Towards the end of the last month, I offered up a trio of UK penny share ideas I think could make money for risk-tolerant investors such as myself. After less than a month, one (Arc Minerals) has increased 5%. However, my second pick (Lookers) is up 35%. The third (Xpediator) has done even better — rising 44%!
While such a great result over such a short period is more based on luck than anything else, it does show how quickly small-cap shares can move upwards (although the reverse is also true). With this in mind, here are three more I’ve got my eye on.
Seeing Machines
First on my list is Australia’s Seeing Machines (LSE: SEE). This AIM-listed company supplies systems that monitor drivers’ behaviour, thus reducing traffic accidents.
Yesterday, Seeing announced that it had been appointed by another Tier 1 supplier to deliver its FOVIO tech to an additional North America-based OEM. Although only worth A$7m, this is another vote of confidence for the company.
I’ve held SEE for many years now. While this hasn’t always been a comfortable ride, highlighting the risk involved, I haven’t sold and am now firmly in profit. The shares are up over 500% since markets around the world crashed.
There’s no saying that the shares won’t dip again (there have been many ‘false dawns’), especially if investors continue to lose interest in tech stocks. However, given recent progress, I’d still buy at this level.
The Fulham Shore
A second UK penny share that warrants consideration in my view is The Fulham Shore (LSE: FUL).
Shares in the owner of Franco Manca and The Real Greek restaurants are now almost 250% above the low hit in March 2020. That’s a terrific result and shows the potential rewards of buying what everyone is selling in troubled times.
Based on last week’s trading update, I think there could be more to come.
Last Friday, Fulham Shore announced that sales in the week to 18 April had been “very encouraging“. In fact, they were ahead of the same week in 2019, far before the word ‘coronavirus’ was on everyone’s lips. Naturally, this performance was achieved without any indoor seating. No wonder management is interested in expanding the company’s estate!
Taking this into account, I’d be tempted to buy a slice of this UK penny share now. However, I certainly wouldn’t bet the farm. A third wave of the pandemic is still possible.
Brickability
A third stock trading for pennies (just!) is blocks and bricks manufacturer Brickability (LSE: BRCK). Like SEE and FUL, the shares have enjoyed a storming performance recently — up 160% in just over one year.
It’s not hard to see why. Earlier this month, Brickability said that it would reveal revenue of roughly £180m and adjusted EBITDA of more than £17m for the last financial year. This was ahead of previous expectations.
Looking ahead, BRCK believes that demand for housing should lead to another strong year of trading. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee of this. Also, many of those already holding this UK penny share might begin taking profits, causing the shares to dip.
That said, BRCK still trades on less than 15 times forecast FY22 earnings. A price/earnings-to-growth ratio of 1.1 also suggests investors are getting a lot of bang (or brick) for their buck. I think there’s still time to build a position here.
