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        <title>Stephen Bhasera &#8211; The Motley Fool UK</title>
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	<title>Stephen Bhasera &#8211; The Motley Fool UK</title>
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                                <title>The Boohoo share price is down 70% this past year! Will it make a comeback?</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/02/24/the-boohoo-share-price-is-down-70-this-past-year-will-it-make-a-comeback/</link>
                                <pubDate>Thu, 24 Feb 2022 08:49:12 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=268563</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera considers why the Boohoo share price has underperformed, the underlying financials of the company and whether it can rebound.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Boohoo</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-boo/">LSE: BOO</a>) is one of those &#8216;growth stocks&#8217; that unfortunately hasn&#8217;t done much growing lately. Quite the contrary. In a spectacular reversal of fortunes, the Boohoo share price has plummeted from near all-time highs between February and April 2021 when it regularly traded at over 340p per share, to trading at 87p yesterday. That is a  70% decline in a year. Naturally, investors have been wondering what happened. Perhaps more importantly, will the Boohoo share price rebound?</p>
<h2>Scandalous fashion</h2>
<p>ESG is a buzzword in commercial circles right now. The term is an acronym for environmental, social and governance. Investors have increasingly been considering these non-financial factors in their investment decision-making. It therefore comes as no surprise that when allegations that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/25/boohoo-report-reveals-factory-fire-risk-among-supply-chain-failings">Boohoo tolerated serious failings regarding worker treatment </a>at one of its Leicester suppliers, this was cause for alarm. It turns out being implicated in worker exploitation is not a good look.</p>
<p>While this revelation by several media outlets did not immediately cause the Boohoo share price to plummet, investors have slowly moved away as more and more news came out on the issue. To its credit, Boohoo has cut ties with some suppliers but it seems like the reputational damage has been done.</p>
<h2>Not dressed to impress</h2>
<p>Labour practices aside, the Boohoo share price could have even rougher days ahead. At the half-year mark in August, last year Boohoo reported sales of £976m. That is 20% higher than the same period for 2020/21. This was great but didn&#8217;t translate to any growth in actual pre-tax profits, which sat at just £24.6m. This indicates that after the taxman is done, the net margins on this business will be no more than 3%.</p>
<p>This assumption is bolstered by the fact that Boohoo has downgraded its full-year outlook. Initially, sales were expected to grow 20%-25%. That has now been revised downward to 12%-14%, around half of earlier expectations. As if that was not enough, inflationary pressures threaten to make that bottom line even thinner. Rising inflation means rising shipping, wages and marketing costs. These costs cannot simply be passed onto consumers when higher interest rates may mean less spending anyway. </p>
<h2>Cheap fashion, cheap share price </h2>
<p>So there are real issues here, but is the Boohoo share price simply too cheap to ignore? Some of my <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/01/28/the-boohoo-share-price-time-to-buy/">colleagues at The Motley Fool seem to think so</a>. They point to the factors such as how revenues have increased almost six times in the past five years, the fact that Boohoo is investing heavily in new premises and that the supply chain issues that have affected the company should fade as the world exits the pandemic. These are fair points.</p>
<p>The current price-to-earnings ratio of 9.96 is low enough to indicate that there is value here. The stock could be picked up right now on the cheap and may show some positive growth. Nobody knows when this will be though. But I am of the opinion that come earnings day in April of this year, the market may have more cause for pessimism and that&#8217;s why I am not betting on a major rebound any time soon and not buying the shares.</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



