• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

    A man in his 30s holds his laptop and operates it with his other hand as he has a look of pleasant surprise on his face as though he is learning something new or finding hidden value in something on the screen.

    A man in his 30s holds his laptop and operates it with his other hand as he has a look of pleasant surprise on his face as though he is learning something new or finding hidden value in something on the screen.

    It’s been a bit of a shaky day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Tuesday.

    The ASX 200 whipsawed for most of the day, spending time in both positive and negative territory. But by market close, the bears had won, and the index finished up at 7,603.6 points, a loss of 0.16% for the session.

    That was despite a flurry of new 52-week highs for many big shares.

    This wild session start comes after a mixed start to the week’s trading up on the US markets overnight.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a pleasing Monday, rising by 0.33%.

    However, the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) had a more Garfield-esque response to the end of the weekend and fell by 0.3%.

    But returning to the local markets, let’s now take a look at what the various ASX sectors were up to today.

    Winners and losers

    The worst sector this Tuesday again turned out to be healthcare shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) had another shocker, tanking by a further 1.64%.

    Communications stocks were also singled out. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) cratered by a painful 1.12%.

    Next on the chopping block were tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was also on the nose, losing 0.95% of its value.

    Industrial stocks suffered less, but the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) still got a 0.36% downgrade from investors.

    Consumer staples shares were another sore spot. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up falling by 0.21%.

    Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were right behind, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) sliding 0.06%.

    Our final loser was the mining sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slipped 0.04% today.

    Turning now to the winners, and it was gold shares leading the charge today. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a ball, romping home with a rise of 1.51%.

    Utilities stocks were at the said ball too, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)’s 0.71% surge.

    ASX financial shares had a great day as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) recording a rise of 0.32%.

    Consumer discretionary stocks came in after that. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) ended up getting a 0.24% bump.

    Energy shares were our final winner today, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) inching 0.11% higher.

    Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

    Our best-performing share on the index today was another winner from earnings season. Annuities provider Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF)’s shares rocketed by a whopping 8.36% today up to $7.13 each after investors got a look at its half-yearly results this morning.

    Here’s a look at the rest of today’s winners:

    ASX-listed company Share price Price change
    Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) $7.13 8.36%
    Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) $1.825 6.73%
    Emerald Resources N.L. (ASX: EMR) $3.18 6.35%
    JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) $63.96 5.58%
    West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) $0.875 4.17%
    Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) $1.33 3.91%
    Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) $106.01 3.82%
    Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP) $18.90 3.22%
    Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) $1.45 3.20%
    IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) $20.24 3.11%

    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.

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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 and Idp Education. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Challenger, Idp Education, and Jb Hi-Fi. 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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  • What can owners of GQG shares expect in the upcoming FY23 result?

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

    The GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) share price has soared more than 50% in the last three months. After such a strong performance, what can investors actually expect in the FY23 result which is scheduled to be released soon?

    GQG is a large fund manager that’s based in the US and offers a number of different investment funds including global shares, US shares, international shares and emerging market shares. Some of its strategies are aimed at dividend stocks.

    What could the company report?

    The business is expected to release its FY23 report on Friday, 16 February 2024.

    Let’s look at what we already know.

    In the company’s recent funds under management (FUM) announcement for December 2023, it said that it finished the period with US$120.6 billion of FUM.

    For the three months to December 2023, it saw net inflows of US$1.8 billion, and for the full year to December 2023, it experienced net inflows of US$9.9 billion. On a full-year basis, it expects to be amongst the biggest and best-performing fund management businesses in net fund inflows terms for active equity managers both in Australia and the US.

    GQG also revealed that it started 2024 with a “promising pipeline for potential new business.”

    Quite a few of its funds don’t charge performance fees, which is why nearly all of GQG’s revenue comes from management fees.

    We also know the business has a stated dividend payout ratio of 90% of its distributable earnings, which means investors are likely to get a sizeable final dividend. 2024 is also shaping up to be a good year for owners of GQG shares.

    FUM on 31 January 2024 was reported at US$127 billion, up 5.3% month over month, and this provides a strong tailwind for earnings in FY24.

