Articles & Insight

Richard Beddard
Michael Taylor
Jeremy Grime
Step-by-Step Guide to Investing
Maynard Paton
Alistair Blair
Phil Oakley Archive

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  • Finding companies that control their own destinies 16th October 2019 by Richard Beddard - Fallout from the demise of Thomas Cook reminds Richard of the virtues of vertical integration. In the month since the demise of Thomas Cook, the… ...more
  • Two Technical Analysis Tools You Need: Candlesticks and Volume 9th October 2019 by Michael Taylor - We briefly touched on technical analysis in my previous article ‘The Four Stages of a Stock’, and in this article I want to introduce some… ...more
  • KAINOS 4th October 2019 by Alistair Blair - THE SETTING Kainos (Greek for fresh, innovative) was launched in 1986 when the old British IT champion ICL recognised the quality of computer science graduates… ...more
  • What PZ Cussons’ cashflow tells us about its strategy 2nd October 2019 by Richard Beddard - Having found PZ Cussons through his Keep It Simple, Stupid filter, Richard examines the company through its cash flow statement. To his delight, he finds… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 30/09/19 30th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Liquidity Crunch Across the table in the rather tired looking meeting room, the grey haired but immaculately presented fund manager bit his bottom lip as… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Medica 24th September 2019 by Maynard Paton - Dynamic growth shares are among the market’s most exciting investments. Find a business that has expanded rapidly and offers the prospect of further earnings growth… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 23/09/19 23rd September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Navigating Change Conservatively Sometimes it can be useful to stand back and take stock so we don’t get those market eyes that can’t see the… ...more
  • Filtering out the big spenders 18th September 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard invents a new filter that promises to weed out big acquirers in a drive for simplicity he hopes will make investigating his next company… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 16/09/19 16th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Inefficient Markets I find myself increasingly bullish. Or maybe I have recently had a holiday and by the end of the week all bullishness will… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 09/09/19 9th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Business Models I found myself wondering whether models become outdated over time. In this age of diversity, governance reporting, and gender indexes I question whether… ...more
  • The future of holidays portfolio 4th September 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard returns from his holiday and wonders whether he can put the experience to use by investing in holiday companies. First step: Create a portfolio… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 02/09/19 2nd September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - It’s a bi-polar world Printing money hoping that will engineer inflation has in the past resulted in inflation, but it hasn’t worked. As central banks… ...more
  • Why shorting is good for investors 30th August 2019 by Michael Taylor - Although I am much more of a trader myself as I rely on trading profits to pay my bills, I do think investors have much… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hammerson 28th August 2019 by Maynard Paton - Buying a share at a discount to its book (or net asset) value ought to be the safest way of investing. Indeed, what could go… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 27/08/19 27th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Great British Corporate Sale One of the things the City of London excels at is selling its own to overseas acquirors. Back in the… ...more
  • Hidden potential in new division 21st August 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard analyses Bloomsbury Publishing’s segmental report to work out where the profit is coming from. The Harry Potter effect is still evident, but the company… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 19/08/19 19th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Agricultural Investing The nerves were tested last week. Back in Q4 last year the 17% fall in the FTSE 100 was one of those typical… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 12/08/19 12th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Narrative of Growth I suspect I am not alone in being trained as a value investor in the 1980’s. That was an era when… ...more
  • Finding the best companies to analyse 6th August 2019 by Richard Beddard - A wise man once advised investors to stick to their circle of competence. Richard uses SharePad to keep his eye on the prize, and it… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 05/08/19 5th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - In need of boredom Equity investors need to be an optimistic bunch - since equity markets outperform over the long run. Academics Dimson Marsh and… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: AG Barr 30th July 2019 by Maynard Paton - Quality companies undergoing temporary problems can often become attractive investment opportunities. On that basis, perhaps AG Barr is worth closer inspection. The soft-drinks manufacturer famous… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 29/07/19 29th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Testing times I find this one of the most uncomfortable investing era’s I can recall. The outperformance of growth stocks continues while markets grind higher… ...more
  • The Four Stages of a Stock 26th July 2019 by Michael Taylor - Technical analysis is either loved or hated. Many people like to claim it as ‘voodoo’ and trying to predict the future, but the fact is… ...more
