LONDON (ShareCast) - Severn Trent’s stocks have plunged since rebuffing a potential bid by Long River Partners, a consortium led by Borealis Infrastructure Management, which offered £21.25 a share for the group last month. The offer was at a premium of about 28 per cent to the group’s regulatory asset base (RAB), which is the value of the group’s assets as determined by regulators. “Of course, if we look at management’s argument as to why the bid was too low then there is some merit,” The Telegraph’s Questor said. “Severn is a significant dividend payer, with last year’s payment being 75.85p, so investors will see total shareholder returns moving above the £20 level after holding the shares for a few more years.” Trading on a current-year earnings multiple of 19, falling to 18.8, and yielding a prospective 4.6pc, Questor recommends a ‘hold’ for the shares.

Any nervousness over further bad news from Smiths Group’s detection business is understandable, The Times’ Tempus column reported. The division, which makes sensors used at airports and elsewhere to detect explosives, weapons and other undesirables, has had contractual issues which led to profit warning on Wednesday. While all four other divisions are trading in line, further problems have emerged at detection. “The good news is that the problems relate to three contracts dating back to 2010, so these are legacy issues rather than new ones. The bad is that it will take £15m off profits for the financial year to the end of July, for which consensus had been £562m at the operating level,” Tempus noted. It is worth holding for the prospects of corporate developments and the detection unit’s launch of a new range of sensors.

Barclays is threatening to take on US authorities over a trading fine for claims the bank manipulated energy prices in California between 2006 and 2008. It has suggested a fine of $435m as well as the repayment of $35m in “unjust profits”. While the market seemed to shrug off the news with shares barely moving, perhaps the reaction is too nonchalant, the Financial Times’ Lex column mused. “The $470m charge would take 10% out of net profits for this year. Yes, it is a one off but Barclays could do with that profit to bolster its capital.” The Prudential Regulation Authority has ordered the bank to increase its leverage ratio from 2.5% to 3.0%. If the regulator is strict in timing, and the improvement comes from higher capital not less lending, Barclays will have to find £7.0bn. So it is no surprise the bank is fighting potential damage inflicted by the US energy regulator.

RD


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