In a year full of big moves and volatile share prices, last Tuesday saw one of the biggest disparities in the share price performance of the so called “growth vs value” stocks.
Wesfarmers’ (ASX:WES) trading update for the first four months of FY21 showed the robustness of its retailing businesses. Sales growth for its two best-known brands, Bunnings and Officeworks, was particularly strong, as was the performance of its online channel, Catch. In brief, sales growth for WES’s core retailing operations remained strong through to the end of October.
With all the noise in recent days over new antitrust initiatives in the Chinese technology space, the stellar ongoing performance of Tencent’s many businesses seems to have been lost in the mix. By way of reminder, Tencent can be viewed as a Chinese market-leading platform of multiple digital software-based platforms.
Macquarie Telecom (ASX:MAQ) is a leading Australian telecom and datacentre provider. Its datacentre business is booming as more and more organisations shift their computing architecture to the Cloud. Now, a major new expansion project promises to propel the business to even greater heights.
Wow, what a week! Pfizer announces it has a vaccine almost set to go, and hasn’t the market reacted! Happily for our investors, The Montgomery Fund has already pivoted towards a post-pandemic world: we’ve cut cash to a record low and invested in some businesses beaten down by enforced lockdowns.
IMDEX Limited (ASX:IMD) recently delivered a solid first quarter update to the market after delivering a record revenue in the period to March 2020. In the latest small cap management video series, Dominic Rose catches up with Chief Executive Officer, Paul House to discuss the outlook for the company and the optimism they see in the mining sector.
Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) is Australia’s industrial property powerhouse which is helping to develop the infrastructure of the new economy globally – including warehouse space relied on by e-commerce and data centres.
Ingenia Communities Group (ASX: INA) is a diversified real estate investment trust with a portfolio of assets covering lifestyle, tourism and retirement living. With a strong balance sheet, and tailwinds from rising domestic tourism and an ageing population, its future prospects look strong.
Investors in Australia’s major banks have had a tough year. Bank profits – and their dividends – have been pummelled by fines emanating from the financial services royal commission and AUSTRAC investigations, as well as the COVID-19 recession. However, the recently announced full-year profit result from ANZ may put some fears to rest for now.
You’ve probably heard bullish commentators argue that declining interest rates explain, and justify, the extraordinary price to earnings (PE) multiples being paid for growth stocks. Many of these commentators also maintain that, because rates are going to stay lower for longer, these stocks are a defensive, sensible, and even safe investment. But are they right?
The share prices of growth companies – particularly quality businesses such as the much heralded FAAMGs – have been on a tear since March. How much further could they go? Well, quite a bit further I think, if rates stay low and governments keep providing financial support. Recent headlines suggest COVID-19 is not going away any time soon.
Bapcor (ASX:BAP) – Australia’s leading aftermarket auto parts distributor – has enjoyed very strong trading conditions since mobility restrictions have eased, and its share price has rallied accordingly. BAP has both growth and defensive qualities and remains a great way to play the domestic tourism thematic which could prove stronger for longer.
