Companies

Followers of our blog may raise an eyebrow at the sight of Wesfarmers (ASX: WES) recently finding its way into the top ten holdings in The Montgomery Fund. Over the years, we have written various articles on the headwinds facing the Australian supermarket industry, with a particular focus on the rise of discounters like Aldi, and more recently we have observed that Woolworths has taken steps to reverse a long trend of weak like-for-like sales performance, and begun to retake market share. continue…

by Tim Kelley Posted in Companies.

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As many of you know, we have long been supporters of the REA Group (ASX: REA) story with the company a longer term holding in both our domestic and global funds.

Initially we were attracted to the very high rates of return on equity and little or no debt – a function of the company’s dominant position and its ability to charge higher prices even after a decade of competitors offering the same service for free. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Property.

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Most investors have their equity portfolios heavily skewed to the largest ten companies. Is that you? Do you think yours is a “blue chip” portfolio? Or have you given up on active fund managers and believe that investing in an Australian index fund is smarter?

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies.

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Amazon and changing consumer habits claimed another victim during the week with US ‘category killer’ Toys R Us filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This brings the total number of US retailers that have filed for Chapter 11 to 24 this year, up from 18 in 2016, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. And there’s still three months of the year to go. continue…

by Stuart Jackson Posted in Companies, Consumer discretionary.

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Earlier this year we wrote about why we liked SpeedCast (ASX: SDA). Since May, we’ve seen another acquisition and the financial results – and a lot of volatility. Let’s look at these things one at a time. continue…

by Lisa Fedorenko Posted in Companies.

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Despite the impending closure of the Australian automotive manufacturing industry, not all is doom and gloom for local manufacturers. Take Austal (ASX: ASB), for example. This Perth-based shipbuilder has expanded significantly since starting in 1988, and today has operations in Perth, the US and the Philippines. continue…

by Andreas Lundberg Posted in Companies.

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Altium (ASX: ALU) is one of Australia’s most successful software businesses. Over the last five years, the company has grown rapidly, and its stock price has soared more than 10-fold. ALU’s FY2017 result shows a business going from strength to strength. But is it a tad expensive at these prices? continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Companies, Editor's Pick.

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The education of international students is now Australia’s third largest export – just behind iron ore and coal. One high quality business that has successfully leveraged off this growing industry is IDP Education (ASX: IEL). IDP is a global leader in international student placement services. It recently reported its FY17 results that point to a robust business with good prospects. continue…

by Stuart Jackson Posted in Companies.

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There has been enormous excitement surrounding the FAANG stocks this year, with an average share price appreciation of 36 percent. continue…

by David Buckland Posted in Companies.

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Medibank Private (ASX: MPL) has endured a bumpy ride since listing in 2014. But recent management comments point to a company in transition, with potential growth on the horizon. continue…

by Stuart Jackson Posted in Companies.

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