Category: Stock Market

  • 2 ASX dividend stocks with yields over 7% to buy today

    Beautiful young couple enjoying in shopping, symbolising passive income.

    Owning ASX dividend stocks can be a very rewarding experience. Large dividend yields with possible capital growth — what’s not to like?

    However, not all high dividend yields last forever. Sometimes, a large payout in one year may be much smaller in the subsequent year. For example, BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) recently cut its interim dividend by 20% to US 72 cents per share. The broker UBS thinks the dividend will decline in size in FY26, FY27, and FY28.

    I’m going to talk about two ASX dividend stocks where the long-term profit growth looks promising, and the current dividend yields are large.

    Shaver Shop Group Ltd (ASX: SSG)

    This ASX retail share is a specialty retailer of male and female grooming products. It wants to be the market leader in everything related to hair removal in Australia.

    It aims to sell a wide range of quality prices at competitive prices, with “excellent staff product knowledge”. The company says it’s able to negotiate exclusive products with suppliers.

    Shaver Shop is looking to diversify its earnings by selling products in oral care, hair care, massage, air treatment, and beauty categories. It can grow its earnings by opening more stores, increasing its online sales, offering more products, and benefiting from Australia’s population growth.

    Shaver Shop has grown its dividend each year since 2017, when it started making payments to shareholders. The last two dividend payments from the ASX dividend stock equate to a grossed-up dividend yield of 12.7%.

    Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS)

    Metcash supplies many independent businesses in Australia, including IGA, Foodland, Cellarbrations, The Bottle-O, IGA Liquor, Porters Liquor, Camel, Big Bargain Bottleshop, and Duncans. It also supports bars, pubs, restaurants, and hotels.

    The ASX dividend stock also has a hardware division that owns a number of brands, including Mitre 10, Home Timber & Hardware and Total Tools. It supports small operators under the brands Thrifty-Link Hardware and True Value Hardware.

    Metcash also recently announced it’s buying Bianco Construction Supplies, Alpine Truss and Superior Food. Each of these businesses add diversification to Metcash’s earnings and open up another growth avenue.

    It can grow profit through opening more stores, increasing online sales, and the overall growth of Australia’s population. There could also be a rebound in hardware demand once interest rates start to reduce.

    Metcash has committed to a dividend payout ratio of 70% of underlying net profit after tax (NPAT), which is a healthy payment. It’s enough for a good dividend yield, but the ASX dividend stock also keeps a useful amount within the business for re-investment.

    According to Commsec, the company is estimated to pay an annual dividend per share of 20 cents per share in FY24, which would be a grossed-up dividend yield of 7.3%.

    The post 2 ASX dividend stocks with yields over 7% to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Metcash. 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 Metcash and Shaver Shop 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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  • These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares

    At the start of each week, I like to look at ASIC’s short position report to find out which shares are being targeted by short sellers.

    This is because I believe it is well worth keeping a close eye on short interest levels as high levels can sometimes be a sign that something isn’t quite right with a company.

    With that in mind, here are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX this week according to ASIC:

    • Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) continues to be the most shorted ASX shares with short interest of 20.6%, which is up slightly week on week. Short sellers don’t appear to believe that lithium prices will rebound any time soon.
    • IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) has 14.1% of its shares held short, which is up week on week yet again. Short sellers seem to believe that regulatory changes to student visas will weigh heavily on this language testing and student placement company’s performance.
    • Syrah Resources Ltd (ASX: SYR) has short interest of 13.7%, which is up week on week. Weak graphite prices have been weighing heavily on Syrah’s performance.
    • Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) has seen its short interest remain flat at 10.1%. Short sellers continue to target this lithium developer despite it recently announcing debt funding for the Kathleen Valley Lithium Project.
    • Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) has seen its short interest rise to 9.9%. Short sellers seem to believe that Flight Centre will fall short of expectations in FY 2024 and FY 2025.
    • Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) has short interest of 8.5%, which is up week on week. Short sellers continue to target this lithium miner’s shares despite them crashing 82% over the last 12 months.
    • Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) has seen its short interest ease again to 7.7%. Unfortunately for short sellers, this gold miner’s shares are up over 50% since this time last year thanks to a soaring gold price.
    • Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) has returned to the top ten with 7.2% of its shares held short. This is likely to be due to valuation concerns and the semiconductor company’s abject revenue generation.
    • Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) has short interest of 7.2%, which is down sharply week on week. This lithium miner’s shares are down 80% over the last 12 months. Short sellers don’t appear to believe the declines are over.
    • Australian Clinical Labs Ltd (ASX: ACL) has short interest of 7.1%, which is down week on week again. This pathology company has been struggling due to tough trading conditions.

