The beginning of the pier
Shares in bar owner Eclectic Bar (LSE: BAR) have risen by around 31% today after a resumption of trading following suspension. That was due to a pending announcement that the company has agreed to purchase The Brighton Marine Palace & Pier Company for £18m in cash, after which time it plans to rename itself The Brighton Pier Group.
Clearly, the deal seems to have been well-received by the market and comes not long after Eclectic Bar reported an upbeat set of first half results. They showed that it had made a profit of £300k after making a loss in the comparable period and with the acquisition of Brighton Pier set to substantially improve the company’s cash flow, further acquisitions cannot be ruled out.
While Eclectic Bar trades on a price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 35.8, the acquisition could prove to be a game changer for the business. As such, it could be worth a closer look for less risk averse investors – especially since its management team has a good track record with other successful businesses such as Pizza Express.
Ticking clock
Also moving higher today are shares in Xcite Energy (LSE: XEL). They have risen by around 6% at the time of writing, even though there has been no significant news flow released by the company. Of course, Xcite Energy has caused the market a degree of concern of late since it is due to make a major debt repayment in June.
With the company not yet having been able to find a suitable partner for its lucrative Bentley Field in the North Sea, the clock is ticking and it would be unsurprising for Xcite Energy’s share price to remain volatile in the near term.
Of course, Xcite Energy has been able to increase the net present value of the Bentley Field and has also reduced the costs of production. While this represents significant progress for the company, its future remains highly uncertain and although its shares are up today, it may be prudent to await further news on its long term outlook before buying a slice of the business.
Gold look up
Meanwhile, Trans-Siberian Gold (LSE: TSG) is up by around 17% today despite no news having been released by the company. The Russia-focused gold miner has benefitted from an upturn in the outlook for gold this year, with the price of the precious metal benefiting from slower than expected interest rate rises in the US. This has the effect of making non-interest producing assets such as gold more attractive and with the Federal Reserve being more doveish than expected, further price rises cannot be ruled out.
As a result, shares in Trans-Siberian Gold could continue to rise. However, it remains a relatively high risk play and therefore for risk averse investors, a number of the larger and better diversified gold miners may be more prudent purchases at the present time.
