I believe the rampant selling of Britain’s housebuilders since June’s EU referendum could prompt an upswing for the likes of Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) in the weeks ahead.
After an initial wobble following the vote, news from the housing market has been much more robust of late. Just this week Bank of England data showed mortgage approvals hit a three-month high of 62,932 in September. And this follows figures from the ONS that showed average property values up 8.4% in August, edging up from 8.3% in the prior month.
Barratt remained bullish on the state of the sector in September’s full-year financials, advising that “the wider market for new homes remains healthy across Britain, with a long-term undersupply of new homes, strong government support to the sector and a liquid mortgage market.”
And I reckon a similarly-upbeat update on November 16 could pave the way for a positive reassessment of the firm’s growth outlook.
The homebuilder’s earnings and dividend forecasts certainly leave plenty of space for a significant share price rerating, in my opinion. City estimates may suggest an 8% bottom-line decline in the year to June 20017, but this still results in a mega-cheap P/E rating of 8.9 times.
Meanwhile, a 7.5% dividend yield blasts the competition clean out of the water — the FTSE 100 average stands a full 4% lower. I reckon Barratt is one of the more robust ‘contrarian’ stock selections out there.
Superstar
SuperGroup (LSE: SGP) has seen its share price collapse in recent weeks, the global fashion icon shedding 11% of its value during the course of October.
Still, I reckon the Superdry manufacturer’s hot earnings prospects remain undiminished, and believe the firm’s next trading statement (scheduled for November 10) should provide the fuel for a fresh charge higher.
SuperGroup saw retail revenues surge 24.5% during the fiscal year to April 2016, while like-for-like sales rose 11.3%. Not only do these numbers underline the strength of the Superdry brand, but vindicate the company’s aggressive worldwide expansion plan.
The Manchester company is rapidly spreading its tentacles across Europe, and SuperGroup opened 136,000 square feet of new space last year alone, including the unveiling of its new concept store in its home city that displays more products and is less cost-intensive. The firm plans to have half a dozen of these new outlets up and running by the end of 2016.
Meanwhile, SuperGroup’s decision to enter China last autumn provides terrific long-term sales opportunities, as does its improving presence in the US. And the fashion play is also making splendid headway with online shoppers, too — e-commerce accounted for almost a quarter of all sales in the last year.
Consequently the City expects revenues at SuperGroup to keep shooting skywards, pushing earnings 14% and 8% higher in fiscal 2017 and 2018 respectively. These result in P/E ratings of 16.4 times and 15.2 times.
I reckon the retailer is a steal at these multiples, and think recent share price problems represents a great opportunity for dip buyers.
