continuation of current trends, and the longer term where, when cyclical recovery comes, we expect to benefit significantly.

"With our robust debt structure, substantial capacity to fund fleet growth and the well-established momentum in the business we now anticipate a full year profit substantially ahead of our earlier expectations."

Ashtead , the industrial equipment hire business, will reveal its full-year results on Thursday. At its third-quarter results in March, business that hires out equipment ranging from hand tools to heavy plant, posted a record pre-tax profit of £21m. Profits swelled as tight finances pushed consumers towards renting rather than buying expensive equipment. At the time, Ashtead said it was expecting full-year profit to significantly exceed earlier expectations. Analysts are anticipating annual pre-tax profits of about £122m compared to £31m last time. Jefferies analysts retained their “buy” on Ashtead ahead of results, pointing to an increase in equipment rental in the US and a recovery in rental rates.

We operate mainly in the US and UK, under the brand names Sunbelt Rentals and A-Plant.



Sunbelt Rentals A-Plant

Description The second largest equipment rental business in the US, Sunbelt continues to increase its market share rapidly. Sunbelt has 361 locations operating in major metropolitan centres across the US. The third largest equipment rental company in the UK with 109 locations nationwide, operating in a mature, stable market.

Employees 6,283
1,949

Principal operating regions US UK

LTM revenues to 31 January 2012 $1,451m
(£907m)
£183m

LTM operating
profit to 31 January 2012
$263m
(£164m) £5m




Ashtead provides rental solutions in all manner of situations including:

•Non residential construction markets - providing all types of construction equipment
•Facilities management - again providing all types of equipment for maintenance and repair rather than new construction
•Disaster relief - providing pumps and power generation equipment in all types of application ranging from assistance at times of flooding due to weather (e.g. following storms/hurricanes) to a burst water supply
•Major event management - providing power generation, lighting and other equipment for events such as the Super Bowl and other sporting events, major music concerts and festivals
•Traffic management - providing portable traffic systems to facilitate major engineering projects or clean-up after an accident

Final Results




Highlights



· Record Group pre-tax profit2 for the year of £131m (2011: £31m)

· Group EBITDA margins of 34% (2011: 30%)

· £476m of capital invested in the business

· Group RoI, including goodwill, grew to 12% (2011: 7%)

· Net debt to EBITDA leverage reduced to 2.2 times (2011: 2.7 times)

· Proposed final dividend of 2.5p making 3.5p for the year (2011: 3.0p)





http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4392659

Ashtead profits soar
StockMarketWire.com
Equipment rental group Ashtead reported record pretax profit for the year to end-April of £131m (2011: £31m), with total dividend up to 3.5p from 3p.

Group EBITDA margins were 34% (2011: 30%).

£476m of capital was invested in the business in the year.

Group RoI, including goodwill, grew to 12% (2011: 7%).

Net debt to EBITDA leverage was reduced to 2.2 times (2011: 2.7 times)

Ashtead proposed a final dividend of 2.5p making 3.5p for the year (2011: 3.0p).

CEO, Geoff Drabble, commented: 'We are delighted to report record Group profits, encouragingly delivered against a backdrop of end construction markets remaining at historically low levels.

'This performance demonstrates the success of our largely organic investment strategy and our ability to generate significant revenue growth from market share gains and translate this into stronger margins through improved operational efficiency.

'The momentum we have established, and the flexibility provided by our strong balance sheet, allows us to anticipate further growth with or without end market recovery. As a result, it is likely that our profits in the coming year will be ahead of our previous expectations.'

..Ashtead raises guidance

AHT.L 264.00 +13.60

......
LONDON (ShareCast) - Ashtead Group (LSE: AHT.L - news) , the construction equipment leasing firm, has reported record profits as tight cost control and strong demand in the US helped the firm beat analyst expectations. In the 12 months to the end of April revenue improved by 20% compared to the previous year, hitting £1,135m, reflecting a strong performance from the US division known as Sunbelt Rentals. The full year figure was just ahead of the consensus forecast of £1,120m. The revenue growth, cost control, lower net financing costs and several business improvement programmes combined to generate underlying pre-tax profits of £131m compared to just £31m in the prior year and better than the £122.4m the market had been expecting. The firm notes that "exchange rate fluctuations did not have a significant effect on year-on-year comparisons." Ashtead is split into US and British operations. Sunbelt Rentals is by far the bigger outfit, generating revenues of £945.7m against £782.7m in 2010/2011. It is the second biggest company of its type in the United States. In Britain, Ashtead's operations run under the A-Plant brand, which is the third biggest equipment rental firm in the UK; its revenue contribution was £188.9m versus £165.8m. Interestingly, Sunbelt's margin was 35.9% while A-Plant only achieved 26.2% and that comes in the context of ongoing difficulties in the US construction market. Ashtead's Chief Executive, Geoff Drabble, said of the results: "We are delighted to report record group profits, encouragingly delivered against a backdrop of end construction markets remaining at historically low levels. "The momentum we have established, and the flexibility provided by our strong balance sheet, allows us to anticipate further growth with or without end market recovery. As a result, it is likely that our profits in the coming year will be ahead of our previous expectations." Ashtead shares had risen 6.3% by 8:43. Over the last 10 years the stock has gained 440% in value, the FTSE 100 (Euronext: VFTSE.NX - news) has risen just 21.4%. BS

..

..Questor share tip: Ashtead benefits from constrained construction budgets

By Garry White | Telegraph – 10 minutes ago

Plant-hire group Ashtead posted full-year profits that were 6pc ahead of market expectations. There could be more outperformance ahead. Questor says buy.

Ashtead 252p Questor says BUY

Ashtead hires construction equipment and has tapped into a trend of companies renting rather than buying plant in order to preserve their cash. It also continued to invest through the downturn, despite a slump in construction.

The group operates as Sunbelt in the US and A-Plant in the UK. The lion’s share of its revenues more than 80pc are generated across the Atlantic (Stuttgart: A0J3C9 - news) , so a US market recovery is very important for Ashtead. The company has also seen benefits from the shale-gas boom.

The company has one of the largest market shares of the fragmented US market and smaller rivals have had difficulty investing in their businesses. This has given Ashtead an edge.

