The electronics builder and distributor — which from today will be known as discoverIE Group — announced that revenues detonated 21% during the six months to September, to £190.2m, a result that pushed underlying pre-tax profit to £10.4m, up 42%.

And discoverIE, boosted by a solid order book, is confident that it can continue making progress in the near term and beyond. Chief executive Nick Jefferies commented: “The second half has started well and we are on track to deliver full-year performance in line with our expectations, supported by a record order book of £111m.

“Together with an increase in new project design wins of over 30%, with an estimated lifetime sales value of over £90m, we are well positioned for continued growth.”

Meanwhile, discoverIE’s multi-year programme to boost margins by expanding its Design and Manufacturing arm is also delivering the goods. The company saw its underlying operating margin increased by 60 basis points, to 6.2%, during the first half.

Brilliant forecasts

It should come as little shock, therefore, that City analysts expect discoverIE to continue growing earnings at a terrific rate.

In the year to March 2018 a 10% bottom-line improvement is anticipated. And the good news does not end here, a further 8% advance predicted for the following year.

These current forecasts make the small-cap a brilliant value pick too. On top of carrying a forward P/E ratio of 14.4 times, it also boasts a corresponding PEG multiple of just 1.4.

What’s more, today’s release underlined the fact that discoverIE is a growth dividend share that investors should take notice of — the business hiked the interim dividend 8% year-on-year to 2.65p per share on the back of its strong results.

In fiscal 2018 the total dividend is expected to increase to 9.3p per share from 8.5p previously, City analysts are predicting, meaning that discoverIE sports a chunky 2.9% yield. And the yield steps to 3.1% for next year thanks to an anticipated 9.8p reward.

Another growth hero

I also believe that 4Imprint Group (LSE: FOUR) is a share that growth and dividend hunters should seriously consider today.

Supported by an anticipated 9% bottom-line advance in 2017, the company is expected to lift the dividend from 41.82p per share last year to 44.1 cents, resulting in a handy 2.4% yield.

And with earnings anticipated to improve 10% next year, 4Imprint is expected to raise the dividend again, to 48.5 cents, nudging the yield to 2.7%.

Thanks to its broad exposure to North America — a region that produces 97% of group profits — the promotional products manufacturer can look forward to strong and sustained sales growth, in my opinion. That’s even if toughening trading conditions in the UK weigh on its performance at home looking ahead. It said that it had achieved “further encouraging organic revenue growth in both its North American and UK-based operations” in the four months to the beginning of November.

Given its proven knack of attracting new customers across the globe, not to mention its record of keeping its existing clients happy, I believe 4Imprint is a knockout growth share worthy of a toppy forward P/E rating of 22.3 times.

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It’s no secret that small-cap stocks have the potential to deliver amazing capital gains. However, if you can find fast-growing smaller companies that also pay dividends, the results can be even more explosive. With that in mind, here are two high-growth dividend prospects I believe look attractive right now.

Acal

£222m market capitalisation Acal (LSE: ACL) designs, manufactures and distributes customised electronic products and solutions to businesses across a range of industries. The stock is up around 30% over the last year, but I believe there could be further gains on the horizon, given the company’s momentum and attractive valuation.

Acal released a trading update for the six months to 30 September this morning, and the numbers look impressive. First-half revenue increased 21%, or 15% on a constant currency basis, comprising organic growth of a healthy 9%, and 6% from acquisitions. Growth was driven by new project wins and product cross selling, and enhanced by favourable market conditions, particularly in Europe. Management advised that it is “confident of making good progress through the rest of the year, continuing its established strategy of seeking high quality revenue opportunities in our target markets, along with value-enhancing acquisitions.”

The market is clearly happy with the update, and the shares have surged 6% today. However, on a forward P/E ratio of just 15.4, the shares remain attractively valued in my opinion. City analysts have pencilled in sales growth of 10% this year, as well as a dividend payout of 9.25p, a yield of 2.8% at the current share price. Those estimates make the small-cap stock worthy of a closer inspection, in my view.