    Forecast

    Goldman Sachs has estimated for FY23 that GQG may generate $505.4 million of total revenue (up 15.8%), pre-tax profit of $379.2 million (up 14.3%) and net profit after tax (NPAT) of US$274 million (up 15.2%).

    Based on those numbers, GQG shares could be trading at 13 times FY23’s projected earnings.

    The broker has also pencilled a dividend per share of $8.82, up 13.6%.

    GQG share price snapshot

    Since the start of 2024, the GQG share price has climbed by 22%.

    The post What can owners of GQG shares expect in the upcoming FY23 result? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    *Returns as of 10 November 2023

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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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  • How is the BrainChip share price rocketing 27% today?

    Vanadium Resources share price person riding rocket indicating share price increaseVanadium Resources share price person riding rocket indicating share price increase

    It’s been a fairly mild day for the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) and most ASX All Ords shares this Tuesday. At present, the All Ords has gained a tentative 0.093%, leaving it at just under 7,870 points. But ‘mild’ and ‘tentative’ are two words that no one would be using to describe the Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) share price this session.

    Brainchip shares are on fire today. The ASX artificial intelligence (AI) share closed at 26 cents a share yesterday afternoon. But this morning, the company opened at 28 cents a share before rocketing as high as 33 cents just after lunchtime today. That’s a gain worth almost 27%.

    Since reaching that intra-day high, Branchip shares have cooled off a little. But the company is still asking 31 cents at present, up a still-impressive 19.23%.

    So what on earth is going on here?

    Why has the BrainChip share price rocketed 27% today?

    Well, unfortunately, there’s not much to go on here. So the correct answer is: ‘who the heck knows’.

    To elaborate, there hasn’t been any fresh news or announcements out of Brainchip for a while now. Since late January to be exact.

    Brainchip’s last major announcement was the quarterly activities report, which was released on 25 January.

    As we covered at the time, this report revealed that Brainchip’s cash balance had declined from US$17.8 million over the three months to 31 December to US$14.3 million. However, Brainchip also reported that it was able to achieve a positive cash inflow from customers over the period.

    At the time, this report didn’t result in too much movement in the Brainchip share price.

    However, as soon as February arrived, the company’s shares jumped on a rocket ship. At the end of January, Brainchip was trading for 16 cents a share. But by 6 February, those same shares had vaulted up 25% to 20 cents.

    A month to remember

    Between last Thursday (8 February) and yesterday’s close, the company had added an additional 30%. Added to today’s gains, Brainchip has now enjoyed a 50% surge since Thursday, and an 87.5% rise since the start of the month. Check that all out for yourself below:

    But there’s no obvious reason at all why this stock has surged so much since the start of the month. Brainchip shares do seem vulnerable to more severe bouts of share price volatility than your ordinary ASX share though, as we covered last year.

    Perhaps this is just a game that investors are playing with each other. Or perhaps someone is buying up shares en masse. Whatever, the reason, it’s certainly been a good month for this ASX AI share.

    Saying that, the Brainchip share price does remain down by almost 50% since February 2023, and by roughly 82% since its 2021 record high.

    The post How is the BrainChip share price rocketing 27% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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 Middle East, OPEC and the US: What can ASX 200 energy investors expect from the oil price in 2024?

    Worker inspecting oil and gas pipeline.

    Worker inspecting oil and gas pipeline.

    The Brent crude oil price has held fairly steady at around US$82 per barrel since Friday.

    That’s right near the top end of the trading range we’ve since 7 November, when the oil price was still coming down from the 28 September highs of US$97 per barrel.

    And it’s well up from the lows of US$73 per barrel that Brent crude was trading for on 12 December.

    With oil and gas prices tending to move in similar directions, albeit not at equivalent rates, you’ll notice some matching moves from S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy shares.

    Here’s how these top Aussie oil and gas companies have performed since the recent high and low water marks.

    Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares, for example, are down 15% since 28 September. And Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) shares are down 8% over this period.

    Turning to the 12 December oil price lows, the Woodside share price has gained 3% since then while the Santos share price is up 1%.

    Did the forecasters get it wrong?

    Heading into 2024, consensus forecasts were for Brent crude oil to trade in the US$80 to US$100 per barrel range over the year.

    Yet here we are, halfway through February, and the oil price is stuck in the lower end of that range, with Brent having even dipped to US$77 per barrel earlier this month.

