ASX technology shares have staged a strong comeback from the March market correction. The S&P/ASX All Technology Index is up 80% from its March low. By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) is up just 30%. Investors are clearly favouring technology companies as the population increasingly turns to digital means of shopping, working, and communicating. With this in mind, we take a look at 4 ASX technology shares to buy in the next market dip. 

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

The Megaport share price has risen 92% since its March low, surpassing previous highs. The increase has seen Megaport’s market capitalisation rise to $2 billion, doubling in 13 months. As a result, the technology company has joined the S&P/ASX 200 in the latest quarterly rebalance. 

Founded in 2013, Megaport operates in the network-as-a-service (NaaS) space, providing bandwidth which allows users to connect to cloud services and data centres almost instantly. The company uses software-defined networking (SDN) to enable customers to provision circuits between data centres and their cloud providers. Businesses are able to quickly build and deploy connections to the services they run on. This then creates a network without complex configuration tasks. 

In 1H FY20 Megaport reported a 70% increase in revenue which reached $25.9 million. The business generated a profit after direct network costs of $13.2 million for the half-year. This represented an increase of $8.3 million or 173% on the prior corresponding period. Megaport is now operating in 21 countries following the launch of services in Japan in December 2019.

LiveTiles Ltd (ASX: LVT)

The LiveTiles share price has doubled from its March low of 12 cents. The price received a boost this week after the founders noted the company had been named as the fastest-growing Australian technology company. In a letter to shareholders, the founders outlined the measures LiveTiles has taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic and how it stands to benefit. 

LiveTiles is a provider of intranet software used to create dashboards, employee portals, and corporate intranets. During the pandemic, it has been assisting over 1,000 customers to support remote employee communications, operating system access, collaboration and document sharing. Due to the increase in remote working, there has been an uptick in interest in LiveTiles’ solutions. 

LiveTiles reported annualised recurring revenue of $55.2 million at 31 March 2020, up from $52.7 million at 31 December 2019. Annualised recurring revenue has grown 60% in the last year and is up 4.9x in 2 years. Average annual recurring revenue per customer was over $51,500 at the end of the March quarter, up 32% on the prior corresponding period. 

Nonetheless, the pandemic has forced the technology company to cut costs. Although, it has said it has no requirement to raise further capital to fund operating cash burn. LiveTiles reports that it is well capitalised with more than $33 million cash on hand as of 31 March. It is accelerating efforts to reach breakeven operating cash flow and is taking tangible steps to achieve this during 2020. 

Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

The Xero share price has increased 50% from March lows, spurred by the release of its full-year results in May. Xero reported that COVID-19 had a relatively modest impact on its operating and financial performance for the year. Operating revenue grew by 30% to NZD$718.2 million, with subscriber numbers growing 26% to $2.285 million. 

Nonetheless, Xero warned that the impact of COVID-19 on March trading resulted in a reduction in annualised monthly recurring revenue progress. This, along with the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, will be reflected in Xero’s FY21 performance. 

Xero provides cloud-based accounting software to predominantly small and medium businesses. It took the tech company more than a decade to reach its first million subscribers, but just 2 and a half years to add the next million, demonstrating the pace of its adoption across key markets.

Xero achieved its first full-year net profit after tax of $3.3 million in FY20. This was a $30.5 million improvement over the $27.1 million loss in FY19. Its results were driven by revenue growth, improved gross margin, and disciplined cost management. There is no doubt the pandemic will take a toll on many of Xero’s customers. While this creates uncertainty, Xero’s ambition to drive cloud accounting globally and grow its small business platform remains unchanged. 

Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

Online-only Kogan is one of the few retailers to benefit from the coronavirus pandemic, shares are up 270% since March. In April and May Kogan’s gross sales increased by more than 100% year on year. This drove a 130% increase in gross profit across the period. 

Kogan added 126,00 active customers in May, growing active customer numbers to 2,074,000 at the end of the month. Adjusted EBITDA grew by 219.3% across April and May. Financial year to date adjusted EBITDA up by more than 50%. The company had cash of $58.6 million at the end of May with its debt facility drawn to $26 million. 

Earlier this month Kogan launched a $100 million capital raising at an offer price of $11.45 per share. Funds will be used to increase financial flexibility, giving the ability to act quickly on accretive opportunities, expand the customer base, and enhance the operating model. 

