Got Milk: Only one infant formula stock stood out in January

Food & Agriculture Nick Sundich
Got Milk: Only one infant formula stock stood out in January

Following a solid December, January saw infant formula stocks retreat — but there was one stock which stood out.

In a cruel twist of fate, it is not even a pure infant formula play but an infant formula supplement maker.

Bioxyne (ASX:BXN) gained 21 per cent in the last month. It makes supplements for infant formula (proTract) which keeps babies’ gastrointestinal system healthy.

The one other ASX stock that advanced is the largest stock of the ‘baby bottle crew’, A2 Milk (ASX:A2M). A2’s only major news this month was some leadership changes. It replaced its chief financial and technical officers.

Among January’s laggards was the industry’s newest stock on the block, Happy Valley Nutrition (ASX:HVM), which hit the skids on debut but has recovered slightly.

Unlike its immediate predecessor, goat-milk focused Nuchev (ASX:NUC), which listed in December, Happy Valley does not yet have a facility to export milk from. But it believes it now has enough cash in the bank for the next 12 months.

The biggest laggard was AuMake (ASX:AU8) which sells infant formula, among other goods, at daigou stores. It plunged at the end of last month when it admitted it was being hit by coronavirus fears, but could not yet measure the specific impact.

Code Name Price (I) 1 Year % Return 1 Month % Return Market Cap
BXN BIOXYNE LTD 0.017 -32 21 $10.9M
A2M A2 MILK CO LTD 14.16 16 1 $10.7B
HRL HRL HOLDINGS LTD 0.12 46 0 $61.7M
JAT JATENERGY LTD 0.049 -28 0 $46.7M
CLV CLOVER CORP LTD 2.54 91 -2 $442.4M
KTD KEYTONE DAIRY CORP LTD 0.375 -15 -3 $85.0M
LON LONGTABLE GROUP LTD 0.16 -45 -3 $33.2M
SM1 SYNLAIT MILK LTD 8.35 -5 -4 $1.5B
NUC NUCHEV LTD 3.43 35 -8 $157.5M
AHF AUSTRALIAN DAIRY NUTRITIONAL 0.095 -30 -10 $35.6M
BFC BESTON GLOBAL FOOD CO LTD 0.083 -39 -11 $39.5M
BUB BUBS AUSTRALIA LTD 0.725 48 -26 $453.8M
AU8 AUMAKE INTERNATIONAL LTD 0.084 -59 -33 $30.3M
HVM HAPPY VALLEY NUTRITION LTD 0.18 -10 -10 $41.4M
WHA WATTLE HEALTH AUSTRALIA LTD 0.45 -44 0 $98.2M
WordPress Table

 

Yearly winners

While Clover Corp (ASX:CLV) stood still in January, it is the largest yearly gainer, up 91 per cent in 12 months.

Only five other stocks are in the green on a yearly basis.

Immediately following Clover is Bubs Australia (ASX:BUB) and HRL Holdings (ASX:HRL), both of which have gained over 45 per cent.

While Bubs is an infant formula exporter (which is not just focused on China), HRL is aiming to start an analytical testing service for the New Zealand dairy industry.

Nuchev (ASX:NUC) may only have been listed less than two months but it has earned fourth place, gaining 35 per cent.

And A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) is up 15 per cent in a year.

READ MORE: Infant formula stocks guide: Here’s everything you need to know

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