    The post These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    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 Idp Education. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group and Idp Education. 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 I were a retiree, I’d buy these ASX shares this week

    A retiree relaxing in the pool and giving a thumbs up.

    ASX shares that pay dividends can be a wonderful source of passive income — which might be exactly what retirees, in particular, are looking for.

    The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) includes many of the country’s leading businesses, such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS).

    However, the biggest ASX blue-chip shares aren’t necessarily the most resilient or the best dividend-paying options. If I were a retiree, I’d want to have the following two stocks in my income-focused portfolio.

    Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL)

    Medibank is the leading private health insurer in Australia with two main brands – Medibank and ahm.

    People tend to value their health highly, so I’d guess that many would continue paying for private health insurance even during an economic downturn.

    One of the growth drivers of the business is the ageing population in Australia, which may mean more people sign up to have private health insurance for any operations or specialised care they may need. Indeed, Australia’s overall population is rapidly increasing too, which is helping grow the number of potential policyholders.

    Medibank’s FY24 first-half result demonstrated its steady growth — group revenue from external customers grew by 3.3% to $4 billion, with group operating profit growing by 4.2% to $319.4 million.

    The ASX share had a generous dividend payout ratio of 75.5% in HY24, enabling it to pay a dividend per share of 7.2 cents (a 14.3% year-over-year rise).

    According to Commsec, the business could pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 6.2% in FY24.

    Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)

    This business is the largest pure-play industrial real estate investment trust (REIT) in Australia.

    It benefits from strong tenant demand that is skewed to urban markets as industrial users prioritise proximity to a large population. There is limited new supply within these markets – the REIT’s manager Jesse Curtis recently said:

    …rental growth is expected to be prolonged providing the opportunity for continued positive rental reversion. Additionally, CIP’s embedded development pipeline provides the optionality to unlock further value to take advantage of the mismatch between supply and demand and deliver value to unitholders.

    The ASX share is seeing enormous rental growth – in the FY24 first-half result it reported positive re-leasing spreads of 51%. That means that new rental contracts are showing a 51% increase compared to the old rental rate those buildings were on.

    The business expects to pay a distribution of 16 cents per unit in FY24, which is a forward distribution yield of 4.6%. I think it can provide stable and resilient rental profits for retirees.

    The post If I were a retiree, I’d buy these ASX shares this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    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 positions in and has recommended Telstra 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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  • Buy this high-flying ASX 200 tech stock for a big return

    A smiling businessman in the city looks at his phone and punches the air in celebration of good news.

    Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) shares certainly have been on fire this year.

    Despite recent weakness in the tech sector, the ASX 200 tech stock is up over 60% year to date.

    But if you thought you were too late to the party, think again.

    Goldman Sachs has been looking at the location technology company and still sees major upside ahead for its shares.

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

    While the key driver of Life360’s outperformance this year has been its financial performance, its launch of an advertising business has also got investors excited. With 60 million monthly active users, the company has a huge network for advertisers to target.

