It has been a horrible start to the week, with the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX:XJO) falling over 1.5% to below 4,930 points. This is likely to cap off seven consecutive days of losses for the market.
The biggest drags on the overall market have been the usual suspects – the big four banks, BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP), Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) and the major energy producers.
This is causing investor sentiment to be pretty soft at the moment and many investors are heading for the exits, fearing further falls to come.
Despite this, investors who remain calm and rational could do well from this market sell-off and should see this as a buying opportunity.
Here are three shares value investors could consider right now:
1. Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) – Macquarie shares have lost nearly 4% today and more than 11% over the past seven trading days to trade at $73.90. At the current share price, Macquarie offers an attractive investment proposition as it offers investors a nice dividend yield that is currently 4.6%. It is also expected to maintain positive earnings momentum over the next 12 months. The company has successfully built its operations globally and in recent years has made a number of strategic acquisitions that will help to drive earnings in the long term. The shares continue to trade at a discount to the broader market and it is a stock I would be happy to add to my portfolio right now.
2. Ainsworth Game Technology Limited (ASX: AGI) – Shares in Ainsworth have been trending lower since mid-November and are now trading at a 52-week low of $2.12. A weaker-than-expected trading update followed by the resignation of a key product developer have been the main drivers of the decline and the lack of positive news out of the broader gaming market has also impacted sentiment. At the current share price, the stock is trading on a forward price-to-earnings ratio of around 10 and offers a dividend yield of 4.7%. This seems reasonably attractive considering Ainsworth has good future growth prospects especially in international markets. Interestingly, founder and chairman Len Ainsworth purchased 500,000 shares in late November to add to his already significant holdings.
3. QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) – QBE shares are down more than 11% over the past six trading days and more than 25% since hitting a 52-week high of $15. The global insurer remains on track to deliver a remarkable turnaround that has been in the making for a number of years. Although QBE remains at the mercy of Mother Nature to some extent, it has shown it can better manage these risks over recent years and should be able to better cope with shocks through a much stronger balance sheet. QBE expects to pay up to 65% of cash profits as dividends and this is expected to yield investors around 4.4% over the next 12 months. Investors should also note that the increase in US interest rates will gradually boost returns on the company's investments in conservative assets such as treasuries and bonds. This is expected to create a windfall for investors over the coming years and should see the dividend progressively increased.
