Wednesday newspaper share tips: Virgin Money, Clarkson

Shares in Virgin Money have bounced back sharply following their post-Brexit drop but the gyrations in the stock show that investors are wont to rush for the exit at the first sign of economic troubles, The Times´s Tempus cautioned.

The lender is taking market share in the credit card space at a breakneck pace, even if it has eased back a bit of late.

Over the first nine months of the year, credit card balances jumped 41% and net mortgage lending was ahead by 33%.

With a view to hitting its target of reaching £3bn in credit card balances by the end of the following year, the lender is offering 41 months of free credit when clients sign up.

Critically, Virgin manages that risk by taking an immediate cut and selling those loans to debt collection agencies.

Nonetheless, the July share price drop shows what can happen when investors get nervous and there is certainly scope for a repeat over the next couple of years.

"Sell," said Tempus.

The Daily Telegraph´s Questor team singled out Clarkson as a stock worth picking up for those who are willing to be "paid to wait" given the stock´s dividend yield.

At least two fund managers with a strong long-term track record own the shares themselves, the tipster highlighted, Charles Montanaro who runs the Montanaro UK Income fund, and Elaine Morgan, who manages the Kames UK Smaller Companies fund.

Added to that, the company´s own board members also hold significant stakes, including its boss, Andi Case, and its finance chief, Jeff Woyda.

“With a strong balance sheet and strong free cashflow, Clarksons is well placed to weather the storm and gain market share, benefiting from the recovery that we expect to emerge as supply is recalibrated to demand growth,” Morgan told Questor.

"Buy," Questor said.