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</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended boohoo group. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
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                                <title>The top 3 FTSE 100 perfomers this year and their prospects going forward</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/02/23/the-top-3-ftse-100-perfomers-this-year-and-their-prospects-going-forward/</link>
                                <pubDate>Wed, 23 Feb 2022 15:35:57 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=268546</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[In this article, Stephen Bhasera reveals the top FTSE 100 performers so far this year and discusses how they may do during the rest of 2022.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So far it has not been a bad year for the <strong>FTSE 100</strong>. Well, not bad by comparison to the other major indexes of the world. While the FTSE 100&#8217;s 2.24% increase since the opening of trading on 4 January 2022 seems mediocre, at least it&#8217;s not the dismal -15.5% or -10.25% the <strong>NASDAQ </strong>and<strong> S&amp;P 500</strong> have experienced in the same period. Closer to home, the <strong>EURO STOXX 50</strong> is down almost 6% since the beginning of the year. </p>
<p>The FTSE 100&#8217;s top three so far this year have a good deal to do with the index remaining on the positive side of 0%. Here they are in all their share price appreciation glory.</p>
<h2>Wars and rumours of wars</h2>
<p>In third place on the FTSE 100 is <strong>Shell Plc</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-shel/">LSE: SHEL</a>), with 21% share price appreciation in 2022 so far. Yesterday, news broke that Russia has officially moved into Ukraine. Both Ukraine and Russia are critical to Europe&#8217;s energy supply chain. With rumours of the conflict milling around since late last year, the key question, naturally, was what effect this would have on energy prices.</p>
<p>The likely response to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-europe-russia-vladimir-putin-46cef648807d0e3c2bac9793ad9022a6">Russian-aimed sanctions</a> by the West will be that Russia may cut off gas to Europe (at least in part) and energy prices will naturally go up as a result. Shell could benefit financially, but for me the danger of buying this stock is that it will likely experience massive volatility in the months and (maybe even) years to come. </p>
<h2>Dial-a-dividend</h2>
<p><strong>Vodafone</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-vod/">LSE: VOD</a>) is next up, having appreciated 21.5% this year. To be completely honest, I cannot see why. From a valuation perspective, it is quite cheap with a price-to-book ratio of just 0.8. It also pays a very impressive <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/02/18/5-yields-2-of-the-best-dividend-shares-id-snap-up-today/">5.4% dividend</a>. But apart from that, there&#8217;s very little in the way of substantive reason for this FTSE 100 stock to be performing well. </p>
<p>Vodafone is saddled with debt &#8212; £97bn worth of it to be exact. That chunky dividend I mentioned earlier is not covered by earnings, as the company is essentially unprofitable. It just barely netted a profit in 2021 and made losses in four of the five years before that. The advent of 5G presents a massive opportunity for telecommunications companies. It is, however, doubtful to what extent Vodafone can capitalise on this given its current state. I will be steering clear.</p>
<h2>Cashing in on rate hikes</h2>
<p>Right at the top of the FTSE 100 heap, we find <strong>Standard Chartered Plc</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-stan/">LSE: STAN</a>). It&#8217;s an unlikely leader because banking stocks haven&#8217;t exactly been trendy lately. However, with 29.5% share price appreciation this year, this banking stock is soaring. In recent years investors have been clamouring for more growth. The necessary interest rate hikes on the horizon may be just what this bank needs.</p>
<p>Standard Chartered was among the worst-performing banking stocks in 2021. However, the stock has shot up significantly this year as investors anticipate rate hikes both in the UK and other economies. Interest rates could peak at 7.25% this year, which would be great for both Standard Chartered and UK banks in general. The danger is that decreased borrowing could mean fewer consumer borrowers. I will be buying this stock though as I believe the increased spread will mean stronger earnings.</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



<style>
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</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Standard Chartered and Vodafone. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
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                                <title>The Lloyds share price could be primed for take-off. Is it time to buy?</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/02/18/the-lloyds-share-price-could-be-primed-for-take-off-is-it-time-to-buy/</link>
                                <pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2022 12:23:30 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=268047</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[In this article, Stephen Bhasera explains why some analysts believe that the Lloyds share price is due for a major spike and says whether he'd buy today.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The <strong>Lloyds</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-lloy/">LSE: LLOY</a>) share price has been perennially disappointing for investors. The stock has underperformed over the last five years. However, year to date, the Lloyds share price is actually up 31.5%. This has inspired an already die-hard and resilient cohort of investors to stick it out for a bit longer. But an improved performance on the stock market right now is not the only thing that has investors believing the next few months could be better for Lloyds. So could this be a great moment for me to tap into a potentially lucrative upswing in the fortunes of this stock?</p>
<h2>A potential catalyst event</h2>
<p><strong>Deutsche Bank</strong> analysts have described Lloyds&#8217; upcoming full-year earnings report as a <em>&#8220;potential catalyst event&#8221;.</em> This means that the share price could get a boost. In fact, Deutsche Bank went one step further stating that it is anticipating<em> “financial targets above consensus and above other UK banks”.</em> The full annual report, which will come out on 24 February, is therefore cause for lots of anticipation.</p>
<p>In the same vein, it is expected that Lloyds will announce a £1bn share buyback and a 1.5p-2.07p dividend. If that materialises it will mean an annual dividend yield of 8%-9%, which is handsome reward for investors who got a 0.67p dividend in 2021. Even if this does not happen though, it is looking very likely that Lloyds will post very strong numbers next Thursday. </p>
<h2>A strong year</h2>
<p>The company has delivered with its performance so far for 2021/22. After nine months, net income was sitting at a healthy £11.6bn, which is 8% higher than at the end of the previous year&#8217;s Q3. Come next Thursday, this is expected to translate to just under £7bn of net profit. This would significantly outstrip any net income the company has produced in the last five years. To me, it would also justify the <a href="https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/964714/lloyds-is-a-buy-for-deutsche-bank-after-strong-beat-in-capital-964714.html">60p price target</a> that some analysts are placing on the stock. At the time of writing, the Lloyds share price is 51p. This is why I think that it may be a very opportune time for me to buy this stock, in the short term. Long term though, I am aware that the rise of Fintech banks such as <strong>Wise</strong>, which went public in July last year, threatens to disrupt already inconsistent returns on traditional banks such as Lloyds.</p>
<h2>Still undervalued </h2>
<p>The Lloyds share price is <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/02/17/the-lloyds-share-price-still-looks-cheap-ahead-of-results/">undervalued</a> right now, with a forward P/E ratio of just 7.82. Were it not for the chronic underperformance of this stock over the past few years, it would be a no brainer for me. It must be mentioned though that Lloyds has been operating in a very low-interest-rate environment. Interest rates were as low as 0.1% to stave off the effects of the pandemic. With inflation above 5% now though, the Bank of England will have to raise rates. Perhaps the Lloyds share price will finally realise the potential that its earnings suggest. For me, the long-term risks still outweigh the benefits. I will be keeping a close eye on this one for now but not buying. I want to see how the downsides play out.</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



