• 1 ASX growth stock down 30% to buy right now

    A young man goes over his finances and investment portfolio at home.A young man goes over his finances and investment portfolio at home.

    Savvy investors know that it’s time to pounce on ASX growth shares when the market is temporarily spooked despite the business remaining rock solid.

    The startling fact is that the stock market is more emotional than it cares to admit, and often reacts harshly to short-term factors.

    In this reporting season, I think Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG) is precisely in this situation.

    The company presented its results on Tuesday morning, sending its share price plunging 20% in the first few minutes of trade.

    That chaos has now nudged the total loss for Johns Lyng investors since April 2022 above the 30% mark.

    Profit, earnings down after reporting season

    The main culprit for this week’s panic seems to be a reduction in the half-year net profit after tax (NPAT).

    Johns Lyng reported $31.1 million on Tuesday, as opposed to the $34.1 million for the first half of the 2023 financial year.

    And that predictably led to a decrease in earnings per share (EPS), from 9.68 cents to 8.47 cents.

    Perhaps Johns Lyng is a victim of its own past success here, as the stock has risen more than 400% in the past half-decade.

    Expectations are high when a business grows that quickly, so the market dealt with this setback harshly.

    But is Johns Lyng terminal?

    Looking under the hood, the numbers were not convincingly indicative of a business in chronic decline.

    “Johns Lyng said it had a record volume of Business as Usual (BaU) work during the quarter. This resulted in $426.1 million in revenue, up 13.7% on 1H FY23,” reported The Motley Fool’s Bronwyn Allen.

    As much of Johns Lyng’s activities are related to natural disasters, the work can fluctuate over time. 

    Revenue from the catastrophe (CAT) business did come in 35% lower compared to a record-breaking 1H FY23, when much of eastern Australia was suffering from heavy rains.

    But management pointed out $120.4 million of CAT revenue collected this time is already 87% of the previous full-year forecast.

    “This has led to an upgraded full-year revenue forecast of $177.8 million.”

    The pros are sticking with the growth stock

    A critical barometer for any investors considering swooping on Johns Lyng shares while they’re cheap is what the professionals think after the half-year numbers.

    And it’s notable that none of the major broking houses have changed their ratings or target share price for Johns Lyng since Tuesday morning.

    According to CMC Invest, five of seven analysts still believe the stock is a strong buy.

    So for those willing to stick with it for the long run, this week could be an ideal opportunity to buy Johns Lyng at a discount.

    The post 1 ASX growth stock down 30% to buy right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

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    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo has positions in Johns Lyng Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Johns Lyng Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended 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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  • Here’s the Rio Tinto dividend forecast through to 2026

    A female miner wearing a high vis vest and hard hard smiles and holds a clipboard while inspecting a mine site with a colleague.

    A female miner wearing a high vis vest and hard hard smiles and holds a clipboard while inspecting a mine site with a colleague.

    Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares have long been a popular option for income investors.

    And it isn’t hard to understand why.

    The mining giant generates billions of dollars in free cash flow each year. It then uses this cash to reward its shareholders with dividend payments.

    And while the size of the dividend may change regularly in response to commodity prices, the yields on offer with its shares are usually significantly greater than the market average.

    This looks set to be the case again in 2024 following the release of the miner’s full-year results.

    Last week, Rio Tinto’s board released its results and declared a fully franked final dividend per share of US$2.58 per share (A$3.96 per share). This was a 14.7% increase on the prior corresponding period and brought its full-year dividend to US$4.35 per share (A$6.67 per share).

    Based on the latest Rio Tinto share price, this equates to yields of 3.2% for its final dividend and 5.4% for the full year.

    But what’s next for the Rio Tinto dividend?

    The good news for income investors is that there could be bigger dividends to come from Rio Tinto in the coming years.

    According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, its analysts are now forecasting a modest increase to US$4.39 per share (A$6.73 per share) in FY 2024. This will mean a fully franked 5.45% dividend yield for investors.

