Friday tips round up: Bunzl, Man, Xchanging, Psion

2nd Mar 2012 06:50

Questor, in The Telegraph, ponders Bunzl, which supplies things like food packaging and paper plates. It has an odd history, beginning life in modern day Slovakia back in the 1850s as a haberdashery. It's now in the FTSE 100 and going well, up 29% since February last year. Questor says hold as the firm's acquisition led growth strategy appears to offer more profits.Tempus in the Times ponders the ascent of Man Group. Yesterday the struggling hedge fund manager raised its dividend to 16.5p per share for the nine months to the end of December which sent the shares up nearly 10%. But Man is in trouble following very disappointing returns from its main funds and has lost nearly 50% of its value in the last 12 months, as it saw $1bn in outflows. Tempus can see some attraction at the current price but doesn't trust Man to deliver. Xchanging, the outsourcing company is also unloved. A disastrous acquisition in India has really damaged the firm says Tempus, and it lost a major contract with BAE Systems last year. Management has suspended the dividend until things improve. Tempus is not interested.You may remember Psion, it made handheld organisers way back in the early noughties. Now they manufacture things like devices for gas and electricity meter readers. The company has been stabilised by the management and yields 8% on dividends alone. That may be of interest to some thinks Tempus.BSPlease note: Digital Look provides a round-up of news, tips and information that is impacting share prices and the market. Digital Look cannot take any responsibility for information provided by third parties. This is for your general information only as not intended to be relied upon by users in making an investment decision or any other decision. Please obtain a copy of the relevant publication and carry out your own research before considering acting on any of this information.