December was a good month for listed property companies, with the sector experiencing a bounce following the convincing majority the Conservative party won at the general election. For the second month in a row, estate agency group Countrywide topped the charts for the biggest share price gains. This follows news that it had agreed a deal to sell its commercial property arm Lambert Smith Hampton. Prior to this, the company had suffered big falls in its share price, down 19.3% in 2019. It was a good month for regeneration specialists, with Harworth Group, Henry Boot and U and I Group all experiencing a rise in their share price. For U and I Group, it is the second month in a row it has featured in the top 10 risers. Conygar Investment Company saw a 16.7% rise in its share price over the month having reported its full year results at the end of November. Countryside Properties ended a fine 2019 with another strong month, making the top 10 for the fourth month running. In all, the housebuilder’s share price rose a whopping 49.5% in 2019. Stenprop’s share price was up 14% having made progress on its transition to a fully focused UK multi-let industrial landlord with the sale of its largest non-core asset.