In May Kogan acquired Matt Blatt, a furniture and homewares retailer, for $4.4 million. The business reported $46.5 million in revenue in FY19, with 20-25% generated online. Of course, Kogan is not just an online retailer – it also offers services including insurance, internet, mobile, and energy. 

Kogan has benefitted from a spike in sales due to lockdowns while many bricks and mortar stores were forced to close. This has pushed the ASX technology share well up, with the price to earnings (P/E) ratio over 70. Nonetheless, the company stands to benefit from the long-term shift to digital which has been accelerated by current events. 

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Kate O’Brien has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of LIVETILES FPO, MEGAPORT FPO, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended LIVETILES FPO and MEGAPORT FPO. 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 Looking to buy ASX technology shares? Here are 4 to consider appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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The Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH) share price is soaring today after the ASX retailer delivered a trading update and provided FY20 sales guidance.

At the time of writing, Adairs shares have risen 16.43% and are up more than 370% since the bottom of the bear market in March.

In late March, Adairs announced the closure of Australian and New Zealand stores in response to COVID-19. The retailer flagged the reopening of stores in early May, which came with a trading update that revealed a 221% online sales surge.

What did Adairs announce today?

With all stores having been open for at least two weeks, Adairs provided a trading update this morning on its performance for the 24 weeks to 14 June 2020 (second half to date) and 50 weeks to 14 June 2020 (year to date).

For some context, New Zealand stores closed on 24 March and re-opened on 14 May. Meanwhile, Australian stores closed on 30 March and progressively re-opened from 7 May to 29 May.

Additionally, Adairs’ online businesses in New Zealand were closed from 25 March to 28 April due to government restrictions.

For the second half to date, Adairs’ brick and mortar stores recorded 5.3% like-for-like sales growth, while its online channel grew by 92.6%. These figures led to total like-for-like sales growth of 27.4%. Meanwhile, sales for the online-only Mocka brand were up 52.1% over the same period.

Turning to year-to-date numbers, like-for-like sales growth for Adairs stores came in at 3.5%. Adairs’ online channel posted 64% growth in the period, leading to 15.7% total sales growth for the Adairs business.

FY20 guidance

The retailer also provided FY20 sales guidance this morning as the end of its financial year quickly approaches.

The company expects full-year group sales to be in the range of $385 million to $390 million. This comprises sales guidance for the Adairs business of between $358 million and $362 million, and a 30-week contribution from Mocka in the range of $27 million to $28 million.

The online channel for the Adairs brand is expected to account for approximately 27% of Adairs sales.

Commenting on today’s update, managing director and CEO Mark Ronan said:

“Since Adairs stores re‐opened we have seen strong sales across both the store network and online channel as customers return for the instore service and experience they expect from Adairs. Pleasingly, Mocka’s sales growth has also continued at high levels.”

“Our omni channel strategy and focus on the home decorating and furnishing category has served us well during this period where our customers have spent significantly more time at home,” he added.

Adairs expects to announce its FY20 results on Wednesday, 26 August 2020.

More reading

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• Why Adairs, Nick Scali, SEEK, & Splitit shares are storming higher
• The Kogan share price makes it 5 times bigger than Myer
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• Insiders have been buying Medibank and this ASX share

Motley Fool contributor Cathryn Goh 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.

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From time to time I take a look through the rates offered for term deposits by the various banks. It never ceases to amaze me how low they are!

For retirees relying on term deposits to fund their retirement, this could pose a real challenge.

Furthermore, with typical blue chip shares like the big four banks deferring or cutting their dividends, it’s a passive income earner’s nightmare. It’s possible we’ll return to ‘normality’ soon and the big banks will be paying their juicy dividends once more. But in the meantime, many investors are being forced to look elsewhere for reliable dividend income. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on five dividend shares capable of putting term deposit rates (and potentially dividends) offered by the banks to shame!

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

Wesfarmers provided a  retail trading update to the market on 9 June 2020. The update reported positive sales results across the Bunnings, Catch and Officeworks businesses. The three retailers  delivered 2H20 to date sales growth of 19.2%, 68.7% and 27.8% respectively. COVID-19 restrictions have benefitted these businesses with more customers working, studying and undertaking DIY projects at home. 