Hollywood Bowl

Another small-cap dividend stock that looks appealing right now is ten-pin bowling centre operator Hollywood Bowl (LSE: BOWL). The £280m cap company came to the market last September, floating at an IPO price of 160p. Since then, the shares have risen to 185p, a gain of a respectable 16%. Could there be more gains to come? Quite possibly, in my opinion.

The group released an upbeat trading statement recently, advising that it had delivered a “strong financial and operational performance” which is expected to result in earnings being “marginally ahead” of the board’s expectations. Revenue for the full year increased 9%, including like-for-like revenue growth of 3.5%.

The company also stated that it is in a strong financial position, and that it is “considering returning capital” to shareholders. What kind of dividend yield can investors expect? City analysts currently forecast a dividend payout of 5.8p for FY2017, equating to a dividend yield of 3.1% at the current share price.

On estimated earnings of 10.9p per share for the year just passed, Hollywood Bowl currently trades on a P/E of just under 17. That valuation looks reasonable to me. With the company focused on expanding its number of centres, refurbishing its existing sites, and improving the customer experience, Hollywood Bowl could be worth a closer look, in my view.

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Edward Sheldon has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Hollywood Bowl. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

Highly developed business model

The small-cap media group is now the leading direct marketer of promotional products in the US, Canada, the UK, and Ireland, with a highly developed business model which provides millions of potential customers with access to tens of thousands of customised products. Organic growth is delivered using a wide range of data-driven, offline and online direct marketing techniques to capture market share in the large and fragmented promotional products markets that it serves.

For the six months to 1 July, total revenues came in at $298.91m, 11% higher than the same period in 2016, with pre-tax profits up by a staggering 41% on the previous year at $15.7m. At the demand level, a total of 587,000 individually customised orders were received, up 11% on the previous year, with 125,000 new customers acquired during the six-month period.

Significant capital growth

North America continues to be the most important market for the group, accounting for 97% of the total revenue generated during the first half of 2017. Here the company’s 11% growth rate compares very favourably with the latest estimates which suggest that the overall promotional products markets in the US and Canada are likely to be growing at a rate of around 3%. I see 4Imprint continuing to make further inroads into these very substantial markets.

The shares have pulled back considerably since hitting record highs at the start of the year, providing a great entry point for long-term growth-focused investors. A P/E rating of 19 may look expensive, but I believe the company will easily grow into the valuation and provide shareholders with significant capital growth over the longer term.

Strong momentum

Another small-cap firm that I believe looks set for further gains is Acal (LSE: ACL). The Guildford-based customised electronics supplier recently issued a very positive first quarter trading update, with a continuation of the strong momentum seen in the final quarter of 2016/17.

Revenues for the three months to the end of June came in 14% ahead of last year at constant exchange rates (9% ahead organically) with similar organic growth rates in both its Design & Manufacturing and Custom Distribution divisions. The order intake for the first quarter was also impressive, up 21% at constant exchange rates, lifting the forward order book to another record high and positioning the group well for further growth.

Acal’s management remains confident of delivering further progress through the rest of the year, and City boffins seem to agree, with consensus forecasts suggesting an 11% rise in earnings for the current financial year, and a further 8% improvement for FY2019. The shares have enjoyed a strong rally in recent months, gaining 50% since March, but I believe a forward P/E ratio of 15 is a price well worth paying given the continued strong momentum.

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Bilaal Mohamed has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

Exploiting its niche with aplomb 

Acal started out as a pure distributor of speciality electronics for customers in sectors as varied as photonics, communications, magnetics and sensors. But after years of serving as a go-between for manufacturers and customers, it realised there were gaps in the market that it could fill with its own products.

And thus the company’s design and manufacturing (D&M) segment was born. This part of the business now accounts for over half of all sales and is growing at a rapid clip through organic expansion and acquisitions. In the year to March, sales from this division grew 28% year-on-year (y/y) to £175.6m and accounted for over 80% of the group’s £20m in underlying operating profit. On top of growing faster than group overage, operating margins of 11.5% last year were more than triple that of the distribution side of the business.

Now, the distribution business still has a role to play in gathering market intelligence, providing a reliable sales outlet for the groups in-house products and increasing cross-selling from its myriad manufacturing companies.

