Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW) shares are edging higher on Tuesday.

In afternoon trade, ASX 200 stock is up 0.25% to $28.55.

This is despite there being some big news out of the building products company which you might have expected to drag its shares lower.

What did the ASX 200 stock announce?

This morning, Brickworks announced the retirement of its long-standing managing director, Lindsay Partridge.

According to the release, Partridge will retire on 31 July 2024 after 39 years with the company and 25 years as its leader.

The company notes that during this time, the outgoing CEO has successfully grown Brickworks from a small brick manufacturing operation with an asset base of $500 million to a large multinational organisation with an asset base of $6 billion.

Commenting on the exit, Brickworks’ chair, Robert Millner, said:

On behalf of the Board and the Brickworks team, I would like to thank Lindsay for his outstanding dedication and leadership and the remarkable contribution he has made in growing and reshaping the Brickworks Group from a small brick making company to an ASX 150 listed company comprising successful international building products and large-scale industrial property JV businesses.

What’s next?

The ASX 200 stock has been quick to announce a replacement, having prepared in advance for this eventuality.

The release reveals that following a comprehensive internal succession planning process, it has appointed Mark Ellenor as Partridge’s successor in the role of CEO. Partridge will assist with Ellenor’s transition to his new role until his retirement.

Mark Ellenor is the current Brickworks chief operating officer and has been with the company for 25 years.

Millner believes that Ellenor will be a great CEO for the company. He adds:

Mark is well suited to lead Brickworks through the next chapter of growth and performance. Mark brings to the role a deep understanding of brick, rooftile and masonry manufacturing, supply and distribution in Australia and North America. He has delivered on multiple plant rationalisations and capital expenditure programs and the positioning of brick as a style choice to architects through the design studio footprint.

Usually when a long-serving CEO leaves a company its share price will crumble due to the uncertainty. However, with this ASX 200 stock edging higher today, it appears that the market believes Ellenor’s appointment will mean business as usual for the company.

Following today’s gain, Brickworks shares are now up 24% over the past 12 months.

The post Guess which ASX 200 stock is losing its CEO after 25 years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

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• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
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• Brickworks share price tumbles on disappointing half-year loss

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

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With so many shares to choose from on the ASX, it can be difficult to decide which ones to buy. The good news is that brokers across the country are doing a lot of the hard work for you.

Three top ASX shares that leading brokers have named as buys this week are listed below. Here’s why they are bullish on them:

Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN)

According to a note out of Bell Potter, its analysts have retained their buy rating on this coal miner’s shares with a trimmed price target of $1.65. Bell Potter believes that throughout 2024, Coronado should realise improved production volumes and subsequent cost benefits following its self-funded investment across its Australian and US operations. It expects this to lead to the generation of more consistent free cash flow and shareholder returns going forward. In addition, Bell Potter highlights a supply constrained met coal environment, which it believes will support long term prices. The Coronado Global share price is trading at $1.24 on Tuesday.

Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG)

Another note out of Bell Potter reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating on this property listings company’s shares with a slightly trimmed price target of $3.75. The broker has been looking into the industry and believes that Domain’s network effect remains intact. In addition, it highlights that positive operating conditions for new residential buy listings are ongoing, underpinned by low unemployment, population growth, and a stabilising outlook for interest rates. The sum of the above is Bell Potter forecasting an earnings per share compound annual growth rate of 25% between FY 2024 and FY 2026. The Domain share price is fetching $3.26 this afternoon.

Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE)

Analysts at UBS have retained their buy rating on this wine giant’s shares with an improved price target of $12.74. This follows news that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has announced that tariffs on Australian wine imports into China will be reduced to nil, effective 29 March 2024. According to the note, the broker was pleased with the news and believes that Treasury Wine’s shares now deserve to trade on higher earnings multiples given its larger addressable market. Its analysts have also boosted their earnings estimates for the coming years to reflect the news and higher margin assumptions for its premium wine. The Treasury Wine share price is trading at $12.74 on Tuesday afternoon.

The post Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Treasury Wine Estates. 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 Treasury Wine Estates. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) just popped into potentially new all-time high closing territory.

Again.

After closing at a fresh record high of 7,896.9 points on Thursday, the ASX 200 is currently at 7,907.0 points. If it can hold onto these gains, the benchmark index will kick off April breaking yet another record close.

The rally comes despite a slight retrace in US markets yesterday, with the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) closing down 0.2%.

