Crashing stocks and an uncertain economic outlook are likely to dissuade many investors from taking risks at the present time. That’s a natural response to what is set to be the most challenging period for the economy in many years, which could prompt a period of weak global growth and a prolonged recession.

Despite this, undervalued stocks can offer long-term growth potential as the world economy recovers. They may also provide greater diversity, and lower risks, than focusing your capital on assets such as Bitcoin and gold; both of which have increased in popularity among investors of late.

Economic recovery

Crashing stocks may not necessarily offer high returns in the short run, but they have the potential to post strong turnarounds as the world economy recovers. Past economic downturns show that it can take time for global GDP growth to return to attractive levels. However, no recession has ever lasted in perpetuity. This means that the operating environments for businesses are likely to improve, which could bring to an end their share price declines and allow them to return to growth.

Looking ahead, the speed at which this process takes place could be faster than many investors are currently expecting. Fiscal and monetary policy stimulus in major economies in Europe and especially in North America has been significant. It may boost asset prices, which could mean that the outlook for investors improves over the medium term.

Lower valuations

Crashing stocks offer, by their very nature, relatively attractive valuations in many cases. Although further declines in their prices can take place in the short run, they have the potential to post improving capital returns in the long run.

In this area, they appear to have greater appeal than assets such as gold and Bitcoin. The precious metal recently reached its highest level since 2011, and is currently close to a record high. This indicates that there may be restricted scope for a further price rise, which could lead to less attractive returns than many gold investors are expecting.

Similarly, Bitcoin’s appeal versus crashing stocks could be limited. The virtual currency’s lack of data means that valuing it is impossible – especially since its capacity to replace traditional currencies in the long run seems to be questionable.

Diversification

As well as offering more attractive prices and long-term recovery potential, crashing stocks also provide greater diversification prospects than gold or Bitcoin. This could reduce their overall risks, which may lead to greater returns over the long run.

Since it is relatively inexpensive to build a diverse portfolio of shares due to online sharedealing’s wide availability, the stock market offers an accessible means to generate high returns for almost any individual over the long run. The market crash may provide opportunities to capitalise on undervalued shares that can improve your financial prospects to a greater extent than Bitcoin or gold.

More reading

• Stock market recovery 2020: how you can make a million from buying cheap shares
• ASX 200 falls 0.6%, REA Group reports
• 2 of the best ASX shares to buy right now
• 3 ASX shares poised for huge growth over the next year
• Why the Coca-Cola share price and these ASX stocks just got upgraded by brokers to “buy”

Motley Fool contributor Peter Stephens has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) went down 0.6% to 6,005 points.

The federal government announced today that jobkeeper would be extended to a wider group of businesses which may have just started getting into financial trouble. It will largely support Victorian businesses which are now facing difficulties due to the heavier lockdowns.

REA Group Limited (ASX: REA) reports its FY20 result

REA Group announced its FY20 result today. Revenue went down 6% to $820.3 million. The revenue decline was less than the listing declines – during FY20 national listings were down 12% with Sydney listings down 6% and Melbourne listings down 8%.

Listings rebounded strongly in July 2020 for the ASX 200 share, which is now into FY21. July national listings were up 16% with Sydney listings up 47% and Melbourne listings up 13%.

Core earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was down 5% to $492.1 million and net profit after tax (NPAT) dropped 9% to $268.9 million. Earnings per share (EPS) was also down 9% to $2.04.

During FY20 the company saw Australian residential decline by 4%, with lower national listing volumes partially by price changes that took effect from 1 July 2019. Commercial and developer revenue declined 7% with new project commencements down 27%.

Media data and other revenue declined by 19% primarily due to lower developer display advertising in line with new project commencement volumes. Financial services operating revenue increased due to higher settlements and improved broker productivity.

REA Group announced a full year dividend $1.10 per share, a 7% cut.

REA Group CEO Owen Wilson said: “The property market has shown great resilience, bouncing back from the lows of COVID-19, however, the extent of this recovery is still dependent on the efforts to contain the virus and the outlook for the underlying economy. We have a strong balance sheet, a talented workforce and a loyal audience which will see us emerge an even stronger business once more normal conditions return.”

The REA Group share price rose 1.9% today.

Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG)

The ASX 200 insurance giant announced its FY20 result today.

IAG’s gross written premium (GWP) rose by 1.1% to $12 billion. Insurance profit dropped 39.5% to $741 million. The underlying insurance margin dropped 60 basis points to 16% and the reported insurance margin decreased 680 basis points to 10.1%.

The net profit after tax (NPAT) dropped 59.6% to $435 million.

