Day: 7 April 2022

ASX travel shares descended today on a tough day for the market.

The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) slid 2.74%,  Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB)  gravitated 2.86%, and Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) descended 1.96%.

Meanwhile, the Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO) share price fell 2.40%, while Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) dropped 2.54%.

Let’s take a look at why these travel companies had such a shocking day.

Travel chaos predicted

ASX travel shares followed the pattern of their US counterparts. The American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ: AAL) fell 2.58%, United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: UAL) descended 3.67%, and Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) dropped 3.69% in Wednesday’s trade in the US. US airlines fell amid rate rise fears.

News from the White House that the USA has no plans to scrap COVID-19 testing requirements may also have weighed on travel shares. In a video shared on Twitter by The Post Millennial, Whitehouse COVID-19 advisor Jeff Zients said: “There are no plans to change the international travel requirements at this point.”

ASX travel shares Flight Centre, Webjet and Qantas all have a presence in the USA market.

Travel chaos in the lead up to Easter may also be concerning travel shareholders. Hundreds of international flights are being cancelled due to COVID-19 travel shortages, CBS News reported. Australian passengers were recently warned to arrive at the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights amid airline staff shortages, the Daily Mail reported.

Rising oil prices may also be impacting ASX travel shares. International benchmark Brent crude oil is up 1.45% to US$102.57 per barrel at the time of writing, Trading Economics data shows. Fuel is a major cost for airlines, and the oil price impacts the cost of fuel.

ASX travel share recap

In the past year, Qantas shares have fallen 7.41%, Webjet shares have fallen 2.86%, while Flight Centre shares have leapt 4.96%.

Helloworld Travel shares have soared 10.41%, while Corporate Travel shares have exploded 22.35%.

In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Index has returned more than 7% in the past year.

The post What went so wrong for ASX travel shares today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why did the Qantas share price have such a tough time of it today?
• The Webjet share price is tumbling 5% on Thursday. Could this be why?
• The Flight Centre share price is diving 5% today. What’s next in April?
• ASX travel shares have been flying higher over the past month. Here’s why
• Why the Flight Centre share price travelled 12% higher in March

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, and Webjet 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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As Richard Carlson once said, “Reflection is one of the most underused yet powerful tools for success.” Investors spend a lot of time looking ahead, but in this article, we take a moment to reflect upon the last month in ASX All Ordinaries shares.

If you were to simplify what investors want to achieve into one short sentence, it would probably be something along the lines of — “find and invest in the big winners while avoiding the big losers”.

And so, we found the best and worst performers of the All Ordinaries in March to offer some reflection.

Lithium developer takes out the top spot among All Ordinaries

It’s hard to beat a company whose shares have skyrocketed 108% in a single month. Though it might be hard to believe, that is exactly what lithium developer Lake Resouces N.L (ASX: LKE) achieved in March.

Taking a look at what the company got up to during the month, you might begin to see what instilled such excitement among shareholders. For instance, Lake Resources found itself being added to the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO).

In addition, the company raised $39 million through the execution of its at-the-market subscription agreement with Acuity Capital.

Finally, on 29 March this ASX All Ordinaries share announced it had linked up with Japan-based Hanwa Co Ltd. According to the announcement, an offtake proposal of 25,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per annum had been made. Furthermore, Hanwa suggested it was considering a meaningful equity investment in Lake Resources.

Missing the target in March

Not every ASX All Ordinaries share could be as fortunate as Lake Resources. For 88 Energy Ltd (ASX: 88E), it was a plain painful month — where did it all go wrong for the oil explorer? It’s time for some more reflection.

Unfortunately, 88 Energy released a company update on 30 March which sent shareholders running. As per the announcement, 88 Energy was unable to obtain fluid samples from its target zones in the Merlin-2 well, situated in Alaska.

The news douses investors’ hopes of striking a well rich with oil. In turn, this ASX All Ordinaries share shaved off 63% in March.

The post Guess which 2 ASX shares were the best and worst All Ordinaries performers in March appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 ASX mining shares rocking all-time highs on Friday
• Why is the Lake Resources (ASX:LKE) share price surging 16% higher to a new record high?
• The ASX 200 just had its longest winning streak since 2017. What’s doing?
• 5 ASX lithium and green metals shares hitting new 52-week highs today
• Why 88 Energy, Gold Road, Sigma, and Star shares are dropping

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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Investing in the financial markets is no doubt as much an art as it is a science, as with all skilful practices.

