It’s been a strong start to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far this Monday.

The ASX 200 doesn’t seem to have been held down by any Monday-itis today thus far, with the index currently boasting a pleasing gain of 0.69%, lifting the ASX 200 to just over 7,333 points.

Let’s hope this optimism holds for the rest of the week. But let’s now turn to the ASX 200 shares that are currently at the top of the share market’s trading volume charts, according to investing.com. 

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Monday

Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR)

First up today we have ASX 200 lithium stock Liontown. This Monday has seen a decent 14.58 million Liontown shares trade hands as it currently stands. There’s been no fresh news or announcements out of the company itself today.

But that hasn’t stopped this ASX 200 share from rocketing by a pleasing 4.91% up to $1.71 a share. It’s this gain that seems to be responsible for so many Liontown shares trading today.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Next up we have another ASX 200 lithium stock in industry-leader Pilbara Minerals. So far today, a hefty 17.25 million Pilbara shares have been bought and sold on the markets. There’s been no new news out of Pilbara either. But this company’s shares don’t seem to have been invited to the party that Liontown is at.

Pilbara has gone the other way so far today, with its shares presently down by a meaningful 1.67% to $4.11 each, despite spending some time in the green this morning at up to $4.26 a share. It’s probably this bouncing around that has prompted the high number of Pilbara shares flying across the ASX today.

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)

Lastly this Monday, let’s check out yet another ASX 200 lithium stock in Core Lithium. So far this session, a notable 20.24 million Core shares have been traded on the share market. In Core Lithium’s case, we do have some news that the shares might be reacting to today.

This morning, the company announced that it has doubled its resource estimate at its flagship Finniss Lithium Project. The Core Lithium share price was up 11% at one point this Monday at $1.07 a share, but investors have since cooled their jets, with the company now up by 6.25% at $1.02 a share. No wonder this stock is topping our charts today with that kind of volatility.

The post Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Guess which ASX 200 director just bought 50,000 of their company’s shares
• Why Block, BrainChip, Core Lithium, and Life360 shares are racing higher
• Guess which ASX 200 tech stock has rallied 30% in 2023 and just hit an all-time high
• Macquarie tips 100% total return from Pilbara Minerals shares
• Why is the Core Lithium share price soaring 11% 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 Scott Phillips.

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Inflation and interest rate hikes have inflicted a lot of damage in the last few months. Central banks are trying to do what they can to calm down demand and slow price increases.

Some companies have been hit hard by the difficult economic situation, while others are barely over the impacts of COVID-19.

So while share prices are down, it can be very interesting when a director decides to buy shares.

Directors may decide to sell shares for a number of different reasons, but the reason to invest in the market is usually because of just one factor – the director thinks the business is good value.

Here’s why this S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) share could be an underrated buy.

Buy signal for this ASX 200 share?

Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) has been through plenty of volatility since the start of COVID-19.

It was announced that director Ilana Atlas recently bought 50,000 Scentre shares on the market at an average price of $2.935 per security. That translates into a total investment of around $147,000, bringing the director’s total ownership to 130,856 Scentre shares.

This investment comes after Scentre, the owner of Westfield shopping centres in Australia and New Zealand, unveiled its FY22 results a couple of weeks ago.

It revealed that its funds from operations (FFO) – essentially the net rental profit – increased by 20.6% to $1.04 billion. The FFO was 20.06 in per-security terms. It also announced that its distribution would be 15.75 cents per security, up 10.5%. Both the FFO and distribution were more than guided.

In 2022, it saw 480 million customer visits, up by 67 million compared to 2021. When it announced its result, Scentre revealed that in 2023 to date it had seen 70 million customer visits, an increase of more than 10 million compared to the same period in 2022.

The business noted that its portfolio occupancy increased to 98.9% at 31 December 2022, up from 98.7% at the end of 2021.

Looking ahead

The ASX 200 share gave guidance for the year ahead, revealing that it’s expecting FFO for 2023 to be in the range of 20.75 cents to 21.25 cents per security, an increase of between 3.4% to 5.9% for the year.

