Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares have been rising over the past month. They are up by 12%. Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) shares have also gone up, rising by 7%.

Both of these numbers have outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has only just risen by 6.25%.

It could be interesting to look at which ASX shares are getting more attention from investors.

JP Morgan Index

Reporting by The Australian said that Australian fund managers are being “decidedly downbeat” with their market commentary, levels of cash and defensive holdings, according to JP Morgan analyst Jason Steed.

When looking at JP Morgan’s ‘Love Index’, it was reported that the consumer staples sector was the “favoured defensive refuge”.

According to the reporting, Santos “remains the clear preference” over Woodside, and is the “most-loved” company in the love index.

The communications industry was the largest ‘overweight’ sector, while financials was the most under-held.

Steed wrote:

Holdings in staples climbed again and are now at the highest level since mid-2019. In contrast, managers pulled back sharply on their energy holdings, with the average holding back to a level last seen in October.

Retail remains by far the largest cohort of shareholders in the major banks.

According to Steed’s research, retail investors may own around $200 billion of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank shares.

How are Woodside and Santos shares performing?

Both businesses recently reported their quarterly updates.

Santos said that it had delivered US$5.9 billion of year to date sales, and third quarter sales of US$2.15 billion.

Free cash flow of over US$1 billion in the quarter reduced the company’s gearing to 20.8% at the end of September.

Santos production was 26.1 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe), which was up 2% from the second quarter of 2022. Year to date production was 77.6 MMboe in 2022, up 12% from 2021.

For Woodside, it was the first full quarter of operations since the merger with the BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) petroleum business.

It achieved production of 51.2 MMboe, up 52% from the second quarter of 2022.

Woodside managed to achieve quarterly revenue of US$5.86 billion, up 70% from the second quarter.

Since the beginning of the year, Woodside shares are up 58% while Santos shares have only risen by 16%.

Are Woodside shares a buy?

The broker Macquarie has a price target of $33.10 on Woodside shares, with a neutral rating. It likes Woodside’s opportunity when it comes to LNG.

But, Macquarie is much more confident about the prospects of investment returns from Santos. It has an outperform rating on Santos, with a price target of $10 (implying a 30% rise) thanks to Santos generating strong free cash flow.

The post Are Woodside shares the ‘most loved’ among the ASX energy giants? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• ‘Some market trends are now entrenched’: Why this expert tips greatness for Santos shares
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Why did Santos and Woodside shares beat the ASX 200 today?
• Batten down the hatches as RBA may hit households with ‘supersized’ interest rate hike on Melbourne Cup day

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 Scott Phillips.

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If you’re looking for dividend shares to buy, then the two listed below could be worth checking out.

Both have been named as buys by brokers and tipped to provide big yields. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

The first ASX dividend share that has been tipped as a buy is footwear retailer Accent.

The team at Morgans is positive on the company and has an add rating and $2.00 price target on its shares. The broker likes Accent due to its attractive valuation and belief that the company is well-placed to bounce back from a very difficult time in FY 2022.

Its analysts said:

AX1’s renewed focus on selling at full price will, in our view, support a recovery in the gross profit margin in FY23 back towards historical averages. We welcome AX1’s moderation of the pace of its store rollout in favour of a more selective expansion strategy focused on return on investment. We see AX1 as undervalued at the current share price.

As for dividends, Morgans is forecasting fully franked dividends of 9 cents per share in FY 2023 and 11 cents per share in FY 2024. Based on the current Accent share price of $1.48, this will mean yields of 6.1% and 7.4%, respectively.

Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT (ASX: HCW)

Another ASX dividend share that has been tipped as a buy is this health and wellness focused real estate investment trust.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs are very positive on the company and have a conviction buy rating and $2.14 price target on its shares. Goldman likes Healthco Healthcare and Wellness due to its strong balance sheet and its exposure to government-backed sub-sectors.

The broker said:

[T]he REIT remains one of our top picks in the sector given 1) its net cash position with over $450mn of liquidity, providing flexibility for near term opportunities, 2) its diversified mix of strong tenant covenants in sub-sectors that are majority government-backed across the care spectrum, mitigating potential tenant credit risks, 3) Healthcare and childcare assets valuations have remained resilient, 4) the expansive forecast future demand for assets across the care spectrum, underpinning development opportunities, and 5) inexpensive valuation.

In respect to dividends, Goldman expects dividends per share of 7.5 cents in both FY 2023 and FY 2024. Based on the current Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT unit price of $1.41, this will mean yields of 5.3% for investors.

The post Brokers name 2 ASX dividend shares to buy with big yields appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Top ASX dividend shares to buy in October 2022
• Broker names 2 ASX dividend shares to buy with 6%+ yields
• 2 excellent ASX dividend shares that analysts love in October
• Got $5,000? These 3 high-yielding ASX dividend shares still pay better than bonds
• Brokers name 2 top ASX dividend shares to buy this month

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 recommended Accent Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price descended slightly in the month of October.

