Five to buy
Marks & Spencer
(Shares) M&S has had plenty of “false dawns”, but is it now “finally regaining its mojo”? Management has raised full-year profit guidance after an unexpectedly strong start to its financial year. A joint venture with Ocado has “transformed the prospects” of the food business, with sales up by 10.8% on a year before during the 19 weeks to 14 August. The underperforming home and clothing division is also showing signs of life, especially in online sales. M&S may eventually “emulate omni-channel star” Next, which has successfully combined store and online sales. On a forward price/earnings (p/e) ratio of 11.2 for 2023, the shares trade at a discount to Next and offer “great value”. 179p
Ted Baker
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(The Sunday Telegraph) Once a £1bn business, this luxury clothing brand saw its value plunge to £100m last year because of poor strategic decisions and a workplace scandal. The firm failed to keep abreast of the shift of retail online. Then the pandemic forced the closure of shops and rendered its rather formal clothing unfashionable. Now a new management team is shaking things up by rejigging the store portfolio, selling their headquarters to raise cash and moving into digital sales. The return of large events and the enduring strength of the brand mean this looks an auspicious moment to buy. 154p
Redx Pharma
(The Sunday Times) This biotech firm is researching treatments for cancer and fibrosis. It listed on Aim in 2015 but “was almost wiped out” after Liverpool city council called in a loan. The shares plunged and the firm was forced to sell off its “star asset”, an inhibitor programme, to raise the cash. Since then it has staged an impressive turnaround, with two drugs in clinical development. Good progress on one treatment this month triggered a “milestone payment” from partner Jazz Pharmaceuticals. More payments are conditional on continued regulatory progress. The shares are speculative and thinly traded, but broker Panmure Gordon has an “ambitious” 135p price target. 59p
Barratt Developments
(The Mail on Sunday) This housebuilder has reported a solid pre-tax profit and strong demand but the shares tumbled regardless. Investors are twitchy about the upcoming end of the stamp-duty holiday, which they fear will sink the property market. Another concern is shortages of materials and labour, which management says have raised costs “between 4% and 5%”. Others were disappointed that Barratt has yet to turn “a huge cash pile” into a special dividend. Fears are overdone: the company is in good health and strong forward sales suggest that the property sector will remain robust. 711p
Cineworld
(The Motley Fool) Covid-19 has been cruel to this cinema chain. Over the past six months it has “crashed into penny-stock territory”. The shares are still down by more than 60% since mid-February 2020. The ongoing Delta wave in America, the world’s biggest film market, has delivered yet another dose of uncertainty. Blockbuster releases are being delayed once again. Still, audience numbers and spending have been heading in the right direction. A return to profit is a way off, but a pickup in sales will give the company “a better chance to start paying off its huge debts”. The pandemic situation is more likely to improve than deteriorate. At its “present dirt-cheap levels” this is a penny stock that could be worth a speculative punt. 66p
...and the rest
Shares
Oxford Instruments designs and manufactures “cutting-edge science tools”. On a 12-month price/earnings (p/e) ratio of 32 the shares are not cheap. But there is still upside thanks to a “strong order book, operating margins well on the road to 20%” and spare cash to fund acquisitions. Buy (2,695p).
Investors’ Chronicle
Engineering consultancy Ricardo works on transmission components for the likes of McLaren, Aston Martin and Bugatti. Management is tapping into green opportunities through environmental and rail consulting. On just 12 times forward earnings, shares in this “reformed petrolhead” still “have miles in the tank” (382p).
The Times
Avoid ITV. The broadcaster has narrowly escaped relegation from the FTSE 100, but the writing is “on the wall” for traditional television as streaming platforms take eyeballs elsewhere. Management hopes to diversify revenue away from advertising and into platforms such as BritBox, but “deep-pocketed” competition will make that hard to achieve (115p).
The Daily Telegraph
Airlines IAG and easyJet are still suffering from pandemic restrictions but both have the cash they need to ride out further disappointments. There is huge pent-up demand for travel, so the stocks look well-placed to take flight when a recovery eventually comes. Buy (164p; 809p). The end of the stamp-duty holiday might weigh on the property sector, but housebuilder Taylor Wimpey will continue to profit from ultra-low interest rates and government subsidies for the housing market. Buy (181p).
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'Pension funds shouldn't be pushed into private equity sector'Opinion The private-equity party is over, so don't push pension funds into the sector, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
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Greg Abel: Warren Buffett’s heir takes the throneGreg Abel is considered a safe pair of hands as he takes centre stage at Berkshire Hathaway. But he arrives after one of the hardest acts to follow in investment history, Warren Buffett. Can he thrive?
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Who will be the next Warren Buffett?Opinion There won’t be another Warren Buffett. Times have changed, and the opportunities are no longer there, says Matthew Lynn.
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Will Comstock crash – or soar?Opinion The upside for Comstock, a solar panel-recycling and biomass-refining group, dwarfs the downside, says Dominic Frisby.