What’s happening with interest rates in the US?

At the Federal Reserve’s last meeting, the US benchmark interest rate was left unchanged in the range of 5.25% to 5.50%.

On Friday, when the ASX 200 was closed for the Easter holidays, Fed chair Jerome Powell watered down expectations of an imminent rate cut from the world’s most influential central bank, saying Fed members are still waiting for more evidence that inflation is under control before pulling the rate cut trigger.

According to Powell:

The fact that the US economy is growing at such a solid pace, the fact that the labour market is still very, very strong, gives us the chance to just be a little more confident about inflation coming down before we take the important step of cutting rates.

However, he placated investors by adding that it’s still likely the Fed will begin to cut rates “at some point this year”.

Veronica Clark, an economist at Citigroup, is still confident that the Fed will begin easing in 2024, which should offer some tailwinds to US stocks and the ASX 200.

According to Clark (quoted by The Australian Financial Review):

The overall message really hasn’t changed too much. It seems like February inflation data came in line with how they were expecting, and that’s in line with more prints that they would be OK with.

We’re in the mode now of just gaining a bit more confidence, a couple more months of data, and they’re still going to be willing to cut mid-year.

ASX 200 investors also eyeing the RBA

As for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), the March minutes showed that the central bank did not discuss raising interest rates, something they had considered in prior meetings.

Still, National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) senior economist Rodrigo Catril believes ASX 200 investors may be waiting until 2025 to see the first RBA rate cuts.

“We still have an inflationary problem,” Catril said (quoted by the AFR). “We believe the RBA will be on course to cut in November, but the resilience of the labour market may prove to be a challenge.”

Catril added, “We need to see a weakening of the labour market for the Reserve Bank to consider a rate cut and at the moment, it remains unclear whether that will happen as soon as November.”

Stay tuned!

The post What the latest US inflation data means for ASX 200 investors and interest rates appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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.

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A bunch of ASX All Ords shares were upgraded in March to the most positive rating you can get on CommSec, which is a ‘strong buy’.

The ratings on CommSec are based on the consensus view of analysts covering the stock.

Let’s take a look at a few who were elevated to a strong buy call.

7 ASX All Ords upgraded to a strong buy rating in March

South32 Limited (ASX: S32)

South32 shares were upgraded to strong buy on 8 March.

Today the South32 share price is $3.05, up 1.5%.

Morgans has an add rating and a 12-month share price target of $4.10 on the ASX All Ords mining share. This implies a potential upside of 34% for investors.

Morgans says:

S32 has transformed its portfolio by divesting South African thermal coal and acquiring an interest in Chile copper, substantially boosting group earnings quality, as well as S32’s risk and ESG profile.

Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)

The consensus analyst rating on Qantas shares changed to a strong buy on 7 March.

The ASX All Ords travel share is currently trading at $5.49, up 0.79%.

Goldman Sachs reckons it can go a lot higher than this. The broker has a 12-month share price target of $8.05 on Qantas. This implies a potential upside of 46%.

In a note, the broker said the company’s 1H FY24 earnings provided “another proof point on reset earnings capacity”.

Johns Lyng Group Limited (ASX: JLG)

Johns Lyng shares were upgraded to a strong buy on 5 March.

The Johns Lyng share price is currently $6.19, down 3.5%. My colleague Tristan has been buying the stock after seeing the company’s FY24 first-half results.

According to CommSec, Johns Lyng is delivering superior earnings growth:

Over the last 3 years, earnings growth has averaged 24.84% annually at JLG. This is better than the industry average growth of 2.15%. For fiscal years 2024 and 2025, analysts are estimating that average annualized growth will be weaker than during the last 3 years.

Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CUV)

The consensus analyst rating on Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals shares changed to strong buy on 15 March.

The ASX All Ords share is currently changing hands for $15.21, up 5.9%. Morgans has an add rating and a $22 share price target on the stock.

The company itself reckons it’s going for cheap, too, and announced a share buyback in mid-March. Clinuvel is aiming to buy back up to 1.5 million shares over the next 12 months.

Management said the recent share price decline had taken the stock to a market valuation that was “no longer commensurate with the performance and expected outlook for the company”.

MMA Offshore Limited (ASX: MRM)

The consensus analyst rating on MMA Offshore shares changed to a strong buy on 28 March.

The share price of the ASX All Ords marine services provider is currently steady at $2.61.

