New research from investment holding company MBH Corporation reveals 85 per cent of professional investors from the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany believe equities in the UK are undervalued. Those investors, who collectively manage more than $300 billion, said a key reason for optimism around UK equities is because the country has a strong COVID-19 vaccination program, and this is contributing to a faster recovery and greater economic growth than many other developed countries.
Over the next year, 47 per cent of the professional investors interviewed said they will increase their allocation to UK equities, compared to five per cent who expect to reduce it. Expand the timeline to three years and the figures are 56 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.
MBH said micro caps and small caps can be among the best performers as economies recover from a downturn. Its research shows 20 per cent of the professional investors interviewed expect to increase their allocation to UK microcaps between now and 2023, compared to eight per cent who will reduce their exposure. The corresponding figures for small caps are 33 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.
“UK equities took a hit after Brexit, and along with stock markets in general, they suffered during the early stages of the coronavirus crisis,” MBH CEO Callum Laing said. “However, they have bounced back but our research shows that many professional investors still believe they are undervalued, and they are looking to increase their allocation here.
“Overall, they are also positive towards UK smaller stocks, and this can partly be explained by the fact that micro and small caps can be nimbler and adapt better to changing circumstances than larger businesses, and they can also bounce back better.”
MBH said it will continue to focus on well-established profitable small businesses across multiple geographies and industries. It targets companies carrying little to no debt, delivering between $1 million and $10 million EBITDA and which are generally still run by their founders, who become co-owners of MBH.
MBH uses Agglomeration, its strategy designed to create substantial shareholder value through the consistent and accretive acquisition of excellent companies. Profitable companies convert their private shares into public shares or bonds in MBH in a perpetual earn-in model. Company owners are then incentivized to accelerate their growth trajectory using the resources of the plc including expertise, skill transfer of best-in-class practices, cross-selling to other group companies and where appropriate, zero-cost funding for new growth projects.
Each group company retains its autonomy and follows appropriate corporate and financial governance. Business owners are also financially incentivized to enhance shareholder value through a share bonus scheme aligning their interests with public shareholders.
MBH is a diversified investment holding company listed in the US and Germany, which acquires successful small businesses. It currently has 26 successful and profitable small businesses across multiple geographies and industries, and 20 of these are based in the UK.