Are Macquarie Group shares worth investing part of $3,000 into this June?

Do you have $3,000 to invest this month? Here we examine three of my top picks including Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) shares.

Phil Harpur

Phil Harpur has been contributing to Motley Fool Australia as a Freelance Writer since late 2019. Phil has spent the last 25 years working as a Senior Technology Analyst for some of the leading global technology research firms. Over the years, his market insights have been quoted in publications such as the AFR, SMH and the Australian, and he has appeared on business TV programs including Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business and the ABC. Phil is passionate about the share market and investing. He has post-graduate qualifications in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. In his spare time, Phil likes to chill out listening to his favourite jazz artist or hanging out at the beach.

Published June 6, 2020 10:34 am AEST

Do you have $3,000 to invest in shares this month? Below I'll share my top three picks in BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ), CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) shares to either add to or help you start your share portfolio.

I believe that shares are a much better alternative to keeping your money in a savings account or term deposit. The interest earned there often doesn't even cover inflation.

Globe on keyboard with investment key, international shares — Source: Getty Images

BetaShares NASDAQ shares

The NASDAQ 100 ETF is comprised of the 100 largest, non-financial businesses on the US NASDAQ exchange.

Australia's tech sector is tiny compared to the US market. So, purchasing this exchange-traded fund (ETF) gives you instant diversification to a much larger tech market.

It is home to some of the world's most successful businesses with a high proportion being larger companies. This includes tech giants Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Netflix and Apple.

Many of these companies are world-leading brands, have strong positions in market niches and strong cash flow.

A significant proportion has also seen share price growth over the past 5 years well above a 10% average per annum. I believe that many will continue to grow strongly over the next decade. This, I feel, is likely to lead to above-average returns for this ETF, well into the next decade.

CSL shares

CSL has become a global market leader in blood plasma research and disease treatment. It now reaches more than 60 countries.

Its strong growth over the past few years has been driven by high investment in research and development to create new products.

CSL has invested significantly in research and development over the last 5 years. This creates a pipeline of new products. In FY19 alone it invested $832 million.

I believe that CSL is well-positioned to deliver strong earnings growth over the next 5 to 10 years. This I feel, is likely to lead to continued strong share price growth.

Macquarie Group shares

Macquarie is a global financial services giant, headquartered in Australia, with a core focus on international investment banking.

I think it is a good option if you want to gain some exposure to the financial services sector. I also believe that it is a better option than our 4 big banks.

Its business model has evolved significantly over the last decade. Macquarie has now become a more balanced and diversified business. Whereas, in the past, it was too heavily focused on a small product set. For this reason, it got into trouble during the global financial crisis.

Macquarie also currently pays an attractive trailing annual dividend yield of 3.6%.

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