Are you on the lookout for share price bargains? The fallout from the Brexit vote has largely passed and the weak pound means that the stock market has been on the up, so I think it’s a good time to buy cheap shares.
Here are three of my current top picks, taken from both the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250.
ITV
Broadcaster ITV (LSE:ITV) is one of Britain’s leading TV companies. It delivers content through a range of platforms including free-to-air and pay-TV and online. And it has been growing earnings at a steady clip.
Turnover of this £8bn firm has risen from £2.3bn in 2013 to £2.9bn in 2015 and earnings per share have gone from 8.1p to 12.3p.
The company’s strategy has been to broaden its range of programming, taking its output around the world. It has increased online, pay and interactive revenue from £23m to £107m from 2009 to 2016. There has been strong growth in ITV Studios, with an increase in revenue from £496m in 2015 to £651m in 2016. The share of revenue from international has increased from 39% in 2009 to 50% in 2016. This has been instrumental in ITV’s long-term growth.
What’s more, if the company can maintain this strategy, then I suspect growth will continue into the future. After a recent pullback, the P/E ratio is just 13 and a dividend yield of 2.5%, which means the firm is remarkable value.
British Land Co
British Land Co (LSE:BLAND) is a real estate investment trust. It invests in offices and the retail sector. Retail developments include Meadowhall, Ealing Broadway and Glasgow Fort. Its portfolio comprises assets with lease lengths and different ages including those that are newly developed and those scheduled for development.
Retail growth has been increasing steadily since the turn of the century, pushing up the company’s business.
Developments in the pipeline include Canada Water, which is one of London’s largest regeneration opportunities.
After a recent pullback the shares look cheap, at a P/E ratio of 9.7 and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The dividend is appealing to high-yield investors, and is well covered by profits.
The property market continues to do well, and turnover has been increasing from £384m in 2014 and £590m in 2016.
Carillion
Carillion (LSE:CLLN) is an infrastructure company that builds roads, railway stations and sports stadia. It built the Grand Mosque in Oman and the Yas Hotel. It has seen impressive growth, with turnover going from £3.3bn in 2013 to £3.95bn, and earnings jumping from 23p in 2013 to 28p in 2015.
The P/E ratio is 10.4, and the dividend yield is 6.5%, after a recent pullback. This makes the firm impressive value, both as a value and a high-yield play. Yet what seems like a high yield is well covered by profits.
A total order book of £17.4bn means also that earnings are guaranteed for several years to come. And the company is expanding in both the UK and the Middle East.