Category: Stock Market

Looking for growth shares to buy? Two that could be worth considering are listed below.

Both look well-placed for growth during the 2020s. Here’s what you need to know about these ASX growth shares:

Allkem Limited (ASX: AKE)

The first ASX growth share to consider is Allkem. It is the top five global lithium mining company that was created with the merger of Galaxy Resources and Orocobre. The company owns a collection of high-quality assets including Olaroz, Mt Cattlin, and the Sal de Vida brine project.

With lithium prices at sky high levels, demand outstripping supply, and plenty of production growth opportunities, Allkem looks well placed to generate strong sales growth in FY 2022 and beyond.

Bell Potter is very positive on Allkem and believes it is the “go-to stock for multi-project exposure to lithium markets.” Last week it upgraded the company’s shares to a buy rating with an improved price target of $17.51. This is almost double the current Allkem share price of $8.78.

The broker explained: “The higher lithium price outlook has resulted in large upgrades to our AKE earnings outlook and valuation. EPS changes in this report are: FY22 +12%; FY23 +76%; and FY24 +131%. Our target price is now $17.51/sh (previously $11.00/sh). We have upgraded our recommendation to Buy.”

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)

Another growth share to look at is this pizza chain operator. It could be a top option due to its strong brand, investment in technology, and bold expansion plans. The latter sees the company aiming to more than double its network to 6,650 stores in existing markets over the next 10 years.

Domino’s also has a strong balance sheet and the flexibility to make acquisitions that could increase its store target even further.

Combined with its long track record of same store sales growth, this bodes well for its sales and profit growth over the next decade. In the meantime, the team at Goldman Sachs is forecasting an operating earnings compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.6% for the next three years.

In light of this strong growth, its analysts have a buy rating and $136.20 price target on the company’s shares. This compares to the latest Domino’s share price of $100.18.

The post 2 ASX growth shares with huge upside potential appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns Allkem. 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 Dominos Pizza Enterprises 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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If you’re wanting to boost your portfolio with some blue chip ASX 200 shares then you may want to consider the two listed below.

Both are high quality companies and have been rated as buys recently. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)

The first blue chip ASX 200 share to look at is this leading integrated commercial and industrial property company.

Goodman has been growing at a solid rate over the last decade thanks to its successful strategy of focusing on investing in and developing high quality industrial properties in strategic locations. These are close to large urban populations and in and around major gateway cities globally.

Pleasingly, this strong form has continued in FY 2022, with Goodman recently handing in another impressive report card.

The team at Citi is positive on Goodman and has named the company as its top pick in the sector. Citi has a buy rating and $29.50 price target on its shares.

Its analysts commented: “GMG’s 1H22 EPS of 41.9c was 12% ahead of Visible Alpha consensus (37.3c) and 6% ahead of Citi (39.5c). FY22 EPS guidance was upgraded for the 2nd time in 6 months to 20% growth, or EPS of 78.7c, +1.5% ahead of ingoing consensus of 77.5c. FY22 DPS guidance was retained at 30c. We continue to see guidance as conservative, with our EPS estimates rising 5% in FY22 and c. 6% thereafter. We now forecast c. 23% EPS growth in FY22 and c. 19% EPS CAGR from FY21-FY24. Our TP increases 5% on higher asset values and higher earnings. GMG remains our top pick in the sector.”

REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

Another blue chip ASX 200 share to consider buying is this digital advertising company.

REA is the operator of Australia’s leading property website, realestate.com.au, and a range of complementary businesses both at home and internationally.

It was also a strong performer during the first half, delivering a 37% increase in revenue to $590 million and a 27% lift in EBITDA to $368 million. The latter was ahead of the market consensus estimate of $350 million.

This result went down well with the team at Goldman Sachs, which has put a buy rating and $167.00 price target on the company’s shares.

Goldman said: “REA also delivered strong 1H22 earnings growth which was broadly in-line with our expectations, but was weaker in the core Australia business. With a strong start to 2H (i.e. listings +14% in Jan), and continued pricing/depth residential tailwinds, we expect solid 2H momentum.”

