Tag: Motley Fool

  • 2 ASX shares that are growing rapidly

    asx growth shares

    There are some ASX shares that are growing revenue and profit rapidly.

    Many investors look at revenue and profit growth as measures as how to value a business.

    Here are two of the fastest-growing companies right now:

    Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

    Temple & Webster is an online-only furniture and homewares retailer. It has over 180,000 products on sale from hundreds of suppliers. It operates a drop-shipping model, where products are sent directly to customers from suppliers which enables faster delivery times and reducing inventory requirements and also allowing a larger product range.

    The ASX share also has a private label range which is sourced directly by the company from overseas suppliers.

    In FY20 the company achieved full year revenue growth of 74% to $176.3 million. As online shopping accelerated during the 2020 calendar year, so did Temple & Webster’s revenue. Second half revenue was up 96% and fourth quarter revenue went up by 130%. Active customers went up by 77%.

    Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) went up by 483% to $8.5 million because of operational leverage. The adjusted EBITDA margin improved from 2.5% to 5.3%.

    Management explained that the strong result, combined with the negative working capital nature of the business model allowed it to finish FY20 with $38.1 million of cash.  

    The company said at its annual general meeting (AGM) that it’s making larger investments in areas such as technology and data, brand awareness and private label products. It can produce more content by having more creative resources. The ASX share said that the bigger it becomes, the better and stronger its customer proposition becomes, which it described as a virtuous cycle.

    In terms of growth in FY21, the latest insight the market has is Temple & Webster’s trading update to 19 October 2020 which showed that revenue was up 138%. FY21 first quarter EBITDA was $8.6 million, which was more than the whole of FY20. October revenue growth was more than 100%. Temple & Webster’s contribution margin continued to run ahead of its 15% target.

    Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH)

    Pushpay is an ASX share that specialises in digital donation tools for large and medium US churches.

    Growth has accelerated over the last 12 months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In FY20 Pushpay reported that its operating revenue increased by 33% to US$127.5 million with total processing volume growing by 39% to US$5 billion.

    In the FY21 half year result, operating revenue grew by another 51% to US$86.6 million. The ASX share said it expects to see continued revenue growth as the business executes on its strategy, achieves increased efficiencies and gains further market share in the US faith sector. Half-year total processing volume went up by 48% to US$3.2 billion.

    Pushpay boasted that its diligent approach to optimising the gross margin continues to drive pleasing results. In the FY21 half-year result its gross margin improved from 65% to 68%.

    Operating expenses only grew by 16% in the period, compared to operating revenue growth of 53%. Operating leverage improved because of the revenue growth, further margin improvements and disciplined cost management. Pushpay is expecting significant operating leverage to accrue as operating revenue continues to increase while total operating expense growth remains low.

    In the half-year result, the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and foreign currency (EBITDAF) margin jumped from 17% to 31%. Net profit after tax (NPAT) went up 107% and operating cashflow rose 203%.

    The ASX share recently increased its EBTIDAF guidance for FY21, to a range of US$56 million to US$60 million. This would represent an increase of more than 100% over the year.

    At the current Pushpay share price, it’s valued at 20x FY23’s estimated earnings according to Commsec.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

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    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 Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 2 fantastic blue chip ASX shares to buy

    asx blue chip shares represented by pile of blue casino chips in front of bar graph

    If you want to construct a balanced portfolio, having a few blue chip ASX shares in there would be a smart move.

    But with so many to choose from, it can be hard to decide which ones to buy.

    To narrow things down for you, I have highlighted two ASX blue chip shares that come highly rated:

    BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

    The first blue chip ASX share to look at is BHP. The Big Australian is one of the world’s largest miners and owns a diverse portfolio of world class and low cost operations across the globe.

    BHP has exposure to a wide range of commodities, but chief among them is iron ore. Which certainly is a good thing right now with iron ore prices at such sky high levels. It is thanks largely to this that the company is being tipped to deliver a bumper profit result in FY 2021.

    Ord Minnett is very positive on the mining giant and recently put a buy rating and $52.00 price target on its shares.

    Its analysts believe the company is well-placed to outperform in the post-COVID environment. It expects this to lead to generous dividend payments.

    Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL)

    Another blue chip to look at is Sonic Healthcare. It is a leading medical diagnostics company with operations across the world.

    Sonic has been a very impressive performer in FY 2021. In October it released its first quarter update and revealed a 29% increase in revenue to $2,144 million and a massive 71% lift in EBITDA to $580 million.

    This growth has been driven largely by strong demand for COVID-19 testing services. But also by positive performances across the rest of the business. 

    Credit Suisse is a fan of the company. Earlier this month, the broker put an outperform rating and $39.00 price target on Sonic’s shares. It believes the company will outperform consensus estimates in FY 2021, especially if COVID-19 cases remain high globally and the strong demand for testing continues.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of June 30th

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sonic Healthcare Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 2 ETFs to buy for strong diversification

    Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)

    There are some exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that may be able to give investors strong diversification for their portfolios.

    ETFs allow you to invest in a whole basket of shares with just one trade, so it can be very helpful for creating diversification quickly.

    Here are two options that give Aussies diversification from a typical ASX share portfolio:

    Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

    The idea of this ETF is to give exposure to most of the world’s biggest companies across many of the major developed countries.

    It has over 1,500 positions so it is very diversified in terms of the number of holdings that it has.

    Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF is invested across a variety of industries. It has significant exposure to information technology (22.5% of the portfolio), health care (13%), financials (12.3%), consumer discretionary (12.3%) and industrials (10.6%).

    Due to the fact that most of the world’s biggest companies are listed in the US, it’s not surprising that just over two thirds of the portfolio is allocated to US businesses. But remember, many of those US companies generate their earnings from many countries. Other countries are also represented in the portfolio, Japan has an 8% allocation, the UK has a 4.4% allocation, France has a 3.5% allocation, Canada has a 3.1% weighting, Switzerland has a 3% allocation and Germany has a 3% weighting. Other countries are represented with weightings smaller than 3%. 

    In terms of the actual largest positions, the biggest five are: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet (Google) and Facebook.

    It has a pretty low cost with an annual management fee of 0.18% per annum.

    The longer-term returns of the ETF have been above 10%. Over the past three years it has delivered average net returns per annum of 11.3%. Since inception in November 2014, it has made average returns per annum of 12%.

    Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

    This ETF is about giving investors exposure to the 50 largest technology shares in Asia, outside of Japan.

    BetaShares says that due to its younger, tech-savvy population, Asia is surpassing the West in terms of technological adoption and the sector is anticipated to remain a growth sector. The ETF provider also said that this investment gives diversified exposure to a high-growth sector that is under-represented in the Australian share market, and a complement to investors with US technology exposure.

    The businesses in this ETF are spread across a variety of sectors including e-commerce, semiconductors, cloud computing, home entertainment and so on.

    Its largest positions include Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Tencent, Meituan, Alibaba, Pinduoduo, JD.com, Netease, Infosys and Sea.

    Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF is more expensive in annual costs terms with management fees of 0.67% per annum, but the net returns have also been stronger than the Vanguard one.

    Over the past year Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF has made a net return of 62%. Since inception in September 2018, the ETF has made average returns per annum of 33.5%. Looking at the index which it tracks, over the past five years the index has made returns of 24.6%.

    According to BetaShares, the price / earnings ratio (P/E) of this ETF at 31 December 2020 was 34.3x.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of June 30th

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 5 of the best ASX shares to buy in February

    ASX shares to buy in February

    With a new month upon us, now could be a good time to look if there are any additions that could take your portfolio to the next level.

    But which ASX shares should you buy? Here are five that are rated as buys:

    Adore Beauty Group Limited (ASX: ABY)

    Adore Beauty is Australia’s number one pureplay online beauty retailer with almost 600,000 active customers. It currently has an estimated ~$11 billion a year opportunity in the Australian beauty and personal market, which is materially more than the revenue of $158.2 million it expects to generate in 2020. This gives it a long runway for growth over the 2020s. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating and $8.35 price target on the company’s shares.

    Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

    Altium is a printed circuit board (PCB) design software provider. It is a leading player in the electronic design industry and is now aiming to take things to the next level by dominating it. The key to this is its cloud-based Altium 365 product, which management expects to help it achieve its target of doubling its subscriber numbers to 100,000 and increasing its revenue by ~150% to US$500 million by 2026. Credit Suisse is positive on the company and has an outperform rating and $35.00 price target on its shares.

    Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

    Appen is a leading developer of high-quality, human annotated datasets for machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). It has a team of one million+ contractors preparing the data for the models of some of the largest tech companies. Demand has softened this year because of the pandemic, but management is confident it will rebound once the crisis passes. Macquarie has an outperform rating and $27.00 price target on its shares.

    CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

    CSL is one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies. It is home to CSL Behring, the global number one player in the plasma therapies industry, and Seqirus, which is the number two player in the global influenza vaccines industry. Its shares have come under pressure in FY 2021 due to concerns about plasma collection headwinds (these are a vital ingredient in many of its therapies). However, analysts at UBS believe this is a buying opportunity and have recently put a buy rating and $346.00 price target on its shares.

    Pushpay Holdings Group Ltd (ASX: PPH)

    Pushpay is a donor management and community engagement platform provider with a focus on the faith sector. In FY 2020 the company reported a 32% increase in operating revenue to US$129.8 million. Management is expecting similarly strong growth again in FY 2021. The good news is that this is still only a fraction of its long term target. Management is aiming to win a 50% share of the medium to large US church market, which is estimated to be a US$1 billion revenue opportunity. Goldman Sachs is a fan of Pushpay and has a conviction buy rating and $2.59 price target on its shares.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of June 30th

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    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’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Altium. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Altium and Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Brokers think these 3 top ASX shares are buys in February 2021

    buy

    There are some ASX shares that a number of brokers like and have rated as ‘buys’

    It can be quite hard to find good businesses that are trading at a good price. One investor might say that BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) is a good buy, whilst another might say that Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) is the share to buy.

    Brokers are constantly looking at businesses and share prices, thinking about what would be a good investment. There are various brokers out there like Bell Potter, Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) and UBS that provide different recommendations about shares.  

    With that in mind, these ASX shares are liked by more than one broker. Of course, this still isn’t a guarantee of success – they could all be herding together.

    City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX)

    City Chic is an ASX share that’s currently liked by at least three brokers.

    The company sells a range of apparel, footwear and accessories for plus-size women. City Chic is aiming to grow into a global business by growing organically and also making acquisitions of under-pressure businesses internationally. It can turn those acquisitions into higher-margin, online-only retailers. 

    For example, it is just acquired Evans in the UK for $41 million. Evans is a UK-based retailer of women’s plus-size clothing with a loyal customer base and strong market position.

    City Chic said that for the 12 months to August 2020, the Evans website made £23 million of sales from 19 million visits. The wholesale business also made £3 million of sales. The overall group, including the stores and franchise, made £60 million of annual sales before COVID-19 hit the UK retail sector.

    According to Commsec, the City Chic share price is valued at 23x FY23’s estimated earnings.

    Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP)

    Bapcor is an ASX share that’s currently liked by at six brokers.

    It describes itself as the leading auto parts business in Australasia. It’s one of the ASX shares that’s benefiting from a large increase in consumer spending.

    In a trading update it said for the five months to the end of November 2020, group revenue was up around 26%. Management explained that Bapcor was achieving operating leverage from lower expenses in areas such as travel and other areas of discretionary expenditure.

    In the FY21 first half, Bapcor provided guidance that its revenue is expected to grow by at least 25% and net profit after tax is expected to go up by at least 50%.

    One of the ways that the ASX share plans to increase profit margins in the future is by finishing its new Victorian distribution centre, which is progressing well. This is expected to deliver “significant operational benefits”.

    Reject Shop Ltd (ASX: TRS)

    Reject Shop is currently liked by at least three brokers.

    The discount retail ASX share is a business that is currently going through a turnaround phase by working on lowering the company’s costs.

    The company said that it’s considering closing down some shops where the rental costs are more than the benchmark. Reject Shop will likely close those stores if the landlord isn’t willing to lower the rental costs.

    Another way that Reject Shop has been trying to lower costs is by decreasing the number of SKUs (stock keeping units) that it sells. In other words, it’s trying to reduce the number of different products that it sells. By doing this, it’s increasing its sales per SKU, increasing the company’s buying power and ensuring better product availability for customers.

