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

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• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Why A2 Milk, APM, Boral, and Reliance Worldwide shares are pushing higher today
• Guess which ASX 200 stock is surging 9% on robust cash generation?
• Why are Boral shares outperforming the ASX 200 today?
• A2 Milk share price jumps 12% on solid half-year results

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Megaport, Reliance Worldwide, and Telix Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk, Megaport, and Telix Pharmaceuticals. 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 Thursday, lovers of ASX lithium shares might be glued to their computer screens to get a good look at the latest results from Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS).

The ASX’s largest lithium share is scheduled to report its latest earnings this Thursday, 22 February. And investors will no doubt be watching the Pilbara share price in the hopes that history won’t repeat itself.

Pilbara’s recent history when it comes to reporting earnings has indeed been a pleasant one.

Last August, the company gave investors a look at its full-year results for the 2023 financial year. As we covered at the time, these saw Pilbara report a 242% rise in revenues to $4.05 billion. That was alongside a 329% increase in underlying profits before tax to $2.27 billion.

These figures were possible thanks to PIlbara’s 607.5 kilotonnes of spodumene concentrate sales, which averaged a price of US$4,447 per tonne (up 87% at the time).

This set of results allowed Pilbara to pay out only its second-ever dividend payment to shareholders. That was a final dividend worth 14 cents per share. This payment complimented March’s interim (and inaugural)  dividend of 11 cents per share. Together, these payouts give Pilbara shares the 6.91% dividend yield the company trades on today.

Will Pilbara shares repeat last year’s success?

Memories of this earnings report are doubtless still fresh in the minds of Pilbara investors. Despite the seemingly positive numbers listed above, the days following these earnings saw the Pilbara share price sink by almost 12%.

However, even the most misty-eyed optimists are probably not expecting a repeat performance of August’s earnings numbers this week.

Thanks to plummeting lithium prices, Pilbara will face a steep uphill climb to produce anything close to August’s figures.

Last week, my Fool colleague James went through ASX broker Goldman Sachs’ estimations of what Pilbara will report this week. And it certainly isn’t forecasting a case of history repeating itself.

Goldman’s analysts are expecting Pilbara to reveal revenues of $774 million for the half-year. That would be down 64% on what Pilbara reported for the first half of FY2023. The broker is also pencilling in net profits of just $324 million, down 74% on last year’s numbers.

Disappointingly for income investors, Goldman is also estimating that there will be no dividend at all this time around from the lithium stock.

As my colleague also discussed, Goldman’s numbers are significantly more pessimistic than the broader market consensus.

No doubt shareholders are hoping Goldman has missed the mark this time. If they have, and Pilbara surprises to the upside, shareholders may dodge another 12% sell-off. But we’ll have to wait and see exactly what Pilbara pulls out of its hat on Thursday to know if this optimism will be rewarded.

The post Pilbara Minerals shares could drop 12% on upcoming results if history repeats itself appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• ASX mining shares up amid Labor plan to spend multibillions on renewables revolution
• Why Fletcher Building, GQG, Pilbara Minerals, and Tyro shares are climbing 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 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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If you have room in your portfolio for some new additions, then it could be worth checking out the ASX 200 stocks listed below.

They have been named as buys by analysts and tipped to rise at least 18%. Here’s what you need to know about these top stocks:

Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE)

The first ASX 200 stock to look at is Treasury Wine.

It is the wine giant that owns popular brands including Penfolds, Wolf Blass, 19 Crimes, and Blossom Hill. It also recently added to its portfolio with the acquisition of DAOU Vineyards for A$1.4 billion.

The team at Morgans is positive on the company. In response to its recent half-year results, the broker has retained its add rating with a $14.03 price target. This suggests upside of 20% for investors over the next 12 months.

Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW)

Over at Goldman Sachs, its analysts believe that Australia’s largest supermarket operator could be an ASX 200 stock to buy.

The broker likes Woolworths due to potential market share gains driven by its dominant loyalty program and omni-channel advantage.