    A larger increase is expected in FY 2025, with Goldman expecting the miner to pay out US$4.61 per share (A$7.07 per share). If this proves accurate, it would mean a yield of 5.7% for investors.

    Finally, in FY 2026, the broker expects the Rio Tinto dividend to be trimmed to US$4.55 per share (A$6.98 per share). This will still mean an attractive fully franked 5.65% dividend yield.

    Goldman Sachs has a buy rating and $138.30 price target on the miner’s shares.

    The post Here’s the Rio Tinto dividend forecast through to 2026 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 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has 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.

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  • How I’d invest $250 a month in ASX dividend shares to target a $24,000 annual second income

    Woman with headphones on relaxing and looking at her phone happily.Woman with headphones on relaxing and looking at her phone happily.

    Could you do with a second income of $24,000 each year?

    Who couldn’t, right? That’s a huge overseas holiday each year, home renovation, or the kids’ school expenses taken care of.

    It could even allow you to step down to part time work so you can free up time to spend with the family, pursue hobbies, or anything else that might make you happy.

    I’m here to tell you that such a flow of passive income is not just a pie-in-the-sky dream. It is within the reach of ordinary Australians.

    Here’s a hypothetical to consider:

    Dividend stocks that also grow in valuation

    In this sample scenario, let’s assume you have $40,000 to start investing.

    I pick this as a reasonable figure because comparison site Finder last year found that this is about the level of savings that the average Australian has stored away.

    There are many different strategies you can employ to grow this nest egg, but I’ll run with ASX dividend shares for this case.

    There are some fantastic stocks out there that will not only pay you a serviceable dividend twice a year, but possess decent capital growth potential.

    Take Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) and Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) as examples.

    They are paying excellent dividend yields of 7.1% and 6.3% respectively. Both are fully franked, so the amounts you actually receive may be more than that.

    And the Ampol share price has risen 43% over the past five years, while Super Retail has rocketed 123%.

    If you combine the two channels of returns, Ampol boasts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in excess of 14.5%. For Super Retail it’s a mind-blowing 23.6%.

    If you have these types of winners mixed into a well diversified portfolio, assisted by franking credits, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t nab 12% a year.

    It’s not like these are crazy speculative startup stocks. They are established players in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

    Save and invest for 11 years

    Going back to that $40,000, if you keep that growing at 12% per annum while you add in an extra $250 each month and reinvest all the returns, you will be laughing in no time.

    After 11 years of yearly compounding, that nest egg will have grown to $201,105.

    From then, stop reinvesting the dividends and the capital growth. Just bank it as cash instead.

    You will have turned on a perpetual tap that averages $24,132 of second income each year.

    How good is that!

    The post How I’d invest $250 a month in ASX dividend shares to target a $24,000 annual second income appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

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    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo 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 positions in and has recommended Super Retail 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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  • Should I buy Nvidia stock as an Australian investor?

    A man looking at his laptop and thinking.A man looking at his laptop and thinking.

    Regular readers would know already that Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the hottest stock on the planet right now.

    Customers are buying the company’s processing chips faster than it can make them, thanks to the huge computing power required for artificial intelligence (AI).

    Nvidia’s last four quarterly results have all exceeded analysts expectations.

    Accordingly, the share price has now gained a mind-blowing 239% over the past 12 months.

    If you go back to October 2022, just before ChatGPT opened to the public and lit a fire under anything AI related, Nvidia stocks have surged 601%.

    That’s a 7-bagger in just 16 months, folks.

    So is it time to open up your US broking platform and grab some of this action?

    The anxiety of flying stocks 

    Of course, the big worry with stocks that have run up so much so fast is the lofty performance expectations on the business.

    Nvidia could now be in a spot where even an update that merely meets expectations might not be enough to keep the stocks from sinking.

    After all, there are plenty of short-term traders who will quickly pounce on any sign to offload their shares, take their winnings, and go home.

    A related issue is that even if Nvidia keeps smashing it, the upside for the stock could be limited.

