While searching for income and value is a sound starting point for all investors, ultimately a companys growth potential is what really matters. For example, buying a company with a great yield or which has a cheap share price may be a good move, but to generate stunning capital gains that company must also be able to increase its net profit by more than the wider market over a sustained period.
In other words, earnings growth is a major catalyst for share price growth and, in this regard, document storage companyRestore (LSE: RST) seems to have huge potential.
For example its share price is up by over 6% today after the company released an upbeat set of results that show a degree of confidence in its future outlook. That is despite pretax profit falling slightly versus the same period of last year as a result of M&A activity, redundancies and other exceptional costs.
Still, Restore is on target to grow its earnings on an adjusted basis by as much as 25% this year and by a further 13% next year. This puts it on a price to earnings growth (PEG) ratio of just 1.1, which indicates that it offers growth at a very reasonable price. And, best of all, the companys earnings are relatively resilient and reliable, since document storage has a high degree of customer loyalty, thereby making Restore a great long term growth prospect.
Similarly, luxury fashion brandBurberry (LSE: BRBY) has excellent long term growth potential. Certainly, its sales and profitability may come under pressure in the short run as the Chinese economy continues to make a soft landing. However, the strength of its brand is exceptional and, realistically, Burberry could attempt to further increase its pricing so as to boost sales and margins.
Looking ahead, earnings growth of 10% is being pencilled in for next year. Although this figure was more than double that level in the earlier part of the current decade, Burberry continues to offer market-beating growth even during what is expected to be a difficult trading period for the business. However, with a high degree of customer loyalty, a diverse geographical spread and the potential to expand into new niches, Burberrys price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 15.8 indicates good value for money.
Similarly, it is the long term growth prospects of Unilever (LSE: ULVR) that hold great appeal. As with Burberry, the short term outlook may not be as positive as previously anticipated, with growth of 9% forecast this year and 6% expected next year. However, with a growing middle class across the developing world, Unilevers mid to upper-tier price point products are likely to see an increase in demand as individuals seek to use perceived better quality and more expensive items than they have in the past.
And, with Unilever generating around 60% of its revenue from emerging markets, it is well-placed to benefit from a trend which has been present for many decades. So, while the next few years may be somewhat slower in terms of economic growth for the likes of China, the reality is that the consumer economies of the developing world are likely to produce strong growth and push Unilevers sales and profit much higher.
Of course, Unilever, Burberry and Restore aren’t the only companies that could be worth buying at the present time. With that in mind, the analysts at The Motley Fool have written a free and without obligation guide called 5 Shares You Can Retire On.
The 5 companies in question offer stunning dividend yields, have fantastic long term potential, and trade at very appealing valuations. As such, they could deliver excellent returns and provide your portfolio with a major boost in 2015 and beyond.
Click here to find out all about them – it’s completely free and without obligation to do so.
Peter Stephens owns shares of Burberry, Restore plc, and Unilever. The Motley Fool UK owns and has recommended Unilever. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Burberry. We Fools don’t all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.