And for investors like myself who prefer their small-caps profitable and with a healthy balance sheet, its relatively small £30m in net debt presents a very manageable sum. With a great record of organic and acquisition-led growth, rising margins and a respectable 2.8% dividend yield, I believe Acal is a great business trading at a very reasonable valuation of 13.7 times forward earnings.

Growth with a citrus flavour 

Another great small cap operating in a niche sector is Treatt, which produces ingredients for everything from scented oil for shower gels and shampoos to flavouring for juices, teas and sodas. The company has done particularly well of late thanks to increased consumer demand for the natural ingredients and citrus flavours it can produce, which helped boost revenue by 27% y/y in the half to March.

While a large part of this gain was due to the weak pound, the fact that H1 operating profits outpaced sales growth at 59% to hit £5.9m should be particularly welcomed by investors. This suggests the company’s plan to move up the value chain is paying benefits as it emphasises sales of higher margin products.

Looking ahead, growth prospects for the firm are quite impressive thanks to consumer habits, expansion into China proceeding well, and its US business growing so popular that is has reached capacity at its facility there. And with net debt of just £8m, the firm is well positioned financially to support expansion across the business.

However, the company’s share price has increased over 175% in the past year and is now valued very highly at 25.6 times forward earnings. I like Treatt’s business, but this is simply too expensive compared to its historic valuations to make me comfortable buying shares today.  

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Ian Pierce has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

This comes as little surprise as sales volumes accelerate and Acal banks the benefits of sterling’s slide.

The business saw revenues glide 18% higher in the year to March 2017, it advised last month, to £338.2m. On an organic basis revenues rose 6%, the small-cap witnessing improving sales and order growth as the year progressed.

And Acal’s record order book of £109m as of March — up 22% at real exchange rates or 13% organically — suggests that revenues should continue to pound higher.

Profits hero

It comes as little surprise that the City expects Acal’s long-running growth history to continue with earnings rises of 8% in the years to March 2018 and 2019 respectively.

As a consequence, Acal changes hands on a forward P/E ratio of just 14.1 times, falling comfortably within the widely-considered value territory of 15 times or under. This is striking value given Acal’s improving momentum.

Those seeking access to hot dividend growth dynamos need to give special attention to the Guildford firm too. Last year’s 8.5p per share is anticipated to march to 9.3p in the present period, and to 9.7p during fiscal 2019.

Subsequent dividend yields clock in at a very-handy 3.1% and 3.2% for this year and next. And I expect shareholder rewards to keep marching higher in line with profits.

A terrific all-rounder

I believe Countryside Properties (LSE: CSP) is another London lovely trading far, far too cheaply right now.

For the 12 months ending September 2017 a 65% earnings surge is predicted, leaving the housebuilder dealing on a prospective P/E multiple of 12.8 times. And Countryside is expected to keep punching beyond the present period, a further 27% bottom-line increase expected in fiscal 2018.

A sub-1 PEG ratio of 0.2 underlines its position as a terrifically-priced growth bet. But there is also plenty for income hunters to get excited about too.

The 3.4p per share dividend shelled out last year is expected to improve to 8.1p in the current year, and again to 10.3p in 2018. As a result, a 2.3% yield for 2017 leaps to 3% for next year.

Fluffy forecasts

The flurry of positive trading updates from across the homebuilding sector has propelled the Brentwood business to fresh record tops in July — it struck a fresh peak above 355p per share just last week.

The FTSE 250 giant itself advised in May that trading during October-March had exceeded its expectations, the number of completions registered in the period exploding 31% to 1,437 units. And Countryside’s private forward order book shot 69% higher to £347.1m, soothing fears of a demand drop-off as the British economy stagnates.

The mortgage rate war being fought out by the country’s lenders is helping to keep housebuyer interest on the boil, as is the government’s Help to Buy purchase scheme. And a failure by successive administrations to remedy the UK’s chronic accommodation shortage is helping to keep property values well supported.

So with the supply/demand crunch set to persist long into the future, I reckon Countryside should prove a lucrative stock for value hunters.