That’s an important distinction, because there’s a relationship between art and emotion, provides George Mather in The Psychology of Visual Art.

However, it’s also important to realise that successful investing is as systematic and science-based as it gets, especially in today’s data-driven world.

Such that computers, algorithms, machine learning, proprietary high-frequency trading bots and the likes have swarmed over financial markets in the past decade. Not to mention the rise of quantitative finance in recent years as well that’s seen some of the largest hedge funds ever roll out onto the scene.

According to Mordor Intelligence, “algorithmic trading accounts for around 60-73% of the overall US equity trading”, and “the algorithmic trading market is expected to witness a [compound annual growth rate] CAGR of 10.5%” through until 2027.

Why the shift?

Much of the overhaul in the way financial markets operate revolves around the fact that algorithmic and quantitative trading methods supposedly back-out the emotion involved with investing. Investigations by The Socio-Economic Review found that ‘algo’s’ are “allegedly more rational and efficient than human traders, and less prone to emotionally motivated decisions,” to hammer in that point.

Behavioural finance tells us that humans are notoriously bad forecasters, are bad at mental accounting, suffer from cognitive and emotional biases, and are fraught with logical errors in decision making. It’s just the way we are.

For example, most investors are deemed to be loss averse, rather than being solely risk averse. What that means is, they value a loss greater than they value a win.

Consider this – numerous studies find that “a 50% chance of losing $100 must be offset by a 50% chance of gaining $200” – in other words, the upside must be twice that of the potential loss for most people to get comfy.

If it remains a 50/50 chance, the bet is often deemed to be too risky (because many aren’t strong at mental accounting either, remember?). The potential for a win is valued lower than the potential for an equal sized loss.

Fundamentally, these form the bedrocks as to why there’s been a structural shift towards the new electronic market ‘participant’ – to mitigate the risk of human error. As Oscar Wilde Said, “I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them”. Presumably, most market pundits would feel the same way.

Controlling emotion is actually so important, that some say harnessing the market’s psychology is essential in understanding price action and profiting from this.

“The swings we see in investment markets are far greater than can be justified by movements in investment fundamentals alone – i.e. profits, dividends, rents, interest rates, etc,” Shane Oliver of AMP Capital told Livewire.

“In fact, investor emotion plays a huge part,” he added.

Oliver also said:

A bull market runs through optimism, excitement, thrill and ultimately euphoria by which point the asset class is over loved (and usually overvalued too) – everyone who is going to buy has – and it becomes vulnerable to bad news. This is the point of maximum risk. 

Once the cycle starts to turn down in a bear market, euphoria gives way to anxiety, denial, fear, capitulation and ultimately depression at which point the asset class is under loved (and usually undervalued) – everyone who is going to sell has – and it becomes susceptible to good (or less bad) news. This is the point of maximum opportunity. 

Dampen that emotion

“Key message: investor emotion plays a huge roll in amplifying the investment cycle,” Oliver also remarked, adding that investors should avoid assets where the crowd is “euphoric and convinced it’s a sure thing”.

What to do, Oliver says?

“[F]avour assets where the crowd is depressed and the asset is under loved”.

That, he posits, is obviously far easier than done, hence why the market has taken such a shine to systematic and data-based investing methods in the first place.

Instead, focus on the long-term – which, unsurprisingly according to this data, has shown to be “solid and relatively smooth,” Oliver says – and recognise that investment returns are a function of time as much as anything.

“Since 1900 for Australian shares roughly two years out of ten have had negative returns but there are no negative returns over rolling 20-year periods. (It’s roughly two & a half years out of 10 for US shares since 1900.),” Oliver commented.

Not to mention that, amidst several global recessions, a number of wars, housing crises, Russian debt default, the GFC, and most recently, Covid-19 (just to name a small few), the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) has still climbed from 1,487 in 1992 to 7,442 at the close of trade on Thursday, a 400% return.

That’s worth thinking about.

