I’m looking for top UK shares to add to my Stocks and Shares ISA for July. Here are three that are on my radar:
One of my FTSE 250 faves
I think FTSE 250 food production and retail giant Associated British Foods (LSE: ABF) could be a great buy before the start of July. Fresh financials are due on 1 July, and I’m expecting to hear that sales have kept soaring.
The ABF share price sank last time the firm updated the market in April. Then investors took fright on news that pre-tax profits halved in the six months to February as revenues slipped. However, sales have taken off since Covid-19 rules have been relaxed, and the business enjoyed “record” revenues in its English and Welsh stores in the first week of reopening.
I reckon latest financials will reveal that turnover has kept rocketing, too. Indeed, the sunny long-term outlook for the ‘fast fashion’ industry means that ABF is a UK share I’d look to own for years to come. However, the rise of Covid-19 infection rates in its core UK territory could harm its recent sales recovery if lockdowns continue or perhaps become stricter.
Another top UK share for July
I’m also expecting good news when PageGroup (LSE: PAGE) unpacks second-quarter numbers on 14 July. The FTSE 250 recruiter’s most recent update in April showed that trading continued to improve month-on-month, a trend that stretches all the way back to last spring. Indeed, in its most recent reported month of March, gross profits leapt 31% from the same month in 2020.
Research from staffing and workplace advisors Staffing Industry Analysts (or SIA) illustrates how strongly recruitment industry conditions have rebounded. They recently upgraded their forecasts for the staffing industry and now predict a 12% rise in 2021. Revenues are expected to grow a solid 8% in 2022 too, the report shows.
There is reason for caution, however. At current prices PageGroup trades on a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 28 times. Shares that trade on elevated readings like this are in extra danger of slumping in price if trading performance starts to lag.
A British stock I already own
As an owner of CVS Group (LSE: CVSG) shares myself I’ll be interested to see that the veterinary care provider’s next update on 20 July will reveal. The UK healthcare share’s most recent update in late April certainly pleased investors as it upgraded its estimates for the full year.
Demand for CVS’s services has benefitted hugely from the spike in pet adoption rates during the pandemic. But don’t think the roaring trade that the animalcare specialist is currently enjoying is a fad. Studies show that the amount people spend on taking care of their animals was ballooning long before the Covid-19 crisis.
A chronic shortage of veterinary workers could throw a spanner in the works of CVS Group’s growth prospects. But I’m still confident it should deliver spectacular long-term growth and am thinking of increasing my holdings.
