What was your Best Buy in the chaos?

[Regdragon]

Obviously we are not out of the woods yet but, so far, I’m surprised to find my best buy In the chaos was Standard Life Aberdeen. Bought on 19 March for 179p, having declared a dividend on 10 March of 14.3p which they then paid on 19 May, means it’s nearly 64% up on my buy price. What was your Best Buy? It could also be one you bought cheaply which is still cheap in recovery?

Regards

RD

[Regdragon]

Sorry, meant to add nearly 64% up on SLA as at Friday’s close of 280p.

Regards

RD

[dealtn]

Didn't buy a thing.

Some existing selections are at their highs however (and plenty aren't!).

[Padders72]

Best for me:

Marstons up 125% (sadly only a small investment) - blind luck
LGEN up 68% (inc dividend) - tempted to add but its feeling toppy at present
Lloy up 25% - not one to hold long term maybe

Rather glad I didn't sit on my hands

[Dod101]

Best for me:

Marstons up 125% (sadly only a small investment) - blind luck
LGEN up 68% (inc dividend) - tempted to add but its feeling toppy at present
Lloy up 25% - not one to hold long term maybe

Rather glad I didn't sit on my hands

When did you buy L & G to be up 68%? It had a brief low point at the beginning of April at just over £1.50 and if you bought then you should lend me your crystal ball. It was ridiculously cheap then but was around £2.80/3.00 before all this started. Just noted that you are including the dividend. That seems to be an unusual way of counting capital gains.

l might buy some more again but it would be after it fell back a bit from its current £2.50 or so. As you say in the current climate that seems high but maybe not if the dividend is sustainable.

Dod

[Regdragon]

I included the SLA dividend in the gain as the OP - the prospective divi is what convinced me to buy SLA - so I think it’s okay to include on a total return basis. The thread is more about celebrating a few good deals and getting ideas. Marston’s was a great shout.

Regards

RD

[Padders72]

Best for me:

Marstons up 125% (sadly only a small investment) - blind luck
LGEN up 68% (inc dividend) - tempted to add but its feeling toppy at present
Lloy up 25% - not one to hold long term maybe

Rather glad I didn't sit on my hands

When did you buy L & G to be up 68%? It had a brief low point at the beginning of April at just over £1.50 and if you bought then you should lend me your crystal ball. It was ridiculously cheap then but was around £2.80/3.00 before all this started. Just noted that you are including the dividend. That seems to be an unusual way of counting capital gains.

l might buy some more again but it would be after it fell back a bit from its current £2.50 or so. As you say in the current climate that seems high but maybe not if the dividend is sustainable.

Dod

My first LGEN buy was 23rd March (140p), my average is 165p. My typing/maths was suspect, that is a bare 52% gain or 58% inc the dividend. I stand corrected. I agree about including the dividend but there was a precedent for it in the first post above where it has been included and at present it seems the receipt of one is the exception rather than the rule! I wasn't filing in a tax return, simply answering the question about best punts during this turbulent period. People do seem to get tetchy on here I notice!

Moderator Message:
Implying that people do get (and clearly in this case a person gets) "tetchy" is playing the man not the ball. Please stop. - Chris

[digitaria]

I bought Tritax Big Box REIT (BBOX) on 17th March at 92p. They are now at 145p, so profit on that tranche is about 57%. I already had a holding of BBOX bought at higher prices, so overall, I'm still under water.

We know that such chaotic times are the best times to hoover up quality companies, but it's devilishly difficult to do when you're looking at the apparent ruins of your once decent portfolio.

[SalvorHardin]

Best buy: Brookfield Asset Management. A top up which has turned out to be not too far off its low for the year, now up by just over 50%.

Most satisfying buy: Bank of Montreal, up 21% in three weeks. Satisfying because Bank of Montreal is the first bank share bought in my 39 years of investing. Until then I have avoided banks like the plague.

My interest was sparked on seeing the HYP thread "An alternative to UK bank shares" (linked below). I suggested that people have a look at the Canadian banks which, unlike the British banks, are conservatively run and have an excellent track record when it comes to dividends (no "Big Five" bank has cut its dividend since 1940). I decided to have a closer look...