<style>
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</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Lloyds Banking Group. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
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                                <title>How I plan to clone the man who cloned Warren Buffett</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/02/18/how-i-plan-to-clone-the-man-who-cloned-warren-buffett/</link>
                                <pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2022 07:43:05 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=268013</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[This is how Monish Pabrai managed to grow wealthy by cloning Buffett, and how I intend to take the exact same approach.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1400" height="788" src="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Warren-Buffett-fans.jpg" class="attachment-rss-thumbnail size-rss-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="Fans of Warren Buffett taking his photo" style="float:left; margin:0 15px 15px 0;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" /><p>It has often been said that imitation is the ultimate form of flattery. If that is the case, there is no greater flatterer of Warren Buffett than legendary Indian-American investor Monish Pabrai. He has become known in some circles as &#8220;the Oracle of Irvine&#8221; and just like his hero, the Oracle of Omaha, he has shown an almost clairvoyant ability to produce superior returns. In fact, a $100,000 investment in July 1999 in <strong>Pabrai Investment Funds</strong> (in fact, minimum investment is $2.5m) would have been worth $1.8m by March 2018. Pabrai is shameless about the fact that <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/turning-1-million-billion-cloning-warren-buffett-william-green/">he has cloned Buffett&#8217;s approach</a> almost to a tee. I will now shamelessly admit that I fully intend to clone his approach and will explain how. </p>
<h2>Say no to almost everything </h2>
<p>Like Buffett, Pabrai sifts through hundreds of companies at lightning speed. He often does this by reading annual reports and other financial information. Both of them are often looking for a reason to say no. Why? Because the type of company that would justify investment is an extraordinary business and there aren&#8217;t too many of those lying around. </p>
<p>I try to search for companies that I believe have a durable competitive advantage in the long term. In other words, companies I believe will be around and thriving in the next 30 years. This is because my investment horizon, like Buffett&#8217;s or Pabrai&#8217;s, is for life. If I don&#8217;t think the business has that type of longevity, I steer clear.</p>
<h2>&#8220;<em>Heads, I win; tails, I don&#8217;t lose much</em>&#8220;</h2>
<p>This quote by Pabrai encapsulates a simple but profound idea: the price paid for the stock must be at such a large discount to the underlying value of the business that it provides a margin of safety. Simply put, I have become a bargain hunter. This is easier said than done in a world where hype drives some companies to insane valuations but it has been crucial to the success that Buffett and Pabrai have enjoyed. It also means a lot of waiting around because opportunities to buy great businesses for pence on the pound don&#8217;t come often.</p>
<h2>Extreme concentration </h2>
<p>Charlie Munger once said that &#8220;<em>a well-diversified portfolio needs just four stocks</em>&#8220;. Munger is Buffett&#8217;s long-time partner and therefore also a hero of Pabrai&#8217;s by association. Pabrai has taken this advice quite literally. In 2015, half of his fund was in just two investments &#8211; <strong>General Motors</strong> and Fiat Chrysler warrants. When Fiat&#8217;s stock surged, he made seven times his money in six years.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s an extreme example but there&#8217;s a lesson here. The idea I&#8217;ve implemented from this is to focus on a few very good, intensely researched ideas. Diversification has been used with great effect by great investors such as Ray Dalio. Index funds offer great diversification too. However, when picking individual stocks, I&#8217;m searching for just a handful of the absolute best stocks. While I still hold a part of my portfolio in index funds, the part that consists of individual stock picks contains just six painstakingly researched businesses.</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



