A message from our CIO, Scott Phillips:

“G’day Fools. If you’re like us, you’re dismayed by the events taking place in Ukraine. It is an unnecessary humanitarian tragedy. Times like these remind us that money is important, but other things are far more valuable. And yet the financial markets remain open, shares are trading, and our readers and members are looking to us for guidance. So we’ll do our best to continue to serve you, while also hoping for a swift and peaceful end to war in Ukraine.”

BHP Group Ltd’s (ASX: BHP) leadership and the management of other companies are thinking about the potential impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Australian Financial Review reported that BHP’s Chair Ken MacKenzie believes more companies and investors will decide to follow the decision of the oil businesses BP and Shell to exit Russia.

Mr MacKenzie thinks that boards and management teams will be looking at the best-case and worst-case scenarios to consider the potential outcomes on the business, as well as cyber risks.

The AFR quoted Mr Mackenzie who said:

As business people, our role is to understand those situations, to understand the potential range of outcomes that can come from a geopolitical situation. We call that scenario analysis and then develop contingency plans around that to protect the business. That’s our job, but none of us have a crystal ball.

I always say, hope for the best and plan for the worst. So, it’s everything from one scenario which would be a quick, peaceful resolution, which we’re all looking for, to the unthinkable.

And we’ve just got to understand the implications to our business and get out in front, which is what everybody did during the pandemic, very successfully.

Is Europe important for BHP?

BHP makes less than 2% of its earnings – around $1 billion of sales – from Europe.

The more important market for the business is China which is a big customer for BHP’s iron ore and it also buys a lot of its other commodities as well.

Mr MacKenzie noted that there is a bit of tension between Australia and China, but said there is mutual dependency – “We need China and China needs us.” He also said that its business-to-business relationships with its Chinese suppliers and customers “have never been stronger”.

BHP share price snapshot

The BHP share price rose 3.8% today. That means that it has now risen by 14% this year, despite now going ex-dividend.

One of the latest analyst ratings comes from Macquarie, which rates it as a buy with a price target of $53. That implies a potential upside of around 10% over the next 12 months. The broker reckons the company can keep capitalising on the high resource prices.

The post ‘Hope for the best and plan for the worst’: BHP boss appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s how these top 3 ASX 200 mining shares performed in February
• Why did the BHP (ASX:BHP) share price deliver such lacklustre gains in February?
• ‘A lot of headroom to grow’: Is 2022 the year ASX investors turn to ESG shares?
• How might the conflict in Ukraine impact the iron ore price?
• Which ASX 200 shares have delivered the biggest dividend payout increases this earnings season?

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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 Macquarie 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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A message from our CIO, Scott Phillips:

G’day Fools. If you’re like us, you’re dismayed by the events taking place in Ukraine. It is an unnecessary humanitarian tragedy. Times like these remind us that money is important, but other things are far more valuable. And yet the financial markets remain open, shares are trading, and our readers and members are looking to us for guidance. So we’ll do our best to continue to serve you, while also hoping for a swift and peaceful end to war in Ukraine

The Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) is responding to the Ukraine crisis with one significant product change.

Endeavour shares were swapping hands at $7.02 at the close of trade today, a 0.57% fall. In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gained 0.28% today.

Let’s take a look at how Endeavour Group is showing its support for Ukraine.

Russian product taken off the shelves

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Endeavour has decided to pull all alcohol made in Russia from its liquor shops and hotels.

Endeavour owns major Australian liquor outlets and brands including Dan Murphy’s, BWS, ALH Hotels and Jimmy Brings.

An Endeavour Group spokesperson commented on the decision:

As an organisation, Endeavour Group is deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine and we join the calls for peace.

Following feedback from a variety of stakeholders, we have decided to remove products of Russian origin from our stores, hotels and online businesses in the coming days.

Endeavour shares slipped 1% yesterday. As my Foolish colleague Sebastian Bowen reported, the company’s shares were trading ex-dividend.

Endeavour expects to pay a fully-franked interim dividend of 12.5 cents per share on 28 March. Endeavour reported a 15.6% boost in net profit after tax (NPAT) to $311 million in its half-year results on 21 February.

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) has also decided to remove Russian-sourced drinks from its Liquorland, Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor stores, SBS News reported.

Endeavour share price snapshot

The Endeavour share price has surged 16.61% in the past year. In the past month alone, Endeavour shares have surged more than 10%.

