Sunday tips round-up: John Laing, Aviva, Genus...

14th Nov 2010 11:48

Construction group John Laing has been operating in the PFI sector for years and not just in Britain. Now the group is listing part of its PFI operations as a separate company, John Laing Infrastructure Fund. JLIF intends to raise up to £270m via a 100p-a-share stock market listing. The money will be raised from a combination of institutional and individual investors and John Laing will retain a stake of at least 20 per cent in JLIF. This is not a stock market offer for investors seeking huge capital growth, but for those looking for a decent annual income, JLIF could be just the ticket. The individual offer closes on Wednesday, says the Mail on Sunday.Even after solid share price gains over the past few months, life group Aviva is still yielding 6.2% for new investors. At a recent strategy update, the company confirmed that it was continuing to refocus its business and would exit markets that did not have the scale or profitability it required. The company will be next presenting to analysts on January 20, where the balance sheet will be looked at in detail. Buy says the Telegraph.Genus provides animals which have better genes compared with current livestock in terms of yield, health and hardiness. Sales of breeding pigs over the past four months were significantly higher as customers returned to updating their genetics, particularly in the US, and bovine volumes also increased. The shares are trading on a high rating. The current-year earnings multiple to June 2011 is 21, falling to 18.4 in 2012. However, this is justified as the future potential for its markets is stunning. The dividend yield is 1.6%. Buy says the Telegraph.Latchways makes equipment to protect people working a long way from the ground. Its systems are used by workers on high buildings, bridges, aeroplanes, electricity pylons, oil platforms and even wind turbines. Analysts expect profits and dividends to rise steadily over the next two years and there is even the possibility of a special dividend as the group has £9m of cash in the bank and may well decide to give some of it to shareholders.Investors in Latchways may well be tempted to take some profits after a bumper few months and sell about half their shares. But they should not sell completely and new investors could buy on any weakness in the share price. Profits are moving ahead and should do even better as the British economy recovers. There is even the possibility of bid activity says the Mail on Sunday.Oil and mining services group AMEC gave a positive update yesterday, in which it confirmed that trading was at the top end of expectations. The company also has cash balances of £680m, which it will use to make strategic acquisitions as part of its transition from a construction group to a value-added service business. The shares remain a buy, as the group's strategy is paying off and it has the firepower to make important purchases says the Telegraph.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.