  • The art of the sale 23rd July 2019 by Richard Beddard - In response to a reader’s request for a sell filter, Richard goes looking for trouble in his portfolio by setting some “curiosity triggers”.... One of… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 22/07/19 22nd July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Greening of Fund Management It is still useful to contemplate the state of the world over a good lunch as I did last week… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 15/07/19 15th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Where are the Customers’ Yachts? The book “Where are the Customers’ Yachts?” by Fred Schwed was written 75 years ago but as we watch the… ...more
  • How to work out whether a firm is good acquirer 10th July 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard uses a trick from Judges Scientific’s playbook to assess local hero Scientific Digital Imaging. Both companies acquire scientific instrument manufacturers using a “buy and… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 08/07/19 8th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Bubble has burst Sometimes we spend so long waiting for something to happen we don’t realise it has started. But I think it has… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Imperial Brands 3rd July 2019 by Maynard Paton - Imagine this. You find a blue-chip company that offers: * 21 years of consecutive dividend increases, with the last ten years showing 10% per annum… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 01/07/19 1st July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Disruption in the Courts Early for lunch on the 24th floor of Tower 42 in the City I gazed over the tower blocks of the… ...more
  • The Future of Retail portfolio 26th June 2019 by Richard Beddard - Rule number one in investing is to buy what you know, but how does that work when what you know is changing day by day?… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 24/06/19 24th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Structural Change in the City It always amazes me how debt can lead to innovation. Humans find ingenious solutions. The Bank of England was founded… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: JD Sports Fashion 18th June 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I am revisiting the share screen that pinpointed Games Workshop back in January. The shares of the quirky wargaming retailer have soared more than… ...more
  • Weekly commentary: 17/06/19 17th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - It’s “avoid the warnings” time Last week saw a few profit warnings. Somero, Ted Baker, Quiz, Pendragon warnings were based on revenue disappointments but I… ...more
  • Scapa has had a rocky three weeks. Its market capitalisation is down by 50%. Is it a buy? 13th June 2019 by Alistair Blair - THE SETTING After nine years of impressive revivification under CEO Heejae Chae, the specialist tapes maker Scapa has just delivered three tingling episodes in three… ...more
  • Checking the numbers match the story 11th June 2019 by Richard Beddard - One thing we should always check is that a company’s long-term performance matches the story it tells us. Churchill China says it is “adding value”… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 10/06/19 10th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Companies with Culture The noise around Woodford’s humiliation last week was deafening. And it was a bad week for Hargreaves Lansdown (-14%). I don’t recall… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Jupiter Fund Management 5th June 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have revisited a share screen that applies two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors — operating margin and return on equity (ROE). The exact… ...more
  • Weekly Commentary: 03/06/19 3rd June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The “End of Global Trade” Week Last week the talk moved from politics to trade wars. Consensus seems to be that the trade war between… ...more
  • Hidden treasure on your doorstep 30th May 2019 by Richard Beddard - Finding local businesses listed on the stock market is easy with the help of SharePad and Google Maps. Richard maps the market to find out… ...more
  • Weekly commentary: 28/05/19 28th May 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Time to own value? Unicorns The Unicorns stable door has been left wide open. Beyond Meat, a US loss making protein meat brand, listed in… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Domino’s Pizza 22nd May 2019 by Maynard Paton - This in-depth article covers one of the most impressive UK growth stocks of the last 20 years — Domino’s Pizza. Domino’s appeared on my radar… ...more
  • Portmeirion: When confidence crumbles 14th May 2019 by Richard Beddard - SharePad is not just about discovering new shares, it can help us see shares we are familiar with in a new light. Richard uses it… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Abcam 8th May 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to the share screen I employed to pinpoint Victrex the other week. To quickly recap, this screen applies two ratios favoured… ...more
  • Bodycote: A stalwart in cyclical clothing 2nd May 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates a company that not only walks the walk, it talks the talk. I am not going to lie, even if it means shattering… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Victrex 25th April 2019 by Maynard Paton - This week I am tracking down a potential long-term winner by employing two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors. The first measure is operating margin, which… ...more
  • RM: Will profit endure? 16th April 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard considers whether the supplier of educational resources and software services can sustain profitability and reignite growth. There’s a good chance, he thinks, which makes… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Renishaw 8th April 2019 by Maynard Paton - I am convinced the very best shares to own are often led by executives who truly act in the interests of ordinary shareholders. In particular,… ...more