<style>
.custom-cta-button p {
  margin-bottom: 0 !important;
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</style>
</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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                                <title>The brilliant, not-so-obvious Warren Buffett stock I&#8217;m picking in 2022</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/02/14/the-brilliant-not-so-obvious-warren-buffett-stock-im-picking-in-2022/</link>
                                <pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2022 14:52:28 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=262786</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[In this article, Stephen Bhasera explains why he likes one of the smallest positions that Buffett holds in his mammoth portfolio of stocks.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Warren Buffett is arguably the world&#8217;s most renowned investor and with good reason. From 1965 to 2020, Buffett&#8217;s holding company, <strong>Berkshire Hathaway</strong>, has achieved a compounded annual return of 20.0%. In the same period, the <strong>S&amp;P 500</strong> gained 10.2%. It comes as no surprise that Buffett&#8217;s stock picks are watched keenly by all sorts of investors, including me. While there are many great companies Berkshire has endorsed through investment, I have my eye on one in particular that it has a relatively small position in. </p>
<h2>Hidden in plain sight</h2>
<p>Sometimes there is nothing either mysterious or hidden about true value. Like many other people, I am a holder of just one of 1.7bn <strong>Visa</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/nyse-v/">NYSE: V</a>) cards in circulation worldwide. A simple look into my wallet reveals the iconic logo that has become synonymous with payments the world over. With 188bn transactions processed in 2020, Visa outstripped its nearest competitor (Chinese giant, <strong>UnionPay</strong>) by almost 40bn transactions. This makes it the largest payment card network processor in the world.</p>
<p>Buffett&#8217;s Berkshire Hathaway currently has <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/berkshire-hathaway-portfolio/">just 0.5% of its portfolio</a> in this stock. Visa is therefore one of its smallest holdings. I won&#8217;t go into why I think this may be the case. I will say though, that Visa&#8217;s numbers suggest a very strong competitive advantage.</p>
<h2>Processing payments and profits</h2>
<p>By just looking at the profit margins on this business, I can see why Buffett picked it. Over the past 10 years, Visa has consistently grossed 80%. In turn, net profits consistently come in between 40% and 50% of total revenues of $24bn. There are simply not a lot of businesses of Visa&#8217;s size that can achieve this &#8211; almost none in fact. For investors, the beauty is that Visa is expected to rake in revenues of $28bn in 2022. In 2021, the company generated $15bn in free cash flow. Free cash flow is a metric beloved by value investors as it is a strong indicator of the ability of the business to pay its debts, reinvest in the business, and pay dividends to its investors. </p>
<p>Visa, <strong>Mastercard</strong>, <strong>American</strong> <strong>Express</strong>, and <strong>Paypal</strong> have literally been locked in a contest for global dominance since as early as the 1960s. However, as recently as 2013 a threat has arisen in the East in the form of UnionPay. The Chinese-owned giant has 70% market share in Asia-Pacific. Despite having been around for less than a decade, it is already the second-largest processor worldwide by purchase transactions. The advent of more and more new technologies has expanded an already growing research and development budget for Visa and its competitors. It&#8217;s also worth noting that Buffett <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/11/18/3-financial-stocks-buffett-recently-trimmed/">trimmed his position in Visa</a> by 4.3% as recently as November 2021.</p>
<h2>Looking into the future </h2>
<p>While the industry continues to grow, it&#8217;s clear that Visa&#8217;s dominance will mean it can grow to keep up. This was shown by how quickly it pivoted its systems to accommodate cryptocurrencies. Visa has a truly rare competitive edge that I think will last well into the future. Buffett recognised this and I&#8217;m betting he was right.</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



