Quintain Estates And Development (LON:QED) is a property developer with two key projects in London (Greenwich Peninsula and Wembley), plus student accommodation, and property fund management divisions. I've followed the company fairly closely in recent years, and have visited them for investor presentations, etc.
In the end I grew disillusioned with the company, since there is no dividend, and any revaluation gains seem to be swallowed up in declines elsewhere in their portfolio, hence NAV has actually been falling. Therefore no return whatsoever for shareholders, but plush Mayfair offices and nice salaries for the staff. So my conclusion was that this seems to be a company that operates for the benefit of its staff and Directors, rather than its shareholders - i.e. what development gains they have generated, are dissipated by hefty administration costs - something that's likely to continue, given the very long-term (20 years) scale of their London projects.
Quintain's Q3 IMS issued today doesn't contain any new information that is likely to alter the share price, in my opinion. This is a share that I tend to dip in & out of, as it moves in fairly predictable waves. It did look poised for another move up recently, but it has stalled, so I sold out at 62p a few days ago, as there seem better value opportunities elsewhere. Maybe I'm being too cynical, but it's difficult to see a short term catalyst for a higher share price at QED.
I generally try to avoid blue sky shares (or "story stocks"), as it's really just gambling, and the vast majority fail commercially. However, I've also found that finding a convincing-sounding blue sky share early on, or when the market cap is on the floor after initial disappointments, can prove rewarding. The trick is to not get too caught up in the hype, and to top-slice the profits along the way.
One such share which somebody recommended to me a while ago, and which I quite liked the look of, but then forgot about, was Clean Air Power (LON:CAP). They have an interesting technology (with Patents & pending) which allows diesel trucks to run on natural gas. Moreover, it's not just an idea, it's a working product which is out there for sale, through a European truck…
