Old UK Stocks Shares Investment Tips complied by Money sorter at 24 5 2007

UK Stocks and Shares and Investment tips

Top of the Tips: Share Recommendations to week ending 25 5 2007

Ones To Buy

Renold

This maker of industrial chains can boast a number of blue chip customers and despite a rocky period a few years ago now looks to be making strong progress under its present management. Buy and hold, suggests the Mail on Sunday.

PayPoint

PayPoint are the company who secured the contract to collect TV license fees – stealing it from the Post Office and perhaps cementing the continuing decline in Post Office numbers. Its corner shop payment points continue to do well, and it is now expanding into Romania, a company in which 97 per cent of household bills are paid in cash. Buy and tuck away, says The Telegraph.

French Connection

French Connection's FCUK slogan has gone from cool to embarrassing over the last few years – rather like their profits, which have dropped from £38.1m in 2004 to £4m last year. A turnaround is in progress, however, and prospects look reasonably good.

Now is the time to buy, reckons The Independent.

Datatec

The past year has seen an increase in revenues of 17 per cent and an increase in operating margins to 3.2 per cent for the network equipment reseller. Its share price looks set to continue to rise and the shares look cheap at 13 times forecast earnings, according to The Telegraph.

Travis Perkins

Builders merchant Travis Perkins is doing well at the moment, with this week's trading update revealing a 13.9 per cent increase in turnover for the first four months of the year, alongside a 9 per cent increase in like-for-like sales growth.

Strong cashflow and a share price at a discount to its main competitors means you should keep on buying, says The Times.

Enodis

While it isn't a household name, Enodis manufactures commercial ovens, refrigerators and other appliances for customers including McDonalds and Starbucks. Despite a weak dollar, it has reported a 10 per cent increase in half-year pre-tax profits, showing its underlying strength. Buy, says The Independent.

Ones To Let Go

Alea Group Holdings

Reinsurance group Alea has seen its fortunes plummet since its flotation in 2004, mostly as a result of some costly hurricane claims. Having failed to secure a fresh batch of funding, the company has sold off everything possible and has now been offered a buyout deal by the Fortress Investment Group.

One major shareholder is presently refusing to back the deal, claiming the company's assets are undervalued. The truth, however, is that there may not ever be a better offer. Sell while you can, says The Independent.

Silence Therapeutics

Until recently known as SR Pharma, Silence is making significant progress with technology that can "silence" genes causing disease. Although early trials are going well, any long-term owners of Silence shares would do well to lock-in their profits now – the company's share price has risen 450 per cent since January 2006. Sell, says The Telegraph.