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Even a few of our detractors have now come around
Another exciting day in the markets, although at least today they are up…until we see what the central banks on either side of the Atlantic have to say for themselves over the next 24 hours or so. All good fun (as always). Meanwhile two workable updates today from Whitbread (WTB) and WH Smith (SMWH)...
I will have a listen later to the quarterly call from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) following its first quarter numbers today. The numbers were fine and specifically mentioned the good performance of its pharmaceutical business ahead of the proposed demerger in July. I wrote about all this a couple of months ago and my advice remains to stay a holder here and make a call whether to retain one or both on the demerger in a few months time. If only all investments were as straightforward as the last 15 months in GlaxoSmithKline. And talking about more complex investments brings us to WH Smith (SMWH)...
I wrote about WH Smith (SMWH) back here at the start of the month, concluding that I would continue to avoid the stock but look forward to itsnext set of numbers in November to help justify whether both its Travel and High Street businesses were set to make any progress or not.
I am trying to remember the last time I went to a WH Smith (SMWH) store (and I have never been to one online). My guess would be in 2019. Of course growing up in the 1980s life was somewhat different at many levels, but today WH Smith’s is described as having ‘two core businesses – Travel and High Street’. And it has been no guess for a few years before the rise of Covid-19, that the former was becoming more and more important.
Another Sunday, another set of Intu Properties (INTU) stories. I last wrote about the stock just under a month ago concluding then that 'suffice to say the stock remains a massive avoid.
A busy earnings Wednesday, so let us dive in…
Time for a pizza? Well...maybe it is a bit early but no doubt Domino's Pizza (DOM) will happily make and deliver one for you at almost any time you like. Earlier in the month I talked positively about a potential management evolution and, prior to this, had observed that its UK/Ireland business is so much better than its European / 'international' ones (in Germany, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). And finally the embattled Domino's management has made two smart decisions: an ongoing search for new senior management personnel and a 'review of International markets concluded; the Board has decided to exit the markets in an orderly manner'…
No doubt a few of you are reading this either on holiday or having just returned from one. And little doubt quite a few of you popped into a branch of WH Smith (SMWH) during your travels – certainly more of you than has popped into your local High Street equivalent. The last time I wrote about the share I concluded 'I think I would still be interested on a clear sub £20/share fall'…
Let's start with WH Smith (SMWH), on which I concluded last time that 'I note the recent 20 quid resistance/support level and have put a flag at/below this level'. Want to guess where the newsagent (and much more) retailer's shares are now? Twenty quid and change!...
I think Malcolm commented on WH Smith (SMWH) a couple of years plus ago, but I am not particularly surprised that it has not troubled the ShareProphets scorers since. We all know the name, most of us visit the shops at least a few times each year and if you are in an airport, well, you can quite easily find yourself getting surprisingly little change from a tenner for just a couple of items. Local monopolies, eh?...
Hello Share Mashers. Are you ready to give another chance to a great British giant of the High Street? One such outfit, in my humble opinion, is WH Smith (SMWH).
