The UK has been on a losing streak for too long. But the clouds seem to be lifting and Britons are beginning to win again.
The Lionesses roared to victory in Europe, the British and Irish Lions dominated the Australia rugby test series and the International Monetary Fund says the UK will be the G7’s third fastest growing economy this year and next.
Optimism is permeating the stock market too, as investors realise there are fabulous bargains to be had.
Some shares have already started to shimmy. Two businesses have virtually doubled in price since I recommended them just months ago. Others have similar potential, including two firms I tip here, which both have world-beating know-how and are led by bosses determined to deliver winners.
Amcomri
Engineering group Amcomri joined the stock market in December and Midas tipped the shares a month later at 59p. Today they are £1.35 and should deliver further gains under the watchful eye of chief executive Hugh Whitcomb.
A chartered engineer with four decades of experience, Whitcomb has been buying up small, specialised engineering businesses that are either in financial distress or looking for new owners due to retirement.
Today there are 14 firms in the group, providing skilled repair and maintenance, commissioning new equipment and making essential goods for industrial customers.
Engineering group Amcomri joined the stock market in December and Midas tipped the shares a month later at 59p. Today they are £1.35 and should deliver further gains
The businesses are highly regarded in their field and customers are loyal, but Amcomri has been able to snap them up cheaply because they are relatively small and few other buyers can offer the same support as Whitcomb and his team.
A new deal was completed just last week, and many more are in the pipeline, helping to generate strong and sustained growth.
Brokers expect a 35 per cent increase in profits to £5.3 million this year, rising to £7 million in 2026. Engineers are in short supply – Amcomri provides essential services and prospects are bright. Buy and hold at £1.20.
Traded on: Aim
Ticker: AMCO
Contact: amcomrigroup.com
SRT
SRT Marine Systems has been battered and bruised since floating in 2005. When Midas tipped the stock in December, shares were just 44p, but investors who bought back then are sitting pretty today. The price has almost doubled to 81p and there should be plenty more to come.
Based in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, SRT specialises in security and surveillance at sea.
It makes black boxes, known as transceivers, that identify where boats are, where they are heading and make ship-to-shore communication clear and easy. The kit is used by thousands of vessels, from pleasure cruisers to fishing fleets, and many more are likely to follow as countries from Montenegro to the Seychelles make transceivers mandatory.
SRT’s unmanned Needlefish surveillance craft can identify suspicious activity
SRT is also behind some of the most comprehensive marine surveillance kit in the world, helping governments to detect and prevent illicit activity at sea, from drugs and people-smuggling to underwater sabotage of pipes and internet cables. The Kuwaiti government recently signed a $213 million (£160 million) contract with SRT. Phase I of the project includes a fleet of Needlefish – unmanned craft that will patrol waters night and day, checking for suspicious activity.
A recent trading update from chief executive Simon Tucker had revenues up more than five-fold to £78 million in the year to June 30 and profits of £4.4 million, compared to a £14 million loss last year.
Brokers expect further strong gains this year and next. International conflict seems more acute than ever and danger at sea is on the rise. SRT can help governments keep citizens safe and the shares, at 80p, should continue to rise.
Traded on: Aim
Ticker: SRT
Contact: srt-marine.com
Aptamer
Aptamer is another British business punching above its weight when it comes to innovation.
A biotech pioneer, its customers include two of the UK’s largest companies, drugs major AstraZeneca and consumer goods giant Unilever.
Unilever is the world leader in deodorant, with a 30 per cent market share and global brands including Sure and Dove. It chose Aptamer to develop a new approach to body odour, a partnership that could revolutionise the deodorant market and transform Aptamer’s fortunes along the way.
Aptamer floated four years ago at £1.17 but early days were tumultuous and the stock sank like a stone. Contracts were cancelled, sales collapsed and a boardroom rift saw chief executive Arron Tolley leave the business, only to rejoin two months later.
Today he remains at the helm and the group is chaired by Adam Hargreaves, formerly a top pathologist at AstraZeneca.
Costs have been reduced and Aptamer is firmly focused on commercial gains.
The firm specialises in so-called Optimer binders – special molecules which can be used to detect and treat disease and prevent bacteria from acting in certain ways. There is a growing stable of products, at least some of which should have a dramatic impact on Aptamer’s sales.
The Unilever project is a case in point. After trying for years to find a way of stopping underarm odour at source, the group asked Tolley if his Optimer molecules might do the trick. Early tests suggest they can, the project was recently expanded and further positive results could prove transformative.
But Tolley is not resting on his laurels. The group’s main focus is on healthcare and it is working with drug producers, life science firms and biotech giants in areas ranging from better treatment of liver disease to early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s through a simple saliva test, up to 20 years before symptoms appear.
A blood test for pregnant women is under way as well, to highlight conditions such as Down’s syndrome far earlier than is currently possible, alongside tests that could improve the results for diseases from yellow fever and tuberculosis to breast and prostate cancer.
Aptamer shares are just 0.34p but the company is much further advanced than when it listed at £1.17, and Tolley is determined to turn promise into reality.
A trading statement last week was upbeat and Aptamer’s prospects are bright. That makes this an attractive stock for the adventurous investor.
Traded on: Aim
Ticker: APTA
Contact: aptamergroup.com
Focusrite
This Buckingham-based group is behind some of the best-known and most highly rated audio equipment in the world.
It ranges from massive, outdoor sound systems to compact recording devices used by podcasters, amateur musicians and professionals alike.
When Rod Stewart took to the stage at Glastonbury in June, the 80-year-old rocker was playing to an audience of more than 200,000 fans. Sound quality is of the essence, and the speakers used on the Pyramid Stage were made by a Focusrite subsidiary, Martin Audio.
Run by Tim Carroll, once a touring musician, Focusrite has been sorely tested in recent years.
In 2021, profits rocketed and the shares soared to £17, as bored musicians kept off the stage by Covid stocked up on kit to make music at home in lockdown.
Then the supply chain crisis, rampant inflation, Donald Trump’s tariffs and persistent economic uncertainty hit Focusrite’s sales and profits hard, sending the shares crashing down to £1.53. At this level, they are a bargain.
Despite the setbacks, Carroll and his crew have been busy making acquisitions and the company today is more resilient than ever, with an extended range of products and upgraded technology that can follow singers or actors around the stage or, at home, ensure recordings reach studio quality.
Looking ahead, brokers expect steady increase in sales and profits, accompanied by decent dividend growth.
Economic conditions remain unpredictable but the company has proved it can weather the storm and the outlook is set fair. At £1.53, the shares are a buy and the dividend is an added attraction.
Traded on: Aim
Ticker: TUNE
Contact: focusriteplc.com
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