...and the rest

Investors’ Chronicle

The end of a three-year costcutting drive has come at just the right time for Egyptfocused gold miner Centamin. Record gold prices are boosting profits. Rather than raising the dividend, management is holding on to the extra cash to fund further exploration and development to diversify away from its one currently operational mine, Sukari. With cash pouring in, the shares are a buy (109p).

The Mail on Sunday

The UK used 1.35 billion domestically-produced bricks last year, a sharp fall from the normal figure of two billion. Yet Michelmersh Brick Holdings has bucked the trend thanks to nimble operations and top-rate customer service. Sales, profits and the dividend are all on the rise. The shares have gained a comparatively modest 10% in the past five years, so there is “plenty of room for further gains”. Keep buying (104p).

Shares

Founded in 1868, F&C Investment Trust is “one of the oldest collective trusts in the world”. A focus on long-term capital growth is supported by a strong emphasis on continuity. The trust has had just three managers since 1969. It has delivered an annualised 11.7% return over the past decade and has raised the dividend for 53 years in a row. Hold (992p).

The Telegraph

Full-year results at builder Taylor Wimpey revealed a painful 21% drop in sales and a 43% plunge in pre-tax profits, but the weakness reflects wider trouble in the housing market rather than specific problems with management. With interest rates set to fall and UK housing in acute structural shortage, better times will come once the market cycle turns. Buy. (141p).