Last month, its analysts put a buy rating and $42.30 price target on the company’s shares. This implies potential upside of 18.5% for investors from current levels.

Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

Another ASX 200 stock that Goldman Sachs is a fan of is cloud accounting platform provider Xero.

Goldman believes it has a multi-decade runway for growth thanks to its huge addressable market. It highlights that this comprises “100mn SMBs worldwide representing a >NZ$76bn TAM.”

The broker has a buy rating and $141.00 price target on its shares. This suggest a potential return of 23% for investors over the next 12 months.

The post Buy these top ASX 200 stocks for 18%+ returns appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Treasury Wine Estates and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. 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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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:

Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR)

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have initiated coverage on this computer hardware and software distributor’s shares with a buy rating and $12.90 price target. The broker believes we are approaching the bottom of the cycle for computer hardware and expects Dicker Data to benefit greatly when the tide turns. So much so, Citi sees scope for the company’s earnings to grow at a double-digit rate over the medium term. The Dicker Data share price is trading at $11.50 on Monday.

Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING)

A note out of Macquarie reveals that its analysts have upgraded this poultry producer’s shares to an outperform rating with a $4.20 price target. This follows a first-half result which was largely in line with expectations. Looking ahead, the broker feels that Inghams is well-placed for the future thanks to its efficiency programs and sees upside risk to margin assumptions. The Inghams share price is fetching $3.57 this afternoon.

QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)

Analysts at Goldman Sachs have retained their buy rating on this insurance giant’s shares with an improved price target of $18.65. The broker was pleased with QBE’s FY 2023 result and remains very positive on the company’s outlook. Particularly given management’s clear focus on combined operating ratio improvement and its strong return on equity. The QBE share price is trading at $16.66 today.

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

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• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
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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 Dicker Data, Goldman Sachs Group, and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Dicker Data 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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It’s shaping up to be a week jam-packed with big ASX news for the ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price. Well, the big news for this ASX 200 big four bank has already started this Monday.

Last week, ANZ shares closed at $28.42 each but just after lunchtime today, the bank overcame a shaky start to clock a brand-new 52-week high. Yep, ANZ shares rose as high as $28.52, the new high watermark for the bank. It’s also the highest ANZ shares have traded since late 2021.

But this could just be the start of a very big week indeed for this bank stock.

ANZ currently has one of the largest financial mergers in recent ASX history in limbo. Way back in 2022, ANZ announced that it wished to acquire the banking arm of Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN) for a tidy sum of $4.9 billion.

However, this would-be marriage hit some snags before it could even be consummated. In August last year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced that it would block the merger on competition grounds. Here’s what the ACCC said at the time:

The proposed acquisition of Suncorp Bank by ANZ would further entrench an oligopoly market structure that is concentrated, with the four major banks dominating. It also limits the options for second-tier banks to combine and strengthen in a way that would create a greater competitive threat to the major banks.

However, ANZ and Suncorp didn’t take this news lying down. ANZ subsequently applied for an appeal of the ACCC’s original ruling to the Australian Competition Tribunal. The results of this appeal are due to be handed down tomorrow.

A big week of ASX news for ANZ shares

Given the initially positive reaction from ANZ shares to the Suncorp merger, as well as the negative reaction when the ACCC pumped the brakes, we can probably assume with some confidence that a successful appeal will bode well for the ANZ share price tomorrow. Conversely, a denied appeal could have the opposite effect.

Saying that, we recently covered one ASX expert’s views on what they think is likely to happen. Last month, my Fool colleague Bronwn looked at what analysts at ASX broker Citi are predicting. Citi put out a note that argued Suncorp’s banking sale is “more likely to occur than not”.

But of course, we’ll only know for sure when we get the response from the Tribunal tomorrow. So keep an eye on what happens with the ANZ share price then.

The post How will ANZ shares react to a big week of ASX news? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. 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 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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is fighting hard to stay in positive territory. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is up a fraction to 7,658.6 points.

