There are many ways to get exposure to economies outside Australia. The easiest way is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF) which tracks the global markets.
But for those of us who like to do some research and choose which shares to invest in, we can also buy individual businesses with overseas exposure.
Here are a few to consider…
Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA)
Orora produces tailored packaging and visual communications solutions, namely the design and manufacture of bottles, cans and boxes.
After being spun out of Amcor Limited (ASX: AMC) in late 2013, the company has performed well and shares have roughly tripled over that time. Orora does business in 7 countries, and has 47 manufacturing plants in Australia and North America.
The company also pays a reliable stream of income, with dividends increasing every year. Orora's latest results show growth is continuing, with underlying earnings per share increasing by 11.5%, while the dividend was boosted by 13.6%.
Shares are trading at around 20 times earnings and a partly franked dividend yield of 3.6%.
Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL)
Sonic Healthcare provides pathology, radiology and clinical services around the world, operating in 8 countries. In the last 30 years, Sonic has become one of the biggest pathology companies in the world.
The company just reported another solid year of profit growth, as well as a couple of acquisitions in Germany. Earnings per-share increased by 9.9% and the dividend was boosted by 6.5%.
The dividend has been increased regularly and Sonic has never cut the dividend in the last 20 years. Shares currently trade for around 22 times earnings, and a dividend yield of 3% partly franked.
Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)
Corporate Travel Management is growing at an impressive rate. The company provides travel management solutions to businesses throughout Australia & New Zealand, Europe, USA and Asia.
Revenue has grown from $31m in 2010, to $372m this year. Earnings per-share has grown more than five-fold over this time, so it's not just a top-line story – this business is very profitable.
The company recently announced another good year, with earnings up in every region, allowing it to increase the dividend by 20%.
With a large market opportunity, Corporate Travel Management could keep up this growth rate for some time. The company only holds less than 1% market-share in the USA and Europe for example, with its Europe business growing by 80% this year.
Shares trade at a high price-to-earnings multiple which is to be expected for a rapidly growing company.
Foolish takeaway
With operations in multiple countries, if these companies gain traction in one area, it can more than offset weakness in another region. A key feature of companies with global exposure is they tend to have a much larger market opportunity than those focused solely in Australia.
