At the start of every month, and the beginning of every year, TMF writers share their best stock tips. These can be an excellent source of investment ideas. Here’s a look at how my 2019 tips performed up to the end of November.
Top stock for 2019: Unilever
Price 31/12/18: 4,109p
Price 29/11/19: 4,578p
Gain: 11.4% plus dividends
For 2019, I picked Unilever, due to its defensive nature. Interestingly, ULVR surged as high as 5,333p in September, meaning you could have pocketed a 30% gain. Unfortunately, it has pulled back significantly since then, however, it has still outperformed the FTSE 100 (9.2% plus dividends).
January: DS Smith
Price 31/12/18: 299p
Price 29/11/19: 382p
Gain: 27.8% plus dividends
For January I picked DS Smith as it had been sold off heavily in late 2018. It ended November at 382p, which equates to a gain of 27.8% (vs 9.2% for the FTSE 100).
February: Workspace Group
Price 31/01/19: 950p
Price 29/11/19: 1,108p
Gain: 16.6% plus dividends
In February, I chose property company Workspace, which was out of favour at the time. WKP ended November at 1,108p which equates to a gain of 16.6% (vs 5.4% for the FTSE 100). Add in a near-4% yield, and you have a return of around 20%.
March
I missed the deadline here as I was lying on a beach in Sydney.
April: Hargreaves Lansdown
Price 31/03/19: 1,856p
Price 29/11/19: 1,855p
Gain: 0.0% plus dividends
For April, I selected Hargreaves Lansdown. HL soared above 2,400p in May, meaning you could have pocketed a near-30% gain in six weeks. However, unfortunately, the shares came crashing back down when Neil Woodford’s fund was suspended in June. Overall, the stock has gone nowhere since my tip.
May: Reckitt Benckiser
Price 30/04/19: 6,197p
Price 29/11/19: 6,066p
Gain: -2.1% plus dividends
For May, I picked Reckitt Benckiser. Since then, RB has struggled to gain any real momentum. At the end of November, the stock closed at 6,066p, equating to a loss of around 2%.
June: BAE Systems
Price 31/05/19: 452p
Price 29/11/19: 573p
Gain: 26.8% plus dividends
In June, I chose BAE Systems. Its share price had fallen due to concerns over the group’s ties with Saudi Arabia. BAE ended November at 573p, which equates to a gain of 26.8% (vs 3% for the FTSE 100).
July: Boohoo
Price 30/06/19: 212p
Price 29/11/19: 315p
Gain: 48.6%
In July, I picked Boohoo. Following this tip could have been very profitable, as Boohoo shares ended November at 315p. That’s a gain of 48.6% (vs -1% for the FTSE 100).
August: ASOS
Price 31/07/19: 2,606p
Price 29/11/19: 3,201p
Gain: 22.8%
For August, I selected ASOS. Its shares had fallen due to a profit warning. ASOS shares ended November at 3201p which equates to a gain of 22.8% (vs -3% for the FTSE 100).
September: Legal & General
Price 31/08/2019: 220p
Price 29/11/19: 281p
Gain: 27.7% plus dividends
In September, I chose Legal & General, which had taken a hit due to market volatility. LGEN ended November at 281p. That’s a gain of 27.7% (vs 2% for the FTSE 100).
October: Sage
Price 30/09/19: 691p
Price 29/11/19: 754p
Gain: 9.1% plus dividends
In October, I went with Sage. It was a little out of favour at the time. Since then, investor sentiment towards the stock has improved, generating a nice 9% gain.
November: Reckitt Benckiser
Price 31/10/19: 5,964p
Price 29/11/19: 6,066p.
Gain: 1.7% plus dividends
Finally, for November, I picked RB again. It has moved a little higher since I picked it, but it’s still early days here.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with 2019’s tips. A number of them generated 25%+ gains and there were no big losses.
