Company website is www.admiralgroup.co.uk

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4:30pm today is sharebuying deadline for anyone wanting to qualify for the double dividend, worth 14.9p

Normal divi is 7.8p but there is an additional special divi this time of 7.1p

Juzzle Please explain what this means sorry I am a little slow
Thanks

Hi Frank. Which bit?

As with most dividend-paying stocks, twice yearly dividend goes to shareholders who are in possession of the stock at the qualifying date - ie ahead of the day it goes ex-dividend. XD date is usually a Wednesday, and tomorrow is the one for Admiral. Anyone in possession of the stock before market opens will get the dividend (even if they sell their holding on that xd day). Anyone buying tomorrow (or after) will be buying without entitlement to the imminent divi (7.8p per each share held).

On this occasion there is an additional one-off dividend (7.1p for each share held) that was announced some weeks ago and for which the qualifying date is the same as the normal divi.

Share price normally drops on XD day (reflecting the fact that shares bought then onwards no longer come with divi entitlement attached). So buying today (to benefit from divi payout) will only prove advantageous if the share price recovers quite quickly and continues rising.

Quite often (not always) there will be a noticeable upkick in the share price the day or days before a stock with decent divi goes xd, as people buy in to qualify. I sometimes daytrade the stock just for that one day or days (via a rolling daily spreadbet) to capture that rise, and get out before Tuesday closes.

I hold this stock in a sharedealing ISA account.

Wow Thanks as I am new to trading this is good news I think I will get in on this How do you know when is the last day before the XD date? I think this is a good strategy for day trading please let me know how to find out.

Thanks

Frank - just click the FORWARD DIARY tab at the top of this screen, then select the next Wednesday date (at present that will be 19 April, and next one 26 April). Stocks that are going XD that day are listed, along with the amount of the divi.

Also, if you use the SEARCH tab within the thread list page (or within this/any thread) and seach for Dividend, you will find several previous discussions (some of which stray off-topic, but a few stay on it).

PS: When you see an interesting opportunity, always check the company's own website/announcements in case the published listings are incorrect.

Thanks alot Juzzle. on the forward diary where it says 14.9p next to ADM what does the 14.9p mean

Juzzle. I have one last Question in the forward diary on the 19th above where the Lse is listed what does AGM / EGM stand for? Thanks alot

Frank - re your 14.9p question. Like I said, it means anyone who qualifies for the dividend (by being the owner of shares at the qualifying date) will find their account credited with that amount (14.9p for each share they hold/held).

The date that money appears is usually a few weeks later (and is given in company details) regardless of whether you have since sold the stock. For example if you bought say 300 ADM shares today and held them overnight, you would recieve a dividend (gross) payout of 44.70 on 25 May (that being the published payout date for ADM). You need to apply your own judgment as to when the share price will recover from whatever dip (if any) occurs tomorrow, and this will determine how long you hold it for. Do NOT be tempted to try and capture the dividend with a spreadbet that expires beyond the eve of the XD date, as the quote for such will be designed to cancel out the divi effect.



Edit: agm = Annual General Meeting. Egm means Extraordinary General Meeting (arranged to discuss/vote some particular proposal). Frank, I don't want to sound patronising, but it sounds like you have some very basic stuff to learn yet - in which case some of this stuff about how to exploit divi situations is probably best that you watch for a while rather than join in with yet.

PS: I am happy to help when I can, and so will many others on these bulletin boards. But where the questions are not specific to this ADM stock, I think they would be better posed on one of the other help threads perhaps.



PS: Frank, you sent me an offline question. I cannot reply via that route cos you don't have your own message facility switched on. But the answer to your query is above.

Thanks for the info much appreciated

juzzle . i hope you are still holding. i have only just discovered this thread. I have been watching this for the past couple of eons looking for a point to enter. needless to say, as always , i got sidetracked, and keep thinking, well it must stop somewhere. well done and thanks.
ps that logo you show, I did originally think, and for quite some time, that this admiral was the shirt maker. maybe it is. i dont know, although it seems not, i just read sharts. not chirts.
this is another one that has " got away from me "

STOCKWATCH Admiral rises; Bear raises price target

LONDON (AFX) - Shares in Admiral Group PLC were up after Bear Stearns raised the motor insurer's price target, dealers said.
At 10.57 am shares were up 7-1/2 pence at 970-1/2.
The US investment bank and broker said that it is raising its 2007 price
target by 19 pct to 1,109 pence from 928 pence. "We believe the shares will
trade above fair value as they discount potential overseas success," said
analyst James Shuck in a note to investors.
Shuck added that although he finds it difficult to identify near-term
catalysts that could push the shares on to the next level there is likely to be
support in advance of the upcoming investor day on November 14.
He added that potential catalysts include signs of an upturn in prices,
greater than expected policy growth, and further international expansion. Shuck
also noted that shares could see further upside if the reinsurance contract with
Munich Re is negotiated with more favourable terms.
alex.ferguson@afxnews.com
af/joy

Company yesterday announced its new Spanish HQ, in Seville.
Spanish website www.balumba.es

Also going to be exporting its proven business model to Germany and France in due course.

