One penny stock that has caught my eye recently is Severfield (LSE:SFR). It has some attractive fundamentals as well as some defensive capabilities, in my opinion. Should I buy the shares for long-term growth and returns? Let’s take a closer look.
Construction steel
As an introduction, Severfield is a steel designer, manufacturer, and installer for large-scale construction projects. Steelworks are essential in a lot of construction as they form the initial structure of any property being built. Severfield is one of the largest firms in its market and has an extensive presence throughout Europe too.
So what’s happening with Severfield shares currently? Well, as I write, they’re trading for 50p, putting them in penny stock territory. At this time last year, the stock was trading for 65p. This equates to a 23% decline over a 12-month period.
A penny stock with risks to consider
I believe the Severfield share price has come under pressure due to macroeconomic headwinds. These include soaring inflation, the rising cost of materials, as well as a global supply chain crisis. All of these challenges could hinder its progress moving forward too. Rising costs eat into profit margins, which can affect investor sentiment and returns. The supply chain issues are impacting many firms and affecting product availability and performance.
With the worldwide economy in a state of volatility, construction projects may be halted, or slowed down at least. This could have a detrimental impact on demand, which would in turn, affect Severfield’s performance and level of return.
The bull case and my verdict
To start with, I believe Severfield has some defensive traits. This is because of the essential nature of its core offering, steel works, and the role steel plays in virtually every construction project. No matter the project, some form of steel is required to help build the initial structure. Steel is as important as bricks and mortar. This should help boost performance and growth for a long time to come.
Next, I can see Severfield shares would boost my passive income stream through dividend payments. At present, the dividend yield on offer is 6%. This is higher than the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 averages of 3%-4% and 1.9% respectively. I am aware that dividends are never guaranteed, however. Furthermore, the shares look decent value for money right now on a price-to-earnings ratio of just 11.
Finally, Severfield has a good track record of performance. I do understand that past performance is not a guarantee of the future. However, looking back, I can see it has grown revenue and profit for the past four years consecutively.
Overall I like the look of Severfield shares. I will be adding them to my buy list for the next time I have some funds to invest. The fundamentals, such as performance track record, passive income opportunity, as well as the shares’ value for money look good. Furthermore, I like Severfield’s brand power and global presence. In fact, its exposure to the Indian market, which is experiencing an infrastructure and construction boom, should boost performance and growth in the coming years too.