  • RM: Is profit real? 3rd April 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates RM, one of the stock market's great survivors, starting with just one question. It takes him on a twisty trail... Before we get… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Craneware 26th March 2019 by Maynard Paton - Years ago I read Super Stocks, an investment book that claimed to reveal “powerful new ideas” to uncover “opportunities for spectacular profits”. I sadly can’t… ...more
  • Moneysupermaaaaaaahhhhhhket 19th March 2019 by Richard Beddard - The veteran price comparison company is changing, and maybe for the better. Richard investigates one of the companies that easily met the criteria of his… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Accesso Technology 12th March 2019 by Maynard Paton - This article has not turned out as I had expected. I was hoping to study a quality growth business that had seen its share price… ...more
  • Fishing like Fundsmith 5th March 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard builds a Fundsmith filter, taking it from concept to conclusion. The aim: To reduce the “junk” in our watchlists so we are fishing in… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown 27th February 2019 by Maynard Paton - Quality companies often produce exceptional returns for ordinary investors. Just ask Terry Smith or Nick Train. These ace fund managers have delivered wonderful gains by… ...more
  • Performance measurement for pros 20th February 2019 by Richard Beddard - Investors tend to judge their portfolios by how much they go up or down in value, typically compared to a benchmark index like the FTSE… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Apple 11th February 2019 by Maynard Paton - Being able to analyse international shares — at no extra cost! — is a wonderful feature of SharePad. And finding overseas shares within SharePad is… ...more
  • Putting performance into perspective 5th February 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard reads Fundsmith Equity Fund’s annual letter to fundholders and suggests a modest improvement that could change your perception of financial history. He also responds… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Games Workshop 30th January 2019 by Maynard Paton - Could now be the time to return to dynamic growth shares? Wonder-stocks such as Fever-Tree, Boohoo.com and Keywords Studios are all well below their highs… ...more
  • Starting with the big picture 23rd January 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard starts his analysis of fast growing online beach holiday retailer On The Beach with new SharePad views designed to give him the big picture… ...more
  • Magic Formula stocks for 2019 & 2018 performance 18th January 2019 by Marketing - Back in 2016 we began testing and tracking three model portfolios based on Joel Greenblatt’s magic formula approach (click here to read more about this)… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Plus500 16th January 2019 by Maynard Paton - Before I start looking at Plus500 (LSE: PLUS), I have some good news…. …you can now employ my SharePad screening criteria with just a few… ...more
  • Assessing whether profit is real 10th January 2019 by Richard Beddard - On the face of it Ricardo is a great company, but in recent years its earnings have deviated a long way from the cold hard… ...more
  • How I build and manage my share portfolio 10th January 2019 by Martin Stamp - The key thing to stress at the beginning and, as many of you will already be well aware, there are many ways to become a… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Somero Enterprises 2nd January 2019 by Maynard Paton - How did your portfolio fare during 2018? If you managed to side-step the market falls, very well done. For the rest of us — including… ...more
  • A SharePad for every occasion 21st December 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard takes a break from company analysis and reveals a new layout for news, and reflects on some of the other tweeks he has used this… ...more
  • Two good companies, but which is better? 17th December 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard takes a first look at Softcat, and he likes what he sees, even in comparison to rival Computacenter, another fine business. Both companies make… ...more
  • A Special SharePad Investigation: Patisserie Valerie 11th December 2018 by Maynard Paton - Before I go any further, let me just state that I am not here to say “I told you so”. But whenever I have lost… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Mattioli Woods 4th December 2018 by Maynard Paton - Many years ago, one of my favourite sources for investment ideas was the Financial Times. However, the FT’s articles did not interest me, and nor… ...more
  • How to win 79% of the time – the Santa Claus effect 28th November 2018 by Martin Stamp - How to be a winner 79% of the time and be up an average of 3.5%. Sounds enticing. I was reminded of the Santa Claus… ...more
  • Searching SharePad for something special 27th November 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard Beddard investigates DotDigital in SharePad. The data indicates it has been very prosperous since it floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2011. A… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Warpaint London 21st November 2018 by Maynard Paton - I am always looking for shares that can double, triple, quadruple or more during the years ahead. And one good way of finding such great… ...more
  • What really makes a great business? 14th November 2018 by Richard Beddard - To identify great businesses we must go beyond the numbers and understand what causes them. In this article I revisit 4Imprint, an investment I should… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Zytronic 9th November 2018 by Maynard Paton - Let me start with a confession: 2018 is fast becoming a year to forget for my portfolio. Suffice to say, my shares have suffered a… ...more
