If you’ve got spare cash to invest or have recently received an unexpected windfall and are looking to rebalance your portfolio, here are some share ideas worth considering.
None of these investments are standalone solutions to diversifying your portfolio. But you could add one, two or even all five to the satellite portion of a portfolio designed around a core-satellite approach. Just make sure any investment is aligned with your objectives and attitude to risk.
This article is for information only and not personal financial advice. Investing can help your money grow, but the value of investments can rise and fall, so you could get back less than you put in. Investing is for the long term, typically 5 years or more.
If you’re not sure what’s right for you, a financial adviser can help.
Past performance is not a guide to the future. Ratios also shouldn’t be looked at on their own.
Investing in an individual company isn’t right for everyone because if that company fails, you could lose your whole investment. If you cannot afford this, investing in a single company might not be right for you. You should make sure you understand the companies you’re investing in and their specific risks.
You should also make sure any shares you own are part of a diversified portfolio. It’s important to check in on your portfolio from time to time to make sure your investments are still in line with your goals. ISA, pension and tax rules change, and benefits depend on personal circumstances.
Where can you hold investments tax efficiently?
Stocks and Share ISAs and the Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) are powerful long-term tools for shielding investments from income and capital gains tax, making them well-suited to building wealth over time. But remember, ISA and tax rules change, and benefits depend on personal circumstances. You can usually access a SIPP from age 55 (rising to 57 in 2028).
ISA share ideas
ISA share ideas
Mastercard
Mastercard is best known for running one of the world’s largest payment card networks. Card payments have been at the forefront of multiple shifts in payment technology, from the demise of cheques, through to online shopping and contactless payments, and increasingly integration with digital wallets. That’s underpinned a long and resilient track record of growth. The continuing increase in card usage is supportive of more to come.
But that’s not the only string to Mastercard’s bow. It sells a range of value-added services, including cybersecurity and data analytics, to its customer base of financial institutions and retailers. Mastercard’s leadership on this is driving margins higher, and we see further growth ahead for services. This, along with the company’s exposure to regions with higher structural growth potential, are among the reasons it’s our preferred name in the space.
However, the fast-changing nature of the payments industry also provides challenges to Mastercard’s ecosystem. The company’s on the front foot with this, embracing rather than resisting change, but disruptive technology is a threat we’re monitoring closely.
Political pressure on pricing from credit card issuers and payment processors is weighing on the valuation, with post-Iran conflict concerns around cross-border travel and payments adding to the pressure.
We see potential for the shares to push higher from here, but negative developments could weigh further on sentiment.
Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer’s shares have rallied since we selected it as one of HL’s Five Shares to Watch in 2026. Nonetheless, our investment case still stands as M&S seeks to rebuild after a cyberattack-hamstrung performance, driving a sharp decline last year’s profits.
Operations are expected to return to full flow this year, sparking hopes that profits can rebound above last year’s level. Looking further ahead, the cyber incident looks to have sharpened management’s focus on operational and strategic improvements, and we’re optimistic that the group can bounce back stronger.
Performance in the Food division remains positive, with sales growing ahead of the broader market thanks to impressive volume growth. Recent industry data also suggests the group is continuing to gain market share. M&S’s store rollout programme should help on this front, too, aiming to grow its presence in underserved areas of the country.
The Fashion, Home & Beauty division is where we see the biggest long-term opportunity. The online journey and margins simply aren’t as good as the competition. Big investments are being made to fix this, and if successful, could deliver a strong uplift in profitability.
We think the worst is behind Marks & Spencer now. Sitting at a discount to peers, the valuation still offers attractive upside in our view. But competition is fierce, and M&S needs to nail its execution to deliver the expected improvements.
SIPP share ideas
SIPP share ideas
Intuitive Surgical
Intuitive Surgical is the dominant name in the complex field of robotic surgery, a space where we see the potential for a long runway of growth. These incredibly precise systems improve surgical outcomes and recovery periods, which also provides an economic benefit for healthcare providers.
The company finished 2025 with good momentum. However, this year’s guidance for 13.5-15.5% growth in the number of operations carried out using the flagship da Vinci platform was a fair clip below last year’s pace of 18%. There are some headwinds to be mindful of, including competition in China and slowing demand for certain procedures due to the success of anti-obesity medicine.
Management is known for being cautious, and although it’s never a given, 2026 has started well and we think guidance may improve as the year progresses. A full roll-out of the company’s most advanced platform presents an opportunity to upgrade existing users and win new customers, in a large market where penetration remains low. New use cases such as heart surgery are further expanding the prize on offer.
