Category: Stock Market

  • ASX investors could diversify their portfolios with these quality ETFs

    the words ETF in red with rising block chart and arrow

    If you wish to add some diversification to your portfolio in August, then you might want to look at exchange traded funds (ETFs).

    ETFs can help investors achieve diversification with relative ease by providing access to a large and diverse number of different shares through a single investment.

    With that in mind, listed below are two ETFs which could be worth considering. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF (ASX: IXI)

    The first ETF to look at is BlackRock’s iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF. This fund gives investors exposure to many of the world’s largest global consumer staples companies. These are companies that produce essential products, including food, tobacco, and household items.

    Given how demand for these types of products is relatively consistent whatever the economy throws at them, this ETF is likely to be suitable for investors that are looking for lower risk options.

    Among its largest holdings are the likes of Coca-Cola, Nestle, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Walmart.

    Over the last 10 years, the iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF has generated an average total return of 13.4% per annum. This would have turned a $10,000 investment in 2011 into ~$35,000.

    iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV)

    Another ETF to look at is the iShares S&P 500 ETF, which is also managed by global giant BlackRock.

    The fund manager notes that this ETF gives investors exposure to the top 500 U.S. stocks through a single investment. This can be used to diversify internationally and seek long-term growth opportunities for a portfolio.

    Among the ETF’s largest holdings are Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Facebook, JP Morgan, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, and Tesla.

    Over the last 10 years, the fund has generated an average return of 19.9% per annum. This would have turned a $10,000 investment in 2011 into just over $61,000 today.

    The post ASX investors could diversify their portfolios with these quality ETFs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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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 owns shares of and has recommended iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended iShares Trust – iShares Core S&P 500 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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  • 2 impressive ASX shares that could be buys in August 2021

    stock market gaining

    The two ASX shares in this article are impressive and could be worth thinking about in August 2021.

    Businesses that are producing a good amount of revenue growth give themselves a strong chance of also producing profit growth. Seeing as investors like to judge and price companies on their profit and cashflow, revenue growth is an attractive feature to have.

    The below ASX shares are seeing plenty of growth:

    City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX)

    City Chic is a leading retailer of clothes, footwear and accessories for plus-size women.

    It operates under a number of different brands including City Chic, CCX, Avenue and Evans. With those brands (and a couple of others), it has a good and growing market position in Australia and New Zealand, the US and the UK.

    City Chic is building a portfolio of brands so it can meet the clothing needs of all of its customers. Indeed, the business recently announced another acquisition. It’s called Navabi, which is an online marketplace that sells hundreds of third-party women’s plus-size brands. It has also developed its own brands that are sold on the marketplace.

    The customers are predominately from Germany, so this acquisition gives the business an opportunity to expand in Europe. In 2020, the Navabi websites had 5.8 million customer visits in 2020, generating €10.4 million of sales revenue. COVID-19 has affected the business – before the pandemic its website was seeing traffic of more than 10 million visits. Even so, in 2021 the business has been trading profitably.

    The ASX share continues to grow, with total profit rising faster than revenue. In a trading update for FY21, City Chic said that sales revenue was up 32.9% to $258 million. Underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) is expected to be in the range of $42 million to $42.5 million, being growth of between 58% to 60%.

    Trading in FY22 had “exceeded budget” with strong US and UK performance outweighing store closures in Australia.

    VanEck Video Gaming and Esports ETF (ASX: ESPO)

    This is an exchange traded fund (ETF) that is focused on some of the world’s leasing game makers and other businesses involved to make video games possible.

    It’s a fairly concentrated portfolio with 26 different names in the portfolio, though they aren’t ASX shares.

    Looking at the holdings list, the biggest 10 weightings are these businesses: Advanced Micro Devices, Nvidia, Sea, Tencent, Nintendo, Unity Software, Activision Blizzard, Netease, Electronic Arts and Take Two Interactive Software.

    Video gaming has been around for a long time but revenue continues to grow for these companies at a double digit rate. VanEck says that since 2015, revenue for the video gaming industry has grown by an average of 12% per annum.

    But e-sports is where a lot of the growth is right now. The industry is getting audiences the size of the Olympics and it’s unlocking various streams of earnings such as game publisher fees, media rights, merchandise, ticket sales and advertising. E-sports revenue has grown by an average of 28% per annum since 2015.

