Looking ahead to the remainder of 2015, it could prove to be a positive year for the ASX.
Certainly, last year was a disappointment, with the ASX rising by just 1%, but with interest rate falls on the horizon and the potential for a stimulus package from China, now could be a good time to top up on stockholdings for the long term.
With that in mind, here are three stocks that could be worth adding to your portfolio right now.
Brambles Limited
Having risen by 12% in the last three months alone, it appears that sentiment in Brambles Limited (ASX: BXB) is very much on the up. After all, the company seems to be performing well and has a relatively large economic moat that results from the important role it plays in the supply chains of many major, blue-chip customers. This, it seems, could prove to be a real asset for the company with regard to its medium-term growth profile.
In fact, Brambles is all set to recover from the disappointment of last financial year (when net profit fell by 12.2%) by posting earnings growth of 13% per annum over the next two years. This seems to have sparked investor interest in the stock and, although it has a price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 24.1, its price to earnings growth (PEG) ratio of 1.85 remains below that of the ASX at 1.99, thereby indicating that more share price growth could be on offer.
Origin Energy Ltd
Integrated energy supplier, Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG), has undoubtedly suffered from a lower oil price in recent months. Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that its share price has fallen by 19% in the last six months, although its bottom line continues to offer bright prospects for stockholders.
For example, Origin's earnings are forecast to grow at an annualised rate of 25.2% over the next two years and the company's shares only trade on a P/E ratio of 17.4. This gives a PEG ratio of 0.69, which indicates that share price growth could occur over the medium term.
In addition, with Origin having renegotiated its borrowings in recent months so as to benefit from more favourable rates, its bottom line could be given a further boost from lower interest costs.
Amcor Limited
While the Australian economy is experiencing a challenging period, with unemployment being stubbornly high and commodity prices being unfavourable, Amcor Limited (ASX: AMC) is continuing to develop its overseas exposure. This allows it to access a higher rate of growth and with the Aussie dollar set to weaken it could also provide it with a short-term profitability boost, too.
Clearly, high quality stocks such as Amcor rarely come cheap. However, its current valuation seems to be very reasonable when its future prospects are taken into account. So, while a P/E ratio of 18.7 seems rather high when the ASX has a rating of 15.2, it would be of little surprise for this to expand moving forward, with Amcor's share price all set to continue the rise that has seen it increase by 31% in the last six months.
