Category: Stock Market

While the general S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has moved upwards confidently over March and April, just a couple of sectors are driving the recovery.

While finance and mining, dominated by large caps, have made hay over the past few weeks, it’s still a volatile and uncertain time for small-cap ASX shares.

So it’s worth being selective about smaller businesses before buying into them.

Cyan Investment Management portfolio manager Dean Fergie recently presented three ASX shares he’s holding that are going gangbusters right now:

Australians have higher expectations about deliveries now

Delivery services platform Zoom2u Technologies Ltd (ASX: Z2U) gained a tidy 24% over March, and Fergie expects more growth to come.

“The delivery marketplace is well overdue to be disrupted with the incumbent, Australia Post, not being able to offer competitive delivery times, nor services such as driver tracking (due to union rules),” he said in a memo to clients.

“Zoom2U is well established in this market with a proven commercial driver network and user deployed tracking software. And we expect the news-flow and positive financial results to continue for this exciting business.”

Like most tech stocks, Zoom2u has suffered a correction in recent months, dipping more than 29% for the year so far.

For Fergie, the company can take advantage of a recent cultural shift in Australia.

“We believe there is a step-change in customer expectations of delivery times, with the likes of Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) and the food delivery platforms offering next day, same day or one-hour delivery windows.”

A massive contract with Jetstar

Quickstep Holdings Limited (ASX: QHL) is an unusual business that not many investors may have heard of.

But Fergie has held this ASX share for a long time and feels like its time has come after the share price rocketed up 17% last month.

“Quickstep manufacturers composite parts for the F35 fighter jet and C130 bomber, provides commercial aerospace maintenance services, and produces high-end composite products for drone manufacturers.”

The Cyan team recently visited Quickstep’s Melbourne facilities in person and was told of “significant tailwinds” in all three of its business units.

“Indeed, post the end of March, Quickstep has announced a milestone three-year $30 to $35 million maintenance contract with Jetstar,” said Fergie.

“We view this as both financially and strategically significant as Quickstep has dislodged offshore incumbents to bring the maintenance work to Australia.”

Cheers to this ASX small-cap

The Mighty Craft Ltd (ASX: MCL) share price remained flat during March, but Fergie feels like it made the “most significant” announcement out of all his holdings.

“On the 30th March, it upgraded its medium-term ambitions for beer production from 12 million to 25 million litres,” he said.

“Mighty Craft is having some phenomenal success with its Better Beer brand which is expected to sell four million litres in FY22 despite only launching in November 2021.”

As a brewing and distillation company, Mighty Craft is a natural beneficiary of the post-pandemic life as customers flood back into pubs and clubs.

But even considering that, Fergie reckons the business is outperforming.

“It is enjoying an outstanding recovery from the challenges of COVID,” he said.

“We currently see a real disconnect between the current share price and true value of the Mighty Craft group of assets and brands, and expect [a] material re-rate when market conditions improve for emerging companies.”

The post Beers and planes: 3 ASX shares killing it right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Is Amazon stock a buy this month?
• Why Amazon stock slipped on Monday

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns Amazon. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Amazon. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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If you’re looking for an easy way to diversify your portfolio, then exchange traded funds (ETFs) could be the answer.

But which ETFs should you look at? Listed below are three excellent ETFs that could be worth considering this month. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF (ASX: CRYP)

The first ETF to look at is the BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF. BetaShares highlights that this high risk ETF provides investors with “picks and shovels” exposure to the companies that are building the crypto economy. These are mining equipment providers, crypto trading venues, and other key service providers. At present, the ETF is invested in almost 40 crypto leaders such as Coinbase, Riot Blockchain, and Microstrategy. It also owns shares with indirect exposure such as Block/Square, PayPal, and Robinhood.

VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

Another ETF for investors to look at is the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. This ETF provides investors with an easy way to invest in the type of companies that Warren Buffett buys. The ETF currently contains ~50 attractively priced companies with sustainable competitive advantages or moats. These include the likes of Alphabet (Google), Altria, Boeing, Coca Cola, Meta (Facebook), Kellogg Co, and Walt Disney.

VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF (ASX: ESPO)

A final ETF for ASX investors to look at is the VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF. This ETF gives investors easy access to a global video game market estimated to comprise 2.7 billion active gamers. Among the companies included in the fund are AMD, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Nvidia, Roblox, and Take-Two. VanEck notes that these companies are well-placed to benefit from the increasing popularity of video games and eSports.