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Royston Wild has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

Amino Technologies (LSE: AMO) has all the hallmarks of a top dividend stock. The company is highly cash generative, has no debt and has a record of returning all extra cash to investors. These are highly desirable qualities for any business, but are especially important for dividend stocks.

Today’s trading update from the company for the six months ended 31 May shows just how much of a cash cow Amino is. During the period the company generated revenue of approximately £40m, up 21% year-on-year. Net cash the end of the period was £13.1m, up from £3.1m at the end of the same period a year ago and up from £6.2m at the end of November 2016. With a market capitalisation of £142m at the time of writing, this means around 10% of Amino’s market value is cash.

Dividend policy

Its cash generation and strong sheet gives it room to pursue an aggressive dividend policy. Over the past five years, the payout has risen 100% as earnings per share have grown by 150%. The dividend is covered twice by earnings per share, and this headroom means management has scope to increase the payout this year despite the fact that City analysts are projecting flat earnings growth. Amino’s per-share payout is expected to rise by a little more than 10% this year to 6.7p giving a dividend yield of 3.2%. The shares currently trade at a forward P/E of 15.2, so the shares are not particularly cheap although if you strip out the 20p per share in cash, the valuation falls to around 13 times forward earnings.

Special dividend?

Acal (LSE: ACL) is another company that has all the hallmarks of a top dividend play. Today the company announced its full-year results for the year ended 31 March 2017 showing strong growth across the board. Earnings per share rose 13% to 19.2p as underlying profit before tax rocketed higher to £17.2m, up from £14.5m in the year-ago period. Revenue grew by 18% or 6% at constant exchange rates. The best performing metric was the group’s cash flow. Cash flow from operations increased 66% from £16.3m to £27.1m and the group’s cash balance at the end of the period hit £22m, up from £20m at the end of the last fiscal year. This cash balance gives the company more than enough headroom to maintain its current dividend payout of 8.6p per share, which is costing around £5.2m per annum.

Unfortunately, this kind of dividend security does not come cheap. Like Amino, shares in Acal trade at a relatively high forward earnings multiple of 15 times, but City analysts have pencilled-in earnings per share growth of 14% for the year ending 31 March 2018, so the high multiple is to some extent justified by growth. The shares support a dividend yield of 3%, and the payout is expected to grow by around 5% per annum for the foreseeable future. With such a healthy balance sheet I wouldn’t rule out special dividends along the way as well.

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Rupert Hargreaves has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

Group sales rocketed 21% higher during October-December, the company announced in January, resulting from rising demand as well as helpful exchange rates.

And, critically, the manufacturer is seeing sales pick up following recent rare weakness. Flat organic sales growth was seen in the final quarter of 2016, versus a 7% decline in April-September. And the company said that it “remains on track to deliver positive organic growth in the final quarter.”

Acal has a prestigious history of churning out double-digit earnings growth, although the City expects recent market choppiness to see expansion slow in the current period — a rise of just 2% is predicted for the year to March 2017.

But this is anticipated to mark a temporary setback for the Surrey-based business, and rises of 15% and 10% are chalked in for fiscal 2018 and 2019, respectively. And this bright long-term outlook is expected to keep driving dividends at Acal to the stars.

Last year’s 8.05p per share payout is predicted to leap to 8.5p in the current period, yielding 3.9%. And anticipated dividends of 9p and 9.6p for 2018 and 2019 jolt the yield to 4.1% and 4.4% respectively.

These projections are also well protected, with Acal boasting robust dividend coverage of 2.1 times for this year and 2.3 times for the following two. The widely-regarded safety benchmark stands at 2 times or above.

Tasty dividends

Like Acal, City brokers are also optimistic about the earnings prospects of recruitment giant SThree (LSE: STHR), and expect this to feed into increasingly tantalising dividends.

For the year to November 2017, SThree is predicted to defy predictions of a slowing employment market and enjoy a 2% earnings bump. And this is expected to feed into a 14p per share dividend, matching last year’s payout and yielding a brilliant 4.3%.