In the year to April, revenues rose by 21pc to £1.13bn and pre-tax profits jumped to £135m from £1.7m.

This demonstrates the company’s leverage to any improvement in the construction market as it has a relatively high fixed-cost base. Despite these costs and the continued investment, the company was always profitable during the financial crisis.

The total dividend is 3.5p, with the final payment of 2.5p slated for September 7. The shares trade without this payment from August 15 and the prospective yield in the current year is 1.4pc.

Trading on a current year earnings multiple of 13.3, falling to 11, the shares are at a premium to its US-listed peer United Rentals (Frankfurt: 911443 - news) . However, upgrades are likely, as is more infrastructure spending. Buy.

..

Good interest in this share today, up 6%

Moving up nicely. Very large after hours buy tonight.
Just sitting under a 52 week high and a all time high.

Performing very well, another large buy after the bell

AHT

Taken a long position here (have a few tranches). Was on verge of a breakout (still is) and results on the 4th of September which could be rather solid. Might push it through the 52 week high.

Brokers well and truly behind AHT.

P/E of just 13.2 to 2013 and EPS rise of 35.7%

Rather cheap imo.

Ashtead Group PLC

FORECASTS 2013 2014
Date Rec Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Panmure Gordon [A]
27-08-12 BUY 160.00 20.30 3.80 180.00 22.70 4.24
Westhouse Securities [A]
23-08-12 BUY
Peel Hunt [A]
15-08-12 BUY 159.99 20.19 3.90 185.58 23.20 4.30
Seymour Pierce [A]
02-07-12 BUY 167.10 21.80 186.30 24.30
Canaccord Genuity Ltd
27-06-12 None 163.50 20.70 3.85 200.70 25.40 4.24
Numis Securities Ltd [A]
20-06-12 BUY 149.60 19.50
Investec Securities [A]
07-12-11 BUY 102.49 13.21 3.31 120.04 15.47 3.47

2013 2014
Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)
Consensus 163.50 20.70 3.85 200.70 25.40 4.24
1 Month Change 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
3 Month Change 20.24 2.52 0.28 29.10 3.00 0.24

Notes to forecasts
(21 Jun 2012) A flag refers to outlook


GROWTH
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)
Norm. EPS 360.00% 35.77% 22.70%
DPS 4.78% 25.41% 10.13%

INVESTMENT RATIOS
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)

EBITDA £370.60m £m £m
EBIT £167.70m £221.00m £263.20m
Dividend Yield 1.12% 1.41% 1.55%
Dividend Cover 4.97x 5.38x 5.99x
PER 17.92x 13.20x 10.76x
PEG 0.05f 0.37f 0.47f
Net Asset Value PS 28.64p p p

Some Bullish Broker target SPs
for AHT..........

Ashtead Group Broker Views
Date Broker Recommendation Price Old target price New target price Notes

24 Aug Oriel Securities Buy 276.35 284.00 - Retains
18 Jul Oriel Securities Buy 276.35 284.00 284.00 Retains
18 Jul Jefferies International Buy 276.35 320.00 320.00 Reiterates
13 Jul Credit Suisse Outperform 276.35 316.00 316.00 Reiterates
13 Jul UBS Buy 276.35 340.00 340.00 Retains

1st Quarter Results


Highlights



· Record Q1 pre-tax profits1 of £61m, up 76% at constant exchange rates

· Sunbelt's rental revenue increases17%

· Group EBITDA margins rise to 40% (2011: 35%)

· Long-term debt refinanced giving significantly lower cost and longer maturities

· Board now anticipates a full year result materially ahead of its previous expectations



http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4438221

Excelent results.

Ashtead saw shares jump after saying this morning that full-year results will be "materially ahead of our previous expectations". Underlying profit before tax in the first quarter rose 82% year-on-year while underlying revenues gained 21%.

"Given this early stage of the recovery, we see further outperformance from re-rating as well as scope for further positive earnings surprises," said analyst Andrew Nussey from Peel Hunt.

Well done here chaps :-)

Dream day here on a rotten market day.

Broker view
Bhaven Patel, senior trader at Accendo Markets, said Ashtead's position at the top of the FTSE 250 on Tuesday morning comes as little surprise given the delivery of stellar results and extra sparkle with yet another rise in full-year profit guidance.

"The share price rise of +40% in the past year comes amidst uncertainty in manufacturing sectors around the world - however, given that companies are more likely to rent rather than buy expensive equipment, conditions have been well suited. If Federal Reserve stimulus measures and US election promises are made to boost industrial production Stateside, there may be no stopping the realisation of the 'American Dream' for the UK company," he commented.

Analysts Paul Jones and Mike Allen at Panmure Gordon held their 'buy' recommendation and upped their target price from 317p to 344p. Meanwhile, Jefferies lifted its target from 360p to 320p as it maintained its 'buy' stance

Ashtead Chairman buys shares after Q1 results
By Benjamin Chiou

Date: Tuesday 04 Sep 2012


Chris Cole, the non-executive Chairman at plant-hire group Ashtead, raised his stake in the firm on the same day that the company revealed it would beat its initial forecasts for the full year.

Cole purchased 30,000 shares of the FTSE 250 firm at 315p each for a total of £94,500. The transaction brings his total shareholding to 132,082, equal to 0.02% of the issued share capital.

Ashtead saw shares jump nearly 12% on Tuesday after saying that full-year results will be "materially ahead of our previous expectations".

Underlying profit before tax in the first quarter rose 82% year-on-year while underlying revenues gained 21%.

"Given this early stage of the recovery, we see further outperformance from re-rating as well as scope for further positive earnings surprises," said analyst Andrew Nussey from Peel Hunt.


Top Director Buys

Ashtead Group (AHT)
Director name: Mr Christopher Cole
Amount purchased: 30,000 @ 315.00p
Value: £94,500

Tempus also notes the impressive fortunes of construction equipment rental firm Ashtead. It moved into the US market in 2006, just before all hell broke loose during the financial crisis. But the US division (SunBelt) is raking in revenues at an extraordinary rate (17% up in the first quarter) because US builders don’t want to buy their own equipment with the market in such dire shape. Analysts are now busy lifting full-year targets and the group has even begun paying an interim dividend. Trading at 14 times earnings Tempus says buy.

