The recent decline of the FTSE 100 could present long-term buying opportunities. Certainly, risks such as coronavirus may increase in intensity in the short run, and market volatility could remain high. However, a number of stocks appear to have bright growth prospects in the coming years, which may not be reflected in their valuations.
With that in mind, here are two FTSE 100 shares that could be worth buying today. They appear to have sound strategies and favourable operating prospects over the long run.
Reckitt Benckiser
The recent full-year results released by Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) highlighted its long-term growth potential. After a mixed year, it plans to increase its focus on e-commerce and markets where it has the greatest capacity to grow. As such, it intends to ramp-up its investment in China, where wage growth could increase the size of its customer base in the coming years.
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Of course, China’s short-term prospects are highly uncertain. Consumer demand is likely to have weakened since the outbreak of coronavirus, which may have contributed to declining investor sentiment towards Reckitt Benckiser that could continue over the short run. This may mean new investors experience paper losses should the virus spread intensify.
Following its 10% drop in the past two weeks, the stock now trades on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 18.4. While this may represent a premium to the wider FTSE 100, it’s relatively attractive, compared to the company’s past ratings. Therefore, now could be an opportune moment to buy the stock, with its range of strong brands and exposure to emerging markets likely to catalyse its financial performance.
Persimmon
Also offering long-term growth potential is FTSE 100 housebuilder Persimmon (LSE: PSN). The company’s recent full-year results contained a surprising announcement that its CEO will step down once a replacement has been found.
Although this could create some uncertainty surrounding the stock’s strategy, it appears to be making good progress in improving its build quality and customer satisfaction scores. For example, it’s on track to achieve a four-star Home Builders Federation (HBF) rating, an improvement on its previous three-star rating. It has also slowed completions to ensure its properties meet customer expectations more frequently.
In the long run, the investment being made by Persimmon in its customer service initiatives could improve its reputation. In the meantime, it’s forecast to post earnings growth of around 2% per annum over the next two years. This is in line with many of its sector peers and suggests that the company offers good value for money while it trades on a P/E ratio of just 10.9.
Clearly, the UK’s changeable economic prospects could weigh on the stock’s near-term performance. But, over the long run, it could produce improving returns which boost your financial outlook.
