Wednesday tips round-up: Persimmon, Afren

Questor in the Telegraph is keen on Britain's biggest housebuilder, Persimmon, mainly because the firm has committed to giving shareholders 620p per share in surplus capital over the next nine years. This amounts to a £1.9bn giveaway and despite profit taking yesterday (following a 48% share price rise since the beginning of the year), the stock is a buy for income.Tempus in The Times also looks at Persimmon but is more equivocal. The column is impressed with the high margins the firm is achieving on newly acquired land and completions on new houses were up 6% in the first half. On the downside the shares have had a good run and now trade at a relatively high 14 times earnings. Overall Tempus thinks that the strength of income from improved margins may be enough to tempt more investors in.Oil and gas player Afren is treated with caution by Tempus. Yes, it's achieved strong production figures (nearly 42,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the first half) and has interesting assets in Nigeria and Kurdistan, but political risks remain in northern Iraq and oil stocks are notoriously difficult to predict. "Attractive but speculative" is the conclusion.Please note: Digital Look provides a round-up of news, tips and information that is impacting share prices and the market. Digital Look cannot take any responsibility for information provided by third parties. This is for your general information only as not intended to be relied upon by users in making an investment decision or any other decision. Please obtain a copy of the relevant publication and carry out your own research before considering acting on any of this information.BS Persimmon