Latest Stock and Fund Research from Morningstar

UK banks, Asia-focused investment trusts, commodities and environmental funds have all been under our microscope in recent weeks

Holly Cook 13 April, 2012 | 4:02PM
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Morningstar's global team of analysts has updated research on a range of stocks and funds available to UK investors in recent weeks. Below are just a few of the highlights.

Highlights from This Month's Research
Morningstar’s Erin Davis has increased her fair value estimate for Barclays by 40p to 300p per share as she sees reduced probability of an equity raise, and for HSBC by 20p to 760p on the back of updated growth expectations and exchange rates. Davis has also updated her thesis for Standard Chartered while maintaining the 1,800p fair value estimate. Standard Chartered is one of Morningstar’s favourite banks, with a sturdy history and a bright future.

Analyst Daniel Holland has updated his investment thesis for IMI, which he says may see slower growth due to the weaker economic backdrop but high returns on capital should persist.

The outlook for Morrison Supermarkets is a little gloomy, according to the latest thesis from Morningstar analysts. The firm has experienced rapid growth recently but our analyst believe it will find consistent growth a challenge.

Tech tester Intertek has also been under our microscope, with analyst Paul Choi hiking his fair value estimate to 2,600p from 2,100p previously.

And International Power got the once over following GDF Suez’s announcement of a possible cash bid for the UK utility provider.

On the funds front, our investment trust analyst launched 12 new Analyst Ratings on investment trusts in recent weeks, featuring Silvers for Schroder Oriental Income and F&C Global Smaller Companies, among others, and Bronzes for BlackRock Commodities Income and JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income.

Among open-ended offerings, our analysts have reiterated their Gold rating on Schroder US Small and Mid Cap Equity, their Silver rating on BlackRock Global Funds – World Energy and awarded a Bronze rating to Impax Environmental Markets, among others.

Last but by no means least, our ETF analysts have launched or updated their research on no fewer than 28 ETF available to UK investors. See the latest list here or use our new ETF Screener tool to find ETFs that suit your portfolio.

3 Ways to Access Morningstar Research
Security-Specific Searches: The quickest way to access our analysts' view on a particular stock or fund is to look up that security using the Search box at the top of every Morningstar.co.uk webpage (top tip: as you type the security's name, wait for the dropbox to appear and select your security from the list). If our analysts cover the stock or fund you're searching for, you'll see either a 'Stock Analysis' tab or an 'Analyst Research' tab available to Premium users.

Latest Research: Premium subscribers can see at a glance the latest research published by Morningstar analysts in our Latest Morningstar Research section, housed on the right-hand side of the front page. Click the relevant tab ('All', 'Funds', 'Equities', 'ETFs' or 'Investment Trusts') to see the most up-to-date research reports issued by those analyst teams.

Top-Rated Stocks and Funds: If you're not sure what you're looking for or you're in need of some investment inspiration, try using our Screener tools to search for securities that have earned Morningstar analysts' top ratings. Morningstar Quickrank tools are another good way to rank securities--equities or any type of fund--according to their Morningstar rating. All these tools are available on the Tools page.

Ensure you're signed in to your Premium service to read Morningstar research as our analysts' opinions are available only to Premium subscribers.

Reminder About Morningstar Ratings
Remember, Morningstar publishes different types of rating for stocks and funds.

For stocks, we publish a Star Rating that measures the difference between our independent analysts' fair value estimate and the stock's latest price. It's essentially therefore a measure of whether we think a stock is currently under-, over- or fairly valued. Star Ratings for stocks are reassessed automatically each day according to the latest closing price.

For funds, we publish a different type of Star Rating. This is used across the funds universe--unit trusts and OEICs, investment trusts and ETFs--to measure performance against peers. It is a backward-looking, risk-adjusted assessment of the last three years of returns.

The second type of rating for funds is our Analyst Rating, which tells you what our team of independent analysts think of a fund's whole package--managers, fees, company, performance and strategy. This is a forward-looking, qualitative assessment.

To read more about our research, take a look at our methodology page.

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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About Author

Holly Cook

Holly Cook  is Manager, Morningstar EMEA Websites

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