Four ASX shares that are acting as a drag on the market today are listed below. Here’s why they are falling:

Lendlease Group (ASX: LLC)

The Lendlease share price is down 17% to $6.22. Investors have been selling the international property and infrastructure company’s shares after it released its half-year results. Lendlease reported a disappointing statutory loss after tax of $136 million. The company’s earnings were impacted by a reduction in investment property valuations, redundancy costs, and an additional provision in relation to UK building remediation regulations.

New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC)

The New Hope share price is down 6% to $4.75. This morning, this coal miner released a second-quarter update and reported underlying EBITDA of A$179.9 million. This is down 26.5% over the prior corresponding period due primarily to lower realised pricing. This brought its half-year underlying EBITDA to $424.8 million, which is down 59.1% year on year.

Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL)

The Nuix share price is down 11% to $1.73. This investigative analytics and intelligence software provider’s shares are falling following the release of its half-year results. Nuix reported a statutory loss after tax of $4.8 million, which is down from a $1.3 million profit a year earlier. Legal costs were largely to blame.

Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA)

The Orora share price is down 6.5% to $2.71. Investors have been selling this packaging company’s shares following the release of its half-year update. Orora posted a 5.5% decline in revenue to $2,139.1 million but a 0.5% lift in underlying net profit after tax to $108.6 million. The latter was short of the market’s expectations.

The post Why Lendlease, New Hope, Nuix, and Orora shares are dropping today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended 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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In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has slipped into the red. The benchmark index is currently down slightly to 7,655.4 points.

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

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

The A2 Milk share price is up 14.5% to $5.78. This has been driven by the release of the infant formula company’s half-year results. A2 Milk reported a 3.7% increase in revenue to NZ$812.1 million and a 15.6% jump in net profit after tax to NZ$85.3 million. Looking ahead, management has upgraded its FY 2024 revenue guidance to low to mid single-digit growth.

APM Human Services International Ltd (ASX: APM)

The APM share price is up 50% to $1.24. Investors have been buying this human services provider’s shares after it received and rejected a takeover approach. CVC Asia Pacific offered to acquire APM by way of a scheme of arrangement for $1.60 per share. This represented a 93% premium to its last close price and valued the company at approximately $1.5 billion. Its board believes the proposal does not sufficiently reflect the fundamental value of APM.

Boral Ltd (ASX: BLD)

The Boral share price is up 4% to $6.08. This follows news that its largest shareholder, Seven Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: SVW), has made a takeover offer. The investment company is looking to acquire the building materials company for up to $6.25 per share in scrip and cash.

Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC)

The Reliance Worldwide share price is up 6% to $4.67. This morning, this plumbing parts company released its half-year results and revealed a 2% decline in sales but a modest lift in net profit after tax. This appears to have been better than the market was expecting.

The post Why A2 Milk, APM, Boral, and Reliance Worldwide shares are pushing higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Reliance Worldwide. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk and APM Human Services International. 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 all-time high final Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) dividend, revealed today, will come as good news to passive income investors.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy stock reported its full-year results this morning.

If it’s some handy passive income you’re after, here’s what you need to know about the Ampol dividend.

Ampol dividend hits all-time high!

Among the highlights of 2023, the ASX 200 energy stock reported a 2% year-on-year boost in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) – excluding significant items – to $1.30 billion.

This helped net borrowings come down to $2.20 billion, as at 31 December, from the $2.46 billion reported at the end of 2022.

And while statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) declined 25% year on year to $549 million, this didn’t deter management from declaring a record final dividend payout.

This came in the form of a fully franked final dividend of $1.20 per share as well as a special dividend of 60 cents per share.

That equates to a final passive income payout of $1.80 per share. This is 16% higher than the final Ampol dividend in 2022 and notched a new record for the energy company.

For the full year, Ampol will have delivered a total of $2.75 per share in dividends. That equates to a total payout of $655 million, or 89% of NPAT, which is at the top of the company’s payout range.

At the current share price of $38.17, Ampol shares trade on a fully franked yield (part trailing, part pending) of 7.2%.

