Buying FTSE 100 shares in an ISA today may seem like a risky move at first glance. The world economy faces a number of potential challenges, such as a trade war between the US and China, which could negatively impact on its performance.
However, those risks could present buying opportunities for long-term investors. They may lead to lower valuations among large-cap shares that provide more attractive risk/reward opportunities.
With that in mind, here are two FTSE 100 shares that could be worth buying in an ISA today if you have £5k (or indeed, any other amount) available to invest in large-cap shares.
Glencore
Mining company Glencore’s (LSE: GLEN) share price has declined in recent trading sessions due to news that it is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). This has caused investors to demand a wider margin of safety, with its recent share price fall having the potential to continue in the near term.
Clearly, the risks facing the company are relatively high at the present time. An uncertain future for the world economy was reflected in a challenging first half of the year for the business.
However, Glencore’s strategy to pivot towards a commodity portfolio that is focused on a low-carbon economy could deliver improving financial performance. Its shares now trade on a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 11.2 after their recent fall. This suggests that they may offer a wide margin of safety, and could post a successful recovery over the coming years.
As such, for less risk-averse investors, now could be the right time to buy a slice of the business while it appears to offer an attractive risk/reward ratio.
Hikma
Another FTSE 100 stock that could deliver capital growth in the long run is Hikma (LSE: HIK). The pharmaceuticals company released positive half-year results recently and it upgraded its guidance for the full year.
During the half year, Hikma posted a 19% rise in core profit at constant currency. All of its various divisions performed well, with the breadth of its operations aiding its profitability during the period.
The company is in the process of increasing investment in R&D as it seeks to boost its pipeline of new drugs. It is also seeking to reduce costs and improve efficiencies to catalyse its financial performance. This could lead to sustained growth in its top and bottom lines that causes investor sentiment to improve over the long run.
Hikma currently trades on a P/E ratio of 17. While this may be higher than the ratings of many of its FTSE 100 index peers, rising demand for its products across the global economy could mean that it offers robust growth in the long run. As such, it may deliver share price growth that leads to outperformance of the FTSE 100 in the coming years.
