Stock Analysis

Discovering Promising Penny Stocks On The UK Exchange In October 2024

LSE:SEPL
Source: Shutterstock

In the last week, the UK market has been flat, but it is up 11% over the past year with earnings forecast to grow by 14% annually. For those looking to invest in smaller or newer companies, penny stocks—despite their vintage name—can still offer surprising value. This article highlights several penny stocks that demonstrate financial strength and could potentially offer long-term growth opportunities.

Top 10 Penny Stocks In The United Kingdom

NameShare PriceMarket CapFinancial Health Rating
Tristel (AIM:TSTL)£3.95£184.64M★★★★★★
ME Group International (LSE:MEGP)£2.115£768.58M★★★★★★
Next 15 Group (AIM:NFG)£4.355£407.27M★★★★☆☆
Supreme (AIM:SUP)£1.555£180.75M★★★★★★
FRP Advisory Group (AIM:FRP)£1.325£324.93M★★★★★★
Stelrad Group (LSE:SRAD)£1.50£191.03M★★★★★☆
Luceco (LSE:LUCE)£1.596£235.97M★★★★★☆
Ultimate Products (LSE:ULTP)£1.41£119.17M★★★★★★
Serabi Gold (AIM:SRB)£0.86£70.81M★★★★★★
Integrated Diagnostics Holdings (LSE:IDHC)$0.457$261.6M★★★★★★

Click here to see the full list of 466 stocks from our UK Penny Stocks screener.

Let's take a closer look at a couple of our picks from the screened companies.

Bakkavor Group (LSE:BAKK)

Simply Wall St Financial Health Rating: ★★★★☆☆

Overview: Bakkavor Group plc, along with its subsidiaries, specializes in the preparation and marketing of fresh prepared foods across the United Kingdom, the United States, and China, with a market capitalization of £951.39 million.

Operations: No specific revenue segments are reported for the company.

Market Cap: £951.39M

Bakkavor Group has demonstrated strong earnings growth, with a 428.7% increase over the past year, significantly outpacing the food industry's average. Despite this impressive growth, Bakkavor faces challenges with its short-term and long-term liabilities exceeding its assets. The company maintains high-quality earnings and has improved its net profit margins to 2.9%. Recent developments include a stable management transition with Lee Miley succeeding Ben Waldron as CFO in November 2024. Additionally, Bakkavor's inclusion in the S&P Global BMI Index reflects growing recognition of its market presence while it continues to trade below estimated fair value by 16.5%.

LSE:BAKK Revenue & Expenses Breakdown as at Oct 2024
LSE:BAKK Revenue & Expenses Breakdown as at Oct 2024

Funding Circle Holdings (LSE:FCH)

Simply Wall St Financial Health Rating: ★★★★★★

Overview: Funding Circle Holdings plc operates online lending platforms in the UK, US, and internationally with a market cap of £468.04 million.

Operations: The company's revenue is primarily generated from its United Kingdom operations, with £10.8 million from FlexiPay and £138.6 million from Term Loans.

Market Cap: £468.04M

Funding Circle Holdings plc, with a market cap of £468.04 million, is navigating the penny stock landscape amid ongoing challenges. Despite being unprofitable, it has reduced losses by 32.8% annually over five years and forecasts earnings growth of 87.7% per year. The company recently completed a £25 million share buyback to enhance balance sheet efficiency and was added to the S&P Global BMI Index, signaling increased market recognition. While its short-term assets significantly exceed liabilities, insider selling has been significant recently, and its share price remains highly volatile with negative return on equity at -14.41%.

LSE:FCH Revenue & Expenses Breakdown as at Oct 2024
LSE:FCH Revenue & Expenses Breakdown as at Oct 2024

Seplat Energy (LSE:SEPL)

Simply Wall St Financial Health Rating: ★★★★☆☆

Overview: Seplat Energy Plc is involved in oil and gas exploration, production, and gas processing across Nigeria, the Bahamas, Italy, Switzerland, Barbados, and England with a market cap of £1.39 billion.

Operations: The company's revenue is derived primarily from oil, generating $815.03 million, and gas, contributing $120.87 million.

Market Cap: £1.39B

Seplat Energy, with a market cap of £1.39 billion, showcases mixed performance in the penny stock arena. The company reported Q2 2024 sales of US$241.82 million and net income of US$39.72 million, marking a turnaround from last year's loss. Despite an impressive earnings growth rate over the past year and well-covered interest payments by EBIT (5.8x), challenges include increased debt-to-equity ratio (41.5%) and short-term assets not covering long-term liabilities ($897.7M). While dividends remain unstable, Seplat's operating cash flow adequately covers its debt, indicating financial resilience amidst industry volatility.

LSE:SEPL Debt to Equity History and Analysis as at Oct 2024
LSE:SEPL Debt to Equity History and Analysis as at Oct 2024

Seize The Opportunity

Curious About Other Options?

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

New: Manage All Your Stock Portfolios in One Place

We've created the ultimate portfolio companion for stock investors, and it's free.

• Connect an unlimited number of Portfolios and see your total in one currency
• Be alerted to new Warning Signs or Risks via email or mobile
• Track the Fair Value of your stocks

Try a Demo Portfolio for Free

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com