    After the recent bull run, the PE ratio for the tech stock now stands at 66. 

    According to TipRanks, the average share price target among 40 Wall Street analysts is US$867.93. That’s only about a 10% potential gain from the current level.

    Sure, a 10% gain is nothing to sneeze at. But you could be severely disappointed if you’re buying Nvidia shares now with the hope that they’ll triple by this time next year.

    Alternatives to Nvidia stocks

    That is not to say Nvidia can’t keep this spectacular run going. Anything can happen.

    But for me, with the uncertainty of whether that can happen or not, there are better uses of my spare investment cash.

    Even if you want to invest in the same theme of computer chips or artificial intelligence, there are other stocks that could provide a better bang for buck.

    Take Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd (NYSE: TSM) as an example.

    The semiconductor maker is further up the supply chain, selling its products to chip makers such as Nvidia.

    The TSMC share price has doubled since ChatGPT was unleashed in the world, so it has been no slouch for investors.

    But the stock currently trades at a more sane PE ratio of 25, perhaps giving it more room to grow its valuation even if the future is not perfectly laid out.

    All five Wall Street analysts covering TSMC reckon it’s a buy, according to TipRanks.

    The post Should I buy Nvidia stock as an Australian investor? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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    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…

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    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo has positions in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nvidia. 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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  • Why this ASX defence stock soared 16% on Wednesday

    defence personnel operating and discussing defence technologydefence personnel operating and discussing defence technology

    This ASX defence stock blitzed the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) today, ranking as the fourth best-performing share on the list. Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS) relished in the bidding after releasing its full-year 2023 results.

    Shares in the ASX defence company closed the day 17.5% higher at $1.88. Investors quickly warmed up to the latest figures, propelling shares beyond their $1.66 opening price.

    Turnaround takes this ASX defence stock skyward

    • Record revenue of $219.3 million, up 59% from from prior year
    • Gross margin of 44% up from 34%
    • Underlying EBITDA of $5.7 million, up from a $42.9 million loss
    • Record operating cash flow of $113.1 million, up from $51.6 million of negative cash flow
    • Net loss after tax narrowed to $34.1 million from $53.6 million

    What else went on during FY23?

    After a few harrowing years, progress is being made on righting the ship at Electro Optic Systems. The company is still booking losses, but orders and cash flow are heading in the right direction.

    Between the two segments, defence and space, the former posted the largest increase in revenue. Specifically, defence revenue from continuing operations rose 49.4% to $155.4 million in FY23. Whereas space revenue climbed 31.9% to $63.9 million.

    EOS landed several significant contracts throughout the year. In April 2023, the company secured two contracts to supply Ukraine with remote weapon systems valued at US$120 million. Later on, in May, EOS signed another deal valued at A$202 million to ‘modernise communications across the Royal Australian Navy fleet’.

    The current geopolitical uncertainty was highlighted in today’s FY23 presentation. The conditions push defence spending higher, creating a ‘supportive market’ for Electro Optic Systems.

    Additionally, the company is seeing a shift to cannon-based air defence as drones become more common in conflict. Two defence products targeting this segment were launched in 2023: the Counter-Drone Kinetic System and the Integrated Counter-Drone Laser Dazzler.

    Lastly, bolstered cash flows were used to pay down debt during the year. Still, $50 million of debt remains (down from $70 million), amounting to $72.6 million with interest.

    Looking ahead

    No forecast was shared in the FY23 results, which tends to be typical in this industry. Nevertheless, an optimistic image was painted amid ongoing unrest across multiple regions, driving increased enquiries among NATO countries.

    One of the presentation slides read, “Market conditions are expected to remain supportive for the foreseeable future”, which is vague but positive.

    How has this ASX defence stock performed?

    Clawing out of a deep hole, the EOS share price has been on a tear over the last 12 months. What was once a 54 cents per share stock is now $1.88, equating to an increase of 248%.

