Well now we have been told.
Superdry (LON:SDRY) Founder and Chief Executive Julian Dunkerton has answered press rumours about the possibility that he will look to take his iconic brand private.
The group, which had problems last year with pressures on its refinancing of a £70m facility, coupled with operating losses, recently declared that it enjoyed good Christmas retail sales, but a lower take on its wholesaling side.
City press headlines suggested that Dunkerton, with others, was considering taking the group private.
However, he has now confirmed that “there were no plans to do this at the moment” but he reserves the right to make or participate in an offer for Superdry within the next six months.
But he may do so if another party made an offer or he had agreement with the Superdry Board.
Analyst Opinion – long-term value
Analyst Wayne Brown at Liberum Capital recently stated that the group’s shares are cheap and offer significant long-term value.
He sees the group’s profits recovering from a current year (to end May) loss of some £6m, bouncing up to a profit of £9m on increased sales of £645m.
For 2025 his estimates are for £690m sales and £23.5m profits, worth 21.8p per share in earnings.
He has maintained his Buy rating on the shares, with a 500p Target Price.
Conclusion – options kept open
With its shares trading at around 118p, the group is currently capitalised at about £97m.
That sounds like he is definitely keeping his options open!