Long shareholders in UK companies owe a debt of gratitude to broker Canaccord Genuity. It has run the numbers on the quoted universe and found there are 177 stocks with a market value below £1.5billion which have a free cash yield of 10 per cent, making them easy prey for private equity. Even more frightening, it has identified a large and quite frankly alarming list of larger FTSE outfits with values up to £10billion, which could be fodder for the sharks. It covers the waterfront, from high street firms Dixons and M&S to vital utilities such as British Gas owner Centrica. The names of the vulnerable reach the heart of creative Britain and include ITV and Bloomsbury.