Category: Stock Market

There are some ASX dividend shares that have a reputation for paying out income to shareholders each year.

It’s harder to make money from bank accounts these days because of how low the official interest rate from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has gone. It’s now down to just 0.25%.

Here are three businesses that could be considerations for their dividends:

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)

Soul Patts is the ASX dividend share with the longest dividend record in Australia. It has grown its dividend in consecutive years going back to 2000 including during COVID-19. The company was formed in 1903, so it’s one of the oldest companies in Australia.

How has it managed that record streak, which goes back before the GFC?

The company has a diversified portfolio of different assets. Some of the key holdings in Soul Patts’ portfolio are: TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW), New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC), Bki Investment Co Ltd (ASX: BKI) and Milton Corporation Limited (ASX: MLT).

Soul Patts also has unlisted holdings like agriculture, resources and swimming schools.

The portfolio of assets provides Soul Patts with annual cashflow in the form of dividends, distributions and interest. There are defensive businesses within the portfolio, which pay consistent dividends to Soul Patts.

Soul Patts was recently unsuccessful at trying to acquire Regis Healthcare Ltd (ASX: REG), though it shows the type of contrarian approach that management try to take with opportunities.

At the current Soul Patts share price it has a grossed-up dividend yield of 3.1%.

Pacific Current Group Ltd (ASX: PAC)

Pacific Current is a business that takes investment stakes in global fund managers and then helps them grow either with funding or expertise.

Dean Fremder of Perpetual Limited (ASX: PPT) said when Pacific Current shares were a bit lower: “The stock’s really cheap. It is on nine times earnings. It’s growing earnings at double digits, so more than 10% a year. It’s paying a 6.5% fully franked yield. And most excitingly, we think they can pay out a much larger portion of their earnings as dividends. We see no reason, given the surplus franking credits they have on the balance sheet, they can’t be paying a 10 or 11% fully franked yield in the next 12 months. So, really excited about that one.”

In FY20 the ASX dividend share grew its dividend by 40% to $0.35 per share with funds under management (FUM) going up 62% to $93 billion. In the three months to 30 September 2020 it saw its FUM rise another 14% to $106.4 billion.

According to Commsec, the Pacific Current share price is valued at under 10x FY22’s estimated earnings.

APA Group (ASX: APA)

APA owns a large network of 15,000km of natural gas pipelines around Australia with a presence in every mainland state and the Northern Territory. It also owns or has interests in gas storage facilities, gas-fired power stations and renewable energy generation (wind and solar farms). APA owns, or manages and operates, a portfolio of assets and delivers half the nation’s natural gas usage.

The infrastructure ASX dividend share has grown its distribution every year for a decade and a half. It recently decided to increase the annualised distribution from 50 cents per unit to 51 cents per unit.

APA continues to invest in new projects which should unlock more operating cashflow as they are completed.

At the current APA share price it has a distribution yield of 5.4%.

More reading

• 3 ASX shares rated as strong buys by brokers
• 3 top ASX dividend shares to buy for 2021 and beyond
• Why the Soul Patts (ASX:SOL) share price will be on watch today
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• 3 reasons why Soul Patts (ASX:SOL) is a great ASX dividend share

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of APA Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post Got money to invest for dividends? Here are 3 ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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I’m a big fan of buy and hold investing and believe it is the best way for investors to grow their wealth.

To demonstrate how successful it can be, I like to pick out a number of popular ASX shares to see how much a single $20,000 investment 10 years ago would be worth today.

This time around I have picked out the three ASX shares that are listed below:

Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

The Cochlear share price has been a market beater over the last decade. This has been driven by growing demand for hearing solutions products due to ageing populations across the world. In addition to this, the high barriers of entry and its significant investment in research and development has supported its growth and cemented its leadership position. Over the last 10 years, Cochlear shares have generated an average total return of 10.8% per annum. This would have turned a $20,000 investment into ~$56,000 today.

REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

The REA Group share price has absolutely smashed the market since 2011. Thanks to the structural shift to online listings, the dominance of its realestate.com.au website, and its growing international operations, REA Group has been able to grow its earnings at a strong rate over the last 10 years. This has led to the company’s shares providing investors with an impressive 28.8% per annum total return. This means that a $20,000 investment in REA Group’s shares in 2011 would now be worth $251,000.

