reports
Rank Group: 1 director
A director at Rank Group maiden bought 22,000 shares at 90p and the significance rating of the trade was 68/100. Is that information sufficient for you to make an investment decision? This report gives details of those trades and adds context and analysis to them such that you can judge whether these trading decisions are ones worth following. Included in the report is a detailed share price chart which plots discretionary trades by all the company's directors over the last two years clearly s...
- Kate Heseltine
Rank Group - Recovery potential and operational gearing
Rank Group has faced numerous external challenges since 2020: the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and tighter regulatory requirements, in particular the negative effects of required affordability restrictions, have been followed by the recent cost of living crisis and higher inflation. These external challenges have masked the group’s underlying transformation, which is extending and improving the product offer, while making the organisation more efficient to drive future growth and innovations...
RANK GROUP sees an upgrade to Slightly Positive due to a better fundam...
The general evaluation of RANK GROUP (GB), a company active in the Recreational Services industry, has been upgraded by the independent financial analyst theScreener with the addition of a star. Its fundamental valuation now shows 4 out of 4 possible stars while its market behaviour can be considered as moderately risky. theScreener believes that the additional star(s) merits the upgrade of its general evaluation to Slightly Positive. As of the analysis date December 24, 2021, the closing price ...
- Victoria Pease
UK gaming sector: Regulator delivers a harsh verdict
After many months of procrastination, the UK government has finally delivered a verdict on the fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs), reducing stake limits from £100 to £2. Although not entirely a surprise, this is a disappointing result for the industry and will likely entail more than 3,500 shop closures. Also, while a decision has been made, there is still much uncertainty regarding timing and implementation. For online operators, there is a further blow, in the form of potential increases i...
- Victoria Pease
Rank Group - Weakness in Grosvenor affects EBIT
Rank’s trading update (13 weeks to 1 April) showed 17% growth in Digital, but the core Venues disappointed, with Mecca down 2% and Grosvenor down 9% on a like-for-like basis. The shortfall was largely due to fewer customer visits, as well as a lower gross win margin from VIPs. The company expects the weaker consumer environment to continue and has now guided to FY18 clean EBIT of £76-78m vs previous consensus of £83m. We have adjusted our forecasts to the lower end of guidance. The stock has...
- Victoria Pease
Rank Group - Operational efficiencies keep forecasts intact
Similar to last year’s trends, Rank reported that total Venues l-f-l revenues declined by 1%, mainly due to lower customer visits. This was offset by a 16% increase in Digital, where Mecca digital has clearly turned the corner. To reflect the lighter result in Venues, we have lowered our FY18 and FY19 revenue estimates by c 2-3%, but improved operational efficiencies mean that our profit forecasts are largely unchanged. The business model remains highly cash generative, with £4m net cash achi...
- Victoria Pease
- Mecca digital picking up growth
The 19% growth in digital revenue is the key highlight in Rank Group’s trading update (16 weeks to 15 October). Grosvenor digital was up 34% and, encouragingly, Mecca digital has moved to double-digit growth (up 11% vs 2% in FY17). In a continuation of previous trends, Venues l-f-l revenues declined by 1%, leading to a 2% l-f-l growth in total group revenues. Notwithstanding the decline in Venues, the core business is highly cash generative, enabling progressive dividends, as well as potential M...
- Victoria Pease
Digital growth offsets Venues decline
Rank Group’s FY17 results highlighted the growth potential of its Digital division. Online revenue grew 15.3%, with an impressive operating margin of 20.4% (vs our 14.2% estimate). By contrast, Venues were slightly light, with like-for-like revenues declining by 0.7%, due to fewer customer visits and tighter due diligence. However, Venues’ KPIs have improved in H2 over H1 and FY18 has started well. Our headline revenue forecasts are broadly unchanged, although we have lowered our FY18 operating ...
- Victoria Pease
A leading multi-channel operator
Rank Group aims to be the UK’s leading omni-channel gaming operator and, as outlined at its capital markets day, the strategies for its Venues and Digital verticals are clearly interlinked. With an open architecture platform, Digital is well positioned to leverage the existing retail customer base and a single wallet (piloting in autumn 2017) could be a game changer for Grosvenor digital. Meanwhile, the core Venues businesses are being reinvigorated and remain highly cash generative. With its pr...
- Victoria Pease
Digital revenues are back on track
In line with expectations, l-f-l revenues (46 weeks to 14 May) increased 1%, with a 13% growth in digital offsetting a slight revenue decline in Grosvenor Casinos’ and Mecca’s venues. Earlier platform issues have been resolved and we expect digital revenue growth to accelerate, with the H118 introduction of a single wallet fuelling market share gains. The core business is highly cash generative, enabling progressive dividends, as well as potential M&A. Despite this, the stock trades at a calenda...
Play your cards right
Rank has a unique opportunity to leverage leading UK high street casino and bingo brands online. With platform issues resolved, its digital casino is growing strongly and the introduction of a single wallet later this year could be a game changer. Economic pressures are weighing on venues’ results, but they are highly cash generative. An expected move into net cash by end FY18 underpins a progressive dividend policy and gives Rank plenty of firepower to participate in industry M&A as opportuniti...
Cost pressures, but good digital progress
Interims reflected high street cost pressures (EBITDA -5%) and we have trimmed FY17e EPS by 2%. However, Digital’s 11% revenue growth was very encouraging, with an acceleration in Q2 as platform problems were ironed out. The core argument for Rank remains intact: scope to materially grow in Digital via better cross-sell of its land-based brands. Despite a lacklustre short-term profits outlook, the group remains highly cash generative, which underpins a progressive dividend policy and FY17e yield...
Ford Equity International Rating and Forecast Report
Ford Equity International Research Reports cover 60 countries with over 30,000 stocks traded on international exchanges. A proprietary quantitative system compares each company to its peers on proven measures of business value, growth characteristics, and investor behavior. Ford's three recommendation ratings buy, hold and sell, represent each stock’s return potential relative to its own country market.. The rating reports which are generated each week, include the fundamental details behind...
Likely to be H2 weighted
Rank has reported flat revenue for the first 15 weeks, against a strong 2015 comparative. Mecca digital has just been relaunched, supported by a new TV campaign, and better cross-sell remains a key opportunity for Rank. We expect profits to be H2 weighted, and with a slightly uncertain consumer outlook we have trimmed full year estimates, but Rank remains strongly cash generative. This underpins its progressive dividend payout and leaves it flexible to take advantage of acquisition opportunities...
Building blocks in place
A weak Q416 left final results a tad below our forecasts despite good results in Mecca venues and Grosvenor digital. However, cash generation was strong and the dividend was lifted by 16%. The organic growth strategy (focusing on multi-channel development) remains intact and while the failure to progress what would have been a transformational acquisition of William Hill (with 888) was a disappointment, it demonstrates the scale of management’s ambitions. We suspect that future accretive opportu...
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