  • Evaluating a hot tip 2nd November 2018 by Richard Beddard - Psst, company XYZ is going great guns, it's shooting for the moon, get in before it is too late!!! In today's article, Richard uses SharePad… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: PayPoint 23rd October 2018 by Maynard Paton - I don’t know about your shares, but my portfolio was thumped during this month’s market sell-off. The drubbing prompted me to consider whether I should… ...more
  • When dull businesses come good 16th October 2018 by Richard Beddard - Stroll into a WH Smith and you might wonder why a shop that sells Sellotape, colouring books and slime (really!) exists today, but the company… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Character 8th October 2018 by Maynard Paton - My SharePad screening for buying opportunities has short-listed Character (LSE: CCT) as a possible longer-term investment. The attraction here is a quite extraordinary story about… ...more
  • Filtering new issues 28th September 2018 by Richard Beddard - New issues have a reputation for delivering poor investment returns. In this article we filter SharePad for companies that may be more seasoned than they… ...more
  • Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: CMC Markets 11th September 2018 by Maynard Paton - In this article I continue my hunt for shares that could deliver market-beating returns… …and this time my SharePad system has identified CMC Markets (LSE:… ...more
  • The old ones are the good ones 11th September 2018 by Richard Beddard - Exciting news: Aston Martin is readying itself to float on the stock market. Investors should think twice though, before buying the shares. Typically, it is… ...more
  • Screening for my next long-term winner: Ramsdens 31st August 2018 by Maynard Paton - I am always hunting for great shares that could power ahead of the market during the years to come… …and just few days ago, my… ...more
  • Building a base filter 30th August 2018 by Richard Beddard - To demonstrate how to filter in SharePad, we’ll build a base filter that filters out the shares we are least likely to be interested in.… ...more
  • The perils of filtering stocks 20th August 2018 by Richard Beddard - This is the second article in the series “From ideas to investments” in which I look at the process of finding and evaluating investment ideas.… ...more
  • How the stock market actually works 27th July 2018 by Richard Beddard - Today's article is the first in a new series called ‘From ideas to investments’ which takes an in-depth look at how to generate investment ideas… ...more
  • Motorpoint: A car dealer that stands out from the crowd 19th July 2018 by Richard Beddard - Financial statistics from SharePad and non-financial data from the company itself all indicate Motorpoint is no ordinary car dealer. If you’ve bought a vehicle from… ...more
  • Next – A closer look at its online business 19th July 2018 by Phil Oakley - For many years Next has been a very profitable retailer of clothes and homewares. Like most of its peers it has had to face up… ...more
  • Stock Watch – Portmeirion 11th July 2018 by Phil Oakley - Portmeirion Group is based in Stoke on Trent and is a leading maker of homeware products such as tableware, cookware, placemats, candles and fragrances. It… ...more
  • Hunting in a sea of pessimism 3rd July 2018 by Phil Oakley - Buying shares that are out of favour is a favourite strategy amongst contrarian value investors. However, in recent times it is not one that has… ...more
  • When bad companies become good: IG Design 2nd July 2018 by Richard Beddard - IG Design, formerly International Greetings, is one of my biggest investment mistakes—even though I made a few quid on it. Since I sold my shares… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Morrisons – Is a bad business turning itself into a reasonable one? 26th June 2018 by Phil Oakley - Ten years ago, Morrisons was doing reasonably well. Under the leadership of Dutchman Marc Bolland it was wooing customers with a very simple and powerful… ...more
  • Electrocomponents: Becoming First Choice 20th June 2018 by Richard Beddard - You don’t have to look far to discover Electrocomponents’ ambition. “BECOMING FIRST CHOICE” is the title of its annual report this year. But that strapline… ...more
  • Avoiding bad shares is just as important as picking good ones 13th June 2018 by Phil Oakley - If you've been investing in individual shares for a while then you've probably gone through the experience of losing some money on one or more… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Hill & Smith Holdings 5th June 2018 by Phil Oakley - Shares in Hill & Smith Holdings (LSE:HILS) have been a very solid investment in recent years. The company's strategy of focusing on niche infrastructure markets… ...more
  • Face-off: Tenpin versus Hollywood Bowl 5th June 2018 by Richard Beddard - Tenpin bowling chains are like London buses. You wait around for years and then two of them list almost at the same time. Phil Oakley… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Superdry 22nd May 2018 by Phil Oakley - Superdry wants to create a global lifestyle brand by selling premium, high quality and affordable clothing to people. Its brand may not be as recognisable… ...more
  • First steps to an inheritance tax-exempt portfolio 21st May 2018 by Richard Beddard - Investing in AIM-listed shares can help you reduce inheritance tax but you have to be picky. Not all shares qualify, and they must be good… ...more
  • Buying quality on its own is no guarantee of success 15th May 2018 by Phil Oakley - There are many different ways to make money from the stock market. Over the last few years, one of the most popular and discussed strategies… ...more
  • Stock Watch: InterContinental Hotels 9th May 2018 by Phil Oakley - Disclosure: At the time of writing I own shares in InterContinental Hotels. InterContinental Hotels (IHG) can trace its roots back to the Bass brewing company.… ...more
