If you’re looking to beat low interest rates with some dividend shares, then you may want to look at the ones listed below.

Here’s why these ASX 200 dividend shares are rated as buys:

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is BHP.  This mining giant could be a top option for income investors thanks to the diversity of its world class operations and the strong free cash flow they generate.

Morgans is a fan of the company and has an add rating and $45.70 price target on its shares.

It recently commented: “We view BHP as relatively low risk given its superior diversification relative to its major global mining peers. The spread of BHP’s operations also supplies some defence against direct COVID-19 impact on earnings contributors. While there are more leveraged plays sensitive to a global recovery scenario, we see BHP as holding an attractive combination of upside sensitivity, balance sheet strength and resilient dividend profile.”

As for dividends, the broker has pencilled in fully franked dividends of $3.42 per share in FY 2022 and $2.45 in FY 2023. Based on the current BHP share price of $41.68, this will mean yields of 8.2% and 5.9%, respectively.

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)

Another ASX 200 dividend share for income investors to consider is NAB. The team at Bell Potter is positive on the banking giant and has a buy rating and $32.00 price target on its shares.

The broker said: “NAB is now the second largest major bank by market capitalisation. The payout ratio is now close to its maximum, being 65-75% of cash earnings. ROE was 10.7% in FY21 and still climbing, while CET1 ratio was 13% and ahead of the 10.75-11.25% target range. The bank still intends to return surplus capital, being 40% complete. The acquisition of 86 400 plus the proposed acquisition of Citigroup’s Australian consumer business will see the bank achieve scale in digital and consumer banking offerings.”

The broker is forecasting dividends per share of 132.5 cents in FY 2022 and then 134.5 cents in FY 2023. Based on the current NAB share price of $29.32, this equates to fully franked yields of 4.5% and 4.6%, respectively.

The post Analysts rate these ASX 200 dividend shares as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Why is the NAB (ASX:NAB) share price having such a merry December?
• Why is the BHP (ASX:BHP) share price having such a good run in December?
• Bell Potter names 2 ASX 200 blue chip shares to buy in 2022
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares

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. 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 Syrah Resources Ltd (ASX: SYR) share price has shot up again today off the back of its agreement with electric car giant, Tesla, Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA).

With no further news released today, the minerals and technology company appears to be basking in the afterglow of its significant deal.

At the close of trade today, the Syrah share price was up 6.83% at $1.80 apiece. This followed yesterday’s lift of 3.3%. Let’s take a closer look at the latest news.

What’s the deal?

Last week, the company detailed an offtake agreement with Tesla in which it would supply natural graphite from its vertically integrated activity anode material (AAM) production facility in Vidalia, Georgia, in the United States.

Yesterday, the mineral and technology company gave more detail on the agreement, saying the collaboration would be subject to both parties agreeing to the final specifications of the offtake by no later than 31 December next year.

Under the terms, the product must be to Tesla’s satisfaction by no later than 31 May 2025.

The agreement may also be subject to termination should the project not be up and running by exactly a year prior.

If satisfied with the above conditions, Tesla will offtake 8kt of expansion at Syrah’s US facility per annum, which compares to the 10kt initially planned.

Syrah share price snapshot

This year has been a positive one for the Syrah share price, which has seen a massive jump of 87.5% since January.

Based on its current share price, the company has a market capitalisation of more than $897 million.

The post Why did Syrah Resources (ASX:SYR) share price jump 7% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Alice de Bruin 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 Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) share price recovered slightly in afternoon trade after falling overall today. The lift came after the major bank hosed down speculation on a potential takeover of buy now, pay later (BNPL) player, Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM).

Bank of Queensland shares closed at $8.20 today, down 0.37%. Meanwhile, the Humm share price went gangbusters and was up 5%, trading at 93.5 cents at the market close.

Let’s take a look at what may have weighed into investor sentiment on the companies today.

Takeover speculation

Bank of Queensland released a short statement in response to an article in News Corp titles today suggesting the bank had engaged Goldman Sachs to assist with “early discussions” to take over the BNPL company.

