Some of the leading Australian fund managers have named their top ASX share picks for 2019.
A panel of experts spoke to Livewire to deliver their favourite ideas for the year ahead.
Here are those ASX share tips:
National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) – Matthew Kidman, Centennial Asset Management
Mr Kidman, perhaps surprisingly, went for NAB. He described NAB as the cheapest of the big four banks and its dividend may be the one most under threat, however a dividend 10% lower would still offer a big yield. But, if franking credits do change then NAB's high yield (excluding franking credits) could seem attractive to investors, sending the share price higher.
Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) – Ben Clark, TMS Capital
Mr Clark went for cloud accounting software favourite Xero. Its share price has fallen in recent months, but there are a number of potential factors that could boost earnings. He thinks its revenue could double in two years, the UK is forcing digitisation of tax returns (where Xero is number one) and there is payroll reform in Australia. Plus, Xero is steadily growing in the USA.
Alacer Gold Corp (ASX: AQG) – David Allingham, Eley Griffiths Group
Mr Allingham said that despite the gold sector having a strong run in recent months, Alacer hadn't benefited – at the time of recording the interview at least, it has rallied strongly since 20 December 2018. He said that Alacer Gold was trading at half of its book value and that its share price could reach $4. It's currently at $2.70.
Murray River Organics Ltd (ASX: MRG) – Dean Fergie, Cyan Investment Management
Mr Fergie went for the fruit and nut company Murray River Organics, which supplies major supermarket customers like Aldi and Coles Group Limited (ASX: COL). He said it has new management, a new board, it's trading below its NTA and it could be a turnaround idea.
Foolish takeaway
This is a diverse group of picks. If I could only go for one it would be Xero – it's still growing at a very fast pace, it has excellent platform effects, pleasing recurring revenue and is becoming a leading global technology business.
But, Xero still isn't cheap and could fall further in the coming months. There may be safer options in the short-term.