    Goldman believes that initial revenues from advertising will be incremental rather than game-changing based on its experience with peer Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ: DUO). It commented:

    The company’s recently announced strategy to further monetise its sizeable user base via the introduction of advertising appears strategically sound and in line with its global app-based internet peers. To frame the potential opportunity and provide basis for our advertising estimates, we have conducted a detailed peer and industry benchmarking, concluding that Life360’s ad revenue strategy is likely to initially be an incremental, rather than game-changing, driver of earnings and valuation upside.

    The broker expects revenue in the region of US$6 million from advertising in FY 2024, growing to US$18 million in FY 2026. It adds:

    Our analysis of app-based internet peers (incl. Duolingo, Life360’s closest comp) suggests that initial advertising revenue is likely to index toward the lower end of user monetisation given low banner ad yields, relatively low time spent in app, and less purchasing intent from users. As Life360’s advertising strategy is nascent with many unknowns, we factor a relatively small amount of incremental ad revenue into our base-case assumptions (US$6/$16/$18mn FY24/25/26E revenue) but see potential upside as the ad strategy develops (e.g., higher ad load, different ad formats).

    The good news is that this revenue is expected to be high-margin, which means it should be a nice boost to earnings. The broker said:

    In addition, ad revenue can provide a helpful boost to group earnings with likely high incremental margins (>50% EBITDA). In our view little value is being imputed for ads given that the core subscription business remains undervalued, therefore we see valuation upside on successful execution.

    Big gains ahead

    The note reveals that Goldman has reiterated its buy rating and $14.20 price target on the location technology company’s shares.

    Based on where the ASX 200 tech stock currently trades, this implies potential upside of 17% for investors over the next 12 months. It concludes:

    With potential for EBITDA upgrades through FY24E, and incremental monetisation from advertising, we believe Life360 can continue to re-rate towards local and global tech peers.

    The post Buy this high-flying ASX 200 tech stock for a big return appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Life360. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Life360. 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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  • Why one fund manager thinks Qantas shares are cheap and ‘incredibly underappreciated’

    A woman reaches her arms to the sky as a plane flies overhead at sunset.

    Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) shares could be an opportunity that may fly soon enough, according to one fund manager.

    The Qantas share price has lost altitude over the last year, as we can see on the chart below.

    Some investors think this decline has opened up a chance to buy Australia’s leading airline at a discounted price. Let’s look at why one fundie has boarded Qantas stock.

    Strong demand continues

    The fund manager L1 recently noted that Qantas continued to benefit from domestic demand remaining “robust” despite higher airfares.

    The investment team believe Qantas is “extremely well placed” to compete strongly after its $1 billion cost-out program, the “exceptional” loyalty program and its leading domestic market position.

    The strong demand can continue to be seen in the financials.

    In its FY24 first-half result, Qantas reported underlying profit before tax of $1.25 billion and statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) of $869 million. With that large profit generation, the company announced an additional on-market share buyback of up to $400 million. The company reported a “significant improvement in customer satisfaction” though there was “more work to do”.

    Profit generation is an important factor for Qantas shares.

    Positive upcoming developments

    L1 is expecting Qantas to outline its plans in April to improve its loyalty offer to enable easier access for frequent flyer members to use their points.

    The investment team believes new CEO Vanessa Hudson is rapidly and methodically addressing customer “pain points”. These changes will “improve sentiment from both customers and potential investors”, according to the fund manager.

    Another reason L1 thinks Qantas is positioned well for the next few years is that it will have Australia’s “best loyalty business”, which could see a doubling of earnings over the next five to seven years. It also has a number of new, more fuel-efficient aircraft.

    ‘Project Sunrise’, which will enable direct flights from Melbourne and Sydney to London and New York, is also expected to be positive for the airline.

    Finally, Qantas shares could benefit from having sufficient balance sheet capacity to continue its share buyback and then recommence paying fully franked dividends next year.

    Are Qantas shares trading at a cheap valuation?

    L1 has estimated that Qantas shares are valued at a price/earnings (P/E) ratio of just 6x. That means the Qantas share price trades at a multiple of six times its earnings.

