Buying cheap UK shares after the recent market crash could be a means of generating high returns in the long run. Low valuations today, plus a likely stock market recovery, could reward investors who can look beyond risks such as Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.
With that in mind, here are two UK shares that appear to offer a potent mix of dividends, long-term growth potential and attractive valuations. Investing £3k, or any other amount, in them today could help to grow your ISA over the coming years.
GSK: appealing dividend stock after market crash
GSK (LSE: GSK) could offer income investing appeal after the market crash. The company has maintained its dividend thus far at a time when around half of its FTSE 100 peers have decided to cut or delay their shareholder payouts. As such, it could become a more popular income investing opportunity while it offers a yield of 4.8%. This could help to push its share price higher.
GSK’s recent half-year results showed that coronavirus has disrupted its vaccines business. However, it expects this challenge to ease during the second half of the year, while it continues to make good progress in its restructuring plans and in developing its pipeline. As such, it may be less affected by a weak economic outlook than many other UK shares, which could provide it with defensive characteristics.
Therefore, now could be the right time to buy a slice of the business after the recent market crash. It seems to offer a mix of income appeal, long-term growth potential and defensive characteristics that could equate to impressive total returns from what remains an attractive valuation.
SSE: a sound strategy and high yield
SSE (LSE: SSE) is another FTSE 100 stock that could offer an attractive dividend outlook. The company’s recent trading update stated that it plans to stick to its five-year dividend plan whereby it expects to increase dividends per share at a similar pace to inflation. This means that it currently yields around 6%, which could make it a popular income share among investors when many of its index peers are reducing their shareholder payouts.
As with many UK shares, coronavirus has impacted SSE’s financial performance. It has faced disruption across some of its businesses, which is a trend that could continue in the near term. However, its £7.5bn capital expenditure programme that is targeted towards low-carbon investments could help to deliver an improving long-term financial outlook for the business, I feel.
As such, it could offer a resilient long-term financial performance relative to other UK shares. Although there is a risk of a second market crash, SSE seems to have a sound strategy through which to deliver dividend growth in the coming years.
