Henry Boot is one of property’s old-timers; the 135-year-old developer built Pinewood Studios in 1936 and helped rebuild French villages after the First World War. It was the first quoted housebuilder when it listed in London in 1919. The Boot family retains a 46 per cent stake, but the Sheffield-based firm is now less well known than other listed developers.
Yet its shares have wobbled enough to merit a look. Henry Boot has lost 31 per cent of its value over the last 12 months, down to £2.33 today. The hikes in interest rates triggered an exit from UK property, and with around half its profits coming from land sales that leave it exposed to the fortunes of the housing market, its prospects appear unpredictable.