Category: Stock Market

You don’t just have to buy houses to invest in real estate.

You can also do it by buying ASX real estate shares or real estate investment trusts (REITs).

The good news is that the Australian share market is home to a number of quality options that give investors access to all corners of the property market.

But which ASX real estate shares could be top options? Listed below are two that analysts rate among their best ideas. They are as follows:

Cedar Woods Properties Limited (ASX: CWP)

Morgans currently has Cedar Woods Properties on its best ideas list. It is a leading, national developer of residential communities and commercial developments.

The broker believes the ASX real estate share is well-positioned in the current environment due to its lower priced stock. It explains:

CWP is a volume business and the demand for lots looks to be improving, with margins to invariably follow. CWP’s exposure to lower priced stock in higher growth markets sees further potential to drive earnings. On this basis, we see every reason for CWP to trade at NTA and potentially at a premium, were the housing cycle to gain steam through FY25/26.

Morgans currently has an add rating and $5.60 price target on its shares. Based on its current share price of $4.36, this implies potential upside of 28% for investors from current levels.

Another positive is that the broker expects Cedar Woods Properties to provide investors with attractive dividend yields in the near term. It is forecasting dividends per share of 18 cents in FY 2024 and 20 cents in FY 2025. This equates to yields of 4.1% and 4.6%, respectively.

Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT (ASX: HCW)

Another ASX real estate share that could be a top option for investors is the Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT.

It is Australia’s largest diversified healthcare REIT with a portfolio including investments in hospitals, aged care, childcare, government, life sciences, and primary care and wellness property assets.

Bell Potter is very positive on the company’s long term outlook and feels its shares are too cheap at present. It said:

HCW has underperformed the REIT sector last 3 months following bond yield reversion and is attractively priced at 20% discount to NTA (but only REIT to record flat to positive valuation movement at 1H24) with double digit 3 year EPS CAGR given high relative sector debt hedging and ability to grow its $1bn development pipeline via attractive YoC spread to marginal cost of debt. Longer term, HCW has significant scope for growth with an estimated $218 billion addressable market where an ageing and growing population should underpin long-term sector demand.

Bell Potter has a buy rating and $1.50 price target on its shares. Based on its current share price of $1.14, this implies potential upside of 31% for investors. In addition, it is forecasting dividend yields of 7% in FY 2024 and 7.3% in FY 2025.

The post Best ASX real estate shares to buy right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 top ASX income shares that analysts love
• 2 ASX dividend stocks to buy in June
• Morgans says these ASX stocks can rise 20% (and pay big dividends!)
• 3 bargain Australian shares with over 5% dividend yields
• These ASX dividend shares offer 6%+ yields

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 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.

Nothing reassures an investor quite as much as an insider buying amid a sell-off, especially when the ASX 200 stock plunges 30% in less than six months. If they can see a reason to buy, maybe there’s still a point in sticking with it.

Shares in Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) have hit a couple of speed bumps this year. At the end of Thursday’s trading, the automotive retailer traded at $10.13 per share — within sneezing distance of its recently set 52-week low of $9.87.

However, shareholders may find solace in a rich lister’s seemingly insatiable appetite for Eagers.

Billionaire not stopping ’til he gets enough

While others might be losing hope, Nick Politis — Eagers’ non-executive director and Sydney Roosters chair — is reaching deep into his pockets.

According to today’s ASX notice, Politis feathered his nest by buying another 100,000 shares in the ASX 200 company. The buy was filled through an on-market trade on Tuesday, giving the wealthy businessman a grand sum of 72,819,048 pieces of the Eagers Automotive pie.

However, this is not Politis’ first time pulling out the chequebook in May. As my colleague Sebastian Bowen noted last week, the board member made two earlier purchases this month. The first purchase occurred on 9 May, nabbing 50,000 shares. The second investment captured 200,000 shares on 22 May.

The non-executive director’s stake is now worth $734.74 million.

Politis is visibly undeterred by the disclosure of profit-squeezing factors in Eagers’ recent trading update.

Perhaps the rich-lister sees it as a symptom of the economy and not a problem with the company itself. After all, fellow ASX-listed Peter Warren Automotive Holdings Ltd (ASX: PWR) described similarly difficult conditions in a release six days later.

Is this ASX 200 stock a misplaced buy?

Politis, and no doubt other buyers of Eagers, are likely banking on better times beyond the short term. If they’re right, the current share price could look like a decent deal.