Intuitive surgical share ideas chart
Intuitive Surgery’s lofty valuation reflects its leading position in an attractive market. With no major catalyst since being highlighted as one of our Five Shares to Watch for 2026, sentiment has waned. With growth prospects intact and recent enthusiasm fading, we see scope for meaningful upside from here. However, geopolitical uncertainty remains a key risk to monitor, and one that we see as more elevated than usual.
Meta
Meta remains one of the most compelling platforms in the digital ecosystem, sitting at the intersection of global social connectivity and advertising. Its family of apps, spanning Facebook and Instagram through to newer platforms like Threads, offers advertisers access to a vast and still‑growing audience, with AI increasingly improving how effectively those users can be reached and monetised.
Recent performance underlined the strength of that engine. Ad impressions rose 18%, pricing continued to firm, and revenue guidance landed at the top end of expectations – a familiar pattern. AI-driven tools are enhancing user engagement while delivering better returns for advertisers, allowing Meta to extract more value from its already enormous base.
Alongside this sits an aggressive push into next-generation AI capabilities. Capital expenditure is expected to exceed $120bn this calendar year as Meta builds out infrastructure, hires top talent and develops proprietary models and hardware through its Superintelligence lab. Unlike cloud peers investing to serve third parties, Meta’s spend is directed inward, aimed squarely at boosting engagement and ad performance.
Meta Capex $bn
The current valuation reflects the risks but gives little credit for potential rewards. We think that with strong execution and backing from substantial cash flows, the narrative can shift. However, execution risk on all that investment is real, particularly if revenue growth softens while costs continue to rise.
Income share ideas
Admiral
Admiral’s shares have came under pressure earlier in the year as investors looked ahead to a softer period for the insurance sector and begin to question the potential for AI disruption. There’s been a bit of a rebound in recent months, but we continue to view the group as a high-quality operator with a business model that sets it apart from many peers.
One of Admiral’s key advantages is its investment in data and technology, which helps it better understand risk and price policies more accurately, particularly in UK motor insurance. Selling mainly direct to customers also gives the company access to more complete information, which can support better pricing decisions and more consistent profitability over time.
The group’s approach to growth is also relatively unique. Admiral works with reinsurance partners to share some of the risk on the policies it writes, allowing it to grow when market conditions are favourable without putting too much pressure on its balance sheet, helping to reduce earnings volatility.
Profits are expected to decline in 2026 as market conditions normalise, but we expect signs of improvement to emerge throughout the year, with the outlook for 2027 looking better. In our view, this has created an opportunity to gain exposure to a quality insurance business with an attractive dividend yield.
That said, no returns or income are guaranteed, and profits in UK motor insurance remain sensitive to claims inflation, competitive pricing and potential regulatory pressure.
RELX
We’ve liked RELX for some time, and with shares under pressure for most of the year, we see this as an attractive entry point into a high-quality business. Concerns around whether established data and analytics groups could be disrupted by the rapid development of new AI tools have weighed on sentiment, but the company’s latest results continue to point to a business executing well.
RELX provides mission-critical data analytics to insurers, law firms and academic institutions. Its competitive advantage is built on deep, proprietary datasets and sophisticated tools that are difficult to replicate. Digital products remain the core driver of the group, accounting for the vast majority of revenue and the bulk of long-term growth.
AI fears aside, analytics remains a relatively defensive area, with a large proportion of revenues recurring through subscription models, providing good visibility and resilience across the cycle. Cash generation is strong, supporting ongoing investment alongside shareholder returns, including an increased pace of buybacks – though not guaranteed.
RELX is also featured on our Five Shares to Watch list for 2026 and, in our view, remains well-positioned to grow earnings over the long term. We see scope for sentiment to recover, but are conscious that this could be a slow process, and AI uncertainty is a very real risk.
One or more of the authors and/or connected parties hold shares in Meta and RELX.
This article is original Hargreaves Lansdown content, published by Hargreaves Lansdown. It was correct as at the date of publication, and our views may have changed since then. Unless otherwise stated estimates, including prospective yields, are a consensus of analyst forecasts provided by LSEG. These estimates are not a reliable indicator of future performance. Past performance is not a guide to the future. Investments rise and fall in value so investors could make a loss. Yields are variable and not guaranteed.
This article is not advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any investment. No view is given on the present or future value or price of any investment, and investors should form their own view on any proposed investment.
