LONDON (SHARECAST) - In the Telegraph, the Questor column assesses textile services firm Berendsen, which provides laundry and linen rental to customers such as hotels in the UK, continental Europe and the Nordics.
The exposure to Europe is a slight problem - with revenues having slipped 2% in the first half - but profits surged 21%. The shares trade on just 10.4 times this year’s earnings; that’s enough for Questor to maintain its buy rating.
In the Times the Tempus column is impressed with office space provider Regus. Its north American division is doing well in the recession as corporates look to extract themselves from long leases and enter into temporary arrangements. Occupancy rates at mature offices have risen to 85.9% while revenues “per desk” have gained 2.4%. So far so good. The problem is the UK where costs and taxes are expensive. Nevertheless, yielding 3% and trading at just 12 times earnings Regus is a buy, if you “buy into the basic premise”.
Tempus also sees some value in John Laing Infrastructure Fund which buys assets like hospitals from initial investors, then absorbs all the lovely income from running them. JLIF’s speciality is public sector projects which provide an almost guaranteed income stream and the stock has produced a 13% return since launch 18 months ago. With the forward yield 5.6% and asset value growth offering upside potential, JLIF is “attractive”.
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LONDON (SHARECAST) - In the Telegraph, the Questor column assesses textile services firm Berendsen, which provides laundry and linen rental to customers such as hotels in the UK, continental Europe and the Nordics.
