The Fairfax press has reported that analysts at investment bank Credit Suisse have identified six small-cap shares that have a chance to deliver rocketing growth in 2016.
According to Fairfax the team at Credit Suisse compared current share prices to their 12-month price targets and then came up with six companies that traded at the biggest discount to the broker's 12-month share price targets.
It's no surprise that all of the companies come from the beaten-down mining or mining services sectors, where share prices have been demolished across the board as the commodity super-cycle ends in tandem with China's infrastructure boom.
Below are the six shares named by Credit Suisse and their current valuations. Note market movements mean current valuations will likely not be the same as they were when identified by Credit Suisse earlier this week.
- Senex Energy Ltd (ASX: SXY) (14 cents) a small-cap oil and gas producer largely focused on the resource rich Cooper Basin region.
- WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED (ASX: WHC) (40.5 cents) the heavily indebted coal miner currently ramping up production at its flagship Maules Creek asset.
- Worleyparsons Limited (ASX: WOR) ($3.39) is the mining services business that has suffered due to the big falls in capital, investment and project expenditures across the Australian resources sector.
- Altona Mining Ltd (ASX: AOH) (9.9 cents) is a junior copper miner that will be relying on a rebound in copper prices that have slumped to multi-year lows recently on softening Chinese and emerging market demand.
- Bradken Limited (ASX: BKN) (44 cents) is an engineering services business that has also crashed in value due to the slump in new project and investment expenditure across the resources sector.
- Kula Gold Ltd (ASX: KGD) (3.5 cents) is a PNG-focused micro-cap gold miner that looks extremely speculative in nature as it is a long way off from delivering on its ambitions to develop a gold mining project in PNG.
Given the headwinds facing the resources sector and commodity prices in general, none of the above companies have much credibility as investment picks for serious investors, and I would not recommend chasing them in the pursuit of big returns.
There's no need to gamble on mining shares, especially when there are so many other better options across the healthcare, consumer staples, or technology sectors for example. Including three of the businesses identified below.
