UK Stocks and Share tips
Top
of the Tips: Share Recommendations 22/12/2006
Buy
HBOS
HBOS,
better known for its two principal brands, Halifax and the
Bank of Scotland, has been a profitable and safe investment
for the last nine years, and with its base in low-risk home
loans and savings and investments, there seems no reason
it should not continue to be a good risk.
Buy,
says The Times.
M&C
Saatchi
One
of the darlings of the 1980s advertising world, M&C
Saatchi remains one of the more successful advertising agencies
in the UK. Although not the largest, they appear to have
the spirit and agility needed to thrive in a sometimes difficult
market.
In the
autumn of 2005, Saatchi lost the British Airways account,
resulting in a 7 per cent drop in revenue. This week they
unveiled their results for 2006 and announced a 10 per cent
increase in revenue, meaning an effective 17 per cent increase
on this time last year.
According
to Saatchi's chief executive, David Kershaw, the loss of
the BA account encouraged the agency to do better, and this
year Saatchi have managed to acquire some major new accounts
and to successfully expand into new markets.
The
shares have increased steadily since the summer, but are
still a good buy, according to The Independent.
Sell
Hays
Specialist
public sector recruiter Hays is beginning to suffer from
cutbacks in public sector recruitment, and with the end
of planned public sector economies not yet in sight, Hays
seems expensive at 16.4 times earnings.
Sell,
says The Times.
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