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Wolseley (WOS)

Sector:

Support Services

Index:

FTSE 100

Market Cap

£2,048.85m

Change Today

Price Up6.00p ()

Share Price

309.50p

Tuesday tips focus: Aero Inventory, Speymill, Wolseley

Date: Tuesday 23 Sep 2008

Support services group Cape has certain advantages. The group supports the energy industry, a buoyant sector in recent months, and an imminent move to the main list will also attract new investors.

Even though the shares do look a bit pricey, investors are getting an increasingly more attractive stock for their money. Buy says the Independent.

"A safe port in a storm," is how executive chairman, David Hickey, describes the financial advisory and wealth management group, Lighthouse. However, because of its sector, Lighthouse is certainly not a punt for investors that want a chunky return in the near future. A turn in the economic cycle is likely to be some way off and it is difficult to see where growth comes from for Lighthouse shares in the short term. Hold says the Independent.

Property investment group Speymill is a generally solid company and with more hotels expected in the next few years, its troubled contracts business has the potential to recover. There is unfortunately more bad news to announce however, and as such investors should be very careful. Cautious hold says the Independent.

There was little news to speak of in plumbing supplies group Wolseley's full-year results. Revenue was static, profits were down, jobs were in the process of being cut and some 270 branches had been shut. Hugely reliant on the house market on both sides of the Atlantic, Wolseley is very much in the eye of the storm – utterly becalmed. There have been rumours of a possible bid approach but it would be foolhardy to bet on possibility with hard cash. Steer clear says the Telegraph.

With huge uncertainty surrounding the US Government’s bailout of its housing market, the UK still in the early stages of decline and hefty provisions a possibility, there will be better times to buy adds the Times.

Wolseley shares have rallied nearly 70% in recent weeks, including yesterday's near-14% increase. That puts them on 12 times future earnings, perhaps the only double-digit price/earnings ratio for anyone involved in the US construction morass. For a company condemned to maximising cash generation at the cost of future profits, that seems high enough says the FT.

Restaurant group Clapham House asserted yesterday that trading remains "satisfactory" despite the poor backdrop. Whether Clapham chooses to offload the Tootsies chain and focus on star player Gourmet Burger Kitchen is in the air, but with Nando's owner Capricorn sitting on Clapham's lawn with a near 25% stake, buy says the Telegraph.

On 16 times current-year earnings Clapham House's share rating appears to be up with events, given the risk to profits from a further lurch downwards in consumer confidence. Hold says the Times.

Aircraft parts distributor Aero Inventory's results came in slightly ahead of expectations. Cazenove, its broker, increased its forecast for 2008-09 by $5m to $90m. That leaves the prospective multiple at below 7. The undemanding rating points to a lack of understanding of the business. Financing the necessary stock levels is costly, but if the group loses a contract it will always be able to sell its aircraft parts. And whatever troubles lie ahead for the airline industry, Aero estimates it has only 3% of its potential market says the FT.

Assuming that Aero's increasing cash generation will obviate the need for a rights issue, the shares – at 440p, or less than six times earnings, and half the level of June’s indicative (albeit withdrawn) offer from Bridgepoint – are worth hanging on to, adds the Times.

Yellow Pages group Yell is in talks with its banks over relaxing its covenants. If all goes to plan, Yell will look very cheap, trading as it is on 2.4 times earnings. The risk of an equity issuance will remain, of course, but given that the business throws off £300m of cash a year, you may kick yourself if you sell now. Hang on grimly says the Telegraph.

Note 1: Prices and trades are provided by Digital Look Corporate Solutions and are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

Note 2: RiskGrade figures are provided by RiskMetrics.

 

Wolseley Market Data

Currency UK Pounds
Share Price 309.50p Price Up
Change Today +6.00p
52 Week High 767.00
52 Week Low 261.00
Volume 6,457,077
Shares Issued 661.99m
Market Cap £2,048.85m
Beta 1.44
RiskGrade 494

Performance Indicators

Compare performance with the sector and the market.
Find out more
Key: vs Market vs Sector
Value
56.56% below the market average56.56% below the market average56.56% below the market average56.56% below the market average56.56% below the market average
50% below the sector average50% below the sector average50% below the sector average50% below the sector average50% below the sector average
Price Trend
26.02% below the market average26.02% below the market average26.02% below the market average26.02% below the market average26.02% below the market average
26.07% below the sector average26.07% below the sector average26.07% below the sector average26.07% below the sector average26.07% below the sector average
Income
35.36% below the market average35.36% below the market average35.36% below the market average35.36% below the market average35.36% below the market average
42.15% below the sector average42.15% below the sector average42.15% below the sector average42.15% below the sector average42.15% below the sector average
Growth
95.75% below the market average95.75% below the market average95.75% below the market average95.75% below the market average95.75% below the market average
96.84% below the sector average96.84% below the sector average96.84% below the sector average96.84% below the sector average96.84% below the sector average
Price Chg 6m
0.04% below the market average0.04% below the market average0.04% below the market average0.04% below the market average0.04% below the market average
7.11% below the sector average7.11% below the sector average7.11% below the sector average7.11% below the sector average7.11% below the sector average
P/E
23.22% above the market average23.22% above the market average23.22% above the market average23.22% above the market average23.22% above the market average
1.86% above the sector average1.86% above the sector average1.86% above the sector average1.86% above the sector average1.86% above the sector average
PEG Not Available
Dividend Yield
39.82% below the market average39.82% below the market average39.82% below the market average39.82% below the market average39.82% below the market average
36.75% below the sector average36.75% below the sector average36.75% below the sector average36.75% below the sector average36.75% below the sector average
EPS Growth
77.56% below the market average77.56% below the market average77.56% below the market average77.56% below the market average77.56% below the market average
83.67% below the sector average83.67% below the sector average83.67% below the sector average83.67% below the sector average83.67% below the sector average
Operating Margin
28.36% below the market average28.36% below the market average28.36% below the market average28.36% below the market average28.36% below the market average
50% below the sector average50% below the sector average50% below the sector average50% below the sector average50% below the sector average

What The Brokers Say

Strong Buy 2
Buy 1
Neutral 7
Sell 1
Strong Sell 3
Total 14
neutral
Broker recommendations should not be taken as investment advice, and are provided by the authorised brokers listed on this page.

Wolseley Dividends

  Latest Previous
  Interim Final
Ex-Div 26-Mar-08 03-Oct-07
Paid 30-May-08 30-Nov-07
Amount 11.25p 21.55p

Trades for 03-Dec-2008

Time Volume / Share Price
16:50 210,300 @ 301.97p
16:46 3,300 @ 309.50p
16:42 15,400 @ 309.50p
16:35 35,000 @ 309.25p
16:35 358,556 @ 309.50p

Wolseley Key Personnel

CFO Stephen P Webster
CEO Claude 'Chip' Hornsby
Chair John Whybrow
COO L J Stoddard

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