With the UEFA Euro 2016 football championships in full swing, I believe now is a great time to pick out four Footsie stars ready to claim glory on the continent.
On the wing
I believe that easyJet’s (LSE: EZJ) expansion across Europe should reap handsome rewards in the years ahead as demand for cheap travel soars.
The Luton business has steadily hiked the number of routes it operates on the continent, and just last month added three new routes from Amsterdam to destinations in Spain, as well as another from Toulouse to Faro.
easyJet’s improving footprint propelled passenger numbers 5.7% higher in May, to 6.86m. And with the business also benefitting from low fuel costs, the City expects earnings to rise 3% and 16% in the years to September 2016 and 2017, respectively.
I reckon subsequent P/E ratings of 10.6 times and 9.1 times make easyJet a steal.
A great delivery
While suffering near-term bumpiness at its UK parcels arm, Royal Mail’s (LSE: RMG) is suffering no such problems on mainland Europe.
The courier’s General Logistics Services (or GLS) division spans 37 countries across mainland Europe, making it one of the territory’s largest road-based delivery services. Indeed, the German-based subsidiary has 660 depots at its disposal.
Revenues at GLS surged 9% during the year to March 2016, to £1.58bn. And I expect sales to keep rising as the internet shopping phenomenon gathers pace.
And with British parcel volumes set to rise too, I believe Royal Mail is a snip at present — expected earnings rises of 2% and 3% in 2017 and 2017 result in P/E ratings of 12.4 times and 11.9 times.
Shooting higher
Fancy trainer store JD Sports (LSE: JD) has proved one of the Footsie’s major stock market successes in recent times, its share price more than doubling during the past 12 months alone.
This performance comes as little surprise to me as trainer-and-tracksuit demand from more fashion-conscious sportswear enthusiasts explodes across the continent.
Indeed, JD Sports added another 38 of its JD-emblazoned stores in Europe last year alone, a strategy that propelled revenues from the territory 23% higher during the year to January 2016, to £392m. And acquisitions like those of Aktiesport and Perry Sport in The Netherlands in March should boost future sales still further.
JD Sports is expected to see earnings rise 7% and 11% in 2017 and 2018. And I reckon consequent P/E ratings of 18.9 times and 16.9 times offer decent value given the firm’s excellent long-term growth prospects.
Back of the net
Telecoms titan Vodafone’s (LSE: VOD) decision to throw the kitchen sink at revamping its European operations clearly appears to be paying off handsomely.
Vodafone’s multibillion-pound Project Spring organic investment programme means that almost 90% of the continent has access to its 4G internet coverage.
Meanwhile, acquisitions of integrated entertainment providers such as Spain’s Ono and Germany’s Kabel Deutschland also gives it a firm footing in what’s a hot growth market, not to mention bolstering cross-selling opportunities for Vodafone’s traditional mobile products.
With European sales rising again for the first time since 2010, the City expects Vodafone to enjoy earnings advances of 24% and 19% in the periods to March 2017 and 2018, respectively.
And while P/E ratings of 36.9 times and 29.6 times may look expensive on paper, I reckon the multiple should keep on toppling as group sales take off.