The post Investing in ASX shares? How to avoid the ’emotional rollercoaster’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• What’s the outlook for the Cochlear share price in April?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• ASX 200 midday update: Magellan jumps, tech shares tumble
• 2 ASX tech shares that are cheap enough to buy now
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

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 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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ASX shares are under pressure along with global equities as the bond yield curve inverted, but there’s one ASX sector that could do very well in this environment, according to a leading broker.

The yield curve inversion refers to shorter-term US government bond yields rising above longer-term yields.

Investors are fretting because history has shown that an inverted yield curve precedes an economic recession.

A downturn would usually sink ASX shares as company earnings will fall in such an environment.

Inverted yield curve is good news for these ASX shares

However, the inverted yield could trigger a bull run for gold, according to Morgan Stanley. If that’s the case, this is good news for ASX gold miners like the Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) share price and Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) share price.

“The yield inversion between the two- and 10-year has often been regarded as an indicator for an oncoming recession”, said Morgan Stanley.

“Prior to 2019, the last persistent inversion occurred in 2006-07, which was followed by a multiyear bull run for gold.”

Outlook for the gold price

The gold price is stuck at around US$1,900 an ounce for several weeks and experts are divided on its next move.

The gold price outperforms when the yield curve inverts and the spot gold price is well above consensus.

But Morgan Stanley believes that there are several factors, apart from the yield curve, that could push the precious metal higher.

Earnings upgrade potential for ASX gold shares

“The current yield environment, coupled with geopolitical uncertainties, high rates of inflation and US 10-year real rates and TIPS remaining negative, offers scope for gold upside potential, especially in light of current consensus estimates for the commodity”, said the broker.

“Current spot prices are slightly above CY22 MS and consensus estimates.

“However, if gold price forecasts for CY23 were to move higher and spot prices persist, there would be substantial upside risk to earnings for gold equities.”

These developments are enough to convince Morgan Stanley to change its negative bias stance on ASX gold shares.

Best ASX gold shares to buy now

The broker noted that the share prices of all gold shares under its coverage are pricing at a commodity price under the current spot price of approximately US$1,920 an ounce.

Its top buy picks in the sector are the Newcrest share price and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) share price.

“NCM remains our top pick for the long term, as several projects move towards FID”, said Morgan Stanley.

“NST has the highest FCF generation of our coverage and offers the most sensitivity to upside gold prices, with lowest downside due to well-priced hedges.

“NST also has a near-term catalyst with its brownfield expansion at KCGM.”

The post Yield curve inversion is bad news for ASX shares except for this sector appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Is Newcrest Mining considered a defensive ASX share?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Why has the Northern Star (ASX:NST) share price gained 23% in 2 months?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday

Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns Newcrest Mining Limited. 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 GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) share price rocketed on Thursday following the company’s funds under management (FUM) update.

At the final bell, the fund manager’s shares finished the day 9.68% higher at $1.53.

In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) closed down 0.57%. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) also had another disappointing day, closing at 7,442.8, down 0.63%.

FUM update

Investors rallied up the GQG share price following the company’s latest FUM report.

GQG reported that total FUM experienced US$3.4 billion in net inflows over the quarter. This is despite a challenging macro environment in which the business continued to see positive net flows through its three major channels.

As such, the international equity division rose 2.5% to US$32.6 billion. This was followed by global equity which increased by 6.2% to US$29.3 billion.

Furthermore, the emerging markets equity business improved by 1.2% to US$24.9 billion, with United States equity up 5.2% to US$6.1 billion.

Across the board, total FUM stood at $92.2 billion at the end of the March quarter.

The company said:

We continue to see business momentum across multiple geographies and channels as our Q1 flows represent positive net flows from all three of our major channels and positive net flows from multiple geographies, notably in the Australian and Canadian retail channels.

About the GQG share price

After reaching a record high of $2.13 late last year, the GQG share price is down 30% over the past year.

It has also fallen 13% this year to date. However, it is up 16% over the past month and 9% over the past week.

GQG commands a market capitalisation of roughly $4.51 billion and has approximately 2.95 billion shares outstanding.

