Category: Stock Market

The Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO) share price is spiralling today amid the identification of a new COVID-19 variant.

At the time of writing, the Helloworld share price is $2.06 — 5.94% lower than its previous close.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 1.7% right now.

Let’s take a closer look at what we know of the variant so far.

What’s weighing on the Helloworld share price?

The Helloworld share price is suffering alongside its ASX 200 peers today as the UK Health Security Agency’s CEO Jenny Harries stated a new COVID-19 variant is “a clear reminder to everyone that this pandemic is not over”.

South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced it had documented the variant yesterday. The mutation has initially been named B.1.1.529.

The UK has slammed its borders shut to 6 African nations on the back of the discovery. It claimed several mutations, including a change in the virus’ protein spike, could make the variant resistant to vaccines, harder to treat, or easier to spread.  

The NICD stated that, as of yesterday, there have been 22 cases of B1.1.529 in South Africa.

Another 2 cases have been identified in Hong Kong. Authorities there believe it might have spread from a traveller arriving from South Africa. Cases have also been found in Botswana.

Travel between the UK and the 6 banned nations will resume once the UK’s hotel quarantine system is up and running.

When it is operational, travellers to the UK from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, or Namibia will need to pay for and complete a 10-day stint in hotel quarantine.

The Helloworld share price isn’t alone in its suffering today.

The Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) and Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share prices have fallen 4.8% and 5.9% respectively.

What’s going on with Australia’s borders?

According to reporting by News.com.au, Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt told a press conference this morning Australia’s border restrictions won’t be changing. The publication quoted Hunt as saying:

If the medical advice is that we need to change [border restrictions], we won’t hesitate…

At this point in time, there’s very little traffic directly between South Africa and Australia.

We also happen to be very, very highly vaccinated now… that’s a very different position from [where we were] when the Delta variant emerged in India

The post Why is the Helloworld (ASX:HLO) share price tumbling 6% on Friday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s why ASX 200 travel shares are getting hammered today

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. owns shares of and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Webjet 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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When it comes to ASX dividend shares, there are certainly a lot to choose from if an investor is seeking income. Most companies on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) pay a dividend, which immediately gives you a few options, to say the least.

So how does one find the right needles in this haystack of potential income-producing investments? Taking a look at what some of the ASX’s expert investors reckon can always be of assistance.

So here are 3 ASX dividend shares that are currently rated as ‘buys’ by some of the ASX’s most well-known brokers.

3 ASX dividend shares top brokers rate as buys today

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)

As an ASX bank, NAB’s reputation as one of the ASX’s heaviest dividend payers has long been standing. Just today, we charted this bank’s journey from paying 60 cents in dividends per share in 2021 to $1.27 per share in 2021. Broker Goldman Sachs currently rates NAB shares as a buy with a 12-month share price target of $31.15.

Goldman likes NAB’s exposure to the business banking sector, which it sees as stronger than some of the other ASX banks. It also sees NAB’s strong capital position as a positive and notes its current dividend payout ratio of 68%, which indicates its dividends could grow further in the coming years. NAB shares currently have a dividend yield of 4.58%.

South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)

ASX 200 diversified miner South32 is another share that Goldman Sachs rates as a buy right now, a ‘conviction buy’, no less. Goldman currently rates South32 with a 12-month share price target of $4.40. That implies a potential upside of almost 24% on current pricing.

While South32 may have a current dividend yield of 1.84%, Goldman reckons the miner will be able to pay out much stronger dividends going forward on the back of higher commodity prices.

It sees the current South32 share price as offering a forward dividend yield of between 12 and 13% for both FY2022 and FY 2023.

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

Coles is our last dividend share to check out today. As my Fool colleague James discussed this morning, Coles is currently rated as an ‘add’ by broker Morgans. Morgans is seeing Coles at a share price of $19.90 in a year’s time, implying a potential upside of roughly 10%.

But Morgans is also expecting Coles to shell out 61 cents per share in fully franked dividends for FY 2022, equalling the payouts shareholders have enjoyed over the past 12 months. That implies Coles’ current yield of 3.38% is sustainable going forward.

