Top Yielding British Stocks

Investors have heard a lot this year about the financial trials and tribulations of European countries, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. There are even some grumblings about France and Germany. But one country you don't hear much about, at least in terms of debt problems, is the United Kingdom.

The UK has a AAA rating from Standard & Poor's with a stable outlook, whereas S&P gave the United States a AA+ rating with a Negative outlook. Moody's and Fitch also gave the UK their top rating with a Stable outlook. Maybe it is time for investors to take a closer look at the stocks of the country that has the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP.

Many British stocks pay decent dividends; according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over 15 British stocks with yields of 2.5% or more. One example is Aviva plc (AV), which pays one of the highest yields for British stocks, at 7.4%. The stock trades at 18 times earnings. Aviva is a provider of insurance, savings, and investment products in the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific.

Another example, Intercontinental Hotels Group plc (IHG), based in Denham, UK, operates numerous hotels including 64 in the London area. The stock trades at 12 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 1.9%.

Diageo plc (DEO) makes Johnnie Walker scotch, Smirnoff vodka, Baileys Original Irish Cream, Captain Morgan rum, Jose Cuervo tequila, Tanqueray gin, Guinness stout, and various wine products including Blossom Hill, Sterling Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard, and Chalone Vineyard. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 13 and sports a CD beating yield of 3.9%.

In the oil and gas arena, there is BP plc (BP), which seemed to survive the oil spill fiasco and is trading at 6 times forward earnings and yielding 4.2%.

To see a list of all the top yielding British stocks, that can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top British Companies That Trade On the New York Stock Exchange

Number 11 Wall Street is home to the world’s largest stock exchange. The New York Stock Exchange (NYX) dominates all other foreign markets as it sees an average daily trading volume in excess of $150 billion. There are many countries that have companies that are represented on the Exchange and Great Britain is one of those.

Some interesting facts about Great Britain and it’s economy:

1. The UK is ranked as the sixth largest economy in Europe.
2. The industrial revolution kick-started the UK’s economic ascent, with a heavy focus on the manufacture of steel, shipbuilding, coal mining and textiles.
3. Manufacturing to this day still plays a significant part in contributing to Great Britain’s economic stature.
4. The service sector continues to boom and makes up 73% of the country's GDP.
5. The UK's capital, London, has the largest group of foreign bank branches, more than anywhere in the world.
6. Great Britain is ranked as the sixth most popular tourist destination in the world, having over 27 million visitors per year.
7. London is the most visited city in the world, ahead of Bangkok in second place and Paris in third.
8. The country has over 400 million tons of proven coal reserves.
9. Last year, government debt was at 56.8% of GDP.
10. According to the UK government, the country was officially in a recession for the first time since 1991, as of the final quarter of 2008

The New York Stock Exchange has a number of various UK companies trading on its floor, many of which are traded through American Depositary Receipts, also known as ADRs. AVIVA Plc (AV) is an insurance company based in London. They are the fifth largest insurance company in the world with a total of 53 million customers in over 25 different countries. Within the UK, AVIVA continues to dominate the market in general insurance, life insurance and pensions operating in Europe, Asia and North America. The company trades at 7.4 times earnings and has a yield of 5.1%.

Another British company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange is Diageo (DEO). They are the biggest wine, spirits, and beer company in the world. Some of he company' noted brands include Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker scotch. The stock has a 17.4 price to earnings ratio and a yield of 2.7%.

The pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) manufactures biologics, vaccines and pharmaceuticals. They are ranked as the third largest pharmaceutical company based on revenues, just after Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Pfizer (PFE). They also produce a range of health care products including health drinks, nutritional products and medicine that can be purchased over-the-counter. Some of the company's more well-known products include Sensodyne, Advair, Beano, Boniva, Geritol, Levitra, Nicorette, Tums, and Valtrex. Glaxo has a PE ratio of 9.7, with a 4.9% yield.

For more information on British companies that trade on the New York Stock Exchange, visit WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The site provides a free downloadable list, which can be sorted and added to.

Author owns PFE.

By Stockerblog.com