Official interest rates in Australia, which have been cut three times since February this year, are likely to ease further, putting a tailwind behind some stocks that benefit from increased discretionary spending.
Wilsons Advisory recently released its Invest Now report for September, which contains its high conviction investment ideas. It has tapped three ASX stocks as its key new picks in the local market.
In terms of the stocks, Wilsons sees Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP), Collins Foods Ltd (ASX: CKF), and Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) as its "rate cut winners".
Stockland is our preferred Australian residential exposure which should benefit from the rate cutting cycle. Rate cuts should also support recent sales momentum that consumer discretionary Collins Foods has been experiencing. Xero has been added as an oversold (on no material news) opportunity, while its fundamentals remain strong. Pinnacle Investment Management Group Limited (ASX: PNI) and ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) remain on the list as high conviction ideas.
The $15 billion Stockland is trading close to its 12-month highs, changing hands for $6.21 compared with a high of $6.48 hit in August.
It is one of the largest diversified property groups in Australia and owns, manages, and develops assets across the industrial, commercial, residential, and retirement real estate sectors.
Image source: Getty Images
Winner, winner, chicken dinner
Shares in the $1.2 billion Collins Foods are also trading near 12-month highs. The company's core asset is its network of KFC stores across Australia.
The company is also looking to expand further overseas. At its annual general meeting held earlier this month, chair Robert Kaye said the strategic roadmap envisioned expanding in both Australia and Germany, with 40-70 new KFC restaurants planned in Germany over the next five years.
"With more than 80 million consumers and low KFC market penetration, Germany represents a compelling opportunity,'' Mr Kaye said.
Xero trading at a discount
On Xero, Wilsons said the recent pullback in the share price created an attractive buying opportunity.
We attribute the share price weakness to indigestion from its $3.9 billion acquisition of Melio in July (and its associated capital raise). At its AGM in August, Xero reaffirmed 'that there are no changes to the outlook', which provides confidence that fundamentals remain robust. We view the acquisition positively as it strengthens Xero's US expansion strategy by building out its product offering with B2B payments capability – a key competitive edge. More broadly, Xero continues to demonstrate healthy subscriber growth, which alongside average revenue per user increases and operating leverage, are driving significant earnings growth.
Wilsons said Resmed continues to demonstrate robust top-line growth, and its gross margins have further scope to expand.
