So the FTSE 100 has been falling, amid fears of a crash. Time to hunker down and stick to dull-but-safe shares? Nah, I see some top growth shares out there at low prices.
Growth stocks can be volatile in a slump though. And the risk is that the bottom can be hard to spot.
So fallen growth shares might still have a lot further to go. On that cheery thought, here are three I like the look of.
Growth reset
Alliance Pharma (LSE: APH) acquires and markets pharmaceutical products, and it brought in the growth investors.
The shares more than doubled in the five years to March 2022. But then the wheels came off, and they crashed.
Since that share price reset, we’ve had a modest recovery. And I think I see more to come.
FY22 results are due on 21 March, and the firm reckons they’ll be decent. The board says it expects cash flow to “build strongly in 2023“. That should help get debt down and reduce one of the main risks.
The City expects a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 19. But earnings growth could drop that to around 12 by 2024.
If the results don’t impress, we could see more weakness. But if they do, might we see a new bull run?
IT services
Computacenter (LSE: CCC) put on a bit of a growth spurt in the Covid years. The work-from-home thing was a big help on that score.
The share price has since fallen back again though. I do think it got a bit too hot, but it looks to me like it’s cooled a bit too far now.
We’re looking at P/E multiples of only around 13. And that’s for a company that reckons it still has solid growth potential in the coming years.
The tough global economic conditions might well hold it back in 2023. And I suspect we could see some more price weakness.
Results are due on 20 March, and I think they might give the shares a boost.
Drug development
Ergomed (LSE: ERGO) is my third pick. This time, the share price hasn’t had a big fall. And it’s on a high valuation more in line with some typical growth shares. But I think it might be worth it.
The shares have soared by 500% over the past five years. Gulp! But at least they’ve eased off a bit since the start of 2023.
Forecasts put the P/E at over 30, and that might look a bit high. But it could fall to the low 20s by 2024. Results are due on 21 March, so we should get an idea of how things look.
The last update spoke of a 22.5% revenue growth. The order book is up 23% too. Oh, and there’s no debt.
Hmm, I almost forgot what the firm does. It provides a range of clinical services to big pharma companies around the world. That could be a big win.
I think this is the biggest risk of the three, but I like it. I need to dig deeper.
