The coronavirus crisis has significantly impacted many companies. However, some firms have seen their sales and profits jump over the past six months. Here are three such businesses that could be coronavirus stocks worth buying right now.
Coronavirus stocks to buy
Avon Rubber (LSE: AVON) specialises in designing and manufacturing personal protection systems.
The company was in a strong position before the pandemic struck, and the demand for its kit is only likely to rise as the crisis continues.
Its latest trading update showed the strength of the business. Adjusted operating profit for the half-year ended 31 March jumped 45% year-on-year.
Even if the demand for the company’s products does decline, Avon is well-positioned to stage a healthy recovery.
Designing personal protection systems is a highly specialised business. Customers are unlikely to outsource the production to the lowest bidder as this may mean sacrificing quality. When lives are on the line, customers will not want to make this trade-off.
As such, Avon stands out as one of the ‘coronavirus stocks’ that could be worth buying right now.
Avast
Security software provider Avast (LSE: AVST) has benefited from the boom in home working this year. Its latest trading update showed a 6.5% year-on-year increase in revenue during the first quarter.
City analysts are forecasting even faster growth for the full-year. Analysts have pencilled in earnings per share growth of 44% for 2020 as a whole. If the company meets this projection, the stock could offer a margin of safety at current levels. It’s currently changing hands at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 22, compared to the tech sector average of 26.
Therefore, it may be worth buying a share of this company as part of a basket of coronavirus stocks. As the world becomes more reliant on technology, Avast’s earnings could continue to rise rapidly in the years ahead, even if Covid-19 is wiped out with a vaccine later in 2020. The business may be one of the best ways for investors to play the tech boom.
Kainos
Tech consulting group Kainos (LSE: KNOS) has also made it onto my list of coronavirus stocks that might be worth buying right now.
According to the company’s latest trading update, it now expects revenue to be “well ahead” and adjusted profit to be “substantially ahead” of previously projected levels for the year. Booming demand for tech and IT services has been behind this performance.
It seems likely that the high demand for the company’s services is here to stay. As noted above, the world is becoming more and more reliant on technology. This is excellent news for the likes of Avast and Kainos.
Kainos’s recent performance may even enable the company to take more market share. It has been generating record amounts of cash. Management is planning to return some of these funds to investors with a special dividend, but I wouldn’t rule out acquisitions as well.
These could help power the firm’s growth in the years ahead and lead to even bigger shareholder profits. That’s why the firm stands out as one of the best coronavirus stocks to buy today, I feel.