The post 3 ASX dividend shares brokers rate as buys right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why the Shopping Cntrs Austrls (ASX:SCP) share price is lagging today
• What is the NAB (ASX:NAB) fully franked dividend worth in November?
• Top broker gives its verdict on the NAB (ASX:NAB) share price
• Is the Coles (ASX:COL) share price a buy in the lead up to Christmas?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of National Australia Bank 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 owns shares of and has recommended COLESGROUP DEF SET. 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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As the end of 2021 draws closer, fund managers are already sharpening their pencils and running the numbers on which ASX shares could make a bucketload for investors in the year ahead.

Two small-cap companies have made their way into the top picks of two distinguished brokers. Here’s a look at why these shares are a buy in 2022 according to the experts.

These ASX shares make fundies’ 2022 wishlist

Jumbo Interactive Ltd (ASX: JIN)

According to Arden Jennings of Ausbil Investment Management, shares in ASX-listed Jumbo make for an attractive proposition. The online lottery business has been humming along this year, producing record numbers. In its FY21 full-year results, Jumbo reported a 17% increase in revenue to $83.3 million. Meanwhile, underlying net profit after tax climbed 7% higher to $28.3 million.

Jennings, a portfolio manager of a small and micro-cap fund, highlighted an expected increase in the chance of jackpots next year following a change to the Oz Lottery. Bigger jackpots tend to correlate with larger ticket sales, which would benefit the company.

In addition, Jennings shared an appreciation for Jumbo’s approach to international expansion. In November 2019, it acquired UK digital lottery solution provider Gatherwell. More recently, Jumbo announced the acquisition of Stride, opening the gates to the Canadian lottery market.

A big positive, in Jennings’ opinion, would be if the company could get ahold of a US state lottery business in the next 12 to 24 months.

Estia Health Ltd (ASX: EHE)

The other number one ASX share for 2022 is from Tobias Yao of Wilson Asset Management. In Yao’s opinion, the ASX-listed residential aged care provider could be set for a big year in 2022. Despite the lingering concerns of COVID-19, Estia has returned ~24% to shareholders this year, but there could be more to come from Yao’s view.

Importantly, an end to the regulatory uncertainty is anticipated by the fund manager. This would remove a layer of skepticism towards the sector. Additionally, the government spending outlined in the federal budget could give companies like Estia a boost.

Finally, Yao mentioned the heightened merger and acquisition activity within the sector. At a market capitalisation of ~$570 million, the ASX share might find itself a suitor in 2022.

The post Fundies reveal their 2 top ASX shares for 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Chalice, De Grey, Estia Health, and Fortescue shares are racing higher
• Why Jumbo, Link, News Corp, and REA shares are storming higher

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Jumbo Interactive Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Jumbo Interactive Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Jumbo Interactive 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 Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price is suffering amid headlines a new COVID-19 variant has spurred some countries to implement new border restrictions.

The United Kingdom has halted flights from 6 African nations after South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced it has identified a new COVID-19 variant, currently named B.1.1.529.

At the time of writing, the Flight Centre share price is $17.37, 6.21% lower than its previous closing price.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 1.3% right now.

Why is the Flight Centre share price falling?

The Flight Centre share price is struggling today after the announcement of a new hurdle facing the world’s reopening.

As of yesterday, South Africa had recorded 22 cases of the B.1.1.529 variant. Another 2 cases have been found in a Hong Kong hotel where it could have spread from a traveller arriving from South Africa. Cases have also been identified in Botswana.

The variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations, as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome. These mutations might change the effectiveness of vaccines, treatments, and spread.

In a statement, NICD acting executive director Prof Adrian Puren stated:

[O]ur experts are working overtime with all the established surveillance systems to understand the new variant and what the potential implications could be.

The CEO of the UK Health Security Agency, Jenny Harries, also commented:

This is the most significant variant we have encountered to date and urgent research is underway to learn more about its transmissibility, severity, and vaccine-susceptibility… This is a clear reminder to everyone that this pandemic is not over.

According to reporting by ABC News, Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has acknowledged the variant. However, he hasn’t acted to change Australia’s border restrictions. The publication quoted Hunt as saying: “If the medical advice is that we need to change [our border restrictions], we won’t hesitate.”