    The fund manager thinks this is a very cheap valuation considering Qantas’s dominant industry position, exposure to the structural tailwinds of Asian inbound tourism to Australia, and a high-growth, light-light loyalty division that remains “incredibly underappreciated by the market”.

    The post Why one fund manager thinks Qantas shares are cheap and ‘incredibly underappreciated’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    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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  • These high-yield ASX dividend stocks can rise 15% to 20%

    Two colleagues at work looking at a tablet and smiling at a rising share price.

    There are plenty of ASX dividend stocks to choose from on the local market, but which ones could be buys in April?

    Three shares that were recently identified as buys by analysts and tipped to rise strongly from where they currently trade are listed below. Here’s what its analysts are saying about them:

    Dexus Convenience Retail REIT (ASX: DXC)

    The first ASX dividend stock that could be a buy according to analysts is Dexus Convenience Retail REIT. It is a convenience retail and service station focused property company.

    Morgans is positive on the company and believes its shares are good value. The broker currently has an add rating and $3.23 price target on them. This implies potential upside of 20% from current levels.

    As for dividends, the broker is forecasting dividends per share of 21 cents in both FY 2024 and FY 2025. Based on its current share price of $2.69, this implies dividend yields of 7.8% in both years.

    Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO)

    Another ASX dividend stock that could be a buy right now is Rio Tinto. It is one of the largest miners in the world with a portfolio of high-quality assets and operations across multiple commodities. This includes iron ore, copper, and lithium.

    The team at Goldman Sachs sees plenty of value in the miner’s shares at current levels. It recently put a buy rating and $140.20 price target on them. This suggests potential upside of 16% for investors.

    In respect to income, the broker is expecting fully franked dividends per share of US$4.38 (A$6.66) in FY 2024 and then US$4.63 (A$7.04) in FY 2025. Based on the latest Rio Tinto share price of $120.55, this will mean yields of approximately 5.5% and 5.8%, respectively.

    Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL)

    Finally, Goldman Sachs also believes that Super Retail could be an ASX dividend stock to buy. It is the retail giant behind the popular BCF, Macpac, Rebel, and Super Cheap Auto brands.

    Goldman Sachs is very positive on the retailer and has a buy rating and $17.80 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of 16% from current levels.

    As for dividends, the broker is expecting some good yields from its shares over the next couple of years. Its analysts are forecasting fully franked dividends per share of 67 cents in FY 2024 and then 73 cents in FY 2025. Based on the latest Super Retail share price of $15.30, this will mean dividend yields of 4.4% and 4.8%, respectively.

    The post These high-yield ASX dividend stocks can rise 15% to 20% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    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 positions in and has recommended Super Retail 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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  • 3 ASX 200 gold stocks to buy now

    Gold bars with a share price chart in the background.

    It looks set to be another great session for ASX 200 gold stocks on Monday after the price of the precious metal climbed to yet another record high.

    According to CNBC, the spot gold price was up 1.6% to a record of US$2,345.4 an ounce.

    This was gold’s third consecutive week of gains and was driven by U.S. interest rate cut bets, speculative buying, and central bank purchases.

    In light of this, you may think that it is too late to invest in any ASX 200 gold miners. But you would be wrong, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs.

    This morning, the broker has named three miners that it believes investors can pick up at current levels.

    Which ASX 200 gold stocks are buys?

    The first gold share to look at is De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG). Goldman has a buy rating and $1.45 price target on its shares, which implies potential upside of 12% for investors from current levels.

    It believes the gold developer could be a top option due to its tier one Hemi asset. The broker also sees the world class deposit as a potential takeover option for a larger player. It said:

    While historically mining stocks tend to underperform through the execution and ramp-up phase of a project, we expect with Hemi positioned as a Tier 1 asset of global scale that post-DFS it remains an attractive potential strategic consolidation target.

    Another ASX 200 gold stock that could be a buy according to the broker is Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN).

