There are a growing number of exchange traded funds (ETFs) for investors to choose from on the Australian share market.

If you’re paralysed with choice, don’t worry. To help you narrow things down, I have picked out three popular ETFs that could be worth researching further. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

The first ETF is the BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. It provides investors exposure to many of the best tech stocks in the Asian region. This means you’ll be buying tigers such as ecommerce giant Alibaba, search engine company Baidu, and WeChat owner Tencent.

It has been a tough period for Asian stocks, but with China now reopening and its economy showing signs of rebounding strongly, things could be much better in 2023 and 2024. This could potentially make it an opportune time to invest in this ETF.

BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

The BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF could be another ETF for investors to buy. This popular ETF gives investors exposure to 100 of the largest (non-financial) stocks on Wall Street’s NASDAQ index.

Among its 100 stocks are many of the largest and highest quality companies in the world such as Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. And despite a recent recovery, the ETF is still down meaningfully over the last 12 months. This could make it a good time to consider an investment.

VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

If you a Warren Buffett fan, then the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF could be for you. When the Oracle of Omaha looks for an investment, he has a preference for companies with sustainable competitive advantages (aka moats) and fair valuations. And given how Buffett has generated an average return of almost 20% per annum since 1965, it’s hard to argue against this strategy.

The ETF currently contains approximately 50 companies with these qualities. These include the likes of Alphabet, Boeing, Kellogg Co, Meta, and Walt Disney.

The post 3 excellent ETFs for ASX investors to sink their money into this month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Is the BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF (NDQ) worth buying for dividend income?
• 3 ETFs for smart ASX investors in March
• Here’s how I’d invest in ASX shares today to achieve financial freedom
• Why I’m not investing in ASX index ETFs (yet)
• 3 excellent ETFs for ASX investors to buy in March

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Betashares Capital – Asia Technology Tigers Etf and VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. 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 Australian share market was weak in February, taking back a lot of the gains investors enjoyed in January.

However, the QVG Capital Long Short Fund managed to remain flat.

In fact, the reporting season served as confirmation of its investment beliefs for many of its ASX shares.

Here are three with the best prospects:

‘Market is running out of reasons not to back these guys’

Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG) is the fund’s top holding currently, for good reason.

“Johns Lyng Group reported 88% earnings per share growth and upgraded their full year guidance,” QVG analysts said in a memo to clients.

The share price had been down year-to-date before reporting season and 21% in the red over the past 12 months.

“The stock had been weak leading into the result due to insider selling and a lack of disclosure of performance of their large acquisition, RE,” read the memo.

“This result puts these fears to rest.”

Now with those results and outlook delivered, it’s only upwards and onwards for the insurance repair business.

“The market is running out of reasons not to back these guys!” read the QVG memo.

“The combination of more organic growth and intelligent acquisitions means future earnings per share growth will eventually force the stock higher.”

‘A long runway of growth ahead’

For the QVG fund managers, its investment in Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) has been the perfect demonstration of the power of long-term investing.

“Our first investment in this stock was in 2015 — well before the inception of QVG Capital — at $3.50 with the view that the stock’s earnings would one day justify the expensive valuation,” read the memo.

“The stock now trades at $29 and still has a long runway of growth ahead of it.”

Reporting season continued the investment platform provider’s record of growth.

“The highlight of Hub24’s results was earnings per share growth of 59% despite rising costs,” the QVG memo stated.

“‘Patience’ and ‘the power of compounding free cash flow‘ are the lessons here.”

‘A bull market in sneakers, jeans and accessories’

During a time when most non-mining ASX shares have suffered, Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) has been a true darling of the market.

Since June, the retail stock has rocketed an incredible 86%.

Reporting season, for the QVG team, indicated Lovisa’s momentum would continue.

“Lovisa delivered a very strong result, beating consensus at revenue and, if you back out the generous incentive package for the CEO, it was a very large beat to operating earnings too.”