The post This ASX financial share defied its sector sell-off to climb 9%. Here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Ardent Leisure, GQG, Magellan, and Melbana shares are charging higher
• Brokers: 2 ASX dividend shares expected to pay juicy yields
• 2 ASX dividend shares with yields above 5%
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Why Aurelia Metals, Brambles, GQG, and Nickel Mines shares are falling

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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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Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) shares have hit not one, not two, not even three… but four all-time high prices this week.

The owner of Dan Murphy’s and BWS liquor stores has had a cracking time of it lately. Endeavour shares have spiked 11% over the past 30 days and closed the session up again today by 1.06% to $7.66.

Endeavour shares hit new highs

The Endeavour share price closed at $7.42 on Monday — creating the first all-time high of the week. On Tuesday it finished at $7.49, then $7.58 on Wednesday, and it’s yet another high-flying finish today.

This is despite no price-sensitive news out of the retail drinks and hotel operator since 21 February. That was when Endeavour reported its FY22 half-year earnings, which lifted its share price 11% in one day.

The company reported a 15.6% increase in group net profit after tax (NPAT) to $311 million. It also announced a fully franked interim dividend of 12.5 cents per share.

What else is happening at Endeavour lately?

Endeavour appears well-positioned to benefit from the COVID-19 reopening, as people feel more comfortable venturing out for meals and entertainment at hotels and clubs.

Endeavour runs 342 venues and draws income not just from drinks and food sales but gaming, too. This segment of the business is “returning to normality” with 12,400 poker machines operating across its network.

The shift to more online shopping also bodes well for Endeavour. The company has amassed an enormous regular customer base through its Dan Murphy’s loyalty program.

According to the Financial Review, more than 30% of Australian adults — that’s 6.2 million people — are members of the program.

According to the report: “For a business with only 251 bricks and mortar outlets, the “My Dan’s” loyalty program has impressive reach, considering the much older Flybuys program, which operates across Coles supermarkets and a host of other retail brands, has about 8 million users.”

Analysts believe the ASX businesses that can best leverage their customer base in the digital world will have a big advantage moving forward.

What do brokers say about Endeavour shares?

The article quoted Goldman Sachs analyst Lisa Deng. She has a buy rating on Endeavour and a share price target of $8. She also sees the My Dan’s loyalty program as a huge benefit to the company.

Deng said: “Given it is a pure-play alcohol retailer, we find it extraordinary that it has the breadth and depth of consumer assets that can rival a top staples grocery retailer.”

Deng said she expects the company to continue gaining market share in its retail division.

Given the complexity of the portfolio, with high number of stock-keeping units and specialist skills required for procurement, it will be difficult for incoming competitors to build scaled competition quickly.

The post Own Endeavour shares? Here are 4 things you probably don’t know appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 ASX 200 shares smashing 52-week highs on Thursday
• A toast! The Endeavour share price just hit an all-time high
• Federal budget: Goldman Sachs names 4 ASX shares to buy
• Do Endeavour (ASX:EDV) shares pay dividends?
• Top broker puts conviction buy rating on Endeavour (ASX:EDV) shares

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price has climbed almost 4% in a month, but could it go even higher?

The Telstra share price has ascended 3.66% since market close on 7 March.

In today’s trade, the company’s shares jumped 0.76% to finish the day at $3.96. In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) dropped 0.45% today.

Is the telco a buy?

The Telstra share price is a buy, according to the team at Morgans. The broker placed an add rating on the telco’s shares and a $4.55 price target. This is 14.9% more than the share price at today’s close.

Successful implementation of the company’s transformation T22 strategy and T25 strategy are underpinning this positive outlook, my Foolish colleague James reported.

Morgans believes Telstra shares are undervalued on a “sum of the parts basis”. The analyst added: “Sector dynamics look positive and value realisation is possible.”

Morgans is predicting Telstra to pay a fully franked dividend of 16 cents per share in FY 2022 and FY 2023.

Meanwhile, Goldman placed a neutral rating on the telco recently with a price target of $4.30, my Foolish colleague Bernd reported. Goldman noted a network sharing agreement Telstra signed with TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG) in late February. Under the agreement, Telstra will provide TPG with access to 3,700 of its mobile network assets Analysts said:

TPG is paying for access to a significant portion of TLS regional coverage.  This is driving incremental wholesale earnings for TLS, improving the quality/speed of its metro and regional networks.