<style>
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</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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                                <title>The Royal Mail share price falls 5%! Is now a great time to buy?</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/01/17/the-royal-mail-share-price-falls-5-is-now-a-great-time-to-buy/</link>
                                <pubDate>Mon, 17 Jan 2022 12:35:43 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=262518</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera breaks down why the Royal Mail share price dipped last week and whether this stock is a good buy for him right now.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Royal Mail</strong> (LSE: RMG) is as quintessentially British a company as <strong>Lloyds</strong> or <strong>Rolls-Royce</strong>. It&#8217;s a part of the commercial furniture of the UK. But behind the familiar red vans that we&#8217;ve come to associate with parcels and letters delivery lies an impressive company from a financial perspective. Last Friday though, shares of Royal Mail were down 5%. And despite a rise on Monday, they still haven&#8217;t recovered. There may not be reason for alarm just yet, but the stock did <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/01/05/why-the-royal-mail-rmg-share-price-rose-49-in-2021/">go up 49% last year</a>. So why has it seen a rocky start to 2022?</p>
<h2>Delays and JP Morgan</h2>
<p>Nobody likes it when the letter or parcel they&#8217;re expecting (or sending) arrives late. It&#8217;s just human nature &#8212; we want our stuff and we want it now. Investors seem to agree. Royal Mail is currently experiencing <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1547508/Royal-Mail-delays-warning-postcodes-affected-update-full-list">delays across at least 128 postcodes</a> in the UK. The reason is that the company is understaffed in certain areas due to the ongoing pandemic. Such news has appeared more and more often since December. This has reportedly prompted the <strong>JP Morgan</strong> subsidiary, JP Morgan Cazenove, to <a href="https://www.sharecast.com/news/broker-recommendations/jpmorgan-puts-royal-mail-on-negative-catalyst-watch-shares-slump--9031955.html">reduce its profit forecast</a> for the company by 6%-7%. </p>
<p>This, and general negative feelings about the disruptions, is probably what the market was reacting to on Friday when investors knocked that 5% off Royal Mail&#8217;s share price. JP Morgan believes that its staff problems are going to affect the ability of the business to operate optimally over the next few months. It speculates that of its 1,200 delivery offices in the UK, 77 of them are currently experiencing “<em>material difficulties with service levels</em>”. This is up from just 20 at the end of last year.</p>
<h2>The underlying business </h2>
<p>Despite the delays, Royal Mail has enjoyed some exceptional returns through the pandemic. Earnings for the first half of the 2021/22 fiscal year were released in November and showed basic earnings per share were up to 30.3p from 0.4p in the same period a year earlier. Domestic parcel volumes improved by 33%, a reflection of how Royal Mail has risen to the challenge of more and more online shopping. Revenues were up 7% and profits were 10% higher too. The question remains though: is now a good time for me to buy this stock?</p>
<h2>To buy or not to buy </h2>
<p>Royal Mail has certainly seen an impressive last 24 or so months. It&#8217;s hard to ignore the all-around growth the company has been experiencing.  It&#8217;s also hard to ignore the fact that the company is going to have to keep shelling out overtime payments to staff who are still working while maintaining its relatively generous sick pay to those who have come down with Covid-19 or have to isolate due to contact with sufferers.</p>
<p>I feel there is still some real value to this stock though. If 2022 is indeed the year in which we get the pandemic under control, RMG&#8217;s issues could soon be a thing of the past.</p>
<p>With a price-to-earnings ratio of just 5.69, this stock looks good value and is hard for me to pass up. While I remain cautious, it is a stock I would buy in 2022.</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=eyJ2IjoiMS4xMiIsImF2IjoyMDI0MjQ2LCJhdCI6MTY4MCwiYnQiOjAsImNtIjoxMTQ3NjgwNzMsImNoIjo1ODUwMiwiY2siOnt9LCJjciI6MTY1Mjk5MzA0LCJkaSI6ImQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5IiwiZGoiOjAsImlpIjoiNzIxZjU2NjJmZTc2NDQ0Zjg3YTFlMGU2OTY2ZmFjZmQiLCJkbSI6MywiZmMiOjM0NTkxNjY2NSwiZmwiOjMzNTk5OTk4OCwiaXAiOiI3My4yNS4yMjUuMzAiLCJrdyI6ImNhdGVnb3J5LmludmVzdGluZyxjYXRlZ29yeS50b3Atc3RvY2tzLHBvc3RfdGFnLmVkaXRvcnMtY2hvaWNlLHRpY2tlcnNfZ2xvYmFsLmxzZS1jYW1sLHRpY2tlcnNfZ2xvYmFsLmxzZS1mdGMsdGlja2Vyc19nbG9iYWwubHNlLW94Yix0aWNrZXJzX2dsb2JhbC5sc2UtdGJjZyx0aWNrZXJzX2dsb2JhbC5sc2UteXUscGFydG5lci1mZWVkcy5kYmMtbWVkaWEscGFydG5lci1mZWVkcy5maW5lY28scGFydG5lci1mZWVkcy5mbGlwYm9hcmQscGFydG5lci1mZWVkcy5tc24scGFydG5lci1mZWVkcy5zaGFyZXNpZ2h0LHBhcnRuZXItZmVlZHMueWFob28tdWsiLCJudyI6MTA5OTYsInBjIjo5Miwib3AiOjkyLCJtcCI6OTIsImVjIjowLCJnbSI6MCwiZXAiOm51bGwsInByIjoyMzI0MDYsInJ0Ijo2LCJycyI6NTAwLCJzYSI6IjU4Iiwic2IiOiJpLTA0MTJlZTUxZGFjODZkNTJjIiwic3AiOjQxNjc4ODAsInN0IjoxMTkxNDEyLCJ0ciI6dHJ1ZSwidWsiOiIxMWIwMmY0Mi00MWQ2LTQ4YTMtOTcwOS0xMjAyNGFkMTg2ZGEiLCJ0cyI6MTc0MTg5MjE3NjQ4NywicG4iOiJrZXZlbC1hY3Rpb24tNiIsImdjIjp0cnVlLCJnQyI6dHJ1ZSwiZ3MiOiJub25lIiwidHoiOiJVVEMiLCJ1dSI6Ii8yMDI1LzAzLzA1LzUtdW5kZXItdGhlLXJhZGFyLXVrLXNoYXJlcy10aGF0LWRlc2VydmUtbW9yZS1hdHRlbnRpb24vIiwidXIiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5mb29sLmNvLnVrL2ZyZWUtc3RvY2stcmVwb3J0LzUtZXNzZW50aWFsLXN0b2Nrcy1mb3ItcGFzc2l2ZS1pbmNvbWUtc2Vla2Vycy8_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