The analysts admitted there are worries about consumer spending slowing down for discretionary goods, with nine consecutive months of interest rate rises starting to bite hard.

But perhaps the clientele for budget jewellery doesn’t overlap much with those servicing home loans.

“Housing-related retail is slowing noticeably but those without mortgages are having a great time,” read the memo.

“There still appears to be a bull market in sneakers, jeans and accessories. As shareholders of Lovisa we’re happy The Kids Are Alright.”

The post We still hold this ASX 8-bagger because there’s more to come: QVG appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Passive income watch: Here are the ASX 200 shares that delivered some of the biggest dividend boosts this earnings season
• 3 small-cap ASX shares flying high after reporting season: Elvest
• Top ASX shares to buy in March 2023
• These are my top ASX 200 growth shares to buy today
• 7 more ideas for buying ASX shares this reporting season: expert

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 Hub24, Johns Lyng Group, and Lovisa. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Johns Lyng Group and Lovisa. 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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There are many ways to measure the performance of a business to analyse whether its ASX shares are worth investing in.

On the “positive” side there are metrics like earnings, revenue, and profit. Then you have to balance those with the negative measures like expenses and liabilities.

But what are the most important numbers to look at?

To answer this, US financial expert and buy-and-hold advocate Brian Feroldi presented two stocks and asked his newsletter readers to choose one to buy.

Would you choose to buy A or B?

Feroldi said that stock A represents a business that has seen its:

• Expenses rise 260% since 2019
• Gross margins contract since 2019
• Price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is more than 200

The company behind stock B is performing like this:

• Revenue rise 320% since 2019
• Operating margins expanded 14 percentage points since 2019
• Price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is 35

Which of these shares would you invest in?

“We hope the answer is obvious. Stock B would definitely win our money,” said Feroldi.

“Torrid revenue growth means people love what’s offered. Expanding operating margins suggests there’s a moat present and operating leverage is kicking in. And the valuation — while not cheap — looks reasonable given the top-line growth.”

He then revealed that stock B is actually a real company. It’s e-commerce giant MercadoLibre Inc (NASDAQ: MELI).

With the share price rocketing more than 1,200% over the past 10 years, MercadoLibre is a top portfolio holding for Feroldi and his newsletter colleagues Brian Stoffel and Brian Withers.

Context matters when analysing metrics

But there’s a catch to the choice between the two stocks.

It’s that stock A is also MercadoLibre.

Feroldi explained that expenses are up because the MercadoEnvios fulfilment business “costs a lot to build out”. Gross margin is down because the payment arm MarcadoPago is a business driven on volumes rather than fat margins.

“The PE ratio currently looks ‘insane’ mostly because of the accounting differences between earnings and free cash flow.”

This is why choosing metrics to pay attention to when selecting ASX shares to buy is so tricky.

Feroldi suggested investors remember one critical thing when evaluating numbers measuring business performance: context.

“Context matters. We know this to be true in our non-investing lives, but often forget it when it comes to investing,” he said.

“Valuation is part art and part science. If you choose to invest in individual stocks, you need to understand which valuation metrics matter, when they matter, and when they should be ignored.”

The post Which valuation metrics matter most when picking ASX shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• How to become a millionaire with ASX shares
• Big yields and even bigger gains lie ahead for these ASX 200 shares: analysts
• 2 ASX growth shares to buy: Goldman Sachs
• Down 17% in 2 days, has the dream run for Weebit Nano shares finally ended?
• Zip share price gains amid global asset sale

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo has positions in MercadoLibre. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended MercadoLibre. 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 want to become a millionaire, you have a few options. You can save for it, you can invest, or you can win the lottery.

If winning the lottery were easy, I would suggest you take that route. But with the odds stacked firmly against you, it might be more fruitful to take action yourself by saving or investing.

I believe the latter is the better option given the historically stronger returns you generate ahead of savings accounts.

And while there are plenty of things you can invest in, ASX shares lead the way over the long term.

