Shoprite (SHP) is Africa's largest grocery retailer and consumer goods company. Despite facing intense price competition, which has limited supermarkets' ability to pass on price increases, the company has shown resilience. Its share price, which fell from R275 in March 2018 to around R100 in July 2020, has since recovered, as the company stands to benefit from...
Vunani (VUN) is a black-owned financial services group with operations across asset management, investment banking, property, stockbroking, and coal mining. The company's coal interests have recently benefitted from increased coal prices, adding resilience to their diversified portfolio. However, in its latest six-month results to 31st August 2024, Vunani reported...
PPC is a leading manufacturer and supplier of cement, aggregates, ready-mix, lime, limestone, and fly-ash in Africa, with operations in South Africa, Botswana, the DRC, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. The company operates eleven cement factories with a combined production capacity of 11.5 million tons. PPC's Mooiplaas quarry in Gauteng is the largest aggregates...
Pick 'n Pay (PIK) is a long-established retail grocery chain with a strong presence in South Africa and several stores across Africa. Founded by Raymond Ackerman in 1967, the brand once dominated South Africa's grocery retail space before being overtaken by competitors like Shoprite/Checkers. The company has brought Sean Summers back as CEO, hoping to leverage his...
Balwin Properties (BWN) is a South African developer focusing on secure sectional title properties, recently diversifying into renting out properties to generate a more stable income stream. The company is leveraging solar power and internet fiber installations to add value to its developments. Initially listed at R10 per share, it now trades around 270c. Given...
The Foschini Group (TFG) is a prominent international retailer with 28 fashion brands and 4083 trading outlets across 32 countries. TFG's successful expansion into Australia with the Retail Apparel Group (RAG) acquisition in 2017 (for over $300 million) sets it apart, as many South African retailers, such as Woolworths, have struggled in that market. TFG has...
Dis-Chem Pharmacies (DCP), which listed in November 2016, is a prominent competitor to Clicks (CLS) in the pharmaceutical, medicine, and beauty products markets. The business is led by the Saltzman family, with a significant stake held through a private company, Ivlyn. In August 2021, Ivlyn announced a reduction in its stake by selling 7.5% of its shares via a...
Naspers (NPN) separately listed Prosus (PRX) on the Euronext in Amsterdam on 11th September 2019, consolidating its international assets, including its stake in Tencent, Mail.Ru, and various internet brands. Naspers retains a 73% ownership of Prosus, with a 25% free float. The Euronext listing provides a key advantage as it mitigates the currency risk associated...
Anglo American Platinum (AMS), commonly known as Amplats, is the world's second-largest platinum producer, after Sibanye, and plays a significant role in the platinum group metals (PGM) industry. Owned 77.62% by Anglo American, Amplats has undergone a significant transformation over the past few years, moving away from deep-level mining toward more efficient,...
Afrimat (AFT) is an open-pit mining company supplying composites, construction materials, and other commodities to various industries across Southern Africa. Historically, Afrimat was one of the top-performing shares on the JSE until the end of 2015. After a period of consolidation and navigating through the COVID-19 crisis, the stock broke out of a 3-year...
Enterprise Outsourcing Holdings (EOH) was once Africa's largest information technology company, involved in almost every aspect of computer applications. At its peak, the company had 11,000 staff members, though this number has since been reduced to 6,151. EOH was a star performer on the JSE until August 2015, with a long history of steady profit growth. Its share...
Famous Brands (FBR) is Africa's largest branded fast-food franchisor, operating 2925 restaurants across seventeen brands, with 2574 restaurants in South Africa, 62 in the UK, and 76 in other parts of Africa and the Middle East. The company owns iconic South African brands such as Wimpy, Debonairs Pizza, and Steers. For the last two years, even before COVID-19,...
WeBuyCars was listed separately on the JSE on 11th April 2024, having been unbundled from Transaction Capital (TCP) to raise capital and shield itself from the challenges TCP faces in its taxi division. The company issued 417.2 million shares, which began trading at around R20 per share, giving it an initial market capitalisation of just over R8.5 billion....
Sasol (SOL) is an international chemicals and energy company, historically rooted in South Africa's oil-from-coal technology, and about 50% of its profits are linked to oil prices. Sasol has two major growth areas: its 50% stake in the Lake Charles Chemical Project (LCCP) in Louisiana, USA, and its expanding gas exploration efforts in Mozambique. Recently, Sasol...
Sasfin (SFN) is a banking group specializing in financing services for small businesses and high-net-worth individuals. Listed on the JSE in 1987, Sasfin has been investing in its digital platforms and making strategic acquisitions. The share had been in a long-term downward trend, with investors advised to wait for a decisive upward break through its trendline...
Oasis (OAS) is a property company that adheres to the principles of Islamic finance, managing a range of properties and offering financial services. The company also handles institutional investments and retirement portfolios for governments, parastatals, collective investment schemes, and private individuals. In addition to property management, Oasis operates...
Adcorp (ADR) is an employment services company with subsidiaries in South Africa and Australia. The company has focused on improving its operations through (1) defining and refining its core business, (2) reducing costs, (3) strengthening its brand, and (4) transforming its internal culture. These efforts are aimed at positioning the company for growth, despite...
South32 (S32) was spun out of BHP Billiton in 2015, inheriting BHP's South African coal assets. Today, it is a diversified miner of base metals and minerals, including zinc, coal, aluminium, silver, lead, nickel, and manganese, with operations in South Africa, South America, and Australia. In June 2020, South32 sold its South African coal assets to Seriti,...