MIDAS UPDATE: Shares in Ashtead Group double since our tipBy Joanne Hart
PUBLISHED: 22:33, 8 September 2012 | UPDATED: 22:33, 8 September 2012
Comments (0) Share

..Shares in Ashtead Group have more than doubled since September 2011, when Midas last looked at the stock.

Back then, they were 1401⁄2p. Today they are 3313⁄4p and should continue to rise.

The company said last week that trading was extremely encouraging in the three months to July 31 and results for the full year should be materially above analysts’ expectations.


Hire: Ashtead is the second largest equipment rental group in the America
Brokers have increased their forecasts and are enthusiastic about the company’s prospects. Ashtead does what Vp used to do – plant hire for the construction industry.

There is one big difference, however. Ashtead has a huge business in America, where it is the second largest equipment rental group in the country.


Construction has been badly hit by the economic downturn in the US, too, but certain trends are under way in the industry, which mean that Ashtead is still doing incredibly well.

In Britain, 75 per cent of building equipment is rented out and a few large, well-established businesses dominate the market. In America, contractors have traditionally bought their own gear.
In 2001, only 20 per cent of equipment was rented. By 2007, that had doubled to 40 per cent, it now sits at about 45 per cent and is expected to continue creeping up over the coming years.
Contractors are realising the benefits of hiring machinery as and when they need it and also see the advantages of using new or almost new equipment.
The US rental market is extremely fragmented, however, and many operators are small, independent firms that are finding it increasingly difficult to buy new products.

Ashtead, as a large, established business, is gaining market share from these smaller companies and in the three months to July, pre-tax profits surged 76 per cent to £61.4million.

Almost all of the growth came from the group’s American business, a pattern that is expected to continue for the next two to three years. Brokers raised profit forecasts for the year to next March from about £160million before last week’s trading update to more than £185million now. That compares with £130 million for the year to last March.

Midas verdict: Midas first looked at Ashtead in April 2007, when the shares were 156p. Last September, they were 1401⁄2p and we suggested sticking with them. Investors who did have been well rewarded and may wish to sell 30 per cent of their stock and bank some profits while the going is good. But they would be wise to keep most of their shares, as this company should continue to deliver for at least another couple of years.

Any investors got any views on this company, reading the above they should continue doing well for a few more years. Then you have sell recommendations due to the company reporting record trading in its first quarter to july. They have always run side by side of united rentals and they have announced results missing market expectations.
The worry is that the softer outlook for the second half that has hit united, will it hit
Ashtead. Hmmmmmmmmmmm decisions?

Sold my holding in AHT.

Up 5.4% today.

AHT Ashtead.

Sorry if this has already been posted.

Ashtead upgraded by Panmure Gordon

Panmure Gordon has upgraded its recommendation on the industrial equipment hire firm Ashtead [LON:AHT] to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ after the company reported better than expected first half results.

The City broker has increased its share price target by 30 per cent to 447 pence from 344 pence.

Broker Forecasts consensus data shows a massive 93 per cent of brokers have positive / buy recommendation on the stock with the remainder maintaining a neutral stance.

Analyst Paul Jones said: “Following some sparkling first half results we increase our full year forecasts for both this year and next.

“Ashtead has some clear momentum going into the second half, even before the benefits of additional hurricane-related work, and strategic moves made over the last 3 years are clearly paying off.

“This is before any potentially additional benefits if US GDP (and particularly residential construction) recovers with any menace.

“We increase our target price to 447 pence (from 344 pence) and switch our hold recommendation back to buy.”

AHT Ashtead

A full pack of broker Buys thats
rare these days.......

Forward P/E of just 12.9 to 2014,
looks very cheap given actual P/E was
25.6 for 2012.

Ashtead Group PLC

FORECASTS 2013 2014
Date Rec Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Panmure Gordon [A]
12-12-12 BUY 206.00 26.00 5.20 236.00 29.80 5.96
Peel Hunt [A]
11-12-12 BUY 185.00 23.58 4.10 208.03 26.00 4.50
Canaccord Genuity Ltd
11-12-12 BUY 186.30 23.50 4.00 225.00 28.30 4.50
Seymour Pierce
11-12-12 BUY 218.80 28.50 3.90 246.00 32.10 4.20
Numis Securities Ltd [R]
10-12-12 BUY 149.60 19.50
Westhouse Securities [A]
06-12-12 BUY

2013 2014
Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Consensus 202.55 26.00 3.95 235.50 30.20 4.35
1 Month Change 7.49 0.91 -0.05 13.80 1.73 -0.15
3 Month Change 8.62 1.11 0.00 13.38 1.75 -0.00

Notes to forecasts
(04 Sep 2012) A flag refers to outlook


GROWTH
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)

Norm. EPS 360.00% 70.54% 16.15%
DPS 4.78% 28.66% 10.13%

INVESTMENT RATIOS
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)

EBITDA £370.60m £482.60m £542.35m
EBIT £167.70m £252.95m £285.10m
Dividend Yield 0.78% 1.01% 1.11%
Dividend Cover 4.97x 6.58x 6.94x
PER 25.65x 15.04x 12.95x
PEG 0.07f 0.21f 0.80f
Net Asset Value PS 28.64p 170.80p 212.40p

Hemscott Premium.

Well done on these those long - I've had them on my list for a while, but never got around to them!

From this mornings UBS Broker breakfast note.......

􀂄 Current Most Preferred List Our European Small and Mid Caps Most Preferred List now comprises: Arbonia Forster (Buy, PT CHF30), Ashtead (Buy,
PT 470p), Flughafen Zürich (Buy, PT CHF480), Moneysupermarket (Buy, PT 170p) NH Hoteles (Buy, PT €3.5)and Spectris (Buy, PT 2300p).

ASHTEAD SP TARGET 470P

Still time Skinny, broker forcasts are huge.

AHT ASHTEAD GROUP PLC

Companys with a BUY note on
AHT and SP Targets.

