Ericsson wrote:The last surviving member of the Peter Mwangi and Tony Wainaina team has taken a bow
But that she was there [& even promoted] for quite some time post-Mwangi would mean she was upto speed. Not sure what has changed.
I like Centum despite its challenges.
It is not a core holding but a "Tier 2" holding and one I have bought at close to current prices.
I have to say that the acquisitions made under JM have been smart e.g. Two Rivers, Vipingo, etc.
The portfolio is heavily geared towards property development BUT there are excellent firms in the portfolio e.g. Almasi, GMC, etc that are regular cash-generators.
Land/Property sales are sporadic whereas beverages, etc have more predictable cashflow. There is a case for both for Centum.
Then there is Nabo with a decent AUM which generates fees and potential investors in their other projects.
The wild card is CK i.e. he can call folks who will pick up his call...
This scenario is similar to Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway...
Of course, James Mworia is young and can steer Centum for a while. He is a known quantity and can also call folks to get to the heart of a deal.
The board seems strong and competent. I like the management [despite the drama over compensation] which has consistently delivered market beating returns on NAV.
The share price is a different ballgame i.e. Share prices do not always track Intrinsic Value.
Unga [NAV/share is 50]
KK [Solid earnings machine]
Berkshire [which said they would do a buyback]
KenRe [NAV/share is +75% the price]
What's Centum's IV? I think it is north of 60/-
Greedy when others are fearful. Very fearful when others are greedy - to paraphrase Warren Buffett