• Prediction: Nvidia stock will continue to rise…and here’s why

    A male investor sits at his desk looking at his laptop screen holding his hand to his chin pondering whether to buy Macquarie shares

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

    Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock just keeps rising. Today’s jump of about 7% as of 1 p.m. ET wasn’t due to any new information from the company. Nvidia released its quarterly earnings last week and the stock jumped on that news.

    But today’s move — and the reason why Nvidia shares can keep moving higher — comes from another company’s announcement today. Nvidia’s sales have been soaring, and now investors see another multibillion-dollar customer coming in Elon Musk’s xAI.

    How can Nvidia be worth so much?

    Nvidia’s stock took off when it started monetizing sales of its processors used for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Sales of its GPUs continue to rise, with the company saying its sees revenue more than doubling in the current quarter compared to the year-ago period.

    Those sales are going to a wide range of technology companies building AI large language models and vastly increasing computing power. Last year, the top customers for Nvidia’s GPU offering included many well-known companies.

    bar chart showing Nvidia's GPU customers in 2023.

    Image source: Statista.

    But while one Elon Musk company (Tesla) was on that list, another just announced it raised a fresh $6 billion in capital. And many expect much of the funds xAI just raised to be spent on Nvidia’s processing chips.

    xAI is Musk’s start-up working to develop artificial intelligence. It just announced a new funding round this weekend that raised $6 billion and values the private company at about $24 billion, according to Musk. Reports have indicated that xAI plans to build a supercomputer to power a new version of xAI’s chatbot named Grok. xAI may partner with Oracle using what could be tens of thousands of Nvidia chips.

    With xAI not even making the top dozen customers for Nvidia’s H100 GPUs in 2023, the news is making investors bullish that the backlog of demand for Nvidia’s AI chips has a long tail. That’s why the stock remains a buy even after its recent run to a record level. 

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

    The post Prediction: Nvidia stock will continue to rise…and here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now?

    Before you buy Nvidia shares, consider this:

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

    The online investing service he’s run for over 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 may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Howard Smith has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Baidu, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, Tencent, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Alibaba Group and has recommended the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • 2 beaten down ASX 200 lithium stocks that analysts love

    Two miners standing together with a smile on their faces.

    It is fair to say that the lithium industry has been a very difficult place to invest in recent times.

    With lithium prices crashing materially over the past 12 months as supply increases and demand softens, a number of ASX 200 lithium stocks have recorded sizeable declines.

    While this is disappointing, brokers believe that it could have created a buying opportunity for at least a couple of leading miners.

    Let’s take a look at which two miners analysts are currently tipping as buys:

    Arcadium Lithium (ASX: LTM)

    The first ASX 200 lithium stock that brokers are bullish on is Arcadium Lithium. It is one of the world’s largest lithium miners with operations across several geographies and lithium types.

    Bell Potter is very positive on the company due to the diversity of its operations. It believes this positions Arcadium Lithium perfectly for when lithium prices eventually rebound. The broker explains:

    LTM provides the largest, most diversified exposure to lithium in terms of mode of upstream production, asset locations, downstream processing and customer markets. It is a key large-cap leverage to lithium prices and sentiment, which we expect to improve over the medium term. The group has a strong balance sheet and growth portfolio.

    Bell Potter currently has a buy rating and lofty $10.40 price target on the company’s shares. Based on the current Arcadium Lithium share price of $6.94, this implies potential upside of approximately 50% for investors between now and this time next year.

    IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)

    Another ASX 200 lithium stock that could be a buy is IGO.

    Goldman Sachs is a big fan of the company due to the low costs of its operations. It believes this leaves IGO well-placed to navigate the current environment of low battery material prices. It explains:

    Greenbushes is the lowest cost lithium asset in our coverage. Production growth more than offsets increasing strip ratio: The addition of CGP3 (under construction) and CGP4 (planned) should take Greenbushes production capacity from ~1.5Mtpa today to ~2.4Mtpa (excluding tailings processing of ~0.3Mtpa), and they are planned to be funded from existing Greenbushes debt facilities, combined with Greenbushes cash flows (though we factor in below nameplate). We reiterate our belief that further Greenbushes expansion remains one of the most economically compelling brownfield lithium projects.

