It excites me when I start thinking about what cutting-edge businesses I can add to my Stocks and Shares ISA next with the hope that their share prices boom. However, boring but beautiful stocks have their place too.
After all, my investment journey’s a marathon, not a sprint. As nice as it would be to unearth the next Nvidia, I’m always conscious of sticking to my plan. I want to largely buy blue-chip FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 stocks that offer income. While the likes of Nvidia may garner most of the attention, it’s these sorts of businesses I’m largely relying on to build my wealth.
I’ve got my eye on two I think could be cracking picks for investors to consider buying today.
Safestore
The first is Safestore (LSE: SAFE). The company’s the UK’s leading self-storage business with over 130 centres nationwide. Boring, right?
Maybe. But it’s a proven business model. And despite a challenging economic environment over the last couple of years, the firm’s proven its resilience. What’s more, with its impressive growth in the UK, it’s now got its eyes firmly set on European expansion.
There’s also a 3.8% dividend yield on offer. That’s not the highest payout. But it’s up by over 300% in the last decade. Safestore’s increased its dividend for the last 14 consecutive years.
High interest rates have harmed the firm. Not only do they impact the value of its property portfolio, but they also lead to rising debt-servicing costs. That’s forced Safestore to up its prices in recent times.
But as I said, I’m looking at the bigger picture when it comes to what stocks I own today. And trading on 6.5 times earnings, Safestore looks like it could be a shrewd buy.
GSK
Next is GSK (LSE: GSK). The pharmaceutical giant’s struggled this year due to ongoing legal threats.
Recently, it was revealed that a Delaware judge ruled in favour of more than 70,000 lawsuits related to Zantac and its alleged link to causing cancer to move forward. Legal threats such as this one are always a risk when investing in pharma stocks.
But I see value in the GSK share price right now. The stock trades on 15.3 times earnings and 10.3 times forward earnings. That’s below the global sector average.
I think that’s good value for a business of GSK’s quality. Given it provides essential medicines and treatments, that means there should be a steady demand for its goods, regardless of external factors.
Like Safestore, there’s also the opportunity to make some passive income. It pays a 3.5% yield. Last year, its payout rose by 5.5% to 58p. Looking ahead, the business has given 2024 guidance for a 60p dividend.
Of course, further volatility may be on the cards if we receive a negative update on its Zantac trial.
Nevertheless, I think the stock could be a savvy buy today. And I’m content with some short-term volatility if I see real long-term value. With GSK, I most certainly do.
