Thursday tips round-up: Sportingbet, Restaurant Group, Weir

1st Mar 2012 06:54

The Times's Tempus column ponders whether Sportingbet is worth a gamble. It's making a lot of money in Australia while its Spanish and Greek operations are beginning to fall under proper regulation. That is key for Sportingbet because in order to make itself an interesting morsel for one of the bigger players it needs to be operating under a transparent legal framework. Its unregulated Turkish operations were sold for this very reason. Tempus think the shares, which trade at 9 times earnings, are a hold for the possibility of a bid.The owners of the Frankie and Benny's and Chiquito eateries, The Restaurant Group, is also on the menu for Tempus. The shares trade at 12 times 2012 earnings but the assets are in airports and leisure parks, insulating the company from the problems of the high street reckons Tempus. The stock has fallen recently but still trades at 12 times earnings: hold for recovery is the final order.The Telegraph's Questor column drills into the pumps and valves maker Weir Group. There are concerns shale drilling, for which it supplies a lot of equipment, is undergoing a significant dip but the firm's order book is strong and capital expenditure in the oil and gas sector is expected to remain high. Weir isn't an income play, yielding just 1.7% but Questor believes demand for the company's services could surprise markets: hold, for now.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.