The S&P/ASX 100 (Index: ^AXTO) (ASX: XTO) is home to some of Australia's biggest and brightest companies.
Whilst I wouldn't be in a rush to invest in all of the shares on the index, there are three in particular which I believe are great buy and hold investment options right now.
They are listed below:
Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)
The shares of this gaming machine maker have been on fire this year thanks to a stellar first-half result which saw half-year profit from ordinary activities after tax increase 56.9% to $249.6 million. The catalyst for this strong result was its fast-growing digital segment. Thanks to the continued success of its Heart of Vegas game, the segment posted a 53.3% jump in profits to $77.7 million. With key new releases on the horizon, I expect the company to continue this strong form in the second-half and beyond.
CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)
When it comes to buy and hold investments this biotherapeutics giant would have to be near the very top of the list. Demand for its immunoglobulins and specialty products has been growing at an extraordinary rate in recent quarters. As a result, management expects the company to deliver net profit after tax growth in FY 2017 of between 18% and 20% in constant currency. Moving forward, I expect this strong demand to be sustained, complementing the strong progress its fledgling influenza vaccine business has made.
Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd. (ASX: DMP)
With its shares down sharply from their 52-week high and changing hands at approximately 31x estimated FY 2018 earnings, I think now is an opportune time to make a buy and hold investment in this pizza chain operator. Although Domino's seems ubiquitous, management still plans to more than double its store footprint over the next eight years. This, together with menu innovation and expanding margins, leads me to believe that there is still significant earnings growth ahead for the company.
