Quality UK Investment Blog
01 April 2021
By Maynard Paton
Happy Thursday! I trust your shares have enjoyed a positive start to the year.
A summary of my portfolio’s first quarter:
01 January 2021
By Maynard Paton
Happy New Year!
I trust you enjoyed the festive break and are now ready to battle the market for another twelve months!
This 4,631-word post provides a ‘year in review’ of my current portfolio holdings. I recap how each business performed during 2020 as well as provide a few remarks about valuation.
These reviews are very useful to write — not least because they help ensure I am still invested for the right reasons! Any upsets I will suffer during 2021 will most likely be caused by the shares I already own rather than any new shares I will buy.
01 January 2021
By Maynard Paton
Happy 2021! I hope you survived last year’s volatile market and you continue to find my blog useful.
A summary of my portfolio’s 2020:
(*Performance calculated using quoted bid prices and includes all dealing costs, withholding taxes, broker-account fees and paid dividends)
I publish a portfolio review after every quarter (Q1, Q2 and Q3), and this post recaps my October/November/December activity and my 2020 performance.
01 October 2020
By Maynard Paton
I trust your shares have performed well during the last three months.
A quick summary of my portfolio’s third-quarter and year-to-date progress:
(*Performance calculated using quoted bid prices and includes all dealing costs, withholding taxes, broker-account fees and paid dividends. **Includes reinvested dividends.)
The news from my shares during Q3 was generally satisfactory in the circumstances.
Among my holdings releasing results during the quarter, two reported lockdown-lowered profits that were complemented with promising director recovery talk. One holding meanwhile lifted its dividend 11% and another announced a very unexpected special payout.
After making no trades during the second quarter, I did not buy or sell during this latest quarter either. Never before since starting this blog during 2015 have I refrained from adjusting my portfolio for six months.
How companies will fare as the pandemic continues is still impossible to predict. I remain 25% in cash and hope a few obvious bargains may one day appear.
Read moreQ3 2020: Up To 85% Returns From Boring Old Dividends
30 June 2020
By Maynard Paton
I trust your shares have recovered during the last three months.
A quick summary of my portfolio’s second-quarter and year-to-date progress:
(*Performance calculated using quoted bid prices and includes all dealing costs, withholding taxes, broker-account fees and paid dividends. **Includes reinvested dividends)
I am thankful the news from my shares during Q2 was relatively positive. In particular, four of my holdings declared dividends — which seems encouraging given the numerous payout suspensions witnessed of late.
Mind you, I did not escape the dividend cancellations entirely. One of my shares sadly scrapped its payout after admitting the pandemic had led to weaker sales and operating losses.
Just how the market will fare from here is impossible to say. I did not buy during the March lows and remain 25% in cash… so I am naturally hoping the bargains have not dried up just yet!
31 March 2020
By Maynard Paton
I always like to start my quarterly portfolio reviews with a happy welcome. But not this time.
The country faces a national emergency. Lives are at risk, supermarkets have empty shelves, jobs are being lost…and the finer points of individual shares no longer seem that important.
I have nonetheless decided to maintain this blog through these difficult times — although future posts may be sporadic.
I hope you will find my updates useful. One day I will look back at what I have published to remember how I coped (or not!) with the crisis. I may even emerge from these events a much wiser investor.
Read moreQ1 2020: 1 Sell, 1 Top-Up And An Emergency Portfolio Review
10 January 2020
By Maynard Paton
Happy January!
I trust you enjoyed the festive break and are now ready to battle the market for another twelve months!
This 5,562-word post provides a ‘year in review’ of my current portfolio holdings. I recap how each of the underlying businesses performed during 2019, as well as provide a few remarks about valuation.
As I mentioned this time last year, I find writing such reviews extremely useful — not least because I double-check my investment logic to ensure I am still invested for the right reasons! The upsets I will suffer during 2020 will most likely be caused by the shares I already own rather than by new shares I purchase.
02 January 2020
By Maynard Paton
Happy 2020! I hope you enjoyed last year’s positive market and that you continue to find my blog useful.
A quick summary of my portfolio’s 2019:
(*Performance calculated using quoted bid prices and includes all dealing costs, withholding taxes, broker-account fees and paid dividends)
Before I review my 2019 performance, let me first outline what happened during the final quarter of the year.
01 October 2019
By Maynard Paton
Happy Tuesday! I hope you continue to find my Blog useful… and that your shares are coping well in the current market.
