The Industrials sector is one of the broadest sectors on the ASX and as such it incorporates a wide and varied mix of corporations. The sector is actually broken down into three industry groups, namely: Capital Goods, Commercial and Professional Services and Transportation.
Amongst these three industry groups there are investment candidates that are appealing based on a number of different factors.
Contrarian
Silver Chef Limited's (ASX: SIV) share price has lost around 30% in the past year however there are plenty of reasons to view the long-term prospects of Silver Chef favourably. The company provides long-term rental of commercial equipment, primarily to the hospitality sector but also increasingly to other sectors such as the fitness industry.
Defensive
When it comes to owning a defensive investment it doesn't get much better than owning a toll road. Transurban Group (ASX: TCL) is Australia's leading owner and operator of toll roads; the group has also been aggressively expanding its asset base via the acquisition of Cross City Tunnel and the development of NorthConnex.
Growth at a Reasonable Price
Brambles Limited (ASX: BXB) is a stock that could actually be identified under a number of factors including quality, defensive, growth or blue chip. In this instance I have selected it as a GARP, or a growth at a reasonable price stock. While Brambles is already a market leader in container and pallet pooling, it operates in very large markets that still offer significant upside. While the stock doesn't appear to be 'cheap', given its stable growth profile the price looks reasonable.
Growth
The market appears to have caught on to the growth potential of Veda Group Ltd (ASX: VED) with the share price up around 30% since listing last December. The credit information provider has produced a solid level of earnings growth over the past few years and this is forecast to continue with EBIT expected to rise from $82 million in financial year (FY) 2013 to $102 million in FY 2014.
Quality
Plumbing and bathroom products supplier Reece Australia Limited (ASX: REH) has provided shareholders with outstanding returns for many years. As a dominant supplier of plumbing products to the trade it is also well positioned to benefit from a cyclical upswing in home construction.
