Broker Profile - Investor Relations Consultancy

Client wins - Primary Health Properties Plc and NewRiver Retail

2012-02-27T14:45:00.000Z

Broker Profile, the investor relations consultancy, has been appointed by two clients in the property sector. It will coordinate an investor access programme for both companies, targeting private client fund managers.

The new client wins are:

· Primary Health Properties PLC – the FTSE listed Real Estate Investment Trust focusing on healthcare property, with a market capitalisation of £225m

· NewRiver Retail – the AIM listed property Real Estate Investment Trust that focuses on shopping centres and high streets, with a market capitalisation of £70m

Simon Courtenay, Managing Director of Broker Profile commented,

“ We are delighted to be working with these new clients. Both have experienced management teams and exciting growth strategies.

“ Broker Profile is continuing the momentum we enjoyed in the second half of 2011. We have added twenty new clients over the past six months, including three FTSE 100 companies.

“ Our new business pipeline remains strong and we are developing a new range of services that will help our clients reach investors.”

Targeting private client fund managers, IR Magazine - January 2012

2012-01-03T15:45:00.002Z

Simon Courtenay, Executive Director of Broker Profile, has written the following piece on improving liquidity. It is featured in the January issue of IR Magazine. The piece can also be found here.

Advice: Targeting private client fund managers

Q. How can I improve demand for smaller parcels of shares and boost liquidity?

A. Many quoted companies are extending their IR program to include the UK’s private client fund managers (PCFMs).

According to the latest research, this sector manages more than £500 bn ($784 bn) of assets, drawing its clients from high-net-worth individuals, family trusts and charities.

PCFMs are an excellent source of fresh demand for quoted companies’ shares as they deal in smaller volumes, which can help improve marketability and liquidity in the trading of companies’ shares.

PCFMs have enjoyed a ‘good’ recession and continue to report inflows of new funds as low interest rates force savers to move assets away from deposit accounts.

There are more than 150 PCFMs in the UK, and the main firms – Rathbones, Brewin Dolphin, Charles Stanley and Investec Wealth – have a broad network of offices located throughout the country.

Each office is independent and has a significant number of individual portfolio managers, reflecting the diverse nature of its client base.

Long term clients

Most PCFMs offer traditional advisory stock broking services and discretionary portfolio management. Their clients tend to be long-term investors, so they do not promote volatile trading.

Many people think PCFMs will invest only in blue chips but, while risk assessment is increasingly important, many have agreed a remit with their clients to scour the entire market looking for suitable opportunities, regardless of size.

Also, many PCFM firms promote investing in structured Alternative Investment Market portfolios that can help mitigate the impact of inheritance tax.

If we ever see a return of IPOs, PCFMs have funds to invest. For now, they live to invest in value situations in the secondary market.

For many, a balance between income and capital growth is important and some clients’ appetite for risk is greater than others, so the PCFM will consider stocks perceived as higher-risk in sectors as diverse as bio-technology, property, support services, healthcare and media.

Meeting style

Most PCFMs will meet the company for a one-to-one introductory meeting to understand the business and the dynamics of the market.

Unlike institutional investors, many of these investors do not need to see the CEO and finance director in every meeting. In fact, it can be useful to introduce local directors or senior managers to regional meetings to help present a local angle.

It remains a very fragmented market and each PCFM firm has a different structure. With specialist knowledge of the sector and by investing a little time to include PCFMs as part of your IR program, companies can reach a significant group of large-scale, long-only investors that will buy small parcels of shares for their portfolios.

They can boost liquidity and play an important role in filling the void left by institutional investors, many of which are ignoring smaller companies.

City Profile is appointed by Renewable Energy Generation

2011-11-17T14:32:00.004Z

Renewable Energy Generation PLC, the renewable energy group focused on UK on-shore wind power and bio-power, has appointed City Profile as its financial public relations advisor with immediate effect.

Renewable Energy Generation (REG) is a UK orientated wind power and bio-power group. It was established and listed on London's Alternative Investment Market in May 2005. The Group's main business is the development, construction and operation of wind farms in the UK. It also generates power from refined waste cooking oil in the UK. It operates nine wind projects in Cornwall, County Durham, Cumbria, Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire and Gwynedd, with a total capacity of 41.15MW and has a development pipeline of around 900MW.

The City Profile team will be led by Jonathan Gillen, Simon Courtenay and Sheena Khan. City Profile’s investor relations team, Broker Profile, is already carrying out a programme of investor access across the UK with firms of Private Client Fund Managers.

Andrew Whalley, the Chief Executive of Renewable Energy Generation said:

“The green energy sector has a great future, but it needs capital investment if it is to continue to promote a generation of green renewable electricity. REG has been created to help that investment process. We have already established a number of operational projects in the UK through REG Windpower and REG Biopower. We are delighted to be working with City Profile. We are confident that we will increase our media profile as our pipeline of projects continues to expand. We have an exciting story and I am looking forward to a successful relationship with the team at City Profile.”