    After the ASX share has ensured that its cost base is at a sustainable level, it will pursue store network expansion as well as pursuing an e-commerce offering, which it’s currently trialling.

    In FY20, Reject Shop made a net profit after tax of $2.7 million, up from a loss of $16.9 million in FY19.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of June 30th

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Bapcor and Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 3 very impressive ASX quarterly updates from last week

    Woman investor looking at ASX financial results on laptop

    While earnings season hasn’t officially started, a number of companies have just released their quarterly updates.

    Here’s a summary of three standout updates from last week:

    Bigtincan Holdings Ltd (ASX: BTH)

    This artificial intelligence-powered sales enablement automation platform provider delivered a strong second quarter update last week. That update revealed that Bigtincan’s strong form continued during the quarter, with annualised recurring revenue (ARR) increasing to $48.4 million. This represents growth of 50% on the prior corresponding period. It was driven predominantly by organic growth. Organic ARR came in at $40 million (up 42.9%) and ARR from acquisitions came in at $8.4 million.

    Nitro Software Ltd (ASX: NTO)

    Another impressive performer during the last quarter was this document productivity software company. Last week it released its fourth quarter update and revealed that its ARR reached US$27.7 million at the end of December. This was up 64% on the prior corresponding period and ahead of its previously upgraded guidance of US$26 million to US$27 million. Another positive was the increasing amount of revenue which is now from subscriptions. At the end of the period, subscription revenue had increased to approximately 58% of total revenue. It also comprised approximately 78% of revenue across the dominant Business sales channel.

    ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) 

    A final result that caught the eye was the second quarter update from this medical device company. ResMed delivered a 9% increase in quarterly revenue to US$800 million and a 17% increase in net profit to US$206.4 million. This was ahead of the analyst consensus estimate for both revenue and earnings. Management advised that its growth was driven by a solid performance across the business. This includes its digital health business, which has been performing strongly thanks to the growing importance of out-of-hospital care.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of June 30th

    More reading

    James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends BIGTINCAN FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BIGTINCAN FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nitro Software Limited and ResMed Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 2 ASX shares to buy in February 2021

    asx share price growth represented by hand holding hourglass surrounded by dollar signs

    The start of February 2021 is another opportunity to look into some ASX shares.

    It has already been an interesting year in the global stock market with everything that’s going on relating to Gamestop.

    These ASX shares could be ones to think about:

    Pacific Current Group Ltd (ASX: PAC)

    Pacific Current is a business that invests in leading global investment managers around the world.

    If the investment managers manage to grow their funds under management (FUM), then Pacific Current benefits as well.

    On Friday, the ASX share announced its FUM update for the three months to 31 December 2020. Pacific Current said that its FUM rose by a further 8.3% to $112.8 billion.

    The company said that GQG’s assets once again posted significant increases. GQG saw its FUM rise by more than US$35 billion over the 12 months to December 2020.

    In native currencies US dollar orientated fund managers saw FUM increase by 16.9%. When converting to Australian dollar, the increase was partly offset by the appreciation of the Australian dollar against the US dollar.

    Pacific Current management said that in local dollars, all nine of the portfolio companies with FUM grew during the quarter, but when translated into Australian dollars only four of the nine did. Pacific’s FUM and revenue is heavily skewed towards the US dollar.

    Dean Fremder of Perpetual Limited (ASX: PPT) said when Pacific Current shares were a bit lower: “The stock’s really cheap. It is on nine times earnings. It’s growing earnings at double digits, so more than 10% a year. It’s paying a 6.5% fully franked yield. And most excitingly, we think they can pay out a much larger portion of their earnings as dividends. We see no reason, given the surplus franking credits they have on the balance sheet, they can’t be paying a 10 or 11% fully franked yield in the next 12 months. So, really excited about that one.”

    According to Commsec, the Pacific Current share price is valued at 10x FY22’s estimated earnings.

    Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG)

    Magellan is another ASX share that’s involved with the funds management business.

    Dr Peter Gardner from Plato Investment Management said about the ASX share and its FY20 result: “Magellan had a really good result. Their profit was up 20%. That final dividend was 10% higher than last year. What bodes well for future earnings for Magellan is that their average funds under management was up by 26% over the year. They’re actually doing really well in the current market environment. The growth stocks in the US, which they’re exposed to are doing really well.”