However, Eagers Automotive still trades at a forward premium to some of its peers. For example, Peter Warren Automotive, Autosports Group Ltd (ASX: ASG), and MotoCycle Holdings (ASX: MTO) all trade at a 20% to 38% forward discount relative to Eagers.

Maybe being the biggest demands a premium over its competitors.

Nevertheless, Politis appears to be in it for the long haul, holding a 27% stake.

The post Guess which ASX 200 billionaire is buying up big again appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 4 ASX 200 shares receiving broker upgrades
• 4 excellent ASX dividend stocks to buy in June
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• ASX 200 insider buys up another $2,000,000 in company stock following Wednesday’s 15% crash
• Why Eagers Automotive, Inghams, Patriot Battery Metals, and Wildcat shares are sinking

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

Investors with a high risk tolerance might want to consider adding the two ASX penny stocks in this article to a balanced portfolio.

That’s because although they are high risk investments, they have the potential to offer high rewards.

Let’s take a closer look at them and see why analysts are tipping them as buys right now:

Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)

This sports betting company has been given the thumbs up by analysts at Bell Potter.

It thinks Pointsbet could be an ASX penny stock to buy based on its current valuation. The broker feels that the market is undervaluing its operations and sees it as a potential takeover target for a bigger player. It explains:

We determine our price target for PointsBet through a sum-of-the-parts (SOTP) and there is no change in the $0.63 valuation. The components of this valuation are $150m for the Australian business ($0.46/share), $25m for the Canadian business ($0.08/share) and $30m in corporate cash ($0.09/share). We note we ascribe no value for the Banach technology which PointsBet can continue to use for in-play betting in Canada and, to a lesser extent, Australia. We also believe PointsBet is a potential takeover target given its market position (fifth largest in Australia), simplified structure (Australia and Canada), proprietary technology and good Balance Sheet.

Bell Potter has a buy rating and 63 cents price target on its shares. Based on its current share price of 50.5 cents, this implies potential upside of 25% for investors over the next 12 months.

PYC Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: PYC)

Another ASX penny stock to look at according to Bell Potter is PYC Therapeutics. It is clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multiple drug candidates for rare inherited diseases.

The broker highlights that PYC recently reported highly encouraging first clinical data for its lead drug candidate, VP-001, in patients with a rare form of blinding eye disease. It feels that the positive readout provides significant validation for the individual asset and broader PYC platform. It also feels that successful readouts in other phase 1/2 trials would provide considerable de-risking.

In light of this, this month Bell Potter initiated coverage on the ASX penny stock with a speculative buy rating and 17 cents price target. This implies potential upside of 70% for investors from current levels. The broker commented:

We initiate coverage of PYC with a speculative BUY recommendation and $0.17 valuation. Pro-forma cash balance was ~$84m as at 31 March 2024, providing runway into 2H CY25 to achieve the above-mentioned Phase 1/2 clinical trial readouts. PYC have multiple shots on goal with three highly promising drug candidates for rare diseases. We also see value in the company’s internal platform and potential to continually generate differentiated RNA therapeutics for inherited diseases.

The post 2 ASX penny stocks to consider buying while their prices are this cheap appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why Appen, Mayne Pharma, Playside, and PYC shares are storming higher
• Guess which ASX All Ords insider just bought 50 million shares in their company
• Buy this ASX tech stock for a 26% return
• Why brokers just revised their outlook for these 4 top ASX All Ords shares
• Guess which ASX All Ords share just rocketed 25% on an earnings upgrade

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 positions in and has recommended PointsBet. 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.

Now could be a good time to buy Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) shares.

That’s the view of analysts at Goldman Sachs, which have responded positively to some news from the other side of the world.

Xero’s UK boost

Goldman notes that the ASX tech stock has just announced changes to its UK plans. Commenting on the plan changes, the broker said:

Xero announced changes to its UK plans: (1) Increase price by +7% to +12% across its product portfolio effective 12 September 2024, consistent with 2023 changes from a quantum and timing perspective (vs. AU 2 months earlier); (2) Announced improvements in payroll functionality (i.e. greater functionality for salaried employees with flexible working hours; easier to transition to XRO from another provider); (3) Streamlining of plan structure similar to AU (Ignite, Grow and Comprehensive plans), but priced in a manner implying much less upsell opportunity (vs. AU tiers) given plan pricing is similar (or cheaper when including add-ons such as Xero Expense or Payroll); and (4) Migration of legacy plans expected to occur by March 2025 (in-line with AU) which implies a slightly faster migration timeline.