The reported margin fell below the guided range of 12.5% to 14.5% due to the higher than expected level of natural peril events, a strengthening of reserves (mainly relating in the liability), professional risks and workers’ compensation areas, and credit spread effects. COVID-19 impacts on the underwriting profit largely offset each other.

The underlying margin declined because of higher reinsurance costs, the lower interest rates are continuing to impact investment income, and there was a poorer performance from the commercial long tail classes in Australia.

IAG didn’t declare a final dividend. The total year dividend was 10 cents per share, amounting to a 68.8% reduction.

The IAG share price dropped 0.8% today.

News Corp (ASX: NWS)

The ASX 200 news business reported its FY20 result when it released its fourth quarter numbers.

Revenue dropped 22% to $1.92 billion due to the negative impacts of COVID-19 and the sale of News America Marketing.

The company saw a net loss of $401 million which included impairment charges of $292 million and higher restructuring costs due to COVID-19 compared to a $42 million loss in the previous year.

However, one highlight was the Dow Jones segment which achieved record average subscriptions of 3.8 million to its consumer products, with 28% growth in digital-only subscriptions, including 23% growth of its digital-only subscriptions at The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones segment EBITDA rose by 13% in the fourth quarter.

The News Corp share price went up 5.7% today, it was one of the day’s top ASX 200 performers. 

More reading

• Why the Coca-Cola share price and these ASX stocks just got upgraded by brokers to “buy”
• The latest ASX 200 stocks downgraded by top brokers
• Mesoblast’s share price gained another 16% in July. Here’s why.
• Why I would buy and hold CSL shares today
• Worley share price jumps on contract win and is my key pick in the sector

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended REA Group Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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If you have money to invest into the Australian share market in August, then I think it could be worth splitting these funds evenly across the two ASX shares listed below.

Here’s why I think they would be great options this month:

BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

I think that investing into this exchange traded fund could be a great idea. Given its growing middle class, I believe the Asian economy will grow very strongly over the next decade. This could make the BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF a long term market beater. This is because this fund tracks the performance of the 50 largest technology and ecommerce companies that have their main area of business in Asia (excluding Japan). Among its holdings you’ll find the likes of Alibaba, Samsung, and Tencent Holdings. The latter is the owner of the hugely popular WeChat app. It also recently became a major shareholder in buy now pay later juggernaut Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT).

CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

Due to a recent pullback in this biotherapeutics giant’s shares, they are currently trading at a material discount to their 52-week high. The CSL share price weakness has been caused by concerns over its performance in FY 2021 due to difficulties collecting plasma during the pandemic. These collections are important as they are used to create some of its leading therapies. A shortage of plasma could drive prices higher and lead to margin compression. While this is certainly a risk, I’m optimistic the damage won’t be anywhere near as bad as the market believes. In addition to this, I expect demand for flu vaccines to offset some or even all of any potential weakness. In light of this, I think investors ought to focus on its long term future, which I believe is remarkably positive. This is thanks to its leading therapies, recent acquisitions, and its high level of investment in research and development. The latter is underpinning a pipeline of very lucrative potential future therapies.

More reading

• Ready for the “80% stock market crash”?
• Why I would buy and hold CSL shares today
• The best blue chip ASX shares to buy today
• Invest like Warren Buffett and buy these ASX shares
• Top brokers name 3 ASX 200 shares to buy today

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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I believe that ASX growth shares are the best way to invest in 2020.

There is a lot of uncertainty at the moment due to COVID-19, so I think it makes sense to go for businesses that can deliver good growth in the short-term and the long-term.

They need to be businesses that could be resilient even in the face of COVID-19 impacts:

Share 1: Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH)

Pushpay is one of the best ASX growth shares in my opinion. It facilitates digital giving to not for profits. At this stage its biggest client base and its largest opportunity is the US large and medium sector.

FY20 was a very strong year for the company with revenue growth of 32% to US$129.8 million. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and foreign currency (EBITDAF) rose by 1,506% from US$1.6 million to US$25.1 million.

In FY21 the ASX growth share is expecting EBITDAF to at least double to between US$50 million to US$54 million. The company has regularly achieved its goals for each year. Over the long-term it’s aiming for US$1 billion of revenue from the US church sector.

Pushpay continues to see an increase in demand for Pushpay’s services. I think COVID-19 is causing Pushpay’s adoption curve to accelerate and its revenue will benefit.

The ASX growth share increased its guidance a number of times during FY20. I wouldn’t expect the same to happen again, but I think could Pushpay could keep impressing.

Pushpay is trading at 32x FY22’s estimated earnings.

Share 2: A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

A2 Milk has been one of the best ASX growth shares over the past five years. But I don’t think its growth is suddenly going to stop. I believe A2 Milk is one of the best opportunities within the ASX 100.