    However, with a buy rating and $4.00 price target on the miner’s shares, this implies only modest upside for investors from current levels. It said:

    Of the larger cap names EVN (Buy) remains our preference to NST (Neutral) on near-term FCF, and with exposure to further increases in copper pricing (~30% of EVN’s revenue over FY24-26E).

    A third ASX 200 gold stock that could be worth a closer look according to Goldman Sachs is Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR).

    The broker currently has a buy rating and $2.00 price target on the miner’s shares. This suggests potential upside of approximately 20% for investors over the next 12 months. It recently said:

    [W]e retain our Buy rating with GOR the only gold stock in our coverage without major growth spend, supporting cash generation (near-term FCF yields of c. 5-10% in CY24-27E remain attractive vs. peers and support upside to the outlook for capital returns), while trading at a significant discount to peers at ~0.9x NAV / ~4x NTM EV/EBITDA / pricing a LT gold price of US$1,575/oz (peer average ~1.1x NAV / 5-6x EV/EBITDA / ~US$1,930/oz LT gold).

    The post 3 ASX 200 gold stocks to buy now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    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.

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  • 5 things to watch no the ASX 200 on Monday

    A man looking at his laptop and thinking.

    On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended the week deep in the red. The benchmark index fell 0.55% to 7,773.3 points.

    Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:

    ASX 200 expected to rebound

    The Australian share market looks set to push higher on Monday following a strong finish on Wall Street on Friday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 38 points or 0.5% higher. On Friday on Wall Street, the Dow Jones was up 0.8%, the S&P 500 rose 1.1%, and the Nasdaq climbed 1.25%.

    Oil prices rise

    ASX 200 energy shares including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could have a decent start to the week after oil prices rose again on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was up 0.4% to US$88.91 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was up 0.6% to US$91.17 a barrel. Rising tensions in the Middle East gave oil prices another boost.

    Buy Life360 shares

    Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) shares could be great value following recent weakness in the tech sector according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. This morning, the broker has reiterated its buy rating and $14.20 price target on the location technology company’s shares. Commenting on its advertising plans, the broker said: “In our view little value is being imputed for ads given that the core subscription business remains undervalued, therefore we see valuation upside on successful execution.”

    Gold price jumps

    ASX 200 gold shares such as Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a great start to the week after the gold price jumped again on Friday. According to CNBC, the spot gold price was up 1.6% to US$2,345.4 an ounce. The precious metal hit a new record high and its third consecutive week of gains. This was driven by U.S. interest rate cut bets, speculative buying, and central bank purchases.

    Magellan rated neutral

    Goldman Sachs has been looking at the latest funds under management (FUM) update from Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG). In response, the broker has retained its neutral rating with an improved price target of $9.10. It said: “We note that FUM is tracking ahead of GSe primarily as a result of markets with flows broadly in line with expectations for the quarter. While flows were generally tracking better over Jan/Feb, March saw an increase in institutional outflows at $0.5bn for the month.”

    The post 5 things to watch no the ASX 200 on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Life360 and Woodside Energy Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group and Life360. 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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  • Bell Potter names more of the best ASX 200 shares to buy

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    If you are on the lookout for some new additions to your portfolio, then the ASX 200 shares listed below could be worth considering.

    They have both been named as favoured shares by Bell Potter for the month of April. These are the shares that the broker believes “offer attractive risk-adjusted returns over the long term.”

    Bell Potter also notes that when choosing its picks it considers the current macro-economic backdrop and investment environment, focusing on quality companies with proven track records, capable management, and competitive advantages.

    You can read about the first two ASX 200 shares on the list here. Let’s now take a look at two more of the broker’s top picks:

    Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)

    Bell Potter is a big fan of this mining and mining services company.

