EKF Diagnostics Holdings (EKF)

Sector:

Financials

Index:

FTSE AIM All-Share

27.75p
   
  • Change Today:
      0.15p
  • 52 Week High: 37.00
  • 52 Week Low: 24.70
  • Currency: UK Pounds
  • Shares Issued: 453.73m
  • Volume: 165,086
  • Market Cap: £125.91m

Sunday share tips: Trident Royalties, EKF Diagnostics

By Alexander Bueso

Date: Monday 18 Oct 2021

LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - The Financial Mail on Sunday's Midas column recommends buying stock in Trident Royalties, touting soaring metals' prices and "bright" prospects.
Prices for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel had all run higher over the past year or so, with those for the former metal more than doubling.

And to demand from the recovering global economy one needed to add the massive infrastructure programmes planned in China, the US and UK.

Trident is what is known as a mining royalty finance firm, lending capital to miners in exchange for a cut of their revenues once they start producing.

But unlike most rivals, it was focused on a range of metals mining operations spanning the globe.

Its focus is also pretty unique, targeting the underserved segment of smaller royalty deals of between $500,000 and $28m in size.

Trident had also proven adept thus far at securing "decent" prices and selecting assets that had increased in value since they were acquired.

The company was also hoping to start a dividend programme within the next few years.

"Metal prices are soaring and prospects are bright. Trident offers broad exposure to the commodities sector at an attractive 34p price. Buy."



The Sunday Times's Sabah Meddings told readers to follow the lead of EKF Diagnostics chairman, Christoper Mills, and take some profits in shares of the diagnostic test manufacturer.

In April, Mills had trimmed his stake in the firm from 29.7% to 29.0%, slightly "spooking" the City.

The company specialises in point of care tests that allow physicians to fund out in real time if patients are suffering from conditions ranging from anaemia, diabetes or sepsis.

It was also a so-called 'Covid stock', manufacturing testing kits for the virus for Public Health England, the Irish government and private clients.

Its sales jumped 45% last year to reach £65.3m, with 40% accounted for by Covid-related sales.

Yet sales of its clinical chemistry, diabetes and haematology products all fell, as patients demured from visiting doctors for screening tests.

Furthermore, sources had suggested to Meddings that Mills had a long-term plan to diversify his portfolio and that he was likely to sell more if the good news continued.

On the flip-side, it was widely speculated that the "mystery global partner" with which it had recently inked a multi-million dollar contract was Amazon.

"Not bad going for a company that was a penny stock five years ago," Meddings mused.

The company also had £30m of cash and investments and was launching a product to test for sepsis, which claimed 48,000 lives in the UK each year.

Expectations were that it was also set to launch a plan to double core earnings over the next three to four years.

Even so, for the tipster, "the question is whether its share price will get a dose of reality once the demand for testing is over.

"For now, investors would be wise to follow Mills and take profits."

Email this article to a friend

or share it with one of these popular networks:


Note 1: Prices and trades are provided by Digital Look Corporate Solutions and are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

 

EKF Market Data

Currency UK Pounds
Share Price 27.75p
Change Today 0.15p
% Change 0.54 %
52 Week High 37.00
52 Week Low 24.70
Volume 165,086
Shares Issued 453.73m
Market Cap £125.91m

EKF Star Ratings

Compare performance with the sector and the market.
more star ratings
Key: vs Market vs Sector
Value
88.65% below the market average88.65% below the market average88.65% below the market average88.65% below the market average88.65% below the market average
94.39% below the sector average94.39% below the sector average94.39% below the sector average94.39% below the sector average94.39% below the sector average
Price Trend
17.09% below the market average17.09% below the market average17.09% below the market average17.09% below the market average17.09% below the market average
13.79% below the sector average13.79% below the sector average13.79% below the sector average13.79% below the sector average13.79% below the sector average
Income
87.72% below the market average87.72% below the market average87.72% below the market average87.72% below the market average87.72% below the market average
93.94% below the sector average93.94% below the sector average93.94% below the sector average93.94% below the sector average93.94% below the sector average
Growth
67.8% below the market average67.8% below the market average67.8% below the market average67.8% below the market average67.8% below the market average
55.56% below the sector average55.56% below the sector average55.56% below the sector average55.56% below the sector average55.56% below the sector average

What The Brokers Say

Strong Buy 0
Buy 2
Neutral 2
Sell 0
Strong Sell 0
Total 4
buy
Broker recommendations should not be taken as investment advice, and are provided by the authorised brokers listed on this page.

EKF Dividends

  Latest Previous
  Final Final
Ex-Div 02-Nov-23 03-Nov-22
Paid 01-Dec-23 01-Dec-22
Amount 1.20p 1.20p

Trades for 24-Apr-2024

Time Volume / Share Price
14:47 14,051 @ 27.70p
13:05 70,000 @ 27.70p
13:01 18,000 @ 27.70p
11:47 3,893 @ 27.70p
10:38 49,750 @ 27.15p

EKF Key Personnel

CFO Stephen (Steve) Young

Top of Page