    The broker has a buy rating and $8.10 price target on IGO’s shares. Based on its current share price, this implies potential upside of 11.5% for investors over the next 12 months.

    The post 2 beaten down ASX 200 lithium stocks that analysts love appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Igo Ltd right now?

    Before you buy Igo Ltd shares, consider this:

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

    The online investing service he’s run for over 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 may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro own Arcadium Lithium shares. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group. 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 Scott Phillips.

  • Why this ASX 200 gold stock could rise 50%+

    Woman holding gold bar and cheering.

    There certainly have been some big gains recorded in the gold sector over the last 12 months.

    But if you thought it was too late to invest at this side of the market, think again.

    That’s because analysts at Bell Potter are tipping one ASX 200 gold stock to rise over 50% from current levels.

    Which ASX 200 gold stock?

    The ASX 200 gold stock in question is De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG).

    De Grey Mining is a Western Australian gold explorer and project developer. It is responsible for one of Australia’s most exciting new gold discoveries – the Hemi project in the Pilbara.

    The 100% owned Hemi discovery is an intrusion-hosted form of gold mineralisation which has not been previously encountered in the Pilbara.

    Management notes that the high value of the discovery is driven by its size, grade continuity, closeness to surface growth potential. The deposits have the potential to be mined by large scale, low strip ratio, low cost open pit mining methods.

    What is the broker saying about De Grey Mining?

    Bell Potter notes that the ASX 200 gold stock is currently finalising a fully underwritten equity raising totalling approximately $600 million at an issue price of $1.10 per new share. The broker believes this will see the Hemi project through to development and has described it as a “significant milestone” for the company. It said:

    This latest equity raise is a significant milestone for DEG, with the company stating that it completes the equity funding component of the project finance package for the HGP, which has an estimated CAPEX of $1,345m.

    In response, the broker has reiterated its speculative buy rating with a trimmed price target of $1.76. Based on its current share price, this implies potential upside of 56% for this ASX 200 gold stock over the next 12 months.

    What else did the broker say?

    Commenting on the equity raising, Bell Potter adds:

    DEG has sought its equity funding earlier than we expected, with debt still to be finalised and key permits for the HGP yet to be obtained. While we do not foresee any reason for these not to be issued, delays are a risk, in our view, as we have recently observed permitting timelines becoming longer in WA. Overall, however, we view it as a positive de-risking event and a major box ticked for project development as the HGP advances towards a final investment decision in mid-CY24, targeting production in 2HCY26.

    Another positive is that the broker feels that the equity raising will help the company avoid being taken over. It concludes:

    We also see a tactical aspect in DEG being in a stronger position to defend any takeover approaches, which we consider to be reasonably likely. We update our valuation for dilution of the equity issue, partially offset by application of our latest (higher) gold price forecast to our risk-adjusted project valuation. Our valuation drops by 7%, to $1.76/sh. We retain our Speculative Buy recommendation.

    The post Why this ASX 200 gold stock could rise 50%+ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in De Grey Mining Limited right now?

    Before you buy De Grey Mining Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and De Grey Mining Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over 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 may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    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 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 Scott Phillips.

  • 3 ASX 200 blue-chip shares to buy now

    Person holding blue chips.

    I like investing in S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) blue-chip shares when they’re trading at good value. Good prices don’t usually stick around forever, so it is worth being opportunistic and jumping on them when the stock looks compelling.

    Good blue chips are usually among the best in their industry in the country. Being the biggest and best at what they do means they typically have pricing power, strong profit margins, and a strong market position.

    I’m bullish about the below three ASX 200 blue-chip shares, so I’m calling them buys today.

    Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS)

    Telstra is the leading telecommunications business in Australia, with the largest subscriber base and the biggest mobile network.

    In the FY24 first-half result, the business added 625,000 mobile services in operation (SIO) over the 12 months to 31 December 2023, representing an increase of 4.6%. This pleasing increase showed that the ASX telco share can continue to lead the market.

    Winning more subscribers and strengthening its market position gives it additional financial firepower to invest more than rivals in the telco infrastructure, entrenching its position as the leader.