Small caps irked by poor liquidity - Inside Investor Relations

2011-11-11T10:42:00.001Z

The following article, written by Tim Human, was published on the 'Inside Investor Relations' website on the 10th October 2011. Simon Courtenay of Broker Profile was interviewed for the piece.

Small caps irked by poor liquidity

Perennial problem of low trading levels could be getting worse

Smaller companies keen to boost their liquidity face a problem: low trading levels are often exactly what puts off prospective new buyers. For many, the result is tiny turnover and a frustratingly low share price.

This problem was highlighted recently by a survey from the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) and business adviser BDO.

In a poll of small and mid-cap companies, 60 percent say their growth plans are being held back by the capital markets.

Of these companies, 76 percent say a lack of liquidity is the principal reason for this.

‘I don’t think it’s anything new, but it has got considerably worse over the past 12 months,’ says Simon Courtenay, executive director of Broker Profile, a London IR consultancy.

‘Many institutions, given there is so much volatility in the markets at the moment, are simply sitting on their hands.’

What can be done?

So what can companies do to help improve the situation? Chris Searle, corporate finance partner at BDO, advises companies to sell down more shares in the IPO, bring in more private clients through private client stockbrokers and maintain an active IR campaign.

‘Positive news flow will encourage other investors to come in, hence increasing the share price and increasing liquidity,’ Searle says.

He cautions against expecting too much from junior trading venues like the UK’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), however.

‘[AIM] is basically a market for growth capital, not for shareholders to buy and sell,’ he explains.

Getting the mix right - Corporate Financier

2011-10-07T11:28:00.001+01:00

Corporate Financier magazine have featured an article in their October issue regarding the issue of liquidity for small-cap and AIM listed companies.

Simon Courtenay, Executive Director of Broker Profile was interviewed for the piece along with Charles Skinner, Chief Executive of Restore Plc.

The article was written by Marc Mullen.

Broker Profile is appointed by Phytopharm Plc and Scapa Plc

2011-04-11T18:00:00.001+01:00

Broker Profile, the leading investor relations company, has been appointed by Scapa Plc, the global supplier of technical adhesive tapes and Phytopharm Plc, a pharmaceutical development company, to coordinate an investor relations programme that focuses on private client investment managers and regional institutions.

Broker Profile helps companies build links with existing and new shareholders. In a market place where liquidity is a major issue, Broker Profile is instrumental in creating fresh interest for clients’ shares. The team at Broker Profile will provide a communication channel between the two new companies, and firms of private client stockbrokers and portfolio managers. This will help both companies to get the right message across to investors.

Simon Courtenay, a Director at Broker Profile said:

“I am delighted that Scapa and Phytopharm have appointed Broker Profile. It is great to be working with such innovative companies. I am confident that the new investor relations programme will create a real difference to how both companies are understood by investors. The team are looking forward to working with Scapa and Phytopharm closely.”

Broker Profile launches special liquidity unit

2011-02-17T18:00:00.001Z

Broker Profile has today launched a specialist unit whose role is to develop liquidity for AIM listed and smaller quoted PLCs. Headed by Anastasia Mikhailova and Ben Gillen, the unit is focused upon smaller companies and AIM listed stocks where liquidity is limited and new investors are tough to find.

Since it was established twelve years ago, Broker Profile has gained extensive experience of working with smaller companies. Currently 50% of its client list is companies with a market value of below £150million. For these companies liquidity is a specific need. A major concern for smaller companies is that the large institutional fund managers are not keen to invest when liquidity is weak. Investors in smaller quoted PLCs can be put off investing if they fear that they may not be able to sell their holdings. This is a major deterrent for them. Broker Profile is working with a range of smaller companies to provide a solution.

The essence of Broker Profile is the extensive knowledge that the company has of fund managers, private client portfolio managers and stockbrokers. The new unit has one central objective, to increase liquidity in companies where it is limited. The Liquidity Unit will identify investors among the UK’s smaller company fund managers, private client stockbrokers and portfolio managers, who can deliver liquidity. As well as targeting those fund managers and stockbrokers who will deliver fresh demand, the unit will also help advise on presentations and integration with each company’s Investor Relations programme. Time is inevitably a key factor for senior management and this unit has been designed to be very precious with the time it requires.

Simon Courtenay, a Director at Broker Profile said:

“ Our research and contact with companies shows that liquidity is a major concern for most AIM and Small Cap PLCs. This unit is designed to focus upon this key issue. While Anastasia and Ben will manage this programme, they will work with the Broker Profile team to deliver programmes which are targeted and effective. This is designed to focus on improving liquidity, which will make their shares more attractive to a wider range of investors. I am confident that we will deliver great results for our AIM and Small Cap clients.”