2 FTSE 100 stocks to buy with £1,000 right now

I think there are some great opportunities for investors looking for stocks to buy at the moment. If I had £1,000 to invest today, I would look carefully into UK stocks.

Understandably, the banking sector has been the focus of investors lately. But two FTSE 100 stocks that stand out for me in different sectors.

The Ashtead Group

Buy shares in The Ashtead Group (LSE:AHT) right now might not seem like the best idea. After being one of the best-performing FTSE 100 stocks for five years, it fell 15% in March.

Ashtead is an equipment rental business, which makes it very cyclical. So, if the UK or the US goes into recession, there is a risk that profits could drop significantly.

This is exaggerated by the company’s high fixed costs, and investors want to know about the company’s rising debt. So do I think this is a stock to buy?

Simply put, I’m taking a long-term view with this. And when I look beyond the immediate future, I think it looks very positive.

Over the past five years, Ashtead has grown its profits by 9% annually. And in the US – where 91% of its profits come from – the company has plenty of room to expand.

Businesses have also moved to less cyclical areas. This includes facility maintenance, disaster recovery, and portable power.

Ashtead’s business may be cyclical. But it also means that investor sentiment towards the stock is prone to fluctuations and I see a dip as a buying opportunity.

Move right

Another FTSE 100 stock I’m interested in is Move right (LSE: RMV). The company’s shares have been fairly steady recently, but the stock price is still down about 18% from where it was a year ago.

chart

Rising interest rates are likely to weigh on Rightmove’s share price – as they would for any stock. But there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the basic business, in my opinion.

Rightmove’s profits continue to rise, its share count continues to fall, and its market position remains dominant. Furthermore, it appears to be well protected from downturns in the property market.

The biggest issue with the stock may not be what it is now. Rightmove has changed the CEO, which is always a source of risk for the business.

It remains to be seen whether Johan Svanstrom can grow the business as effectively as Peter Brooks-Johnson. And a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 24 means there’s value for money.

In my view, Rightmove is one of the strongest companies in the FTSE 100. I have shares in my portfolio and I would like to buy them today even if the price is high.

Invest £1,000

Exactly how I choose to invest £1,000 today will depend on the balance of my portfolio. As I already have a diversified portfolio, I will always concentrate on Ashtead with £1,000.

If I were to start investing, however, and wanted to build a portfolio from scratch, I would invest £500 in Ashtead and £500 in Rightmove.