    While that’s good news for motorists – not to mention ASX travel and transport stocks – it’s not so good for ASX 200 energy stocks.

    With that in mind…

    Can ASX 200 energy investors expect a higher oil price in 2024?

    Here’s what could lift or sink the oil price in the months ahead.

    Turning to the pressures first, there are a few predominant headwinds that could keep a lid on energy prices.

    First, there’s the potential for a slowdown in global demand in 2024 as major economies like China are seeing a downturn in economic growth.

    Second, it’s looking increasingly likely that interest rates in the United States (the world’s top economy), as well as in the EU, Australia and other nations could remain elevated for longer than most analysts were forecasting heading into 2024. This would take a bite out of household incomes, leading to decreased discretionary travel.

    And third, there’s the United States, the world’s top oil producer thanks to the shale revolution.

    According to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), US crude oil production notched a fresh record high in December of more than 13.3 million barrels per day.

    Now, US production slipped from that record in January. And the EIA doesn’t expect the nation to set new records until next February.

    But even with the US pumping at levels just below December’s all-time highs, that’s a lot of oil hitting the markets every day.

    Which brings us to what could lift the oil price and help boost ASX 200 energy shares in 2024.

    First would be global economic growth, and the accompanying demand for oil and gas, increasing faster than the markets are currently pricing in.

    Second, we have OPEC+. While the cartel’s pricing powers aren’t what they used to be, OPEC and its allies have committed to significant production cuts into the first quarter of this year. And with pressure from Saudi Arabia, I’d expect these cuts to continue so long as the oil price remains vulnerable to a pullback.

    And the third factor that could send the oil price sharply higher and boost ASX 200 energy shares would be any major escalation in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

    While this is the last thing we’d like to see, should the oil-rich region erupt into a wider regional war, traders could quickly send energy prices soaring.

    The post The Middle East, OPEC and the US: What can ASX 200 energy investors expect from the oil price in 2024? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    *Returns as of 10 November 2023

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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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  • Big news: 15 ASX 200 shares smashing 52-week highs this Tuesday

    A piggy bank on the cloud in the blue sky symbolising a record high share price.

    A piggy bank on the cloud in the blue sky symbolising a record high share price.

    It’s been a shaky, but overall, a positive day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX 200 shares this Tuesday so far.

    At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has gained a tentative 0.064%, which puts the index at just under 7,620 points. That comes after the ASX 200 went as high as 7,632.7 points earlier this morning.

    But even though this rise looks rather mild, we’ve still seen a plethora of ASX 200 shares hit fresh new 52-week highs today thus far.

    15 ASX 200 shares that just smashed a new 52-week high

    Here’s a list of the ASX 200 shares that have seen a new 52-week high today:

    • Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) with a new 52-week high of $24.72
    • National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) with a new high of $32.99
    • ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) with a new high of $28.45
    • JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) with a new record high of $64.62
    • Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) with a new high of $6.30
    • QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) with a new high of $16.80
    • Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP) with a new high of $4.60
    • Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX: HVN) with a new high of 4.81
    • Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN) with a new high of $14.50
    • Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH) with a new record high of $324.79
    • Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV) with a new high of $29.33
    • Data#3 Ltd (ASX: DTL) with a new record high of $10.01
    • Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) with a new high of $3.16
    • Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) with a new high of $1.78
    • Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG) with a new high of $7.29

    Why are these ASX stocks at new 52-week highs today?

    Well, it’s impossible to know why each of these ASX 200 shares has clocked a new high this Tuesday. But we can point out some trends.

    ASX earnings season is in full swing now, and some of today’s highs, JB Hi-Fi in particular, can be directly attributed to well-received earnings reports.

    Otherwise, many of today’s lucky record-setters are ASX 200 financial shares. You’ve got three of the big four banks, plus insurers QBE, Suncorp and IAG. Together with retailers like Harvey Norman and Premier Investments, these new highs could be a result of expectations from investors that interest rates will start falling this year.

    You can arguably extend that optimism to real estate investment trusts (REITs) and shares like Scentre and Stockland as well.

    So it’s been a good day for many an ASX 200 investor today. Let’s see how many new highs we’ll have by the time earnings season wraps up.