Technology One Limited (ASX: TNE)

Finally, another market beater over the last 10 years has been the Technology One share price. Thanks to its evolution from a small enterprise solutions company to one of the biggest players in the region, TechnologyOne has delivered very strong earnings growth over the last decade. Its shift to a software-as-a-service business model has also gone down well with investors. This is leading to a greater proportion of its revenues becoming recurring in nature. All in all, this has led to its shares generating a 25.1% per annum average total return over the last decade. This means a $20,000 investment in its shares in 2011 would be worth $188,000 today.

More reading

• 3 extraordinary ASX shares to buy right now
• Why Fox (NASDAQ:FOX) might hurt News Corp (ASX:NWS) shareholders
• CV Check (ASX:CV1) share price flat on results update
• Insiders have been buying Appen (ASX:APX) and ASX share
• 3 ASX 200 shares to buy right now

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 Cochlear Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear 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.

The post How to turn $20,000 into $250,000 in 10 years with ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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If you’re on the lookout for some new additions to your portfolio, then you may want to take a look at the ASX shares listed below.

Here’s why these three ASX shares comes highly rated right now:

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

The first share to look at is Altium. It is an award-winning printed circuit board (PCB) design software provider. Over the last few years it has carved out a leading position in this growing market. This is a big positive given the proliferation of electronic devices, which is expected to lead to increasing demand for its software over the next decade. Credit Suisse believes investors should look beyond the short term COVID headwinds it is facing and focus on the long term. This month it put an outperform rating and $35.00 price target on Altium’s shares.

Pushpay Holdings Group Ltd (ASX: PPH)

Pushpay is a leading donor management and community engagement platform provider for the faith sector. The company is aiming to win a 50% share of the medium to large US church market in the future. This represents a US$1 billion revenue opportunity. Given that FY 2020’s revenues increased 32% to US$129.8 million, this clearly gives it a long runway for growth over the 2020s. Due to the quality of its platform and last year’s US$87.5 million acquisition of church management system provider Church Community Builder, Pushpay has been tipped to achieve this. Goldman Sachs is a fan and has a conviction buy rating and $2.59 price target on its shares.

REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

REA Group is the property listings company behind the market-leading realestate.com.au website and several international equivalents. It has been a strong performer over the last few years despite the housing market downturn and COVID-19. The good news is the housing market has been tipped to recover strongly this year. This appears to have positioned REA Group for growth in the second half of FY 2021. Morgan Stanley is positive on REA Group and has a buy rating and $150.00 price target on its shares.

More reading

• How to turn $20,000 into $250,000 in 10 years with ASX shares
• Why Fox (NASDAQ:FOX) might hurt News Corp (ASX:NWS) shareholders
• 3 compelling ASX growth shares to buy
• One bullish growth signal for the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price in 2021
• 2 high quality ASX growth shares to buy immediately

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 recommends Altium. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX 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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Respected fund manager Wilson Asset Management (WAM) has recently identified two ASX shares that it owns in its portfolio.

WAM operates several listed investment companies (LICs). Two of those LICs are WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM) and WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE).

There’s also one called WAM Active Limited (ASX: WAA) which looks at businesses it thinks are the most undervalued.  

WAM says WAM Active invests in market mispricing opportunities in the Australian market.  

The WAM Active portfolio has delivered gross returns (that’s before fees, expenses and taxes) of 12% per annum since inception in January 2008, which is superior to the Bloomberg AusBond Bank Bill Index return per annum of 3.1%.  

These are the two ASX shares that WAM outlined in its most recent monthly update:

Ingenia Communities Group (ASX: INA)

The fund manager described Ingenia Communities as a business that owns, operates and develops a portfolio of 74 holiday and lifestyle communities throughout Australia. According to the ASX, it has a market capitalisation of $1.6 billion.

WAM said that in December, Ingenia announced three acquisitions: the Big4 Inverloch Holiday Park in the Gippsland region of Victoria, the Middle Rock Holiday Park and Village in Port Stephens in New South Wales and the Merry Beach Caravan Park on the New South Wales South Coast for a total cost of $73.9 million.

The fund manager is positive on the ASX share’s holiday parks division, which is benefiting from strong levels of domestic tourism and WAM believes that the company will continue to make earnings accretive acquisitions. Given the positive backdrop of increasing property prices across Australia, the fundie expects strong demand for Ingenia’s residential business, which should be reflected in stronger than expected settlements at the half year result in February.