And while the changes were not unexpected, the price increases are a touch greater than it was forecasting. As a result, it sees the move as a positive and supportive of its revenue growth estimates.

In addition, and importantly, the broker doesn’t believe these changes will negatively impact subscriber growth. This is because it will allow Xero to make a greater investment in its platform. It adds:

Although we believe this pricing update was somewhat expected following the Australian plan announcement, we view it as another incremental positive for Xero and very supportive of our FY25/26 revenue forecasts. Although some may also see this as a ‘pull-forward’ of future price rises, and potentially at the expense of subscriber growth, we would disagree, noting that the higher near term revenues as a result of these changes will also allow for greater product investment, underpinning future subscriber/ARPU growth in the UK. We leave our earnings unchanged, forecasting +5.5%/+2% ARPU growth in ANZ/International in FY25 (vs. the FY24 exit run-rate, adjusting for idle-subscribers), with this growth reflecting the significant announced AU/UK price rises.

Big returns expected from this ASX tech stock

In light of the above, the broker has reiterated its conviction buy rating and $164.00 price target on the ASX tech stock.

Based on its current share price of $134.03, this implies potential upside of 22% for investors over the next 12 months.

The post UK boost: Why this ASX tech stock is a strong buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• One ASX stock to buy and one to sell
• 2 no-brainer ASX 200 shares to buy next week
• Here’s how the ASX 200 market sectors stacked up last week
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

When it comes to investing in the mining sector, the obvious choices are BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO).

And while these ASX 200 mining stocks are high quality businesses, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will generate the biggest returns if buying at current levels.

Whereas one mining stock that could is Iluka Resources Limited (ASX: ILU).

In fact, this often overlooked miner could be dirt cheap according to analysts at Goldman Sachs.

What is the broker saying about this ASX 200 mining stock?

Firstly, in case you’re not familiar with Iluka, let’s take a look at what it does.

Iluka is a leading producer of zircon and high-grade titanium dioxide feedstocks (rutile and synthetic rutile). It is also developing Australia’s first fully integrated rare earths refinery at Eneabba in Western Australia. It notes that this will make it a globally significant supplier of separated rare earth oxides.

Goldman recently attended the annual global Zircon Industry Association (ZIA) conference and was pleased with what it heard. It notes that the premium zircon market is tight and the overall market is balanced after a ~40kt surplus in 2023.

In light of this, it feels the ASX 200 mining stock is undervalued at current levels. So much so, it thinks that some assets are being ascribed little value. It said:

Trading at ~0.7x NAV (A$10.2/sh) and pricing in long run zircon of ~US$1,250/t CIF (real) compared to spot (Aus & South Africa) premium zircon at ~US$2,000-2,100/t (CIF) or essentially getting Eneabba & Wimmera Rare Earth projects for a ~50% discount to NPV. We also think ILU is undervalued based on NTM multiples (on ~6x NTM EBITDA) vs. mineral sands/pigment (~8x) industry peers.

The broker is also positive on the company’s exposure to rare earths. It adds:

We think ILU’s Eneabba RE refinery is a strategic asset considering it will be only the third significant western world RE refinery. Despite the recent capex increase to A$1.7-1.8bn we continue to think the economics are attractive when including the large Wimmera project (GSe A$0.93bn capex, 30yr life project with heavy rare earths and ~70ktpa of zircon) as feed in the base case with a long run NdPr price of ~US$70/kg (real $, from 2028) required to deliver a ~15% IRR on our estimates.

Big returns

Goldman has a buy rating and $9.90 price target on the ASX 200 stock.

Based on the current Iluka share price of $7.03, this implies potential upside of 41% for investors over the next 12 months.

In addition, its analysts are forecasting dividend yields of 3% in FY 2024 and 6% in FY 2025.

The post Buy this dirt cheap ASX 200 mining stock for a 40%+ return appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These ASX shares could rise 25% to 35%
• Why you should buy this ‘industry leading’ ASX 200 tech stock
• Here’s the new Telstra dividend forecast through to 2026
• Should you buy, hold, or sell this ASX 200 bank stock?
• Guess which ASX 200 mining giant could crash 30%

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 positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group. 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.

You don’t have to search long to find a broker or analyst with a bearish take on S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank stocks.

As one example, in late April, Citi suggested that all of the big four banks were sells.

It’s not that most of these bearish analysts don’t see the big four banks as high-quality assets with ongoing potential, mind you.

It’s largely that many analysts believe Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares are simply overvalued.

With a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 20.9 times, CBA shares tend to catch the most flak.

