Babcock. There were no major developments in the fourth quarter; Babcock (NYSE:BW) continues to generate profits, which are earmarked to reduce debt and pay dividends. In the meantime, its share price is still being affected mainly by Brexit and the market refuses to acknowledge the quality of its various businesses (defence, emergen-cy and nuclear services). As a result, Babcock is trading even further below its intrinsic value. One way of illustra-ting this would be as follows: the annual dividend yield was 6% at year-end. If Babcock were to distribute all the distributable normalised profit among its shareholders, the dividend yield would be double the current figure. These intrinsic yields would normally attract investors, pushing up the share price considerably. The main mem-bers of the management team must think the same, for they purchased shares following the release of earnings in November.
From Francisco Garcia Parames (Trades, Portfolio)' fourth-quarter 2018 shareholder letter.