    Past performance is not an indicator of future performance, although the index of these shares has done very well. Over the last five years, the index that this ASX share tracks has grown by an average of 32.75% per annum.

    The post 2 impressive ASX shares that could be buys in August 2021 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in City Chic right now?

    Before you consider City Chic, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and City Chic wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended VanEck Vectors ETF Trust – VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports 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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  • 2 exciting ASX growth shares analysts love

    Iluka share price 3D white rocket and black arrows pointing upwards

    Looking for growth shares to buy? Then you might want to consider the three listed below.

    Here’s why they have been tipped as growth shares to buy:

    PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)

    The first ASX growth share to look at is PointsBet. It is a leading sports betting company with operations in both the ANZ and US markets.

    From these markets, the company is currently generating significant revenue. For example, last week PointsBet revealed that its full year turnover reached $3,781.4 million in FY 2021. This was up an impressive 228% on FY 2020’s turnover. Driving this strong growth was a 117% annual increase in Australian active clients to 196,585 and a 661% increase in US active clients to 159,321.

    The good news is that the company is only scratching at the surface of its massive US market opportunity. For example, Goldman Sachs notes that the US sports betting market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 40% out to 2033. It estimates that it will be worth US$39 billion a year at that point.

    Goldman currently has a buy rating and $14.90 price target on its shares. This compares to the latest PointsBet share price of $10.00.

    Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

    Temple & Webster is Australia’s leading online furniture and homewares retailer. It has been growing at a strong rate over the last few years and particularly during the pandemic. This has been driven by the accelerating shift to online shopping.

    This strong form continued in FY 2021, with Temple & Webster recently releasing its full year results and revealing stellar growth again.

    For the 12 months ended 30 June, Temple & Webster delivered an 85% increase in revenue to $326.3 million and a 141% jump in EBITDA to $20.5 million. A key driver of its growth in FY 2021 was another strong increase in customer numbers. At the end of the period, Temple & Webster’s active customers were up 62% year on year to 778,000.

    Pleasingly, this positive momentum has continued early in FY 2022. Management revealed year on year revenue growth of 39% for the period 1 July to 24 July.

    Looking longer term, Temple & Webster appears well-positioned for growth thanks to its strong market position and the structural shift online. The latter is still in its infancy, with very low penetration rates compared to other categories and other Western markets.

    One leading broker that is very positive on Temple & Webster is Credit Suisse. Late last month the broker put an outperform rating and $14.62 price target on its shares. This compares to the current Temple & Webster share price of $12.21.

    The post 2 exciting ASX growth shares analysts love appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

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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. owns shares of and has recommended Pointsbet Holdings Ltd and Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pointsbet Holdings Ltd and Temple & Webster Group 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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  • 2 ASX dividend shares with high yields

    real estate asx share price represented by growing coin piles next to wooden house

    There are some ASX dividend shares that have high dividend yields.

    Interest rates are incredibly low in Australia and around the world right now. That can make it hard to locate investments that still have relatively high yields.

    Here are two that do still have high yields:

    Charter Hall Retail REIT (ASX: CQR)

    This is a real estate investment trust (REIT), as the name suggests, that specialises in properties in the retail space.

    The idea is that it invests in high-quality Australian supermarket anchored convenience and convenience-plus shopping centres.

    According to Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC), it has a portfolio worth well over $3 billion spread across around 350 properties. The ASX dividend share had an occupancy rate of 97.8% and a weighted average lease expiry (WALE) of 7.7 years.

    The CEO of Charter Hall Retail recently said:

    Our Long WALE convenience retail assets remain highly attractive given the quality of the tenants, attractive lease structures, duration of leases and high underlying land values. These assets have delivered CQR unitholders highly defensive and reliable earnings over the last twelve months and are now also delivering significant growth in capital values. It’s pleasing to see the results of our ongoing portfolio curation delivering these gains.

    One of the brokers that likes Charter Hall Retail REIT is Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) with a price target of $4.19. The broker projects a distribution of 25.6 cents per unit in FY22, equating to a distribution yield of 6.8%.

    Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)

    Rural Funds is another ASX dividend share in the REIT space.

    This one owns a portfolio of high-quality farms around Australia. Those properties are spread across different states and climactic conditions to lower risks.

    However, Rural Funds is not the one that takes on the operational risks, that’s on the tenants. The REIT owns a large amount of water entitlements for tenants to use.