    It likes Mineral Resources due to the earnings diversification it has from its focus on lithium, energy, and iron ore, as well as mining services. It explains:

    In contrast to its peers, MIN completes everything from engineering, to construction, to all aspects of operations in-house. Our Buy view is underpinned by MIN’s earnings diversification, strong insider ownership, clearly articulated strategies, expertise in contracting and internal growth options at Onslow as well as potential lithium expansions including into downstream. All up, MIN offers diversified exposure to steady income streams from the contracting business and market-driven commodity exposure coupled with earnings derived from both lithium and iron ore.

    Bell Potter currently has a buy rating and $75.00 price target on the company’s shares.

    ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

    Another ASX 200 share that Bell Potter is feeling very bullish about is sleep disorder treatment company ResMed.

    It believes ResMed has a long runway for growth thanks to its under penetrated market, increasing demand, and a major product recall from its main rival. Bell Potter explains:

    The market for OSA and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains under penetrated, and we expect industry volume growth to continue in the 6-8% range for the foreseeable future. In this regard, the competitive dynamics are very much in favour of RMD due to the Philips recall and improving semiconductor availability. […] Furthermore, ResMed is well-positioned to build on its dominant share even after Philips returns to the global market, with the launch of its latest continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, the Air Sense 11.

    The broker currently has a buy rating and $34.00 price target on ResMed’s shares.

    The post Bell Potter names more of the best ASX 200 shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

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    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended ResMed. 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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  • Here’s how the ASX 200 market sectors stacked up last week

    a woman struggles to hold a large pile of folders and documents with only her eyes appearing over the top of the pile.

    ASX 200 utilities shares led the market sectors last week, with a 1.74% gain over the four trading days.

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) lost 1.62% over the week to finish at 7,773.3 points on Friday.

    The benchmark index once again reset its all-time high last week, touching 7,910.5 points on Tuesday.

    As my colleague Seb explained, investors were feeling optimistic given that inflation is moderating without a significant uptick in unemployment, opening the door to the possibility of lower interest rates later this year.

    Only two of the 11 market sectors finished the week in the green.

    Let’s review.

    Utilities shares led the ASX sectors last week

    Among the largest of the 22 ASX 200 utilities companies listed on the market, the stand-out for share price growth this week was AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL).

    AGL shares rose by 2.51% to finish at $8.56 on Friday.

    APA Group (ASX: APA) shares rose 1.67% over the four trading days to finish at $8.53.

    The Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) share price lifted 1.41% to $9.28.

    None of these companies had any official news out last week.

    ASX utilities stocks outshone energy shares by only 0.24% this week, so let’s take a look at how the big energy players did as well.

    Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) shares led the ASX 200 energy large-caps with a 4.01% lift to $41.28 on Friday.

    Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) shares also had a good week, up 2.52% to $7.93 apiece.

    The Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price gained 0.59% to close at $30.60 on Friday, and investors were paid their dividends on Thursday.

    It was quiet on the news front for these energy stocks as well.

    There was no official news from any of them. However, here at the Fool, my colleague Bernd was pondering whether now is the time to invest in ASX 200 energy shares.

    We also got a look at the Federal Government’s new 5-year commodity price forecasts for oil and gas.

    ASX 200 market sector snapshot

    Here’s how the 11 market sectors stacked up last week, according to CommSec data.

    Over the four trading days:

    S&P/ASX 200 market sector Change last week
    Utilities (ASX: XUJ) 1.74%
    Energy (ASX: XEJ) 1.5%
    Materials (ASX: XMJ) (0.53%)
    Industrials (ASX: XNJ) (1.37%)
    Financials (ASX: XFJ) (1.45%)
    Consumer Staples (ASX: XSJ) (2.03%)
    Communication (ASX: XTJ) (2.15%)
    Healthcare (ASX: XHJ) (2.82%)
    Consumer Discretionary (ASX: XDJ) (2.94%)
    A-REIT (ASX: XPJ) (4%)
    Information Technology (ASX: XIJ) (4.73%)

    The post Here’s how the ASX 200 market sectors stacked up last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in Woodside Energy Group. 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 positions in and has recommended Apa 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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