    The post Big news: 15 ASX 200 shares smashing 52-week highs this Tuesday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in National Australia Bank. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Cochlear and Johns Lyng Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Harvey Norman. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear, Jb Hi-Fi, Johns Lyng Group, and Premier Investments. 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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  • Guess which ASX tech stock is rocketing 16% on takeover news

    Man with rocket wings which have flames coming out of them.Man with rocket wings which have flames coming out of them.

    While the Aussie tech sector withers today, one little-known ASX tech stock is seeing its share price slingshot into new territory.

    Trudging into the afternoon, information technology shares are on course to be the third worst-performing sector, following behind healthcare and communication services. The lack of optimism follows a similarly feeble stoush among US-listed tech giants overnight.

    Still, none of that can hold back the Ansarada Group Ltd (ASX: AND) share price today.

    What’s sending this ASX tech stock flying?

    Few companies on the Australian boards can lay claim to their shares soaring 177% in the space of eight or so months. For investors in the virtual data room and document management software provider known as Ansarada, it’s a remarkable reality.

    Now fetching $2.43 per share, the small-cap company is trading 15.7% higher than yesterday after entering into a scheme implementation deed.

    According to the release, Ansarada has entered a deal to be acquired by Minneapolis-based Datasite. Like Ansarada, Datasite provides a cloud-based platform tailored for use by dealmakers through mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, financing, initial public offerings (IPO), and more.

    As per the agreement, the deal offers shareholders of the ASX tech stock $2.50 cash per share, reflecting an equity value of $236.3 million.

    After ‘extensive and meaningful engagement’, Datasite sees value in combining its offerings with Ansarada’s Deals and Procure products. Meanwhile, ESG (environment, social, and governance), GRC (governance, risk, and compliance), and Board products are not of interest to Datasite.

    However, Ansarada CEO and co-founder Sam Riley has raised his hand to acquire these remaining ‘carve-out assets’ for $500,000 to allow the takeover to proceed.

    All Ansarada directors, excluding Sam Riley due to a conflict of interest, have recommended shareholders to vote in favour of the scheme.

    The co-founder, Sam Riley, commented on the significant deal, stating:

    As a co-founder of Ansarada I am very excited by the prospect of Ansarada and Datasite joining forces. The proposed transaction represents the culmination of almost 18 years of work to improve the deal management process. At this stage of our lifecycle, we see tremendous value in combining the Ansarada Deals and Procure products with Datasite.

    Datasite is doing some M&A of its own

    For some background, Datasite was acquired by private equity firm CapVest in 2020. Since then, the company has proactively consolidated the deal room market by acquiring Toronto-based Firmex in 2021 and London-based MergerLinks last year.

    It seems the rationale for gobbling up Ansarada is to expand across Australia and New Zealand — a geography that accounted for 58% of the ASX tech stock’s revenue in the last quarter.

    Ansarada posted a revenue of $14.5 million in the second quarter, increasing 10% year-on-year. The company’s customers include 87 of the ASX 100, trumpeting a total of 13,691 customers across its products.

    The post Guess which ASX tech stock is rocketing 16% on takeover news 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. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

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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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Ansarada 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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  • How much could $10,000 invested in Core Lithium shares be worth next year?

    Man holding different Australian dollar notes.

    Man holding different Australian dollar notes.

    Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) shares have been a popular option for investors looking for lithium exposure.

    Unfortunately, though, with lithium prices crashing over the last 12 months, it hasn’t been a successful investment.

    In fact, if you had invested $10,000 into the lithium miner’s shares this time last year, you would have just $1,860 left today.

    Clearly, the only ones winning with Core Lithium shares have been those shorting the company.

    But that was the last 12 months. What about the future? Could this decline have created a buying opportunity? Let’s see.

    $10,000 invested in Core Lithium shares

    I have some bad news. Unfortunately, none of the major brokers believe that its shares are in the buy zone despite losing more than 80% of their value over the last 12 months.

    Goldman Sachs currently has a sell rating and 14 cents price target on its shares. This implies over 24% downside for investors from current levels, which would turn a $10,000 investment into approximately $7,600.