    Adding more subscribers also helps grow its profit margins because the fixed costs of the business are being shared across more users. For example, in the HY24 result, mobile income rose 4% to $5.3 billion and mobile earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased 13% to $2.5 billion.

    As a bonus, Telstra currently offers a grossed-up dividend yield of more than 7%. I think the ASX 200 blue-chip share looks cheap after falling around 20% in the past year, as seen on the chart below.

    Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)

    Woolworths is the biggest supermarket business in Australia, with a market capitalisation of more than $38 billion.

    I like the moves by the company in recent years to diversify and grow its earnings through acquisitions. For example, it has bought a majority stake of PETstock and it has expanded into business-to-business (B2B) food supply through PFD.

    The Woolworths share price has sunk 16% in 2024 to date, as shown on the chart below. It’s coming under pressure amid scrutiny about its choices relating to inflation and whether it was price gouging.

    The ASX 200 blue-chip share reported its FY24 third-quarter update in early May. The average price change in the Australian food division, excluding tobacco and fruit and vegetables, was just 0.1%. This shows that food inflation has significantly eased. Pleasingly, Woolworths Group’s total third-quarter sales increased 2.8%, showing that the business is still growing.

    I think the company is a buy at this level, with longer-term tailwinds including population growth and e-commerce growth. In the FY24 third quarter, Woolworths reported its e-commerce sales grew by 18.4% to $1.5 billion.

    Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

    Brickworks is the biggest brickmaker in Australia and the northeast of the US. The company also has several other building product businesses in Australia, including Bristle Roofing, Austral Masonry, UrbanStone, Terracade, Southern Cross Cement, and Capital Battens.

    The FY24 half-year result saw higher margins in its Australian building products division through price increases and productivity improvements. It said it has recently implemented additional initiatives that are expected to deliver $15 million of annualised savings.

    Brickworks is undertaking a series of plant closures during the second half of FY24 to carry out maintenance and control inventory, which I think is a wise move. Management said the company is “well-placed to meet [an] expected longer-term uplift in demand” and that Australia “appears to be on the cusp of a significant building boom”.

    The ASX 200 blue-chip share also believes structural factors such as e-commerce and the digital economy will continue to drive demand for its prime industrial facilities “for many years to come”. Brickworks owns half of an industrial property trust along with Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) where large warehouses are being built.

    The Brickworks share price has fallen 15% since 8 March 2024, making this an excellent time to look at the ASX 200 blue-chip share, in my opinion.

    The post 3 ASX 200 blue-chip shares to buy now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Brickworks Limited right now?

    Before you buy Brickworks Limited shares, consider this:

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

    The online investing service he’s run for over 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 may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Brickworks. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Brickworks and Goodman Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Brickworks and Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Goodman Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • A software engineer worked at Tesla, SAP, and Salesforce. Here’s how he negotiated his salary, including a $520,000 Meta offer.

    Hemant Pandey
    Hemant Pandey shares his tech salary journey

    • Hemant Pandey's job switches led to significant pay and role improvements.
    • Pandey's career includes stints at Tesla, SAP, Salesforce, and Meta.
    • Pandey recommends negotiation and leveraging multiple offers for optimal compensation.

    Software engineer Hemant Pandey worked at four tech companies in six years.

    Every switch was an opportunity to land a better role and better pay, the Bay Area-based engineer said.

    "I've hopped quite a bit. I optimized for money and career growth," he told Business Insider.

    He shared his compensation journey since graduating from university in 2017. His career path has brought him to Tesla, SAP, Salesforce, and his current role at Meta.

    Tesla

    Pandey joined Tesla in February 2018 after his master's in computer science. He got a standard new graduate offer for software engineers.

    He was offered $150,000 a year for a base salary, restricted stock units, and an annual bonus. He negotiated his sign-on bonus from $8,000 to $12,000.

    Five months after starting, he was laid off with 4,000 other employees.

    Since he needed a work visa to stay in the US, he had about three months to find a new role. He began applying and landed a job at SAP at the end of July, seven weeks after he started looking.

    SAP

    Pandey joined the company in September in a new graduate role, like at Tesla.

    "I had no competing offers so I did not have much leverage," he said. "But I negotiated base by 6% and sign on by 20%."

