Image source: Getty Images
With the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 Both ended March lower than they started, I think it’s a good time to look for investment opportunities. But it’s not just UK stocks I’m looking to buy in April.
I’m seeing some attractive opportunities in the S&P 500 also. Here are the top five stocks on my watch list.
Lloyds Banking Group
The big news in March was the liquidity problems in the banking sector. And that caused bank share prices to fall, whether or not they were directly involved in the problems.
Lloyds Banking Group is one of those examples. Despite the bank having the largest retail deposit base among UK banks, its shares fell around 10% in March.
I think this pushes stocks into trading territory. There is a risk that tighter banking regulations could reduce the company’s profitability, but I think the current price more than allows it.
Lloyds Banking Group tops my list of stocks to buy in April. I think the uncertainty in the broader sector has created a great opportunity here.
Forterra
Buying shares in a brick company as the UK property market enters its 11th straight month of falling prices may seem like a strange idea. But I think Forterra stocks are very valuable right now.
It is definitely true that a slowing real estate market is a risk to the short-term cash flows of the company. But the long-term outlook for the business seems much brighter to me.
Housing in the UK is in short supply. And this trickles down to the brick-making industry, which I hope will limit the impact of the recession and support growth as the market recovers.
With a price-earnings (P/E) ratio of around seven, the stock is not expensive by any standard. I think Forterra stock is a great investment opportunity as April begins.
Alphabet
The uncertainty surrounding the banking sector took away the prominence of the Google parent company Alphabet last month. But it’s still one of my top stocks to buy in April.
Before that, the market was concerned about the threat posed by ChatGPT. But while the risk of competition should not be underestimated, this month I want to increase my investment in the company.
I see Alphabet as a company with an excellent business model, good growth prospects and a balance sheet that should allow it to weather a downturn. And at around $100, I still think the stock is a bargain.
Prologis and Warehouse REITs
Finally, two real estate investment trusts (REITs) are on my list. Foreword in the United States and Warehouse REIT in the UK both focus on the leasing of industrial distribution centers and warehouses.
Both have a general tailwind behind them from the growth of e-commerce. and data from Morgan Stanley shows that the cost of storage space is increasing.
Inflation on both sides of the Atlantic has been high lately, which I think is good for these companies as well. Higher prices make it more expensive for competitors to build alternative facilities.
There is a constant risk that rising interest rates could reduce the value of your assets. But as long as rental income growth remains stable, I think these could be great investments for a while.
Please note that tax treatment depends on each client’s individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future. The content of this article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of tax advice.
var config = {
apiKey: ‘1ed121d592e04642d57912bb369ef696621661a3’,
product: ‘PRO_MULTISITE’,
logConsent: false,
notifyOnce: false,
initialState: ‘NOTIFY’,
position: ‘LEFT’,
theme: ‘DARK’,
layout: ‘SLIDEOUT’,
toggleType: ‘slider’,
iabCMP: false,
closeStyle: ‘button’,
consentCookieExpiry: 90,
subDomains : true,
rejectButton: false,
settingsStyle : ‘button’,
encodeCookie : false,
accessibility: {
accessKey: ‘C’,
highlightFocus: false },
onLoad: function () { // hide Cookie Control recommended settings button.
var recommendedSettingsButton = document.getElementById(‘ccc-recommended-settings’);
if (recommendedSettingsButton) {
recommendedSettingsButton.classList.add(‘hide’);
} },
text: {
title: ‘Privacy Notice’,
intro: ‘This site uses cookies, pixels, and other similar technologies to improve your web site experience and to deliver you personalised ads about our own and third party products and services. Please read more about how we collect and use data about you in this way in our Cookies Statement in our Privacy Policy. You can change your cookie settings in your browser at any time. ‘,
necessaryTitle: ”,
necessaryDescription: ”,
thirdPartyTitle: ‘Warning: Some cookies require your attention’,
thirdPartyDescription: ‘Consent for the following cookies could not be automatically revoked. Please follow the link(s) below to opt out manually.’,
on: ‘On’,
off: ‘Off’,
accept: ‘Accept’,
settings: ‘Cookie Preferences’,
acceptRecommended: ‘Accept Recommended Settings’,
notifyTitle: ‘Privacy Notice’,
notifyDescription: ‘This site uses cookies, pixels, and other similar technologies to improve your web site experience and to deliver you personalised ads about our own and third party products and services. Please read more about how we collect and use data about you in this way in our Cookies Statement in our Privacy Policy. You can change your cookie settings in your browser at any time. ‘,
closeLabel: ‘Save Preferences and Close’,
accessibilityAlert: ‘This site uses cookies to store information. Press accesskey C to learn more about your options.’,
rejectSettings: ‘Reject All’,
reject: ‘Reject’,
},
branding: {
fontColor: ‘#fff’,
fontFamily: ‘Arial,sans-serif’,
fontSizeTitle: ‘1.2em’,
fontSizeHeaders: ‘1em’,
fontSize: ‘1em’,
backgroundColor: ‘#313147’,
toggleText: ‘#fff’,
toggleColor: ‘#2f2f5f’,
toggleBackground: ‘#111125’,
alertText: ‘#fff’,
alertBackground: ‘#111125’,
acceptText: ‘#ffffff’,
acceptBackground: ‘#111125′,
buttonIcon: null,
buttonIconWidth: ’64px’,
buttonIconHeight: ’64px’,
removeIcon: false,
removeAbout: false },
necessaryCookies: ( ‘wordpress_*’,’wordpress_logged_in_*’,’CookieControl’,’PHPSESSID’,’fivc’,’fivs’,’fivp’,’Ookie’,’Fool_subinfo’,’_gads’,’_gid’,’_gat’,’_ga’,’__utma’ ),
optionalCookies: (
{
name: ‘Sharing’,
label: ‘I would like content tailored to my personal preferences.’,
description: ‘We work with advertising partners to show you ads of products and services you may be interested in. You can choose whether or not to have ads delivered in a personalised way by setting this option. You can return to review this setting at any time by clicking the "C" logo in the bottom left corner of any page.’,
cookies: ( ‘_ga’, ‘_gid’, ‘_gat’, ‘__utma’, ‘_gads’ ),
onAccept: function () {
// Add Facebook Pixel
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘901682110316659’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
fbq(‘consent’, ‘grant’);
// End Facebook Pixel
// Enable Google ad personalization
// gtag (‘set’, ‘allow_ad_personalization_signals’, true ) ;
},
onRevoke: function () {
fbq(‘consent’, ‘revoke’);
// Enable Google ad personalization
// gtag (‘set’, ‘allow_ad_personalization_signals’, false ) ;
},
recommendedState: ‘on’,
lawfulBasis: ‘consent’,
},
),
statement: {
description: ”,
name: ”,
url: ‘https://www.fool.co.uk/help/privacy-and-cookie-statement/’,
updated: ”
},
};
CookieControl.load(config);
