Key points

• The Ramelius share price sank 8% today
• Investors did not warm to the company’s quarterly results
• Gold production at its Western Australian mines was at the lower end of the guidance

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The Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) share price finished in the red after the company released its quarterly report today.

The company’s shares were swapping hands at $1.32 at the close of trade, down 8.04%. This is its lowest level since late September 28, 2021.

Let’s take a look at what the gold miner reported today.

Ramelius share price falls amid quarterly results

The company released its 2021 quarterly report for the period ending 31 December 2021. Highlights included:

• Cash and gold on hand fell 39.9% on the previous quarter to $164.5 million
• Gold production of 66,919 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $1,493 per ounce
• The miner produced 31,552 ounces at Mt Magnet mine and 35,367 at Tampia mine, both in Western Australia
• Total revenue was $182 million from 77,225 ounces of gold sales at an average price of A$2,357 per ounce.

What else happened in the quarter?

Ramelius owns and explores the Edna May, Vivien, Marda, Tampia and Penny gold mines in Western Australia.

The company said overall production targets were at the lower end for the quarter. There was a slight fall in the grade and throughput at its Mt Magnet project.

This was due to a shortage of oxide, and workforce shortage impacting the company’s ability to haul as much ore as it would have liked.

However, Ramelius said there was an increase in ore stocks at the Tampia and Marda mines, with 785,000 tonnes of ore that could generate up to $60 million in cash flow.

The company completed plenty of diamond drilling during the quarter and received assay results. Ramelius also acquired the Rebecca Gold Project from Apollo Consolidated Limited.

Capital and project development spending for the 2022 financial year remains at about $70 million.

What’s next for the company?

Ramelius Resources said the impact of the WA border closure and any COVID-19 infections at the mine site were too hard to predict. Supply disruptions could also be impacted.

Gold production guidance for FY2022 remains at 260,000 to 300,000 ounces at an AISC of A$1,425-$1,525 per ounce

Ramelius share price recap

The Ramelius share price has fallen 16.24% since the start of 2022, and 10.85% over the past 12 months.

In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned just over 5% in the past year.

The company has a market capitalisation of about $1.1 billion based on its current share price.

The post Here’s why the Ramelius (ASX:RMS) share price tumbled 8% to 4-month lows today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s what 67% of brokers think of the current IAG (ASX:IAG) share price
• Could this help Woolworths (ASX:WOW) withstand the current climate of uncertainty?
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Analysts name 2 ASX shares to buy right now
• Why is it when Jerome Powell sneezes, the ASX 200 catches a cold?

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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://www.fool.com.au/2022/01/28/heres-why-the-ramelius-asxrms-share-price-tumbled-8-to-4-month-lows/

Key points

• The IAG share price traded up today
• IAG has made a solid start to the year having rallied as much as 6% in this time
• Most of the brokers covering the company have IAG as a buy right now
• Over the last 12 months, shares are still down more than 13%

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The Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) share price finished less than 2% in the green today at $4.34 apiece.

In fact, IAG has made a solid start to the year, amid the market turbulence that’s ensued since January 1. Shares are up almost 2% since then, having rallied as much as 6%.

As seen on the chart below, IAG was matching the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (XFJ) until the new year, where it then crossed over and took off. The company now leads the index after trailing it for the entirety of 2021. That could be important, as IAG is now generating its own return separate from the market return.

With a shifting regime in macroeconomic policy abundantly clear, investors are wondering where might be the best place to protect their hard earned capital.

We’ve gone to the experts to see what the current sentiment on IAG is, and from what it appears, the outlook is overwhelmingly bullish. Let’s take a look.

IAG is a buy, these brokers say

Credit Suisse expect IAG to outperform this year and rates it as a buy, valuing the company at $5.94 per share in a January note.

The broker reckons that IAG should absorb any peril costs well this year and is attracted to the insurance giant’s valuation on current figures.

Citi reckons IAG is a buy now as well, noting that the company’s share price is coming off a low base in 2021 and should perform better in 2022.

Meanwhile, the team at investment bank JP Morgan are also constructive on IAG shares and advocated clients to load up on the company in a note from this month.

The broker values IAG at a premium of $5.45 per share and feels that sentiment will improve given a number of sub-factors regarding the company’s earnings profile.

“IAG has a strong position in the Australian and NZ personal lines market, but has suffered in recent times from concerns around COVID-19 Business Interruption losses and concerns on market share losses in personal lines”, JP Morgan says.

“Short- to medium-term margin pressures have proved challenging for IAG, including higher reinsurance costs, lower yields, higher natural perils and reducing reserve releases”.

But the macro-environment could be improving for IAG, says JP Morgan. With the interest rate cycle looking set for a change in regime, the broker reckons that these points could be a net positive for IAG.

“The cycle is turning favourable for IAG in the commercial lines segment”, the broker added, noting that the “favourable [business interruption] BI second test case ruling suggests possibly a very large release” of approximately $1.2 billion to the company.

Each of Macquarie, Jarden and Morgans also rate IAG as a buy right now, valuing the company at $5.10, $5.50 and $5.23 per share respectively.

In fact, in a list of analysts provided by Bloomberg Intelligence, approximately 67% of firms have IAG as a buy right now, whereas just 16.7% each have it as a hold and sell.

