Category: Stock Market

  • Financial advisor who owns 3 homes says stocks beat real estate investment for wealth generation

    Smiling man sits in front of a graph on computer while using his mobile phone.Smiling man sits in front of a graph on computer while using his mobile phone.

    Koda Capital financial advisor Sebastian Ferrando owns three real estate investments in Australia, but wishes he’d put the money into US shares instead.

    As reported in the Australian Financial Review (AFR), the finance professional thinks the cost of buying, holding and selling residential real estate makes buying investment property a wealth trap.

    Ferrando laments the growing disparity between the net returns on Australian investment property vs. US shares.

    For example, in 2023, the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) rose by 24.2%.

    By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and Australian property vastly underperformed the US stock benchmark, delivering just 8.1% in capital growth.

    Why is real estate investment a wealth trap?

    Ferrando doesn’t mince words, commenting:

    The truth is you can leverage the crap out of residential real estate and that’s a massive advantage.

    But to buy, hold, maintain, and sell real estate involves large costs.

    If you take the costs out of real estate transactions, the returns [for apartments] are sub 4 per cent a year as costs like maintenance, agent fees, rates, insurance, repairs, stamp duty, and strata are hidden, high, and constant.

    Ferrando estimates that typical property investors in Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane buying a $1 million investment property will contribute a 35% deposit and get an investment property loan covering 65%.

    They rent the property out and benefit from negative gearing at tax time.

    Over time, they profit from the leverage as they make investment earnings from rent and capital growth on a $1 million asset after spending only $350,000 of their own money.

    Ferrando reckons leverage is one of the biggest appeals of property investment.

    And that all sounds well and good, but it’s the costs of real estate investment that bother him.

    The typical costs of Sydney real estate investment

    Just to give you an example, here’s a typical scenario for a Sydney investor buying a two bedroom apartment at today’s median price of $837,253.

    • $32,413 in stamp duty on the purchase
    • $500 for a building and pest report
    • $2,000 on the purchase conveyance
    • $10,000 to replace a few major things over the long term, such as carpet, blinds, hot water tank
    • $7,000 to $10,000 per year on strata levies, council and water rates, insurance, and property management fees
    • $15,000 for re-painting, styling and marketing when it’s time to sell
    • $20,000 selling agent fee (2% on a sale price of $1 million)
    • Another $2,000 on the sale conveyance

    While this is a lot of money, Sydney has an outstanding history of long-term capital growth, so you may well still come out on top if you buy and hold through at least two major market cycle upswings.

    But as you can imagine, it’s not just the ongoing costs that property investors need to consider. There’s a lot of work involved in researching, finding, buying, holding, and selling a real estate investment.

    The alternative is buying ASX or international shares online from the comfort of your own home for a brokerage fee as low as $5.

    And this is Ferrando’s main point.

    What should you do instead of property investment?

    Ferrando points out that investors can use leverage on shares investing too, using a margin facility.

    On shares vs. property, he sums it up:

    I say, buy real estate if you want to enjoy it every day, but don’t buy it with your investment dollars.

    Ferrando was primarily comparing the performance of Australian real estate investment vs. US shares.

    We recently looked at how ASX shares performed compared to Australian real estate over 10 years.

    And if you’re curious about which ASX shares and Australian property markets are delivering the best passive income for investors today, via the highest dividend and rental yields, click here.

    The post Financial advisor who owns 3 homes says stocks beat real estate investment for wealth generation 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…

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    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    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.

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  • 3 ASX stocks boasting better margins than Nvidia

    A couple consider the pros and cons of taking out a loanA couple consider the pros and cons of taking out a loan

    The green graphics card giant is making a motza. But did you know some ASX companies have even bigger profit margins than Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA)?

    Masterfully riding the AI wave, Nvidia looks like the Kelly Slater of computer hardware. The insatiable hunger for AI-enabling chips is fattening the technology company’s profits. For 12 months ended January 2024, this A$3.4 trillion business pulled a 48.8% net margin.

    For every dollar of revenue, Nvidia kept 49 cents — that’s after tax!

    Unsurprisingly, the share price is up 245% over the past year. Except, what if you wanted a slice of such profitability a little closer to home? I’m talking margin monsters like Nvidia on our local ASX bourse.