    Rural Funds has a diverse portfolio of farms includes cattle, almonds, vineyards, macadamias and cropping (sugar and cotton).

    The business is steadily adding to its portfolio with acquisitions which diversifies and improves the asset base and tenant exposures.

    Currently, some of the main tenants include JBS, Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE), Select Harvests Limited (ASX: SHV) and Olam.

    It has a goal of increasing the distribution for investors by 4% each year. Rural Funds has been successful with that goal and has guided for the expected 4% increase in FY22.

    Based on the forecast of 11.73 cents per unit, Rural Funds has a forward distribution yield of 4.5%.

    The post 2 ASX dividend shares with high yields appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Rural Funds right now?

    Before you consider Rural Funds, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Rural Funds wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of RURALFUNDS STAPLED. 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 Macquarie Group Limited, RURALFUNDS STAPLED, and Treasury Wine Estates 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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  • 3 top ASX results from week one of reporting season

    Young woman sitting on nice furniture is pleasantly surprised at what she's seeing on her laptop screen.

    Last week reporting season kicked off and the first set of results were released to the market.

    In case you missed them, summarised below are three top results from the first week of reporting season. They are as follows:

    Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK)

    This furniture retailer was on form in FY 2021, doubling its profit and outperforming its guidance in the process. For the 12 months ended 30 June, Nick Scali reported a 42.1% year on year increase in sales revenue to $373 million. This was driven by same store sales growth of 34%, strong online growth, and new store openings. And thanks to margin expansion, underlying net profit after tax was up 100% to $84.2 million. This beat its guidance of $78 million to $80 million.

    Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI)

    Pinnacle Investment Management shares were on form last week after investors responded positively to its full year results. The investment company revealed that its funds under management increase 52% year on year to $89.4 billion. This underpinned an impressive 108% increase in net profit after tax to $67 million for FY 2021. Pleasingly for shareholders, this strong form meant Pinnacle was able to double its dividend to 17 cents per share.

    REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

    REA Group released a strong full year result on Friday. For the 12 months ended 30 June, this property listings company delivered a 13% increase in revenue to $928 million and a 19% jump in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to $565 million. The latter was ahead of the market consensus estimate of $560 million. Management advised that this was driven by excellent cost control and a strong Residential market recovery. This offset significant first quarter listing declines in Melbourne due to COVID lockdown measures. Taking some of the gloss off the result was management revealing a decline in listing volumes during July because of lockdowns.

    The post 3 top ASX results from week one of reporting season appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

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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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  • These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week

    share price dropping

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form last week and stormed notably higher. The benchmark index rose 2% or 145.8 points to end the period at 7,538.4 points.

    Unfortunately, not all shares on the index were able to climb higher with the market. Here’s why these were the worst performers on the ASX 200 over the five days:

    Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA)

    The Champion Iron share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week with a disappointing 12.2% decline. Investors were selling the iron ore producer’s shares after the price of the steel making ingredient tumbled lower. This was driven by concerns over potential steel production curbs in China. For the same reason, the Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price fell 7.5% and the Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN) share price fell 6.5% last week.

    PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)

    The PointsBet share price was out of form and dropped 8.8% last week. This was driven by the completion of the sports betting company’s institutional placement and entitlement offer. PointsBet has raised $81 million at $8.00 per share and a further $215.1 million at $10.00 per share. These funds were raised to support PointsBet’s North American marketing and client acquisition, technology and product development, and US market access and government licensing fees.

    Perseus Mining Limited (ASX: PRU)

    The Perseus Mining share price wasn’t far behind with a decline of 6%. Investors were selling Perseus and other gold mining shares following weakness in the gold price. This led to the S&P/ASX All Ords Gold index falling 1.7% over the five days.

    Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG)

    The Domain share price was a poor performer and fell 4.9% over the five days. All of this decline came on the final day of the week following the release of the full year results of rival REA Group Limited (ASX: REA). REA also included a trading update for July, which revealed a sharp decline in Sydney listing volumes during July because of lockdowns. Domain has significant exposure to the Sydney market.

    The post These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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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. owns shares of and has recommended Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pointsbet Holdings Ltd and 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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  • Potential buys: 2 compelling ASX payment shares

    customer making payment at a cafe using CBA albert

    There are some ASX payment shares that could make compelling ideas to think about for the long-term.