My portfolio continues to lag the FTSE 100. Since the start of the year, I am up a measly 3.6% while the index with dividends reinvested is up 14.3%.
I remain on the wrong side of what has become a two-tier market. While global ‘quality’ large-caps continue to charge higher, my portfolio is still full of smaller UK companies…
…many of which are undergoing potential recoveries (e.g. Getech, Tasty), experiencing standstill earnings (e.g. FW Thorpe, M Winkworth) or operating in an unloved sector (e.g. Daejan, Mountview Estates).
Read moreQ3 2019: 1 Top-Up, 3 AGMs And Obscure But Important Annual Report Small-Print
28 June 2019
By Maynard Paton
Happy Friday! I hope you continue to find my Blog useful… and that your shares are performing well in the current market.
I am pleased my portfolio remains in positive territory this year — although I am still trailing the FTSE 100. So far during 2019, I am up 7.7% while the index is up 13.1%.
My underperformance is due in part to owning companies that are:
Those eight shares represent approximately 40% of my portfolio. Add in cash of 7.5% as well, and almost half of my portfolio is marooned far away from the high-flying ‘quality’ growth shares that (seemingly) keep leading the market higher.
Read moreQ2 2019: 1 Sell, 3 Top-Ups And Portfolio Analysis The Fundsmith Way
31 March 2019
By Maynard Paton
Happy Sunday! I hope you continue to find my Blog useful… and that your shares have rebounded following last year’s rough market.
My portfolio has advanced during the last three months — although not as much as the wider indices.
Notable price gains from Bioventix and FW Thorpe have been sadly offset by the ongoing collapse at Tasty and sluggish performances from many of my other holdings.
The swings and roundabouts have meant that, for the first quarter, I am up only 3.9% versus a 9.5% gain enjoyed by the FTSE 100.
Let me now explain what has happened within my portfolio during January, February and March.
01 January 2019
By Maynard Paton
Happy 2019! I hope you coped well with last year’s rough market and that you continue to find my Blog useful.
The major development for me during 2018 was starting to write articles for SharePad. No longer can I call myself a full-time investor who has no other income than capital gains and dividends!
Nevertheless, I do continue to depend upon my dividends — so I am still a full-time-ish investor.
For the time being at least, I do not have to think too much about capital gains… which is just as well given the recent market downturn.
01 January 2019
By Maynard Paton
Happy New Year!
I trust you enjoyed the festive break and are now raring to do battle with the market for another twelve months!
This first Blog post of 2019 provides a ‘year in review’ of my current portfolio holdings. I recap how each of the underlying businesses performed during 2018, as well as provide a few remarks about valuation.
03 October 2018
By Maynard Paton
Happy Wednesday! I hope you continue to find my Blog useful… and that your shares served you well during the summer.
Unfortunately, my portfolio has not exactly sizzled during the last three months.
In particular, notable price advances from Andrews Sykes and Mincon were offset by further declines at System1 and Tasty. Elsewhere, highly rated holdings FW Thorpe and Tristel have come off the boil, while stagnant positions Mountview Estates and Oleeo remain, well, stagnant.
It has all meant that, nine months into the year, I am up 4.4% versus a 1.0% total return produced by the FTSE 100*. No doubt about it, my gains this year have been far from stellar. But following two years of lagging the index, I will happily take my current outperformance for 2018.
Recent RNSs from my shares have been broadly positive. Once again there was a mix of satisfactory to lacklustre statements, and I am glad no major horror stories emerged.
And I did venture to one AGM, which helped prompt my portfolio’s only Q3 trading.
30 June 2018
By Maynard Paton
Happy Saturday! I hope you continue to enjoy my Blog… and that your shares have been sizzling higher during the recent hot weather!
My portfolio has been simmering nicely throughout the last three months. In particular, positive second-quarter contributions from Bioventix and Getech have now added to the decent first-quarter efforts of M Winkworth, Mincon and Tristel. However, System1 has sadly joined Tasty as a notable 2018 loser.
It has all meant that, half way through the year, I am up 6.7% versus the FTSE 100 returning 1.7%. I am glad to be in positive territory following a tricky Q1, and I trust I can maintain a gap to the market during the second half.
Recent RNSs from my shares have been broadly positive. Once again there was a mix of statements, ranging from very satisfactory to rather lacklustre, and I am very happy that no major horror stories emerged!
There was one underwhelming update, though, which prompted a disposal and my portfolio’s only Q2 activity. Let me explain what has happened.
Read moreQ2 2018: 1 Sell And Some Thoughts On Pension Deficits