In the last week, I have profiled a selection of large-cap dividend stocks and large-cap growth stocks that I believe could be excellent picks for long-term, buy-and-hold investors. Today, I’m turning my attention to the small-cap area of the market. Here’s a look at three small-cap growth stocks that I think could make excellent buy-and-hold investments right now.
K3 Capital
K3 Capital (LSE: K3C) is a leading business sales and brokerage firm that acts for businesses valued between £50,000 and £100m. With a market cap of just £126m, this is certainly a small company, but given the speed the group is growing at, I think K3C has the potential to develop significantly in coming years.
Indeed, full-year results released last month demonstrated that the company has considerable momentum at present. For the year ending 31 May, group revenue rose 53%, earnings per share surged 114% and the full-year dividend payout was increased 56% – an impressive performance. Furthermore, the company advised that for FY2019, all three of its businesses have started the year strongly and that the group as a whole is “trading ahead of market expectations.”
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K3C shares are up 83% over the last year, yet have pulled back around 25% since April to now trade on a trailing P/E ratio of 21.1. At that price, I think value is on offer.
Clipper Logistics
Another small-cap stock that I think warrants a closer look right now is £302m market cap Clipper Logistics (LSE: CLG). The company is an innovative logistics company that has grown significantly in recent years and counts Asos, John Lewis and Asda among its customers.
While full-year results released in July looked quite robust with revenue rising 17.6% and earnings per share climbing 13.6%, investors dumped the stock after the company advised it was bringing “an element of caution” into its planning due to the wider forces affecting the UK retail sector. Yet I think the sell-off has been overdone, because top-tier directors have been loading up on shares recently, suggesting that they have confidence in the outlook.
At the current share price of 304p, Clipper trades on a forward P/E of 17.5 and offers a prospective yield of 3.3%. Those metrics look attractive, in my view.
Somero Enterprises
Lastly, check out £217m market cap Somero Enterprises (LSE: SOM), which produces laser-guided equipment that assists in the installation of concrete slabs, and has operations in the US, Europe, China, the Middle East and Australia.
Somero shares have had a good run recently and are up more than 20% since I last covered the company in 2017. But with the stock trading on a forward P/E of 13.8 at present, I believe there’s plenty more to come from this exciting smaller company.
Recent interim results certainly looked solid, with revenue rising 6%, cash flow from operations jumping 31% and diluted adjusted earnings per share surging 20%. A 100% increase in the interim dividend was another highlight. It’s also worth noting that Somero has practically no debt and has generated an average return on equity of 35% over the last three years.
Overall, I see a great deal of long-term potential in Somero Enterprises.