    Its analysts believe that its shares are still overvalued despite the decline. They commented:

    CXO appears relatively expensive trading at a premium on ~1.4x NAV (peer average ~0.9x) and an implied LT spodumene price of ~US$1,300/t (peer average ~US$1,070/t), with the lowest average operating FCF/t LCE on a more moderated/deferred production ramp up.

    The team at Macquarie is a little more optimistic and has a neutral rating on its shares.

    However, its price target of 20 cents only implies upside of 8.1% for investors. While this would turn a $10,000 investment into $10,810, the risk/reward isn’t overly compelling for such a risky play.

    It is also worth noting that Macquarie’s price target has fallen consistently over the last 12 months from as high as $1.50 in March. So, there’s no guarantee that its latest price target is where it ends.

    Hopefully for the sake of its shareholders, these brokers are wrong and its shares can rocket. But in the absence of a big rebound in lithium prices in the near future, it doesn’t look likely to be the case.

    The post How much could $10,000 invested in Core Lithium shares be worth next year? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    *Returns as of 10 November 2023

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

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  • How another acquisition could boost Woodside shares following the collapse of the Santos deal

    Two workers at an oil rig discuss operations.Two workers at an oil rig discuss operations.

    Owners of Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares will want to know about the latest on potential deals. The ASX energy share has not given up on the idea of making an acquisition after the failed attempt to merge with Santos Ltd (ASX: STO).

    There would be some great benefits to becoming a bigger business, namely relating to scale and synergy benefits. After buying the BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) petroleum business, Woodside has already increased its scale.

    What is Woodside considering?

    According to reporting by the Australian Financial Review, Woodside is looking to expand its liquified natural gas (LNG) business. The Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill was quoted as saying:

    We will keep the door open to a variety of ways to potentially grow our LNG business.

    This could include buying assets and expanding existing projects, as long as they are the “right” deals.

    If a LNG deal is to go ahead, any deal would need to reflect “low premiums in recent oil and gas transactions.”

    While Woodside has no plans to revive talks with Santos, it is looking for deals in Australia and North America. Another potential deal could excite investors about Woodside shares.

    It’s reportedly interested in buying LNG in the US from several export terminals and has been interested in taking a stake in the Energy Transfer LP Lake Charles project in Louisiana, according to people who are familiar with the plans.

    CEO O’Neill confirmed to the AFR that Woodside is in discussions with a number of LNG developers in America.

    The US recently decided to pause approvals for new LNG export projects, though O’Neill believes a review could lead to more US LNG going to the global market. But for now, O’Neill said the move is causing a “grave concern” and is “highly detrimental to investment”. She suggested not all of the ripples have been felt.

    Woodside is also looking at potential partnerships with the Middle East, possibly with oil giant Aramco. The Saudi Arabian giant is looking at expanding into gas, including LNG, and other related sectors like chemicals. O’Neill said:

    At this point we’re really just building relationships and getting to know one another. We’re certainly not averse to the Middle East.

    Woodside share price snapshot

    Shareholders could do with a bit of a boost, with Woodside shares down around 20% over the last six months as energy prices drifted lower.

    If the business can make a deal work, then increased scale could help with margins and this could be a boost for profit. Many investors like to judge a business based on how much profit they think a business is going to make.

    The post How another acquisition could boost Woodside shares following the collapse of the Santos deal appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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    *Returns as of 10 November 2023

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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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  • This 6.7% ASX dividend stock pays cash every month

    Hand holding Australian dollar (AUD) bills, symbolising ex dividend day. Passive income.

    Hand holding Australian dollar (AUD) bills, symbolising ex dividend day. Passive income.

    Today, I want to talk about an ASX dividend stock that offers investors a 7.2% yield, and that also pays those same investors dividend cash every single month.

    Monthly ASX dividend stocks are rare on the ASX. But they do exist. Whilst the BetaShares Dividend Harvester (ASX: HVST) isn’t technically a stock, that’s what we’ll be diving into today.

    The BetaShares Dividend Harvester is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that, as you may have guessed, specialises in providing investors with a healthy stream of dividend income, paid out monthly.

    It is able to do so using a rather unconventional method.

