Penny stocks can be famously exciting investments. And not necessarily in a good way.
These small-cap shares are often young companies that have significant growth potential. If things go right, they can experience blockbuster profits growth that drives their share prices through the roof.
However, penny stocks can also often experience significant price volatility, a reflection of weak liquidity and high levels of speculative trading. They can fall especially sharply when economic conditions worsen and fears over their balance sheet strength increase.
Buying cheap
This is why it can be a good idea to buy penny stocks that carry low valuations. The risk of a sharp share price fall can be limited, as the market has already taken a pessimistic view of the company’s prospects.
Buying any cheap stock has other advantages as well. If the company performs strongly, the share price can explode as investors recognise the true value of the business.
With this in mind, here are two top growth shares I think are worth a close look today.
Gold star
Purchasing commodities stocks can be a wild ride. Prices of raw materials are often volatile, which means these shares can soar or sink at a moment’s notice.
But a bright outlook for precious metals means investing in gold producers could be a good idea. Serabi Gold (LSE:SRB), which trades at 66.5p per share and has a market cap of £50.4m, is one such company on my radar.
There’s no guarantee that gold prices will rise beyond May’s record peaks around $2,450 per ounce. But a ‘perfect storm’ of factors exists that might drive metal prices much higher. These include:
Stubborn global inflation
Major electoral shifts in Europe (and especially France)
Significant government debt, particularly in the US
Continued weakness in China’s economy
Growing Western tensions with Russia and China
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But why buy Serabi Gold shares to capitalise on this? For one thing, its shares offer good value today. The Brazilian miner trades on a rock-bottom forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 4 times.
Gold production is also rising as the business ramps up output at its Coringa asset. Group production rose 12.5% between January and March, representing the highest quarterly total since 2021.
Block party
Michelmersh Brick Holdings (LSE:MBH) is another good value penny stock to consider today.
At the current price of 95.4p, the £93.7m cap business looks significantly undervalued compared to some of its peers. The gap between its forward P/E ratio of 9.4 times, and those of rivals Ibstock (in blue) and Forterra (in green), is shown below.
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What makes brickmakers like this such an attractive investment though? Admittedly, demand for homes in the UK is currently weak due to higher-than-usual interest rates. This will remain a threat if inflation fails to stay low.
However, the long-term outlook for the housing market remains robust. Britain will need to ramp up housebuilding activity substantially in the coming years to meet the accommodation needs of its growing population. So sales of all kinds of construction products could be set for lift-off.
Michelmersh can also expect brick demand from the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market to remain robust. Britain’s ancient housing stock requires constant renewal to stay standing.
The post 2 dirt cheap penny stocks investors should consider this July! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
Like buying £1 for 31p
This seems ridiculous, but we almost never see shares looking this cheap. Yet this Share Advisor pick has a price/book ratio of 0.31. In plain English, this means that investors effectively get in on a business that holds £1 of assets for every 31p they invest!
Of course, this is the stock market where money is always at risk — these valuations can change and there are no guarantees. But some risks are a LOT more interesting than others, and at The Motley Fool we believe this company is amongst them.
What’s more, it currently boasts a stellar dividend yield of around 10%, and right now it’s possible for investors to jump aboard at near-historic lows. Want to get the name for yourself?
See the full investment case
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Royston Wild has positions in Ibstock Plc. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Ibstock Plc. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.