    Few companies can attest to delivering that level of performance over the past year. Not even fellow ASX defence stock DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) has undergone such a rally during this timeframe, despite posting its own record result today.

    The post Why this ASX defence stock soared 16% on Wednesday 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 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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 DroneShield and Electro Optic Systems. 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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  • Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

    A woman sits in a cafe wearing a polka dotted shirt and holding a latte in one hand while reading something on a laptop that is sitting on the table in front of her

    A woman sits in a cafe wearing a polka dotted shirt and holding a latte in one hand while reading something on a laptop that is sitting on the table in front of her

    It ended up being another volatile day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Wednesday. But, unlike yesterday, ASX shares failed to snatch a last-minute win.

    After a day spent exploring both red and green territory, the ASX 200 ended up closing 0.034% lower, leaving the index at 7,660.4 points.

    This lacklustre day on the Australian share market comes after a bit of a mixed night up on the US markets overnight.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a depressing Tuesday, sinking by 0.25%.

    The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), however, went the other way, banking a rise of 0.37%.

    But let’s get back to ASX shares, with a look at what the different ASX sectors were up to today.

    Winners and losers

    Despite the bad mood of the broader market, we had a fairly even split between up and down sectors this Wednesday.

    Starting with the downers, no sector was more depressed than consumer staples shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) finished the day nursing a loss of 0.81%.

    Next up were ASX communications stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) was also on the nose, retreating by 0.55%.

    Then we had financial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) had a rough day as well, losing 0.55%.

    Consumer discretionary stocks were another losing sector, but the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) fared better than its staples counterpart and slid by 0.26%.

    Gold shares were another sector that investors didn’t want a bar of. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) slipped by 0.14%.

    Miners were technically our final red sector, but the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) was essentially flat, losing less than 0.01%.

    Turning now to the winners, and the best safe haven this Wednesday was in tech socks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had a corker, shooting up by 2.88%.

    Energy shares were also in demand, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)’s rise of 0.84%.

    Real estate investment trusts (REITs) had a great day as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) bouncing 0.52% higher.

    Utilities stocks were right behind that, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)’s lift of 0.28%.

    Healthcare shares recovered a little from yesterday’s sell-off. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) saw its value rise by 0.12%.

    Our final winner was the industrial sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) inched 0.1% higher by the closing bell.

    Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

    Today’s best stock on the index was miner Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN).

    Chalice shares had a massive day, surging 24.75% all the way up to $1.26 a share. This comes despite no obvious catalyst or news out of the company.

    However, my Fool colleague James dove into some possible reasons why we saw such a stunning move with Chalice shares earlier today.

    Here’s a look at how the rest of today’s top shares landed the plane:

    ASX-listed company Share price Price change
    Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) $1.26 24.75%
    NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) $17.15 13.13%
    Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) $1.27 9.96%
    Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) $4.17 7.47%
    Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) $2.13 7.30%
    IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) $8.14 7.11%
    Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) $1.255 6.36%
    Light & Wonder Inc (ASX: LNW) $154.94 5.92%
    Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) $120.22 5.60%
    Arcadium Lithium plc (ASX: LTM) $7.61 5.40%

    Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

    The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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    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 1 February 2024

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    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 Block, Light & Wonder, and PolyNovo. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Light & Wonder. 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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  • Why the CBA share price premium is ‘difficult to justify’

    A man looking at his laptop and thinking.

    A man looking at his laptop and thinking.

    It seems to have become highly fashionable on the ASX to question the valuation of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price of late.

    CBA shares have enjoyed an extremely lucrative few months. It was only back in late October that the share price of the ASX 200’s largest bank stock was sitting around $96. But CBA has rebounded spectacularly ever since and has even spent 2024 so far hitting a series of new all-time record high share prices.

    Today, CBA is sitting at $116.30 a share (at the time of writing), less than $2 away from its most recent all-time high of $118.24.

    But this 20% rise since October has prompted many ASX experts to question the valuation that investors are now pricing Commonwealth Bank at. Earlier this month, my Fool colleague James went through ASX broker Goldman Sachs’ rather dim view of the bank.

