They are flying under the radar, but that's how even the largest companies on the ASX began. Can these smaller companies become dominant players in their sectors, and rise to join the ranks of our largest companies, taking their shareholders with them?
Fund manager Contango MicroCap certainly believes so – they're pinning their reputation on it and have stocked their portfolio chock-a-block with stocks set to perform well in to 2015.
Let's take a closer look at three of their top holdings…
Slater & Gordon Limited (ASX: SGH)
Already generating high earnings growth, this law firm is expanding into the lucrative UK market in expectation of more growth. No wonder the company's shares are up 63% in the past year, with potentially more to come.
G8 Education Ltd (ASX: GEM)
Childcare and early education services provider G8 continues to grow strongly, recently acquiring 63 childcare centres, taking the number of centres it owns to 296. The more centres it acquires, the better scale the company can achieve, leading to a virtuous circle of generating high cash flow to acquire more centres. Just watch those debt levels – remember ABC Learning?
Mayne Pharma Group Ltd (ASX: MYX)
Generic drug manufacturer Mayne Pharma recently acquired a number of complementary brands from Forest Laboratories for up to US$12 million, adding to net profit and earnings per share immediately. The markets for the new brands are growing by volume and value driven by a growing and ageing population. Mayne Pharma also has 6-8 new products to be filed with the US FDA within the next 12 months.
Contango also holds another two potential stars in its portfolio – Cedar Woods Properties Limited (ASX: CWP) and Village Roadshow Ltd (ASX: VRL). Here's another company they (and you) might want to consider…