Date Company Name Broker Rec. Price Old target price New target price Notes

13 Dec Ashtead Group PLC UBS Buy 0.00 470.00 470.00 Retains
12 Dec Ashtead Group PLC HB Markets Buy 0.00 - - Reiterates
12 Dec Ashtead Group PLC Barclays Capital Overweight 0.00 352.00 434.00 Retains
11 Dec Ashtead Group PLC Panmure Gordon Buy 0.00 344.00 447.00 Upgrades
11 Dec Ashtead Group PLC Prime Markets Buy 0.00 420.00 420.00 Reiterates
11 Dec Ashtead Group PLC Peel Hunt Buy 0.00 - 400.00 Reiterates
11 Dec Ashtead Group PLC Investec Buy 0.00 475.00 475.00 Retains
11 Dec Ashtead Group PLC Seymour Pierce Buy 0.00 460.00 460.00 Reiterates
03 Dec Ashtead Group PLC Bank of America Merrill Lynch Buy 0.00 - 460.00 Initiates/Starts

NORWICH & PETERBOROUGH BUILDING SOCIETY

A late comer here , sold half today +27.

Hey skinny a profit is a profit.

Looks like you did well.

Unfortunately, they've been on my watch list since August, but I've only recently bought.

Results Tuesday I think , might sell Monday had a good run on these and that's a bloody big cliff to fall off.

Decisions decisions !

Don't fall.

Jump!

8-)


Looks fully valued.

3rd Quarter Results

Highlights

· Strong momentum continued with 26% revenue growth1 in the quarter, giving 19% for the nine months to date

· Record nine month pre-tax profit2 of £194m (2012: £105m)

· Group nine month EBITDA margin rises to 39% (2012: 35%)

· Net debt to EBITDA leverage1 reduced to 2.2 times (2012: 2.5 times)

· Board anticipates full year profit ahead of its earlier expectations

Closed the remainder.

Panmure Gordon Buy 566.00 524.50 447.00 626.00 Upgrades

Oriel Securities Buy 566.00 524.50 550.00 550.00 Retains

Cantor Fitzgerald (formerly Seymour Pierce) Buy 566.00 524.50 500.00 600.00 Reiterates

I'm out too now.

Probably keep running to 700p knowing my luck.

Gone long here after those non farm pay rolls figures from US

Already nearly breaking even.

Final Results

Highlights

· Momentum continued in Q4 with Sunbelt rental revenue up 23%

· Record Group pre-tax profit2 for the year of £247m (2012: £131m)

· Group EBITDA margins of 38% (2012: 34%)

· £580m of capital invested in the business

· Group RoI of 16% (2012: 12%)

· Net debt to EBITDA leverage reduced to 2.0 times (2012: 2.2 times)

· Proposed final dividend of 6.0p making 7.5p for the year (2012: 3.5p)

Brilliant trading update today.

looking for recent high and more.

20 Jun 2013 Ashtead Group PLC AHT Investec Buy 643.50 627.00 800.00 800.00 Retains

Ashtead FY Results: Initial broker reaction
20th June 2013, 15:05

Equipment rental firm Ashtead [LON:AHT] published a strong set of fourth quarter and full-year results today, which highlighted record group pre-tax profit for the year of £247 million versus £131 million for 2012.

On the back of an increasingly positive outlook, the group has proposed a final dividend of 6.0 pence per share, bringing the dividend for the year to 7.5 pence, versus 3.5 pence for 2012.

Canaccord Genuity explained, in a note to its clients today, that the fourth quarter results were better than expected and that it “reinforces our [the brokers] view that forecast risk remains to the upside.”

Canaccord has reaffirmed its ‘buy’ recommendation, leaving its price target unchanged at 710 pence per share.

Meanwhile, Investec considered the results to be very strong and commented: “This remains a key pick in the sector for us given our view that FY14 will be the first full-year that we see both structural growth and the cyclical recovery operating in tandem.”

Investec repeated its ‘buy’ rating and left its target price unchanged at 800 pence per share.

In terms of the wider view held by the City’s analysts, Broker Forecasts consensus data highlights overwhelming support for the stock, with 92 per cent of brokers rating the shares as either a ‘buy’ or ‘strong buy’.

At 3:02pm: Ashtead Group share price was up 28 pence at 655 pence

Brokers seem to like AHT...... Some still
to update after yesterdays fantastic
trading update....

Date Company Name Broker Rec. Price Old target price New target price Notes

21 Jun 13 Ashtead Group PLC JP Morgan Cazenove Neutral 655.50 - - Reiterates
20 Jun 13 Ashtead Group PLC Canaccord Genuity Buy 655.50 710.00 710.00 Reiterates
20 Jun 13 Ashtead Group PLC Investec Buy 655.50 800.00 800.00 Retains
12 Jun 13 Ashtead Group PLC Jefferies International Buy 655.50 690.00 690.00 Reiterates
10 Jun 13 Ashtead Group PLC Credit Suisse Outperform 655.50 850.00 - Reiterates
03 Jun 13 Ashtead Group PLC Citigroup Buy 655.50 660.00 750.00 Reiterates
17 Apr 13 Ashtead Group PLC Jefferies International Buy 655.50 615.00 690.00 Reiterates


N@P building Society.

AHT Ashtead Group PLC looks rather cheapish, forward P/E of just 16.5 2015 falling to P/E 14.9 2016. Ive gone long in another tranche.