The Flight Centre share price isn’t alone in its tumble today. The share prices of Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) and Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) are both down around 5%.

News of the B1.1.529 variant follows reports that Belgium increased COVID-19 restrictions and Austria entered a lockdown earlier this week. The measures to prevent spread followed the outbreak of a fourth wave of cases in parts of the continent.

Additionally, new COVID-19 cases surged 16.1% in the United States last week.

The post What is going so wrong for the Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s why the Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price is getting hammered on Friday
• Why are ASX 200 travel shares having such a shocker today?
• How do you value the Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price?
• Why is the Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price tumbling 6% to a 2-month low?
• Here’s why ASX 200 travel shares are getting hammered today

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 recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Webjet 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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The Shopping Cntrs Austrls Prprty Gp Re Ltd (ASX: SCP) share price is underperforming its peers today after getting hit by a broker downgrade.

Shares in the neighbourhood shopping centre operator tumbled 1.7% to $2.85 during lunch time trade.

It doesn’t help that the S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) is getting sold off, although other mall operators are holding up better than the Shopping Centres Australasia (SCA) share price.

The Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield CDI (ASX: URW) share price is flat. The Vicinity Centres (ASX: VCX) share price dipped 0.4% and Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) share price shed 1.1%.

SCA share price hit by downgrade

A downgrade by Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) is a likely explanation for the underperforming SCA share price.

Macquarie’s decision to cut its rating on the ASX property group to “neutral” comes even as the broker upgraded its forecasts for the shares.

The increase in earnings estimates is driven by SCA’s recent acquisitions. But Macquarie warns that growth will be more difficult to come by from here.

Running out of puff

“Over the last five years, SCP has on average acquired ~$230m of assets p.a. SCP has now acquired $348m of assets in 1H22,” said the broker.

“However, with gearing now ~36% on a pro-forma basis, there is more limited headroom for further acquisitions.

“In addition, SCP has also flagged a potential shift into funds management on behalf of institutional equity. With cap rates compressing in key sub-sectors, we believe this is a signal SCP is finding it more difficult to acquire assets above their WACC.”

One also shouldn’t forget that it takes time for funds management platforms to generate meaningful earnings.

COVID winner losing its shine

This leaves the SCA share price vulnerable to a sell-off after its 14% rally this year. The regional mall operator has been a beneficiary of the COVID-19 lockdowns as more Aussies shop local.

The tenants at these centres are usually the major supermarket chains, which also benefited from the rolling lockdowns. This explains why the Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price and Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) share price have held up over the course of the pandemic.

What is the SCA share price worth?

But the tide is turning for SCA even though the shop local theme will remain a feature on the retail landscape, added Macquarie.

“However, the share price implies ~60bps of cap rate compression (or 12% increase in asset valuations), which we believe captures this upside risk,” said the broker.

“With a more limited balance sheet, and downside risk to free cashflow, we downgrade to Neutral.”

Macquarie’s 12-month price target on the SCA share price is $2.94 a share.

The post Why the Shopping Cntrs Austrls (ASX:SCP) share price is lagging today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s why the Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price is getting hammered on Friday
• ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price shrugs off ASIC lawsuit
• Is the Coles (ASX:COL) share price a buy in the lead up to Christmas?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Macquarie Group 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 owns shares of and has recommended COLESGROUP DEF SET and Shopping Centres Australasia Property Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie 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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has been enduring a rather disappointing four weeks or so of performance. Over the past month, the ASX 200 is down by roughly 1.7%, including the nasty 1.2% fall we’ve seen so far today. One ASX exchange-traded fund (ETF) is certainly putting the ASX 200 to shame over this period. That would be the ETFS Battery Tech & Lithium ETF (ASX: ACDC).

While the ASX 200 has gone backwards over the past month, the ACDC ETF has gone from a unit price of $93.91 to $96.95 that it is commanding currently. That’s a very pleasing gain of 4%, despite the 1.25% it has lost today thus far.

So how has a new ETF like ACDC pulled this off?

