Telecom Plus (TEP) £19.40 Market cap: £1.55 billion On the face of it, Telecom Plus (TEP) is a dull utility business. So far, so boring. Dig a little deeper, however, and you'll find a genuine FTSE 250 diamond in the rough. This is a true income and growth company. Many businesses make such claims but there are surprisingly few that pull it off and have the track record to prove it. For...

Positive set-up for UK mid caps Valuations attractive versus history Bellway, Babcock, Premier Foods among names to watch By definition, mid caps have the potential to become the UK's next large cap leaders. But in recent years, many of the UK's most promising 'second liners' have been acquired, either by private equity buyers or overseas companies looking to take advantage of the UK's cheap...

Companies which sit in the middle of the market capitalisation range, represented in the UK by the FTSE 250 index, by definition have the potential to become the next large-cap leaders. Unlike small caps, mid caps are big enough to have built a stable business supported by a strong balance sheet, but in contrast to large caps, still have the potential to grow for decades to come. The problem...

Now the ballots have been cast at the general election, the UK could become the 'reassuringly boring' market, both politically and fiscally, when compared to the more extreme politics on the other side of the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean.So suggests Jean Roche, manager of the Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP), who notes capital allocators know more or less what to expect, which could...

Organic customer growth of 14.1%Full year dividend up 3p to 83pShares up 19% over the past yearShares in Telecom Plus (TEP) were up over 2% to £19.20 in morning trading as the multi-utility supplier reported an adjusted pre-tax profit of £116.9 million, up 21.5% for the full year ending 31 March 2024, slightly above market expectations.The company said it continued to perform strongly...

Sky-high interest rates and unruly inflation make the future direction of the economy more uncertain than usual. It is certainly no time to be complacent.Against such a tough backdrop now is a good time for investors to take stock and consider if the income they expect from dividends in their portfolios are safe.Investors are often attracted to the highest yields, but this can indicate markets...

Firmly out of favour with investors since the Brexit vote seven years ago, the FTSE 250 index rallied strongly on the release of the latest UK inflation data (19 July). This showed UK CPI rising by 7.9% year-on-year in June, lower than forecasts of an 8.2% rise, theoretically reducing expectations for the scale of future interest rate hikes from the Bank of England.Yet even after a big one-day...

Better-than-expected full year growth and profitModel more resilient to switching competition, analysts claimStock reverses eight-month declineFTSE 250 consumer energy services supplier Telecom Plus (TEP) topped the mid-cap leader board on 27 June 2023 after posting better-than-anticipated full year results.Shares in the multi-utility business rallied 10% to £16.62, reversing a sharp...

Weak sentiment towards UK small and medium-sized companies has seen investment trusts focused on this space languish at big discounts and driven consolidation as products with dwindling assets are combined.Stifel believes the 15% discount to net asset value at Mercantile Investment Trust (MRC) means the shares are 'worth a look for those wanting exposure to the UK mid and small cap space' as...

Utility services supplier Telecom Plus (TEP), which trades as Utility Warehouse, has seen its share price plunge nearly 30% since the start of December.There have been unhelpful headlines for the industry around Centrica (CNA) owned British Gas using bailiffs to fit pre-payment meters and an ill-advised expenses-paid trip to the Maldives for Utility Warehouse partners was crass.However there...

Finally, everyone is talking about UK stocks. The spotlight is back on the country after the UK's FTSE 100 was one of the few major indices globally to record positive returns in 2022 and this year it has broken through the 8,000 level and hit a new record high. Hopefully, this will lead to the return of foreign investors who have shunned the UK since the Brexit vote in 2016.Investors can...

It's been a tricky 2022 for global stock markets and that's made life hard for ordinary and professional investors alike. In this feature several leading fund managers explain what worked out for them over the course of the year and what went wrong.James Harries - Securities Trust of Scotland (STS)What worked?At Troy (Securities Trust of Scotland's investment manager) we seek companies that...

Most investors will remember 2022 as being one of the toughest years for stock markets around the world in a long time. However, plenty of stocks have delivered positive returns.In this feature we look at the best performing London-listed stocks spread across four different parts of the market, covering small, medium and large sized companies.£5 billion+ market capIreland has been one of the...

US markets posted their biggest one-day gain in two years yesterday with the S&P 500 index surging 5.5% and the technology heavy Nasdaq rising a whopping 7.4% after consumer price inflation for October came in lower than expected.Despite many months of higher-than-expected inflation, investors have been fixated on anticipating a Fed 'pivot' and yesterday's inflation print could give the US...

- Savvy stock-pickers are up this year- Mega-cap energy and value stocks top performers- Attractive valuations spur more M&A dealsWhile it hasn't been the best of years for investors, judging by the performance of the main stock market indices around the world, there have still been plenty of stocks that could have made you decent money.So far in 2022, the FTSE 350 index has fallen by 12%....

- Full-year results to be 'materially' ahead of expectations- Annualised customer growth rate of 24%- First-half results to come on 22 NovemberMulti-utility supplier Telecom Plus (TEP) helped arrest a recent slide in its share price in some style as it guided for full-year results to be materially above expectations.The company which offers insurance, broadband and energy services under the...

This year's market turmoil has caused many investment trusts to trade below their average discount to net asset value. It means investors can often buy £1 worth of assets for 90p or thereabouts.A popular trading strategy is to find investment trusts on wider than normal discounts and buy them in the hope the discount narrows. The trick is to understand which trusts have become cheaper due to...

- Multi-utility business posts record adjusted profits- Cost of living squeeze will help Telecom Plus grow, says company- Eyes a million net new customers over next four or five yearsMulti-utility Telecom Plus (TEP) beat 2022 forecasts and raised expectations for 2023 as it booked record results for the year to 31 March 2022 as underlying organic customer numbers grew.The company, which...

Income specialist Murray Income Trust (MUT) delivered a total return in net asset value of 7.2% for the six months to 31 December 2021.Performance was comfortably ahead of the FTSE All-Share return of 6.5% and means the trust is ahead its benchmark over one, three and five years. The shares reacted positively, gaining 1.3% to 833p.The company said it continued to benefit from its enlarged...

Charles Wigoder, executive chairman of Telecom Plus (TEP), the London-based supplier of gas, electricity and broadband to residences and businesses, has sold 2.5 million shares at a price of £14.50, netting a total of £36.3 million. The sale represents approximately 3.2% of the company's issued share capital.Telecom Plus, which trades as Utility Warehouse, has been a key beneficiary of the...