The post 3 of the best ETFs for ASX investors to buy this month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here are 2 excellent ASX tech ETFs to buy
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• Are these 2 leading ETFs good buys in April 2022?

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. owns and has recommended Betashares Crypto Innovators ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended VanEck Vectors ETF Trust – VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF and VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) notched up its third consecutive green day in a fine start to the week. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.56% higher at 7,565.2 points.

While a few sectors took a backseat today, energy and materials bolstered the Aussie equity market. On the back of higher oil prices overnight, the big oil and gas names of the ASX injected optimism into the local market. Disappointingly, healthcare and tech shares were the furthest behind the pack today.

However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the lithium developer surged 13.93% in absence of any announcements from the company. However, optimism among lithium shares appeared to be rife today amid ARK Invest’s latest bullish take on electric vehicle maker, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA). Find out more about Lake Resources here.

Another lithium producer experiencing heightened excitement today was Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO). The company’s shares climbed 9.09% also without the accompaniment of an ASX announcement. Uncover the latest Core Lithium details here.

Today’s top 10 biggest gains were made in these ASX shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE)	$2.29	13.93%
Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)	$1.50	9.09%
Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY)	$3.24	5.88%
APM Human Services International Ltd (ASX: APM)	$3.40	4.29%
Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT)	$1.665	4.06%
Incitec Pivot Ltd (ASX: IPL)	$4.15	3.75%
Oz Minerals Ltd (ASX: OZL)	$27.73	3.32%
QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)	$12.26	3.11%
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN)	$10.54	2.83%
Computershare Ltd (ASX: CPU)	$25.75	2.75%

Our top 10 ASX shares today countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check-in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Lake Resources share price spikes 14% as lithium prices begin to ease
• Analysts name 3 top ASX lithium stocks to buy now
• ASX 200 midday update: AMP asset sale talks, Syrah rockets
• Why is the Core Lithium share price powering up 7% today?
• Keen to bag the Washington H Soul Pattinson dividend? Read this

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) share price finished in the red on Tuesday despite the company’s silence.

However, the price of uranium – the commodity the company produces – has seemingly levelled out over the last few days after spiking last week.

Additionally, notable global funds invested in the energy commodity struggled overnight.

As of Tuesday’s close, the Paladin share price is 94 cents, 2.59% lower than its previous close.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gained 0.55% on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Paladin share price dragged on the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ). Though, the sector still managed a 1.29% gain.

Let’s take a closer look at what happened to the uranium producer’s shares today.

What’s been weighing on the Paladin share price?

The Paladin share price lost ground today despite the broader market’s upwards momentum.

It was likely dragged down by the price of uranium. The commodity’s value slumped slightly yesterday after appearing to stall for much of last week, according to Trading Economics.

Those movements (or lack thereof) followed its rally last Wednesday, which saw the commodity’s value reach an 11-year high.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Paladin share price launched 9.64% on Wednesday and another 6.59% on Thursday. Thus, today’s dip could be simple price-taking.

Interestingly, while the price of uranium hasn’t gone far in recent days, the Global X Uranium EFT (exchange-traded fund) plunged 3.14% in Monday’s session in New York.

Meanwhile, the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust – the world’s largest physical uranium fund, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange – also slumped 2.12% yesterday.  

Additionally, many of Paladin’s uranium-producing peers were also in the red on Tuesday.

Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL) released its quarterly activities and cash flow reports for the three months ended March 31 today. Its share price also ended in the red on Tuesday, slumping 1.32%.

That of Bannerman Energy Ltd (ASX: BMN) recorded a deeper loss, falling 3.17%.

The Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) share price was the outlier of the pack, gaining 3.36% on Tuesday.

The post What happened to the Paladin Energy share price on Tuesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• Why are ASX uranium shares getting so much attention right now?
• These 3 shares are topping the ASX 200 volume charts on Thursday
• The Paladin Energy share price has surged 19% in a week. Here’s why these brokers are tipping more gains
• New ASX uranium share to hit boards next month and investors are already pouncing

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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 Bruce Jackson.

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The Vanguard Australian Shares ETF (ASX: VAS) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that’s invested in ASX shares. Could it be a good time to invest in the VAS ETF at the current price?

It tracks the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO), which represents a list of 300 of the biggest businesses on the ASX.

