I reckon the FTSE 100’s largest insurance company, Aviva (LSE:AV), could be cracking value at current prices. While fears around the health of the UK economy have depressed the share price, I think this is overdone. An 8.3% yield is on offer for income investors. That’s more than twice the FTSE 100 average of 3.6%. So is now the time to consider loading up on the shares? Income and growth Aviva swung from a £1.9bn profit in 2021 to a £1.1bn loss in 2022. That’s been the source of much muttering in the ranks. But City analysts are projecting a return to £1bn profit in the full-year 2023 result ..read more

The BAE Systems (LSE:BA.) share price is one of the biggest FTSE 100 gainers this year, and for good reason. Results out this week show the UK defence giant is on track for a big uplift in annual profits. Countries continue to increase military orders with Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the recent conflict in Gaza. The company manufactures fighter jets and submarines, among other large military equipment and machinery. It said it had logged £10bn of orders since the end of June 2023. That puts the group on track for more than £30bn in sales orders this year. War footing Last month I wrote how I ..read more

Shares in FTSE 250 oil and gas company Ithaca Energy (LSE:ITH) are down 30% in the last 12 months. I’m intrigued. I see potential here for one of the biggest oil and gas opportunities of the last two decades. I’m going to investigate in detail and with a critical eye. So let’s get into it. Laughing all the way to the Rosebank First things first. Ithaca Energy went public in November 2022 to exploit its acquisition of a 20% stake in Rosebank. This is one of the UK’s largest untapped oil fields. It’s located in the North Sea, 80 miles off the coast of the Shetland Islands. If the name rings a b ..read more

The BT (LSE:BT.A) share price has been whacked by the market in the last five years. It’s down 52% over that time, to clear and pretty vocal investor dismay. A recent shift in tactics could turn things around, however. It’s an intriguing move that could add a significant boost to BT’s revenue. So my question today is this. At just over £1, is the BT share price ripe for the picking? Because I follow Warren Buffett, I know just what he might say. “Whether we’re talking about stocks or socks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down”. Does that apply here? More to the point: is ..read more

I’ve scoured the list of the largest FTSE companies that have raised their dividends every year for at least five years, and have also seen their share price rise over the same period. It wasn’t an easy task. Of the largest UK public companies, only a handful meet this strict criteria. Growing dividends at the same time as growing profits is an exceedingly difficult thing to achieve. Why? Well, if a business commits too much of its free cash flow to paying out dividends to shareholders, that money can’t be used to expand its business. It also can’t use that spare cash for investing in new tec ..read more

British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS) is one of the only FTSE 100 shares that can be called a ‘dividend yield hero’. I focus on these types of companies quite a lot. That’s because I want strong compounders for my Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). Since it offers a 9%+ dividend yield, this stock seems to fit the bill. One of the major things that British American Tobacco has going for it is a consistent dividend record. The company has managed to grow its payments to income investors for the last 23 years in a row. That makes it one of only a handful of FTSE 100 stocks with this impressiv ..read more

Generating passive income offers investors the opportunity to make some extra cash with very little extra work. And while this may seem unachievable, it’s more than doable. Red hot inflation has squeezed consumer’s pockets. Yet despite this, investing small amounts over a long period of time can see funds build up. With just £5 a day, here are the steps I’d take today to create passive income streams that could serve me in the times ahead. Remaining consistent Let’s start with the most important of them all. And that’s investing on a consistent basis. It’s easy for financial plans to come off ..read more

Right now, I’m on the hunt for high-quality stocks I can buy and hold for the years ahead and can also provide me with a second income. Here are three I’m considering. Legal & General First up is FTSE 100 stalwart Legal & General (LSE: LGEN). I already own shares in the insurance giant. But with its stock down over 10% in 2023, I’m considering snapping up some more. Of course, my main attraction to Legal & General is its dividend yield, which currently sits at around 8.7%, making it one of the Footsie’s largest payers. The business has taken big strides in the past few years to i ..read more

Building streams of passive income with no savings may seem unrealistic. However, it’s more than doable. If I had to do it today, here are the methods I’d use. Invest consistently With no savings, I don’t have a lump sum of cash to kickstart my investing journey. Therefore, putting money aside and investing it on a consistent basis is the most important step I could take. By doing this, I would be able to benefit from compounding. And while it may be easy for financial plans to be derailed, by selecting a realistic amount I could set aside every month to invest, this would allow me to see gai ..read more

I’m keen to boost my passive income in the weeks ahead should I have any spare cash, so I’m on the lookout for quality stocks with reliable dividend yields. Here are two piquing my interest. Legal & General A staple in my portfolio and my top pick is Legal & General (LSE: LGEN). The stock’s taken a bit of a beating this year, down around 13%. But for me, I think now may be the ideal time to buy. The stock’s price has experienced a patch of volatility following the release of the firm’s half-year results earlier this month. This was fuelled by the effect of rising interest rates, a co ..read more