ECB Cuts Rates

Headlines say the ECB cuts rates for the fifth time in a row and all stock picks this week are a mix of 74% BUY, 14% HOLD and 12% SELL.

1. BUY Lords Group Trading

Top performing stock pick this week is BUY Lords Group Trading by Berenberg with a tip performance of 4%.

Lords is a specialist distributor of building, plumbing, heating and DIY goods. The Group principally sells to local tradesmen, small to medium sized plumbing and heating merchants, construction companies and retails directly to the general public.

Lords Group Trading share price launched at 104p in 2021, rose to an all-time high of 144p 2 months after listing and is today at 33p.

On 28th January it announced FY24 Trading Update in this RNS stating reduced earnings and turnover compared to 2023.

On the same day Berenberg reduced its target price on the stock from 90p to 80p after which share price increased.

In Stockomendation two analysts Berenberg with BUY and Steve Moore with AVOID. There are no active short positions open.

2. BUY Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust

Second top performing stock pick this week is BUY Scottish Mortgage Inv Trust by Dr. James Fox in The Motley Fool with a tip performance of 4%.

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is a publicly traded investment trust. It invests globally, looking for strong businesses with above-average returns. Scottish Mortgage is managed by Baillie Gifford & Co Limited, the Edinburgh-based investment management partnership. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust share price launched at 38p in 1993, rose to an all-time high of 1,515p in 2021 and is today at 1,084p.

On Monday 27th the share price fell 5% from the week before due to bad US stocks with holdings in DeepSeek which is a Chinese AI company that caused a panic selling spree on US tech stocks and a problem at NASDAQ including NVIDIA which fell 17%. NVIDIA makdes up for 4% of SMT’s assets. Shares are on the rebound and apparently Dr. James Fox saw a bargain.

In Stockomendation four analysts with four different ratings: Dr. James Fox with BUY, Harvey Jones says HOLD, Ben McPoland has ADD and James Beard says WATCH. There are no active short positions.

3. BUY Marshalls

Third top performing stock pick this week is BUY Marshalls by Russ Mould in The Telegraph - Questor with a tip performance of 4%.

Marshalls plc is a UK manufacturer and supplier of building, landscape, and roofing products. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE 250 Index.

Marshalls share price launched at 68p in 1991, rose to an all-time high of 865p in 2019 and is today at 256p.

In his article Russ Mould positions Marshalls as a bargain, highlighting a loss in share price by a fifth since last January and positive profit forecasts plus a positive trading update issued in this RNS.

In Stockomendation five analysts: Russ Mould and Berenberg with BUY, Steve Moore with AVOID, Davy is NEUTRAL and RBC Capital has SECTOR PERFORM. Two fund manager short positions, view those here.

Join Now

Think you can pick stocks? Play the February league UK Share Picking game FREE : uksharepickinggame.co.uk

Disclaimer: The contents of this article should not be considered financial advice. Pricing data correct as at 30th January 2025.