And looking further out, predictions that revenues should rev higher beyond the current period are expected to get shareholder rewards moving higher again from next year. An anticipated 14% bottom-line bounce in 2018 should push the dividend to 14.1p per share, according to the Square Mile, nudging the yield to a delicious 4.4%.

It could be argued that SThree is more of a risky income pick than Acal, however, with predicted payouts covered just 1.5 times by estimated earnings in 2017, and 1.8 times next year. However, I believe the company’s brilliant cash generation should give it the necessary firepower to meet current forecasts — Acal saw net cash rise to £10m last year from £6.2m in 2015.

And with SThree concentrating on the contract market to offset the impact of any economic choppiness at home or abroad, I reckon the business should remain stale enough to dole out market-beating dividends long into the future.

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Avon Rubber supplies hardware to police services, armed forces and security specialists, and announced another non-Department of Defense (DoD) order for 15,000 masks just last month.

Unique designs like its CBRN/CO Escape Hood makes it a go-to provider for these groups. The company secured $9m worth of orders from a major US police force already for this one product, and it could represent a major sales opportunity should this initial batch perform well.

Avon Rubber’s position as an important kit provider to the US DoD bodes particularly well, with defence spend back on the agenda as Washington deals with the increasingly-turbulent geopolitical and terrorist landscape. I fully expect sales of its M50 masks to continue beyond the current contract, which expires before the end of the decade.

But defence is not Avon Rubber’s only area of expertise, with recent acquisition activity like that of InterPuls in 2015 building its position in the dairy industry. Trading conditions here have been more difficult recently, but a recent recovery in milk prices bodes well for future sales. The steady market share grab of Avon Rubber’s Milkrite dairy liners also reveals terrific top-line growth potential.

Avon Rubber may not prove suitable for those expecting instant returns, with the City expecting a 14% earnings drop in the year to September 2017, due to a moderation in mask orders.

Still, this blip is expected to prove a temporary phenomenon in Avon Rubber’s hot growth story.  I reckon a P/E rating of 16.6 times represents great value, given the galloping popularity of the company’s defence and dairy products across the globe.

Manufacturing marvel

Electronics manufacturer Acal (LSE: ACAL) is also in great shape to enjoy strong earnings growth looking ahead, in my opinion.

The business saw total orders leap 18% during the six months to September, Acal announced last month, while sales jumped 10% from a year earlier. This is thanks in no small part to the success of recent acquisitions that have put its Design and Manufacturing division ‘front and centre’ — this arm now accounts for almost half of all revenues.

While conditions remain tough for Acal, I believe the wide range of products offered up by these recently-acquired units offers terrific earnings security. And Acal is also undertaking cost-saving exercises on the continent to give the bottom line an extra boot, the firm having identified £4m worth of annualised cost savings.

The abacus bashers expect Acal to keep its growth expansion story rolling with a 4% advance in the period to March 2017, followed by an 11% rise in fiscal 2018.

These forecasts create P/E ratings of just 12 times and 10.8 times respectively, comfortably below the long-regarded share picker benchmark of 15 times that is considered reasonable value. I reckon recent share price weakness makes Acal a splendid value stock at the present time.

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The electronic goods manufacturer announced that it expects to report “double-digit growth in underlying operating profit” for the period spanning April-September. As well as enjoying a 10% sales uptick, an 18% rise in orders shows that Acal is dealing effectively with the challenging market conditions.

Indeed, Acal noted that “since the first quarter, orders have increased and are showing good levels of organic growth in line with our expectations of achieving stronger sales in the second half of the year.”

Although organic orders and sales are expected to have dropped 1% and 8% respectively during the first half, orders bounced 3% higher during July-September, including a 6% hike last month.

And other factors look set to benefit the bottom line looking ahead. The company’s international bias is allowing it to reap the fruits of sterling’s decline; ongoing restructuring is on course to deliver £4m in cost savings per annum, Acal announced; and the Guildford business tantalisingly advised of “a pipeline of opportunities that are progressing well” on the acquisition front.

These factors are expected to drive earnings 5% and 10% higher in the years to March 2017 and 2018 respectively, resulting in very-decent P/E ratios of 13.9 times and 12.6 times.