Some of the biggest names in the portfolio are ones like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and CSL Limited (ASX: CSL).

But could it be time to buy the ETF?

Expert thoughts on the VAS ETF

In a recent episode of ‘buy hold sell’ on Livewire, Felicity Thomas from Shaw and Partners and Ben Nash from Pivot Wealth gave their opinion on the VAS ETF.

For Ben Nash, he thought that the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF is a buy because it is “rock solid” and “nice and cheap”.

According to Mr Nash, the VAS ETF offers a good yield and it can provide inflation protection with the “growth element” of the ETF. He concluded that it’s “definitely a buy”.

While the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF may not be far off its all-time high, the “cheap” comment may refer to the fact that the VAS ETF has an annual management fee of 0.10%. This is a fraction of the fee that active fund managers typically charge.

However, Felicity Thomas was less enthusiastic about the ASX-based ETF. She called the VAS ETF a “hold”. Ms Thomas noted that the ASX 300 is trading at 14 times its earnings. However, the VAS ETF share price is “quite high” according to the expert. In her opinion, the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF could be more attractive in a dip like the market saw during January and February 2022.

How is an ETF price affected?

The Vanguard Australian Shares ETF return is dictated by the movement of share prices of the underlying holdings.

So, the bigger holdings like BHP, CBA, CSL, National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG), Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) and Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) have a larger influence on the returns of the ETF.

The smaller positions are part of the overall picture, but they have a much smaller impact on the price change of the VAS ETF. Names like Estia Health Ltd (ASX: EHE), Mystate Ltd (ASX: MYS), Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG), Service Stream Limited (ASX: SSM) and Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB) are some of the smallest positions in the portfolio.

According to Vanguard, at the end of February 2022, the ETF had a dividend yield of 4.2% and a price/earnings ratio (P/E ratio) of 14.

The post Is the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF a good buy at current prices? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Down 20% in 2022, is the Wesfarmers share price a clear opportunity?
• Why has the Woolworths share price outperformed Wesfarmers so far in 2022?
• Here are the ASX retail share winners and losers of the last quarter

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. owns and has recommended Austal Limited and CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Telstra Corporation Limited and Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group Limited and Westpac Banking Corporation. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price has been marching higher since the beginning of the year.

At the time of writing, the mining giant’s shares are 1.94% higher to $122.88. This is a sharp recovery from when its shares were trading around the $88 mark in early November.

In 2022, Rio Tinto shares have gained more than 22%.

What’s driving Rio Tinto shares higher?

There are a few factors as to why the Rio Tinto share price is trading in positive territory this year.

Firstly, the accent of iron ore prices is providing a strong support base for the company’s margins thus far in FY22. This is predominately being driven by supply constraints caused by the COVID-19 outbreak in China.

Regarded as a key commodity in Rio Tinto’s portfolio, this is particularly important given a majority of the company’s revenues come from the steelmaking ingredient.

In the financial year ending 31 December 2021, iron ore accounted for 62% of the total group sales revenue.

In addition, the S&P/ASX 200 Resources Index (ASX: XJR) has also pushed ahead, gaining almost 21% in 2022. The sector represents 48 of the largest companies in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) in the energy, metals, and mining industry.

A positive shift in investor sentiment toward the index has propelled Rio Tinto shares higher.

Can Rio Tinto shares reach a record high in 2022?

If the Rio Tinto share price is to break its all-time high in 2022, iron ore prices will need to accelerate further.

Rio Tinto shares broke a record high of $137.33 in August 2021.

Iron ore prices reaching levels above US$200 per tonne will, indeed, translate to bumper profit for the world’s largest iron ore miner.

In its full-year results, Rio Tino revealed iron ore shipments of 321.6 million tonnes, down 3% on FY20. This was impacted by above-average rainfall in the first six months of 2021.

The 2021 monthly average Platts index for 62% iron fines converted to an FOB [free on board] basis was 45% higher on average compared with 2020.

Rio Tinto attained average revenue of US$143.8 per dry metric tonne.

Following the company’s FY21 financial scorecard, analysts at Goldman Sachs raised their outlook on Rio Tinto shares by 2.1% to $131.50.

In addition, the team at Morgan Stanley lifted its 12-month price target by 7% to $130.50.

It appears that each of the brokers believes that Rio Tinto shares are slightly undervalued for the time being. The above assessment reflects a potential upside of around 7%.