Last month Ingenia said in a trading update for its holidays division that lower FY21 first quarter revenue was offset by a strong second quarter performance. The year to date revenue to the end of November 2020 was up 5% compared to the prior corresponding period. The occupancy rate was steady at 59% for the ASX share with the revenue per available room (REVPAR) up 4% to $45.64. Management said that strong December performance should support revenue growth of around 10% for the first half of FY21.

Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL)

WAM said that Nuix, which was listed on 4 December 2020, is a leading provider of investigative analytics and intelligence software, with over 1,000 customers in 78 countries utilising the software to manage cyber security risk, compliance and fraud. The company started in the early 2000s, with the development of an algorithm to search unstructured data.

The fundie said that Nuix’s platform is underpinned by more than 15 years of research and development, with more than $200 million of research and develop costs spent over the past 12 years.

The Nuix software was involved in some recent investigations like the Panama Papers and the Royal Commission into financial services in Australia.

Despite the company having Australian headquarters, 80% of its $175.9 million FY20 revenue came from overseas. The Nuix share price rose by 50% on its first day of trading.

More reading

• 2 quality ASX tech shares you can buy today
• 4 ASX ‘winners’ destined for growth: fundie
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• Wilson Asset Management (WAM) thinks these 2 ASX shares are a buy
• 4 ASX shares that helped this fund outperform in December

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nuix Pty 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was back on form last week and stormed higher. The benchmark index rose 85 points or 1.3% to finish the week at 6,800.4 points.

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

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

The Zip share price was the best performer on the ASX 200 last week with a massive 28.9% gain. Investors were buying the buy now pay later provider’s shares following the release of its second quarter update. The buy now pay later provider delivered a 103% increase in transaction volume to a record $1.6 billion for the quarter. A key driver of this growth was Zip’s US-based QuadPay business, which recorded a 217% increase in transaction volume to $673.1 million. It also reported a 180% lift in customer numbers to 3.2 million and a 655% jump in merchants to 8,400 in the key market. This appears to indicate that the launch of buy now pay later offerings by PayPal and Shopify haven’t stifled its growth.

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)

The Lynas share price wasn’t far behind with a sizeable gain of 26.1% over the five days. A good portion of this gain was made on Friday when the rare earths producer provided the market with an update on its US activities. According to the release, the company has entered into an agreement with the United States Government to build a commercial Light Rare Earths separation plant in Texas. The U.S. government will provide funding of US$30 million for its construction.

Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)

The Netwealth share price was on form last week and stormed 20.5% higher. Investors were buying the investment platform provider’s shares following the release of its second quarter update. That update revealed that Netwealth’s strong form continued during the quarter. It reported a 14% or $4.8 billion quarter on quarter increase in its funds under administration (FUA) to $38.8 billion. This led to management upgrading its FY 2021 FUA inflow guidance to be in the range of $8.5 billion to $9 billion. This compares to its previous guidance of $8 billion.

Bingo Industries Ltd (ASX: BIN)

The Bingo share price was a strong performer over the five days and jumped a sizeable 20.2%. Investors were fighting to get hold of the waste management company’s shares after received a takeover approach from a private equity firm. BINGO has received an unsolicited, highly conditional, non-binding, indicative proposal from funds advised by CPE Capital. The indicative cash price currently offered to BINGO shareholders under the proposal is $3.50 per share.

More reading

• These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week
• ASX 200 drops 0.3%
• These ASX shares are falling after being hit by broker downgrades today
• The latest ASX broker “buy” ideas that got a valuation upgrade
• ASX 200 down 0.2%: Zip shares drop, Lynas rockets, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare impresses

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 Netwealth and ZIPCOLTD FPO. 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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Last week the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was back on form and raced notably higher. The benchmark index gained 85 points or 1.3% to end the period at 6,800.4 points.

Unfortunately, not all shares climbed higher with the market. Here’s why these were the worst performers on the ASX 200 last week:

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

The Whitehaven Coal share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week with a 10.6% decline. This may have been driven by a combination of profit taking after a strong gain last week and concerns about the outlook for coal. The latter follows an update by BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) which revealed that it expects to record an impairment charge of between US$1.15 billion and US$1.25 billion post tax in relation to its New South Wales Energy Coal (NSWEC) asset.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield CDI (ASX: URW)

The Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield share price wasn’t far behind with a 10.2% decline. The only news out of the shopping centre operator last week related to an asset sale. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield announced the disposal of its SHiFT office building in Paris for 620 million euros.

Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC)

The Alumina share price was out of form last week and dropped 6.3% lower over the five days. This could have been driven by a broker note out of Macquarie. Its analysts have retained their underperform rating and $1.50 price target on the alumina company’s shares following its quarterly update. The broker fears energy costs and foreign exchange headwinds could weigh on its performance in 2021.

Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV)

The Premier Investments share price dropped a disappointing 6% over the week. This decline means the retail conglomerate’s shares have now given back all their year to date gains and more. Investors may have been selling shares amid concerns that they are overvalued based on its future earnings. Premier Investments has been tipped to deliver a bumper profit result this year, but is widely expected to then report a meaningful decline in its earnings in FY 2022.

More reading

• These ASX shares are falling after being hit by broker downgrades today
• The latest ASX broker “buy” ideas that got a valuation upgrade
• ASX 200 down 0.2%: Zip shares drop, Lynas rockets, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare impresses
• Why the Contact Energy (ASX:CEN) share price has surged 10% higher today
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Premier Investments 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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There are some ASX shares that a number of brokers like and have rated as ‘buys’

It can be quite hard to find good businesses that are trading at a good price. One investor might say that BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) is a good buy, whilst another might say that Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) is the share to buy.

Brokers are constantly looking at businesses and share prices, thinking about what would be a good investment. There are various brokers out there like Bell Potter, Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) and UBS that provide different recommendations about shares.  

With that in mind, these ASX shares are liked by more than one broker. Of course, this still isn’t a guarantee of success – they could all be herding together.

Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP)

Bapcor is the largest automotive parts business in Australia and New Zealand. It operates a number of different brands including Burson, Autobarn, Precision Automotive equipment, Truck and Trailer Parts, Truckline, Midas and ABS.. It’s rated by a buy by at least six brokers.

The company has been generating large growth despite, or perhaps because of, the impacts of COVID-19.

For the five months to the end of November 2020, revenue was up 26%. Net profit after tax (NPAT) achieved operating leverage from lower expenses in areas like travel and other areas of discretionary spending, as well as lower interest rates and the contribution from Truckline which wasn’t in the prior corresponding period.

Bapcor has provided guidance for the first half of FY21 that it thinks revenue will increase by 25% and net profit after tax (NPAT) will go up by over 50% because of the operating leverage.

According to Commsec, the Bapcor share price is valued at 19x FY23’s estimated earnings.

Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

The building products company is another ASX share that brokers really like. It makes a variety of products like bricks, paving, masonry, precast and roofing. It’s liked by at least four analysts.

Brickworks has three (or four) distinct divisions. It owns a large amount of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL) shares. The ASX share has an industrial property trust joint venture with Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) which has been steadily growing over the past decade. That trust is currently building warehouses for both Amazon and Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) which is expected to increase the gross assets to more than $3 billion.

The ASX share is seeing a recovery in the Australian building products market, spurred on by government stimulus.

However in the American market, where Brickworks has a presence, it’s still finding it tough with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the associated effects.

According to Commsec, the Brickworks share price is valued at 17x FY21’s estimated earnings.  

City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX)

It sells plus-size clothing, footwear and accessories to women. It has a number of brands including City Chic, Avenue, CCX, Hips & Curves and Fox & Royal. City Chic has around 100 stores across Australia and New Zealand. It has websites for local and US customers, it has marketplace and wholesale partnerships with major US retailers such as Macys and Nordstrom, and a wholesale business with European and UK partners such as ASOS and Zalando.

City Chic is rated as a buy by at least three brokers.

One of the key changes for brokers in recent times has been the acquisition of Evans by the ASX share. City Chic acquired Evans for $41 million from Arcadia Group, which has gone into administration. Evans is a UK-based retailer of women’s plus-size clothing with a longstanding customer base and sizeable market position.

Just looking at the online sales of Evans alone, the website made £23 million of sales. The wholesale business also made £3 million of sales. The overall Evans group of businesses, including the stores and franchise, made £60 million of annual sales before COVID-19 came along.

According to Commsec, the City Chic share price is valued at 25x FY23’s estimated earnings.