MMA reported one of the biggest profit jumps of the last earnings season with a 339% rise in underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) to $39.5 million in 1H FY24.

Last week the ASX All Ords share rocketed 10% on a $985 million cash bid from Cyan MMA Holdings.

Janison Education Group Limited (ASX: JAN)

The consensus analyst rating on Janison Education shares changed to a strong buy on 15 March.

Shares in the ASX All Ords education technology provider are currently trading at 29 cents, down 3.33%.

According to CommSec, Janison’s earnings growth is well ahead:

Over the last 3 years, earnings growth has averaged 55.13% annually at JAN. This is better than the industry average growth of -1.26%. For fiscal years 2024 and 2025, analysts are estimating that average annualized growth will be weaker than during the last 3 years.

Ventia Services Group Limited (ASX: VNT)

The consensus analyst rating on Ventia shares changed to a strong buy on 5 March.

Shares in the ASX All Ords infrastructure maintenance services provider are currently $3.88, up 0.78%.

Ventia delivered a strong set of FY23 results, including a 12.5% increase in net profit after tax and amortisation (NPATA) to $202 million. It’s now guiding 7% to 10% growth in NPATA for FY24.

According to CommSec, the company’s earnings growth is notable:

Over the last 3 years, earnings growth has averaged 30.50% annually at VNT. This is better than the industry average growth of 2.15%. For fiscal years 2024 and 2025, analysts are estimating that average annualized growth will be weaker than during the last 3 years.

The post 7 ASX All Ords shares elevated to ‘strong buy’ status in March appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in South32. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Janison Education Group and Johns Lyng Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Janison Education Group and Johns Lyng Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to start the week with a very small gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up slightly to 7,901.6 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market’s lead are listed below. Here’s why they are falling:

Cettire Ltd (ASX: CTT)

The Cettire share price is down 15% to $3.46. This appears to have been driven by weakness in the consumer sector and a broker note out of Bell Potter. In respect to the latter, the broker has downgraded Cettire’s shares to a hold rating with a trimmed price target of $4.50. It said: “[A]s we now head into 4Q24, we think the stock looks reasonably well priced at current levels considering the tougher comps ahead from 4Q24 onwards and as we anticipate the China market entry to be leaning well into FY25, post the current seasonal period which is CTT’s second largest trading period given the Northern Hemisphere summer.”

Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX: HVN)

The Harvey Norman share price is down almost 2% to $5.06. This has been driven by the retail giant’s shares going ex-dividend this morning for its interim dividend. Last month, Harvey Norman released its half-year results and declared a 10 cents per share fully franked interim dividend. Eligible shareholders can now look forward to receiving this payout at the start of next month on 1 May.

Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA)

The Orora share price is down almost 14% to $2.35. Investors have been hitting the selling button today after the packaging company downgraded its earnings guidance for FY 2024. Orora now expects its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) excluding Saverglass to be slightly lower versus FY 2023. This compares to its previous guidance for EBIT to be higher year on year in FY 2024. In addition, its recently acquired Saverglass business has also been underperforming. Management advised that a weaker February and March trading result has confirmed that there is no noticeable improvement in forward customer demand as destocking is continuing.

Resmed Inc (ASX: RMD)

The Resmed share price is down 3.5% to $29.12. This is despite there being no news out of the sleep disorder-focused medical device company on Tuesday. However, it is worth highlighting that its shares on Wall Street pulled back sharply during overnight trade. This may have been driven by profit taking after some very strong gains recently. For example, even after today’s weakness, ResMed shares are still up 33% since the end of October.

The post Why Cettire, Harvey Norman, Orora, and ResMed shares are sinking today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Harvey Norman and ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cettire and Orora. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has performed strongly on the back of a roaring rise of ASX bank shares like Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA). When the economy improves, I think these ASX shares could be good performers in a potential bull market.

Arguably, we’re already in a bull market – in the 12 months to 29 February 2024, the MSCI World Index went up 25.6%.

However, there are some stocks where the strength and confidence of the economy significantly influence their earnings. These are three stocks that I think could rise if the economy improves.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

BHP is the largest mining business in the world, with significant exposure to commodities like iron ore and copper.

When the economy is stronger and businesses and households are more confident, it could lead to more demand for BHP’s commodities, increasing the prices of these commodities and boosting profitability.