However, it’s worth noting that the above price target is under the record price Rio Tinto shares achieved mid-last year.

Rio Tinto share price summary

Adding to today’s gain, the Rio Tinto share price has surged 22.65% in 2022.

However, when looking across the past year, the mining outfit’s shares are up around 1.6%.

After reaching an all-time high of $137.33 in August 2021, investors heavily sold off the company’s shares.

Rio Tinto hit a 52-week low of $87.28 in November before quickly rebounding higher of late.

The company has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 6.93 and commands a market capitalisation of roughly $45.5 billion.

The post Can the Rio Tinto share price break its all-time high in 2022? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Goldman Sachs names 3 ASX 200 mining shares to buy today
• Here are the top 10 ASX mining companies by market cap
• If you’d bought $10,000 of Rio Tinto shares 5 years ago, here’s how much you’d have now
• ASX mining shares were the leaders last quarter. Here are the top performers
• The Rio Tinto share price rallied 19% in the March quarter. What’s next?

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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 Bruce Jackson.

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Tuesday has shaped up to be a good day on the market, particularly for these S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares. They’ve surged to their highest point of the last 12 months.

Right now, the ASX 200 is 0.62% higher. That’s helped it reach its own high point – the highest it’s been since early January.

So, which ASX 200 shares are joining in on today’s momentum to set new 12-month records? Let’s take a look.

3 ASX 200 shares hitting 52-week highs on Tuesday

Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV)

The Endeavor share price surged to a new 52-week high of $7.85 in intraday trade today – a 1.15% gain – despite only silence from the company.

In fact, the Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) spin-off and house of Dan Murphy’s hasn’t released news to the market since early February.

But that doesn’t mean Endeavour hasn’t been busy. It opened its first premium Dan Murphy’s Cellar last week.

It also opened its first bar – ZERO% – selling alcohol-free drinks in Melbourne last month.

Incitec Pivot Ltd (ASX: IPL)

The Incitec Pivot share price also reached a new 52-week high of $4.17 on Tuesday, representing a 4.25% gain. That’s the highest the ASX 200 share has traded since 2018.

While there’s been no price sensitive news from Incitec Pivot, the company did provide a positive update on its Waggaman Ammonia Plant this morning.

Back in February, the plant was shut down after a hydrogen release was detected at the facility. Investigations later found the incident was caused by a rupture in a section of pipe, resulting in an extended shutdown for repairs.

Today, Incitec Pivot announced production at the plant has restarted and is operating at name plate capacity.

The company expects the shutdown to have an impact on its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of around $173 million and an impact on its net profit after tax (NPAT) of approximately $124 million.

Around 75% of that will be recognised in its earnings for the first half, set to be released next month.

While the company’s working to progress a claim under its comprehensive property insurance policy, it won’t include any adjustments for potential insurance recoveries in its upcoming results.

Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY)

The final ASX 200 share hitting a new 52-week high on Tuesday is Cleanaway.

The waste management company’s stock surged 4.9% in intraday trade to reach a high of $3.21.

There’s been no news from the company to explain its gains. However, its share price has been outperforming over the long term.

It has gained 29% over the last 12 months, outperforming the ASX 200 by 22%.

The post 3 ASX 200 shares smashing 52-week highs on Tuesday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 ASX 200 shares hopping to new 52-week highs today
• The Endeavour share price has notched up 4 all-time highs in a week. What’s happening?
• 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares rocking new all-time highs today
• Own Endeavour shares? Here are 4 things you probably don’t know
• 3 ASX 200 shares smashing 52-week highs on Thursday

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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 Bruce Jackson.

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It’s a big day for ASX mining shares across the board, with the resources and materials sectors leading the broader market.

But these 3 ASX-listed miners are besting most on Tuesday, each recording gains of more than 18%.

Right now, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 0.54% while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has gained 0.5%.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Resources Index (ASX: XJR) has lifted 1.28% and the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) is up 1.2%.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at today’s outperformers and what’s boosted their share prices to outrageous heights.

3 ASX mining shares recording massive gains on Tuesday

Syrah Resources Ltd (ASX: SYR) – surged 22%

The Syrah Resources share price lifted 22.29% to its intraday high of $1.92 on Tuesday.

Its gain followed news that the company has received a US$107 million loan agreement from the United States’ Department of Energy.

It will use the funding to expand its Louisiana-based Vidalia active anode material facility.