More reading

• These ASX shares are falling after being hit by broker downgrades today
• The latest ASX broker “buy” ideas that got a valuation upgrade
• Here’s one party Woolies and Coles will not be attending
• 3 top ASX dividend shares to buy for 2021 and beyond
• Why the Soul Patts (ASX:SOL) share price will be on watch today

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks, Macquarie Group Limited, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of 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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The weekend before last, I took my young bloke camping.

He was playing with some new friends. Chilled out and reflective, I took out my phone and started typing away. Here’s what I wrote:

I am typing this, sitting in front of a campfire, as the last bit of sunlight fades.

My young bloke is playing with some mates he’s just made at the next campsite. The campfire is low, but the coals are glowing, and yes, the beer is cold and welcome…

There’s something really wonderful about camping.

Actually, there are many wonderful things.

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the million-star evenings, spending time in nature and the simple pleasure of being out of mobile range are but a few of the joys of getting off the beaten track a little.

This weekend, I went camping with my 8yo son. We packed up the ute, threw our swags on the roof and went.

(My wife seemed very pleased with the idea of the peace and quiet, being home by herself. Hopefully not too pleased!)

We cooked over an open fire. We slept under the stars.

We swam in the river and he rode his bike, making friends with others at the campsite.

I know you’re waiting for the ‘but’.

I don’t have one.

It was just a truly lovely couple of days.

So, I want to share one of the aforementioned joys, in particular.

It is the joy of slowing down.

No, not in some abstract way.

In the very real way that life slows down when you’re camping off the grid.

The morning cuppa doesn’t come from a kettle or coffee machine.

I woke up, grabbed the matches and some kindling, and started a fire. I grabbed the billy (I filled it the night before) and waited for the water to boil.

It took a while, so I enjoyed the morning light, the trees, the waking birds and the sights and sounds of the new day.

Eventually, the water was ready. I made my tea and slowly drank it, enjoying the breaking morn.

Then it was breakfast time. A bowl, some eggs, a fork, a little bacon and a couple of slices of toast all on the cast iron frypan – after waiting for it to heat up, of course.

Then clearing everything away, boiling some more water for the washing up, then cleaning, drying and putting everything away.

And so it goes.

Everything happens much more slowly than at home. And much more deliberately.

The day unfolds as a sequence of slow, deliberate tasks, one after the other.

Actually, it doesn’t really ‘unfold’ that way. It just ‘is’ that way.

Now, I’m not going to say I don’t enjoy the coffee machine, dishwasher and instant hot water at home. 

I do. A lot.

But I really value a few days camping because the days can’t be quick and mindless.

It must be slow. Deliberate. Thoughtful.

(And very enjoyable!)

I’m not one for meditation. I’ve never done a retreat and I don’t practice yoga.

But I imagine there are some similarities with camping.

I am convinced that it’s probably good for the body, but it’s definitely good for the mind and the soul.

What does all of this have to do with investing?

Well, firstly, I’m pretty sure being refreshed and reinvigorated helps me make better decisions.

But while I was away, I remembered Warren Buffett’s decision to move out of New York and back to his native Omaha because the Big Apple was full of action, activity and people, all of which reminded Buffett of the exhortation to ‘don’t just sit there, do something!’.

To Buffett’s mind, that was the opposite of what a long-term investor should do. So he packed up and headed west.

That was decades ago, by the way.

Can you imagine the extra pressures, incentives and expectations to act, these days, by comparison.

Twitter, SMS trade alerts, live blogs… All giving us the sense – implicitly or explicitly – that we’re not really investing unless we’re digesting and responding to the flood of information at our fingertips.

Which brings me back to the camping parallel.

The march of technology lets us do so much more than our forebears, in much less time.

So we have more leisure time, right? That’s what the futurists promised us…

You know the answer to that question.

But, after all of the extra things we can do and stuff we can have… Are we any happier?

You can answer that for yourself.

But, like Buffett, as investors we are best to slow down and focus on the few things that actually matter.

I’m not sure ‘invest like you’re camping’ will catch on as a tagline.

But we could do worse.

Fool on!

More reading

• 3 ASX shares that have outperformed over the past year
• Why the Painchek (ASX:PCK) share price lifted today
• ASX 200 drops 0.3%
• Why the latest jobs data is making everyone happy
• 5 lithium shares that are fast-charging up in 2021

Scott Phillips has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Twitter. 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 past twelve months has been a tumultuous time for ASX shares. The COVID-19-induced bear market in February/March 2020 saw most ASX shares shed significant value. Whilst many ASX listed companies have since gone on to recoup those losses, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is still trading more than 4% lower than this time last year.