    Not only does the fund manager have over $100 billion of FUM, which generates high levels of management fees, but it is also seeking growth in other areas.

    Magellan’s own investment called Barrenjoey, a new investment bank, has just hired its latest members of the team according to reporting by the Australian Financial Review. Barrenjoey has hired two of JPMorgan’s top Australian investment bankers to run its equity capital markets unit.

    Magellan has been making investments in operating businesses to make returns and provide greater levels of information to the funds management business. Barrenjoey is one investment and Guzman y Gomez is another, which is a fast food Mexican chain.

    According to Commsec, the Magellan share price is valued at 16x FY23’s estimated earnings. It also has a projected partially franked dividend yield of 4.6% for FY21.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of June 30th

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • These top ETFs could be great options for ASX investors right now

    A man with a yellow background makes an annoncement, indicating share price changes on the ASX

    Due to the way they give investors easy access to a large and diverse range of shares, exchange traded funds (ETFs) can be a great way to balance out your portfolio.

    If you’re interested in adding one or two to your portfolio in February, you might want to take a look at the ones listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

    The first ETF to look at is the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF. It aims to track the performance of an index that provides investors with exposure to the leaders in the global cybersecurity sector. This is a sector tipped to grow strongly in the future due to the increasing threat of cyberattacks on governments and businesses.

    The BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF includes a number of cybersecurity giants and emerging players. This includes the likes of Cisco, Cloudflare, Crowdstrike, Okta, and Accenture.

    In respect to the latter, Accenture is an American-Irish multinational professional services company and a member of the Fortune Global 500. It uses advanced cyber defence, applied cyber solutions, and managed security services to provide the end-to-end protection agencies demand.

    It also leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, and real-time threat intelligence to ensure a proactive defence posture.

    Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

    Another option to consider is the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. This ETF provides investors with exposure to 1,532 of the world’s largest listed companies from major developed countries.

    Vanguard notes that the ETF provides low-cost access to a broadly diversified range of securities that allow investors to participate in the long-term growth potential of international economies.

    Included in the fund are some of the highest quality companies in the world such as Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, NVIDIA, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Tesla, United Health, and Walt Disney.

    In respect to Apple, last week the tech giant released its first quarter results and delivered a 21% increase in revenue to a record US$111 billion. Apple revealed that the iPhone, wearables, and services segments each delivered record sales.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of June 30th

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of BETA CYBER ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 3 ASX growth shares to buy in February 2021

    asx growth share price represented by lots of doors opening to the horizon

    There are some ASX growth shares that could be worth looking at during February 2021.

    We’re already entering the second month of the year. Opportunities are always changing. 

    Here are three ASX growth shares to consider:

    Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH)

    Pushpay is an electronic donation business. It predominately helps facilitate digital payments to large and medium US churches.

    The company has major goals for the long-term in the faith sector. It’s aiming for a 50% market share whilst trying to reach US$1 billion of annual revenue.

    The payments business recently announced that it had allocated an initial investment of resources into developing and enhancing the customer proposition for the Catholic segment of the US faith sector. Management said that this represented a significant milestone as Pushpay continues to execute on its strategy to become the preferred provider of mission critical software to the US faith sector.

    COVID-19 has seen an acceleration of growth for the ASX share as people look for alternative ways to continue to give money to their church.

    Pushpay also offers many tools to help with the church’s administration. It also has a livestreaming option for the congregation for people that can’t attend the church, perhaps because of COVID-19 restrictions.

    The company recently increased its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and foreign currency (EBITDAF) guidance for FY21 to a range of US$56 million to US$60 million.

    According to Commsec, the Pushpay share price is valued at 28x FY22’s estimated earnings.

    Bubs Australia Ltd (ASX: BUB)

    The Bubs share price dropped back to Earth on Friday, reversing some of the gains made on Thursday in response to the company’s trading update which showed a lot of growth in the second quarter of FY21.

    Bubs generated quarterly gross revenue of $12.8 million, an increase of 36% over the first quarter of FY21, though it was down 12% on the prior year.

