Stocks

Like most banks, Lloyds (LLOY) has had a pretty tough 12 months. Its business was obviously hit by the pandemic, while its stock remains subdued despite rallying on the back of positive vaccine developments. Still, 2020 results released on Wednesday were much better than many would have dared predict ten…

Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) held its much awaited 2021 Strategy Day this morning. Early market reaction does not look great, with the stock down around 2.2% as I type. The ‘B’ shares trade for 1,277p, up just over 30% since the last time the energy giant featured here back in…

Asset management firm Schroders (SDRC) throws up a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side, it has a very good underlying business model. Operations are inherently capital light, which usually means plenty of cash for things like dividends. On the down side, competition from ‘passive’ providers has left…

Consumer goods firm Unilever (ULVR) first appeared on the site back in May. COVID aside, the investment case seemed fairly attractive. The stock traded for circa 4,122p per share at the time, equal to around 17x pre-COVID net profit. With stable and high quality earnings, not to mention the low…

I last covered alcohol giant Diageo (DGE) back in July. The Johnnie Walker and Guinness owner traded for around 2,820p then, a circa 11% drop on where it started the year. Now, what I like most about this firm is its ability to shower shareholders with cash. It can do…