    Nvidia-beating margins on the ASX

    It’s completely possible! There are 43 ASX-listed stocks with superior margins to Nvidia. However, I wouldn’t count some of these due to quirky accounting practices. Still, if thick profit margins are your jam, plenty of options exist.

    Here are a few Aussie companies that pass the high bar.

    49% net margin: Not quite beating, but just as good as Nvidia is an ASX healthcare company named Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME). Its superb profits come from selling software to medical groups that allow large files to be viewed on any device.

    In the 12 months ended 31 December 2023, Pro Medicus raked in $142.1 million in revenue and profits of $69.7 million. The company’s margins have increased over the years due to the low additional cost of providing its software to more customers.

    67% net margin: Any business that collects a royalty on something usually operates on high margins. There are minimal costs to eat away at the revenue gathered from sales. Deterra Royalties Ltd (ASX: DRR) is a locally-listed company relishing in this situation.

    The lucrative enterprise comes from taking a royalty on iron ore sales from BHP Group Ltd‘s (ASX: BHP) Mining Area C mine. In the 12 months ended 31 December 2023, Deterra recorded $251.8 million in revenue and profits of $167.8 million.

    68% net margin: Surpassing Nvidia’s profit margin by 19% is an ASX biotech biz with rocketing revenues. The profit phenom I’m referring to is Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU), a drug developer that has reached commercial success with DAYBUE (trofinetide) treating Rett syndrome.

    In the 12 months ended 31 December 2023, Neuren reached $231.9 million in revenue and profits of $157.1 million. It’s a remarkable difference from a year earlier when revenue and earnings were $15.4 million and $184,000, respectively.

    The post 3 ASX stocks boasting better margins than Nvidia 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 Mitchell Lawler has positions in Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Nvidia and Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nvidia and Pro Medicus. 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 are the next distribution dates for your Vanguard ETFs

    A woman in yellow jump holds a coffee and writes in a diary.A woman in yellow jump holds a coffee and writes in a diary.

    Investors in 23 Vanguard exchange-traded funds (ETFs) now have a few dates to mark in their diaries following the release of the next distributions calendar today.

    According to the calendar, the ex-dividend date for the next round of distributions will be 2 April.

    That means you’ll need to own the relevant ETFs before this date to receive the next payment.

    The record date will be 3 April.

    The payment date will be 17 April.

    Which Vanguard ETFs are affected?

    These dates are relevant to some of the most popular Vanguard products in the market.

    They include the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS), which tracks the performance of the ASX 300 and is one of the biggest ETFs in Australia with a market capitalisation of $14.72 billion.

    The dates are also relevant to Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY), which has a track record for delivering some of the best returns of all Australian shares ETFs.

    If you own the Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF (ASX: VDHG), which allows investors to buy 16,000 ASX and international shares in one transaction, for one brokerage fee, then these dates apply to you as well.

    Another ETF covered by this distribution calendar is Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS), which hit a new 52-week high of $124.13 in earlier trading today.

    The post Here are the next distribution dates for your Vanguard ETFs 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 Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF and Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF. 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 Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF and Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF. 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 Australian Strategic Metals, Evolution, Sigma, and Webjet shares are storming higher

    a man in a business suite throws his arms open wide above his head and raises his face with his mouth open in celebration in front of a background of an illuminated board tracking stock market movements.

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has followed Wall Street’s lead and is charging higher. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is up 1% to 7,775.9 points.

    Four ASX shares that are rising more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are climbing:

    Australian Strategic Materials Ltd (ASX: ASM)

    The Australian Strategic Materials share price is up 23% to $1.46. Investors have been buying the rare earths and critical metals company’s shares after it received a non-binding and conditional letter of interest (LOI) from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM). This is the official export credit agency of the United States federal government. The LOI is for the provision of a debt funding package of up to US$600 million (A$923 million) for the construction and execution phase of the Dubbo rare earths and critical minerals project.

    Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN)

    The Evolution Mining share price is up 6% to $3.51. Investors have been buying Evolution and other gold miners today after the price of the precious metal stormed higher overnight on rate cut optimism. In addition, this morning, Morgan Stanley upgraded the miner’s shares to an overweight rating with a $3.95 price target. The broker believes that Evolution Mining has the greatest leverage to spot gold prices due to its very low hedging.

    Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG)

    The Sigma Healthcare share price is up 3% to $1.25. This has been driven by the release of the pharmacy chain operator and distributor’s FY 2024 results. Sigma reported a 9.2% decline in net revenue to $3.3 billion but a 149% jump in net profit after tax to $4.5 million. The latter also includes merger transaction costs. Excluding these costs, its net profit after tax would have been $12.7 million. Sigma also spoke positively about its proposed merger with Chemist Warehouse and revealed that the ACCC commenced a public consultation process into the deal on 8 March.

    Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB)

    The Webjet share price is up 8% to $8.58. This follows the release of the travel agent’s WebBeds strategy day investor presentation. Management advised that the WebBeds business is on track to achieve total transaction value (TTV) of $4 billion in FY 2024 and then $5 billion in FY 2025. After which, it is targeting TTV of $10 billion in FY 2030 with a 50% EBITDA margin.

    The post Why Australian Strategic Metals, Evolution, Sigma, and Webjet shares are storming higher 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 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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  • How has this ASX 200 energy stock just hit another new record high?

    A smiling woman puts fuel into her car at a petrol pump.A smiling woman puts fuel into her car at a petrol pump.

    It’s been a very pleasant day indeed for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX 200 shares. At present, the index has gained a comfortable 0.51%, putting it back over 7,730 points. But let’s talk about one ASX 200 energy stock that has just hit a fresh new all-time high.

    That ASX 200 energy stock is none other than Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD). Ampol shares closed at $39.64 each yesterday. But at present, the petroleum distributor, refiner and retailer has surged by a pleasing 1.59% up to $40.27. The company hit its new record high of $40.34 just after midday today. It’s the latest in a series of new highs for Ampol.

    This gain puts the Ampol share price up a solid 9.91% over 2024 to date. It also means that Ampol shares have gained a massive 35.3% over the past 12 months. Check that out for yourself below:

    ASX 200 energy stock Ampol at new record high

    But how did this ASX 200 energy stock get here? After all, Ampol shares didn’t do a whole lot over the entirety of 2021 to 2023.

    How is this ASX 200 energy stock at another new record high?

    Well, there is one primary factor that we can point to that seems to have put a rocket under this ASX 200 energy stock. It’s Ampol’s most recent full-year earnings report.

    On 19 February, Ampol delivered its latest full-year earnings. The company told investors that it achieved a record sales volume of 28.4 billion litres over 2023, helped by the integration of the Z Energy business that Ampol bought in 2022. That was up a whopping 17% year on year.

    This helped Ampol to report a 2% rise in earnings to $1.3 billion, which in turn helped fund a record final dividend of $1.20 per share (fully franked), up 14.3% over 2023’s final dividend of $1.05 per share.

    Not only that but shareholders were also treated to a special dividend of 60 cents per share (also fully franked) on top. That takes Ampol’s total dividends over the past 12 months to another record of $2.75 per share.

    Following these results, Ampol shares also got some love from ASX brokers, which may also have contributed to its recent share price success.

    As my Fool colleague Bernd covered last month, analysts at Macquarie liked what they saw in this earnings report. The broker gave this ASX 200 energy stock an increased 12-month share price target of $42.50.

    If this is realised, it would obviously represent yet another new record high for the Ampol share price. No doubt this came as music to investors’ ears.

    Let’s see if this ASX broker is on the money over the coming 12 months.

    The post How has this ASX 200 energy stock just hit another new record high? 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 Sebastian Bowen 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.

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  • 2 ASX 50 dividend stocks to buy now

    A group of businesspeople clapping.

    A group of businesspeople clapping.

    There are plenty of ASX dividend stocks you can choose from on the Australian share market.

    But two from the exclusive ASX 50 index that are highly rated by analysts at Goldman Sachs are listed below. Here’s what the broker is saying about them:

    Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN)

    Goldman Sachs is continues to feel positive about insurance giant Suncorp and sees it as an ASX 50 dividend stock to buy right now.

    The broker believes that Suncorp is well-positioned for growth thanks “in large part the tailwinds that exist in the general insurance market.” This includes “very strong renewal premium rate increases and the benefit of higher investment yields.”

    Goldman expects this to support the payment of fully franked dividends per share of 77 cents in FY 2024 and 82 cents in FY 2025. Based on the current Suncorp share price of $16.11, this will mean dividend yields of 4.8% and 5.1%, respectively.

