Are These 3 Small-Caps Set To Soar? EKF Diagnostics Holding PLC, Hardy Oil & Gas plc And Hydrodec Group plc

Should you pile into these 3 smaller companies right now? EKF Diagnostics Holding PLC (LON: EKF), Hardy Oil & Gas plc (LON: HDY) and Hydrodec Group plc (LON: HYR)

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

Shares in medical diagnostics business EKF Diagnostics (LSE: EKF) have soared by around 16% today despite there being no significant news flow released by the company. Its latest piece of news was a trading update released on 3 February and since then its shares have risen by a whopping 40%.

Encouragingly, the trading update showed that EKF is on-track to deliver cost savings of £6.7m from 2016 onwards and that it is putting in place the foundations for future growth. To aid this, EKF has adopted a singular focus on point-of-care and it remains focused on returning to core profitability and positive cash flow. Although EKF is expected to record a loss in the 2015 financial year, this is partly due to the expected impact of asset write downs of up to £60m.

While this is disappointing, EKF is anticipating core revenues of over £30m in 2016 and expects to have an EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) of between £3m and £4m this year. As such, and while it remains a relatively high risk play, which is in the midst of a major turnaround, EKF may be of interest to less risk averse investors.

Also rising today are shares in Hydrodec (LSE: HDY), with the cleantech industrial oil re-refining company posting gains of 15% even though there’s no significant news . Despite this rise, Hydrodec is still down by 59% in the last year, a key reason for this being the falling oil price during the period. As a result of this, Hydrodec last week confirmed the disposal of its UK collections business and UK lubricant oil re-refining, with it retaining an economic interest in the latter through a potential profit share.

The deal seems to be a sound one for Hydrodec since it reduces the downside risk to the business by its UK operations given the relatively low oil price. It also allows the company to shift its focus towards its transformer oil technology business, where it could have a competitive advantage due to its proven technology. Although the company’s shares have performed well today, there is still some way to go as it proceeds with what is an ambitious turnaround plan. However, it may be worth a closer look for less risk averse investors.

Meanwhile, Hardy Oil & Gas (LSE: HDY) has also performed well today, with its shares being up 11%. As with Hydrodec, Hardy has been hurt by a falling oil price in the last year, with its shares being down by 49% during the period.

Looking ahead, Hardy could deliver improved share price performance since it continues to have no debt on its balance sheet and a cash position of $19.3m. However, as its recent results highlighted, the company may have the potential to develop its India-based assets, but the pace of activity has been rather slower than it had hoped. And with there being a number of oil and gas plays trading on low valuations and having bright futures, it may be prudent to look elsewhere rather than buying a slice of Hardy at the present time.

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

Peter Stephens has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

More on Investing Articles

Investing Articles

Here’s how I’m using a £20k ISA to target £11k+ in income 30 years from now

Is it realistic to put £20k in an ISA now and earn over half that amount every year in passive…

Read more »

Young black colleagues high-fiving each other at work
Investing Articles

If I could only keep 5 UK stocks from my portfolio I’d save these

Harvey Jones is running through his portfolio of top UK stocks to see which ones he couldn't bear to do…

Read more »

Midnight is celebrated along the River Thames in London with a spectacular and colourful firework display.
Investing Articles

I’m aiming for a million buying unexciting shares!

By investing regularly in long-established, proven and even rather dull businesses, this writer plans to aim for a million. Here's…

Read more »

Investing Articles

3 things to consider before you start investing

Our writer draws on his stock market experience to consider a few vital lessons he would use to start investing…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Will this lesser-known £28bn growth stock be joining the FTSE 100 soon?

As the powers that be plan a reorganisation of Footsie listing rules, this massive under-the-radar growth stock could find its…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Fools wouldn’t touch these 5 FTSE 350 flops with a bargepole – how come I own 3 of them?

Harvey Jones took a chance on three struggling FTSE 350 stocks in the hope that they'd stage a dramatic recovery.…

Read more »

Young black colleagues high-fiving each other at work
Investing Articles

How I’m trying to make a million from passive income

Invest as much as possible, regularly, and use the passive income to plough back into more shares. Here's how millionaires…

Read more »

Investing Articles

I’d buy 30,434 shares of this UK dividend stock to target £175 a month in passive income

A top insider has spent over £1m buying this 9%-yielding passive income share over the last year. Roland Head explains…

Read more »