Buy Hold Sell: 6 winning stocks - the ultimate small-cap watchlist
Nick Sladen (LSN) and Matt Nicholas (1851) reveal their best performers, recent additions and long-standing winners.
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Whenever my daughter and I need to reset, we hold hands and take a few deep breaths. It’s simple, but it works every time.
After weeks of news about volatile bond markets, stubborn inflation, interest rate hikes, falling house prices, and the AI regulatory divide, that heavy feeling of doom and gloom can be hard to shake.
But amidst all of this the world keeps showing us that success stories are still everywhere. Great companies are still thriving and investing in quality companies still works.
So, let's put the macro anxiety aside for a moment, take a collective breath and focus on what's working. In this episode of Buy Hold Sell, Matthew Nicholas of 1851 Capital and Nick Sladen of LSN Capital Partners reveal their best performers over the last year, recent hot additions to the portfolio and the long standing small caps in their portfolios that continue to deliver.
This episode was filmed Wednesday 16th September, 2026.
Other ways to listen
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Episode summary
1 - SKS Technologies (ASX: SKS)
Matthew Nicholas - BUY
His verdict: Data centres drove a tripling in group revenue. Order book security is high with tier-one clients like AirTrunk and STACK, making it a high-conviction core holding.
What he said: "Data centres has gone from 20% of the business to over 60% of the business. At the same time, the rest of the business, which is mining related, industrial related, that's grown a double digit as well."
2 - Megaport (ASX: MP1)
Nick Sladen - BUY
His verdict: The acquisition of Latitude catapulted them directly into AI compute services and GPU support. With massive earnings expansion underway, significant available liquidity offers further unpriced growth upside.
What he said: "In FY26, they delivered around $77 million in EBITDA. The top end of guidance for FY27 is around $290 million and we see over $600 million in FY28."
3 - Universal Store (ASX: UNI)
Nick Sladen - BUY
His verdict: Countercyclical retail play targeting under-25 consumers who are more insulated from economic pressures. Competitor exits leave clear runway for their store rollout strategy, particularly for higher-margin private labels.
What he said: "There's a really good store rollout strategy ahead. And of that store rollout strategy, a few of those are in their Perfect Stranger brands, which is probably more private label-type product, which has got better returns for investors."
4 - Bapcor (ASX: BAP)
Matthew Nicholas - BUY
His verdict: Turning the corner after four CEO changes. Excess working capital extraction is eliminating debt worries, while operational simplification and fixing store delivery logistics are actively winning back lost market share.
What he said: "They've simplified the business, they're getting stock out to stores, they're fixing up their pricing strategy, they're getting market share back."
5 - SRG Global (ASX: SRG)
Matthew Nicholas - BUY
His verdict: Five-year holding that recently graduated into the ASX 200. Accelerated post-COVID maintenance capex combined with a first-rate management team executing highly accretive M&A provides an unbeatable earnings outlook.
What he said: "Each one of those three acquisitions was very accretive. It was integrated well and it's performed ahead of expectations. And that's only possible if you've got a first rate management team."
6 - GenusPlus Group (ASX: GNP)
Nick Sladen - BUY
His verdict: Core three-year holding perfectly positioned in renewables, grid electrification, and data centre work. Founder-led management with over 50% skin in the game is successfully expanding via key acquisitions.
What he said: "The CEO, Dave Richards, owns over half the company. We really like that. So we think the outlook remains very strong across its business."
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I'm an Investment Writer and Presenter at Livewire Markets, dedicated to creating content that makes the world of investing more accessible. With a background in story development, I enjoy distilling complex topics into engaging, impactful media that resonates with audiences.
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6 stocks mentioned
2 contributors mentioned
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I'm an Investment Writer and Presenter at Livewire Markets, dedicated to creating content that makes the world of investing more accessible. With a background in story development, I enjoy distilling complex topics into engaging, impactful media...
I'm an Investment Writer and Presenter at Livewire Markets, dedicated to creating content that makes the world of investing more accessible. With a background in story development, I enjoy distilling complex topics into engaging, impactful media...
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