3 coronavirus stocks I’d buy right now

Rupert Hargreaves takes a look at three ‘coronavirus stocks’ that have reported rising sales and profits in the crisis and may continue to do so.

| 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.

The coronavirus crisis has significantly impacted many companies. However, some firms have seen their sales and profits jump over the past six months. Here are three such businesses that could be coronavirus stocks worth buying right now. 

Coronavirus stocks to buy 

Avon Rubber (LSE: AVON) specialises in designing and manufacturing personal protection systems.

The company was in a strong position before the pandemic struck, and the demand for its kit is only likely to rise as the crisis continues. 

Its latest trading update showed the strength of the business. Adjusted operating profit for the half-year ended 31 March jumped 45% year-on-year. 

Even if the demand for the company’s products does decline, Avon is well-positioned to stage a healthy recovery.

Designing personal protection systems is a highly specialised business. Customers are unlikely to outsource the production to the lowest bidder as this may mean sacrificing quality. When lives are on the line, customers will not want to make this trade-off. 

As such, Avon stands out as one of the ‘coronavirus stocks’ that could be worth buying right now. 

Avast

Security software provider Avast (LSE: AVST) has benefited from the boom in home working this year. Its latest trading update showed a 6.5% year-on-year increase in revenue during the first quarter. 

City analysts are forecasting even faster growth for the full-year. Analysts have pencilled in earnings per share growth of 44% for 2020 as a whole. If the company meets this projection, the stock could offer a margin of safety at current levels. It’s currently changing hands at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 22, compared to the tech sector average of 26. 

Therefore, it may be worth buying a share of this company as part of a basket of coronavirus stocks. As the world becomes more reliant on technology, Avast’s earnings could continue to rise rapidly in the years ahead, even if Covid-19 is wiped out with a vaccine later in 2020. The business may be one of the best ways for investors to play the tech boom. 

Kainos

Tech consulting group Kainos (LSE: KNOS) has also made it onto my list of coronavirus stocks that might be worth buying right now. 

According to the company’s latest trading update, it now expects revenue to be “well ahead” and adjusted profit to be “substantially ahead” of previously projected levels for the year. Booming demand for tech and IT services has been behind this performance. 

It seems likely that the high demand for the company’s services is here to stay. As noted above, the world is becoming more and more reliant on technology. This is excellent news for the likes of Avast and Kainos. 

Kainos’s recent performance may even enable the company to take more market share. It has been generating record amounts of cash. Management is planning to return some of these funds to investors with a special dividend, but I wouldn’t rule out acquisitions as well.

These could help power the firm’s growth in the years ahead and lead to even bigger shareholder profits. That’s why the firm stands out as one of the best coronavirus stocks to buy today, I feel. 

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.

Rupert Hargreaves owns no share mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Avon Rubber and Kainos. 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.

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 »