2015 has been a terrific year for Australian sharemarket investors. The S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX: XJO) is up 9.8% already after returning next to nothing in the 2014 calendar year, and both small and large-cap investors have been rewarded!
The top 10 returning large-cap stocks so far this year have been:
- Toll Holdings Limited (ASX: TOL)- up 53%
- Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)- up 43%
- TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPM)- up 41%
- ResMed Inc. (CHESS) (ASX: RMD)- up 41%
- Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)- up 40%
- Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM)- up 32%
- Incitec Pivot Ltd (ASX: IPL)- up 30%
- Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)- 26%
- APA Group (ASX: APA)- up 25%
- Boral Limited (ASX: BLD)- up 23%
Is there still time to buy?
There are a few interesting themes to take note of in the companies listed above:
- Takeover targets (TOL) or companies growing via takeover (TPM, ALL) will generally outperform the market over the short term.
- Commodity prices will drive massive changes in the value of both miners (NCM, IPL) and commodity consumers (QAN).
- Companies that can deliver consistent growth will continue to outperform, regardless of how many investors are hunting for yield (RMD, MQG, APA).
- One-off booms will always benefit portions of the market, like the housing construction boom on brick demand (BLD).
Some or all of the companies above have run their course for 2015 and will end up in similar positions or at a lower share price than they are now. Foolish investors (with a capital F) will note that a few of the companies listed have a history of growing earnings and dividends and competitive advantages over their peers.
These are the companies that will continue to rise as we head into the second half of 2015, do you own them yet? If you don't then you NEED to know something!