At the time of writing, the Syrah Resources share price is $1.77, 12.74% higher than its previous close.

Though, that’s still 8% lower than it was at the start of 2022.

Lefroy Exploration Ltd (ASX: LEX) – launched 33%

The Lefroy Exploration share price also took off earlier this morning, surging 33.33% to trade at 44 cents at its highest point.

Its gains came after the company announced an “impressive” copper and gold intersection identified at the Lefroy Gold Project’s Burns prospect.

The finding has helped solidify the company’s certainty that Burns houses a high-grade gold-copper zone within a broader gold, copper, silver, and molybdenum system.

It has scheduled a drill hole of at least 1,000 metres to begin in May. The hole will test the down plunge position of the zone, as well as the broader system.

At the time of writing, the Lefroy share price is 39 cents, 18.18% higher than its previous close.

That brings the ASX mining share’s gains for the year so far to 25.8%.

Anax Metals Ltd (ASX: ANX) – rocketed 18%

Finally, the Anax Metals share price launched to 13 cents at its highest point of the day, 18.18% higher than its previous close.

Interestingly, there’s been no news from the mineral developer today. However, last week it announced a “spectacular” copper and zinc find at the Whim Creek Project.

Right now, shares in the ASX mining company are trading at 12.5 cents. That represents a 13.64% increase.

The company’s stock has also gained 56% since the start of 2022.  

The post 3 ASX mining shares booming by 18% or more today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 midday update: AMP asset sale talks, Syrah rockets
• Syrah Resources share price booms 19% amid show of US support
• Massive copper and zinc discovery sends this ASX mining share soaring 44%

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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 Bruce Jackson.

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The Camplify Holdings Ltd (ASX: CHL) share price is charging higher on Tuesday following the company’s latest announcement.

Investors are licking their lips after the peer-to-peer recreational vehicle hiring platform shared its third-quarter activities report for FY22.

At the time of writing, Camplify shares are attracting a $2.75 price tag, up 14.11% from their previous close. Earlier, they were as high as $2.85, an 18% gain.

Let’s inspect the news behind today’s colossal price action.

Another quarter of growth for Camplify

As COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease around the world, people are getting back on the road to scratch their travel itch. For Camplify, this has meant another quarter of solid growth across the business in Q3 FY22.

Some key metrics encompassing the robust performance during the three-month period include:

• Gross transaction volume (GTV) up 69.5% year on year to $13.03 million
• Revenue reaches $4.11 million during the quarter, up 110.5% year on year
• Take rate hits 29.4%
• The United Kingdom and Spain record significant GTV growth of 964% and 428% respectively
• Marketplace customers clicked over to 23,832

Unsurprisingly, the market is reacting positively to the news, with the Camplify share price rising today.

In addition, there were notable developments for Camplify during the quarter on the acquisition front. During the quarter, the New Zealand Commerce Commission gave the thumbs up to the ASX-listed company acquiring Mighway and SHAREaCAMPER.

What’s the financial position of this ASX-listed small-cap?

Despite achieving $9.43 million in cash receipts from customers during the quarter, Camplify remains cash flow negative operationally. At the end of March, the company had burned through $2.03 million in cash to finish with $17.254 million in Q3.

At this cash burn rate, ASX-listed Camplify currently has around eight quarters (or two years) before further capital would be needed to sustain operations.

Camplify share price goes on an adventure

While travellers might be getting back on the road, the Camplify share price is still not in the good books of investors in 2022.

Since the beginning of the year, shares in the rental marketplace have taken a 34% dive. This is even after the massive 33% upswing witnessed in the Camplify share price since 11 April. For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is only down 0.35% over the same time frame.

The post This just sent the Camplify share price rocketing 14% higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 ASX mining shares booming by 18% or more today
• Where will Meta Platforms be in 5 years?
• What’s boosting the BHP share price today?
• Qantas share price slides following Easter travel woes
• Here’s why the Praemium share price is surging 17%

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. owns and has recommended Camplify Holdings Limited. 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 Bruce Jackson.

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This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: FB), the social media giant formerly known as Facebook, has been a divisive company ever since its public debut in 2012.

The bulls praised the robust growth of its advertising business and the expansion of its family of apps (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp) to reach billions of users worldwide. The bears claimed that its dependence on targeted ads was unsustainable and that its platforms facilitated the spread of hate speech, misinformation, and fake news that have hurt society.