As you should be aware, various brokers have been calling CBA overvalued relative to its peers for years now. That didn’t stop the ASX 200 bank stock from notching fresh all-time closing highs of $122.26 a share on 16 May.

For the other big four banks, Westpac stock trades at a P/E ratio of 14.9 times, NAB stock trades at a P/E ratio of 15.6 times, and ANZ stock trades at a P/E ratio of 12.7 times.

Today’s P/E ratios have increased since this time last year, as the big four banks’ share prices have gained faster than their comparative earnings.

Over the past 12 months, the ASX 200 has gained 5.8%.

Here’s how the big ASX 200 bank stocks have performed over that same time (excluding their dividend payouts):

• CBA shares are up 19.2%
• NAB shares are up 26.5%
• Westpac shares are up 23.0%
• ANZ shares are up 18.8%

With those kinds of gains already in the bag, can the big banks keep outperforming?

Why ASX 200 bank stocks could surprise to the upside

Hugh Dive, chief investment officer at Atlas Funds Management, has ‘overweight’ positions in ANZ, Westpac and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) in the Atlas Australian equity portfolio.

And as The Australian Financial Review reports, Dive doesn’t think it’s a good idea for investors to be ‘underweight’ in ASX 200 banks stocks right now.

According to Dive:

A lot of analysts have called to sell all the banks a month ago, and if you’d followed that advice, you’d be one of the worst performing fund managers.

You’re fighting against increasing dividends in the banking reporting season and also buybacks which are pushing up share prices…

Those ‘sell everything’ calls are based purely on valuations, but not understanding what’s going on in the economy and markets.

As for what’s happening in the economy, the banks have broadly beaten consensus expectations regarding non-performing loans this year, despite households struggling with sticky inflation and elevated interest rates. Net interest margins have also held up better than expected.

Then there are the juicy, franked dividends the banks are paying out, which look to be drawing the interest of passive income investors.

And as Dive points out, the billion-plus dollars in share buybacks conducted by all of the big four ASX 200 banks stocks, with more expected, is also helping drive share prices higher.

With fewer shares in circulation, the remaining shares each offer a larger slice of the banks’ businesses.

“As a fund manager, I never want to be on the other side of a company when it’s buying back stock, especially when the quantum of the buybacks are quite significant,” Dive said.

The post Buying ASX 200 bank stocks? Here’s why they could keep outperforming appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why the CBA share price is predicted to ‘fall substantially’: broker
• Do Macquarie shares pay a decent ASX dividend?
• Planning your retirement? Here are the most popular investments outside superannuation
• Only 1 ASX 200 bank share delivers more capital growth than dividends. Which bank? (Clue: Not CBA)

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

Australians born in the 1970s or later who have chosen lifecycle superannuation products have achieved the best annual rates of return over the past decade, according to a new report.

The KPMG report compared the median annual return of the traditional single-diversified MySuper Growth fund with the returns of different age groups typical of lifecycle superannuation accounts.

If you have a lifecycle superannuation account, your fund manager will automatically arrange your asset allocations in an age-appropriate way as time goes on.

The moneysmart.gov.au website explains: “With this option, your fund will typically move your money from growth investments when you’re young to more conservative investments when you’re older.”

Single diversified MySuper funds are low-fee default funds selected by employers if an employee does not nominate a preferred fund.

Better returns for those born in the ’70s or later

The following table published in the KPMG report uses Chant West data showing net investment returns per annum over the 10 years to 31 December 2023.

Source: Super Insights 2024

As you can see, lifecycle products suited to those born in the 1970s or later performed better. They had higher median returns per annum at either 7.2% or 7.3%.

KPMG says these higher returns reflected these lifecycle products containing a higher asset allocation in growth investments. This is because account holders were younger.

Growth investments typically include ASX shares and international equities.

Older account holders received lower median returns. They ranged from 4.7% among those born in the 1940s to 5.1% for those born in the 1950s and 6.3% for those born in the 1960s.

The returns were lower because the account holders were older and closer to retirement.

Therefore, their lifecycle funds allocated more of their money to conservative or defensive assets, such as cash and bonds, to try to achieve more capital preservation.

KPMG commented:

The older lifestyle cohorts missed out on some of the performance as they reduced risk over a period where there were generally strong returns, although they did have greater downside protection in the Covid-induced downturn in 2020 – important if they needed access to their super at that time or soon after.

Your choice of superannuation fund REALLY matters

The importance of choosing your superannuation fund carefully was apparent in the data.

