2 UK growth stocks I’d buy ahead of the Magnificent Seven

Over the last five years, returns from the so-called Magnificent Seven have been – well – magnificent. But I’m looking elsewhere for opportunities to buy growth stocks at the moment. With the possible exception of Alphabet, shares in the big US tech companies look fully valued to me. In the UK, however, I think there are some attractive opportunities. I think Microsoft is arguably the most impressive company in the Magnificent Seven. But FTSE 250 firm Games Workshop (LSE:GAW) compares favourably in several ways. Over the last 10 years, Microsoft has grown its earnings per share (EPS) at 23% per year. There’s no question that’s extremely impressive, but Games Workshop has managed 28% EPS growth. More importantly, Microsoft has achieved this growth by reinvesting around 66% of its net income. Games Workshop, however, has only retained 28%, distributing the rest as dividends. This is partly because the company’s key asset — its intellectual property — is intangible. That means the firm doesn’t have to keep reinvesting the way it would in equipment or factories. On top of this, the UK stock trades at a lower price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple — 23, compared to 36 for Microsoft. So while Microsoft is a...

Read more