There are a large number of ASX shares to choose from on the Australian share market.

Three that come highly rated are listed below. Here’s why these ASX shares are being tipped as buys:

Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS)

The first ASX share to look at is Healius. It is one of Australia’s largest pathology and diagnostic imaging providers. This makes it extremely well-placed to benefit greatly from increasingly strong demand for COVID-19 testing. This certainly was the case in the first quarter when Healius reported a 43.7% increase in quarterly revenue over the prior corresponding period to $689.9 million. More of the same is expected over the remainder of FY 2022.

Earlier this week, Morgans upgraded the company’s shares to an add rating with a $5.79 price target.

Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)

Another share to look at is Life360. Through its eponymous Life360 app, the company operates in the digital consumer subscription services market. It has a focus on products and services for digitally native families, where all members of the household are connected by smartphones. At the last count, the company had a massive 33.8 million monthly active users are using its app. This is supporting stellar recurring revenue growth and provides it with countless opportunities to monetise its user base further in the future.

Bell Potter is bullish on Life360. It currently has a buy rating and $16.25 price target on its shares.

SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK)

A final ASX share to consider is this job listings company. While SEEK was hit hard by the pandemic, it bounced back very strongly in FY 2021. It reported a 1% increase in revenue to $1,591 million and a 58% jump in net profit after tax (excluding significant items) to $141 million. The good news is that more of the same is expected in the coming years as the Australian economy recovers from COVID-19.

Credit Suisse is a fan of SEEK and has an outperform rating and $39.50 price target on its shares.

The post 3 fantastic ASX shares to buy for Christmas appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Healius (ASX:HLS) share price higher despite analysts questioning acquisition value
• 2 value ASX shares ready for a big 2022: fund manager
• 2 ASX shares to buy and hold for 10 years+
• 2 fantastic blue chip ASX 200 shares to buy next week

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns Life360, Inc. and SEEK Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Life360, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended SEEK 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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The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price has spent this Christmas Eve enjoying a pretty solid day of trading on the ASX.

Zip shares closed the day at $4.39 each, up 0.23% for the day. (The ASX closed early at 2pm today for Christmas.)

But zooming out and the picture isn’t quite as… zippy (apologies). Zip shares are down a nasty 21% year to date. And wait for this one… they’re also down 70% from their all-time high of $14.53 that we saw back in February.

But now that 2021 is almost behind us, what does 2022 hold in store for this buy now, pay later (BNPL) heavyweight?

What to watch for Zip shares in 2022

Well, we of course can’t be certain, although my Fool colleague Tristan recently went through what some expert ASX investors think might happen with the Zip share price in 2022.

But let’s look at some important dates that Zip shareholders might want to proverbially note in their 2022 diaries.

First up, Zip’s annual general meeting (AGM) is scheduled to be held on 3 November. So circle that in the old calendar.

Another event investors should watch out for is the completion of Zip’s Twisto acquisition. Zip told ASX investors that it is buying the Europe-based Twisto payments company last month. It will be shelling out $115.8 million for it.

The company is hoping this acquisition will help Zip crack the lucrative European market. But Zip says the transaction will only be finalised in “the second quarter” of the company’s 2022 financial year.

Finally, unlike some ASX companies, Zip hasn’t yet given us its reporting dates for 2022.

So, that’s about all we know that’s set in stone for Zip announcements next year.

Zip CEO Larry Diamond recently said that Zip is entering 2022 “with strong momentum, in a solid financial position, with a continued focus on execution, unit economics and global synergies”. So that’s a pretty good start if all goes well.

At the current Zip share price, this BNPL share has a market capitalisation of $2.6 billion.

The post Own Zip (ASX:Z1P) shares? Here are some key dates to watch in 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Why is the Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price outperforming Afterpay today?
• Why has the short interest in Zip (ASX:Z1P) shares fallen in December?
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• These were the worst performers on the ASX 200 last week

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended ZIPCOLTD FPO. 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 Lithium Australia NL (ASX: LIT) share price finished in the green this week.