    It added up to $165,000 annually, plus a $12,000 sign-on bonus. Pandey spent the rest of the year at SAP and received an annual performance-related appraisal of 5%, which brought his compensation to $173,250.

    Friends spoke highly of Salesforce's company culture, and he thought he might be better compensated there. After a little over a year at SAP, he decided to apply for a job.

    Salesforce

    He moved to Salesforce, joining in a slightly more senior software role from his last role at SAP.

    Salesforce offered Pandey a 30% increase on his total compensation, bringing the package to about $190,000.

    His base salary was about $150,000, stocks would amount to $17,500 per year, and his annual bonus was $15,000.

    Before accepting the offer, he negotiated with Salesforce. That netted him a $10,000 sign-on bonus — the company hadn't offered one at the start.

    "I always make sure to negotiate because there's always room from when they give you the initial offer," he said. "Most of the time they're willing to go 15% or 20% higher, so you don't want to miss that."

    He suggests that all candidates negotiate, especially if they have leverage.

    "If you have competing offers, if you have pending interviews, all these kinds of things — then definitely negotiate. You can increase the compensation between 20% to 30%," he said.

    Pandey was promoted at Salesforce after 15 months and got a 20% bump from his previous pay, bringing his total to around $240,000.

    The new role moved him from software engineer to senior software engineer. He led projects with two to three engineers and worked with product managers and customers. He also found that his work had more visibility.

    After two years at Salesforce, he applied to Meta in 2021.

    Meta

    He joined Meta the same year he became a senior software engineer. It was still a vertical move because of the different ways Salesforce and Meta establish levels.

    "The most significant thing happened in my career when I made the move from Salesforce to Meta, which was close to almost 80-90% hike" in pay, Pandey said.

    Around the time he applied to Meta, Pandey also applied to TikTok, LinkedIn, and two other companies. He used offers from these companies to negotiate his compensation at Meta.

    "Be very transparent that you have other offers, even if you have interviews going on mention those, because it's also leverage," he said. It signals to the recruiter that they have to move fast and work with your parameters.

    Having other offers meant that Meta's recruiters tried to match base salary and restricted stock units from the highest of all offers.

    Aside from being transparent, Pandey said it is important to be proactive and research how compensation works in different companies. For example, candidates should compare how stocks are refreshed, he said. A refresher is when the stock option portion of an employee's compensation is updated.

    "I also negotiated my sign-on bonus and said, 'Hey, at Salesforce, I'll be leaving my 30 to 40k of annual bonus if I join you. Can you help me accommodate that?'"

    Pandey was offered $520,000 in annual pay in that 2021 move.

    He is currently a senior software engineer at Meta's Menlo Park office.

    Business Insider has verified his offer letters, employment history, and Meta compensation.

    Do you work in tech, finance, or consulting and have a story to share about your compensation journey? Email this reporter at shubhangigoel@insider.com.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • How much passive income would a $10,000 investment in CSL shares generate?

    A doctor in a white coat with a stethoscope around her neck holds her hands upwards as if to ask 'why' as she sits at her desk and looks at her computer.

    Owners of CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares have benefited from enormous capital growth over the past decade, powered by its excellent profit growth in that time. This profit generation is enabling larger and larger passive income payouts.

    I like dividends because they allow investors to benefit from growth in the value of the business without having to sell shares to access that value.

    CSL is one of the biggest companies on the ASX, with a market capitalisation of $135 billion. While it is a massive business, can it provide the same sort of dividend income as National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) or Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO)?

    Let’s look at how much passive income a $10,000 investment could generate with CSL shares.

    Dividend potential of CSL shares

    Dividends are paid for by the profit a company makes.

    CSL’s board decided to declare an FY23 final dividend of US$1.29 per share and a full-year dividend of US2.36 per share. Converted into Australian dollars, the total full-year dividend amounted to approximately A$3.59 per share, an increase of 13%. This came after the company generated net profit after tax (NPAT) of $2.19 billion in FY23.

    The passive income growth continued in the FY24 first-half result, with the interim payout of US$1.19 per share. In Australian dollar terms, the half-year dividend was increased 12% to A$1.81.