    The world is steadily moving towards contactless payments and online payments for products and services. There are a group of businesses that are enabling that transition.

    Whilst Visa, Mastercard and PayPal get a lot of the global attention, there are some ASX payment shares that are also leading the charge for certain clients.

    Tyro Payments Ltd (ASX: TYR)

    Tyro is a business that provides payment solutions and value-adding business banking products. It had close to 37,000 Australian merchants using Tyro at 31 December 2020.

    It processed more than $12 billion of transactions in the first half of FY21. Tyro processed more than $20 billion in FY20. In the 2020 financial year it made $93.5 million of gross profit, then in the first half of FY21 it made $61.2 million of gross profit.

    In FY21 the business processed over $25.4 billion of transactions, which was an increase of 26%. July 2021 (to 30 July) saw an increase of 24% over the prior corresponding period in July 2020.

    Tyro says it’s Australia’s fifth largest merchant acquiring bank by the number of terminals in the market, behind the four major ASX banks of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ).

    While it’s focused on in-store payments, it recently expanded into e-commerce. For merchants, it provides point of sales systems, least-cost routing and alternative payment types such as Alipay.

    The ASX payment share is currently rated as a buy by the broker Morgan Stanley with a price target of $4.60.

    Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH)

    Pushpay is a business that specialises in providing donation technology and management services for churches.

    There was a large adoption of digital donations in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pushpay said that it has become evident across the sector that the market has undergone a transformative shift. The company also said that digital solutions will play a crucial role in the future of the church. It has not seen a meaningful proportion of digital giving revert to non-digital means.

    In FY21, Pushpay saw total processing volume increase by 39% to US$6.9 billion. This drove revenue higher by 40% to US$179.1 million and net profit went up by 95% to US$58.9 million.

    The ASX payments share continues to expect strong revenue growth as it continues to execute on its strategy to grow market share through continued innovation of products, acquisitions and expansion into the Catholic market.

    Pushpay believes that it has an “exciting future”.

    The post Potential buys: 2 compelling ASX payment shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Tyro Payments right now?

    Before you consider Tyro Payments, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Tyro Payments wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX and Tyro Payments. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. 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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  • These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week

    Businessman cheering at desk with arms in the air

    It was a great week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). The benchmark index stormed 2% or 145.8 points higher to end the period at 7,538.4 points.

    While a good number of ASX 200 shares climbed higher with the market, some climbed more than most. Here’s why these were the best performers on the index last week:

    Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)

    The Afterpay share price was the best performer on the ASX 200 last week by some distance with a 36.7% gain. Investors were scrambling to buy the buy now pay later (BNPL) provider’s shares after it received a $39 billion takeover proposal by US payments giant Square. The Afterpay Board is recommending investors accept the offer of 0.375 shares of Square Class A common stock for each Afterpay share they hold. On the day of the offer, this implied a transaction price of approximately $126.21 per Afterpay share. However, due to a rise in the Square share price since announcing the deal, the offer has increased in value.

    Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

    The Pilbara Minerals share price was the next best performer with a gain of 18.1% last week. This appears to have been driven by increasingly bullish sentiment in the lithium sector and a positive broker note out of Macquarie. In respect to the latter, Macquarie put an outperform rating and $2.00 price target on the company’s shares. It was pleased with the results of the lithium miner’s battery materials exchange (BMX) auction.

    Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

    The Zip share price wasn’t far behind with a gain of 16% over the five days. Investors were buying the BNPL provider’s shares after the aforementioned acquisition of rival Afterpay by Square. There are hopes that Zip may also receive a takeover approach of its own. Particularly given recent speculation that Klarna has been building a position in the company.

    News Corp (ASX: NWS)

    The News Corp share price was on form and rose 11.3% last week. The majority of this gain was made on Friday following the release of the media giant’s full year results. According to the release, News Corp reported a 4% increase in revenue to US$9.4 billion and a net profit of US$389 million. The latter compares to a US$1.6 billion net loss in the prior corresponding period.

    The post These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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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. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. 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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  • Sydney Airport (ASX:SYD) offer shows infrastructure interest: expert

    lady walking through empty airport to travel indicating tough times for asx 200 travel shares

    The Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD) share price has been relatively uneventful for the past month. This stagnation in the airport operator’s shares follows the rejection of its $8.25 per share offer from a consortium of private equity investors.