The lithium company’s shares were swapping hands for 11.5 cents apiece at Friday’s close, up 4.55% on the day. That means its shares have gained 9.5% from last Friday’s closing price of 10.5 cents.

Let’s take a look at what’s been happening at the company lately.

What’s going on with Lithium Australia?

The Lithium Australia share price is climbing despite no price-sensitive news being released to the market. However, the company has made several announcements this week.

The lithium market is also gaining significant global interest and is seen by investors as a booming industry

Early this afternoon, the company issued 1.5 million shares to the market at 5.5 cents each. This raised $82,500 to exercise options held by Lind Global Macro Fund. This may explain the share price drop in the afternoon — it fell from a high of 12 cents — since issuing more shares to the market dilutes the value of each individual share.

On Tuesday, the company advised it is advancing its lithium extraction technology towards commercialisation.

The company is working with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation to develop technology known as LieNA. This process can refine low-grade spodumene, which is used to produce high-purity lithium phosphate. Lithium Australia is working towards a patent on this technology.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Lithium Australia advised its battery recycling division has expanded to a bigger site in Laverton, Victoria. The company’s subsidiary has been granted a permit from the local council.

Lithium Australian managing director Adrian Griffin said:

Capturing larger volumes of spent lithium-ion batteries in particular helps the company create a secure battery supply chain, further underpinning the investment of Lithium Australia shareholders.

Lithium Australia share price recap

The Lithium Australia share price has charged ahead this year, up around 70% since the start of 2021.

Despite this, the company’s shares have shed 10% in the past month but are up 2% this week.

The company has a market capitalisation of nearly $116 million based on the current share price.

The post Here’s whats happening to the Lithium Australia share price this week (ASX:LIT) appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Own Zip (ASX:Z1P) shares? Here are some key dates to watch in 2022
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Early Christmas: Ark Mines (ASX:AHK) share price makes a comeback
• Why is the IAG (ASX:IAG) share price underperforming QBE in 2021?
• Tesserent (ASX:TNT) share price pops by 6% amid acquisitions update

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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) decided to deliver a mini ‘Santa Claus rally’ with a fourth straight day of gains. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.44% higher to 7,420.3 points.

Although it was a shorter trading session today, the market didn’t hold back from offering a big pre-Christmas finish. Every ASX sector finished higher, giving investors something to smile about as we enter the holiday season. The real estate sector ended up being the best performing, gaining 0.72%. Meanwhile, consumer staples were the slouch of the market, inching ahead 0.15%.

However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the financial services company surged 6.38% after announcing the divestment of its private markets business, PrivateMarketsCo. Find out more about AMP here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS). The lithium producer rallied 5.34% despite there being no new announcements from the company. However, investors have been showing a likening to Pilbara Minerals following a positive broker note for the lithium sector. Uncover the latest Pilbara Minerals details here.

Today’s top 10 biggest gains were made in these ASX shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)	$1.00	6.38%
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)	$2.96	5.34%
Virgin Money UK PLC (ASX: NIC)	$3.40	3.66%
Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)	$22.28	3.58%
Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)	$8.61	3.49%
Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)	$54.99	3.38%
Seek Ltd (ASX: SEK)	$33.75	3.31%
EBOS Group Ltd (ASX: EBO)	$39.00	3.18%
Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA)	$5.43	3.04%
Adbri Ltd (ASX: ABC)	$2.87	2.87%

Happy holidays to all of our readers!

Our top 10 ASX shares today countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check-in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The ASX share market coverage that captivated readers in 2021
• Why AMP, Hipages, Pilbara Minerals, and Webjet shares are storming higher
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: AMP shoots higher, travel shares rise
• Here’s why the AMP (ASX:AMP) share price is racing 6% higher today
• December has been another disappointing month for the AMP (ASX:AMP) share price. Here’s why

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 recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited and SEEK 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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