About Us

At James Sharp & Co we are a little bit different - we are an independent stockbroking partnership founded in 1885, so we are not force-fed "flavour of the month" or "tip of the week" from a team of analysts.

We believe

- Investing is for meeting long-term goals; saving is for short-term goals.
- Consistently outperforming the financial markets is extremely difficult but patience can reward
- Performance-chasing is a losing strategy
- Timing of investment is important

“Identify good “value” equities that are most likely to contribute to the James Sharp ethos of delivering capital and income growth over the long term”

James Sharp - Ethos

Predominately, the investments wich James Sharp & Co recommend tend to be disciplined by a strict “value” based approach which is not restricted by adhering to any one particular research source. Instead James Sharp draws upon its 125 years’ experience and independent status.

“We do not have to deal for the sake of a deal”

Research is developed by: Looking at a company balance sheet, building knowledge of the business and its counterparts/competitors within a sector. The following themes are important and often feature in our recommendations:

• Focus on organic rather than acquisition led growth
• The business passed the test of time i.e. has been through one or more business cycle
• A consistent trend of generating cash rather than just profit
• A clear commitment and track record of paying Dividends
• A stable management team who have their own monetary investment in the company they run.
• Market value supported by tangible assets or yield

In addition we actively meet with companies via Annual General Meetings and field visits to develop a qualitative understanding of a company while assessing external research to further our view.

Historically we have specialised in smaller-cap stocks, especially asset-backed ones. We have made much success from identifying undervalued businesses and buying shares prior to eventual takeovers. Examples include:

• Glenmorangie plc (Drinks)
• Wintrust (Banking)
• East Surrey Holdings (Water)
• Bristol Water (Water)
• Hardys & Hansons (Brewing)
• Gibbs & Dandy (Builders Merchants)
• Biffa (Waste Management)
• Forth Ports (Ports)
• Simon Group (Ports)
• Kelda (Water)

More recently we have been keen to invest in companies with overseas exposure and strong management. Examples include:

• Goodwin (Engineering)
• Nichols (Soft Drinks)
• James Halstead (Flooring)
• PZ Cussons (Household Goods)
• Devro (Collagen Casings – Meat)
• Treatt (Flavourings/Fragrances)

Throughout our heritage the investment strategy has evolved but still focuses on long term capital and income growth.

It should be noted that James Sharp advisory service may not suit all investors due to our “value” based approach which may include shares which are typically less liquid than the leading “blue-chips”.

We do NOT offer a discretionary portfolio service. However, we believe that our advisory approach makes us more accountable to clients and ensures that we continue to focus on the recommendations that we make.

James Sharp & Co is an independent stockbroking partnership and a member of the London Stock Exchange.

Based in Bury, Lancashire, our client base stretches way beyond our North-Western roots.