Fairly recent broker note.....

Arbuthnot Securities said that the firm remains attractive "due to its firm base of contract-based and inherently defensive earnings". It continued to rate FirstGroup shares as a 'strong buy' with a 600p target price. The shares lost 16.8p to 398.3p.

Well, 600p is looking quite far right now. Shares down further 9.7p today at 388.25p. They seem very attractive in my view.

Brokers seem to like the stock (from hemscott premium)

FirstGroup PLC

FORECASTS 2010 2011
Date Rec Pre-tax () EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax () EPS (p) DPS (p)

Panmure Gordon
19-04-10 BUY 275.00 39.10 20.60 288.00 42.10 20.60

KBC Peel Hunt Ltd
16-04-10 HOLD 265.52 39.41 20.63 287.70 41.95 22.69

Charles Stanley
16-04-10 HOLD 264.00 38.50 20.70 324.00 47.00 22.50

Arbuthnot Securities
14-04-10 SBUY 273.54 39.80 20.70 282.39 40.70 20.70

Shore Capital
09-04-10 BUY 273.90 40.30 20.70 291.50 43.00 22.80

Investec Securities
26-03-10 SELL 270.22 38.72 20.63 305.71 43.87 21.66

Astaire Securities
23-02-10 None 262.00 40.10 20.60 268.00 40.40 22.70

Collins Stewart
24-12-09 BUY

Nomura Research Institute
01-07-09 NEUT 260.00 38.50 20.60 339.00 50.30 22.70

2010 2011
Pre-tax () EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax () EPS (p) DPS (p)

Consensus 269.36 39.43 20.67 290.39 42.00 22.50

1 Month Change -3.25 -0.24 0.05 -21.27 -3.28 -0.23
3 Month Change -3.65 -0.13 0.05 -26.37 -4.03 -0.22


GROWTH
2009 (A) 2010 (E) 2011 (E)

Norm. EPS 10.35% -24.70% 6.52%
DPS 10.11% 17.44% 8.85%

INVESTMENT RATIOS
2009 (A) 2010 (E) 2011 (E)

EBITDA 772.10m 745.18m 799.45m

EBIT 464.30m 463.46m 470.42m

Dividend Yield 4.64% 5.45% 5.94%

Dividend Cover 2.98x 1.91x 1.87x

PER 7.24x 9.61x 9.02x

PEG 0.70f -0.39f 1.38f

Net Asset Value PS -309.61p p p


Going into 2011 on a miserley P/E of just over 9 way too cheap imho.

16-04-10 16.04.10: -4.7, (370.6)

IC says Buy (374.5p): BULL POINTS Contract-backed bus and rail revenues - Growth potential in US school buses - Share rating low relative to peers - Nice dividend yield BEAR POINTS High debt - Greyhound under pressure.

Any views on these? I've been watching them for a few months - the chart isn't exactly inspiring, but the yield is starting to look attractive (6.52%).

A turn around today, with fair volume.

I am removing ALL my research from here due to the constant personal abuse, defamation and distortions of it posted by:

ptholden

hlyeo98

halifax

blackdown

kimoldfield

cynic


This bunch of abusive retards is the reason MoneyAM will NEVER have a forum worth reading.

I have reported them to support by they do nothing, either because they want to force me to PAY them for the Traders Room or because they are too lazy to do anything. Maybe the people in support are the ones perpetrating the abuse, so as to force people to pay for the premium boards. Either way the service is sh1te and a disgrace to the finance industry. No wonder there is nobody left here apart from morons.

I will continue posting my good research on boards that are run in accordance with FSA and LSE listing rules and the interests of the market, not here where ar5eh0les rule the boards and all decent research is buried under their piles of sh1te.

Another up day!

Will fall slightly after results next week ...but divi will compensate imho.

Results tomorrow.

Final Results.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY 12 MONTHS TO 31 MARCH 2011 2011 2010 Change

Continuing operations: restated4

Revenue 6,429.2m 6,261.9m +2.7%

Adjusted EBITDA1 778.2m 763.9m +1.9%

Operating profit 309.3m 364.2m (15.1)%

Adjusted operating profit2 457.4m 449.6m +1.7%

Profit before tax 127.2m 175.3m (27.4)%

Adjusted profit before tax2 275.0m 259.7m +5.9%

Basic EPS 21.4p 26.9p (20.4)%

Adjusted basic EPS2 41.2p 38.9p +5.9%

Proposed final dividend per share 15.0p 14.0p +7.1%

Net debt3 1,949.4m 2,281.5m (14.6)%

Gap upto previous support @360 - still holding.

Two upgrades today and gap filled (for now).

Just sold half for +53

Are you still trading this one skinny? Looks to have growth potential (approaching 52 wk low) plus divi.
Coming up to divi date on the 13th July '11.

Harry - yes for my sins. RBS came out with a buy and target price of 430p - probably the kiss of death. Yield still @6.72%

On edit - yes ex divi 13th July @15p 52 week low was/is 308.70

Am very tempted to have a flutter for the growth and the divi (Awesome yield).
Not really a sector I like very much though, but can't see anything bad lurking in the wings.

Last of the big spenders.

The FirstGroup plc Share Incentive Plan (the "Plan")

In common with all eligible employees, each of the executive directors of
FirstGroup plc ("the Company") and members of the Executive Management Board of
the Company (who the company regards as persons discharging managerial
responsibility (PDMRs) under the Listing rules), have been invited to apply for
Partnership Shares under the Plan on a monthly basis.

On 1 July 2011, in accordance with standing instructions for the Plan the
following share dealings took place:

Clive Burrows, a member of the Executive Management Board, chose to contribute
to purchase 29 Partnership Shares. The Company matched these shares with shares
on a two for three basis to the value of GBP20. Accordingly, Clive Burrow's
received 5 Matching Shares. Following these transactions, Clive Burrows'
beneficial holding is 82,495 shares.

The shares were purchased at a price of 343.69 pence per share.

4 July 2011

IN FOR DIV

I wish I was. Had to make a choice as not enough cash for all, so left out FGP. I think the sp may temporarily take a dive post divi, so opted to put my cash elsewhere. Good divi though.

These have been a little gem for me since April - not sure whether to move on now - hmmmmm.