  • A new issue that is already a winner 8th May 2018 by Richard Beddard - Looking through the prisms of profitability, debt, cash flow, strategy and valuation, Strix may be an exception to the rule that new issues make bad… ...more
  • Dark days for regulated utility shares 24th April 2018 by Phil Oakley - Since they were privatised in the mid 1980s and early 1990s, the shares of regulated utility companies have found a place in many private investors'… ...more
  • Key questions to ask company management 23rd April 2018 by Phil Oakley - If you are attending any events which enable you to meet company management face-to-face, take along Phil's handy crib sheet - a list of key… ...more
  • AGMs – If in doubt, ask 23rd April 2018 by Richard Beddard - Most companies will answer questions from shareholders and potential shareholders. At Annual General Meetings shareholders have a right to ask questions and get answers. A… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Cranswick 17th April 2018 by Phil Oakley - Cranswick is a UK-based food producer. It specialises in the production and selling of pork and poultry products. The sales mix of its business is… ...more
  • Should investors avoid low margin companies? 10th April 2018 by Phil Oakley - Highly profitable companies can make outstanding long-term investments. Arguably, the best way to measure a company's profitability is to compare its profits with the amount… ...more
  • Putting performance in perspective 9th April 2018 by Richard Beddard - To get a grip on where a company is going you have to understand where it has come from. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean reading every… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Domino’s Pizza 27th March 2018 by Phil Oakley - Domino's Pizza is a very good business. It has exploited the trend of the growth in take-away pizza superbly and now has a 46% share… ...more
  • Working out what could go wrong with a share 26th March 2018 by Richard Beddard - Investors pin their hopes on what could go right. The great product. The winning strategy. The growing market. The new technology. These may be good… ...more
  • Checking out a company’s cash conversion 21st March 2018 by Phil Oakley - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the issues investors faced in working out a company’s true profits. In many cases, the ways in… ...more
  • Decrypting a company’s business model and strategy 13th March 2018 by Richard Beddard - While it’s comforting to know a business has enjoyed success, long-term investors must also form an opinion on its prospects if we’re to hold the… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Hollywood Bowl 13th March 2018 by Phil Oakley - Hollywood Bowl is the UK’s largest operator of tenpin bowling centres. It currently has 58 centres across the UK with 43 trading under the Hollywood… ...more
  • Can you trust a company’s profits? 7th March 2018 by Phil Oakley - This article is more suited to experienced investors. Profits are all important when it comes to investing in companies. To make money over the long… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Galliford Try 28th February 2018 by Phil Oakley - Shares in building and construction company Galliford Try have been hammered since it announced its half year results a couple of weeks ago. The results… ...more
  • How to read an annual report 27th February 2018 by Richard Beddard - Rule number one in long-term investing is to understand how the businesses you expect to profit from will make money - otherwise, how can you… ...more
  • A smarter way to use analysts’ EPS forecasts 21st February 2018 by Phil Oakley - Should investors pay much attention to analysts’ profit forecasts? There is a school of thought that suggests that they should not. Detractors say that forecasts… ...more
  • Stock Watch: City Pub Group 14th February 2018 by Phil Oakley - (LSE:CPC 196p, Mkt Cap £96.3m, EMS 1500, Analysts 2) City Pub Group listed on AIM back in November. The company currently owns 38 managed pubs… ...more
  • The Terry Smith algorithm 14th February 2018 by Richard Beddard - In this article I’ve attempted to find Fundsmith-like companies using SharePad. The results are mixed but there’s a lot to be learned from the experiment.… ...more
  • A checklist for busy investors 7th February 2018 by Phil Oakley - There are many full time private investors out there but for others investing is a hobby or something that they fit around their day to… ...more
  • Using SharePad’s “Live” tables in your own spreadsheets 30th January 2018 by Richard Beddard - Maybe you already download tables of data from SharePad by clicking on the sharing button in SharePad's blue Table view, but this data is dead.… ...more
  • Stockwatch: Avon Rubber
    30th January 2018 by Phil Oakley - Avon Rubber is a good example of a company that fits into the category of a profitable niche business. It started off as a cloth… ...more
  • A better way to track changes in company performance 23rd January 2018 by Phil Oakley - It doesn't take too much time to get a feel for how well a company is doing. Most people do this by looking at percentage… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Nichols 16th January 2018 by Phil Oakley - Soft drinks company Nichols (AIM:NICL) has been a good share to own over the last few years. It has many of the hallmarks of a… ...more
  • Buy and build 15th January 2018 by Richard Beddard - If you take a look at Diploma through the lens of SharePad's summary page (under the green 'Financials' tab), you will find it shares many… ...more
  • Magic Formula stocks for 2018 10th January 2018 by Phil Oakley - For those of you who like the idea of a buy and forget investing strategy then Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula of buying good companies at… ...more
  • Settings for the big picture 3rd January 2018 by Richard Beddard - Happy New Year! I've started mine by tidying up my many desktops: my physical desk, my laptop's desktop, and SharePad. I did so much experimenting… ...more
