Today I’ll be taking a closer look at global business-to-business events organiser UBM and private healthcare services provider NMC Health. Why have savvy investors been buying into these mid-cap FTSE 250 firms over the last 12 months?
Winning strategy
Global events group United Business Media (LSE: UBM) has enjoyed another good year with its share price reaching a nine-year high on the back of strong results for 2015, backed up by more impressive numbers for the first six months of the current year. The media firm’s Events First strategy was looking like a winner when it revealed that revenues for 2015 were up by a massive 39.9% to £769.9m and pre-tax profits up by £18m to £119.6m.
Shares in the FTSE 250 firm haven’t looked back since, rising from 543p when the results were announced in February to current levels around 700p. In July the company revealed further progress when it announced its interim results for the first six months to June. Pre-tax profits rose to £51.8m from the £35.1m reported for the first half of 2015, on higher revenues of £380. The firm said it raised £530m from the sale of PR Newswire and £2.1m from the disposal of French print magazine Janus Investment, as it continues to transform into a more events-focused business.
The London-listed global media group expects to see little direct impact from the result of the EU referendum as over 80% of revenues are generated in the US and emerging markets, and less than 10% from the UK, although it should see some benefit from the stronger dollar. With market consensus estimates predicting more impressive growth in the coming years, I feel UBM is priced to buy with the P/E rating falling to 16 by the end of next year.
Get ready to pounce!
Private healthcare provider NMC Health (LSE: NMC) has also enjoyed another outstanding year of growth with its shares continuing to post record highs. But the recent surge hasn’t deterred brokers from reiterating their buy recommendations and continuing to push up their target prices. The mid-cap firm recently reported another set of encouraging figures for the six months to the end of June, with revenues increasing by 46.9% year-on-year and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rising 68.2% to $115.9m over the same period.
The UAE-based healthcare chain has gone from strength to strength since its London listing in April 2012 with the shares trading at more than six times the IPO price of £2.10 and revenues expected to hit £1bn by the end of next year. The FTSE 250 firm is expected to post an impressive 44% rise in earnings for the full year to the end of December, pushing underlying profits above £100m.
NMC’s shares have soared this year, gaining a massive 74%, and no doubt some existing shareholders will be itching to take some profits off the table. When that happens, I see a golden opportunity for growth-focused investors to take advantage of the weakness, and pounce.
