A round-up of share tips from the financial press

The stocks and shares the British press is tipping – and recommending you avoid – this week.

The stocks and sharesthe British press is tipping and recommending you avoid this week.

Three to buy

Dairy Crest

Investors Chronicle

Food firm Dairy Crest sold its milk business to German giant Mller last year, leaving it with four strong consumer brands and a baby milk business. All of the company's brands, including cheddar maker Cathedral City and butter company Country Life, have grown in the last six months, while its input costs are falling with the price of milk. The 4.6% dividend yield is "well worth bagging". 523p

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Secure Trust Bank

The Daily Telegraph

Britain's banking sector has taken an "absolute pummelling" since the referendum. Lenders are vulnerable to any slowdown, or another cut in interest rates by the Bank of England. But some banks are now oversold. Challenger bank Secure Trust has a conservative mortgage business, plus cash in the coffers. It could even snap up one of its distressed competitors. 1,600p

PureTech Health

The Mail on Sunday

The Boston-based health firm has an all-star board, including the former chief executive of drugs giant Sanofi. The company is addressing several under-served corners of the healthcare market. Products it is working on include intestinal-bacteria-based cures for bowel disease, and computer games that can be used instead of drugs to treat children with ADHD. 142p

Three to sell

Debenhams

Shares

Debenhams is cheap, but it's "no buying opportunity". The high-street clothing market is already tough and the falling pound will increase Debenhams' costs, squeezing its profit margins even further. Footfall, meanwhile, is weak, the group has too much floor space and its new food concessions smack of desperation. The business is "losing its way". 54p

Ibstock

The Sunday Times

Brick maker Ibstock has seen its share price fall by 36% since the referendum result and at five times earnings it is far cheaper than many other building suppliers. It also proved surprisingly resilient when the housing market crashed in 2008. But if a housing downturn takes hold, the pain for "the brickies" is only just beginning. It's best to avoid catching a falling brick. "Sell." 134p

Hogg Robinson

Investors Chronicle

Hogg Robinson specialises in business travel. It has done well in its efforts to transition from telephone to online bookings and its shares have also done well they trade on around nine times projected earnings. However, the post-referendum backdrop could hardly be worse. The travel sector is reeling, businesses are tightening their travel budgets and UK passenger numbers are due to fall. 72p

And the rest

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Begbies Traynorhe insolvency specialist will thrive in a recession (Investors Chronicle) 47p
CentaminThe gold miner is upping production and paying out dividends (Daily Mail) 160p
ICAPIts deal with Tullett Prebon will create two industry leading brokers (Shares) 396p
IntertekA weak pound will boost earnings at the product testing firm (Telegraph) 3,579p
RPC GroupRevenues are flying and the falling pound should give them a lift (Times) 813.5p
St James's PlaceThe wealth manager has a stellar track record of upping inflows (Shares) 770p
Watkin JonesWatkin is profiting from the student accommodation sector (Inv. Chr.) 107p
WH SmithThe newsagent sells cheap impulse items that fly off the shelves (Shares) £14.92
XaarThe inkjet specialist is bumping up its profit margins in the US (Shares) 440p
DraxUK coal plant closures are a big threat to the power group (Telegraph) 349.5p
JD WetherspoonCompetition is fierce and the living wage will be costly (Telegraph) 715p

Directors' dealings

An American view

The group also boasts an 11.4% return on equity, "which outshines its bigger rivals", and has a good track record of returning capital to shareholders: it has just raised its dividend, which it managed to maintain during the financial crisis, and announced a share buyback programme.