I feel it is fair to say that sentiment can mean a lot in the share market. Shares that are out of favour with brokers can find it hard to get out of a downward trend. Whereas shares that are in favour with brokers and being recommended with a buy rating can climb higher and higher thanks to the positive sentiment.
For this reason I like to keep a close eye on what brokers are saying about shares on the Australian Stock Exchange. The good news for shareholders of these two companies is that according to the brokerage arm of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), certain brokers have just upgraded them to a buy recommendation.
Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)
I feel Breville is one of the most underrated shares on the ASX, so it is great to see it finally find favour with brokers. In its half year report Breville reported a 12.7% increase in revenue year-on-year to $331 million and bottom line growth of 4% to $31 million.
Thanks to the current housing market boom, I believe Breville will see solid organic growth from its Australian operations. But its international operations are likely to be the real catalyst for growth.
The company's growing exposure to the United States is a key reason why I expect it to perform well this year. In its half-year results the North American segment produced an increase in both revenue and earnings of 30.8% and 39.9%, respectively.
If it can carry on this strong performance for the full year then I would expect to see the share price climb higher. A further bonus is the fact it is expected to pay an estimated fully franked FY 2016 dividend of 3.6%.
REVA Medical Inc (ASX: RVA)
REVA is a clinical stage medical device company located in San Diego in the United States. It has developed bioresorbable scaffolds which provide an alternative to metal stents.
Metal stents are small tube-like devices that are permanently implanted into an artery to treat coronary artery disease. Whereas REVA's bioresorbable scaffolds are essentially designed to do the same job, then disappear naturally from the body over a period of time.
REVA has just received positive six-month results from the first group of patients in the clinical trial of the company's scaffolds. It is of course early days, but this is a great step forward for the company. The global coronary stents market has been estimated by Transparency Market Research to be worth over US$8.3 billion per year by 2019.
In my opinion this is definitely one for the watchlist, but may be a little too speculative at this stage for my personal liking.