    The last two dividends paid by CSL amount to US$2.48 per share, or A$3.72 at the current exchange rate. That translates into a dividend yield of just 1.3%.

    $10,000 investment

    If I had $10,000 to invest in the ASX healthcare giant, I’d be able to buy 35 CSL shares.

    Assuming CSL paid the same dividends over the next 12 months as the last 12 months, a shareholder would receive $130 of cash if they owned 35 CSL shares.

    If its profit continues climbing, the company may be able to significantly increase its passive income in future financial years.

    The broker UBS has forecast the company’s dividend per share can increase to US$3.80 per share by FY28. If CSL did pay that amount, it would translate into a dividend yield of 2%, or around $200 in dollar terms.

    While the prediction implies the CSL dividend could grow by more than 50% over the next four years, the dividend yield is still expected to be small by FY28.

    CSL share price snapshot

    Over the past year, the CSL share price has fallen more than 8%. According to UBS’ profit projection, it’s now trading at 30x FY24’s estimated earnings.

    Dividends may not be the most compelling reason to look at CSL shares, but its recovery from COVID-19 impacts and the product development pipeline could be more intriguing.

    The post How much passive income would a $10,000 investment in CSL shares generate? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in CSL right now?

    Before you buy CSL shares, consider this:

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

    The online investing service he’s run for over 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 may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    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 positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Do Macquarie shares pay a decent ASX dividend?

    A woman sits at her computer with her chin resting on her hand as she contemplates her next potential investment.

    Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) is a rather unique ASX 200 share. It’s often called the ASX’s ‘fifth bank’ stock for one. That’s despite Macquarie having a completely different business model than other members of the big four banks. It’s also colloquially known as the ‘millionaire’s factory’.

    As most Australian investors would know, ASX bank stocks are well known for their fat — and usually fully franked — dividends.

    It’s not uncommon to see the likes of Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) trade on dividend yields between 4% and 7% at any given time (lately under 4% in CBA’s case).

    In most ASX bank cases, these dividends almost always come with full franking credits attached, too. The notable exception is ANZ, which seems to have recently transitioned to paying only partially franked payouts.

    So let’s talk about Macquarie shares and whether ASX investors can expect a decent dividend from an investment in the ASX’s ‘fifth bank’.

    How much in dividends from Macquarie shares?

    The Macquarie share price closed yesterday at $191.97, and right off the bat, we can see it is trading on a trailing dividend yield of 3.33%.

    This dividend yield comes from Macquarie’s latest two dividend payments. The first is the interim dividend of $2.55 per share that investors received back in December. The second is the final dividend of $3.85 per share that shareholders are set to bag on 2 July in just over a month’s time.

    Both of these payments came (or will come) partially franked at 40%. As is the norm for Macquarie that we touched on earlier.

    Unfortunately for investors, these dividends represent a cut on what investors enjoyed in 2022 and 2023.

    Macquarie’s last final payment (that investors received in July last year) was worth $4.50 per share. December 2022’s interim dividend came in at $3 per share. Both of these payouts were franked at 40% as well.

    If Macquarie kept its payouts at the previous year’s levels over the past 12 months, its shares would sport a yield of 3.91% today.

    Growth vs income

    Even so, we can conclude that Macquarie shares, whilst offering decent income, don’t offer the same kind of fat-paycheque potential as its big four peers do today. That’s with the possible exception of CBA.

    Saying that, though, Macquarie has never been a divided beast. As my Fool colleague Bronwyn masterfully laid out last week, Macquarie’s returns (which are substantial) have historically come from capital growth rather than dividend income.

    But Macquarie investors are the ones that have had the last laugh. As we covered then, Macquarie shares have delivered more than twice the overall returns (dividends plus growth) of CBA over the past ten years. They have also roughly quadrupled those of the worst-performing big four banks over this period – ANZ.

    We can perhaps conclude that dividends aren’t everything. Even for an ASX bank share.

    The post Do Macquarie shares pay a decent ASX dividend? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Australia And New Zealand Banking Group right now?