  • Simple is best – Magic Formula Investing in 2017 19th December 2017 by Phil Oakley - If you were to ask me to recommend just one book on investing then I would struggle to think of anything better than Joel Greenblatt's… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Henry Boot (LSE:Boot) 6th December 2017 by Phil Oakley - Henry Boot is a Sheffield-based company which makes money from property and construction activities. It has four main sources of income: Buying land, getting planning… ...more
  • Two charts to unlock a company’s finances 6th December 2017 by Richard Beddard - By way of introducing two charts I'm routinely using to suss out how companies are financed - the twin pillars of debt and equity -… ...more
  • Searching for companies paying out more of their profits 29th November 2017 by Phil Oakley - One of the main considerations for people investing in shares these days is the dividend income they will get from owning them. With a world… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Fenner 22nd November 2017 by Phil Oakley - Over a decade ago when I was a smaller companies analyst in the City, UK engineering company Fenner was part of the portfolio of stocks… ...more
  • Is the current ratio an outdated measure of company safety? 15th November 2017 by Phil Oakley - One of the most commonly cited measures of a company's financial strength is something known as the current ratio. It is a measure of liquidity… ...more
  • The elusive hire firms you can buy and hold 14th November 2017 by Richard Beddard - Last week I introduced the listed plant and tool hire companies and mentioned in passing the industry has a bit of a boom bust reputation. Perhaps I… ...more
  • Income Opportunities From Dividends 10th November 2017 by Phil Oakley - In the last of his Investors Chronicle articles, Phil looks at companies reinstating dividends or starting to pay them for the 1st time. Read pdf… ...more
  • Homing in on hire firms 7th November 2017 by Richard Beddard - Homing in on hire firms When business is sluggish at construction sites and factories, tools and equipment are returned and hire companies make less profit.… ...more
  • How to steer clear of dividend traps 3rd November 2017 by Phil Oakley - First published in Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to avoid the shares that might let you down. Read pdf article ...more
  • Finding safe high-yielding shares 27th October 2017 by Phil Oakley - First published in Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to identify which high-yielding shares are most likely to maintain or grow their dividends. Read pdf article ...more
  • Stock Watch: Abcam – is lower profitability worth paying for? 23rd October 2017 by Richard Beddard - Abcam shares are more popular than ever. Perhaps they're worth it. Nailed on growth stock There's no doubt Abcam has grown. In performance terms it's… ...more
  • When valuations don’t matter and when they do 11th October 2017 by Phil Oakley - Lots of people will tell you that the price you pay for a share really matters. This is because it has a big say on… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Elegant Hotels Group 4th October 2017 by Phil Oakley - Elegant Hotels is the owner and operator of a number of upmarket hotels on the Caribbean island of Barbados. The company has been in business… ...more
  • Finding companies that speak your language 4th October 2017 by Richard Beddard - Finding companies that speak your language It's a commonly held view that the only bits of financial reports worth paying attention to are the numbers… ...more
  • How much is a company worth? A look at different ways to value shares 27th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - Two weeks ago I wrote about how to try and value companies that aren't making a profit. This week I'm going back to basics for… ...more
  • Tech recruiter is statistically attractive, but is it special? 26th September 2017 by Richard Beddard - There are two questions I ask of all companies I might invest in. Do the statistics indicate the business is highly profitable and, if they… ...more
  • 13th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - How to value loss-making companies One of the questions I am frequently asked is: "How do I value loss-making companies?". The short answer is that… ...more
  • How I choose my next share using filters and charts 13th September 2017 by Richard Beddard - After many years of investment I still feel a sense of anticipation when I examine lists of shares looking for new opportunities. It's like opening… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Redrow 13th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - The state of the housing market - and the direction of house prices in particular - is a key driver of Britain's economy. When house… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Scapa Group 5th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - Scapa Group has transformed itself over the last few years by following a strategy of offering more value to its customers. It has worked well… ...more
  • A blueprint for better long term investing 31st August 2017 by Phil Oakley - Holidays are great for switching off from the stresses and strains of the daily grind and concentrating on what's really important in life. I've just… ...more
  • Shares to hold to the grave, and beyond… 31st August 2017 by Richard Beddard - For my debut SharePad article, I've been invited to introduce my stockpicking strategy. It's a daunting prospect because strategy is everything. Without a strategy, luck… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Ashtead Group 10th August 2017 by Phil Oakley - Ashtead makes its money by renting out equipment to construction and industrial companies - things like aerial platforms, forklift trucks, tools, diggers, cranes, power generators… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Castings 25th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - Castings plc is a foundry business. Foundries are factories which produce metal castings. Castings has two in the UK - in the West Midlands and… ...more