    China cross border e-commerce (CBEC) sales were up 27% quarter on quarter and up 34% compared to the prior corresponding period.

    Adult goat dairy gross revenue was up 45% quarter on quarter and up 25% against the prior corresponding period.

    The Bubs infant nutrition portfolio, which represented 57% of the ASX growth share’s second quarter’s revenue, grew 27% compared to the FY21 first quarter.

    Bubs said it was the fastest growing infant formula manufacturer across Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Chemist Warehouse, with combined retail scan sales at the checkout up 41% quarter on quarter and up 67% compared to the prior corresponding period.

    Bubs also said that export sales to markets outside of China continued to get better, with sales rising 194% quarter on quarter and up 138% against the prior corresponding period.

    On the corporate daigou trade channel front, it was still softer than pre-COVID levels, but it was up 122% compared to the first quarter of FY21.

    Time will tell whether this is the start of a turnaround or not for Bubs.

    Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL)

    Redbubble is an e-commerce business that sells artist-produced products like wall art, phone cases, apparel, stationery and masks.

    Joseph Kim from Montgomery Investment Management said: “While Redbubble has clearly been a “stay-at-home” trade, we believe the business has the opportunity to emerge a longer-term structural winner from COVID-19 should it capitalise in the recent spike in user and customer interest as a result of recent lockdown measures.”

    The ASX share’s growth has continued into FY21. It reported that normalised marketplace revenue grew by 98% to $139.3 million, helping gross profit increase by 118% to $59.6 million and it generated $17.2 million of earnings before interest and tax (EBIT).

    Mr Kim isn’t the only person who believes in Redbubble’s future. Redbubble CEO Martin Hosking said: “The strategic priority for the group now is to ensure we extend the market leadership we have established. We intend to invest in the customer experience to improve loyalty and retention and ensure long-term higher levels of growth. The company has the resources to undertake the anticipated investments and margin structure to ensure it can do so while remaining profitable.”

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BUBS AUST FPO and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Are value or growth shares best to buy for 2021?

    getting growth and income from asx shares represented by dog holding cash in one hand and a piggy bank in the other

    In many cases, companies fall into one of two categories: value shares or growth shares. The former is often made up of stocks priced at low levels relative to their peers or historic averages. Their appeal often centres on their potential to deliver share price recoveries as operating conditions improve.

    Meanwhile, growth stocks are those businesses that are expected to deliver an impressive rise in earnings over the long run. They can trade at high prices because of investor optimism.

    Investors often focus on buying one type of stock or the other. However, given the uncertain economic outlook, which type of stock will outperform the other over the long run?

    Growth shares or value shares?

    While it is possible to separate growth shares from value shares based on factors such as their price and forecasts, combining the two could prove to be a profitable move. In other words, where growth stocks are priced at cheap levels they could be a very appealing investment opportunity. Similarly, where value shares have improving earnings prospects, they too could deliver high capital appreciation over the long run.

    Of course, growth stocks are rarely priced at low levels. However, many of them appear to offer wide margins of safety at the present time. This may be because of short-term disruption that masks their long-term growth potential. Or, it could be because they are experiencing industry changes that are causing investors to demand wide discounts to their intrinsic values.

    Similarly, many value shares seem to be cheap based on their long-term prospects. In some cases, investors may be underestimating their capacity to recover from present difficulties. Where value stocks have sound finances and the right strategies to adapt to changing operating conditions, they could prove to be very attractive investments.

    A starting point when investing money

    As such, instead of automatically categorising a company as a growth share or a value share, it could be prudent to approach it with an open mind. For example, this may entail an analysis of its financial position, competitive advantage, strategy and historic performance to determine how much it may be worth given current levels of risk. Should it be trading at a discount to its intrinsic value, there could be a buying opportunity on offer.

    This strategy may enable an investor to find the best stocks through which to earn a return that beats the stock market over the long run. Some may be growth shares when they are trading at cheap prices, while some may be value shares when they have more attractive financial prospects than the market is currently anticipating. Through owning a diverse mix of businesses in a variety of sectors, it is possible to build a resilient portfolio with relatively low risks that can provide high returns in the long run.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of June 30th

    More reading

    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. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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