Earlier this month, Humm advised it has received “third party interest” to acquire all or part of the company. However, no details on these potential companies have been released. Humm advised at the time it would engage on these proposals to find out if they were in the best interests of the company and its shareholders.

In a statement to the market on Thursday afternoon, the Bank of Queensland shut down talk it was involved in the proposal, saying:

Bank of Queensland Limited notes the media speculation overnight regarding a possible transaction between BOQ and Humm. BOQ is not pursuing the transaction as speculated in the media article.

Investors appeared to react positively to this news, with the share price jumping from $8.13 to $8.20 following the announcement, nearly a 1% gain. Meanwhile, Humm’s share price dropped from 98 cents to 93.5 cents following the update, a 4.6% drop.

As my Foolish colleague James has noted, the Humm board suggested there was no assurance any transaction would occur. Further, the company remained profitable and had no corporate debt. In fact, the board felt that the company’s shares were undervalued.

Share price recap

The Bank of Queensland share price is up 9.11% year to date and rising 7.85% over the past 12 months. In the past month, it has gained 5.67%, while it is up 2.63% in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Humm share price is down almost 17% year to date and more than 18% in the past 12 months. Despite this, it’s gained 22% in the past month and 3.3% in the past week.

In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned more than 12% in the past year.

The post Bank of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) hoses down Humm (ASX:HUM) takeover rumours appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Is it a buy? Top brokers’ opinion on the Bank of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) share price
• Why Anteotech, Bega Cheese, Humm, and Syrah shares are racing higher
• Why is December being so kind to Bank of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) shares?
• Own Bank of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) shares? Here are the key dates to watch in 2022
• Why Afterpay, Humm, Namoi Cotton, and Pilbara Minerals shares are falling

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 Humm Group 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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Shares in molecular diagnostics company Genetic Signatures Ltd (ASX: GSS) finished the day strong and closed 12.5% in the green at $1.75.

Today’s gain extends an impressive run the company has been on over the past week. Specifically, investors have been piling into Genetic Signatures after it released an investor update last week. Here are the details.

Why did the Genetic Signatures share price charge higher?

Genetic Signatures released an investor update last week where it outlined several investment highlights. For instance, the company outlined it has had a strong year to date and expects sales of at least $21 million for the half year.

First quarter sales were $12.4 million, a company record, supported by a surge in COVID-19 testing in Australia. The recent emergence of the Omicron variant has seen testing volumes increase dramatically in the past three weeks, according to the release.

With case numbers in NSW alone surpassing the 12,000 mark today, this increased testing will likely continue into 2022.

Genetic Signatures designs and manufactures a suite of real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based products for the routine detection of infectious diseases under its EasyScreen brand.

Luckily for the company, it’s been determined that its flagship EasyScreen COVID-19 Detection Kit was able to detect all known variants, including the Omicron variant.

Since the new variant has arrived, the company has developed a new kit, called the EasyScreen SARS-CoV-2 Variant Detection Kit. It says this kit was designed in collaboration with customers to differentiate the Omicron and Delta variants prior to sequencing.

Performance of the new kit has been confirmed in-house against more than 300 clinical patient samples. The new kit is being offered initially for research use only and can identify mutations specific to Delta or Omicron in SARS-CoV-2 positive samples.

The company also advised it is still amidst the clearance process for its EasyScreen Enteric Protozoan Detection Kit in the US. After clearance is obtained, the company can market its device.

Genetic Signatures is required to supply data from three different clinical sites and a minimum of 1,500 patient samples with the application. It had been hoped that these trials would be completed by year-end but sample collection has been halted due to COVID-19.

The company expects that these trials will be completed before the end of the March quarter, per the release.

Genetic Signatures share price summary

In the past 12 months, the Genetic Signatures share price has fallen almost 14% into the red after sliding another 13% this year to date.

In the past month, it has regained steam and is now up more than 35% in that time, after climbing more than 29% in the past 5 days of trading.

The post 20% in a week: Here’s why the Genetic Signatures (ASX:GSS) share price soared today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Bega Cheese (ASX:BGA) share price jumping today?
• 3 exciting small cap ASX shares rated as buys
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell
• Why is the Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price underperforming Helloworld in December?
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy

The author has no positions 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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