One of the standout shares from 2020 was Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (LSE:SMT). Although it’s had a track record of good performance, last year really put the fund on the map. SMT shares doubled in value in 2020, causing a lot of raised eyebrows. After all, the investment trust isn’t a conventional FTSE 100 stock and a fund might not normally be expected to deliver such big returns over a year. But if I had £1,000 that I was looking to deploy right now, I think SMT offers good value for me.
Exposure to US tech
The first reason why I’d buy today is because of the short-term dip we’ve seen over the past few weeks. SMT shares are actually down almost 15% over the past month. This can be attributed to the sell-off in US tech. I wrote a piece earlier this week that explained why we’re seeing such a sell-off. In my opinion, there’s still value to be had in selective US tech shares as long as I do my research.
SMT is run by Baillie Gifford, an experienced investment management house. So I don’t doubt it has done its research and believes the large US holdings it has (such as Tesla and Amazon) are good for the long term. As a result, I’m happy to buy SMT shares now.
I can’t always time the market to perfection. So SMT shares may continue to drop in the coming days and weeks. But the fact that I’ve already been able to buy at 15% lower than a month ago is enough of a discount to get me excited.
Pros but also some cons with SMT shares
A second reason why I’d buy SMT shares at the moment is because of the heavy weighting towards consumer cyclicals. This accounts for 44.2% of the stocks held within the investment trust, as of the end of 2020. ‘Consumer cyclical’ basically refers to stocks that follow the cycle of the economy. For example, housing. Construction and estate agents typically do better during booms than during recessions.
I like the fact that SMT has a large exposure to consumer cyclicals at the moment. I think the global economy is getting primed for a strong cycle out of recession and into growth over the next year or so. These stocks should pull the performance of the fund higher, raising the SMT share price in the process.
The final reason I like SMT shares is the diversification it gives me in my portfolio. At the moment, I think that diversification is key given the uncertainty in the market. Some of my growth shares aren’t performing that well, but other income stocks are exceeding my expectations. SMT sits in-between this, given that it’s essentially an actively managed mutual fund.
There are risks in buying the stock now though. If US tech shares really do go even lower, then SMT shares will follow suit given their exposure to that area. Secondly, the share price doesn’t always perfectly track the actual net asset value of the stocks held within the fund. So I could end up paying a premium above the actual value of the stocks, which isn’t ideal at all.
But the bottom line is that I think SMT shares look attractive after the dip, so I’d buy them now.