Barratt Developments (#BDEV) - very upbeat trading statement for H1
- 2015-01-14 03:54:08
UK 07:51 Sunday, 25 October 2026
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Hello Share Totters. When I said a month or two ago that British housebuilding firms were a good investment, I did not realise how right I was going to be.
In February I published a detailed comment on housebuilder and FTSE 250 constituent Barratt Developments (BDEV), stating that a recent upbeat trading statement meant that then upcoming results should contain no nasty surprises but that for a cyclical company seemingly approaching the top of the cycle, the valuation was simply too high. Now, post the results, the following updates my view…
FTSE 250 listed, Housebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV) issued an upbeat trading statement on 16th January covering the six months to 31st December and there is little doubt that the results out next week will contain no nasty surprises. The company has a forward order book equivalent to around four months of sales and as such there is no reason to expect any great change in trading in the second half. Yet with house prices now on a multiple of average wages seem only once before in living memory ( 2007) and with the normal catalyst for a house price correction ( a rise in interest rates) surely only a matter of time the current rating looks untenable.
