If you’re looking to strengthen your portfolio with some blue chip shares, you may want to look at the two listed below.

Here’s why these blue chip ASX 200 shares are highly rated right now:

CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

The first blue chip ASX 200 share to look at is CSL. This biotherapeutics giant could be a top option for investors after a very poor start to 2022. Especially given the potential positive catalysts that are on the horizon that could be supportive of a share price recovery.

That’s the view of the team at Citi, which currently has a buy rating and $335.00 price target on the company’s shares.

The broker commented: “Over the next six months, we expect the market to focus on the strong underlying plasma market demand, and the closure the Vifor deal, both of which should lead to strength in the share price.”

Based on the current CSL share price of $264.95, Citi’s price target implies potential upside of 26% for investors over the next 12 months.

ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD)

Another high quality ASX 200 share for investors to consider is ResMed.

It is a global leader in the development, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of medical devices and cloud-based software applications that diagnose, treat, and manage respiratory disorders. This includes sleep apnoea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Analysts at Morgans believe the company is well-placed for growth over the long term. This is thanks to a recovery in sleep apnoea volumes post-pandemic and its growing digital health business. The broker has an add rating and $40.46 price target on the company’s shares.

Morgans commented: “While we believe the next few quarters will likely be volatile, as Covid-related demand for ventilators continues to slow and core sleep apnoea volumes gradually lift, nothing changes our medium/longer term view that the company remains well-placed as it builds a unique, patient-centric, connected-care digital platform that addresses the main pinch points across the healthcare value chain.”

Based on the current ResMed share price of $31.61, Morgans’ price target suggests there’s potential upside of 28% for investors.

The post 2 blue chip ASX 200 shares analysts rate as buys this month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• ASX 200 healthcare shares were chronically ill last quarter. Take a look
• How is the CSL share price performing against its sector in 2022?
• 2 of the highest quality ASX 200 shares analysts are tipping as buys
• Why did the CSL share price go backwards in the March quarter?

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 CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended ResMed Inc. 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 200 travel shares were flying higher on the last day of trading before the Easter break.

The Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price soared 7% today, while Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) leapt nearly 5%. Meanwhile, Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) was up almost 8%.  

So why did ASX200 travel shares have such a positive day?

Travel recovery continues at home

Travel shares are surging amid the busiest day in two years at Australian airports. A million travellers could pass through Sydney airport on the long weekend, 7 News reported.

Adelaide Airport also expects 25,000 people to travel through the terminals on Thursday and Friday, while Brisbane predicts double that number. Moody’s has also upgraded Qantas’ debt level to stable, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

… and overseas

ASX 200 travel shares are following in the footsteps of their US peers. Shares in Delta Air Lines, Inc (NSE: DAL) soared 6.21% in US markets overnight, while American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ: AAL) ascended 10.62%. Meanwhile, United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: UAL) leapt 5.64%.

US travel shares soared overnight after Delta reported the highest booking volumes in the company’s history. CEO Ed Bastian said:

We are seeing a historic level of sales activity and booking volumes at levels higher than we’ve ever seen in our history.

The biosecurity emergency restricting cruise ship entry into Australia is also set to lapse on Easter Sunday. In addition, overseas travellers will no longer need to undertake a COVID-19 test to enter Australia.

In more news, New Zealand opened the borders to vaccinated arrivals from Australia yesterday, just in time for Easter long weekend travel.

The post ASX 200 travel shares had a super day. What’s happening? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Here’s why the Flight Centre share price is soaring 5% higher today
• Why Allkem, Domino’s, Qantas, and Uniti shares are racing higher
• What’s sending the Webjet share price 6% higher on Thursday?
• Why is the Qantas share price flying 7% higher today?

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 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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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) offered an early Easter treat to investors with a move to the upside. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.59% higher at 7,523.4 points.

Recipients of the biggest gains were the mining and tech sectors, both surpassing 1% rallies today. Although, much of the market wasn’t too far behind, with a tinge of green showing up in just about every sector aside from financials.

A misfire in the Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) half-year results gave the financials sector an extra dash of red on Thursday.

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, Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the online travel agency lifted 7.54% as news circulated of a major US airline returning to profitability in March. The information lit a light of hope among investors of travel shares for a revitalisation of the industry. Find out more about Webjet here.

Finding a spot on the podium today was coal mining giant Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL). The company’s shares jumped 7.47% amid the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) highlighting a potential shortage of electricity when Eraring power station comes to a close. Uncover the latest Yancoal Australia details here.

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

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB)	$5.85	7.54%
Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL)	$5.47	7.47%
Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN)	$5.45	7.07%
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)	$0.965	6.04%
Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)	$21.18	5.01%
Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)	$24.86	4.94%
Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)	$11.44	4.19%
James Hardie Industries Plc (ASX: JHX)	$2.34	4.00%
Oz Minerals Ltd (ASX: OZL)	$40.85	3.44%
Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN)	$26.84	3.15%

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

• These 3 shares are topping the ASX 200 volume charts on Thursday
• The BHP share price has had a stellar start to the year. Is it just the beginning?
• What’s sending the Webjet share price 6% higher on Thursday?
• These were the top 3 ASX energy shares of the March quarter
• The CBA share price has leapt 14% since February. Too late to buy?

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, 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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There’s no better way to put it — the Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price has been in a world of pain recently.

Since hitting a high of $12.35 in February 2021, shares in the buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment provider have tumbled 90%. For shareholders, the bleeding decided to continue throughout this week as shares have continued to fall 21% to solidify a new multi-year low at $1.24 per share.

Without any critical announcements being made, what could have put such a sour taste in investors’ mouths this week?

Questions hang over the BNPL business model

While the boom in BNPL shares raged on between 2018 to 2021, some doubts over the sector’s profitability prospects were shared. However, for some, the eye-watering rates of revenue growth being witnessed put those concerns on the back burner.

Fast forward to this week, and those same suspicions around future profitability were back on the table. The half-year results for BNPL operator Afterpay, now owned by Block Inc (ASX: SQ2), were unveiled, and it wasn’t pretty for the bottom line.

Based on the report, Afterpay’s net loss after tax opened up like a hellacious abyss — engulfing $345.5 million of the company’s money for the six-month period. For context, the comparable period involved $79.2 million of money burning.

The massive money spend mostly resulted from an uplift in employment and marketing expenses. This begs the question: is Zip also throwing piles of cash at additional marketing to maintain market share? And, is the BNPL industry really big enough for all these players to coexist?

Evidently, these questions have raised concerns for Zip and its share price. Although, the company narrowed its losses from $455.9 million to $172.8 million in its last half-year report. Prior to this result, Zip’s net losses for the trailing 12-month period were sitting at $658.8 million (as shown above).

Is there a way back for the Zip share price?

As my colleague, Tristan recently covered, Australian broker Ord Minnet is still optimistic about what the future may hold for Zip shares.

In essence, Ord Minnet highlighted that the BNPL company has continued to show growth across its core business. This, paired with the accretive transaction of competitor Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL), poses reason to believe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The broker holds a Zip share price target of $4 apiece. This suggests a potential three times return on an investment made at the current price.

The post Why has the Zip share price sunk to new multi-year lows every day this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Bank of Queensland, Iluka, New Hope, and Zip shares are falling today
• Could the Zip share price ever actually go to zero?
• 3 beaten up shares you might be surprised to learn are still part of the ASX 200
• Why A2 Milk, G8 Education, Nearmap, and Zip shares are dropping
• Zip shares hit new multi-year low. What’s going on?

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Block, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Block, Inc. and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Block, Inc. 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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