    The Betashares Dividend Harvester ETF isn’t into ‘buy-and-hold’ investing. The ASX dividend stocks that are in its portfolio are selected ahead of time based on the expectation that they will soon pay out a dividend. Here’s how the fund explains it:

    In general, the Securities Portfolio will provide exposure to 40 – 60 shares which will be rebalanced approximately every three months. The rebalancing (or ‘harvesting’) process aims to include in the portfolio the shares that are expected, within the next rebalance period, to provide the highest gross yield outcome.

    So put another way, this ETF buys a share that its management thinks will pay out a dividend within the next three months. After the fund secures the dividend, the ASX dividend stock is sold to make way for another company with an upcoming payout.

    The most recent data tells us that the largest of these ASX dividend stocks are Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL), Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).

    So it’s by using this harvesting strategy that the BetaShares Dividend Harvester ETF is able to pay out monthly dividends.

    An ASX dividend stock with a 6.65% yield?

    Over the past 12 months, HVST units have paid out a monthly dividend distribution worth between 6.5 and 7.3 cents per unit. Including February’s distribution (scheduled for this Friday), the Betashares Dividend Harvester ETF has paid out a total of 83.8 cents per unit over the past 12 months.

    At today’s unit price of $12.60, this equates to a yield of 6.65%. That breaks down to a monthly dividend yield of approximately 0.55%.

    Before you rush out and secure some HVST units for this sizeable dividend yield though, there’s a caveat you should be aware of. The Betashares Dividend Harvester ETF’s unconventional ASX dividend stock ‘harvesting’ strategy may give its units supercharged income. But it comes with a cost too. That cost is overall returns.

    As of 31 January, the HVST ETF has delivered a total return (dividends plus share price performance) of 5.94% per the preceding 12 months. However, the BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200), which is a simple ASX 200 index fund, has delivered a return of 7.12% over the same period.

    This tells us that the Betashares Dividend Harvester ETF is sacrificing overall returns for higher dividend income. That might suit some investors who just want as much income as possible. For others, it might not be the best approach for your portfolio.

    The Betashares Dividend Harvester ETF charges a management fee of 0.72% per annum. In contrast, the Betashares Australia 200 ETF charges 0.04% per annum.

    The post This 6.7% ASX dividend stock pays cash every month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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    *Returns as of 10 November 2023

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

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  • Everything you need to know about the supersized CSL dividend

    Different Australian dollar notes in the palm of two hands, symbolising dividends.Different Australian dollar notes in the palm of two hands, symbolising dividends.

    Owners of CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares may not be overjoyed by the CSL share price’s fall in reaction to the FY24 first-half result, but the bigger dividend may be a very pleasing silver lining.

    For readers that haven’t read my colleague James Mickleboro’s coverage yet, revenue rose 11% in constant currency terms to US$8.05 billion and net profit after tax (NPAT) jumped 17% to US$1.9 billion. The underlying net profit after tax (NPATA) rose by 11% to US$2.02 billion, while NPATA earnings per share (EPS) went up 11% to US$4.18.

    CSL dividend

    That profit growth has given the board enough confidence to declare an interim dividend per share of US$1.19. When converted into Australian dollars, the interim dividend is approximately A$1.81 per share, an increase of 12%

    If we look at the dividend payout ratio, CSL has decided to pay out 28.5% of underlying net profit and 30.3% of statutory EPS.

    The dividend is going to be unfranked, meaning there are no franking credits.

    When will this dividend be paid?

    Before we get to the dividend payment date, investors need to know about the ex-dividend date. If an investor wants to receive the dividend, they need to own shares before the ex-dividend date – buying on that date means missing out.

    The CSL ex-dividend date is 11 March 2024, so investors need to own CSL shares by 10 March 2024 (which is a Sunday) if they want to receive this payment. Therefore, 8 March 2024 (a Friday) is the last trading day to invest.

    This upcoming dividend will be paid on 3 April 2024, which is less than two months away.

    What’s the outlook for more payout growth?

    CSL said it’s expecting underlying net profit to be between US$2.9 billion to US$3 billion in constant currency terms, which would be annual growth of between 13% to 17%.

    Management said the company is “in a strong position to deliver annualised double-digit earnings growth over the medium term”.

    This profit growth may be promising for the CSL dividend in the coming reporting periods.

    The post Everything you need to know about the supersized CSL dividend appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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    *Returns as of 10 November 2023

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

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