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</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Lloyds Banking Group. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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                                <title>Why the Tesco (TSCO) share price rose 23% in 2021</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/01/10/why-the-tesco-tsco-share-price-rose-23-in-2021/</link>
                                <pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2022 12:38:51 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=261546</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[In this article, Stephen Bhasera examines the factors that fuelled a 23% rise in the Tesco share price in 2021 and what to expect in 2022.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1000" height="563" src="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Supermarket1.jpg" class="attachment-rss-thumbnail size-rss-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="Man shopping in supermarket" style="float:left; margin:0 15px 15px 0;" decoding="async" /><p>In 2021 the <strong>Tesco</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-tsco/">LSE: TSCO</a>) share price managed to grow, despite the company having its fair share of drama. The shares ended the year 23% higher than their first 2021 trading day and here I&#8217;m going to explain why that may have been the case. </p>
<h2>Aisles and tribulations</h2>
<p>Tesco managed to keep its stores open throughout 2021 and this meant that it had a very strong first half. However, that&#8217;s the &#8216;first half&#8217; from a financial perspective (that is, the period from March to August). The actual first six months of 2021 were riddled with issues from the perspective of the outside world. October would reveal a very healthy picture for the company yet before then, investors were spooked by all manner of unflattering news.</p>
<p>In February, Tesco approved <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/tesco-special-dividend-idUSL8N2KG6BV">a £5bn special dividend payment</a> after disposing of its Asia business. This was accompanied by a share consolidation in which it issued 15 new shares for every 19 existing ordinary shares. The market didn&#8217;t seem to like this as the Tesco share price dropped immediately. After this, came news of supply chain issues and driver shortages. There was the Suez Canal blockage in March and Brexit-related restrictions at ports of entry throughout the year.</p>
<p>The Tesco share price therefore consistently underperformed between mid-February and late August. September brought some reprieve with the stock beginning to march steadily upward, but the real turnaround came in the next month.</p>
<h2>The comeback </h2>
<p>As mentioned, October brought news of what was a very strong first half. Revenues were up 5.9% compared to the first six months of 2020, reaching a total of £30.4bn. This translated to £1.3bn in operating profit, a 30% increase compared to the same period in the prior year. Tesco reduced its net debt by £1.7bn and then announced a share repurchase programme of £500m. These were all positive signs that increased investor confidence. The Tesco share price <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2021/10/09/the-tesco-share-price-is-at-multi-year-highs-would-i-buy-the-stock/">began to shoot upwards</a> at the beginning of October in light of the news. It was pretty much an upwards trajectory from there until the stock reached its annual peak at 291.25p on 30 December.</p>
<p>The rally was impressive and all the more so given the fact that there had been so much negative news about Tesco in the preceding eight months. The same week that the half-year earnings came out, it also made headlines on news that it had to pay £193m in settlement of its accounting scandal that happened back in 2014. It didn&#8217;t matter. Such was the impression that the earnings report made, the Tesco share price simply marched on and upwards.</p>
<h2>Looking ahead</h2>
<p>2021 was definitely a rocky year but Tesco managed to grow. The boost in the  Tesco share price during the last three months of the year seems to have been a fair reward for a strong first half. Tesco has revised its earnings expectations upwards and a strong financial year beckons if those final results are as expected come this March.</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



<style>
.custom-cta-button p {
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</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Tesco. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
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                                <title>The IAG (LSE:IAG) share price took off this week &#8211; will it soar in 2022?</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/01/05/the-iag-lseiag-share-price-took-off-this-week-will-it-soar-in-2022/</link>
                                <pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2022 17:26:58 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=261682</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[The IAG share price was up 11% yesterday. Stephen Bhasera breaks down why this may have happened and whether it can continue into 2022.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Omicron variant has damaged the prospects of airline stocks. It doesn&#8217;t take a genius-level IQ to understand why but the sudden recovery of shares in <strong>International Airline Group</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-iag/">LSE: IAG</a>) yesterday definitely calls for an investigation, as the reasons are not apparent on the face of it.</p>
<p>The IAG share price absolutely soared to the tune of 11% yesterday. It was unexpected. So unexpected that billionaire, Ken Griffin, reportedly <a href="https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/hedge-fund-king-ken-griffin-132307115.html">lost millions</a> shorting the stock. So what did the market know about this stock that a billionaire hedge fund manager didn&#8217;t? That is exactly what I will try to break down in this article.</p>
<h2>A permanent return to the skies on the horizon?</h2>
<p>Generally speaking, airlines got a huge boost yesterday after the World Health Organisation confirmed that the Omicron variant causes <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-sees-more-evidence-that-omicron-affects-upper-respiratory-tract-2022-01-04/">milder symptoms</a>. Naturally, investors proceeded to ignore the fact that thousands of flights have been cancelled since Christmas. They then poured into airline stocks and the IAG share price was one of the beneficiaries.</p>
<p>IAG is the parent company of British Airways, Aer Lingus, LEVEL, and Iberia. Needless to say, it has been a very rocky past 24 months for all four providers. Therefore, the news about the mildness of the Omicron variant could not have come at a better time. Earlier this week <a href="https://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/2022-01/eurocontrol-think-paper-15-2021-review-2022-outlook.pdf">Eurocontrol confirmed</a> that air traffic in 2021 was at 44% of 2019 levels. The recovery towards the end of 2021 though, seems to indicate that 2022 could be the year that traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels.</p>
<p>This is still a gamble for investors though. No one can say for sure what the future will hold. Eurocentral also confirmed that Irish air travel was the worst affected in Europe last year &#8211; which naturally affected Aer Lingus. However, with the likelihood of new mutations lowering with every dose of the Covid-19 vaccines issued, 2022 could well be the year that airlines are back up and running again.</p>
<h2>Time to buy?</h2>
<p>Would I buy IAG stock right now? The value investing side of me screams &#8220;absolutely not&#8221; to this question. The reasons are clear. Even in the best of times, IAG (like many airlines) operates on the thinnest of margins. Free cash flows have been in negative territory for more than 10 years and Covid has simply made that much worse. The company&#8217;s latest earnings showed a £378m loss. It hasn&#8217;t been pretty but there is a bullish case here.</p>
<p>Late last year my colleague Manika Premsingh <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2021/12/29/could-it-finally-be-time-to-buy-iag-stock/">made the case</a> for buying IAG shares. At the time, the IAG share price had rebounded 16% from 2021 lows to close out the year on a slight positive gain. This was even before any of the current optimism around airline stocks. With the IAG share price as it currently is, there could be some massive upside if 2022 turns out to be the year of the comeback for air travel. I will not be buying this stock right now, but I definitely will be keeping an eye on it.</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



