Due to the market selloff in the final quarter of 2018, over the last 12 months the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) is down a disappointing 3.7%.
The good news is that not all shares on the index have performed as poorly.
In fact, the three shares listed below have rocketed higher over the period. Is it too late to pick up shares?
The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price has surged 43% higher over the last 12 months. The infant formula and dairy company has caught the eye of investors during this time after delivering a stellar result in FY 2018 and revealing an impressive start to FY 2019. In respect to the latter, thanks largely to increasing demand for its infant formula products in China, a2 Milk Company posted a 64.5% increase in net profit to NZ$86 million for the first four months of FY 2019. While I think its shares are approaching fair value now, I still see them as a great long term investment option.
The NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) share price has zoomed 19% higher since this time last year. Investors have been buying the data centre operator's shares after it reported yet another year of strong growth and pulled forward capacity expansions in response to increasing demand. Demand has been so strong that NEXTDC has seen customer numbers increase by a compound annual growth rate of 49% and interconnections by a compound annual growth rate of 76% over the last five years. I expect similarly strong growth over the coming years due to the cloud computing boom, potentially making it a good option for investors. Though, given the premium its shares trade at, it is a high risk one.
The Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited (ASX: SAR) share price has been the best performer on the ASX 200 over the last 12 months with a 129% gain. As well as benefiting from increasing demand for risk off assets due to the market volatility, investors have been attracted to Saracen due to its impressive profit growth. In FY 2019 Saracen reported a net profit after tax of $78 million, which was an increase of 175% on the previous year. With management aiming to lift its production by 8% to 15% in FY 2019, Saracen looks well-positioned to deliver another bumper profit result. If you think the gold price will remain at current levels then it could be worth considering.