Another factor that could impact the Telstra share price in April is the transition to a new chief executive officer. Telstra recently appointed Vicki Brady to take over from outgoing CEO Andy Penn on 1 September. Brady will work with Penn over the next few months to prepare for the top gig.

Brady is not new to Telstra. She joined the company in 2016 and has served as the chief financial officer since July 2019. Penn also joined Telstra as a chief financial officer in 2012 and took over the top job three years later.

Telstra’s T25 strategy was announced in September 2021. At the time, Penn told investors: “If T22 was a strategy of necessity, T25 is a strategy for growth.”

Telstra share price snapshot

The Telstra share price has surged nearly 17% over the past 12 months, but it has dropped 5% year to date.

For perspective, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index has returned 7.4% over the past year.

Telstra has a market capitalisation of more than $46 billion based on its closing share price today.

The post Could April be a good month for the Telstra share price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• 2 ASX dividend shares analysts have named as buys
• The Telstra dividend is being paid today. Here’s what you need to know
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• What helped boost the Telstra share price on Thursday?

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 Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended TPG Telecom 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 ASX welcomed a new battery minerals face on Thursday, with shares in International Graphite Limited (ASX: IG6) floating on the market this afternoon.

After offering shares in the company for 20 cents apiece under its initial public offering (IPO), International Graphite finished its first day on the ASX trading at 36 cents.

Not to mention, at its intraday high of 42 cents, the company’s share price was 110% higher than its IPO offer price.

So, what exactly does the company do in the battery minerals space? Let’s take a look.

ASX battery minerals share rockets on float

The International Graphite share price launched 110% during its ASX float this afternoon.

It hit the board at 12.30pm after raising $10 million by issuing 50 million shares as part of its IPO.

The company is aiming to supply graphite to international markets and produce battery anode material to meet growing demand for battery materials.

Fun fact: the company’s ticker – IG6 – represents its initials and the atomic number of carbon.

International Graphite is building a production facility in Western Australia. There, it plans to manufacture graphite products to be sold to industrial component manufacturers.

It’s also developing a pilot plant to push production and sales of battery anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Additionally, the company has acquired the Springdale Graphite Project from Comet Resources Limited (ASX: CRL).

Comet Resources received 40 million shares in the ASX battery minerals newbie as payment for the project.

The Springdale Graphite Project is a shallow graphite deposit with metallurgical characteristics for battery anode material and prospectivity for more resources.

Right now, the Springdale Graphite Project is at the exploration and development phase. The company expects it will eventually provide most of the feedstock for its processing activities, located 450km away.

After listing on the ASX, the company has around 179.4 million shares, fully diluted.

That saw it with an expected fully diluted market capitalisation of around $35.9 million at its offer price.

However, at its first close on the ASX, the battery minerals company’s valuation is around $64.5 million, fully diluted.

The post Newest battery minerals share booms 80% on ASX debut appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Looking for dividend shares outside mining and banking? Read this
• What’s the outlook for the Cochlear share price in April?
• Why did the Qantas share price have such a tough time of it today?
• This ASX tourism share defied the sell-off today to soar 6%. Here’s why
• Why are ASX 200 tech shares having such a dire day?

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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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If there’s one thing income investors love, it’s watching the dollars trickle in and stack up as their dividend shares deliver. Simply put, it really gives the sense that you are making money while you are sleeping.

However, as investors, we reserve the right to be picky with our investments. Not everyone is industry agnostic when it comes to the share market. This presents a challenging case if you are salivating for some dividend delights, but aren’t so keen on the mining and banking sectors.

Here’s a look at where a couple of investing experts turn to outside of the ASX dividend shares staples.

Looking beyond the regular dividend shares of the ASX

Whether it be for ethical reasons, or maybe mining and banking shares just aren’t your jam, looking for shares with a reasonable yield outside of these sectors can be a challenge.

For example, below is a snapshot of the highest yielding ASX shares in the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) with dividend per share growth of more than 5% in the last year… do you notice anything?