<style>
.custom-cta-button p {
  margin-bottom: 0 !important;
}
</style>
</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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                                <title>2 awesome US-listed penny stocks to buy in 2022</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2022/01/04/2-awesome-us-listed-penny-stocks-to-buy-in-2022/</link>
                                <pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2022 16:32:03 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=261479</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[In this article, Stephen Bhasera makes the case for two US-listed penny stocks that look poised for awesome upside in the coming years.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1400" height="787" src="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Stacks-of-pennies.jpg" class="attachment-rss-thumbnail size-rss-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="Stacks of coins" style="float:left; margin:0 15px 15px 0;" decoding="async" /><p>As a value investor, I don&#8217;t usually go digging for value in the penny stock jar. I guess this is for the same reason you wouldn&#8217;t go looking for diamonds at the local pound store!</p>
<p>Once in a while, though, I come across something that looks truly valuable in an unexpected place. I get that sense about these two rather obscure penny stocks.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t necessarily think both of these are <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2021/12/28/value-and-growth-stocks-my-top-picks-from-the-ftse-100/">value stocks</a> per see. However, they have great prospects (and great earnings histories) considering they are penny stocks. Oh, and unlike in the UK &#8212; where penny stocks are literally worth pennies because they trade at £1 or less &#8212; in the US, according to SEC rules, penny stocks are those that trade at $5 or less.</p>
<h2>Penny stock for the price of a pint</h2>
<p>First up is the Brazilian beverage giant, <strong>Ambev S.A</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/nyse-abev/">NYSE: ABEV</a>), which is in turn owned by<strong> Anheuser-Busch InBev</strong>, the largest beer company in the world. This penny stock is currently trading at $2.80 &#8212; or the price of five and a half pints of <em>Skol</em>, Ambev&#8217;s most popular brand and the second most valuable beer brand in Latin America!</p>
<p>This stock benefits from a host of factors in its favour. Ambev has access to a huge market and sells a plethora of brands that are widely recognised across Latin America and the world. The sheer size of its consumer base gives it pricing power unlike most companies. Its recent <a href="https://www.catholictranscript.org/ambev-announces-beer-price-increase/">price hike</a> in light of inflationary pressures proves this. Both net income and free cash flows have been growing steadily over the past 10 years, too.</p>
<p>My major concern is that inflation is currently over 10% in Brazil, which is Ambev&#8217;s largest market. Inflation fears have further exacerbated the weakening of the Real, which means the future is quite unpredictable. However, this penny stock is trading at 15 times earnings. I, therefore, think it is undervalued relative to the quality of the business and earnings it has. </p>
<h2>Big time steel</h2>
<p><strong>Gerdau S.A.</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/nyse-ggb/">NYSE: GGB</a>) is the largest manufacturer of long steel in Latin America. It is also, however, Brazilian. This means that it suffers from all the macroeconomic risks that I outlined above for Ambev. Additionally, it is somewhat exposed to the volatility of iron ore prices. That being said, dividend investors will no doubt love the fact that the yield on this penny stock is currently a juicy 11.01%! Its current price-to-earnings ratio of 3.61 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.20 indicate that this stock is trading below its true value.</p>
<p>Gerdau posted a Q3 for the ages, with net earnings growing by an incredible 604% to 5.59 billion reais ($991.06 million). Steel production also grew 7% in the same quarter, which was bolstered by a 2% growth in sales. As a value investor, I like that free cash flows have doubled over the past five years. If Gerdau can continue to grow at a good rate, I think that the bullish case for this stock is as solid as steel. I&#8217;m looking to buy both of these stocks for my portfolio this year!</p>
<div style="background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;margin:20px 0px 20px 0px;border-top:0px solid #dddddd;border-right:0px solid #dddddd;border-bottom:0px solid #dddddd;border-left:0px solid #dddddd;border-radius:0px;box-shadow:none" class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-presentational-card">
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



<style>
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</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
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                                <title>3 awesome dividend stocks to buy for 2022 and beyond</title>
                <link>https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2021/12/29/3-awesome-dividend-stocks-to-buy-for-2022-and-beyond/</link>
                                <pubDate>Wed, 29 Dec 2021 09:17:11 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephen Bhasera]]></dc:creator>
                		<category><![CDATA[Investing Articles]]></category>