For perspective, the benchmark index has returned around 5% over the past year.

Endeavour has a market capitalisation of about $12 billion based on its current share price.

The post Own Endeavour (ASX:EDV) shares? Here’s how the company is responding to the Ukraine crisis appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Party pooper? Why the Endeavour (ASX:EDV) share price is slumping today
• Here’s what you need to know about the Woolworths (ASX:WOW) dividend
• ASX 200 shares stage comeback amid Russia optimism
• Why A2 Milk, AGL, Endeavour, and TPG shares are charging higher
• Crack a bottle! Endeavour (ASX:EDV) share price jumps 11% on profit lift

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.

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If you’re a fan of tech shares, then you may want to look at the two listed below.

Here’s why these tech shares have been rated as buys:

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

The first ASX tech share to look at is Altium. It is a printed circuit board (PCB) design software provider behind the Altium 365 and Altium Designer platforms. These platforms are the clear leaders in their field and used by companies such as Amazon, BAE Systems, Facebook, and Tesla.

Last month Altium released its half year results and revealed a 28% increase in revenue to US$102 million and a 38% jump in net profit to US$23 million. This stellar growth is being underpinned by strong demand for its software thanks to favourable tailwinds such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence. These are supporting an explosion of electronic devices globally. 

Pleasingly, Altium’s CEO, Aram Mirkazemi, is positive on the future. He said: “We are picking up pace toward market dominance and accelerating our transformative vision to digitally connect electronic design and manufacturing to the broader engineering ecosystem.”

Bell Potter remains positive on Altium following its half year results. In response to the release, the broker retained its buy rating but trimmed its price target to $38.75.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

This leading cloud connectivity and networking solutions provider could be a tech share to buy. This is due to its first mover advantage in a massive market.

Goldman Sachs estimates that Megaport has exposure to $129 billion per annum spent on fixed enterprise networking across its current geographies. This market is being underpinned by structural tailwinds such as the adoption of public cloud (and multi-cloud usage) and the transition towards Networking as a Service (NaaS).

All in all, the broker believes this leaves Megaport well-placed for growth over the next decade. As a result, it has put a buy rating and $19.50 price target on the company’s shares.

The post Analysts name 2 excellent ASX tech shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Brokers name 2 exciting ASX growth shares to buy in March
• 2 top ASX growth shares that have been heavily sold off
• Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Altium (ASX:ALU) dividend
• ASX 200 tech shares take a hammering as Ukraine fears escalate
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today

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 and has recommended Altium and MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. 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 All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has recorded a day in the green today, finishing the trading day up 0.28%. at 7,406.3 points. A small gain, but a gain nonetheless. But ASX energy shares, on the whole, have fared far better.

Thanks to rapidly rising energy prices, most ASX energy shares enjoyed extremely pleasing gains over the course of the trading day. So let’s check out three such shares that managed to hit new 52-week highs this Wednesday.

3 ASX energy shares that hit a new 52-week high today

Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR)

Karoon Energy was one company that enjoyed some robust gains on the markets today. Karoon shares opened at $2.19 apiece this morning, and finished the trading day at $2.17 each. However, the company hit a new 52-week high of $2.21 a share during intraday trading. Even after coming down slightly from that high by the end of the session, Karoon shares remain up almost 90% over the past 12 months.

New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC)

Coal miner New Hope is another ASX energy share that is enjoying some love today. New Hope shares opened at $2.77 this morning before rising as high as $2.83, the company’s new 52-week high. Again, the company has dipped by close. But even so, this miner was still up just over 5.2%. New Hope also remains a long way from its 52-week low of $1.13 a share. Over the past 12 months, this company has given investors a return of 130%.

Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL)

Woodside is our final and largest ASX energy share to check out today. This black gold digger opened at $29.68 a share this morning. But after a few gyrations, Woodside ended up setting a new 52-week high at its closing share price of $30.44. Over the past 12 months, this oil share has given investors a healthy return of more than 23%.

The post Black gold! 3 ASX energy shares pumping new 52-week highs today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Woodside (ASX:WPL) shares are up 6% today. Here’s the lowdown
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Rio Tinto, South32 storm higher, PointsBet sinks
• Own Woodside (ASX:WPL) shares? Here’s the latest on the energy giant’s major court win
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• 3 ASX energy shares smashing 52-week highs today

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. 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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