In afternoon trade the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) looks set for another disappointing decline. At the time of writing the benchmark index is down 0.5% to 6,020 points.
Four shares that haven't let that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they have posted solid gains today:
The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price is up almost 2% to $7.56 after announcing its expansion into the North East of the United States. This move is expected to result in approximately 5,000 stores stocking its products from this month, up from 3,600 stores previously. I think this is yet another reason to be bullish on a2 Milk in the long-term.
The Afterpay Touch Group Ltd (ASX: APT) share price is up 2.5% to $7.80. Yesterday the payment solutions company provided a trading update which revealed impressively strong growth across all business metrics. The company also advised that it is looking into expanding the Afterpay platform into the lucrative U.S. market. Like a2 Milk, I think this could be another great buy and hold investment.
The Creso Pharma Ltd (ASX: CPH) share price has climbed 3% to $1.11 after announcing a commercial agreement with UK-based Precision HealthCare to market and distribute Creso's hemp-based human health nutraceuticals in the UK. Precision sells and distributes consumer healthcare brands to retailers and independent pharmacies covering more than 5,000 points of sale in the UK.
The Sirtex Medical Limited (ASX: SRX) share price has jumped 13% to $17.68 following the release of a trading update. According to the release, Sirtex expects to report full-year EBITDA between $75 million and $85 million. This will be a solid increase on the underlying EBITDA of $61.5 million it achieved in FY 2017. While I'm not completely convinced that the worst is behind the company, things to look to be improving greatly for Sirtex.