    Before you buy Australia And New Zealand Banking Group shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Australia And New Zealand Banking Group wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over 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 may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in National Australia Bank. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Gen Z: 5 tips to help build your wealth

    A young female investor with brown curly hair and wearing a yellow top and glasses sits at her desk using her calculator to work out how much her ASX dividend shares will pay this year

    Financial advisory company Findex has five recommendations for Gen Z Australians to help them build wealth.

    The recommendations follow a survey conducted by Findex that found the majority of Gen Zs consider bank savings the most important wealth-building investment.

    Gen Zs were born between 1996 and 2010. That means the eldest of this cohort is 28-years-old and the youngest is 14-years-old. (The Findex survey was limited to Australians aged 18-64 years).

    About 38% of Gen Z respondents nominated bank savings as their first choice for building wealth. This was followed by property at 25%, superannuation at 13%, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) at 7%.

    5 tips for Gen Zs to build wealth

    Findex recommends the following key investment actions for Gen Zs to ensure a good retirement.

    Assess your risk appetite and investment diversification

    Exploring options within superannuation that align with a longer investment timeline can enhance growth. Findex says superannuation typically defaults to ‘balanced’ options, so younger generations might benefit from ‘growth’ strategies, aiming to optimise fund performance over time.  

    Each superannuation fund offers a variety of strategies to suit customers based on their age and risk profile. Young investors often prefer growth strategies because they have time on their side. Therefore, they can tolerate higher risk for higher reward.

    Growth funds are mainly invested in ASX shares and international stocks. As we recently reported, data and analytics provider Chant West says ‘all growth’ superannuation funds are performing best in the 2024 financial year to date, with 9.8% returns so far.

    Early engagement with superannuation to build wealth in retirement

    Start contributing to superannuation as early as possible, says Findex. Even modest contributions can grow significantly over time due to the power of compounding interest.  

    Findex co-CEO Tony Roussos encourages Gen Z Australians to, “Take advantage of the time you have on hand by exploring ways to build your balance so that your super works hard for you in retirement.”

    The Australian Government introduced superannuation in 1992. The Superannuation Guarantee paid by employers has risen from 3% of wages in 1992 to 11% today. It goes up to 11.5% from 1 July this year.

    Financial literacy and digital tools

    Leverage digital platforms like Young Money from the Findex Community Fund for financial education, and apps to help with budgeting and investment tracking. Findex says understanding the basics of superannuation, investment strategies, and tax advantages is crucial to building wealth.  

    Talk to your family

    Findex says parents and grandparents can provide a guiding hand. Nearly half (47%) of Gen Z say they better understand how to manage and reduce debt through financial conversations with their family.

    Leverage family advice relationships

    Financial advice may not be affordable at this age. If your family uses a financial advisor, see if you can sit in on meetings and start learning about the ways they can assist you in building wealth.

    The post Gen Z: 5 tips to help build your wealth 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 over ten 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. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 Scott Phillips.

  • Holidays on hold: How will this affect ASX travel shares?

    a man sitting in an aeroplane seat holds the top of his head as he looks at his airline ticket with an annoyed, angry expression on his face.

    New research by Finder shows 37% of Aussies have put holidays on hold due to rising cost-of-living pressures. Could this affect ASX travel shares?

    Here, I’ll examine the latest broker ratings, share price targets and commentary on three of the most popular ASX travel shares.

    Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)

    Goldman Sachs has a buy rating on Qantas with a 12-month share price target of $8.05.

    The ASX airline share closed at $6.07 on Tuesday, down 0.82% for the day and down 5.45% over 12 months.

    Goldman analysts Niraj Shah and Joseph Kusia expect the airline’s traffic capacity to return to 95% of pre-COVID levels by FY24. They also expect its earnings capacity to exceed pre-COVID levels by about 52%.

    The analysts said the ASX travel share was undervalued at today’s price level, commenting:

    QAN’s current market capitalisation and enterprise value are 10% below and 11% below pre-COVID levels. As such, we believe QAN is not priced for a generic recovery, let alone prospects for improved earnings capacity.

    We continue to see upside associated with substantially improved MT earnings capacity. 

    Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)

    Goldman has a sell rating on Flight Centre with a 12-month share price target of $18.30.

    Flight Centre shares closed at $19.40 on Tuesday, down 2.02% for the day and down 8.4% over 12 months.