The iron ore price has weakened to around US$100 per tonne, but a recovery in the global economy could help increase demand from China (which is a major manufacturer of the world’s goods).

As for copper, ongoing investments around the world in decarbonisation and electrification could lead to a stronger copper price over time.

As the ASX’s biggest company, if there’s going to be a bull market for the ASX 200, I think BHP will be an important contributor.

Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)

The ASX bank share sector has soared – Macquarie shares have gone up too, up 19% in six months.

The Macquarie Asset Management division is already doing well from the strong asset prices. I think some of the company’s divisions are primed to see a recovery in performance. The investment banking division (Macquarie Capital) may benefit if there are more initial public offerings (IPOs) and capital raisings.

Macquarie’s commodities and global markets (CGM) division saw a big decline in profitability in its recent result, so an improvement in the economy could be a boost for profit in this segment.

It’s one of the biggest companies on the ASX and could become an even larger part of the ASX 200 if it does well and leads a bull market charge.

Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)

The ASX share has seen a recovery from the bad times of COVID-19 – travel has returned strongly.

However, some companies and governments may be looking to save on costs in the short term amid the inflationary environment. The company referred to a negative $15 million impact to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in the second quarter of macroeconomic issues.

The Corporate Travel Management share price is down around 20% from 29 January 2024, but I think there’s plenty of scope for it to recover, particularly with profit projected to increase in FY25 and FY26.

According to the projection on Commsec, the Corporate Travel Management share price is valued at under 14 times FY26’s estimated earnings.

The post 3 ASX shares I think will lead the next bull market charge appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• The BHP share price was surprisingly resilient in March. Now what?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
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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 positions in and has recommended Corporate Travel Management and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Corporate Travel Management and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Some ASX shares are exposed to very supportive tailwinds, which can be helpful for earnings and potentially the share price as it plays out.

The share prices I’m going to refer to have already gone on strong runs. I’m not saying the below two stocks are cheap – but they could keep rising over the long term because of that tailwind support.

Propel Funeral Partners Ltd (ASX: PFP)

Propel is the second-largest funeral operator in Australia and New Zealand. As the saying goes, there are only two things certain in life – death and taxes. And we can’t invest in the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Funeral providers are in a very defensive industry, which means the company may be able to generate a consistent base level of earnings each year, depending on the number of funerals that are performed each year.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), death volumes are expected to increase by 2.5% per annum from 2023 to 2030 and 2.9% from 2030 to 2040.

The average revenue per funeral is also increasing for the ASX share – it rose by 4.5% in the FY24 first-half period to $6,630.

A combination of more funerals and more revenue per funeral can help the company’s organic revenue growth. It’s also steadily growing by making acquisitions which can increase its geographic presence.

According to the projections on Commsec, it’s predicted to grow its earnings per share (EPS) by 23% between FY24 and FY26.

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)

Goodman is one of the biggest businesses on the ASX, with a market capitalisation of $63 billion.

It has become a huge ASX share by developing industrial property estates around the world. There is growing demand for industrial property because of the importance of logistics for businesses and the long-term growth of e-commerce (which requires distribution centres).

The large demand for industrial property is helping drive the rental income higher, boosting the business’ operating profit.

One of the most exciting shifts by the business is that it’s now planning to become heavily involved in the data centre space. In the recent FY24 first-half result, it said it had made significant progress on advancing and expanding its global data centre power bank – “securing power and planning, commencing infrastructure and working with customers on optimal delivery models that best suit their needs”. It said it has reached 4GW.

Its total work in progress (WIP) is $12.9 billion, with a development yield on cost of 6.7%, with data centre projects representing 37% of WIP.

The ASX share said that “data centres are expected to be a key area of group for the group” and have “attractive development margins on existing and new projects”.

NAOS Asset Management recently shared two quotes about data centres. Stuart Gibson, the co-CEO of ESR Group Ltd (the largest real estate manager in the Asia Pacific region) said:

The entire Asia Pacific region is becoming a really attractive market for data centre development and is expected to remain so for decades to come, given the explosion in data processing demand in this part of the world.

Yukio Kani, CEO of JERA Co (Japan’s largest power provider) recently said:

It’s [data centre power requirements] a very hungry caterpillar.