    At market close on Friday, shares in ASX-listed Sydney Airport were fetching $7.64 apiece. This represents a 7.4% discount on the rejected bid.

    Management rejected the offer on the basis it undervalued the company. Which may not be too far from the truth if the feeding frenzy for infrastructure assets continues. One respected Australian fund manager shared their view on the current M&A environment.

    Milestone moments

    It has been the story of recent months… companies, particularly private equity firms, have been flushed with cash after tightening the belt in 2020. As a result, the piggy bank has become weighty, and firms are eager to take a hammer to it.

    At the same time, investors are on the hunt for returns. In combination, the market is bearing down on one of the hottest M&A periods in recent history. The proposed acquisition of Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) by US-listed payments company Square is a fair indication the action is yet to be on the decline.

    Portfolio Manager and Head of Research at Airlie Funds Emma Fisher recently discussed the M&A phenomenon.

    What’s really interesting about the flavour of M&A that we are saying right now is the fact if you look at some of the big deals… the Sydney Airport takeover bid recently, Spark Infrastructure, Telstra selling their infrastructure towers, and even the IPO of PEXA… the common thematic there is these are all long-duration infrastructure style investments that are essentially being bid for in mid-20s EBITDA [Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation] multiples.

    Fisher added to this commentary,

    And this is all happening at a time when the debate in the public markets is really around inflation. The public market’s narrative is I’ll stay away from long-duration assets… over the course of the year bond yields have actually been rising.

    So there’s clearly this bifurcation between public markets that are very worried about inflation and the implication for long-duration assets, and private players who are sitting on mounds of cash, and are very happy to deploy that – often at very high multiples to access unique long-duration assets.

    What’s next for Sydney Airport on the ASX?

    While management is adamant the takeover bid undervalued the company’s share price, future offers can’t be ruled out. In the meantime, investors can expect to see the Sydney Airport ASX release of its 2021 half-year results on Friday 20 August (ASX Reporting Season Calendar).

    Finally, based on Friday’s closing Sydney Airport share price, the company commands a market capitalisation of $20.7 billion.

    The post Sydney Airport (ASX:SYD) offer shows infrastructure interest: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Sydney Airport right now?

    Before you consider Sydney Airport, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Sydney Airport wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. 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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  • 2 ASX dividend shares named as buys in August

    Happy young man and woman throwing dividend cash into air in front of orange background

    Are you looking for some dividend shares to boost your income portfolio? If you are, then you might want to look at the ones listed below.

    Here’s why these ASX dividend shares could be in the buy zone:

    Aurizon Holdings Ltd (ASX: AZJ)

    The first ASX dividend share to look at is Aurizon. It is Australia’s largest rail freight operator, transporting more than 250 million tonnes of Australian commodities each year.

    Macquarie is a big fan of the company and currently has an outperform rating and $4.32 price target on its shares.

    The broker believes Aurizon is well-placed with almost $1 billion in balance sheet capacity to drive its growth through acquisitions. It has suggested that potential acquisition targets could be grain companies with port and logistics assets.

    In the meantime, Macquarie is forecasting partially franked dividends of 27.8 cents per share in FY 2021 and then 28.6 cents per share in FY 2022. Based on the latest Aurizon share price of $4.06, this represents very attractive yields of 6.8% and 7%, respectively.

    Bravura Solutions Ltd (ASX: BVS)

    Another ASX dividend share to look at is Bravura Solutions. It is a leading provider of software products and services to the wealth management and funds administration industries.

    While a subdued result is expected in FY 2021 because of Brexit and COVID-19, management appears confident that demand will bounce back once these headwinds ease. In fact, a recent update has shown big improvements in its performance, potentially setting it up for a strong year in FY 2022.

    Goldman Sachs is positive on the company and believes it is well positioned due to its strong market position, high degree of recurring revenue, and its emerging microservices ecosystem strategy.

    The broker has a buy rating and $3.90 price target on its shares. It is forecasting dividends per share of 9 cents in FY 2021, 10 cents in FY 2022, and then 12 cents in FY 2023. Based on the current Bravura share price of $3.59, this will mean yields of 2.5%, 2.8%, and 3.3%, respectively.

    The post 2 ASX dividend shares named as buys in August appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Returns As of 15th February 2021

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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. owns shares of and has recommended Bravura Solutions Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Bravura Solutions Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Aurizon Holdings 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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