AHT Ashtead Group PLC

Ashtead Group PLC


FORECASTS

2015 2016
Date Rec Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Panmure Gordon
18-08-14 BUY 430.00 54.50 13.60 510.00 64.70 15.80
Peel Hunt LLP
18-08-14 BUY 435.00 54.37 12.00 499.96 61.32 14.00
Cantor Fitzgerald Europe [R]
07-08-14 BUY 317.30 40.30 4.70
Investec Securities
23-07-14 BUY 450.00 55.27 13.04 500.00 61.42 14.98
Westhouse Securities
19-12-13 BUY
Numis Securities Ltd [R]
10-12-13 ADD 400.20 51.70
Canaccord Genuity Ltd [A]
20-06-13 BUY 333.60 41.90 7.60 389.20 48.70 8.70

2015 2016
Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Consensus 438.16 54.70 12.88 499.98 61.37 14.98
1 Month Change -0.21 -0.01 -0.00 0.00 -0.00 0.00
3 Month Change 27.15 2.83 0.44 54.98 5.34 1.48
Notes to forecasts
(04 Sep 2013) A Flag refers to outlook

GROWTH
2014 (A) 2015 (E) 2016 (E)
Norm. EPS 71.94% 32.64% 12.18%
DPS 106.25% 56.06% 16.35%

INVESTMENT RATIOS
2014 (A) 2015 (E) 2016 (E)
EBITDA £668.60m £791.28m £879.98m
EBIT £382.90m £371.20m £m
Dividend Yield 0.90% 1.40% 1.63%
Dividend Cover 5.00x 4.25x 4.10x
PER 22.25x 16.77x 14.95x
PEG 0.31f 0.51f 1.23f
Net Asset Value PS 74.48p p p

AHT ASHTEAD, very sensitive to movements on the DOW. Equipment rental company derives 84 pct of revenues from US.

AHT....... Fifteen analysts cover stock: sentiment bullish with nine "strong buy" and six "buy".

if the premise above is correct, then this one should open significantly higher this morning, especially as $ remains strong against £

It has!

AHT ASHTEAD bouncing off the 200 day EMA, Bullish sign, MACD well oversold.

Dead Cat Bounce or panic over?

more likely DCB all round i'm afraid

Announcement of Q2 Results
Ashtead Group plc announces that its second quarter results for the period
ended 31 October 2014 will be announced on Wednesday, 10 December 2014.

StockMarketWire.com
Ashtead Group posts record first half pre-tax profits of £266.5m - up 33% at constant exchange rates.

Group rental revenues rose by 24% to £895.6m and underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation increased by 31% to £455.5m as group EBITDA margin improved to 46% (2013: 43%).

Chief executive Geoff Drabble said "We continue to execute on our strategy, focused on organic growth supplemented by bolt-on acquisitions. We invested £588m in capital expenditure and a further £107m on bolt-on acquisitions in the period. Given the profitable growth opportunities evident in our markets, we are increasing our full year guidance for capital expenditure to a range of £925m to £975m.

"Even with these significant levels of investment, we continue to grow responsibly, generating strong returns and maintaining leverage within our stated objectives.

"With both divisions performing well, recovering end markets, and a proven track record of market share gains, we now anticipate a full year result ahead of our previous expectations."

This share has been rewarding for me, but DYOH.

==-=-=-=-=

Holding(s) in Company

PRNW



Ashtead Group plc

20 January 2015

This share has been rewarding for me, but DYOH!

Ashtead Group plc announces it has been advised that on 15 January 2015 Abrams
Bison Investments LLC was interested in a total of 25,350,000 of the Group's
shares (or 5.04% of its share capital).

Enquiries:

Eric Watkins
Company Secretary
020 7726 9700

StockMarketWire.com
Ashtead posts record underlying pre-tax profits of £489.6m for the year to the end of April - up 35% at constant exchange rates.

Rental revenues rose by 24% to £1,837.6m and EBITDA increased by 32% to £1,837.6m.

On a statutory basis, pre-tax profits were up 33% at £473.8m.

Chief executive Geoff Drabble said: "2014/15 was another very successful year for Ashtead. The consistent execution of our well-established strategy focused on organic growth supplemented by bolt-on acquisitions has delivered both excellent financial results and significantly enhanced our geographic footprint and the breadth of the markets we serve.

"Our financial performance speaks for itself with Sunbelt and A-Plant achieving rental revenue growth of 25% and 19% respectively. Underlying Group pre-tax profit rose 35% to £490m and we generated a strong return on investment of 19%.

"We invested £1bn in the rental fleet and £236m on bolt-on acquisitions during the year. We expect to again invest around £1bn in capital expenditure in the coming year and we will continue to open greenfield locations and make bolt-on acquisitions to further broaden our market exposure. This growth will, as always, be undertaken responsibly and we will maintain our leverage at, or below, two times EBITDA.

"Our markets continue to provide both structural and cyclical opportunity. The business model established over recent years has a track record of exploiting these opportunities and we are supported by a strong balance sheet. Therefore the Board looks forward to the medium term with confidence."

Any reason for drop in price today?

3 Dec Investec 1,500.00 Buy
3 Dec Exane BNP... 1,100.00 Neutral
2 Dec Peel Hunt 1,450.00 Buy
24 Nov Jefferies... 1,385.00 Buy
3 Nov Jefferies... 1,385.00 Buy

Not expected

UP 8.44%


Ashtead profits up

StockMarketWire.com

Ashtead Group's underlying pre-tax profits rose by 21% to £342.7m in the six months to the end of October.

Underlying EBITDA rose 22% to £591.8m and earnings per share rose by 25% to 45.1p.

On a statutory basis, pre-tax profits were 20% up at £331.9m and earnings per share 24% higher at 43.7p. Revenues of £1,267.5m were up 21%.

Chief executive, Geoff Drabble said: "I am pleased to be able to report another strong quarter resulting in underlying pre-tax profits of £343m for the six months, up 21% at constant exchange rates on the prior year. Even with significant levels of investment, we continue to grow responsibly, generating strong returns and maintaining leverage within our stated objectives. Group RoI was a healthy 19% and our leverage reduced to 1.9 times EBITDA.

"We continue to execute on our strategy to diversify the markets we serve, both in terms of geography and sector. Sunbelt's 22% rental only revenue growth demonstrates clearly the benefits of this strategy and the overall health of our broader markets. We invested £696m in capital expenditure and opened 38 new locations in the US. Given the profitable growth opportunities evident in our markets, we are increasing our full year guidance for capital expenditure to c. £1.1bn.

"With both divisions performing well, strong end markets and our strategy clearly working, we now anticipate a full year result ahead of our previous expectations and the Board looks forward to the medium term with confidence."

StockMarketWire.com
Ashtead Group reports strong third quarter results taking underlying pre-tax profits to GBP482m for the first nine months of the year - up 20% at constant exchange rates.

