Seven Shining South African Stocks

Here is some interesting trivia that potential investors might not know about South Africa:

• It has the the largest economy in Africa.
• It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
• It has 11 official languages.
• It is ranked 20th of all countries in terms of Gross Domestic Product (Purchasing Power Parity) by the IMF.
• The JSE Securities Exchange is the largest stock exchange in Africa and the 19th largest in the world.
• The South African rand is the world's most actively-traded emerging market currency.
• The rand was the best-performing currency against the U.S. dollar from 2002 to 2005.
• Agriculture represents 8% of South Africa's total exports.
• It is ranked 45 out of 125 countries for Global Competitiveness.
• 50% of all gold that has ever been produced came from South Africa.

All of the following South African stocks trade either on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ:

• AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU), is a gold mining company with operations in Australia, Brazil, Ghana, West Africa, Mali, Tanzania, and South Africa. The stock has a P/E of 37.30, a PEG of 1.15, and a yield of 0.5%.
• Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI), is a gold producer with operations in South Africa, Ghana, Australia, and Venezuela. The stock has a P/E of 31.86, a PEG of 0.91, and a yield of 1.4%.
• Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. (HMY), mines and processes gold in South Africa, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. The stock has a P/E of 100.5, and a PEG of 0.44.
• Rand Gold Resources (GOLD), which trades on NASDAQ, mines for gold in Mali and the the Ivory Coast. Although the company is headquartered in the Channel Islands, its procurement and services operations are in Johannesburg, South Africa. The stock has a P/E of 60.45, and a yield of 0.3%.
• Sappi Ltd. (SPP), a New York Stock Exchange company, is in the business of manufacturing, and marketing of pulp and paper products. The stock has a P/E of 19.23, a PEG of 1.68, and a yield of 1.9%.

• Sasol Ltd. (SSL) is an integrated oil and gas company with operations in South Africa, Gabon, and Mozambique. The stock has a P/E of 11.14, a PEG of 0.86, and a yield of 3.7%.
• Telkom SA Ltd. (TKG) is a Pretoria-based telecommunications company that serves South Africa, and other African countries. The stock has a P/E of 10.47, and a yield of 3.4%.

Disclosure: The author does not own any of the above.