I particularly liked the straight-forward nature of Bank of Montreal's accounts compared to British banks (every time I have looked at a British bank's accounts I come away with the feeling that they are deliberately complicated in order to conceal information from their shareholders).

https://www.lemonfool.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=23185

[Dod101]

Padders

If you are referring to me as being tetchy. I am not in the least and certainly had no intention of giving that impression. But I follow L & G closely and have held it continuously for at least 25 years. Anyway, I admire your timing (and bravery!) by buying on the date of lockdown. Very good call.

Should have bought the lot then!

Dod

[Padders72]

Padders

If you are referring to me as being tetchy. I am not in the least and certainly had no intention of giving that impression. But I follow L & G closely and have held it continuously for at least 25 years. Anyway, I admire your timing (and bravery!) by buying on the date of lockdown. Very good call.

Should have bought the lot then!

Dod

I apologise for that last comment. I tried to remove it but missed the edit timeout, you don't strike me as one of those here who seem to post in a state of constant annoyance, often in the HYP-P area. Yes once I saw LGEN wasn't going to collapse further I added in dribs and drabs but should have gone all in. I was taking a punt on the dividend being maintained. I also added to Aviva at that time which didn't work out on the divi score but is still up on price. It was a case of freeing up funds as I could. Not complaining though obviously.

[PinkDalek]

Best buy, at the moment, looks to have been Games Workshop. Bought as they were already recovering in the second week of April. Up about 65% to date. Small punt only as in my ‘mini’ SIPP.

The other chunk of the annual sub went into RDSB. That for the long term and too early to say. Down approx 5% to date.

Glad this topic doesn’t ask about worst sells. As that’s the case, I shan’t mention British Land. Which I’d intended to repurchase but now feel I may have missed the boat.

Best hold of my smaller caps, probably Air Partner. Now about 85p when some may have sold at under 20p.

All a mixed bag, as are my various portfolios.

[mao44]

Best buy was L&G purchased on 26/4 at 185.00. Now 250.00 so a 35% increase. Considered pushing the buy button when they dropped to 138.00 and also 160.00 but didn't have the cojonies.

Also purchased RIO on 1/5 at 35.73. Now 45.50 so a 27% increase.

[tjh290633]

My best performers are DS Smith, up 6.4% since bought, William Hill up 10.5%, BP. up 9.5%, British Land up 20.2% and Pearson up 4%.

We'll not mention RDSB, down 18.5%, Lloyds Banking Group down 19.6%, or Tesco, down 2.3%.

TJH

[supremetwo]

3i Ord +23%, AJB +57.7%

But HSBC -21% RDSB -17.7%

[EssDeeAitch]

We'll not mention RDSB, down 18.5%, Lloyds Banking Group down 19.6%, or Tesco, down 2.3%.

You did a great job of not mentioning them

[simoan]

I'm sorry, but what a silly thread. Fancy a discussion on how many fish you can kill in a barrel with a 12 bore shotgun?

All the best, Si

[fca2019]

Best buy Glaxo. Very happy with them.

Worst RDSB. I decided to cut the loss, sold and reinvested in l&g global.

[Charlottesquare]

Mine are:

SmithDS 3/4/20 2.4862, now 3.482
Scot Mortgage (certainly not high yield) 25/3/20 5.5359, now 7.49
Murray Int 23/3/20 7.6742, now 10.48
JP Morgan I & G 23/3/20 7.6742, now 10.48

I do not track daily but I do look at my portfolio every so often and jot down in my diary, using total values (divided by a constant) I have:

31/1/20 on 125,
25/3/20 on 99,
5/6/20 back to 114

From 31/1 to 25/3 could have been a whole lot better as I sold a goodly chunk early March but then part reentered the market too early , if I had held off (especially had not bought more Shell too soon) performance would have been a whole lot better- getting timing right as always is my weakness.

[GoSeigen]

Best for me:

Marstons up 125% (sadly only a small investment) - blind luck
LGEN up 68% (inc dividend) - tempted to add but its feeling toppy at present
Lloy up 25% - not one to hold long term maybe

Rather glad I didn't sit on my hands

[...]. Just noted that you are including the dividend. That seems to be an unusual way of counting capital gains.

???? Looks eminently sensible to me. Why should he exclude one of the cashflows pray tell? [EDIT: Oops, may have missed Dod's sarcasm... ?]

GS