A bit more on the IAG share price

The consensus valuation derived from this list is $5.19 per share, implying a 19% upside potential at the time of writing should the bull thesis play out.

IAG shares have started the year well and are climbing nicely into the green since January 1. However, over the last 12 months, shares are still down more than 13%.

The post Here’s what 67% of brokers think of the current IAG (ASX:IAG) share price appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Own IAG (ASX:IAG) shares? Here’s what you’re really invested in
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• Could this help take pressure off IAG (ASX:IAG) shares in the future?
• Why this broker tips IAG (ASX:IAG) shares as a buy in 2022
• Why is the IAG (ASX:IAG) share price having a rollercoaster start to the year?

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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 owns and has recommended Insurance Australia Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://www.fool.com.au/2022/01/28/heres-what-67-of-brokers-think-of-the-current-iag-asxiag-share-price/

Key points

• The Woolworths share price jumped 3.53% on Friday
• The supermarket giant has been recognised as the most valuable Australian brand
• The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index ascended 3.27% today

The Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price finished in the green today despite recent COVID-19 uncertainty.

The company’s share price finished the week at $1.19, up 3.53% on yesterday’s close. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) elevated 3.27%.

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

Brand recognition

Woolworths has just been recognised as the most “valuable” Australian brand and the second “strongest” brand in a report by Brand Finance Australia. This could stand the company in good stead amid the current climate of uncertainty due to COVID-19.

The supermarket giant achieved a 9% surge in brand value to $13.7 billion. Despite Woolworths facing supply challenges during the Omicron wave, the report said:

Holding a 33% market share, Woolworths has been pivotal in keeping the supply chain going throughout the pandemic.

Over the last year, the brand has demonstrated an ability to adapt to the shifting retail landscape, expanding its online capability to better serve its large customer base.

The brand’s strong reputation, loyal customers, and lower risk over the last year helped to navigate any potentially detrimental effects to its brand value caused by Endeavour Group’s demerger, of which Woolworths owned 15%.

It’s the third successive year Woolworths has taken out the top spot. Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) was ranked the second most valuable brand, with BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) third.

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) achieved a 26% surge in brand value to $9.9 billion and was ranked fourth on the list. The Coles share price increased 5.02% today.

In the “strongest” brand category, Woolworths came in second after Bunnings, owned by Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES). Another Wesfarmers business, Officeworks, took third place, with Coles again in fourth.

Brand Finance says it determines the relative strength of brands “through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance”.

There has been little news from Woolworths since the start of the year. Its only release to the market came on January 7, when it announced it had pulled out of the race to acquire pharmacy chain operator Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API).

Woolworths share price snapshot

The Woolworths share price may have gained nearly 4% for the day, but it has fallen 8% since the start of the year.

Its shares have fallen 7.5% over the past month, and 3.6% over the past 12 months.

For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned 5% over the past year.

Woolworths has a market capitalisation of roughly $42.2 billion based on its current share price.

The post Could this help Woolworths (ASX:WOW) withstand the current climate of uncertainty? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 buy-rated ASX dividend shares that smash term deposits
• Why is the Woolworths (ASX:WOW) dividend smaller than Coles?
• Are ASX consumer staples shares really ‘safe’ to hold in a market selloff?
• 2 ASX dividend shares Morgans rates as buys
• Here are 3 ASX dividend shares with grossed-up yields over 5%

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 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://www.fool.com.au/2022/01/28/could-this-help-woolworths-asxwow-withstand-the-current-climate-of-uncertainty/

Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fought back against the selling pressure throughout the day to finish in the green. At the end of trade, the benchmark index was 2.19% higher at 6,988.1 points.

In stark contrast to the rest of the week, all 11 sectors of the Australian share market were firmly in the positive by the end of today.

The best performing sector was consumer discretionary, posting a 3.27% gain in a single session. Consumer staples were right behind it, with exceptional gains in the big supermarket chain operators. Energy shares also managed to avoid the red today despite oil prices slipping overnight.

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, Imugene Ltd (ASX: IMU) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the drug developer jumped 10.53% after announcing a clinical trial supply agreement with Swiss healthcare company, Roche. Find out more about Imugene here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA). The iron ore producer lifted 8.75% higher as brokers responded positively to the company’s recent quarterly update. Uncover the latest Champion Iron details here.

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

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Imugene Ltd (ASX: IMU)	$0.315	10.53%
Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA)	$6.34	8.75%
Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL)	$3.55	7.90%
Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME)	$44.80	7.23%
Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE)	$12.58	6.88%
Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)	$27.52	6.83%
Event Hospitality and Entertainment Ltd (ASX: EVT)	$13.54	5.95%
NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)	$10.39	5.80%
Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI)	$10.39	5.58%
Nib Holdings Ltd (ASX: NHF)	$11.36	5.57%

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

• Why is it when Jerome Powell sneezes, the ASX 200 catches a cold?
• Imugene (ASX:IMU) share price leaps 10% on new Roche deal
• When it comes to ASX shares, is it possible to pick the bottom?
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Friday
• Why Champion Iron, Dusk, Hipages, and Imugene shares are charging higher

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended PINNACLE FPO and Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended PINNACLE FPO and Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended NIB Holdings Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://www.fool.com.au/2022/01/28/here-are-the-top-10-asx-shares-today-28-january-2022/