    Goldman analysts Lisa Deng and James Leigh said:

    FLT provided its trading update for 3Q24 and reiterated group underlying PBT guidance of A$300-340mn for FY24 (A$270 – A$310mn excluding Convertible Note amortisation).

    While our calculation of implied 3Q24 numbers suggests that there is slightly below-expectations run-rate in Corporate, this will likely be offset by above-expectations run-rate in Leisure.

    Net net, we continue to see recovery and competitive risks in Corporate per our downgrade in March 2024 and our thesis remains unchanged.

    The team at Morgans has a different view to Goldman Sachs on this ASX travel share. They have an add rating on Flight Centre shares with a 12-month price target of $27.27.

    Morgans said Flight Centre has the greatest risk/reward profile of the ASX travel shares under its coverage.

    The broker explained:

    The risk is centred around execution given its changed business model, while the reward is material if FLT delivers on its 2% margin target. If achieved, this would result in material upside to consensus estimates and valuations. FLT is targeting to achieve this margin in FY25.

    With greater confidence in the travel recovery and the benefits of Flight Centre’s transformed business model already emerging, we think the company is well placed over coming years.

    Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB)

    Morgans has an add rating on Webjet shares with a 12-month price target of $10.33.

    The ASX travel share finished the session yesterday at $8.65, down 1.48% for the day and up 15.95% over 12 months.

    Morgans said the online travel booking company has “significant market share still up for grabs” within its WebBeds B2B business and is well positioned for the future.

    The post Holidays on hold: How will this affect ASX travel shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Flight Centre Travel Group Limited right now?

    Before you buy Flight Centre Travel Group Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Flight Centre Travel Group Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over 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 may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • 5 ASX ETFs that could be great long term buys

    Are you looking for some ASX exchange traded funds (ETFs) to buy and hold?

    If you are, then it could be worth checking out the five high-quality ASX ETFs listed below.

    Let’s see what they offer investors:

    BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

    The first ASX ETF that could be a top buy and hold option is the BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. This popular ETF gives investors access to the best tech stocks in the Asian region but excluding Japan. Many of these are the region’s equivalents of the West’s biggest and best tech giants. Among its holdings are e-commerce leader Alibaba, search engine giant Baidu, iPhone manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, and WeChat owner Tencent.

    iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF (ASX: IXI)

    Another ASX ETF for investors to look at is the iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF. It could be a good option for investors that have a low tolerance for risk. That’s because this fund gives investors access to many of the world’s largest consumer staples companies. These are companies that usually perform well whatever is happening in the global economy. Among its holdings are behemoths such as Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Unilever.

    iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV)

    A third ASX ETF for investors to look at is the iShares S&P 500 ETF. It could be a good buy and hold option given the sheer quality among its holdings. These are the 500 largest companies on Wall Street. This means that you will be investing in a diverse group of shares from a range of different sectors, including countless household names such as Microsoft, Exxon Mobil, Johnson & Johnson, and Visa.

    Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS)

    Another ASX ETF that could be a great buy and hold option is the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF. This fund aims to track the local ASX 300 index. It is home to Australia’s leading 300 listed companies. This includes shares such as BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG), Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST), and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).

    Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

    A final ASX ETF to consider for a buy and hold investment is the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. This very popular ETF gives investors access to a massive ~1,500 of the world’s largest listed companies through a single investment. This could make it a great option if you’re looking to diversify your portfolio. It also gives investors exposure to global economic growth.

    The post 5 ASX ETFs that could be great long term buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Betashares Capital Ltd – Asia Technology Tigers Etf right now?

    Before you buy Betashares Capital Ltd – Asia Technology Tigers Etf shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Betashares Capital Ltd – Asia Technology Tigers Etf wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over 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 may be better buys…

    See The 5 Stocks
    *Returns as of 5 May 2024

    More reading

    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 positions in and has recommended Baidu, Macquarie Group, Microsoft, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Tencent, Visa, Wesfarmers, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Alibaba Group, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, and Unilever Plc and has recommended the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group, Wesfarmers, and iShares International Equity ETFs – iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Betashares Capital – Asia Technology Tigers Etf, Microsoft, Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.