ACDC ETF gets a power surge

Well, let’s dig a little deeper into what kind of investments ACDC actually holds. An ETF is only worth the sum of its parts, after all.

So according to the provider ETFS, ACDC is an ETF dedicated to companies in the battery technology and lithium mining spaces. It is designed to track “the performance of companies that are providers of electrochemical storage technology and mining companies that produce metals that are primarily used for the manufacturing of battery-grade lithium batteries”.

The top part of the Battery Tech & Lithium ETF portfolio is currently (as of 31 October) positioned as follows:

1. BYD Co – weighting of 5.9%
2. Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) – weighting of 5.3%
3. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) – weighting of 4.9%
4. SolarEdge Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: SEDG)– weighting of 4.7%
5. Livent Corp (NYSE: LTHM)– weighting of 4.6%

Over the past month, BYD shares are up 1.86%.

Our own Pilbara Minerals is up a pleasing 15.7%. 

Tesla is up 9.6% over the past month.

SolarEdge shares have risen 11%

And Livent Corp stock is up 19.1%.

Since these 5 companies comprise 25.4% of this ACDC ETF’s portfolio, it’s perhaps no surprise that ACDC has also had a successful month.

The ETFS Battery Tech & Lithium ETF charges a management fee of 0.69% per annum. Since its inception in August 2018, it has returned an average of 25.6% per annum.

The post Here’s why the ETFs Battery Tech & Lithium ETF (ASX:ACDC) is having such a rocking month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Brickworks (ASX:BKW) share price struggling this week?
• Here’s why the Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price is getting hammered on Friday
• Here’s why the FBR (ASX:FBR) share price is sinking 7% today
• Why are ASX 200 travel shares having such a shocker today?
• The Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price is having a good month. Here’s why these top brokers are expecting more of the same

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Tesla. 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 Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW) haven’t found range today and are inching lower at $23.30. It looked like a positive start to the day for investors, but shares fell south by mid-morning.

It’s been a wavy ride these past 3 months for Brickworks investors as well. Shares have bounced from a top of $25.93 in late September, and the trend has spilled over into this week’s trading.

Let’s take a closer look.

What’s got Brickworks share price battling this week?

The Brickworks share price has been underperforming the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) these past few days.

Investors responded poorly to the company’s AGM presentation and trading update on Tuesday. In it, the company outlined both investment highlights and challenges to its shareholders.

The company says it has made a steady start to FY22, with first quarter revenue and EBITDA slightly ahead of the prior corresponding period.

However, sales in Sydney and Melbourne, Brickworks’ two largest markets, were impacted by construction restrictions due to the pandemic.

Sales across concrete products, including Austral Masonry, were down on the prior period, with this business “more exposed to the current weakness in the multi-residential segment”.

Meanwhile, construction of its brick facility at Horsley Park in Sydney is also “well underway” and is expected to be completed in around a year’s time.

Whilst Brickworks recorded a strong increase in sales, margins in its North America business remain compressed. It says it is experiencing cost pressures across the supply chain, including direct production inputs and transportation.

Labour shortages are resulting in higher wage rates to attract and retain staff, and activity in the higher margin commercial segment is expected to remain weak until Spring.

The company acknowledged that “there remains work to do to ensure this business reaches its full potential”, but that it is confident that North American operations will deliver improved earnings in the years ahead.

What’s the outlook?

Regarding the company’s outlook, management noted that within Australia, sales momentum is improving. It hopes the activity can remain elevated for the rest of the financial year.

In North America, it reckons FY22 earnings will benefit from capital management and rationalisation initiatives, despite ongoing margin pressures.

The merger of Soul Pattinson Ltd (ASX: SOL) and Milton Corporation Ltd (ASX: MLT) triggered a one-off non-cash profit to Brickworks, due to Brickworks’ share of the larger WHSP.

This profit will be in the range of $375-425 million (after-tax) and will be recorded in the first half of FY22.

Speaking on the company’s outlook, Brickworks’ Managing Director Lindsay Partridge said:

The pandemic has accelerated industry trends towards online shopping, and this is continuing to drive industrial property values higher. With our annual revaluation process to be completed prior to the end of the first half, we anticipate these trends will result in further revaluation gains across our portfolio.