The post Analysts name 2 ASX 200 blue chip shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 REA Group 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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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) weakened under the weight of escalation between Russia and Ukraine. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 1% lower at 7,161.3 points.

There was a clear flocking of funds to the more typical ‘safe haven’ assets on Tuesday. Gold mining shares firmed alongside consumer staples. However, it was the oil and gas portion of the market that delivered the greatest returns today. Fears of tightening supply from Russia in the event of a conflict bolstered the price of oil today.

At the other end of the market, tech consumer discretionary shares suffered the steepest falls. These sectors experienced falls of 3.2% and 2.7% respectively.

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, Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the hearing device maker surged 9.00% after the company reported a solid half-year result. Find out more about Cochlear here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST). The second-largest ASX-listed gold mining company gained 4.63% today amid rising instability on the geopolitical front. Uncover the latest Northern Star Resources details here.

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

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH)	$207.37	9.00%
Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)	$10.16	4.63%
Lendlease Group (ASX: LLC)	$10.77	4.46%
Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX: WPL)	$29.25	3.76%
Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT)	$1.53	3.38%
Meridian Energy Ltd (ASX: MEZ)	$4.90	3.38%
Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV)	$7.41	3.20%
Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)	$7.09	3.20%
Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)	$17.27	3.17%
Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN)	$4.34	2.84%

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.

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• ASX 200 tech shares take a hammering as Ukraine fears escalate
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• Why Cochlear, Coles, Costa, and Monadelphous shares are racing higher

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 Cochlear Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended COLESGROUP DEF SET. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear Ltd. 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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There are a lot of exchange traded funds (ETFs) funds out there for investors to choose from.

Three top ETFs that you may want to look deeper into are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

If you’re looking to gain exposure to the growing Asian economy, then the BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF could be worth considering. This ETF gives investors access to a number of the most promising tech shares in the Asian market. These are the Apples, Googles, and Amazons of the Asia market. Among its holdings you’ll find Alibaba, JD.com, Baidu, and Tencent.

BetaShares Cloud Computing ETF (ASX: CLDD)

Due to the ongoing shift to the cloud, companies with exposure to cloud computing look well-placed for growth. This could make the BetaShares Cloud Computing ETF a good option for investors looking to gain access to this theme. This popular ETF aims to track the performance of the Indxx Global Cloud Computing Index, which includes leading global companies involved in all aspects of the cloud computing market. This includes companies such as Dropbox, Netflix, Shopify, and Zoom.

iShares Global Healthcare ETF (ASX: IXJ)

Finally, investors that are interested in gaining exposure to the healthcare sector might want to look at the iShares Global Healthcare ETF. This ETF aims to provide investors with the performance of the S&P Global 1200 Healthcare Sector Index, before fees and expenses. This index has been designed to measure the performance of global biotechnology, healthcare, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals companies. This includes local healthcare giants CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) and Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC), and global players such as Astra Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi.

The post 3 fantastic ETFs for ASX investors today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers 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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The Praemium Ltd (ASX: PPS) share price has finished in the red on Tuesday.

Unfortunately, the negative session for the financial services platform provider makes it the seventh out of the last eight trading days.

Indeed, it seems love has not been in the air for the Praemium share price in February. The series of falls has accumulated to a disappointing performance over the last month, falling 39.2%.

So, what has turned investors away from the company’s shares?

The financial platform arms race

It has been a big month for ASX-listed financial platform providers. In the space of six days, Praemium, Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL), and HUB24 Limited (ASX: HUB) have reported their half-year results.

The figures contained in each of the companies reports have likely been enlightening for shareholders. Given the similarity between businesses, investors can quite easily compare and contrast numbers between each of the companies.

This brings us to why Praemium might be struggling during this month. It began with its own half-year results, which failed to impress the market despite funds under administration (FUA) reaching a record $49 billion. This represented an increase of 43% from the prior corresponding period.

Rather, investors seemed to be fixated on the company’s net profit after tax (NPAT) swinging from $2.8 million to a $2.6 million loss. Hence, the market responded with an initial 14% battering to the Praemium share price.

Since then, Netwealth and HUB24 have released their numbers. In contrast, both of these companies delivered positive earnings, although Netwealth’s was relatively flat.

