Marks and Spencer Group Plc (MKS), TUI Travel PLC(TT): 5 FTSE 100 Shares You Should Have Bought in May

Also similarly to TUI shares, the easyJet price has risen by 150% over the past 12 months, but it’s still not on an obviously excessive forward valuation. In fact, its P/E based on September 2013 forecasts is 15, and that drops to 13.5 for 2014. I wouldn’t bet against easyJet shares going on to even better things over the next few years.

Admiral
The insurance sector has had a turbulent year, with a handful of famous dividend cuts. But May wasn’t such a bad time, and we saw shares in motor insurer Admiral Group plc (LON:ADM) pick up 57 pence (4.4%) to close the month on 1,338 pence. Despite having fallen from higher levels earlier in 2013, Admiral shares are still up 25% over the past 12 months, which is pretty much bang on the overall FTSE performance.

The firm has shown steady earnings growth, with a 16% rise reported for the year to December 2012. For this year, there’s a further earning rise predicted, but of more interest is Admiral’s dividend — there’s a total yield of 6.3% forecast with the shares on a P/E of a modest 13.5. The caution is that about half that payment is expected to be in the form of a special dividend — but Admiral has declared a special dividend every year since it joined the stock market in 2004.

Antofagasta
With the way the mining sector is going these days, I just have to include one with a view to a long-term recovery, and it’s going to have to be Antofagasta plc (LON:ANTO). OK, the share price is actually down on its end-of-April close, but since its May 2 low of 879 pence, it has regained 67 pence (7.6%) to end the month on 946 pence.

Antofagasta’s woes have been largely due to the falling price of copper, over which the firm has no control. But production volumes are up, and recent forecasts are suggesting an upturn in earnings again for 2014 — and there will surely be a recovery in metals and minerals prices, won’t there?

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The article 5 FTSE 100 Shares You Should Have Bought in May originally appeared on Fool.com.

Alan Oscroft does not own any shares mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool recommends Antofagasta.

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