Partridge continued:

In both countries [North America and Australia], there remains an ever-present threat of further unforeseen disruptions from the pandemic and related supply chain issues. Another strong half is expected for Property, and WHSP is expected to deliver a stable and growing stream of earnings and dividends over the long term.

Brickworks’ shares are down 5% on the month but have clawed 15% higher in the past year. This has come after rallying 21% since January 1, but its share price is now well off its 5-week high of $26.32.

The post Why is the Brickworks (ASX:BKW) share price struggling this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• 2 ASX dividend shares offering solid income and growing yields
• Why is the Brickworks (ASX:BKW) share price having such a lousy month?
• Why is the Washington H. Soul Pattinson (ASX:SOL) share price struggling in November?
• 2 ASX shares that could be buys for both growth and dividends

The author has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks. 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 Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price is dropping again. It is currently down by another 5% at the time of writing.

But this adds to declines that the business has seen over the last couple of weeks. Since Monday 8 November 2021, it has fallen by 19%.

But Webjet isn’t the only one suffering today. Other S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are also in the red. The Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) share price is down 5%, the Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price is down 7.5% and the Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price is down 5.3%.

What’s going on with the Webjet share price

Sometimes investors are willing sell first and ask questions later when it comes to potential problems.

COVID-19 has been impacting the travel industry for almost two years now.

But whilst it seemed like everything was settling down, there are reports of a new COVID-19 variant that could be about to put a spanner in the works for the Webjet share price, and potentially many others.

According to reporting by various media, such as News.com.au, there is variant that prove to be even more troubling than the Delta strain.

The BBC reports that scientists say the variant has 50 mutations overall and more than 30 on the spike protein, which is the target of most vaccines and the “key the virus uses to unlock the doorway into our body’s cells”.

It’s reported that experts in South Africa have said the variant is “very different” to others that have circulated, with concerns that it could be more transmissible but also able to get around parts of the immune system.

Prof Ravi Gupta, from the University of Cambridge, said the new variant had the potential to escape immunity and have increased infectivity.

The BBC reported Prof Neil Ferguson, from the Imperial College London, has said it’s concerning the new variant appeared to be “driving a rapid increase in case numbers in South Africa” and said the move to restrict travel was “prudent”.

UK restricts travel

The UK has decided to act quickly to stop this variant getting into the country. People coming from several southern African countries – South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini – will have to quarantine. All flights from those countries have been suspended.

Any British or Irish resident arriving from the countries will have to quarantine in a hotel from Sunday morning.

The BBC reported the flight ban will remain in place until the hotel quarantine system is up and running.

A big question for the Webjet share price, the ASX 200 travel share sector and the wider world will be what happens next if this new variant escapes southern Africa? Will there be more travel bans and quarantining?

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said these actions were about “being cautious and taking action and trying to protect. as best we can, our borders”.

What is the Australian response?

The World Health Organization’s technical working group is going to meet on Friday to discuss this new variant.

However, at this stage, Australia is not going to make any changes. The Guardian and many other media outlets reported that the Australian health minister, Greg Hunt, has told media there will be no changes to flights from South Africa.

But the Australian government will remain flexible and could make changes if needed. But passengers from South Africa are currently going through 14-day quarantine anyway.

Webjet share price snapshot

Despite the fact that Webjet shares are down so much over the last month, it is still up 7% in the last six months and 4% in 2021 to date.

The post Here’s why the Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price is getting hammered on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why are ASX 200 travel shares having such a shocker today?
• ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price shrugs off ASIC lawsuit
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Are Qantas (ASX:QAN) shares a top reopening buy? Here’s what Motley Fool analyst Benny Ou thinks
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, and Webjet 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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The FBR Ltd (ASX: FBR) share price is seeing red today following a company announcement regarding a recent capital raise.

At the time of writing, the robotics company’s shares are down 7.55% to 4.9 cents. It’s worth noting that regardless of the significant drop, its shares have shot 25% higher in the past month.

FBR completes placement

A major catalyst for FBR shares plummeting could be investor concerns about the impending dilution of shares.