Group rental revenue rose by 17% to GBP1,675.5m and EBITDA increased by 21% to GBP869.2m.

Chief executive Geoff Drabble said: "The Group delivered another strong quarter resulting in underlying pre-tax profits of £482m for the nine months, up 20% at constant exchange rates on the prior year. We continue to grow responsibly, generating strong returns and maintaining leverage within our stated objectives. Group RoI was a healthy 19% and our leverage reduced to 1.9 times EBITDA. Our continued success demonstrates both the strength of our strategy and the overall health of the markets we serve.

"Looking forward, while we are watchful of the broader economic environment, we continue to see encouraging growth opportunities and expect double digit fleet growth in the US in 2016/17. As our fleet replacement expenditure naturally moderates, we enter a phase of the cycle where we anticipate both good earnings growth and significant cash generation. As a consequence our leverage will trend towards the lower end of our range of 1.5 to 2.0 times net debt to EBITDA which provides the Group with a high degree of flexibility and security.

"With both divisions performing well, strong end markets and our strategy clearly working, we expect full year results to be in line with our expectations and the Board looks forward to the medium term with confidence."

Why the drop?

The dollar is up against the pound.

Good results?

"To the downside, Ashtead (AHT) led with a dive of 10.77% to 824.5p despite reporting a strong Q3 and expecting FY results to be in line with its expectations. Barclays (BARC), down 6.09% to 161.58p, has improved the FY pretax profit in its core business, but posted a lower statutory pretax profit of GBP2.07bn, down 8%."

StockMarketWire.com
Ashtead Group posts underlying pre-tax profits of £645m for the year to the end of April - up 24% at constant exchange rates.

Group rental revenue rose 17% to £2,260.3m and underlying EBITDA increased buy 23% to £1,177.6m.

The proposed final dividend of 18.5p takes the total to 22.5p - up 48% (2015: 15.25p).

Chief executive, Geoff Drabble, commented: "2015/16 was another very successful year for Ashtead with Group rental revenue increasing 17% and underlying pre-tax profit up 24% to £645m at constant exchange rates.

"We continue to deliver on our well-established strategy of organic growth, supplemented by bolt-on acquisitions. We have broadened both our geographic footprint and the markets we serve and the benefits of this diversification are evident, both in our financial performance and our market share gains.

"Particularly encouraging is the continued improvement in our margins, with Group EBITDA margins now a record 46%. These strong margins, together with the natural moderation of our replacement fleet expenditure, mean we are entering a phase where we anticipate both good earnings growth and significant free cash flow generation. We therefore have the flexibility to continue both to invest in our long-term structural growth opportunity and enhance returns to shareholders. As a consequence, we have announced today both a proposed 48% increase in our full year dividend to 22.5p and a share buyback of up to £200m. As always, we will continue to grow responsibly and will operate within our 1.5 to 2.0 times net debt to EBITDA range.

"We have seen a good seasonal upward trend in fleet on rent throughout the Spring which has continued into the new financial year. Our end markets remain strong, the structural drivers are still in place and we have a strong balance sheet which allows us to execute our plans responsibly. As a consequence, the Board continues to look to the medium term with confidence."

Doing very nicely:



Ashtead profits up

StockMarketWire.com

Ashtead Group reports a a strong first half results with underlying operating profits up 9% at �474.4m.

On a statutory basis, revenues were up 8% at �1,551.7m and pre-tax profits rose by 9% to �413.3m.

Highlights

- Group rental revenue up 13%1 - First half underlying pre-tax profit2 of �426m, up 9% at constant exchange rates - Group EBITDA margins at a record 49% (2015: 47%) - Group RoI of 18% (2015: 19%)



- Net debt to EBITDA leverage of 1.8 times (2015: 1.9 times) - Interim dividend raised 19% to 4.75p per share (2015: 4.0p) Chief executive Geoff Drabble said: "The Group delivered a strong quarter with reported rental revenue increasing 28% (13% at constant exchange rates) for the six months and underlying pre-tax profit of �426m. The underlying performance of the business continues to benefit from a clear and consistent strategy of organic growth supplemented by bolt-on acquisitions. In the six months, the reported results were positively impacted by weaker sterling (�53m) but this was partially offset by the impact of lower gains on fleet disposals (�14m) as we reduced our replacement capital expenditure.

"I am pleased with the continued improvement in our margins - Group EBITDA margin is now a record 49% (2015: 47%). These healthy margins and our strong balance sheet provide flexibility to continue to invest in our long-term structural growth opportunity and enhance returns to shareholders.

"We continue to grow responsibly, adhering to the capital allocation priorities we have outlined. We have therefore invested �683m by way of capital expenditure and a further �142m on bolt-on acquisitions. With the continuing opportunity for profitable growth, we have increased our full year capital expenditure guidance. In addition, we spent �48m under the share buyback programme and increased the interim dividend by 19%. All of this was achieved whilst maintaining leverage well within our stated range of 1.5 to 2.0 times net debt to EBITDA. "Both divisions continue to perform at the upper end of expectations. This, together with the benefit of significantly weaker sterling, means we expect full year results to be ahead of our expectations and the Board continues to look to the medium term with confidence."





Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

StockMarketWire.com
Ashtead Group reports a a strong first half results with underlying operating profits up 9% at £474.4m.

On a statutory basis, revenues were up 8% at £1,551.7m and pre-tax profits rose by 9% to £413.3m.

Highlights
- Group rental revenue up 13%1 - First half underlying pre-tax profit2 of £426m, up 9% at constant exchange rates - Group EBITDA margins at a record 49% (2015: 47%) - Group RoI of 18% (2015: 19%)

- Net debt to EBITDA leverage of 1.8 times (2015: 1.9 times) - Interim dividend raised 19% to 4.75p per share (2015: 4.0p) Chief executive Geoff Drabble said: "The Group delivered a strong quarter with reported rental revenue increasing 28% (13% at constant exchange rates) for the six months and underlying pre-tax profit of £426m. The underlying performance of the business continues to benefit from a clear and consistent strategy of organic growth supplemented by bolt-on acquisitions. In the six months, the reported results were positively impacted by weaker sterling (£53m) but this was partially offset by the impact of lower gains on fleet disposals (£14m) as we reduced our replacement capital expenditure.

