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09 August 2025
By Maynard Paton
This month I have gone ‘back to basics’ by employing an old screen that identifies companies with strong balance sheets, robust margins and rising dividends.
I must admit I was disappointed my three ‘quality’ criteria returned only 21 names:
The exact filters I applied for this search were:
- Net borrowings less total leases of no more than 0 (i.e. a net cash position excluding IFRS 16 lease obligations);
- A trailing 12-month operating margin of 15% or more, and;
- A minimum five-year record of annual dividend improvements.
I added an extra column to the screening results to sort the 21 names on five-year share-price performance.
I selected MS International because its shares had surged an amazing 838% since July 2020:
Let’s take a closer look.
Read my full MS INTERNATIONAL article for ShareScope >>Maynard Paton
