3 Stocks That Gained Attention On LSE Ladder - MRO, UU And STAN

Melrose Industries Plc Melrose Industries Plc (MRO) is a buyer of good manufacturing businesses with decent fundamentals. The company mainly focuses on companies whose performance can be increased further. The company uses a low level of leverage to finance its acquisitions. The company improves the acquired businesses with a combination of significant investment and changed management focus. Financial Highlights – Financial Year 2018 (million, £) In FY18, the company’s reported revenue increased by £6,513 million to £8,605 million versus £2,092 million for FY2017, mainly because of a significant increase in revenue from all geographic segments of the company. The statutory operating loss for the FY2018 was £392 million, mainly driven by an increased cost of sales and operating expenses. Reported Net Loss for the period was £475 million (FY2017: negative £24 million). Reported basic and diluted loss per share stood at 12 pence for FY2018 respectively. Share Price Performance Daily Chart as at May-08-19, before the market close (Source: Thomson Reuters) On 8th May 2019, at the time of writing (before the market close, GMT 09:17 AM), Melrose Industries Plc shares were trading at GBX 191.25, up by 1.29 per cent against its previous day closing price. Stock's 52 weeks High and Low is GBX 248.80/GBX 145.94. The outstanding market capitalisation was around £9.23 billion with a dividend yield of 2.43 per cent. United Utilities Group Plc United Utilities Group PLC (UU) is a manager of the regulated water and wastewater network and is based out of the UK. The company holds a license and operates in the North West of England, serving around seven million people across 3.2 million households and 200,000 business premises. The company also owns and manages other infrastructure assets around its reservoirs, making it the largest corporate landowner in England. Financial Highlights – H1 Financial Year 2019 (million, £) Reflecting allowed regulatory revenue changes, the group’s revenue was up by £40.4 million, at £916.4 million. Underlying operating profit rose by £23.8 million to £367.8 million, while reported operating profit decreased by £2.7 million, to £339.1 million, reflecting regulatory changes in revenue calculation. While basic earnings per share increased from 28.9 pence to 31.2 pence, underlying earnings per share increased from 23.5 pence (H1 FY18) to 28.9 pence in H1 FY19. Share Price Performance Daily Chart as at May-08-19, before the market close (Source: Thomson Reuters) On 8th May 2019, at the time of writing (before the market close, GMT 09:22 AM), United Utilities Group PLC shares were trading at GBX 804.00, down by 0.74 per cent against its previous day closing price. Stock's 52 weeks High and Low is GBX 879.60/GBX 674.30. The outstanding market capitalisation was around £5.41 billion with a dividend yield of 5.10 per cent. Standard Chartered Plc Standard Chartered PLC (STAN) is a British multinational banking company, with headquarters in London, the United Kingdom. In the year 1969, through the merger of two separate banks-the Standard Bank and the Chartered Bank, Standard Chartered Bank was formed, with the aim of capturing the efficiencies of regional diversity. Financial Highlights – Q1 Financial Year 2019 (million, $) For the first quarter ending 31st March 2019, the company’s reported net interest income surged by 4 per cent to $2,272 million from $2,187 million for the same period of last year. Operating profit before impairment and taxation for Q1 FY2019 was $1,398 million (Q1 2018: $1,404 million). Underlying profit before taxation was up by 10 per cent to $1,384 million for Q1 FY2019 against $1,257 million for Q1 FY2018. Profit for the period stood at $818 million for Q1 FY2019 (Q1 FY 2018: $803 million). Share Price Performance Daily Chart as at May-08-19, before the market close (Source: Thomson Reuters) On 8th May 2019, at the time of writing (before market close, GMT 09:26 AM), Standard Chartered Plc shares were trading at GBX 694.40, up by 0.26 per cent against its previous day closing price. Stock's 52 weeks High and Low is GBX 787.30/GBX 514.20. The outstanding market capitalisation was around £22.86 billion with a dividend yield of 2.32 per cent. Conclusion Despite good Top-line performance, Melrose Industries profitability margins declined. The company’s share was trading low due to the ongoing trade conflict between the US and China as the stock was vulnerable to global uncertainties. United Utilities Group PLC has shown good financial performance. However, the company’s financial performance was impacted by political and regulatory factors. Standard Chartered PLC had shown decent financial performance. There was an increase in the profitability of the company. However, the company’s operating income declined from multiple geographic locations such as Greater China & North Asia, ASEAN & South Asia and Europe & Americas for the current quarter.