"I am pleased with the continued improvement in our margins - Group EBITDA margin is now a record 49% (2015: 47%). These healthy margins and our strong balance sheet provide flexibility to continue to invest in our long-term structural growth opportunity and enhance returns to shareholders.

"We continue to grow responsibly, adhering to the capital allocation priorities we have outlined. We have therefore invested £683m by way of capital expenditure and a further £142m on bolt-on acquisitions. With the continuing opportunity for profitable growth, we have increased our full year capital expenditure guidance. In addition, we spent £48m under the share buyback programme and increased the interim dividend by 19%. All of this was achieved whilst maintaining leverage well within our stated range of 1.5 to 2.0 times net debt to EBITDA. "Both divisions continue to perform at the upper end of expectations. This, together with the benefit of significantly weaker sterling, means we expect full year results to be ahead of our expectations and the Board continues to look to the medium term with confidence."

~£4m by two directors DYOR - at £15 - looks like they've done well . . . but why Sell now, ahead of Trump's arrival....maybe they expect some turmoil...? Or they know it's time to get out . . . sp=£15 is mighty high IMHO... with a very small yield.

goldfinger (3E) and mel on advfn have been saying for a while that this was a winner, and so it has most definitely proved today

as most of you guys spend all your time on this BB hurling insults at each other about brexit and other nonsense, there seems little point in expounding further on why AHT looks to be on a strong roll

Manuel,

Eat your heart out.

Bought October 2013.

😀

well done fred
i only bought this morning, and that is on my small trading a/c
nevertheless, it's already showing a very healthy profit

btw. manuel is currently in madrid :-)

Oh really?..work related obviously.

indeed .... appearing as a witness for the defense tomorrow ..... trip all paid for by my client

plaintiff's case is bordering on the vexatious i reckon

I hope you are sipping coffee in the Plaza Mayor.

A beautiful city, but a B. to drive a lorry through.

long walk to plaza mayor from my hotel, though i did so this morning and thence to mercado san miguel for a couple of tapas and beers

walked back through retiro park ..... very nice but frightfully formal rather like the tuileries in paris

Ashtead underlying earnings up 18%

StockMarketWire.com

Ashtead Group has reported a strong first quarter with rental revenue increasing 25% to £828.8m and underlying pre-tax profit up by 30% to £238m.

Underlying EBITDA rose by 18% to £431.1m.

On a statutory basis, revenues were up 16% at £880.1m and pre-tax profits rose by 19% to £228.9m.

Chief executive Geoff Drabble said: "The reported results were impacted favourably by weaker sterling but, with 17% growth in group rental revenue at constant exchange rates, we have continuing good momentum.

"Our end markets remain strong and a wide range of metrics have shown consistent improvement.

"We continue to execute well on our strategy through a combination of organic growth and bolt-on acquisitions.

"We made significant investments in the quarter, spending £377m on capital expenditure and £116m on bolt-on acquisitions.

"Our strong margins ensured that, despite these levels of investment, we remain comfortably within our target range for net debt to EBITDA of 1.5 to 2 times.

"A successful refinancing has provided us with a low cost, long-term platform for further responsible growth.

"At the end of the quarter both businesses were performing well, in line with expectations and with positive momentum.

"Hurricane season has already generated significant activity which will require a major clean-up effort and then a multi-year rebuild programme. Currently, our efforts are focused on supporting our colleagues, neighbours and customers and we stand ready to provide further assistance.

"It is too early to attempt to quantify the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma accurately on our business.

"However, it is evident that it will result in an increase in demand for our fleet and we will provide an update at the end of Q2.

"Looking forward, as a minimum, we expect that the impact will help to underpin the current market assumptions in our 2021 plan and therefore the Board continues to look to the medium term with confidence."





Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Looking very good for the future regarding the potential earnings from the hurricanes on paper Fred?

already hold these and AGK which should also be a significant beneficiary of the hurricane damage rebuilding

GREAT rns from this quarter has sent sp rocketing by 90p (4.5%)
glad i hold in sipp already and also bought a few to trade yesterday
a happy start to the day

=============

abbreviated .....

company to launch buyback program of at least GBP500m, up to GBP1b over next 18 months.
* 1H group rental revenue up 20% in constant currencies
* Underlying pretax profit GBP537m vs GBP426m
* Trading boosted by clean-up efforts following hurricanes

banked very nice profit on trading position ..... got a bit greedy so missed the top, but not fussed

tempted to buy back in
i think the fall has been heavily overdone ..... furthermore the chart indicates that a support level may have been hit - eg level itself and also just touching 50 ema (or dma = much the same)

==============

put money with mouth for a modest number on my trading a/c at 1904

TIDM: AHT

ASHTEAD GROUP PLC

NOTIFICATION OF TRANSACTIONS OF DIRECTORS/PERSONS DISCHARGING MANAGERIAL
RESPONSIBILITY AND CONNECTED PERSONS

Ashtead Group plc (the "Company") announces the following changes in the
interests of directors in ordinary shares of 10 pence each in the share capital
of the Company ("shares"):

On 12 December 2017, Geoff Drabble, Chief Executive, sold 941,940 shares at a
price of 2054 pence per share. Geoff Drabble continues to hold 392,219 shares
representing 0.079% of the Company's issued share capital. In addition, Geoff
Drabble holds 367,565 awards over shares pursuant to the Company's Long Term
Incentive Scheme.

On 12 December 2017, Suzanne Wood, Financial Director, sold 145,000 shares at a
price of 2046 pence per share. Suzanne Wood continues to hold 63,805 shares
representing 0.012% of the Company's issued share capital. In addition, Suzanne
Wood holds 164,418 awards over shares pursuant to the Company's Long Term
Incentive Scheme.

On 12 December 2017, Brendan Horgan, Chief Executive of Sunbelt, sold 175,000
shares at a price of 2040 pence per share. Brendan Horgan continues to hold
318,874 shares representing 0.064% of the Company's issued share capital. In
addition, Brendan Horgan holds 230,129 awards over shares pursuant to the
Company's Long Term Incentive Scheme.

