Friday tips round-up: IPF, William Hill and Berendsen

16th Dec 2011 07:17

The Time's Tempus column takes a long hard look at International Personal Finance, the door step lender which is based in Leeds but which operates in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Mexico.Yesterday it revealed that the strengthening of Sterling versus the currencies in its home markets would reduce profits by 14% compared to the previous year. IPF also said that growth in its lending had dropped to 4% in the fourth quarter versus 14% in the first half.The company denies this was a profit warning but Tempus believes this is a moot point. With bad debts likely to increase as the economic picture deteriorates and no obvious place in which the company can expand its offering (it failed to do so in Russia) and, of course, the currency problem, Tempus says leave well alone.In the Telegraph's Questor column the textile cleaning and services company Berendsen comes under the microscope. It operates in the UK under the "Sunlight" brand but also has big interests in the Nordic countries and the rest of Europe.AS it reorganises its business into "core" and "managed for value", core certainly looks impressive with margins at a healthy 17.2%. Manage for value is at 6.1%. With a yield expected to rise to 6% by 2012 and an earnings multiple of 8.5 for next year, Questor says this "boring" stock is a buy.The Independent's Sharewatch column has a quick look at the betting industry and comes down firmly on the side of William Hill. Sharewatch highlights its increasing footfall and international expansion plans. With market cap at just eight times earnings and a solid yield of 5% Sharewatch believes William Hill is a "strong buy".Please 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.