    Its analysts have a buy rating and $16.25 price target on the company’s shares.

    Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

    The broker also thinks that telco giant Telstra could be an ASX 50 dividend stock to buy.

    Goldman rates the company highly due to “the low risk earnings (and dividend) growth that Telstra is delivering across FY22-25, underpinned through its mobile business.”

    It is expecting this to lead to Telstra paying fully franked dividends of 18 cents per share in FY 2024, 19 cents per share in FY 2025, and then 20 cents per share in FY 2026. Based on the current Telstra share price of $3.78, this equates to yields of 4.75%, 5%, and 5.3%, respectively.

    Goldman has a buy rating and $4.55 price target on Telstra’s shares.

    The post 2 ASX 50 dividend 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 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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  • Why AGL, Brickworks, IGO, and New Hope shares are dropping today

    a man weraing a suit sits nervously at his laptop computer biting into his clenched hand with nerves, and perhaps fear.

    a man weraing a suit sits nervously at his laptop computer biting into his clenched hand with nerves, and perhaps fear.

    In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a strong gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 1% to 7,774.9 points.

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

    AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL)

    The AGL Energy share price is down 2% to $8.56. This energy giant’s shares have fallen since the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) tabled its draft of the default market offer (DMO) for 2024 to 2025. This document sets the maximum electricity prices energy retailers can charge nationwide and is pointing to lower prices for most consumers.

    Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

    The Brickworks share price is down 2.5% to $28.45. This has been driven by the building products company’s half-year results release this morning. Brickworks reported a 6% decline in revenue to $547 million and an underlying net loss of $37 million. This was driven largely by its Property Trust segment, which recorded a $233 million non-cash devaluation on its assets. Nevertheless, this couldn’t stop the Brickworks board from increasing its interim dividend for the tenth year in a row. The company declared a fully franked interim dividend of 24 cents per share.

    IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)

    The IGO share price is down 5% to $7.20. This is despite there being no news out of the battery materials miner on Thursday. However, it is worth noting that concerns over falling lithium prices have weighed heavily on its shares over the last 12 months, so this decline is nothing new. IGO’s shares are now down over 40% since this time last year.

    New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC)

    The New Hope share price is down 2.5% to $4.56. This morning, analysts at Goldman Sachs responded to the coal miner’s half-year results by reiterating its sell rating on its shares with an improved price target of $3.70. Goldman commented: “The stock is trading at ~1.3x NAV (A$3.58/sh) and discounting a long-run thermal coal price of ~US$95/t (real) vs. our US$83/t estimate (based on our view of long run global marginal costs).”

    The post Why AGL, Brickworks, IGO, and New Hope shares are dropping 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 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 Brickworks. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Brickworks. 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 the Woodside dividend forecast through to 2026

    Oil worker using a smartphone in front of an oil rig.Oil worker using a smartphone in front of an oil rig.

    During the recent earnings season, Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) announced a final dividend for FY23 of 60 US cents (payable 4 April, by the way).

    After the conversion to local currency, that’s 91.68 cents per share.

    The FY23 final dividend is 58% lower than the FY22 final dividend. The full-year dividend was a fully franked 140 US cents. That was down 45% year-over-year.

    Woodside’s dividends have been falling due to lower profits following a decline in oil prices and an increase in production costs. The FY23 profit was 74% lower than FY22.

    Will this trend continue?

    Let’s see what the market analysts have to say.

    Woodside dividend in 2024

    Currently, the consensus forecast among analysts on CommSec is for Woodside shares to pay a total annual dividend of A$1.72 this year.

    With 91.68 AU cents about to be paid, that means they expect an interim dividend of about 80.32 AU cents per share in September.

    Based on the Woodside share price of $30.27 at the time of writing, $1.72 equates to a yield of 5.68%.

    That’s well above the average dividend yield for S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares of 4%.

    What about future Woodside dividends?

    Next year, the consensus forecast is for the energy giant to pay a total annual dividend of $1.52.

    That takes the dividend yield lower to 5.02%.

    In 2026, the experts expect a dividend of $1.33, which equals a yield of 4.39%.

    The post Here’s the Woodside dividend forecast through to 2026 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…

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    *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 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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  • If I’d put $5,000 in ANZ shares at the start of 2024, here’s what I’d have now

    A man in a suit smiles at the yellow piggy bank he holds in his hand.

    ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) shares are on form again on Thursday.

    In afternoon trade, the banking giant’s shares are up over 1% to $29.00.

    Investors have been buying ANZ and other bank shares today after the US Federal Reserve suggested that three interest rate cuts could be coming before the end of the year.

    This gave Wall Street’s financial sector a major boost, with the likes of Citigroup (NYSE: C), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) all rising over 2%.

    This led to three of the four US banks hitting 52-week highs during the session.

    Clearly this has been a good time to invest in the banking sector, but just how fruitful has it been for buyers of ANZ shares?

    Let’s take a look and see what a $5,000 investment in the big four bank at the start of the year could be worth now.

    $5,000 invested in ANZ shares

    Firstly, if I had bought ANZ shares at the very start of the year, I could have paid $25.92 per share.

    This means that for an investment of $5,002.56, I would have snapped up 193 units.

    As I mentioned at the top, those shares are now changing hands for $29.00. That’s almost 12% greater than the price I would have paid.

    This means that at today’s price, those 193 ANZ shares have a market value of $5,597, which is almost $600 more than I paid for them less than three months ago.

    It is also worth noting that it won’t be too long until the next ANZ dividend is declared. The banking giant is scheduled to release its results in approximately two months.

    Goldman Sachs is forecasting a dividend of $1.62 per share in FY 2024. If we image that this comprises two dividends of 81 cents per share, my 193 units will soon provide me with $156.33 of dividend income.

    If the broker is correct with its assumptions and the ANZ share price at least holds firm, that would bring the total return to approximately $750 on a $5,000 investment in the bank’s shares.

    The post If I’d put $5,000 in ANZ shares at the start of 2024, here’s what I’d have now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Bank of America is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. 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 Bank of America and 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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  • Why is the A2 Milk share price up 46% year to date and at a 52-week high?

    A happy boy with his dad dabs like a hero while his father checks his phone.

    A happy boy with his dad dabs like a hero while his father checks his phone.

    The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price is having another positive session.

    The infant formula company’s shares have risen a further 2% to a new 52-week high of $6.22.

    This latest gain means that its shares are now up an incredible 46% since the start of the year.

    To put that gain into context, $20,000 invested in A2 Milk shares on 29 December would now be worth $29,200.

    Why is the A2 Milk share price on fire?

    Investors have been bidding the company’s shares higher for a couple of reasons.

    One of those was in January, when the company was given a boost from better than expected Chinese birth rate numbers. This bodes well for infant formula demand in the key market.

    But the main driver of this gain was the release of its half-year results in February, which impressed the market.

    As a reminder, A2 Milk reported a 3.7% lift in revenue to NZ$812.1 million thanks largely to strong growth in the China & Other Asia segment. Its revenue was up 16.5% over the prior corresponding period, which offset a 24.1% decrease in the ANZ segment. The latter was driven by a major change in its distribution strategy.

    And with the company’s gross margin increasing modestly despite higher input costs, A2 Milk’s EBITDA increased by 5% to NZ$113.2 million.

    But getting investors excited the most was arguably its outlook statement which accompanied its results. Management revealed that its revenue growth expectations for FY 2024 have improved since its prior outlook statement.

    It now expects low to mid single-digit revenue growth for the year compared to just low single digit growth. It also expects its margins to be largely in line with what was recorded in FY 2023.

    Ahead of expectations

    All the above came in ahead of expectations, which helps explain the rise in the A2 Milk share price.

    Commenting on the results, Bell Potter said:

    Revenue of NZ$812m was up +4% YOY (vs. BPe NZ$774m). EBITDA of NZ$113.2m was up +5% YOY (vs BPe of NZ$110.2m). EBITDA ex-MVM was NZ$128.5m (vs. BPe of NZ$121.3m). Underlying NPAT of NZ$85.3m was up +16% YOY (vs. BPe of $82.5m).

    Is it too late to invest?

    As things stand, most brokers believe that the A2 Milk share price is fully valued now.

    However, analysts at Ord Minnett still see scope for big returns. They currently have an accumulate rating and $7.40 price target. This implies potential upside of approximately 19%.

    The post Why is the A2 Milk share price up 46% year to date and at a 52-week high? 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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk. 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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