Contact:

Eric Watkins 020 7726 9700



END

Please Note - Streaming News is only available to subscribers to the Active Level and above



Ashtead group pretax profit jumps 26%
StockMarketWire.com
Ashtead Group reported underlying pre-tax profits of £205.1m during the third quarter, up 26% from £178.7m in the prior period.

Rental revenues rose to £845.5m from £729.2m - up 24% at constant currencies - and EBITDA increased to £408.8m, up 20% from £366.9m.

On a statutory basis, revenues rose to £916.1m from £804.5m and pre-tax profits of £194.3m were up from £171.2m.

Nine month underlying pre-tax profit rose to £742m from £604.6m, while revenues of £2,619.5m were up 21% from £2,173.8m.

Ashtead's chief executive, Geoff Drabble, said: 'The Group continues to perform well and delivered another strong quarter with reported rental revenue increasing 21% for the nine months and underlying pre-tax profit increasing by 24% at constant currency to £742m.'

'Our end markets remain strong and a wide range of metrics have shown consistent improvement. We continue to execute well on our strategy through a combination of organic growth and bolt-on acquisitions, investing £859m by way of capital expenditure and £315m on bolt-on acquisitions in the period.'

'With the continuing opportunity for profitable growth, we expect capital expenditure for the year to be towards the upper end of our guidance (c. £1.2bn). Looking forward to 2018/19, we anticipate a similar level of capital expenditure to this year as we execute on our strategic plan through to 2021.'

'All our divisions continue to perform well in supportive end markets. While currency continues to be a headwind, we expect this to be mitigated by the strong underlying performance in North America. Therefore, we anticipate full year results to be line with prior expectations.'

-=--=--=-

What am I missing?

Maybe it's had a decent run since Sept and the figures disappointed? Otherwise there's something else hidden in the detail?

figures disappointed because they only met forecast and perhaps a bit of backwash from rubbish AGK numbers

stop loss in place at 1750 although pretty sure they will not go down that far.
If so then so be it as it has been a "good little earner" to date

sp finished -5.4% which is near the bottom of the day's range
good argument that the fall is overdone, but stay well aware that the market(s) remain unstable

StockMarketWire.com
Equipment hire group Ashtead said Tuesday underlying pre-tax profits rose by 21% in the year through April compared to the previous year supported by acquisitions and solid growth across its divisions.

In the 12 months to 30 April, underlying profit before tax rose 21% to £927.3m, group rental revenues rose 21% to £3.42bn and underlying earnings (EBITDA) rose by 19% to £1.73bn.

The upbeat performance was driven by strong growth in each of the company's divisions as Sunbelt US, A-Plant and Sunbelt Canada delivered 20%, 13% and 152% rental only revenue growth respectively.

The acquisition of CRS in August 2017 more than doubled the size of the Sunbelt Canada business as revenues grew to C$223m from C$77m the previous year.

On a statutory basis, revenues rose 20% at £3.71bn and pre-tax profits nearly doubled to £968.8m from £501.0m .

Ashtead proposed a final dividend of 27.5p, taking the total for the year to 33.0p, up 20% from 27.5p a year ago.

Capital expenditure for the year was £1,239m gross and £1,081m net of disposal proceeds, slightly higher than the £1,086m gross and £917m net seen last year.

'Looking forward, we anticipate a similar level of capital expenditure in 2018/19 consistent with our strategic plan. So, with all divisions performing well and a strong balance sheet to support our plans, the Board continues to look to the medium term with confidence,' saud Ashtead's chief executive, Geoff Drabble.

not a day to have disappointing results

Jefferies International Buy 2,333.50 2200.00 2750.00 Reiterates

StockMarketWire.com
Ashtead Group boosted its outlook on full-year profits and expanded its share buyback programme after reporting Tuesday pre-tax profits rose by more than fifth in fiscal first quarter as demand for tools and equipment remained strong.

'With the benefit of weaker sterling, we expect full year results to be ahead of our expectations and the Board continues to look to the medium term with confidence,' Ashtead said.

In the three months to 31 July, statutory profit before tax rose 23% to £274.4m, group revenues rose 22% to £1.05bn and underlying earnings (EBITDA) rose by 20% to £503.7m.

The upbeat performance was driven by strong growth in each of the company's divisions as Sunbelt US, A-Plant and Sunbelt Canada delivered 19%, 5% and 243% rental only revenue growth, respectively.

On a underlying basis, revenues rose 19% to £961m and pre-tax profits gained 23% to £285.6m from £238.5m .

The company said it would expand its buyback programme to £125m per quarter, resulting in a total outlay of £675m under the programme announced in December 2017.

'The programme would be extended for financial year 2019/20 with an anticipated spend of at least £500m,'

Maybe of interest to holders.

https://www.ii.co.uk/analysis-commentary/can-ashtead-shares-break-new-ground-time-ii506738/?&utm_source=IBMW&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=afternoon_newsletter_110918&utm_source=IBMW&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Afternoon%20round-up%20newsletter%20110918%20(1)&utm_content=&spMailingID=4096366&spUserID=MTIzOTQwMjM2Mjk3S0&spJobID=1110575531&spReportId=MTExMDU3NTUzMQS2

Harris Ass. adds https://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=6170624

AHT top pick in this weeks Shares magazine.

Mind you the article also says the yield is 19% which I assume should read 1.9% which would be some sort of prospective number??

Director adds big time https://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=6183863

it's a very good company, but sp does fly around a bit for no obvious reason
i hold in my sipp, though i do occasionally trade it as well, but assuredly not in the present climate

Yes Fred recommended AHT ages ago to me and your right not a good time to trade it.

fred also recommends JC and the militant hard left, so his recommendations are more than little suspect

Of dear there you go again telling fibs.

what fibs?

Broker Forecast - HSBC issues a broker note on Ashtead Group PLC.

HSBC today reaffirms its buy investment rating on Ashtead Group PLC (LON:AHT) and cut its price target to 2500p (from 2850p).

Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Broker Forecasts data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Ceo steps down https://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=6224919

Ceo steps down or https://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=6225326

Looking good https://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=6239810