Many Australians do not understand that some retail superannuation funds routinely fail to beat the market’s annual benchmark returns (i.e., those of indexes like the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)).

This means many super account holders pay hefty management fees in the belief they are benefitting from their fund’s superior stock-picking services when, in fact, many funds fail to outdo or match benchmark returns. And once fees are paid, account holders’ returns are reduced even further.

KPMG commented that the superior 10-year returns of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s lifecycle products barely exceeded the single-option MySuper Growth Fund.

The 10-year period saw relatively strong returns from growth assets so we would expect the younger lifecycle portfolios with higher growth assets to do much better, but they were only slightly ahead of the median single option MySuper Growth fund.

This was due to the underlying assets of these lifecycle products (mainly from retail funds) not performing as well as the underlying assets of the single option MySuper products.

Compare the performance of your current super fund

Retail funds are usually run by banks or investment firms. The Federal Government provides a comparison tool so you can compare your current super fund’s performance against others.

This tool is designed to help you select a superannuation fund, with funds forced to disclose their returns.

At the time of writing, HostPlus MySuper is the top-performing fund among MySuper products with balances over $50,000. It has a 7.96% average annual return net of fees over a 9-year investment period.

The worst performer was returning 5.25%, with the Federal Government rating it ‘underperforming’.

KPMG noted that lifecycle superannuation asset allocations today were different from those in the original models dating back to 2014, “some of which were far more conservative at older ages”.

Superannuation outflows grow amid wave of retiring boomers

As we recently reported, new figures from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) out this week showed greater growth in superannuation outflows than inflows over the year to 31 March 2024.

This was largely due to more benefit payments going out as more baby boomers entered retirement.

Baby Boomers were born between 1945 and 1964, making the youngest Aussies in this cohort 60 years of age this year.

This means every baby boomer has now reached preservation age. That’s the age at which we can all begin accessing our superannuation savings.

The data shows $112.9 billion was paid out, up 18.1% annually. Inflows totalled $177 billion, up 11.3%.

APRA said the increased outflows were directly linked to more lump sum and pension payments:

This increase was the result of lump sum payments rising by 18.4 per cent to $63.0 billion and pension payments increasing by 17.7 per cent to $49.8 billion.

The post If you were born in the 1970s or later, your superannuation is delivering the best returns appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 4 ASX 200 shares receiving broker upgrades
• Why did the ASX 200 just hit a 4-week low?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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.

It’s not too often that an ASX share, even an ASX 200 energy stock, trades on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 4.5. After all, the average P/E ratio on the ASX right now is closer to 20. 

A company that is asking an earnings multiple of 4.5 is effectively asking investors to pay $4.50 for every $1 of earnings it brings in. That’s a compelling equation for any value investor to contemplate.

So today, let’s take a look at this ASX 200 energy stock in question and see if there’s anything to like.

The stock is none other than AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL). AGL is one of the oldest names on the ASX and one of the most famous energy stocks on the market. It has had a rough trot in recent years, falling from over $21 a share in early 2020 to a multi-decade low of under $4 a share in late 2021.

Today, AGL shares have recovered substantially, but are still trading at half of what they were just four years ago – asking $10.20. Check all of that out for yourself below:

Yet despite this recovery, this ASX 200 energy stock remains at an arguably cheap share price. For some ASX shares, including some energy stocks, low earnings multiples are the norm. But for others, it could indicate that a company might be trading at a bargain price. So which is it for AGL?

Is this ASX 200 energy stock a buy at 4.5 times earnings?

Well, one ASX expert thinks it’s the latter.

Rafi Lamm is the co-founder of fund manager L1 Capital. Speaking to the Australian Financial Review (AFR) this week, Lamm noted AGL’s quality and future-proof nature, noting that the company was “well positioned to benefit from strong long-term electricity demand with the lowest cost baseload generation in NSW and Victoria”.

Lamm also views the current AGL share price as cheap, noting that its “multiple of 4.5 times earnings before interest and tax” is “well below its historic multiple of six times”.

The fund manager argued that AGL is set for “a solid recovery” in terms of earnings from FY2026 onwards thanks to rising wholesale electricity futures pricing:

Strong medium term free cash flow will enable solid dividends as well as a substantial investment in the energy transition, for example, in high returning battery storage.

No doubt this opinion will delight shareholders of this ASX 200 energy stock. But let’s see if Lamm’s call proves accurate.

At the current AGL share price, this ASX 200 energy stock has a market capitalisation of $6.86 billion, with a dividend yield of 4.80%.

