Although there are around 2,150 shares listed on the ASX right now, most investors will probably only ever consider around 5%-10% of these listings as serious investment opportunities.
From this 'universe' of opportunities, an investor must then select a small number of companies which they believe are worthy of a spot in their portfolio.
Since every investor has a limited number of spots in their portfolio, it is important that those spots are taken up by the best available ideas.
With that in mind, I think these four shares could easily fit into the portfolio of any growth investor:
REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)
REA Group remains the dominant force in the Australian residential property listing market and has continued to perform remarkably well, even in the face of historically low listing volumes and rising competition. The company continues to expand its reach overseas and it is well placed to benefit when listing volumes eventually pick up in Australia. The shares have had a nice pull-back since August and a fall below $50 would represent a good buying opportunity in my opinion.
Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC)
The private hospital operator consistently delivers results above market expectations and this has made it a favourite amongst investors. Although Ramsay has already enjoyed great success over the past 10 years, the future looks just as exciting with further expansion likely throughout Europe and the Asia-Pacific. With the shares trading on a price-to-earnings ratio of around 33, it's hard to argue that the shares offer good value at the moment, but a market wide correction could easily bring the shares back to an attractive buying level.
ResMed Inc. (CHESS) (ASX: RMD)
ResMed's potential target market is so large that I would not be surprised if it delivers double-digit growth annually over the next decade. The company continues to be at the forefront in research and development of new devices and is now utilising market-leading, cloud-based, home health technology to drive patient compliance. The improvement in patient compliance is a major opportunity for ResMed as it will help to drive a substantial increase in recurring revenues. Trading at around 23x earnings, I think the current share price offers a pretty good entry point for longer term investors.
iSentia Group Ltd (ASX: ISD)
iSentia is a relatively new listing on the ASX, but its shares have been pretty volatile during that time. Only today, the shares are down around 4% on no news. Nevertheless, investors who are comfortable with above average risk could consider buying shares in this fast-growing media monitoring and intelligence business. The company has plans to significantly expand its operations throughout the Asia-Pacific region and has a clear strategy to accelerate earnings to 2020 and beyond. Although iSentia's growth plans might be ambitious, I wouldn't put it past them as the increasing popularity of social media provides the company with a huge opportunity.