In addition, it became clear that Praemium reported both the slowest growing FUA and the smallest. It appears this has put a further dent in the Praemium share price.

Praemium share price compared to its peers

While the year hasn’t been fruitful for any of the major platform providers, it has been the worst for the Praemium share price.

Since the beginning of 2022, HUB24 shares have fared the best, falling 15.2%. Meanwhile, Netwealth shares have performed worse with a downward move of 22%. However, it is ASX-listed Praemium — with a fall of 47% — that has delivered the worst returns so far this year.

The post Why has the Praemium (ASX:PPS) share price plummeted 40% in a month? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Hub24 Ltd, Netwealth, and Praemium Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24 Ltd and Praemium 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 Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price finished in the green today amid news the company has signed a new gas agreement.

The company’s shares were trading at $7.09 at market close, a 3.2% gain.

Let’s take a look at what the company announced today.

Milestone gas agreement

Santos revealed it has signed a gas agreement on the P’nyang Project located in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea.

The agreement is between the Papua New Guinea Government and all companies with a stake in the ExxonMobil-operated project. This includes Santos and affiliates of ExxonMobil and JX Nippon.

Santos stated it has a 38.5% interest in the P’nyang project. As my Foolish colleague Brooke reported last month, Santos increased its stake in the project via its merger with Oil Search.

Santos said the gas agreement is a “major milestone” that sets out the fiscal framework and project scoping and evaluation.

Commenting on the project, Santos said:

Subject to a final investment decision by the P’nyang participants, the ExxonMobil-operated P’nyang project would deliver LNG through new upstream facilities in Western Province linked to existing infrastructure, including our world-class PNG LNG plant near Port Moresby

Five per cent of gas produced at the project would be made available to support the government’s electrification goals in Western Province or another location.

Management commentary

Speaking further on the announcement, Santos chief executive officer Kevin Gallagher said:

The signing of the P’nyang project gas agreement demonstrates the commitment of all parties to the project and will bring economic benefits for the people of PNG when the project is developed.

I thank the PNG Government and the government of Western Province for their partnership with the P’nyang participants to move towards P’nyang project development, which is proposed to commence following delivery of the Papua LNG project.

Santos share price snapshot

The Santas share price has climbed 5% in the past year and is up 12% year to date. In the past week alone, Santos shares have fallen 8% but they have gained 0.28% in a month.

For perspective, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned around 6% over the past year.

Santos has a market capitalisation of about $24 billion, based on today’s share price

The post Santos (ASX:STO) share price climbs amid ‘major milestone’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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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Shares in G8 Education Ltd (ASX: GEM) moved higher today after the company released its financial results for the full-year ended 31 December 2021.

At the close on Tuesday, the G8 Education share price finished 5% in the green at $1.27 apiece after releasing its earnings.

G8 share price tanks amid earnings growth

Key takeouts from the company’s earnings results today include:

• Occupancy of 70.9% vs 67.8% in CY20 and 73% in CY19, reflecting strong H1 occupancy performance
• H2 being heavily impacted by COVID-19 movement restrictions and isolation requirements
• Operating revenue of $866.3 million compared to $777.1 million in CY20 and $918.9 million in CY19
• Operating earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of $80.1 million (after lease interest)
• Statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) of $45.7 million, up from Net Loss After Tax of $189 million in CY20
• Net debt of $25.9 million at 31 December 2021
• CY21 fully franked dividend of 3 cents per share declared, to be paid in April 2022.

What else happened in the last year for G8 Education?

The company says its strong occupancy performance in H1 last year, that was underlined by “the impact of the strategic change programs and re-establishment of the seasonal uplift trend”, was disrupted in the second half as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns.

The effect of COVID-19 lockdowns was abundantly clear because those states “not materially impacted by COVID-19, namely Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland” saw occupancy growth, G8 notes.

Operating revenue came in strong at $866 million, around $90 million ahead of FY20 which benefitted from a seasonal uplift trend but again this was levelled off by COVID-19 lockdowns in the back end of 2021.

G8 also had net debt of $25.9 million at 31 December 2021, following a successful refinancing in February 2021. The beefed up balance sheet meant the Group was able to remain resilient and flexible through changing conditions, the release notes.