The post Is this ASX 200 energy stock a buy at a P/E of 4.5? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• An overlooked cheap ASX stock to tap into the year’s hottest theme?
• Safeguarding against inflation: A defensive share strategy
• Which ASX shares could be set to benefit from the federal budget?
• Here’s how the ASX 200 market sectors stacked up last week
• Telstra shares and 4 other defensive income stocks to buy now

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.

On Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had another poor session and dropped into the red. The benchmark index fell 0.5% to 7,628.2 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Friday and end the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 poised to rebound

The Australian share market looks set to end the week on a positive note despite a poor session on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 50 points or 0.65% higher this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones was down 0.85%, the S&P 500 fell 0.6%, and the NASDAQ was 1.1% lower.

Oil prices fall

ASX 200 energy shares Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) could have a tough finish to the week after oil prices tumbled overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 1.7% to US$77.87 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 2% to US$81.97 a barrel. Traders were selling oil in response to weak gasoline demand.

Buy Xero shares

The Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) share price could be good value according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. In response to price increases in the UK, the broker has reiterated its conviction buy rating and $164.00 price target on the cloud accounting platform provider’s shares. It said: “Although we believe this pricing update was somewhat expected following the Australian plan announcement, we view it as another incremental positive for Xero and very supportive of our FY25/26 revenue forecasts.”

Gold price softens

ASX 200 gold shares including Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a subdued finish to the week after the gold price edged lower overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 0.1% to US$2,362.8 an ounce. The precious metal appears to be in a holding pattern ahead of the release of US inflation data.

Pro Medicus shares rated hold

Analysts at Bell Potter have been impressed with the contract wins announced by Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) this week. As a result, the broker has upgraded the health imaging technology company’s shares to a hold rating with an improved price target of $115.00 (from sell and $75.00). It said: “The announcement of recent contract wins provides a heightened degree of certainty for FY25 revenues and earnings, accordingly there is minimal risk of downgrades to consensus for FY25 following the FY24 earnings announcement.”

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• If you were born in the 1970s or later, your superannuation is delivering the best returns
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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Pro Medicus and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group, Pro Medicus, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

There are a lot of options for income investors to choose from on the Australian share market.

To narrow things down, I have picked out three ASX dividend stocks that analysts rate as buys and are forecasting 6%+ dividend yields. Here’s what you need to know about them:

APA Group (ASX: APA)

The first ASX dividend stock for income investors to consider buying is APA Group.

It is an energy infrastructure business that owns and operates a $27 billion portfolio of gas, electricity, solar and wind assets. This includes 15,000 kilometres of natural gas pipelines that connect sources of supply and markets across mainland Australia.

Analysts at Macquarie are feeling positive about the company’s outlook and expect its long run of dividend increases to continue. The broker is forecasting dividends of 56 cents per share in FY 2024 and then 57.5 cents per share in FY 2025. Based on the current APA Group share price of $8.29, this equates to 6.75% and 6.9% dividend yields, respectively.

Macquarie has an outperform rating and $9.40 price target on its shares.

Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure Ltd (ASX: DBI)

Over at Morgans, its analysts think that Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure could be an ASX dividend stock to buy. It is the long-term operator of the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, which has been Queensland’s premier coal export facility since 1983.

The broker currently has an add rating and $3.05 price target on its shares.

As for income, the broker is forecasting dividends per share of 22 cents in FY 2024 and then 23 cents in FY 2025. Based on the latest Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure share price of $2.76, this will mean yields of 8% and 8.3%, respectively.

HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (ASX: HDN)

Morgans is also expecting some big dividend yields from HomeCo Daily Needs shares. It is a property company focused on neighbourhood retail and large format retail assets.

The broker likes the company due to the resilience of its cashflows and its exposure to accelerating click and collect trends. Combined with its development pipeline, Morgans feels the company is well-positioned for growth.

It expects this to underpin dividends per share of 8 cents in FY 2024 and then 9 cents in FY 2025. Based on the current HomeCo Daily Needs share price of $1.21, this will mean yields of 6.6% and 7.4%, respectively.

Morgans currently has an add rating and $1.37 price target on the ASX dividend stock.

The post These buy-rated ASX dividend stocks offer 6%+ yields (and plenty of upside) appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• These ASX dividend shares offer 6%+ yields right now
• Buy these ASX shares and get 6% and 7% dividend yields
• Morgans says these ASX dividend shares are top buys

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 positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Apa Group and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended HomeCo Daily Needs REIT. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.