And dividends are expected to keep marching higher too, with predicted dividends of 8.4p per share for 2017 and 8.7p for the following year yielding a chunky 3.2% and 3.4%.

I reckon Acal’s strong profit outlook merits serious attention, particularly from value hunters.

Safe as houses

A bright outlook for the housing sector also makes MJ Gleeson (LSE: GLE) a great stock pick, particularly at current price levels.

The construction play is anticipated to record a 6% earnings rise in the year to June 2017 alone, creating a P/E rating of 12.9 times. This is comfortably below the watermark of 15 times that’s broadly considered attractive value.

And while a forward dividend yield of 2.7% may lag the blue-chip average of 3.5%, I believe the prospect of electric payout growth in the years ahead makes Gleeson a solid income pick. The housebuilder hiked the dividend from 10p in 2015 to 14.5p last year, and another sizeable hike — to 16p — is forecast for the current period.

Gleeson saw revenues leap 20.8% during the year to June 2016, to £142.1m, it advised late last month. This stunning result drove pre-tax profits (minus exceptional items) 20.5% higher from the prior year, to £28.2m.

And the company advised that “Gleeson Homes continues to see strong customer demand for its low cost homes,” a trend that I believe should continue as supportive lending conditions and Britain’s long-running housing shortage drives demand.

Despite patchy housing market data since June’s Brexit referendum, I reckon Gleeson remains on course to deliver stunning profit growth well into the future.

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Today I am running the rule over three traditional growth stars.

Pipe power

Shares in building materials provider Wolseley (LSE: WOS) have sunk in Wednesday trading following a worrisome trading outlook — the firm was last 6% lower on the day.

Wolseley saw revenues canter 10.8% higher during February-April, it advised, to £3.66bn, a result that propelled trading profit 17.9% higher to £230m.

However, Wolseley advised that “recent revenue growth trends have been weaker,” the business noting “challenging” conditions in the British heating segment and the Nordic construction sector. Consequently the business plans to step up restructuring at home and on the continent, it advised.

Wolseley has a terrific record delivering annual earnings growth, and the City had pencilled in further expansion of 7% and 13% in the periods to July 2016 and 2017 correspondingly.

While these numbers are likely to be downgraded following today’s update, I reckon Wolseley’s excellent presence across Europe and the US still makes it a strong contender to deliver long-term earnings growth.

Tech titan

Electronics specialist Acal (LSE: ACL) has suffered no such problems in midweek trading, the share last flat on the day despite the heavy risk aversion sweeping across global bourses.

Acal saw revenues leap 6% during the 12 months to March 2016, it advised, to £287.7m, a result that propelled underlying pre-tax profit 23% higher during the period, to £14.5m.

And while the business noted that “challenging trading conditions are likely to continue in the first half of the year,” it added that “we expect an improvement in the second half in line with our expectations for the full year.” And Acal added that it has the financial firepower to undertake further acquisitions looking ahead.

Like Wolseley, Acal has a terrific growth record, and the City expects the business to generate further growth of 7% this year and 12% in 2018. I reckon consequent P/E ratings of 13.6 times and 12.1 times for these periods make Acal a great-value growth selection.

Global goliath

Household goods heavyweight Unilever (LSE: ULVR) also has a sterling record of generating strong earnings growth year after year.

And this comes as little surprise given the ubiquity of its products — from Dove soap and VO5 shampoo to Flora margarine, Unilever’s products can be found in cupboards and fridges across established and emerging regions alike.

Not only this, the strength of these brands allow Unilever to keep hiking prices regardless of broader pressures on consumers’ wallets, a critical quality in the current macroeconomic climate. And the London firm is throwing massive amounts into product innovation and marketing to maintain the popularity of its brands with label-conscious customers.

These qualities are expected to push earnings at Unilever 9% and 8% higher in 2016 and 2017 respectively. While consequent P/E ratings of 21.4 times and 19.9 times may look heady on paper, I reckon Unilever’s terrific defensive qualities fully merit these premiums.

The post 3 growth giants for your consideration! Unilever plc, Wolseley plc & Acal plc appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

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Royston Wild has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended Unilever. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.