Five-Star Focus: Hennessy's Stock Picks
Tin cans, offshore oil rigs, and industrial gases all come together in Neil Hennessy's portfolio.
His five-star Hennessy Focus 30 Fund is up 13 percent, and we're not talking the last five years, or the last three years, we're talking this year.
"What we try to do...is buy growth at reasonable prices," he told CNBC. "We're not going to pay more than $1.50 for $1.00 in sales."
He also searches out companies with earnings growth and positive relative strengths.
So who looks good to him now?
Recommendations:
(Scroll down for his Web Extra pick)
W.R. Grace tops his list.
"People think of it as a construction company, but it's much, much more than that," he said. "For instance, one of the products they make are sealants for cans...last year, they sealed over 340 billion cans...if people think the economy is going to be slowing down, they're going to be buying more canned products."
Hennessy also likes Oil States.
"They're in the offshore business," he said. "At some point in time, Congress is going to wake up and say, 'We have to drill in our own back yard'...I think this company is poised well for future growth."
Web Extra:
He offered a bonus pick for CNBC.com, Airgas.
The firm makes industrial gases for both the health care and industrial sectors, including "dry ice" for the transportation of food. Its price-to-sales ratio is less than 1.5.