Admiral Group plc Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2009 2 March 2010

Admiral achieves another record profit coupled with continued strong growth.
Profit before tax at GBP215.8 million was 7% ahead of 2008, whilst turnover rose
18% to GBP1,077.4 million. The Board is declaring a second interim dividend of
29.8p, to be paid on 1 April, in place of a final dividend.

2009 Preliminary Results Highlights

* Group profit before tax up 7% at GBP215.8 million (2008: GBP202.5 million)
* Second half dividend of 29.8p per share (2009 interim: 27.7p)
* Group turnover* up 18% at GBP1,077.4 million (2008: GBP910.2 million)
* Group net revenue up 20% at GBP507.5 million (2008: GBP422.8 million)
* Number of Group customers up 19% to 2.08 million (2008: 1.75 million)
* Profit from UK car insurance up 15% to GBP206.9 million (2008: GBP179.9 million)
* UK ancillary income per vehicle stable at GBP72 (2008: GBP71)
* Non-UK car insurance turnover GBP47.2 million (up 59%) and 121,000 customers
(up 64%)
* Elephant Auto, the Group's new US insurer based in Virginia launched in
October 2009
* Rastreator.com, the Spanish price comparison site launched in March 2009
* Employee Share Scheme - shares, in total worth over GBP9 million will be
distributed to over 3,500 staff based on the 2009 result
* Turnover is defined as total premiums written (including co-insurers' share)
and other revenue

Blue Chip Bulletin: Confused.com drags on Admiral

http://www.whatinvestment.co.uk/trading/share-dealing/uk-companies/1606598/blue-chip-bulletin-confusedcom-drags-on-admiral.thtml

StockMarketWire.com
Car insurance specialist Admiral this morning announced another record half-year profit and continued strong growth. Admiral said profit before tax at 160.6m was 27% ahead of H1 2010, while turnover rose by 53% to 1.1bn.

The Board is declaring a record interim dividend payment of 39.1p per share.

Group profit before tax up 27% at 160.6m (H1 2010: 126.9m), while earnings per share were up 28% at 43.3p (H1 2010: 33.7p).

Interim dividend was up a record 20% at 39.1p per share (2010 interim: 32.6p).

Group turnover was up 53% at 1.1bn (H1 2010: 720.m).

Group vehicle count was up 33% to 3.15 million from 2.37 million at 30th June 2010.

International Car Insurance turnover was up 45% to 53.9m (H1 2010: 37.1m) and vehicles up 53% to 236,000 (H1 2010: 154,000).

Group net revenue was up 43% at 425.1m (H1 2010: 296.4m).

Employee Share Scheme - over 8m of shares will be distributed to over 5,700 staff based on the first-half results.

Henry Engelhardt, CEO, said: "Over 1 billion turnover in six months! It wasn't so long ago that we were pleased to report over 1 billion turnover for a full year. This is an incredible achievement and is credit to the hard work of everyone at Admiral.

"In the UK the momentum of vehicle growth and price rises from 2010 and Q1 2011 carried us through the first half of 2011, although injury claims and their related costs continue to rise in the UK market, something to which we are not immune. As one of the lowest cost providers in a commoditised market we are well placed for a future which is shaping up to be the survival of the fittest.

"Outside the UK we are continuing the tough job of building sustainable, profitable and growing businesses from scratch. On a daily basis the new customers we get from outside the UK are now over 15% of the UK's new business, meanwhile consumer preference for price comparison shopping in our European markets is growing.

"All in all we're pleased with the numbers for the first half of 2011. As a result, every member of staff will receive 1,500 of free shares in the Group, worth over 8m in total."

Harry I saw the figures earlier - they don't seem that bad?

This is generally why I don't invest in insurers as I don't really understand the mechanics of the revenue streams:
"Despite the tumble in Admirals share price on Wednesday, Nomura has reiterated its positive stance on the stock, saying that headline results from the car insurer came in more or less in line.

The highlight is strong group policy growth of 33% in the first half, where first quarter momentum has been carried forward, said Nomura.

However, the market on Wednesday seemed to focus on Admirals combined ratio (which measures how well the underwriting operations are doing - a lower number is better) which rose to 94.2%, from 89.3% in the first half of 2010. As such, shares were 8.86% under at 12.41.

Nevertheless, Nomura says that the investment case predicated on continued earnings growth remains sound and keeps its buy rating and 2,000p target price.

Harry, I haven't checked the yield yet - but it was approaching 5%. Having said that, I have a surfeit of Insurers atm.

Down again today. Surely must be due for a bounce soon.