Midas 株 tips: Serco & Oxford Catalysts

By Joanne Hart for The Mail on Sunday
Updated: 13:10 BST, 7 September 2008

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There cannot be many FTSE 250 companies 予測（する）ing 二塁打-digit growth for this year and the foreseeable 未来. Yet Serco 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある Christopher Hyman is 確信して his company will 配達する just that.

The group is one of those enviable 商売／仕事s that is 始める，決める to 栄える as 経済的な 条件s 悪化する. It 作品 まず第一に／本来 with 政府s in the UK, America, Australia and the Middle East.

In Britain, its services 含む training ヘリコプター aircrews for the RAF, operating 強く引っ張るs for the 王室の 海軍, running 刑務所，拘置所s, operating the Docklands Light 鉄道 and managing the traffic （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） on motorways. It even operates the Speaking Clock.

In the Middle East, Serco runs the Dubai metro system and in Australia it 供給するs 守備隊 support to the 武装した 軍隊s.

In America the 商売／仕事 is about to を受ける 劇の change. Last month, it agreed to buy US group SI International for about £280m, its largest 取得／買収 to date.

Serco already operates in the US, but once the SI 取引，協定 has been 完全にするd, the American 商売／仕事 will turn over more than $1bn (£560m) a year. This should give it 接近 to a 列 of new 顧客s as many companies have more 約束 in 可能性のある 供給者s once they reach a 確かな size.

SI makes a good fit, too, as it 作品 with the US 空気／公表する 軍隊 while the 存在するing 操作／手術 作品 with the army and 海軍.

The 見通し is 有望な in the UK 同様に. The 政府 is searching for ways to save cash and Serco prides itself on cutting costs and 改善するing efficiency.

The company 解放（する）d 暫定的な 人物／姿／数字s last month showing a 19.8% rise in pre-税金 利益（をあげる）s to £67.3m and a 20.3% 増加する in the 暫定的な （株主への）配当 to 1.48p. The group also said it has won £2bn of orders in the first half of this year and is bidding for 契約s 価値（がある） up £26bn.

Because of the long-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 nature of its 商売／仕事, Serco can also 予報する 未来 turnover with some degree of certainty and is 確信して of del ivering strong growth this year, next year and even in 2010. The company has also been 焦点（を合わせる）ing on making itself more profitable and 予報するs that 利ざやs will 改善する noticeably over the next two years.

Midas 判決: The Serco board is young, energetic and keen. The company's ebullience about the 未来 is 特に impressive given the 暗い／優うつな mood 影響する／感情ing so many 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のあるs these days. Serco 株 are not as cheap as they were at the beginning of the summer, but at 409?p they still have plenty of 可能性のある. Buy.

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燃料 開拓する could go far

The oil price may have come 負かす／撃墜する はっきりと since hitting $140 a バーレル／樽 earlier in the summer, but at more than $100 a バーレル／樽 it is still horrendously expensive. That is just one 推論する／理由 why g overnments around the world are 猛烈に 捜し出すing 代案／選択肢 energy sources.

They are also 関心d with the 衝撃 of oil on the 環境, so there is a growing 願望（する） to find greener, cheaper and safer ways of 力／強力にするing our homes, our cars and every other 面 of our lives.

Oxford Catalysts believes that it can help. The company produces catalysts that create clean 燃料s from oil, gas, coal and green energy sources, such as waste. The catalysts work in a variety of ways, but they are all designed to 削減（する） costs and 上げる 生産性.

The company, which joined 目的（とする） in 2006, has won support from 産業 and from the City. Its 科学（工学）技術 is based on two １０年間s of his 研究 by Oxford professor Malcolm Green, who 保持するs a 重要な 火刑／賭ける in the company.

The board 含むs a mix of scientists and (n)役員／(a)執行力のあるs, such as 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある Roy Lipski, an entrepreneur who began his career at Goldman Sachs.

Like many inventive companies, Oxford Catalysts is loss-making, but it has plenty of cash in the bank and licenses its 科学（工学）技術 to bigger partners, so it can 焦点（を合わせる） on 革新, which is intellectually 需要・要求するing, rather than 製造業の, which is 資本／首都-集中的な.

The company has 開拓するd a way to create green 燃料 much more cheaply than has been the 事例／患者 and some in the City believe that once the group's ideas catch on, the 株 price should ロケット／急騰する.