In FY20 the company is expecting revenue growth of at least 30.3%, which is impressive considering the business has been growing strongly for many years already.

It was good to read that the ASX share is expecting revenue growth in FY20 to be so strong that its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin to be between 31% to 32% rather than the medium-term target of 30%.

I like the 30% EBITDA margin target because it’s a good balance between profitability and investing for future growth.

It seems like COVID-19 isn’t going away any time soon, so I think A2 Milk could see elevated revenue over FY21 as well.

The ASX share is slowly but steadily growing its market share in China and the growth of its distribution footprint in the US is also very promising.

At the current A2 Milk share price it’s trading at 29x FY22’s estimated earnings.

Share 3: Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

The online retailer has been one of the ASX shares to rebound the strongest after the initial COVID-19 crash.

But a lot of the resurgent share price performance has been justified with how much its revenue and operating profit has grown over the past few months.

In its FY20 fourth quarter it said that compared to the prior corresponding period its gross sales rose by more than 95%, its gross profit increased by more than 115% and its adjusted EBITDA grew by 149%. In June 2020 alone Kogan added 109,000 customers.

This type of growth isn’t likely to suddenly come to a stop. Australians are being urged to avoid crowded places and the shift to online shopping seems like an accelerated shift to ecommerce.

The Kogan.com share price has risen 281% over the past six months and if it keeps growing at a fast pace then its share price could keep going higher.

Foolish takeaway

I think each of these ASX shares will report solid double digit revenue growth in FY21 which will hopefully equate to good profit growth as well. At the current share prices I think Pushpay and A2 Milk could be really good picks today. 

More reading

• 3 outstanding ASX shares to buy in August
• Where I’d invest $11,000 into ASX shares right now
• Where I would reinvest my Rio Tinto dividends
• Overvalued or a strong buy? Nextdc and 1 more ASX growth share to watch
• 3 top ASX shares that could be quality buy and hold options

Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Kogan.com ltd and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Kogan.com ltd and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Don’t be discouraged by the market sell-off today as there’s still value to be found judging by the latest broker upgrades.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) is on track to close the week with a 0.7% loss as it struggles to decisively break above 6,000.

But the Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd (ASX: CCL) share price is bucking the downtrend on Friday. Shares in the beverage maker jumped 1.8% to $8.49 as we enter the last hour of trade.

Looking more appetising

The Coca-Cola share price got a boost after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to “buy” from “neutral”.

The broker turned positive on the underperformer after management posted its latest trading update. Coca-Cola is starting to look compelling after it shed a quarter of its value in 2020 while Goldman became more confident in its outlook.

“Although there remains risk that earnings momentum stays under downward pressure in the short term due to shutdowns, we are becoming increasingly compelled by the asymmetric opportunity that CCL’s longer-term earnings potential underpins,” said the broker.

“The line of sight to these future earnings is also underpinned by CCL’s BBB+/A3 credit rating and balance sheet liquidity.”

Trading at discount to the sector

Further, Goldman noted that the stock is trading on a CY2022 forecast price-earnings multiple of around 14.5 times.

This represents a significant discount to the Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) share price and Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price. The supermarkets are on multiples that are well over 20 times each.

Room to boom

Another stock that Goldman thinks is too cheap to ignore is the Incitec Pivot Ltd (ASX: IPL) share price.

The explosives and fertiliser supplier shed a third of its value since January, but things are starting to turn for Incitec.

For one, poor demand for its explosives from global miners may be about to reverse in the next few months. The broker is expecting the industry to return to growth in FY21 and FY22, particularly for coal miners.

Free fertiliser

“While we remain below consensus (FY21E EBITDA -3%) on expectations for muted phosphate pricing, we see compelling risk-reward for IPL shares even in the absence of a sustained DAP recovery,” said Goldman.

“The stock’s current valuation implies minimal value for the Fertilizers segment on a SOTP basis as well, which we view as overly punitive.”

Goldman upgraded Incitec to “buy” and lifted its price target on the stock to $2.62 from $2.50 a share.

Low hanging fruit

Finally, the Vitalharvest Freehold Trust (ASX: VTH) share price got lifted to “buy” from “hold” by Bell Potter.

The broker pointed to improving prices for corps that are grown on its properties and its better dividend outlook for the upgrade.

Costa Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: CGC) rents farms from Vitalharvest to grow citrus fruits like oranges and blueberries.

Rents to get a boost

Strong overseas demand for these fruits is helping to push prices higher and Vitalharvest gets paid extra rent if prices of the soft commodities are strong.

“In addition, while early in the water year, we note that allocation prices in the southern MDB are down 33% YOY in Jul’20, which would imply a lower cost for unowned water for the 2020/21 citrus season,” said Bell Potter.