If you’d like to bank the record dividend payment, you’ll need to own shares at market close on 29 February. Ampol shares trade ex-dividend on Friday, 1 March. Eligible investors can then expect to see that passive income land in their bank accounts on 27 March.

Commenting on the all-time high Ampol dividend, CEO Matt Halliday said:

The balance sheet is strong, providing Ampol with the flexibility to invest in our core fuels and convenience businesses, and to prudently invest in the energy transition while delivering our highest ever dividends to shareholders.

The post On the hunt for passive income? Here’s what you need to know about the record Ampol dividend 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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The Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) share price isn’t going anywhere on Monday.

That’s because the casino and resorts operator’s shares were slammed into a trading halt before the market open this morning.

Why is the Star Group share price halted?

The company requested a trading halt on Monday after it received some more bad news.

Its request states the following:

The Trading Halt is necessary as The Star expects to make an announcement to ASX regarding correspondence received from the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) on 19 February 2024 regarding the commencement of an inquiry under the Casino Control Act 1992 (NSW).

The Star Group share price is expected to be offline until Wednesday.

What’s going on?

The NICC has announced a second inquiry into The Star, to investigate the Sydney casino’s suitability. The regulator has appointed Adam Bell SC to conduct the inquiry, before the independent manager’s term ends in June.

Chief Commissioner, Philip Crawford, commented:

There was a substantial shift required and The Star has had 18 months to demonstrate that it has the capability and resources to regain its casino licence.

However, when the manager was extended for the second time in December last year, the NICC wasn’t satisfied that The Star was progressing its remediation in a timely fashion. Crawford adds:

The NICC has had concerns about the extent that remediation is attributable to the manager’s oversight and direction versus what is being driven by The Star’s reform agenda. Bell Two will bring us back to the Bell Report and The Star’s efforts to regain its casino licence in the shadow of that report.

Bell Two starts today and will run for approximately 15 weeks. The final report is due to the NICC on 31 May. Crawford warned The Star:

There is much at stake for The Star, so the NICC is giving the casino every chance it can to demonstrate whether it has the capacity and competence to achieve suitability.

The post Star Group share price is frozen in further Sydney license limbo appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

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.

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Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares are racing ahead of rival S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank stocks today.

In early afternoon trade on Monday, the Westpac share price is up 2.4% at $25.17 a share.

Here’s how the other big four ASX 200 bank stocks are performing at this same time:

• Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) shares are down 0.1%
• National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) shares are down 0.4%
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares are up 0.6%

For some broader context, the ASX 200 is up 0.1%.

Here’s why Westpac is, well, leading the pack.

What’s boosting Westpac shares today?

Westpac stock is marching higher today following the release of the bank’s quarterly update.

ASX 200 investors don’t appear put off by the slip in the bank’s net interest margin (NIM), nor its profits coming in below consensus expectations.

Core NIM dropped 0.04% from the second half of 2023 to 1.80%. And net profit was down 6% to $1.5 billion.

Investors are likely shrugging off these dips because they were already largely baked into Westpac shares. Management had previously cautioned the bank was facing persistent inflationary headwinds. And they forecast a contraction in NIM amid stiff, ongoing competition in the lucrative Aussie mortgage markets.

It’s also worth noting that, excluding notable items, net profit for the three months was $1.8 billion, in line with 2H 2023. And management highlighted that the quarterly profit headwinds related solely to hedge accounting which they said “will reverse over time”.

Of some concern for Westpac shares, high interest rates and inflation do appear to be impacting Aussie households and some of the bank’s loan books. Westpac reported credit impairment provisions of $5.1 billion at the end of 2023. That came in $1.5 billion above the expected losses of the bank’s base case scenario.

But Westpac shares could be in for some more tailwinds, with only 31% of the bank’s $1.5 billion on market share buyback completed. When a company buys back its shares, that leaves fewer shares available and tends to support the share price.

The post Why are Westpac shares leaping ahead of rival ASX 200 bank stocks on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

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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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