3 ASX tech shares that are still in the buy zone

If you think ASX tech shares are now overvalued, here are some less-known ones that might take your fancy.

| More on:

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More

The technology sector has gone gangbusters this year, so many fear most of those success stories are now overvalued.

But there are still some bargain ASX tech shares to be snapped up, according to one fund manager.

Prime Value portfolio manager Richard Ivers told The Motley Fool that he's currently high on 3 particular stocks.

His Prime Value Emerging Opportunities Fund already owns all 3, and he's excited to see how they will fare.

City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX)

City Chic is a retailer that sells plus-size women's clothing.

The chain used to be part of Specialty Fashion Group, which also had brands like Millers and Katies that were bleeding cash.

SFG sold off the loss-makers to Noni B two years ago, and kept City Chic for itself.

And now the company is flying with 70% of sales coming online, Ivers said.

"It's got a really great management team. A guy called Phil Ryan is the CEO, and he's been there for years," he told The Motley Fool.

"Now he's got the chains off him and he can just run this business properly."

Last year, City Chic acquired a US competitor called Avenue. This year, it's in the process of buying out another US rival, Catherines.

And Ivers reckons more deals will be coming.

"They've got a balance sheet with about $100 million in cash. And there's other opportunities to acquire online bits of other distressed assets," he said.

"Online is growing faster than bricks-and-mortar [sales]… and it's also higher margin for them."

News Corporation (ASX: NWS)

While most people would not think of Rupert Murdoch's media business as a tech company, Ivers disagrees.

"A lot of the focus is on 'old world' assets – the Foxtels and the newspaper, which are low quality assets… No one would debate that.

"But where the real value is in their holding of REA Group Limited (ASX: REA) and cash."

Ivers calculates that News' stake in the real estate classifieds website plus its cash represents about $19.30 of value per share.

And News Corp is currently trading at $20.69.

According to Ivers, the other "exciting" part of News' business is the publishing company Dow Jones. 

That subsidiary includes The Wall Street Journal, a publication that has a paywall for a wealthy readership receptive to paying for financial news.

"Historically [Dow Jones] has been reported as part of newspapers. So analysts have struggled to understand what sort of [price-to-earnings] multiples you should put that on," said Ivers.

"But for the first time, in their results just gone, they've actually split out Dow Jones."

And those numbers showed a healthy subsidiary with earnings increasing 13% in the COVID-affected fourth quarter. 

Taking its rival New York Times Co (NYSE: NYT)'s 25-times multiple, Ivers said Dow Jones alone could be worth US$6 billion ($8.2 billion).

Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL)

Redbubble is an online marketplace for artists to sell printed forms of their work. 

The site acts as a middle man between artists and printers, who put the art on coffee mugs, clothing, manchester and the like.

Despite its shares rising more than 9-fold since March, Ivers still sees tremendous upside.

"They did $350 million of revenue last year… Of that $350 million, about 30% of any dollar of growth falls through to EBITDA."

That means if Redbubble experiences 50% growth, that's about $50 million of earnings. Ivers said that would take the company to about a 15-times price-to-earnings multiple.

This compares favourably to other businesses like Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) and Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN), which are selling at far higher multiples.

"What's interesting about Redbubble is that it's a global business. Only 5% of its revenues are in Australia. So the opportunity set is much bigger."

Tony Yoo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Kogan.com ltd and Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Kogan.com ltd, REA Group Limited, and Temple & Webster Group Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

More on Growth Shares

Man drawing an upward line on a bar graph symbolising a rising share price.
Growth Shares

A rare buying opportunity in 1 of Australia's top shares?

Growth investors will not want to miss this exciting share.

Read more »

Three happy office workers cheer as they read about good financial news on a laptop.
Growth Shares

Are these the best ASX growth shares to buy and hold for 10 years?

Brokers rate these growth shares as buys in April. Here's what you need to know.

Read more »

A young man talks tech on his phone while looking at a laptop with a financial graph superimposed across the image.
Growth Shares

3 ASX growth shares to buy with $10,000

Looking to add some growth shares to your portfolio? Here are three that brokers rate as buys.

Read more »

Two smiling work colleagues discuss an investment at their office.
Growth Shares

3 ASX 300 shares that could be much bigger in 5 years

Big returns could be on offer from these shares according to analysts.

Read more »

Two brokers analysing the share price with the woman pointing at the screen and man talking on a phone.
Growth Shares

3 ASX shares tipped to grow 75% or more in the next 12 month!

These businesses may be significantly undervalued.

Read more »

A woman looks excited as she holds Australian dollars in the air.
Growth Shares

2 undervalued ASX shares to buy that experts think could deliver strong returns

A fund manager thinks these ASX shares could deliver great returns.

Read more »

A young man punches the air in delight as he reacts to great news on his mobile phone.
Growth Shares

5 ASX growth shares to buy and hold for 5 years

These shares could be destined for bright futures.

Read more »

A woman with a magnifying glass adjusts her glasses as she holds the glass to her computer screen and peers closely at it.
Growth Shares

3 ASX shares below $5 with huge potential

Some of the most interesting ASX shares are not the biggest, but those still early in their growth journey.

Read more »