Motley Fool Australia Chief Investment Officer Scott Phillips joined Nine’s Late News on Tuesday night to discuss earnings from Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN), Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN), and a pause — for now — in the fall of the iron ore price.

The post Nanosonics flies, Kogan crashes and iron ore in the doldrums. Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Scott Phillips owns shares of Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com ltd and Nanosonics Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com ltd and Nanosonics Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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It has been a tough month for the Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX: WPL) share price. A collection of developments appears to have rubbed the market the wrong way so far in August.

Specifically, Woodside shares have slid 8.7% since the first trading day of this month. In price terms, the company’s value has fallen from $22.14 per share to $20.24. Unfortunately, the downwards trend is continuing today, with the Woodside share price down 0.34% at the time of writing.

Let’s take a closer look at what has dampened market sentiment towards the oil and gas company in August.

The month so far for Woodside

The disappointing performance of the Woodside share price in July has only accelerated in August.

At the beginning of the month, it appeared as though shareholders might have more luck in August. Between 2 August and 13 August, shares in the oil and gas company gained 0.23%.

However, the wheels fell off the optimism bus after it appeared more likely that Woodside would be acquiring BHP Group Ltd‘s (ASX: BHP) petroleum business. At the same time, Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH) were working on their own mega-merger.

Some substantial shareholders of Woodside even voiced concerns and discontent for the rumoured proposition. A ~$20 billion proposition that produced concerns regarding a mature asset base, declining production, and heightened exposure to ESG risks. Likely these concerns were shared more broadly, weighing on the Woodside share price.

Then came the barrage of news, all landing on 18 August. This included the confirmation of the BHP oil and gas merger, FY21 half-year results, and new permanent leadership.

Although the company’s results looked reasonable — especially its return to profitability — the Woodside share price fell 3.4% during the session.

All in all, shareholders have been left with a lot to consider moving forward. Often unpredictability weighs on equity prices and, for the time being, there is a mound of unknowns for the company as it takes on its new form.

Woodside share price snapshot

Despite a negative thus far, the Woodside share price is still holding onto positive returns over the past year.

At the time of writing, shareholders are 1.2% ahead for the past 12 months. In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has delivered a 22% return to more passive investors.

The post It hasn’t been a great month so far for the Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The HUB24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) share price is rocketing higher on Wednesday.

At the time of writing, the investment platform provider’s shares are up 12% to a record high of $31.22.

This means the HUB24 share price is now up 44% since the start of the year.

Why is the HUB24 share price rocketing higher?

Today’s gain by the HUB24 share price appears to have been driven by a positive response to its full year results by brokers.

In case you missed it, on Tuesday HUB24 reported a 34.4% increase in revenue to $110 million, a 47% lift in EBITDA to $58.6 million, and a net profit after tax of $9.8 million.

This was driven partly by a 141% increase in platform FUA to $41.4 billion.

What was the response?

The team at Goldman Sachs responded positively to the result. This is despite HUB24 falling short of its earnings expectations.

Goldman said: “While FY21 underlying NPAT of A$15.0m was 18% below our estimate (A$18.2m), we saw the c.3% miss at the underlying EBITDA line as more representative of the core operational trend (with the bulk of the delta to our headline estimate explained by higher tax, share based payments and D&A). Nonetheless as a result of the headline miss the final DPS of A5.5c (fully franked) was below our A7.2c estimate representing an FY21 payout ratio of 46%.”

In response, Goldman retained its buy rating and lifted its price target on the company’s shares to $29.81.

What else did the broker say?

Goldman was pleased to see the introduction of HUB24’s guidance for FY 2023. And while it notes that the company’s guidance was largely in line with its own expectations, it was notably ahead of the consensus.

The broker said: “Looking ahead, HUB introduced platform FUA guidance to FY23 of A$63-$70bn, noting that at Aug-21, platform FUA of A$44.2bn has already reached prior FY22 guidance for A$43-$49bn. HUB note the guidance does not rely on any large one-offs or a big contribution from the new IFL whitelable agreement. Prior to this morning our FY23 estimate of A$65bn was consistent with the new range, though we note Visible Alpha Consensus Data at just A$55bn suggests scope for meaningful upgrades, and we have since moved our assumption up to A$69bn.”

“On balance, with risks to flows/FUA still clearly to the upside we expect HUB’s near term margin/earnings growth trajectory to remain robust even with the elevated investment over FY22. While the 2H21 result was soft relative to our estimates, on account of higher FUA and platform revenue margin assumptions our earnings are largely unchanged, with our FY22/FY23 adjusted EPS down 2.3%/0.4% respectively (and we introduce FY24 estimates).”

Can the HUB24 share price go higher?

Unfortunately, the HUB24 share price has quickly surpassed Goldman’s price target. This appears to indicate that its shares are fully valued now.

And while Morgans has upgraded its shares to an add rating with a $31.65 price target, this is only a fraction ahead of where the HUB24 share price trades now.

The post Why the HUB24 (ASX:HUB) share price is rocketing to a record high appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Hub24 Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24 Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) share price is slipping in afternoon trade, down 1.78% to $17.935 per share.

At the same time the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is edging higher, up 0.2%.

Below, we take a look at the ASX 200 retailer’s refinancing announcement.

What refinancing package did Coles report?

In an ASX announcement today, which may not be directly impacting Coles’ share price, the company said it has replaced existing debt facilities with a total of $1.3 billion, 4-year Sustainability Linked Loans (SLL) under its bilateral debt facilities.

Coles has previously stated it is working to become Australia’s most sustainable supermarket. In line with that, it said the new $1.3 billion SLL “draws a direct line” between its sustainability performance and its cost of capital.

The SLL is intended to increase transparency and accountability around environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters.

Coles’ focus is on reducing CO2 emissions, decreasing the amount of waste that goes to landfill, and increasing the representation of women in its leadership positions.

Commenting on the SLL refinancing, Coles’ chief financial officer Leah Weckert said:

Coles believes that sustainable businesses are better businesses, and our Sustainability Linked Loans reflect our commitment to working with all our stakeholders to make positive changes.

The SLL incentive structure is linked to our progress against company-wide sustainability goals with delivery of those goals delivering improved cost of capital, and is therefore an effective tool for driving sustainability throughout our business.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), BNP Paribas and Rabobank acted as sustainability coordinators for the transaction.

Coles share price snapshot

The Coles share price is down 1.38% year-to-date, compared to a gain of 12.5% posted by the ASX 200. Coles shares are still recovering from a 15% fall in the latter weeks of February, following the release of its half-year financial results that appeared to disappoint investors.

Over the past month, Coles’ share price is up 1.6%.

Coles pays a 3.2% annual dividend yield, fully franked.

The post Coles (ASX:COL) share price slides amid $1.3 billion sustainability refinancing appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended COLESGROUP DEF SET. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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