The post I think these 2 ASX shares could make strong long-term buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Top ASX shares to buy in April 2024
• Here’s how the ASX 200 market sectors stacked up last week
• 13 ASX 200 shares at 52-week highs
• Here are the top five ASX 200 shares in Macquarie’s model growth portfolio
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

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 Goodman Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Goodman Group and Propel Funeral Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having a subdued start to the shortened week and has just slipped into the red. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down slightly to 7,896.3 points.

Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back today are listed below. Here’s why they are rising on Tuesday:

Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB)

The Austal share price is up 11% to $2.44. Investors have been buying this shipbuilder’s shares after it received and rejected a takeover offer from South Korean chaebol, Hanwha. It made an unsolicited, conditional, and non-binding indicative proposal to acquire Austal by way of a scheme of arrangement for $2.825 cash per share. This represented a 28.4% premium to where the Austal share price ended last week. However, Austal is concerned that it would not be able to obtain the relevant regulatory approvals in Australia and the USA to enable it to proceed.

Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB)

The Mesoblast share price is up 67% to 93 cents. This is despite there being no news out of the biotechnology company this morning. Though, it is worth highlighting that the company’s shares on Wall Street rocketed higher overnight. So, this gain appears to be in response to that. Investors have been fighting to get hold of Mesoblast’s shares since the US FDA gave one of its stem cell therapies a big boost last week. Its shares are now up over 150% in the space of a week.

Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)

The Novonix share price is up almost 5% to 90 cents. This morning, this battery materials and technology company announced that it has been recommended to receive a major tax credit from the United States Government. Novonix looks set to receive US$103 million (A$159 million) in tax credits to support production of critical battery materials from its Riverside facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

The Paladin Energy share price is up 5% to $1.44. This has been driven by news that the uranium miner has commenced production at the Langer Heinrich Mine (LHM) in central western Namibia. Both uranium concentrate production and drumming were achieved at LHM on 30 March, which means that the company will soon be able to capitalise on the sky high prices that uranium is currently commanding. Paladin Energy plans to provide guidance for key FY 2025 LHM operational parameters in the second half of the year.

The post Why Austal, Mesoblast, Novonix, and Paladin Energy shares are racing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Blast off! Mesoblast share price surging 60%
• Novonix share price booming 5% on cracking tax credit
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• Guess which ASX 300 stock is jumping 9% after receiving a takeover offer
• Top ASX shares to buy in April 2024

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 Austal. 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.

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Banking $2,000 a month in passive income from S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dividend shares is far more achievable than you may think.

The ASX 200 offers numerous quality blue-chip companies with lengthy track records of reliable dividend payouts.

And unlike most international stock markets, like in the United States, many of these companies pay fully franked dividends. That will provide you with credit for the corporate taxes these companies have already paid on their profits.

Meaning, investors should be able to hold onto more of that passive income at tax time.

Before looking at my three top ASX 200 dividend shares to consider buying now, a few important points.

Diversification and trailing yields

First, please note that the yields you generally see quoted are trailing yields. Future yields may be higher or lower depending on a range of company-specific and macroeconomic factors. While you can study forecast yields as well, those are essentially just analysts’ best guesses at what the future may bring.

Second, while I’ll look at three top ASX 200 shares to buy for passive income, an ideal income portfolio should hold considerably more than three stocks. Proper diversification among various sectors will reduce the risk of your income taking an unexpectedly big hit if any particular company or sector comes under pressure.

With that said…

A $2,000 monthly passive income from ASX 200 dividend shares

My first stock to buy for $2,000 a month in passive income is BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP).

The ASX 200 iron ore miner paid a final fully franked dividend of $1.251 per share on 28 September. The interim dividend of $1.096 per share was paid right before Easter, on 28 March.

That equates to a full-year (rounded) payout of $2.35 per share. At the recent BHP share price of $45.05 a share, BHP trades on a fully franked trailing yield of around 5.2%.

My second stock to buy now for passive income is ASX 200 coal share New Hope Corp Ltd (ASX: NHC).

New Hope paid a final fully franked dividend of 30 cents per share on 7 November. The interim dividend of 17 cents per share will be paid on 1 May. (New Hope stock trades ex-dividend on 15 April.)

At the recent New Hope share price of $4.74, the ASX 200 dividend stock trades on a fully franked yield (partly trailing, partly pending) of 9.9%.

This brings me to my third top passive income share, ASX 200 bank stock National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB).

NAB shares delivered a fully franked interim dividend of 83 cents per share on 5 July. The bank paid a final dividend of 84 cents per share on 15 December, for a full-year payout of $1.67 a share.

