Here at the Motley Fool, we’re proud of the insights our all-star team of investment writers provide every day for you. We’re all private investors ourselves, each approaching the stock market with our own individual views, eager to explain what we like — and dislike — about potential investment opportunities.
So allow me to highlight three articles from Fool.co.uk that I’ve found particularly insightful over the past week. If you’ve missed them, I think they’re well worth reading, so don’t miss out!
Here at UK Fool HQ, there are few people with the accounting-savvy of our Financial Controller, Barry James. In this article, Barry digs deep into the balance sheet of Vodafone (LSE: VOD) (NASDAQ: VOD.US). Interestingly, he delves into the notes relating to the telecom giant’s goodwill, highlighting the subjective valuation of some of the company’s intangible assets. When looking at Vodafone, I always think it’s important to note the company’s reported earnings will be affected by amortisation of these intangibles, which Vodafone will necessarily estimate themselves.
Our new Foolish writer Peter Stephens has gotten off to a flying start with some remarkably insightful commentary. In this article, Peter explains why he’s happy to follow investment legend Warren Buffett into Tesco (LSE: TSCO). His faith in the Oracle of Omaha’s investment isn’t blind, however — he rightly points out Tesco’s attractive 4.5% dividend yield and turnaround potential. I think especially important to Tesco are the long-term prospects for its international operations, which are surely the retailer’s most promising source for future growth. I wonder if this is what attracted Mr Buffett?
Meanwhile, our resident corporate finance expert Tony Reading uses a structured, checklist approach to analysing Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) (NYSE: RBS.US), and shares his conclusions with fellow Fools. Like Tony, I’m also encouraged by the bank’s latest asset sales, which I agree are crucial to unlocking long-term value for shareholders — and the taxpayer. As RBS transforms itself though, do these speculative factors make it impossible to evaluate long-term shareholder results?
With all this in mind however, only one of these three big-name UK shares make it into our latest exclusive wealth report, “5 Shares You Can Retire On“!
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> Mark does not own any shares in this article. The Motley Fool owns shares in Tesco and has recommended shares in Vodafone.