As a result of this momentum, G8 grew its bottom line from a post-tax loss of $189 million in CY20 to record NPAT of $45.7 million for the year.

Consequently, the board declared a final fully franked dividend of 3 cents per share, to be paid in April 2022.

The company notes this represents a 56% payout of CY21 NPAT and thus fits in line with the Group’s dividend policy of 50-70% of NPAT.

In addition to the dividend update, G8 also advised investors of its intention to conduct an on-market buyback of up to 10% of issued capital, determined by a number of balancing factors.

Management commentary

Speaking on the results today, G8 Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Gary Carroll said:

Given the challenges presented by COVID-19 throughout the year, I am pleased with the result we have been able to achieve. Occupancy has been impacted right across the sector, and this was particularly felt in the second half as a result of an escalating COVID-19 environment. It has been encouraging to see our enquiry pipeline is strong, and great momentum in the lead indicators for occupancy – quality, family and team engagement – positioning G8 well in the COVID-19 recovery period. The strength of our balance sheet provided us with resilience during this period.

What’s next for G8 Education?

G8 notes there are near-term COVID-19 headwinds across the sector, which include unprecedented increase in closures during January 2022 without corresponding Business Continuity Payment support, isolation requirements causing lower attendances or centre closures, delayed enrolments and team member shortages.

However, its enquiry pipeline is strong and is in line with numbers seen back in January 2021. It also feels it is well-positioned to deliver upside in 2022.

“Strong underlying momentum in the portfolio, particularly in occupancy lead indicators, despite the challenging environment, positions the Group well for a COVID-19 normal environment” it said.

G8 Education share price snapshot

In the last 12 months, the G8 education share price jumped 9% and has spiked another 15% since trading recommenced on January 4. In the past month alone, it is up 18%.

The post G8 Education (ASX:GEM) share price spikes 6% as profits snap back in 2021 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fell 1% to 7,161 points. But the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) went down almost 3%. Many of the biggest ASX 200 tech shares have fallen heavily.

The Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price fell 3.1%.

The WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) share price went down 4%.

Another sizeable fall belonged to the Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) share price, which went down 2.8%.

Some buy now, pay later operators have plunged again. Just today, the Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price has fallen 9.7%, the Block Inc CDI (ASX: SQ2) share price has dropped 4.3% and the Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL) share price has sunk 9.3%.

What’s going on in Ukraine?

Eastern Europe continues to capture global headlines.

Yesterday it seemed that there was a chance that Russia could be headed for a diplomatic path with US President Joe Biden agreeing in principle to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But things have deteriorated since then.

Global media reported on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin officially recognising two breakaway regions of Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists – Luhansk and Donetsk.

Then, Putin has sent Russian troops into Luhansk and Donetsk to perform “peacekeeping functions”. The BBC reported that Australia’s prime minister and a US envoy both say it’s “nonsense” to describe the deployment as peacekeeping.

Ukraine President Zelensky said that the country isn’t afraid and won’t “yield anything to anyone”.

Are sanctions incoming?

According to Reuters reporting, the US will impose sanctions on Russia and several other countries are planning to as well, including Canada.

The US has already put on sanctions to stop US business activity in the breakaway regions and ban importing all goods from those areas.

It’s still to be announced what sanctions would be implemented if Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Time will tell what impacts this has on ASX 200 tech shares in the long-term.

Other movements in the ASX 200

The best performer in the ASX 200 today was the Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH) share price, which rose 9% after its result.

Aside from Zip, two of the biggest declines belonged to the share prices of Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) and AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: AVZ) which fell 10.8% and 9.4% respectively.

The post ASX 200 tech shares take a hammering as Ukraine fears escalate appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns Altium. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Altium, Block, Inc., Cochlear Ltd., WiseTech Global, Xero, and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended WiseTech Global and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear Ltd. 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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There is no denying that the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a pretty dreadful day of trading on the ASX boards this Tuesday. The ASX 200 ended up finishing the day down 1% after falling as hard as 1.7% earlier in the session. So that makes the Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) share price’s performance even more remarkable.