    ASX experts call out CBA share price as overvalued

    As we discussed at the time, Goldman reiterated its sell rating on the CBA share price, giving it a 12-month price target of just $81.98. That implies CBA shareholders could be facing an approximate 30% haircut over the coming year.

    Here’s some of what Goldman said to justify its bearishness:

    …we do not think this justifies the 55% 12-month forward PPOP premium CBA is currently trading on versus peers (ex-dividend adjusted), compared to the 29% 15-year average… despite historically good performance on balancing investment and productivity, we stay Sell.

    Goldman isn’t alone in this line of thinking either.

    As reported by The Bull, Philippe Bui of Medallion Financial Group has also recently given the CBA share price a sell rating. And lo and behold, valuation concerns were central to this view as well.

    Here’s what Bui had to say:

    The CBA is the best of the big four banks, in our opinion. However, in the absence of strong earnings per share growth, it’s difficult to justify CBA’s premium compared to the other banks.

    Statutory net profit after tax of $4.837 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2024 fell 8 per cent on the prior corresponding period. The net interest margin of 1.99 per cent was down 11 basis points.

    In our view, it will be difficult to pay out increasing dividends if earnings don’t improve.

    It is hard to ignore CBA’s valuation compared to even the other members of the big four. At current pricing, the CBA share price trades on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 20.33. In contrast, ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) is sitting on a P/E of just 12.55.

    This in effect means investors are paying 62% more for a dollar of CBA’s earnings than a dollar of ANZ’s.

    That’s something all CBA shareholders might want to keep in mind.

    The post Why the CBA share price premium is ‘difficult to justify’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

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    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    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 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.

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  • Buy NIB and this ASX 200 dividend stock now

    Smiling woman with her head and arm on a desk holding $100 notes out, symbolising dividends.

    Smiling woman with her head and arm on a desk holding $100 notes out, symbolising dividends.

    If you want to strengthen your income portfolio in March with some new additions, then it could be looking at the ASX 200 dividend stocks listed below that brokers rate as buys.

    Here’s what analysts are forecasting from them:

    NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF)

    Analysts at Goldman Sachs think that this health insurance company could be an ASX 200 dividend stock to buy.

    The broker likes NIB as it “offers defensive exposure to the private health insurance sector which is experiencing favourable operating trend.”

    It also highlights its “preference for NHF in this space reflecting strong underlying top line growth through policyholder growth and premium rate increases, greater diversity of earnings outside of regulated resident health insurance and valuation appeal.”

    Goldman expects this to underpin fully franked dividends per share of 31 cents in FY 2024 and 30 cents in FY 2025. Based on the current NIB share price of $7.35, this will mean 4.2% and 4.1%, respectively.

    The broker currently has a buy rating and $8.10 price target on its shares.

    Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

    Over at Citi, its analysts are bullish on Transurban and see it as an ASX 200 dividend stock to buy.

    Transurban is the toll road operator behind roads including CityLink, Cros City Tunnel, AirportlinkM7, and the East Distributor.

    Citi is positive on the company and believes it is well-positioned to pay a dividend ahead of guidance in FY 2024.

    The broker recently stated its belief that “TCL’s FY24 DPS guidance of 62c is conservative.” This is because of “strong toll price growth, traffic growth on new road completions and a slower increase in debt costs.”

    Citi is forecasting dividends per share of 63.6 cents in FY 2024 and then 65.1 cents in FY 2025. Based on the current Transurban share price of $13.43, this will mean yields of 4.7% and 4.8%, respectively.

    The broker currently has a buy rating and $15.60 price target on its shares.

    The post Buy NIB and this ASX 200 dividend stock now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. 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 Goldman Sachs Group and Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended NIB Holdings. 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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  • This ASX All Ords stock is predicted to pay a 9% dividend yield in 2025!

