The 4 stunning small caps you can’t afford to miss!

Royston Wild reveals a cluster of FTSE SmallCap (INDEXFTSE: SMX) stars that are set to ignite.

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

RISK WARNING: should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice. The Motley Fool believes in building wealth through long-term investing and so we do not promote or encourage high-risk activities including day trading, CFDs, spread betting, cryptocurrencies, and forex. Where we promote an affiliate partner’s brokerage products, these are focused on the trading of readily releasable securities.

Today I am looking at a set of FTSE SmallCap (INDEXFTSE: SMX) growth heavyweights.

A mighty medical play

I believe that galloping demand for medicines should light a fire under the earnings performance of Consort Medical (LSE: CSRT)  in the coming years.

The contract development and manufacturing play is already a significant provider to the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, and recent acquisitions like Aesica are helping Consort Medical to remain at the forefront of industry innovation.

The City certainly expects earnings to rev higher, and an 11% rise is currently forecast for the year to April 2017, resulting in a P/E ratio of 16.8 times.

I reckon this represents a decent time to plough into Consort Medical, as massive healthcare investment across the globe powers demand for the firm’s services.

Milking the market

With Western military budgets back on the mend, I reckon defence and dairy engineering group Avon Rubber (LSE: AVON) can expect sales of its cutting-edge hardware to the US Department of Defense to keep on climbing.

But the defence sector is not the only reason to be optimistic about Avon Rubber, with market share grabs from its cutting-edge Milkrite milking technology allowing it to traverse the worst of the cyclical problems hitting the dairy industry.

The number crunchers expect Avon Rubber to enjoy a 19% earnings advance in the period to September 2016, producing a P/E rating of just 13.5 times.

While contract timings may continue to prove problematic, I reckon rising demand for Avon Rubber’s products from non-US customers promises to deliver solid long-term growth.

Flooring favourite

Supported by robust economic conditions in the UK, and of course resplendent home-buyer demand, I reckon flooring specialist Carpetright (LSE: CPR) should keep on delivering brilliant earnings growth.

The company is also undergoing significant restructuring to shutter under-performing stores and open new ‘retail concept’ outlets. And Carpetright is planning to undergo significant brand changes and shop refits in the coming months to keep customers marching through its doors.

Against this backcloth, earnings at Carpetright are expected to march 30% in the year to April 2017, resulting in a mega-cheap P/E rating of 11.4 times.

Jobs juggernaut

I am convinced that recruitment play SThree (LSE: STHR) is a sound growth bet as, despite current travails in Asia, robust economic conditions in Europe and US are helping to drive profits higher.

On top of this, the company’s ICT and Life Sciences divisions are helping to offset the impact of troubles in the fossil fuel sector at its Energy arm. Indeed, group gross profits cantered 10% higher during December-February, to £53m.

The City expects SThree to keep earnings heading higher with an 18% advance in the year to November 2016, producing a very-attractive P/E ratio of 14.3 times. I reckon this represents stellar value given the terrific potential thrown up by the company’s huge global footprint.

RISK WARNING: should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice. The Motley Fool believes in building wealth through long-term investing and so we do not promote or encourage high-risk activities including day trading, CFDs, spread betting, cryptocurrencies, and forex. Where we promote an affiliate partner’s brokerage products, these are focused on the trading of readily releasable securities.

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

More on Investing Articles

Investing Articles

Publish Test

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut…

Read more »

Investing Articles

JP P-Press Update Test

Read more »

Investing Articles

JP Test as Author

Test content.

Read more »

Investing Articles

KM Test Post 2

Read more »

Investing Articles

JP Test PP Status

Test content. Test headline

Read more »

Investing Articles

KM Test Post

This is my content.

Read more »

Investing Articles

JP Tag Test

Read more »

Investing Articles

Testing testing one two three

Sample paragraph here, testing, test duplicate

Read more »