2 unstoppable FTSE 250 growth stocks trading at attractive valuations

Shares in challenger bank Aldermore(LSE: ALD) are moving higher this morning after the company issued an upbeat first-quarter trading update.

///>

For the period, Aldermore reported a 6% increase in new customer loans to £7.9bn, up from £7.5bn at year-end 2016. At the same time, customer deposits also grew by 5%, taking the value of customer deposits held at the bank to £7bn, up from £6.7bn at the end of the last quarter. The group's net interest margin (NIM), a key measure of banking profitability as it measures the gap between how much interest it is generating on its lending compared to the interest paid out to depositors, remained stable at 3.5%. Even though the NIM did not change during the period, Aldermore's is still an industry leading-figure as most high street banks are reporting margins below 3%.

As well as the bank's impressive NIM, its tier one capital ratio stood at a respectable 11.5% at the end of the reporting period. Tangible book value per share rose 5% quarter-on-quarter to 160.3p.

Undervalued growth

Today's results from the business show that it is on track to hit City forecasts for growth for the year. Analysts are currently expecting the group's earnings per share to grow by 17% this year followed by a growth of 8% next year. If management can hit these targets, Aldermore will have improved pre-tax profit threefold in just five years.

However, despite this impressive growth, its shares are trading at a depressed multiple of only 8.8 times forward earnings. It seems the market is concerned about the bank's exposure to the UK economy following Brexit. But based on today's figures, this concern seems unwarranted. Overall, if you're looking for high-growth at a low price, Aldermore could be a great fit for your portfolio.

Growing wealth

Wealth manager Rathbone Brothers(LSE: RAT) also announced its first quarter results this morning. Just like Aldermore, it reported strong growth across the business during the first three months with funds under management up by 4.7% to £35.8m. Fee income generated from operations rose 22% year-on-year, reflecting positive markets and growth in business. Commission income also showed a substantial uplift of 12.2% and net operating income for the overall investment management business rose 18.3%.

Rathbone's growth over the past five years has been nothing short of explosive with pre-tax profits surging 100% from £38.5m to £76.2m as predicted for this year. Over the same period, earnings per share increased by 62%. Analysts are expecting earnings growth of 3% this year followed by 11% for the year after.

Unfortunately, shares in Rathbone's are not as cheap as those of Aldermore as they currently trade at a forward P/E of 18.6. Nonetheless, with double-digit earnings rises projected for the years ahead, it looks as if it's worth paying a premium for the shares.

Finding the market's best stocks

There are plenty of businesses out there which may look like great long-term champions at first glance but don't turn out that way. To help you avoid these firms, and invest your hard-earned cash in growth champions such as Aldermore and Rathbone Brothers, we've put together this new free report.

The report is a collection of Foolish wisdom, which should help you improve your investment returns and avoid needlessly losing too many more profits. So to help improve your investment process today, click here to download.

Rupert Hargreaves has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.