  • Hunting in the minefield of cheap shares 18th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - Most people like a bargain. Bargain hunting on the stock market has long been a popular pastime or even a full time occupation for investors.… ...more
  • The case for dividend investing in dangerous markets 4th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - I am finding investing more than just a little bit frustrating these days. The reason for this is that I am struggling to find shares… ...more
  • Stock Watch: RPC 4th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - RPC (rigid plastic containers) designs and manufacturers plastic products for packaging markets. The company makes thousands of different products such as plastic bottles, food containers,… ...more
  • Stock Watch: James Halstead 27th June 2017 by Phil Oakley - James Halstead has been in business since 1915. It started out dyeing, finishing, waterproofing and rubberising textiles that were used in rainwear and outdoor clothing.… ...more
  • Making sense of highly priced shares 21st June 2017 by Phil Oakley - In my 20 years of investing I am finding the current stock market conditions the most challenging I have ever encountered. My investing career started… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Watkins Jones 14th June 2017 by Phil Oakley - Stock Watch: Watkins Jones Watkins Jones is a property developer, best known for building private student accommodation. It floated on AIM in March 2016. The… ...more
  • The case for enterprise valuations 6th June 2017 by Phil Oakley - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the subject of PE ratios (click here to read the article) and the ins and outs of… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Howden Joinery Group (Howdens) 31st May 2017 by Phil Oakley - Howden Joinery Group is the parent company for Howdens. Howdens was established in 1995 with 14 depots by its current chief executive Matthew Ingle when… ...more
  • PE ratios and how to use them 23rd May 2017 by Phil Oakley - PE ratios and how to use them Price to earnings (PE) ratios are the most commonly used method of weighing up the value of a… ...more
  • Stock Watch: Smart Metering Systems (AIM:SMS) 16th May 2017 by Phil Oakley - I recently wrote about Smart Metering Systems in my exclusive weekly newsletter for SharePad and ShareScope customers. It's an interesting company so I have decided… ...more
  • Stock Watch: FW Thorpe 9th May 2017 by Phil Oakley - FW Thorpe was founded in 1936 and has been listed on the stock exchange since 1965. The company designs and manufactures professional lighting systems for… ...more
  • Looking beyond free cash flow 9th May 2017 by Phil Oakley - Ask me about the kind of financial characteristics I like to see in a potential investment and the first two I will usually cite are… ...more
  • Stock Watch: FW Thorpe 24th April 2017 by Phil Oakley - FW Thorpe was founded in 1936 and has been listed on the stock exchange since 1965. The company designs and manufactures professional lighting systems for… ...more
  • Analysing the stocks in a filter 19th April 2017 by Phil Oakley - Running filters or screens is a popular way of finding shares to invest in. Whilst screening can be very powerful it is important to recognise… ...more
  • UK Dividend aristocrats 30th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - Phil's Investors Chronicle article on how to be a successful dividend investor. Read the article ...more
  • Why depreciation matters and EBITDA doesn’t 30th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - When it comes to weighing up asset-intensive sectors, depreciation matters. It is a real cost. This does not stop people ignoring it and touting the… ...more
  • The end of “hidden debts” 28th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - Accounting is a dry subject but a very important one. I perfectly understand why private investors' eyes glaze over at the mere mention of the… ...more
  • Stock Watch: XP Power 15th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - XP Power is based is headquartered in Singapore and has manufacturing sites in Vietnam and China. The company makes power control systems which convert power… ...more
  • How to avoid value traps 10th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - In this instalment, Phil explains how to spot value traps and finds some cheap shares that might bounce back. Read the article ...more
  • Free cash flow: what it is and how to use it 3rd March 2017 by Phil Oakley - In this week's Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to use free cash flow to your advantage. Read the article ...more
  • Stock Watch: Treatt plc (LSE:TET) 1st March 2017 by Phil Oakley - Treatt plc has been in business since 1886. Based in Bury St Edmunds, the company specialises in making and selling products based on essential oils.… ...more
  • Kraft-Heinz’s bid for Unilever 22nd February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Disclosure: Phil Oakley owns shares in Unilever Last week's bid by US food company Kraft-Heinz for Unilever caught many investors by surprise. But in retrospect… ...more
  • Weighing up investment trusts 15th February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Many private investors like to build a portfolio of individual shares in order to grow the value of their savings as well as trying to… ...more
  • Riding a retail roll out 8th February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Note: This in an advanced article best suited to more experienced and confident investors. One of the most profitable investing strategies can be to buy… ...more
  • Does Tesco buying Booker make sense? 2nd February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Mergers and takeovers are part and parcel of the investing world. However, I think it's fair to say that last week's (27th January 2017) announcement… ...more