The bears are currently winning. Meta’s stock price has tumbled nearly 40% since the beginning of the year, with most of that precipitous drop occurring following a messy fourth-quarter earnings report released in early February. This featured Facebook’s first sequential decline in daily active users and weaker-than-expected revenue guidance for the first quarter.

Meta pinned its troubles on Apple‘s (NASDAQ: AAPL) privacy update on iOS, which allowed its users to opt out of targeted ads, and competition from ByteDance‘s TikTok. To stay competitive, it said it would ramp up its spending on new short video content and pump more cash into its Reality Labs business, which already posted an operating loss of $10.2 billion in 2021.

That combination of slowing growth and rising expenses spooked the bulls, but Meta’s stock remains up more than 50% over the past five years. Will the stock rebound and hit fresh highs over the next five years?

High hopes for the metaverse

Facebook rebranded itself as Meta last year to emphasize its focus on the ‘metaverse‘ which blurs the lines between the physical and digital worlds, with its augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices.

Meta’s newest standalone VR headset, the Quest 2 headset, is currently the best-selling device of its kind in the world. IDC estimates that Meta shipped nearly nine million Quest 2 headsets in 2021, which accounted for 78% of the entire AR/VR headset market. Cristiano Amon, CEO of Meta’s chip supplier, Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), also estimated that the company had shipped about 10 million Quest 2 headsets as of last November.

Meta’s Horizon Worlds, the VR playground that lets Quest’s users interact with each other, reportedly reached 300,000 monthly active users this February, representing a tenfold increase from last December. It also hosts about 10,000 virtual worlds. Those numbers are minuscule compared with the 3.59 billion people who use one of its four main apps each month, but it represents a firm foothold in the nascent metaverse market.

As for the AR market, Meta launched a pair of smart glasses called Ray-Ban Stories to allow users to easily capture photos and videos for their Facebook and Instagram stories. It plans to follow up that device with three increasingly advanced AR devices in 2024, 2026, and 2028. It will also continue to launch new Quest devices as its VR ecosystem expands.

Meta has already been monetizing that platform by taking a nearly 50% cut of every game, experience, and digital asset sold within its metaverse. Meta plans to keep selling cheap hardware devices to drive more users to that prisoner-taking platform, and that strategy could gradually reduce its dependence on its core advertising business.

Short videos and social shopping

During last’s quarter’s conference call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg highlighted Reels, the TikTok-like short video feature it rolled out globally in February, as one of its “major investment priorities for 2022”.

Zuckerberg said Reels was the company’s “fastest-growing content format by far” and “already the biggest contributor to engagement growth on Instagram”. He noted it was also “growing very quickly” on Facebook.

Zuckerberg believes the expansion of Reels with aggressive investments will help it fend off TikTok in the short video space. But short videos are also tougher to monetize than longer videos and traditional ads, so Meta expects that expansion to throttle its near-term growth.

Meta will also continue to expand Facebook and Instagram as “social shopping” platforms with integrated e-commerce features. But this strategy faces two main challenges: Apple’s iOS update has made it tougher for merchants to target potential customers, and other social media platforms, such as Pinterest, are targeting the same market.

But with billions of users across the world, Meta can probably overcome these issues with new targeting methods (such as contextual ads and first-party data tracking) and partnerships with big merchants. If that happens, Meta might disrupt traditional e-commerce marketplaces over the next few years.

Plenty of other irons in the fire

Most investors are focused on Meta’s growth in the metaverse, short video, and social shopping markets, but it still has other irons in the fire. It’s already dabbling with new ways to monetize WhatsApp with digital payment features and community features for group discussions.

It ended 2021 with $48 billion in cash and marketable securities, so it could still make more acquisitions — so long as they don’t trip the antitrust alarms. A smart move would be to buy a major video game publisher to expand its metaverse platform and further reduce its dependence on target ads.

Meta might face some near-term problems, but I believe its stock will head higher over the next five years. If you agree, then its stock is simply too cheap to ignore right now at 17 times forward earnings.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The post Where will Meta Platforms be in 5 years? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Prediction: 5 billion people will be in the Metaverse by 2030
• Where will Meta Platforms be in 3 years?

Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Leo Sun owns Apple, Meta Platforms, and Qualcomm. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., and Qualcomm. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple and Meta Platforms, Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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