• Hong Kong Protests Reignite Over Beijing Security Laws

    Hong Kong Protests Reignite Over Beijing Security LawsPolice fired tear gas on protesters for the first time in weeks after thousands took to the streets in Hong Kong Sunday to vent their anger at security laws Beijing announced it plans to impose. Photo: Kin Cheung/Associated Press

    from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/2WZNe9B

  • If you invested $10,000 in the Appen IPO, this is how much you’d have now

    dollar sign growth concept

    This month I have been looking at what would have happened if you had invested $10,000 into the IPOs of some of the most popular ASX shares.

    The last one I wrote about, which can be found here, was the Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) IPO.

    Spoiler alert. The ecommerce company’s shares have been very strong performers since their IPO in June 2016.

    Today I thought I would turn my attention to the Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) IPO.

    The Appen IPO.

    Appen is a leading provider of language technology data and services. It provides or improves data that is then used for the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence products

    Its shares landed on the ASX boards just over five years ago in January 2015. The company raised $15 million at an offer price of 50 cents per share, which gave it a market capitalisation of approximately $47.3 million. This means that a $10,000 investment would have got you $20,000 shares at its IPO.

    Management told investors that the funds raised would help it “take advantage of, and grow with, the recent acceleration of devices and technology that interact with humans on human terms and advances in mobile communications and social media that are driving unified communication in any language and across languages.”

    Stellar growth.

    Well, management certainly delivered on its prospectus promises and more.

    Since its IPO Appen has gone from strength to strength, culminating in the company delivering revenue of $536 million and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of $101 million in FY 2019.

    But it isn’t stopping there. Last month Appen released a market update which revealed that it remains on course to achieve its FY 2020 guidance despite the pandemic. It expects underlying EBITDA in the range $125 million to $130 million, which represents a year on year increase of 23.8% to 28.7%.

    The high end of its EBITDA guidance is a massive 175% greater than its market capitalisation at listing. I believe this demonstrates just how quickly the company has grown.

    Unsurprisingly, this has led to its shares rising very strongly since its IPO. At the time of writing they are changing hands for $30.59, which is within sight of their all-time high of $32.00. This gives it a market capitalisation of almost $3.75 billion.

    Which means that the 20,000 shares you would have picked up at Appen’s IPO now have a market value of approximately $612,000.

    Overall, I believe this demonstrates how rewarding it can be to invest in shares with quality business models, strong growth potential, and talented management teams.

    Missed out on these gains? Then don’t miss out on these dirt cheap shares before they rebound…

    NEW! 5 Cheap Stocks With Massive Upside Potential

    Our experts at The Motley Fool have just released a FREE report detailing 5 shares you can buy now to take advantage of the much cheaper share prices on offer.

    One is a diversified conglomerate trading 40% off it’s all-time high, all while offering a fully franked dividend yield of over 3%…

    Another is a former stock market darling that is one of Australia’s most popular and iconic businesses. Trading at a significant discount to its 52-week high, not only does this stock offer massive upside potential, but it also trades on an attractive fully franked dividend yield of almost 4%.

    Plus, this free report highlights 3 more cheap bets that could position you to profit in 2020 and beyond.

    Simply click here to scoop up your FREE copy and discover the names of all 5 cheap shares.

    But you will have to hurry because the cheap share prices on offer today might not last for long.

    YES! SEND ME THE FREE REPORT!

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Appen Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

    The post If you invested $10,000 in the Appen IPO, this is how much you’d have now appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

    from Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3edcY84

  • Why Leigh Creek, Lynas, Monadelphous, & TechnologyOne are dropping lower

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has started the week very strongly. In late morning trade the benchmark index is up 1.6% to 5,583.9 points.

    Four shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping lower:

    The Leigh Creek Energy Ltd (ASX: LCK) share price is down 5.5% to 8.3 cents. On Thursday the gas producer put its shares in a trading halt pending a material announcement in relation to a proposed capital raising. This morning the company launched an underwritten share purchase plan to raise just $1 million. It is raising the funds at a 20% discount to the five-day volume weighted average price on June 15.

    The Lynas Corporation Ltd (ASX: LYC) share price is down 2% to $2.07. Investors have been selling the rare earths producer’s shares after it revealed doubts over its U.S. activities. Last month the U.S. Department of Defense revealed that it plans to award a Phase I contract for a U.S. based Heavy Rare Earth separation facility to Lynas. Since then there have been objections to its construction. So much so, Lynas understands that plans are now on hold while political issues are addressed.

    The Monadelphous Group Limited (ASX: MND) share price has fallen 3.5% to $10.35. This decline appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Ord Minnett. This morning the broker retained its lighten rating on the engineering company’s shares and slashed the price target on them to $10.00. It has concerns over the impact of the pandemic on its operations.

    The TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) share price has continued its slide and is down a further 4% to $9.53. The enterprise software company’s shares have come under pressure since the release of its half year update. Investors appear underwhelmed by its 6% lift in sales and profits during the six months ending March 31. Especially given the significant premium that its shares trade at.

    Need a lift after these declines? Then you won’t want to miss out on the five recommendations below…

    5 cheap stocks that could be the biggest winners of the stock market crash

    Investing expert Scott Phillips has just named what he believes are the 5 cheapest and best stocks to buy right now.

    Courtesy of the crashing stock market, these 5 companies are suddenly trading at significant discounts to their recent highs… creating what could be incredible opportunities for bargain-hungry investors.

    Simply click here to scoop up your FREE copy and discover the names of all 5 cheap shares to buy now… before the next stock market rally.

    See the 5 stocks

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

    The post Why Leigh Creek, Lynas, Monadelphous, & TechnologyOne are dropping lower appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

    from Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3eaQCUA