July was a lighter month of content as I spent a fair chunk of the month back in the UK visiting family.

Nonetheless, there were plenty of Ask the analyst, Bookworm, and Stock Showdown articles to sink your teeth into. Here are some highlights you may have missed.

Ask the analyst

Ask The Analyst is your chance to put questions to Morningstar’s team of equity analysts. If you have a question about an ASX stock or industry that we cover, please send it to joseph.taylor@morningstar.com.

This month’s action kicked off with a question on healthcare growth play AVITA.

Morningstar reader Simon wanted to know if the firm is in danger of needing another equity raise – or even, worse – bankruptcy. Our analyst Shane Ponraj explained why he didn’t share those concerns here.

I then put some of my own questions about Guzman y Gomez to our consumer sectors analyst Johannes Faul.

More specifically, I was interested in how much Guzman’s seemingly racy valuation might hinge on international success. You can see Johannes’ thoughts here.

Bookworm

Bookworm shares insights from investing and business writing (be it a book, annual report or shareholder letter) that I found interesting or useful.

July’s Bookworm articles included a look at a quality that I think unites many investors with exceptional track records.

I also wrote a special edition of Bookworm from my hometown in Scotland, seeking inspiration from the great game of golf rather than from business writing.

Go here to see why a vital mistake made by many amateur golfers (myself included) is also highly relevant to investors.

Stock Showdown

My Stock Showdown feature uses Morningstar research insights to compare the business and investment merits of different companies.

July’s first Stock Showdown asked whether Chemists Warehouse owner Sigma Healthcare deserves market value parity with Woolworths Group.

We then looked at how integrated fuel players Ampol and Viva Energy are responding to big trends shaping their industry and asked whether the shares might tempt income investors at recent price levels.

A tasty bonus

My trip home to the UK also brought me back in frequent contact with an old friend – the ubiquitous bakery chain Greggs.

I wrote about why I think the company, which is publicly listed, could be a good fit with my approach to investing in shares.

The personal front

The remit for July was simple: cram as much as I could into my first stint at home since late 2022.

In the end I managed two family weddings, several reunions with friends, a couple of bucket list golf courses, time in three of the UK’s four countries, a road trip across the Republic of Ireland to celebrate my partner’s birthday, and a day spent watching Joe Root hit 150 in the flesh.

It was a fantastic, emotional and at times utterly exhausting month. If I could do it all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Coming up

July was so action-packed that it became hard to imagine anything coming after it. But with August and earnings season fast approaching, there’s no time to be absorbed by post-trip blues.

As always, you can count on our analysts to provide a long-term perspective on results from the ASX companies we cover. And I’d encourage you to keep an eye on our daily email (sign up here) and articles covering the best of our research.

If anything catches your eye during reporting season, don’t forget to send any potential Ask the analyst questions to joseph.taylor@morningstar.com.

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