II Editor
22 Sep 2017
NEW ARTICLE: Stockwatch: Snap up this AIM recovery story "Does LSE:FTC:Filtronic finally have its act together for a worthwhile recovery? Nowadays AIM-listed, this telecoms hardware developer was a darling of the 1998-2000 technology bull market, only to slump and spend the last 15 years or so ..."[link]
Caddie
14 Aug 2017
Re: Yorkshire Post article Apologises for the formatting problem. Here's the link[link]
Caddie
14 Aug 2017
Yorkshire Post article ​Mobile phone technology firm​ ​​Filtronic ​has announced a second significant defence related contract worth £4.8m of sales over three years.​Analyst Adrian Kearsey at Panmure Gordon said t​he deal ​with ​a major​, unnamed​ European defence equipment manufacturer​ ​highlights the success of the Leeds-based group's initial defence contract and further diversifies both the customer base and revenue profile.Filtronic Broadband​ will supply specialist high frequency transmit and receive modules for ​the​ defence related aerospace application.​Filtronic said production of the modules will take place at ​its​ certified​,​ highly automated manufacturing facility in Sedgefield and is expected to commence in ​the first half of 2018. The agreement provides for additional volumes should ​Filtronic's​ customer secure follow-on project wins with its end-customers.Rob Smith, Filtronic’s CEO​,​ ​said​:​ “We are delighted to have been selected to work on this project.​"​This is Filtronic Broadband’s second major business win in the defence and aerospace sector and along with other smaller contracts, demonstrates our commitment to diversify the customer base and markets we serve, to become a major supplier of advanced communications components and sub-systems to this and other adjacent markets.”​Mr Kearsey said: "Due to client confidentiality​,​ Filtronic has provided limited details on the contract. However, the move is clearly significant. Firstly, the defence deal adds further momentum to the Broadband segment of the business, highlighting the broadening scope of the product offering. Phasing of shipments will commence soon, with completion due within three years. ​Alt​hough there is a probability that completion will be within two years.​​"​Following the ​full year results we expressed our excitement for the growing momentum within the group but highlighted that we were mindful that Filtronic needed to convert the pipeline to drive sales materially higher.​"​Today’s announcement represents another important step forward in achieving this pipeline conversion. The transformation of Filtronic ​- ​both operationally and in terms of product positioning​ -​ is clearly taking important steps forward.​"He said that​ ​o​ver the coming months, ​he expects this will be reflected in the ​group's ​share price as investor​s​ recognise the increasing value of the technology and the opportunities to broaden the client base.
Caddie
14 Aug 2017
£4.8M contract "The agreement provides for additional volumes should our customer secure follow-on project wins with its end-customers."This is the second major contract win recently and I think there are more to come. The demand for data and the efficient use of restricted frequency bandwidth will push FTCs price back towards the 20s.
Omaha man
02 Aug 2017
Re: A lot of Interest Suddenly 24 million shares traded - that's ~12% of the equity (or 6% allowing for both buy and sell). More than enough to clear out the overhang and potentially enough to form the base from which to bid.
Caddie
02 Aug 2017
Re: A lot of Interest Suddenly I hadn't seriously considered a bid CW but who knows? They can have my shares for 30p! I get the feeling that a lot of PIs have been played here.
city watcher
02 Aug 2017
A lot of Interest Suddenly Two trades worth £1.3m @ 12.5p, so I wonder whether a bid is going to be circling soon. They may even reach 22p - my break even price. It would be onwards and upwards from there to make me smile.
Caddie
02 Aug 2017
Re: Results Hopefully that's Aberforth now finished. Now for 14p then off we go......
gretel
01 Aug 2017
Sold this morning I sold this morning. Very difficult to do so too after getting some away at nicely above 13p.The headline numbers are heavily flattered by the exceptional item and tax credit. It's obviously a huge improvement, but better to look at the core numbers.More importantly, the outlook is EXTREMELY cloudy given the "challenging" 2017 described today, with downgrades for the year ahead plus the lumpy, concentrated revenues.Aberforth Partners still have substantial numbers of shares to sell, and are being forced to sell as pointed out previously.Given the above, plus the continued selling to come from Aberforth, I thought it best to protect profits for the moment.FTC will remain on my watchlist. When the outlook is better - which may be a while away - then hopefully I'll be back as I think the prospects going forward remain interesting.Good luck all.
Caddie
01 Aug 2017
Re: Results The results show a clear turnaround but it appears we are still in the hands of Aberforth.
Professor Fang
01 Aug 2017
Results I don't know what the City had already factored in however I'd expect a rise in sp on this impressive turnaround. An excellent set of results, onwards and upwards.
Caddie
31 Jul 2017
Aberforth Picked up a few more of these today. An unusual situation where Aberforth are reducing their holding (because their fund prohibits it based on capitalisation/AIM) whilst at the same time the company has a healthy order book. Once the overhang has cleared and the news is out there I expect this to move up sharply. DYOR.
gretel
28 Jul 2017
Rising nicely into Tuesday's results A series of small-ish buys this morning, and the price reacting nicely.We know from the trading update that Tuesday's results and outlook will be good - and will show a nice £2.6m and growing cash pile.Let's see if we can get new recent highs at the least by Tuesday - or post-results.
gretel
12 Jul 2017
Very positive new article [link] looking to future with greater confidence amid contract and jobs boostA COUNTY Durham technology firm is expanding its global presence with work alongside a US customer, The Northern Echo can reveal. Filtronic is overseeing a wireless broadband product, which is expected to be in operation next year. The Echo can also confirm the business, based at NetPark, in Sedgefield, plans to create a number of jobs over the coming 12 months. Bosses say its US agreement aims to improve broadband provision by providing fast and reliable data connections without the disruption and cost of laying swathes of cabling underneath roads and footpaths. They also said it could be a catalyst for further growth, with its customer having the potential to carry out geographical expansion. Rob Smith, chief executive, said the arrangement was another fillip for Filtronic, which already has a multi-million pound national security deal focused on supplying high-frequency modules for aerospace work in its order book. He said: “The broadband work is kicking off now and development is going on. “It will be at one location but there is potential to grow, and deployment is expected to be in about a years’ time.” The agreement provides fresh delight for Filtronic, which is known for the Orpheus e-band transceiver, which increases the amount and quality of data that networks, including the telecoms sector, can carry. It also comes after latest financial results showed the firm expects to more than double annual group revenue to £35.4m and report an operating profit of around £1.7m after strong progress across its entire operations. Mr Smith said the company was gaining confidence, despite operating in an environment, particularly telecoms, which can have its unpredictable moments. He also confirmed plans to take its existing 66-strong Sedgefield workforce to 75. He added: “The challenge is that every month we start from zero but we have got some really exciting opportunities and are excited about the new chapters with e-band. “We are competing on a world stage and most of our customers are international. “The excitement levels are high and most people find it a fulfilling place to work. "Another ten people in the next 12 months is not out of the question.” "
gretel
04 Jul 2017
Techinvest have upgraded to Buy Apparently Techinvest have now raised their recommendation from Strong Hold to BUY. Panmure forecast this year 1.2p EPS rising to 1.4p EPS, dropping the P/E to single digits for 2019.Looking set for new recent highs now.