The distribution is expected to be at least 16.50 cents per security, which would represent an increase of 4.8% for the year. At the current Scentre share price of $3.02, that distribution guidance represents a yield of 5.2%.

The post Guess which ASX 200 director just bought 50,000 of their company’s shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Monday
• Guess which ASX 200 tech stock has rallied 30% in 2023 and just hit an all-time high
• These ASX shares are being dumped from the ASX 200 index this month
• Should I buy Flight Centre shares at $19?
• This ASX 200 dividend share failed to be one of the world’s biggest payers in 2022. Could it get worse?

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 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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While interest rates are rising, investors can still beat the returns on offer with savings accounts easily with ASX dividend shares.

But which shares should you buy for dividends? Two that have recently been rated as buys for investors are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD)

This agribusiness company could be an ASX dividend share to buy according to analysts at Goldman Sachs.

With its shares down materially from their highs, the broker believes investors should be snapping them up before it’s too late. Particularly given that Goldman feels “the fundamentals of this company remain unchanged.” The broker also notes that “ELD is very well positioned to grow through the cycle.”

Its analysts have a conviction buy rating and $18.40 price target on Elders’ shares.

As for dividends, Goldman is forecasting fully franked dividends per share of 53 cents in FY 2023 and 57 cents in FY 2024. Based on the current Elders share price of $9.07, this will mean yields of 5.8% and 6.3%, respectively.

Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)

Another ASX dividend share for income investors to consider buying is Mineral Resources.

Bell Potters appears to believe it could be a top option for investors right now. That’s because the broker expects the mining and mining services company’s lithium exposure to support strong earnings and big dividends in the coming years.

Its analysts currently have a buy rating and $110.00 price target on its shares.

In respect to its dividends, Bell Potter is expecting fully franked dividends of $3.73 per share in FY 2023 and $9.41 per share in FY 2024. Based on the current Mineral Resources share price of $88.70, this will mean 4.2% and 10.6% dividend yields, respectively.

The post Want passive income? These are the ASX dividend shares to buy according to experts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• What’s happening with ASX 200 lithium stocks this week?
• Buy Minerals Resources shares for 21% upside: broker
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 4 ASX 200 lithium shares to buy now: broker
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares 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. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Elders. 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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BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are down 0.4% in afternoon trading.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining company are currently changing hands for $48.12 apiece, down from Friday’s closing price of $48.32 per share.

That’s today’s price action for you.

Now here’s what BHP is looking for from the government.

What kind of action is the ASX 200 miner suggesting?

If you own BHP shares you may be aware that the miner covered a range of topics in its submission to the federal budget.

As we covered earlier today, what the mining giant certainly does not want is for the federal government to impose a Queensland-style tax on ‘super-profits’.

Should that come into play, BHP CEO Mike Henry warned it would lead to “reduced investment, fewer jobs and, in the long term, lower living standards for Australians”.

As for what BHP would like to see, the company pointed to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) recently enacted by the United States. Among the specifications, the IRA provides US$437 billion worth of subsidies for new energy projects.

“If Australia is to attract global capital and become a leader in the race for critical minerals, it needs to ensure it is globally competitive,” BHP stated (quoted by The Australian Financial Review).

“Australia is the dominant global player in the mining of battery materials, but plays a relatively narrow role focused on mining and distribution of raw materials,” the ASX 200 miner added. “The economic case for moving up the value chain is strong.”

Indeed, rival ASX 200 iron ore miner, Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG), is already increasing its focus on US opportunities via its off-shoot, Fortescue Future Industries (FFI).

With a focus on ‘green steel’, Mark Hutchison the head of FFI, returned to the US last Wednesday to discuss the opportunities presented by green hydrogen with government and business leaders.

How have BHP shares been performing?

As you can see in the chart below, BHP shares are down 4% over the past 12 months. Longer-term, shares in the ASX 200 miner are up 70% over five years.

The post Own BHP shares? Here’s what the ASX 200 miner wants from the government appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• BHP share price stumbles amid super-profit tax fears
• Why I don’t own BHP shares (yet)
• Have BHP shares always paid better dividends than Rio Tinto?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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 Scott Phillips.

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