Whilst it has been a tumultuous few months for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), there are several companies that have benefitted directly from coronavirus-related lockdowns. Companies such as JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH) did a roaring trade in work from home equipment. So too did Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) subsidiary, Officeworks. Yet several others have also benefitted with little or no fanfare.
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An ASX 200 growth giant
Jumbo Interactive Ltd (ASX: JIN) is one of the great growth shares of the past 10 years. It returned investors over 25 times their initial investment on 1 January 2010. Yet year to date, the company's share price is still 20% down.
Jumbo predominantly sells lottery games online. Prior to lockdown, 75% of lottery tickets were sold via retail outlets. I believe it's fair to assume that even if lottery sales declined overall during the lockdown, the volume sold online is likely to have grown. As mentioned, Jumbo Interactive's share price is 20% down year to date. The company recorded its lowest share price of $6.99 on 16 March, one week earlier than most of the market.
Jumbo is one ASX 200 growth company I particularly like. It has sound financials across most major valuation metrics. Compare this to say, Xero Limited (ASX: XRO), a company that posted its first profit last financial year.
Over the past 8 years, Jumbo has grown its sales volumes by 12.5% on average. Last year's sales grew by 42% after the company began to license its software to other lottery sales organisations.
Healthcare benefits
Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC) initially appeared to be one of the definite ASX 200 losers of the pandemic. Early bans on elective surgeries were in place to ensure the availability of resources should COVID-19 take hold in Australia. This is the core of Ramsay's revenue streams.
However, very smart and agile thinking on behalf of the company has, at least, trimmed those losses. Over the course of the pandemic, Ramsay has done deals with governments throughout Australia and in the United Kingdom. These deals ensure that for the period of the agreements, the company will not lose money on its private hospitals. In return, it has guaranteed the availability of beds for coronavirus patients should they be required.
We have seen agility across a range of smaller companies during the lockdown. However, it is rare to find an ASX 200 company able to act swiftly enough to mitigate lost revenue to this extent. Ramsay's share price is down by only 5.8% year to date and is up by 48% since its low point on March 23.
While it is presently trading at a price-to-earnings ratio greater than its 10-year average, I believe the company is selling at a good price. It has shown consistent growth over the past decade, and I remain impressed by the current management.