Kmart and Target delivered 2H20 to date sales growth of 4.1% and -1.8% respectively. Unsurprisingly, these results were largely caused by a reduction in foot traffic across shopping centres due to restrictions. Having said that, the Target business had already been underperforming for some time. As lockdown restrictions continue to ease though, both foot traffic and sales momentum for Kmart and Target has improved. Furthermore, Wesfarmers announced in May its plans to overhaul the Kmart group by closing some poorly performing Target stores and replacing some others with Kmart.

Wesfarmers currently has a trailing dividend yield of 3.6% on its current share price of $42.55. This far exceeds the interest rates provided by banks on savings accounts and term deposits.

I believe Wesfarmers’ diversity provides it with strength and, in my view, income investors would do well by holding the conglomerate in their portfolios. 

AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL)

In its presentation to the Macquarie Australia Conference on 5 May 2020, AGL advised it had approximately $1 billion in cash and undrawn facilities, putting it in a strong and flexible financial position. Pleasingly, the company also has no bond debt refinancing until FY22.

In addition, customer account numbers are growing and the churn rate is on the decline. 

AGL provided guidance for FY20 with underlying profit after tax of $780 million to $860 million. This is despite the increase in customer debts and unanticipated operating costs from the lockdown. 

Electricity and gas are essential services. For this reason, despite its recent share price performance, I believe AGL will be able to continue paying dividends to its shareholders. 

A trailing dividend yield of 6.32% makes it especially attractive for income but also long-term investors as energy markets recover post-pandemic.

Aurizon Holdings Ltd (ASX: AZJ)

Aurizon is Australia’s largest rail freight operator. Having successfully executed a $1.3 billion debt refinancing and reconfirmed its FY2020 earnings guidance on 3 June 2020, Aurizon has no further financing requirements until 2023. This could make the group a real gem in an income investor’s portfolio.

Furthermore, Aurizon’s operations have continued across its three businesses (bulk, coal and network) with minimal interruption during the pandemic. 

Managing director and CEO Andrew Harding said:

”While the COVID-19 pandemic has had some impact to coal demand in Asia and on the Indian sub-continent, it has not been material to date to volumes and the Company’s earnings. Accordingly, we reiterate our underlying EBIT guidance of $880 to $930 million for FY2020.”

A trailing dividend yield of 5.46% without a material impact on earnings due to the virus could potentially provide a reliable income stream to investors.

Spark Infrastructure Group (ASX: SKI)

Spark Infrastructure owns and manages a portfolio of electricity infrastructure assets.

On 7 May 2020 at the Macquarie Investor Conference, Spark reconfirmed its FY20 distribution guidance of 13.5 cents per share. At the current share price of $2.13 this provides a dividend yield of 6.34%. This is on the back of strong cash flow from the company’s network businesses. As a result, the group could be well placed to continue distributing profits to its investors moving forward.

Spark Infrastructure is also shifting its focus to renewable energy to replace ageing coal power stations and help future proof the business.

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

Transurban is the owner and operator of toll roads across Australia and North America.

According to its 4 May 2020 Investor briefing, whilst Transurban saw noticeable declines in traffic numbers due to COVID-19 lockdowns, the group has seen improving traffic since the second half of April. The company did advise, however, that traffic levels remain sensitive to government announcements.

Pleasingly, Transurban has sufficient liquidity to meet capital requirements and debt refinancing obligations to the end of FY21. In addition, it raised $3.7 billion in debt to help strengthen its balance sheet. Furthermore, as lockdown restrictions continue to ease but the fear surrounding coronavirus remains, Transurban may benefit from increased traffic due to people avoiding public transport. 

For income investors, the group expects the 2H20 distribution will be declared in late June and paid in August 2020. The group has a trailing dividend yield of 4.15% for FY20 on current share price levels.

Foolish takeaway

While term deposits are considered to be safer investments than investing in securities, the interest rates currently offered by banks in real terms is approximately zero. 

For this reason, investors could consider the ASX shares above to potentially provide an income stream in these uncertain times.

More reading

• Why the Wesfarmers share is beating the ASX 200
• How the ASX 200 can help first home buyers save for a deposit
• 3 ASX dividend shares to buy to beat low interest rates
• Why you should top up your super before June 30
• Forget bank interest, try these ASX 200 dividend shares!

Motley Fool contributor Matthew Donald owns shares of Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Transurban Group and Wesfarmers Limited. 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 5 ASX dividend shares that could potentially smash term deposits appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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