Share trading continues to hit record highs in 2022 with £127 billion of shares changing hands on the London Stock Exchange in March alone. Investors have started to reposition their portfolios after the long bull run in technology shares finally came to an end. Stock markets have also been hit by the rise in interest rates to combat inflation, currently at its highest level in 30 years, and the geopolitical uncertainty.
However, there are still opportunities for investors. John Husselbee from Liontrust Asset Management comments that “In a reflationary environment, we expect the rest of the world to outperform the US equity market, value stocks to outperform growth and small caps to outperform large.”
Let’s see what we can learn from the shares professional fund managers are currently buying for their portfolios.
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What are the most popular global shares picked by fund managers?
According to Trustnet, these are the shares most purchased by global funds in the last three months (to February 2022).
Position |
Company & ticker |
HQ & sector |
1 |
Rio Tinto (RIO) |
UK, Mining |
2 |
British American Tobacco (BATS) |
UK, Tobacco |
3 |
AstraZeneca (AZN) |
UK, Pharmaceuticals |
4 |
Glencore (GLEN) |
UK/Switzerland, Mining |
5 |
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) |
US, Healthcare |
6 |
HSBC (HSBA) |
UK, Banking |
7 |
Anglo American (AAL) |
UK, Mining |
8 |
HSBC European Index (C Acc) |
Index fund |
9 |
Mastercard (MA) |
US, Banking |
10 |
KDDI Corporation (KDDIY) |
Japan, Telecoms |
Eve Maddock-Jones from Trustnet comments that “Hardly any growth stocks were present on the list as the style of investing has given way to value during the heightened periods of inflation and interest rates.” She adds that this “tends to favour more value, cyclical sectors, such as financials, mining and energy.”
Although most of these companies operate internationally, it’s interesting to see the dominance of UK-headquartered companies. Mislav Matejka from JPMorgan Asset Management highlights that UK equities have lagged behind the US by 50% and the Eurozone by 24% since the Brexit referendum. After years of caution, JPMorgan has upgraded UK shares to ‘overweight’, saying they are now trading ‘at a record discount’.
Let’s take a closer look at the three most-bought shares.
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1. Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto is the second-largest global metals and mining company, behind BHP. The Anglo-Australian company recently reported bumper results, with a 72% increase in underlying earnings. Its results were boosted by higher iron ore prices and a post-pandemic recovery in demand from China.
Rio Tinto also paid record dividends in 2021, with an average dividend yield of over 10%. It’s currently trading on a relatively modest price-to-earnings ratio of 6.1, compared to 17.5 for Glencore and 11.4 for BHP.
According to Sharecast, recent 12-month share price forecasts from analysts range from a low of 5,300p to a high of 6,460p. With a current share price of just under 6,000p, there seems to be downside risk as well as upside potential.
2. British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco (BAT) is one of the largest global tobacco companies, selling its products in over 180 countries. It’s delivered modest but consistent growth in revenue and earnings over the last five years. While demand for traditional cigarettes is falling, BAT achieved 50% revenue growth in its vaping products in 2021.
BAT recently announced a £2 billion share buyback programme due to the cash-generative nature of its business. However, Neil Wilson, analyst at Markets.com, commented that “You worry that buybacks are just a screen for a lack of strategy.”
Tobacco shares are seen as a good hedge against inflation. Trading platform IG points out that “Their customers are likely to continue smoking, no matter the price hikes or pressure on their pockets.”
MarketBeat reports that the most recent brokers’ share price targets range from a low of 3,100p to a high of 4,200p. BAT is currently trading at 3,200p, suggesting that there’s more upside than downside potential. However, BAT will continue to face increased regulation and a lack of appetite from ESG funds and investors.
3. AstraZeneca
Despite being at the forefront of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, AstraZeneca’s share price has been relatively lacklustre over the last three years. Hargreaves Lansdown commented that the company’s “promise to sell the vaccine at cost ‘during the pandemic’ means it’s padded revenue but not profits.”
However, there are more positive indicators for 2022. The acquisition of Alexion adds the capability of treatments for rare diseases. This market is less competitive and potentially more lucrative than major diseases. There are also encouraging signs for AstraZeneca’s treatments for lung cancer, asthma and juvenile rare blood disorders.
The company’s share price has risen by 40% in the last 12 months to its current price of just over 10,000p. According to MarketBeat, recent broker forecasts range from 10,000p to 11,500p, suggesting modest upside potential over the next year.
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