The broker’s 12-month price target on the stock is $0.84 a share.

More reading

• Ready for the “80% stock market crash”?
• The latest ASX 200 stocks downgraded by top brokers
• Mesoblast’s share price gained another 16% in July. Here’s why.
• Why I would buy and hold CSL shares today
• Worley share price jumps on contract win and is my key pick in the sector

Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Woolworths Limited and COSTA GRP FPO. Connect with me on Twitter @brenlau.

The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended COSTA GRP FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET and Woolworths Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Australian oil and gas explorer and producer Senex Energy Ltd‘s (ASX: SXY) share price gained 17.4% in July, closing the month at 27 cents per share. That far outpaced the gains of the broader All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO), which ended last month up 0.9%.

It’s been rocky

The Senex Energy share price sank by 63% from 21 February through 23 March when oil prices tumbled because of the global COVID-19 outbreak, although the company rebounded well before crude hit its own low. Brent crude oil plummeted 68% from 20 February before hitting a low of US$19.33 (AU$26.85) per barrel on 21 April.

Since its 23 March low, Senex Energy’s share price rebounded a whopping 108% by 31 July.

Despite that phenomenal surge, year-to-date, the company is still down 22% in trading.

What does Senex Energy do?

Senex (formerly known as Victoria Petroleum NL) is an Australian oil and natural gas explorer and producer. It operates in leading onshore energy regions in the Surat and Cooper Basins. The company is based in Brisbane and also has office locations in Roma, Wandoan and Adelaide.

Senex listed on the ASX in 1984.

Why did the Senex Energy share price rise again in July?

There’s no way around it. When you’re an oil and gas producer, your share price is closely tied to the price of energy.

The Senex Energy share price almost certainly benefited from the 4.3% gain in Brent crude prices in July. More importantly, Brent crude prices rebounded 133% since the 21 April low, which continued to offer major tailwinds to energy stocks.

Senex also reported a major Surat Basin gas reserves upgrade on 14 July. The following day, the company released a positive quarterly report for the period ended June 2020.

The report indicated total production increased 20% compared to the previous quarter. Senex’s total sales volume also increased 4% while revenue climbed 1%.

The report highlighted how Senex’s diversified revenue streams and low-cost model enabled the company to deliver operational cash flows despite the low oil prices. Pre-existing agreements and a hedging program helped offset some of the burden from the falling crude prices.

Senex forecast its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) would come in on the higher end of its $45–$55 million guidance range for the 2020 financial year.

Senex Energy’s share price gained 15% in the five trading days following the release of the quarterly report.

More reading

• The Galaxy Resources share price surged 41% in July. Here’s why.
• Why the Pinnacle Investment share price has rocketed 40% since 1 July
• ASX marching higher despite COVID-19: Where should you invest?
• How investors can make the most of all this uncertainty
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX has week of high volatility

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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If you’re looking at investing in the share market in August, but you’re not sure where to put your money, I would suggest you consider the high quality shares listed below.

I believe these companies are well-positioned to generate strong returns for investors over the next decade. Here’s why I would invest in their shares:

a2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

The first share to consider buying in August is a2 Milk Company. I think the New Zealand-based fresh milk and infant formula company could be a great long term option. After growing its earnings at an explosive rate over the last few years, I‘m confident its strong form can continue for some time to come. This is thanks to the increasing demand for its infant formula products in the massive China market (and its relatively modest market share), its expanding fresh milk footprint in the United States, and its sizeable cash balance. The latter gives a2 Milk Company the option to look to accelerate its growth in the coming years through potential earnings accretive acquisitions.

Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

Another option to consider is Appen. It is a leading developer of high-quality, human annotated datasets for the machine learning and artificial intelligence markets. It provides the data required to create or improve artificial intelligence machine learning models. This is a vital part of the process, because without quality data a model will never reach its potential. Given the growing importance of machine learning, the increasing amount of money been spent by businesses on it, and Appen’s leading position in the industry, I believe it is well-placed for strong long term growth over the next decade.

Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

A final share to consider buying in August is Cochlear. I believe the hearing solutions company is well-positioned for strong long term growth thanks to the ageing populations tailwind. By 2050 there are forecast to be 1.5 billion people over the aged of 65. This will be almost triple the number of over 65s in 2010. As hearing tends to fade as we age, I expect this tailwind to drive a sustained increase in demand for its cochlear implantable devices over the next couple of decades.

More reading

• 3 ASX shares poised for huge growth over the next year
• Where I would reinvest my Rio Tinto dividends
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• Overvalued or a strong buy? Nextdc and 1 more ASX growth share to watch
• 3 ASX tech shares to buy in FY 2021

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Cochlear Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk and Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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