CSL shares dropped 1.59% from $285.02 at market close on 30 September to $280.48 at market close on 30 October. In today’s trade, CSL shares leapt 2.27%, finishing the month on a high.

Let’s take a look at what played out and what could be ahead.

How did the month play out for the CSL share price?

CSL shares descended nearly 7.92% between market close on 5 and 21 October before recovering.

However, the ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) also fell 6.5% during the same time frame.

On 12 October, CSL shares fell 1% despite an optimistic annual general meeting update. However, as my Foolish colleague James noted at the time, the share price fall appeared to be driven by broader selling in the healthcare sector.

CSL managing director Paul Perreault advised the company is performing in line with guidance in the 2023 financial year. He said:

I am absolutely certain that the fundamentals of our business are strong and the diversity of our pipeline is rich.

This really sets up CSL to build on our track record of sustainable growth for years to come.

Meanwhile, on 17 October, CSL provided an update on its Vifor business. The company advised it expected more than 10% revenue growth in the medium term. Key drivers for this growth are diseases of iron deficiency, dialysis and nephrology.

The company provided a new FY23 net profit after tax before amortisation (NAPATA) guidance, including CSL Vifor, of US$2.7 to US$2.8 billion.

Meanwhile, CSL directors bought up the company’s shares on 20 October. Non executive director Dr Megan Clark AC bought 270 CSL shares for $274.01. This represented an investment of $74,000. And on 24 October, non executive director Alison Watkins AM bought up 1,000 CSL shares at $272 for a total of $272,000.

CSL shares climbed nearly 5% between market close on 21 and 31 October.

Looking ahead, Bell Potter has recently named CSL as one of nine “champion stocks” for long-term investments. Bell Potter said these champion stocks have a “long-term positive thematic” that it expects will drive earnings growth and shareholder value in the coming years.

Meanwhile, Morgans analysts see CSL as a buy following its update on the new CSL Vifor business. Analysts have placed a $312.20 price target on the CSL share price. This implies an upside of 11% based on the current share price.

CSL share price snapshot

The CSL share price has shed 6.66% in the past year, while it has lost nearly 3.52% year to date.

For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has descended 6.83% in the past year.

CSL has a market capitalisation of about $135.2 billion based on the current share price.

The post Did the CSL share price fall or rise in October? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Bell Potter names 9 ‘champion’ ASX 200 shares to buy for the next five years
• 3 ASX 200 directors who have been buying up their company shares this week
• Directors have been buying up CSL shares this month. Should you?
• Is buying CSL shares right now a smart move?
• Here’s what Morgans is saying about the CSL share price

Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL Ltd. 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 Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) recovered from Friday’s 0.87% fall, and then some, today. The index closed 1.15% higher at 6,863.5 points.

It followed a strong Friday session on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) lifted 2.6% to post its fourth consecutive weekly gain. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) rose 2.5% and the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) gained 2.9%.

Such gains didn’t rub off on all ASX 200 sectors today, however. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slipped 0.4% amid falling oil prices.

The Brent crude oil price fell 1.2% to US$95.77 a barrel on Friday while the US Nymex crude oil price slipped 1.3% to US$87.90 a barrel.

On the other end of the market, the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) jumped 2.6% despite broad expectations the Reserve Bank of Australia could hike rates by between 0.25% to 0.5% tomorrow.

Mining stocks also had a reasonable day, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) gaining 0.1%.

All in all, 10 of the ASX 200’s 11 sectors closed higher on Monday. But which share outperformed all others? Keep reading to find out.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Today’s top-performing ASX 200 share was Home Consortium Ltd (ASX: HMC). It gained close to 8% despite only silence from the property group on Monday.

Today’s biggest gains were made by these shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Home Consortium Ltd (ASX: HMC)	$4.80	7.87%
Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC)	$8.37	7.86%
Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE)	$1.06	7.61%
ARB Corporation Limited (ASX: ARB)	$29.01	7.52%
Nanosonic Ltd (ASX: NAN)	$4.11	7.03%
Chorus Ltd (ASX: CNU)	$7.61	6.73%
Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU)	$0.175	6.06%
GUD Holdings Limited (ASX: GUD)	$8.04	5.79%
Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV)	$25.03	5.57%
Newell Brands Inc (ASX: NWL)	$12.16	5.37%

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Monday
• Wheat woes: Why the Graincorp share price is charging 8% to the upside today
• Why are ASX lithium shares pulverising most of the market on Monday?
• Qantas shares are up 13% this year, but could the CEO’s pay still be in jeopardy?
• Why Clinuvel, Nitro, Premier Investments, and Pushpay shares are rising

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 positions in and has recommended Nanosonics Limited and Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Nanosonics Limited and Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended ARB Corporation Limited and Premier Investments Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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