At the recent NAB share price of $34.63, that equates to a fully franked trailing yield of 4.8%.

How much to buy?

If I were to invest an equal amount in each of these ASX 200 dividend shares, I’d earn an average yield of 6.6%.

For my $2,000 monthly passive income (or $24,000) a year, I’d need to invest $363,636 today.

That should enable me to withdraw that monthly passive income without touching the capital.

I’ll also be hoping for share price gains to help turbo-charge these returns.

And if I don’t have that much money to invest in one go, that’s fine too. I can always invest smaller amounts every month and let the magic of compounding help propel me to my goal in good time.

Now, as always, before investing in these ASX 200 dividend shares for passive income, or any other stocks, be sure to do your own thorough research first.

If you don’t have the time, or are uncomfortable with that, reach out to an appropriate professional for some expert advice.

The post 3 top ASX 200 dividend shares to buy now for $2,000 a month in passive income appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• The BHP share price was surprisingly resilient in March. Now what?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• 5 top ASX dividend shares to buy right now
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why it’s a great day to own BHP shares

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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.

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It’s been a fairly happy day for the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) and most ASX 300 shares so far this Tuesday. At the time of writing, the ASX 300 has risen by a comfortable 0.14%, putting the index at around 7,860 points. But let’s discuss what’s going on with Aussie Broadband Ltd (ASX: ABB) shares.

Aussie Broadband shares don’t seem to be benefitting from the optimism we are seeing across the broader share market today. At the time of writing, the ASX telco has tanked by almost 1%, down 0.98% at $3.54 a share.

It’s possible that a new ASX announcement out of Aussie Broadband is a factor here.

This morning, just before market open, Aussie Broadband gave investors an update regarding the saga surrounding the purchase of its fellow ASX telco Superloop Ltd (ASX: SLC)’s shares.

The relationship between Superloop and Aussie Broadband has been an interesting one to observe in 2024 to date.

Over February and March, we saw some ASX drama after Aussie Broadband lobbed a takeover offer at Superloop shareholders.

In late February, Aussie offered a non-binding indicative proposal to Superloop investors. It was an all-scrip offer, putting up 0.21 Aussie Broadband shares for every Sueprloop share owned. A few days later, Superloop rejected the offer, calling it ” opportunistic” stating that it “fundamentally undervalues Superloop”.

However, this takeover offer was quickly overshadowed by the revelation that Aussie Broadband had acquired a 19.9% stake in Superloop itself.

Aussie Broadband buys and sells Superloop shares

The company didn’t respond well to this development and launched legal proceedings against Aussie in Federal Court. Superloop argued that Aussie Broadband’s share buy-up wasn’t permitted under its constitution because it occurred “without the prior approval of the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) in Singapore”.

It asked Aussie to reduce its stake to under 12% within ten business days.

Aussie Broadband initially responded by calling the purchase “inadvertent”, but stated that it would appeal the legal proceedings. This was unsuccessful.

However, today, the company has given investors an update.

In an ASX filing this morning, the telco confirmed that it had adhered to Sueprloop’s request, and sold off some of its Superloop stock. Here’s what the statement said:

Aussie Broadband Limited… refers to its acquisition of a 19.9% relevant interest in Superloop… which was announced on 26 February 2024 and the subsequent notice from Superloop directing ABB to dispose of its legal and beneficial ownership in a number of shares in Superloop, which was announced on 18 March 2024.

On 1 April 2024, ABB entered into an agreement to sell 37,621,056 fully paid ordinary shares in Superloop at a sale price of $1.31 per share. Following the sale, ABB has a 11.99% shareholding in Superloop.

So it appears this puts to bed the legal drama that has swirled around these two companies over the past month or so. This action by Aussie Broadband might well explain why investors are a little cool on this telco’s shares during today’s trading thus far. But let’s see if this is indeed the end of this ASX telco saga.

The post Aussie Broadband shares are falling on a big sale today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Aussie Broadband share price whipsaws as company denies rumours
• Why Aussie Broadband, Liontown, Metals Acquisition, and Seek shares are falling
• Aussie Broadband share price falls as legal proceedings commence against Superloop
• 3 ASX All Ords shares that brokers tip will grow 30% to 40% this year
• Why Arafura Rare Earths, Core Lithium, Goodman, and Superloop shares are falling today

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 Aussie Broadband. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Aussie Broadband. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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