    Man holding Australian dollar notes, symbolising dividends.Man holding Australian dollar notes, symbolising dividends.

    The GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) share price has gone up 30% in 2024 and it has risen more than 60% in the last four months. Despite that, the ASX All Ordinaries (ASX: XAO) stock is still projected to pay a large dividend yield.

    This business is a fund manager that is based in the US but is expanding geographically in places like Australia and Canada. It tracks its funds under management (FUM) across four strategies: US shares, global shares, international shares and emerging markets.

    What drives the payouts of this business?

    GQG has committed to a dividend payout ratio of 90% of its distributable earnings to shareholders. That means investors are getting a positive payout, while also leaving a bit of money within the business to invest or improve the balance sheet.

    The ASX All Ords stock deliberately doesn’t charge much (or any) performance fees in a number of its funds. Therefore, the growth of its FUM is a crucial driver of revenue, profit and dividends.

    At 30 June 2023, it had FUM of US$104.1 billion. The FUM had grown to US$120.6 billion by 31 December 2023, thanks to investment performance and FUM inflows as investors give GQG more money to manage. In the 12 months to December 2023, it saw net inflows of US$9.9 billion.

    In the FY23 result, the company saw an average FUM of US$101.9 billion, a year-over-year rise of 14.7%. This led to a rise of 18.5% in net revenue to US$517.6 million and an 18.7% increase in net profit after tax (NPAT). FY23 distributable earnings rose 17.4% to US$297.9 million and the dividend per share rose 17.3% to US 9.1 cents.

    Can the GQG dividend keep growing?

    Things have started well for the ASX All Ords stock in 2024 – as of 31 January 2024, the FUM had grown to US$127 billion, which included US$1.9 billion of FUM inflows for the month. Remember, the average FUM in 2023 was US$101.9 billion, so US$127 billion is more than 24% higher.

    The projection on Commsec suggests the business could pay an annual dividend per share of 18.2 cents in FY24, 19.9 cents per share in FY25 and 21.8 cents per share in FY26.

    If those payments become a reality (which isn’t certain), these are the potential dividend yields.

    The 2024 payout could translate into a dividend yield of 8.25%.

    GQG’s 2025 payout may mean a dividend yield of 9%.

    The 2026 payout projection equates to a dividend yield of 9.9%.

    Despite the huge increase in the GQG share price, it seems the future dividends could still be very appealing.

    The post This ASX All Ords stock is predicted to pay a 9% dividend yield in 2025! appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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    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…

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    *Returns as of 1 February 2024

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has 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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  • Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

    Smiling man working on his laptop.

    Smiling man working on his laptop.

    Many of Australia’s top brokers have been busy adjusting their financial models again, leading to the release of a number of broker notes this week.

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

    Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

    According to a note out of Bell Potter, its analysts have retained their buy rating on this footwear retailer’s shares with a $2.50 price target. This follows the release of a half-year result in line with expectations. In addition, Bell Potter was encouraged by the company’s start to the second half. Outside this, the broker believes Accent has a very positive outlook thanks to its scale and vertical brand strategy. The Accent share price is trading at $2.03 today.

    Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

    A note out of Citi reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating on this supermarket giant’s shares with an improved price target of $19.00. The broker was pleased with the company’s performance during the first half and believes it has more levers to pull to improve profitability. So much so, it is forecasting earnings growth comfortably ahead of expectations in FY 2025. The Coles share price is fetching $16.68 this afternoon.

    NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF)

    Analysts at Goldman Sachs have retained their buy rating on this private health insurer’s shares with a trimmed price target of $8.10. Goldman notes that on paper NIB reported a strong headline underlying operating profit result. However, the quality of the result was disappointing according to the broker. Nevertheless, it remains positive due to its defensive exposure to a private health insurance sector which is experiencing favourable operating trends. The NIB share price is trading at $7.37 on Wednesday.

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

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    *Returns as of 10 November 2023

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    Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. 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 Goldman Sachs Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Coles Group and NIB Holdings. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Accent 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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