According to its release, FBR advised it has received firm commitments from an array of investors to raise $10 million. The strongly supported placement primarily came from new and existing institutional and sophisticated investors from Australia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the United States.

The placement will see around 222.22 million new ordinary shares created at an issue price of 4.5 cents apiece. This represents a 14% discount to the 5-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) and an 11% discount to the 30-day VWAP.

FBR will use its existing placement capacity under listing rule 7.1. This allows up to 15% of its shares to be issued without shareholder approval. The new shares will rank equally with the company’s existing ordinary shares.

The proceeds received from the placement will be used for working capital and to deliver its commercialisation strategy. This includes:

• Complete 27 builds in pipeline, plus additional builds yet to be committed;
• Complete assembly of two additional Hadrian X construction robots to meet demand in Australian market;
• Finalise the design of the next iteration of the Hadrian X and commence manufacturing;
• Continue scale up of organisational capability post-COVID; and
• Further development of BIM architectural software to enable integration into construction design and planning with customers.

FBR managing director and CEO, Mike Pivac said:

We are pleased to have attracted support from both existing and new institutional and sophisticated investors to help us progress the commercialisation of FBR’s technology.

The funds raised will position the Company well to execute on and expand its current committed work pipeline and to capitalise on commercial opportunities that are frequently presenting themselves globally, particularly in North America and Europe.

FBR share price snapshot

Despite today’s fall, the FBR share price has delivered modest gains for the past 12 months, up 6%. The company’s share price reached a 52-week high of 6 cents in mid-November, before pulling back.

Based on valuation grounds, FBR presides a market capitalisation of roughly $108.12 million, with over 2.21 billion shares outstanding.

The post Here’s why the FBR (ASX:FBR) share price is sinking 7% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the FBR (ASX:FBR) share price on ice today?
• Here’s why the FBR (ASX:FBR) share price is rocketing 8% on Wednesday
• Here’s why the FBR (ASX:FBR) share price is leaping 25% today

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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S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) travel shares are having a lousy day today.

In fact, Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT), Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB), and Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) are all in the unwelcome group of worst 5 performers on the ASX 200 today.

At the time of writing, the Qantas share price is down 5.1%, the Webjet share price is down 5.3%, and the Flight Centre share price is down a painful 6.7%.

The ASX 200 is also in the red, but ‘only’ down by 1.2%.

So what’s going on?

COVID variant hammers confidence in ASX 200 travel shares

ASX 200 travel shares, and indeed most risk-on assets, are taking a beating today on news of a new and potentially dangerous COVID variant.

The new variant – B.1.1.529 – emerged in South Africa where full vaccination rates remain below 40%. It’s believed the variant may have stemmed from an individual with HIV, according to Francois Balloux, director of the UCL Genetics Institute.

As Bloomberg reports, “The virus can linger for longer in people whose immune systems are compromised, potentially offering a bigger window for mutations.”

Of potential concern for the world’s reopening plans and investors in ASX 200 travel shares:

Scientists are still trying to determine whether the new variant … is more transmissible or more lethal than previous ones. What’s clear is that it has the most mutations of any strain yet identified.

Air travel restrictions rolled out

ASX 200 travel shares look to be getting sold off amid fears that initial travel restrictions just put in place overseas to mitigate the spread of the new variant may only be the tip of the iceberg.

Both the United Kingdom and Israel have already announced a temporary halt on flights from South Africa and 5 neighbouring nations.

Commenting on that move, the UK’s Health Secretary Sajid Javid said (quoted by Bloomberg): “As part of our close surveillance of variants across the world, we have become aware of the spread of a new potentially concerning variant.”

Travellers who do arrive from these nations will need to quarantine in hotels.

Unfortunately, as we came to see with the Delta variant, the genie may already be out of the bottle. Hong Kong has reported 2 travellers have tested positive for B.1.1.529, which has yet to receive its own Greek letter.

Certainly not the sort of news investors in ASX 200 travel shares hoping for a smooth reopening wanted to hear.

Don’t shoot the messenger!

The post Why are ASX 200 travel shares having such a shocker today? 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 recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Webjet 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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