This ASX 200 gold miner ended up having one of the best days it has had for a while today. The company finished the day up a very pleasing 4.63% at $10.16 a share after opening at $9.85 this morning.

So what could be behind this marked outperformance for Northern Star?

Well, to put aside any obvious reasons, there has been no major news or announcements out of the gold miner today. Or indeed this week. Thus, we can only speculate.

But big moves from a mining company are almost always linked to news or price movements of the major commodities they mine. So let’s look at what gold is doing.

Gold mining share Northern Star glitters

Looking at the gold price, we can see it’s actually near its 52-week high. The yellow metal is currently trading slightly over US$1,900 an ounce at US$1,912. It was only at the start of the month that gold was under US$1,800. So we’ve seen a significant appreciation in gold prices over a relatively short time frame.

This can probably be explained by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis that has been dominating world politics recently. Gold is regarded as a ‘safe haven’ asset by many investors. This is due to a number of reasons, including gold’s physical nature and its history as a monetary base.

During times of economic or geopolitical tension, we often see gold rise in value as investors bail out of ‘risky’ assets like shares and into gold and cash. The Ukraine Crisis is a perfect example of global geopolitical stress. So this might be why gold has been on the rise over the past few weeks. My Fool colleague Bernd also looked into gold’s role as a safe haven earlier today.

So we have a rising gold price and increasing uncertainty across the global economy. As such, we can argue that this is why we have seen the Northern Star share price receive so much love during today’s trading session. We saw this playing out across other gold mining shares like Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) today too.

It’s not just today though. Northern Star shares are now up almost 8% in 2022 so far. As well as by more than 22.5% in February alone.

At the current Northern Star share price, this ASX 200 gold miner has a market capitalisation of $11.88 billion, with a dividend yield of 1.87%.

The post Here’s why the Northern Star (ASX:NST) share price had such a stellar day appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns Newcrest Mining Limited. 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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Owners of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares likely know about the bank’s push into ‘green’ and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) loans and finance solutions.

But the broader public might not. That is, until today. This morning, the bank embarked on another push to bring its ‘green’ products to the forefront of the public’s minds.

As of Tuesday’s close, the CBA share price is $96.04. That’s 2.09% lower than it was at the end of Monday’s session.

Today was a rough day for the broader market as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) tumbled 1% while the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) slipped 1.13%.

Let’s take a look at today’s news from the biggest bank on the ASX.

CBA looks back on the birth of its ‘green’ solutions

The CBA share price suffered today amid a broader market slump.

In more positive news, the bank has sponsored an article on its ‘green’ and ESG finance solutions. It was published by the Australian Financial Review this morning.

The article discussed CBA’s ESG Term Deposits, its Green Repurchase Agreements, and its Green Development Loans.

The former was announced late last year when IFM Investors invested $200 million into the term deposit. Capital from the term deposit will be used to fund ESG-friendly loans.

Around the same time, CBA and Northern Trust announced the completion of a $50 million Green Repurchase Agreement.

Finally, earlier in 2021, CBA signed Australia’s first Green Development bond with Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC). The integrated property group used the facility to finance the build of a carbon-neutral office building in Victoria.

“Sustainable finance products are the pipes that connect global pools of capital to the companies transitioning their business to more sustainable outcomes,” CBA executive of institutional banking and markets, Andrew Hinchliff, was quoted by the AFR as saying today.

And ‘green’ and ESG-focused finance is a journey the bank is ready to continue in 2022.

It reportedly thinks the sustainable finance market will be boosted by clients’ demand for ESG funding this year.

“All clients are looking at how to transition, and how to demonstrate those commitments to their stakeholders,” CBA managing director of sustainable finance and ESG, Charles Davis, was quoted as saying.

“Companies turn to sustainable finance products to codify that commitment by directly linking their funding costs to the delivery of a critical strategy.”

CBA share price snapshot

This year has been rough on the CBA share price.

Today’s fall included, it’s now 6% lower than it was at the start of the year. Though, it’s still 15% higher than it was this time last year.

The post Own CBA (ASX: CBA) shares? Here’s how the bank is pushing its ‘green’ and ESG investment products appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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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