Some ASX shares, however, have managed to firmly outperform the wider market during this period. Here we take a look at 3 such companies that have experienced significant growth over the last year.

Jindalee Resources Limited (ASX: JRL)

At the close of trade today, Jindalee Resources shares were trading 5.5% lower at $1.37. Over the past twelve months, however, the Jindalee share price is up nearly 400%. Jindalee Resources is an exploration company focused on lithium, gold, iron ore, base and strategic metals, uranium and magnesite.

In a shareholder update provided on 14 January, Jindalee announced positive results pertaining to its McDermitt lithium project. Summarising the highlights, the company stated: “Metallurgical testwork to date has been very encouraging, indicating high lithium recoveries from conventional sulphuric acid leaching at low temperature and atmospheric pressure.”

The company also advised it is exploring further options regarding the possible listing of its lithium assets on a North American stock exchange. 

Jindalee currently has two lithium projects in the United States: the McDermitt flagship project in Oregon and the pre-exploration Clayton North project in Nevada.

The company believes that the demand for lithium-ion batteries will increase significantly as the adoption of electric vehicles continues to accelerate.

Openpay Group Ltd (ASX: OPY) 

The Openpay share price gained more than 3% on Friday in contrast to the wider market, which was trending lower. Openpay shares have also increased an impressive 118% over the past twelve months. 

Openpay offers ‘no interest’ payment services to customers and competes alongside big-name players, such as Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) and Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT), in the buy now, pay later (BNPL) industry.

The company refers to itself as “a fast-growing and highly differentiated player in the global ‘buy now pay later’ payment solutions market.” Openpay operates in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdowm and, as of December 2020, the US. Openpay even invited investors to watch a video recording of its US launch. The Openpay share price rocketed up by more than 27% on 16 December 2020 when the company broke news of its US expansion. 

Openpay will provide a FY21 second quarter update next Thursday 28 January.

Cluey Ltd (ASX: CLU)

The Cluey share price finished Friday’s session up 2.3% and around 8% higher over the past year. Whilst this represents a much more modest gain than the abovementioned shares, Cluey has still managed to decisively outperform the wider market over the same timeframe.

Cluey defines itself as “an Australian education technology company that supports the learning growth of students by bringing together expert educators, cutting-edge technology and proprietary learning data to offer students a range of targeted learning services.”

The company posted cash and cash equivalents of around $13 million in its 30 June 2020 annual report. In a January 2021 update, Cluey advised it has forecast a 218% increase in revenue to ~$15.5 million in FY2021.

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Gretchen Kennedy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of 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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The Painchek Ltd (ASX: PCK) share price climbed today after the company provided the market with a positive quarterly update for December 2020.

Shares in the small cap healthcare company were trading 4.2% higher at 7.4 cents on close of trade today.

What is driving the Painchek share price

In today’s release, the company reported continued growth in its aged care and initial entry into the hospital, home care and disability markets during the quarter ended 31 December.

In its core aged care market segment, Painchek delivered sales growth of 7% from the prior quarter. And with its global licences covering 71,318 beds, year on year (YoY) growth is up 123%. The company reported its domestic sales now reflect more than 30% of Australia’s domestic aged care market share.

As a result, Painchek now has 884 aged care clients, up 133% YoY, and the forward looking revenue equates to more than $3 million annualised recurring revenue.

However it was not all smooth sailing for the company, with several large provider agreements delayed as a result of COVID-19 disruptions. Paincheck said these discussions have since been resumed in January.

Management comments

Painchek CEO Philip Daffas welcomed the update, saying:

While 2020 was challenging for many businesses, we successfully continued to deliver with significant sales growth. This included pivoting to a fully digital sales and delivery model that met the immediate needs of our clients, as well as establishing a new cost-effective global go-to-market model.

About the company

PainChek develops and commercialises medical device applications. This is aimed specifically at automating intelligent pain assessment of individuals who are unable to communicate their pain with carers (such as people in aged care facilities).

In particular, the company is involved in the provision of pain management and better medication for residents living with dementia and other communication difficulties. Painchek has already obtained regulatory clearance in Australia and Europe.

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Motley Fool contributor Daniel Ewing 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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