ASX-listed company	Dividend yield	Sector
Base Resources Limited (ASX: BSE)	20.9%	Mining
Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG)	13.7%	Mining
BSP Financial Group Ltd (ASX: BFL)	13.0%	Financials
Zimplats Holdings Ltd (ASX: ZIM)	10.7%	Mining
Grange Resources Limited (ASX: GRR)	9.88%	Mining
Jupiter Mines Ltd (ASX: JMS)	9.26%	Mining
Euroz Hartleys Group Ltd (ASX: EZL)	9.20%	Financials
New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC)	9.16%	Energy
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)	9.03%	Mining
VGI Partners Ltd (ASX: VGI)	8.81%	Financials

As you might have recognised, mining and financials dominate the top-yielding dividend shares. So, what are some other options for investors? Dr Don Hamson from Plato Investment Management has his eyes on energy and consumer discretionary.

Shared in an interview with Livewire, Hamson highlighted energy shares as a beneficiary of supply shortages. In short, the higher realised prices for energy commodities should help boost dividends for these companies. While not a pick from Hamson himself, energy outfit New Hope is the only ASX dividend share outside of the mining and financials sector that appeared in our top-yielding names.

Is tech even an option for dividends?

While the tech sector has been lumped into a negative boat among investors recently, Janus Henderson portfolio manager Jane Shoemake thinks that could be a mistake.

Although we might have to look further abroad, Shoemake believes there are opportunities for bagging a decent dividend share in the tech sector. Specifically, the portfolio manager named Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) as a dividend share that might be overlooked by investors. Supplying justification, Shoemake said:

[…] we believe it is important not to consider just the yield, but also the potential for a company to sustain and grow its dividend. Some lower-yielding stocks, such as those in the technology sector, for example, offer very attractive dividend growth characteristics.

With a yield of 0.8%, it doesn’t exactly churn out the same kind of yields as ASX mining companies. However, the expert noted that the company has been consistently growing its dividend by around 10% per annum for several years.

The post Looking for dividend shares outside mining and banking? Read this appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The best type of ASX shares to buy right now: expert
• 3 differences between you and billionaires, and 1 thing you have in common
• Why investing in shares still offers the ‘best return potential’ in 2022: expert

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. owns and has recommended Microsoft. 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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After a recent recovery, the Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH) share price has been a mild pleaser for investors. Although Cochlear shares ended the day down by 0.16% at $224.79, the hearing technology company is now up around 1% in 2022 so far, as well as up 3.4% over the past 12 months.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 healthcare share has gained a healthy 4.5%. Saying that, the company is still more than 12% below the all-time high of $257.76 that we saw back in August last year.

Cochlear’s most recent earnings report seems to have been well received by investors too. Back in February, the company announced a 10% increase in sales revenue and a 26% rise in underlying profits to $158 million. Pleasingly for income investors, Cochlear also announced a 35% increase to its interim dividend to $1.55 per share. This saw investors give the Cochlear share price a boost at the time.

But now that we’ve passed the first quarter of 2022, what might be next for Cochlear? What does April hold for this famous brand in the medical space?

Is the Cochlear share price a buy in April?

Well, one ASX broker who is bullish on the Cochlear share price is Morgans. As my Fool colleague James covered last month, Morgans recently upgraded its rating on Cochlear to an ‘add’, with a 12-month share price target of $233.20. If that turns out to be accurate, it would mean Cochlear has a 3.7% or so upside left in the tank over the next year.

Here’s some of what Morgans said on its buy recommendation:

“Cochlear maintains a dominant position in the implantable hearing solutions segment. While we continue to believe a full recovery from Covid-based disruptions still has time to play out, improving demand and strong pipeline, coupled with management’s increasing confidence, is all suggestive of an improving earnings profile.”

So that’s pretty emphatic from one of the ASX’s top brokers.

But we’ll have to wait and see if its bullishness is justified over the next 12 months.

In the meantime, the current Cochlear share price gives this ASX 200 healthcare company a market capitalisation of $14.81 billion, with a dividend yield of 0.92%.

The post What’s the outlook for the Cochlear share price in April? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 3 more of the ‘best’ ASX 200 shares to buy this month: Morgans
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• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

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 Cochlear Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear 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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