[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images When I looked at the BP (LSE: BP.) share price last month, I was nervous. The outlook seemed grim, with OPEC+ expected to ramp up oil production in 2026 to win market share from the US. That would drive prices down, and when oil falls, BP shares usually follow. There was even talk of crude tumbling from around $60 a barrel to $40. While BP can just about break even at that level, it can’t make the kind of profits investors’ crave, or fund the chunky dividends they hope to receive. Oil stocks are notoriously hard to…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Snapping up a few dividend-paying penny shares is a quick and easy way to work towards building a second income stream. Not only is a cheap price helpful, it adds an extra layer of flexibility to an investment. This is because the payouts that dividend companies reward to shareholders can be withdrawn as cash or reinvested to grow the portfolio. Unfortunately, most cheap stocks don’t pay dividends because the company’s more focused on reinvesting into the business. So when I noticed this tiny news and media company offered a 12% yield, I had to take…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Greggs‘ (LSE:GRG) shares are the perfect example of market exuberance getting ahead of a company’s tangible value. The stock surged to all-time highs in 2024, but traded at crazy multiples for a company that makes low-margin baked goods. Over the past year, the stock’s slumped. It’s currently down 43% over the past 12 months. In other words, someone who invested £20,000 a year ago would now be sitting on just £11,400, although some dividends would have been received during the period. In short, it would have been a pretty disastrous investment. However, there are some…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images A lot of people emphasise the importance of maintaining regular income streams when they retire. One way to do that – and to plan for it – is to build a retirement portfolio that contains a diversified mixture of high-quality dividend shares. Dividends are never assured to last, which is one reason diversification is important. But buying a mixture of the right blue-chip shares can often provide an impressive long-term flow of dividends. Here are five UK dividend shares I think an investor should eye for their retirement portfolio. Even someone in their twenties or…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW.) share price is turning into a test of my mettle as a value investor. The housebuilder’s stock has had a rotten run. If this was a new-build home, the buyer would be entitled to compensation. There’s no compensation when share prices tumble, and nor should there be. The rewards for investors are already generous, provided they’re prepared to sit through the cyclical up and downs. Sadly, it’s been more down than up for Taylor Wimpey. The shares have plunged 28% in the last year. At today’s price of around 104.65p, they’re roughly…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images People who enjoy a good tipple may have experienced seeing things that turn out not to be there. Brewer and distiller Diageo (LSE: DGE) has had a great few decades as a business. But Diageo shares have fallen 32% in five years, as many investors are concerned about what the FTSE 100 business’s future commercial prospects are. I think those prospects are bright and so I am happy hanging onto my Diageo shares. But could this be the sort of mirage that in fact turns out to be a value trap? Great assets, but what…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Ceres Power (LSE:CWR) is the best-performing stock in the FTSE 350 over the past six months — and it’s not even close. It’s up 519% in this period and a staggering 699% since early April. It joined the FTSE 250 index last week. I last wrote about Ceres at the end of July, when I said the stock might be underappreciated at 143p and therefore worth considering. Fast-forward just three months, the share price is now at 380p! Zooming further out, though, the stock is still 76% lower than a 2021 peak of 1,576p. So,…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Headlines today (5 November) are clamouring over a possible AI bubble bursting. The FTSE 100 seems steady for now. But Asian and US markets are a bit rattled. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 2% yesterday in the midst of Q3 reporting season, even though earnings look generally pretty decent. It comes as famously bearish hedge fund manager Michael Burry — of The Big Short movie fame — revealed short positions of over $1bn on leading AI lights Nvidia and Palantir. Nvidia has fallen 5% since close on 3 November, dropping back below its $5trn market cap.…
[ad_1] Private equity (PE) investments have expanded significantly across sectors such as industrials, education, logistics, and technology. As PE firms continue to optimize companies for profitable exits, strategic buyers must scrutinize deals more carefully. What looks financially healthy on paper may conceal operational vulnerabilities and sustainability risks. For investment professionals evaluating these opportunities, this is not just about valuation, it’s about vigilance. The following framework brings together lessons from finance, operations, and governance to help strategic buyers protect value and drive long-term performance after a PE exit. Why PE-Backed Deals Require Special Attention PE-backed deals often look impressive on the…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Shares in FTSE 250 industrial firm Senior (LSE:SNR) are up 300% over the last half-decade. But the firm’s about to complete what could be a really interesting transformation for investors. The company’s agreed to sell its aerostructures unit to private equity. And the remaining fluid conveyance and thermal management (FCTM) division has some attractive properties. Divestiture Senior’s aerostructures operation makes parts for aircraft. And the regulated nature of this industry means there’s a lot to like about this business. Despite this, the unit’s achieved relatively weak margins and returns on invested capital. Its flexonics division however,…