Another flat day on the S&P / ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has not stopped a few stocks from standing out on the back of positive earnings results, or strong investor sentiment. Some of these businesses look to have strong futures ahead of them, so they are worth a closer look.
Aerial mapping and technology business Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA) has climbed 5 cents or more than 7% to 75 cents as investors warm to its prospects of replicating its Australian success in the lucrative North American market.
Nearmap creates and sells high resolution images of mainly urban areas for businesses and citizens who use the images for a diverse range of commercial or personal purposes. The company recently turned its maiden full-year profit off the back of its Australian success and is aiming to achieve $50-$70 million in sales revenues in the U.S. by FY 17. If successful it is likely to have a far higher value than today's market capitalisation around $237 million.
Building materials business CSR Limited (ASX:CSR) is up 2.86% to $3.60 after it announced a half-year net profit of $70 million, up 72% on the prior corresponding period.
Unsurprisingly, CSR has been a big beneficiary of the housing and construction boom and this is a tailwind unlikely to soften into the future. With housing and construction one of the few sectors of the local economy with a bright outlook, CSR remains a business investors would do well to pay close attention to.
JB-Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH) has climbed 30 cents or 1.95% partly in response to some stronger-than-expected retail sales figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday. JB Hi-Fi has been sold off heavily over the last few months and the buying may be the result of bargain-hunting investors seeing value in the stock.
Given that it is in the ever-popular electronic goods space, with ambitious plans in the white goods space, JB Hi-Fi remains one of the best options going for investors looking to beaten-down opportunities in the retail space.
Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW), the business behind the eponymous supermarkets, has jumped 83 cents or 2.49% today as investors look to pick up one of the ASX's best stocks at a discount price. The stock was sold off around 6% after disappointing institutional investors on Monday with slower-than-expected quarterly sales growth.
Large institutional investors who hold much of the stock might be in the process of re-rating it, which means lower prices are available to retail investors looking to buy and hold over long-term horizons. Woolworths remains one of the best investments on the ASX, and price weakness should be seen as a buying opportunity in my opinion.