  • Value investing today 26th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - One of the great things about investing is that there are lots of different ways for people to try and make money. This means that… ...more
  • If you want to beat the stock market own fewer shares not more 18th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - As a private investor managing your own share portfolio you have to achieve two things over the long haul to consider your efforts a success.… ...more
  • Sector Watch: Beverages 18th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - Companies which make and sell branded drinks have long been popular with investors. One of the main reasons for this is that as businesses they… ...more
  • Sector Watch: FTSE 100 and AIM 100 Miners 13th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - Mining companies are very difficult to analyse. Their profits and cash flows are very closely related to trends in commodity prices and sentiment towards the… ...more
  • Paying up for quality shares – how much is too much? 10th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - "It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price." - Warren Buffett "The desirability of a… ...more
  • A great year for modified magic formula investing 4th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - A year ago I started a trial of three model portfolios based on Joel Greenblatt's magic formula approach (click here to read more about this). I wanted… ...more
  • What is investing? 10th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - Why do people invest their money rather than just save? It's not just about growing your savings so that you will have more money in… ...more
  • A brief guide to tax-efficient saving 9th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - Tax-efficient savings accounts (ISAs) and self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) are the best option for most savers and investors. Here's what you need to know. Savings… ...more
  • Choosing your first investments 8th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - For some people the thought of picking their own shares can be a little bit daunting. Rest assured, it doesn't have to be. Whilst it… ...more
  • Investing in funds, investment trusts and ETFs 7th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - Many investors like to build a portfolio of individual shares and even bonds but for some investors, investment funds can be a useful alternative. For… ...more
  • Investing your portfolio for retirement income 6th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - From what I can see we are still firmly in a bull market in shares. Momentum remains a strategy that is paying off handsomely with… ...more
  • Chapter 1: Introduction 14th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - If you are reading this, the chances are that you've decided to take control of your investments. You may have been investing for some time… ...more
  • Chapter 2: Balance sheets 13th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - SharePad is packed full of useful financial data. This data holds the key to understanding the financial health and value of any company you are… ...more
  • Chapter 3: Analysing balance sheets 12th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - In the previous chapter we looked at how a balance sheet was put together and the numbers that go into it. In this chapter, we are going… ...more
  • Chapter 4: Income statements 11th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - Hopefully, you will now understand balance sheets and how important and useful they are. Let's move on to a set a numbers which most people think are… ...more
  • Chapter 5: Analysing income statements 10th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - Now that we've dealt with the basic format of an income statement it's time to move on and show you how SharePad turns those numbers into really… ...more
  • Chapter 6: The cash flow statement 9th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - The last four chapters have been spent looking at the balance sheet and income statement and how to use them. In this chapter, we will… ...more
  • Chapter 7: Analysing cash flow statements 8th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - We did a little bit of cash flow analysis in the last chapter. In this one, we look at the cash flow ratios that SharePad calculates… ...more
  • Chapter 8: Is this a good business? 7th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - How to measure company returns In the previous chapter, we learnt that profits and cash received (cash flow) are rarely the same value. We looked… ...more
  • Chapter 9: Share valuations  6th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - How to tell when shares are cheap or expensive In the previous chapter we looked at how to find out if a company was any good or… ...more
  • Chapter 10: Value investing 5th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - The previous chapters have hopefully shown you how useful SharePad can be when you are sifting through the finances of a company. Information that might… ...more
  • Chapter 11: Dividend investing 4th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - If you are watching or listening to the news at the end of the day you will usually be told what happened to the stock… ...more
  • Chapter 12: Growth investing 3rd October 2015 by Phil Oakley - The last couple of chapters have focused on two particular styles of investing - dividend investing and value investing. Both these approaches to owning shares… ...more
  • Chapter 13: Investing in bonds 2nd October 2015 by Phil Oakley - Despite their names, ShareScope and SharePad are not just all about shares. They can help you with other investments as well. In this article I'm… ...more
  • Appendix A: Putting it all together 1st October 2015 by Phil Oakley - In this chapter, I use the data and tools in SharePad to show you how I analyse shares but it also applies to ShareScope. Even… ...more

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