Vodafone (LSE: VOD), Severfield-Rowen (LSE: SFR) and Daisy (LSE: DAY) plumb the depths.
The FTSE 100 (UKX) is staying just shy of its 52-week high of 5,989 points, and at the time of writing is up just one point on the day to 5,963. Still, the index has come a long way since dipping to a low of 5,230 points at the start of June -- up 14%, in fact. Thankfully, it looks like the summer pessimists might have been wrong.
But if the various FTSE indices are way up from their low points, unfortunately the same cannot be said about some of their constituents. Here are three hitting rock bottom this week:
Vodafone
Ah, Vodafone (LSE: VOD), why are you so unpopular? Shares in the telecoms giant have hit a new 52-week low of 155.5p this week, having slid steadily since late summer -- they're now down around 20% from a year high of 192p.
But Vodafone is still forecast to offer a full-year dividend yield of nearly 7%, which is one of the best in the FTSE 100, and has been busy on a sizable share buyback programme in an attempt to improve shareholder value.
Severfield-Rowen
Severfield-Rowen (LSE: SFR) shares continue to languish, having dipped as low as 83p today, just a smidgen above their 52-week low. The fall was spurred by profit warnings telling us that the speciality steel business is experiencing tough market conditions.
But although a big fall in earnings is expected this year, City analysts are predicting a strong recovery next year that should bring the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio down to under 10. And if the firm can manage to make this year's dividend forecast (which is unlikely to be covered by earnings), we're on for a 4% yield, too.
Daisy
AIM-listed telecoms provider Daisy Group (LSE: DAY) closed on a 52-week low of 85p yesterday, but has bounced back a little to 94p today. Daisy is one of Neil Woodford's investments, as his Invesco funds hold a 26% stake in the firm.
Daisy's earnings per share have been growing steadily, and there's a small boost forecast for this year. But despite that, the shares currently trade on a forward P/E of just 6, which is less than half the long-term FTSE average.
Finally, how does Britain’s ace investor Neil Woodford avoid share price falls? He goes for a strategy of buying solid blue-chip shares paying dependable long-term dividends. And in doing so, he's built a record of beating the FTSE for nine straight years.
If you want to see how Mr Woodford manages to beat the market, the free Motley Fool report "8 Shares Held By Britain's Super Investor" takes a look at some of his key holdings. To get your copy, click here while it’s still available.
> Alan Oscroft does not own any shares mentioned in this article.