                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/?p=260769</guid>
                                    <description><![CDATA[In this article I highlight three dividend stocks that I think are high quality, high value plays going into 2022 and beyond.]]></description>
                                                                                            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="1400" height="787" src="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2022-concept.jpg" class="attachment-rss-thumbnail size-rss-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="2022 new year concept image" style="float:left; margin:0 15px 15px 0;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" /><p>Often people have a New Year&#8217;s resolution or goals they want to achieve in the upcoming year. This year, though, I have three stocks that I&#8217;m picking to produce above-average returns. This does not necessarily have to be in the year 2022 but I think that these are solid value picks that will do well over the long term. Oh, and these are dividend stocks as well, so they provide a steady stream of additional cash.</p>
<h2>A gold mine of dividend yields</h2>
<p>Earlier this year I wrote about how I am <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2021/10/18/500-to-invest-a-6-yielding-ftse-100-gem-id-buy-right-now/">bullish on<strong> Rio Tinto</strong></a> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-rio/">LSE: RIO</a>). What I could not have anticipated at the time was that inflation would take off. Why is this relevant? Because high dividend-paying stocks have traditionally helped investors outpace inflation. For Rio Tinto, as of today, that dividend yield sits at an irresistible 10.12%.</p>
<p>As I said in my previous article, I think Rio is an excellent business. It has a great spread across minerals, which means that the cyclical nature of commodities often affects it less than industry rivals. Rio&#8217;s main risk right now is the volatility of iron ore prices. The industry is disproportionately tied to Chinese markets, which have seen several government-imposed restrictions this year and shifted prices. Rio is down 12% this year but I believe it can make a comeback in 2022. Its price-to-earnings is a dirt-cheap 5.65, which makes it a total win in my opinion.</p>
<h2>A high-growth dividend stock</h2>
<p>Over the past five years, <strong>Liontrust Asset Management</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-lio/">LSE: LIO</a>) has simply been the gift that has kept on giving. Rarely do <strong>FTSE</strong> dividend stocks do so well over a long period of time. My concern here would be that Liontrust&#8217;s funds consist mainly of equities. The world&#8217;s equities markets have performed exceptionally well in recent years, fuelled in part by central bank interventions. However, what goes up must come down and if the crash that many are predicting materialises, that exposure to equities may come back to bite them. Fortunately for Liontrust, it is very well diversified across industries and markets, with exposure to bonds and other assets. I like that investors are pouring more and more cash into its funds and this could mean continued growth into 2022 and beyond.</p>
<h2>The world&#8217;s largest bug slayer</h2>
<p>With its <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/british-pest-control-firm-rentokil-buy-terminix-67-bln-deal-2021-12-14/">acquisition of American rival Terminix</a> this month, <strong>Rentokil</strong> (<a class="tickerized-link" href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/tickers/lse-rto/">LSE: RTO</a>) has become the world&#8217;s big cat (since, you know, cats catch mice) in the pest-control game. Globally, the industry is worth $22bn and is growing rapidly. This is especially the case in light of the pandemic, which seems to have made all of us a little more germ-conscious. A few weeks ago when the news broke that Rentokil was buying Terminix, the stock nose-dived 12% in a single day. I predicted that it would make a <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/2021/12/15/rentokil-got-butchered-yesterday-but-this-ftse-stock-could-recover-big-time/">strong return</a> and it is up 9% over the past week. Caution must be had as it remains to be seen whether competition authorities in the US will challenge the union of Rentokil and Terminix, but on the whole, I remain bullish on the long-term prospects here.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-passive-income-stocks-our-picks">Passive income stocks: our picks</h2>



<p>Do you like the idea of dividend income?</p>



<p>The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?</p>



<p>If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…</p>



<p>Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside <em>Motley Fool Share Advisor</em> — ‘<strong>5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers</strong>’.</p>



<p>What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!</p>



<div class="wp-block-custom-block-collection-cta-button"><a href="https://uk.foolpitches.com/r?e=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_c291cmNlPWl1a3NwcDc0MTAwMDAxMjQmYWRuYW1lPXVrX3NhX3Bhc3NpdmVpbmNvbWVfbm90aWNrZXIyNWVzc2VudGlhbHN0b2Nrc18yJnBsYWNlbWVudD1waXRjaCZjb252PSVjb252ZXJzaW9uaWQlJnJlZlVybD0vMjAyNS8wMy8wNS81LXVuZGVyLXRoZS1yYWRhci11ay1zaGFyZXMtdGhhdC1kZXNlcnZlLW1vcmUtYXR0ZW50aW9uLyZpbXByZXNzaW9uX2lkPWQ4Mzg4MTdiZDJjNDQxZjY4YjNmMTNmNzM1MjI2YWI5JmZsaWdodF9pZD0zMzU5OTk5ODgmYWRfaWQ9MzQ1OTE2NjY1JmNhbXBhaWduX2lkPTExNDc2ODA3MyJ9&amp;s=FTjUG1r79x9PvnGWeISpr8u0M0g" style="background-color:#5fa85d;width:fit-content;display:inline-flex;cursor:pointer;justify-content:center;align-items:center;transition:all 0.3s ease;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:#000000;border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-right-radius:4px;border-bottom-left-radius:4px;--hover-background-color:#358832;--pressed-background-color:#0cbf06;padding-top:12px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:12px;padding-left:24px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:auto;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0px" class="custom-cta-button" data-hover-background-color="#358832" data-pressed-background-color="#0cbf06">
<p class="has-white-color has-text-color" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:0px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600">Get your free passive income stock pick</p>
</a></div>



<p class="has-text-color has-p-small-font-size" style="color:#767676">* Returns as of 2/20/25</p>



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</div><p><strong>More reading</strong></p><p><em>Stephen Bhasera has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes <a href="https://staging.www.fool.co.uk/help/disclaimer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-motley/">us better investors.</a></em></p>
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