According to Fidelity, Australian shares generated an average total return of 9.55% per annum between December 1991 and December 2022.

This would have turned a single $10,000 investment into approximately $155,000 over the period.

As a comparison, according to Aussie, between December 1991 to December 2021, the housing market had generated 30-year annualised growth for houses and units of 5.6% and 4.7%, respectively. Not shabby, but also not comparable to ASX shares.

But which ASX shares should you buy?

Investors might want to take a leaf out of Warren Buffett’s book when it comes to choosing which ASX shares to buy.

After all, this week the Oracle of Omaha revealed that his Berkshire Hathaway business has delivered a staggering average return of 19.8% per annum since 1965.

Buffett is well-known for taking a long-term approach when making his investments, allowing him to benefit from compounding. He also looks for wonderful companies that are trading at fair prices. These are companies that have strong and enduring competitive advantages and are run by talented management.

How to become a millionaire?

As you saw above, the Australian share market has returned an average of 9.6% per annum over the last 30 years.

While there’s no guarantee that it will do the same over the next 30 years, if it were to do so and you matched the market return, you could grow your portfolio to $1 million by making consistent monthly investments of $500 (or $6,000 a year).

Investors could speed up the process if they can afford to put more into the market each month.

For example, ceteris paribus, an investment of $1,000 per month into ASX shares would grow to $1 million after 23 years. Or go all in with $2,000 per month and you could be a millionaire after 17 years.

Overall, anything is possible if you have a plan and the discipline to stick to it over the long term, just like Buffett has done.

The post How to become a millionaire with ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why is the Liontown share price roaring 12% higher today?
• Passive income watch: Here are the ASX 200 shares that delivered some of the biggest dividend boosts this earnings season
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• 5 high-profile ASX 200 shares that will trade ex-dividend on Monday

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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While the Australian share market typically provides investors with an average dividend yield of 4%, income investors don’t have to settle for that because of the ASX 200 shares listed below.

Here are two ASX 200 shares with big forecast yields and even bigger upside potential:

Charter Hall Retail REIT (ASX: CQR)

Analysts at Citi are positive on this supermarket anchored neighbourhood and sub-regional shopping centre markets-focused property company. They note that the company has “defensive net property income growth despite rising interest rate profile.”

As a result, last month, the broker put a buy rating and $4.50 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of 14.5% based on the current Charter Hall Retail REIT share price of $3.93.

In addition, Citi is expecting the company to be in a position to increase its dividend to 26 cents per share in FY 2023 and then maintain it at this level in FY 2024. This will mean very generous yields of 6.6% for investors.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Thanks to strong lithium prices, this mining company could be destined to pay some big dividends in the coming years. That’s the view of the team at Macquarie, which expect this ASX 200 lithium giant to return a good portion of its bountiful free cash flow to shareholders this year.

The broker is forecasting a 45 cents per share dividend in FY 2023 and a 34 cents per share dividend in FY 2024. Based on the latest Pilbara Minerals share price of $4.19, this equates to yields of 10.7% and 8.1%, respectively.

And with Macquarie having an outperform rating and $7.70 price target on Pilbara Minerals’ shares, this suggests potential upside of almost 84%.

The post Big yields and even bigger gains lie ahead for these ASX 200 shares: analysts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• What’s happening with ASX 200 lithium stocks this week?
• Buy these ASX 200 mining shares before they boom: experts
• Top ASX dividend shares to buy in March 2023

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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Are you wanting to add a growth share or two to your portfolio?

If you are, then analysts at Goldman Sachs think the two listed below could be worth considering. Here’s why these growth shares are rated as buys:

Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

Aristocrat could be an ASX growth share to buy according to the broker. It is a gaming technology company best-known for its industry-leading poker machines. But it also has a lucrative digital business, named Pixel United, and recently expanded into the merging real money gaming market with a deal with BetMGM.

In addition, management invests heavily in research and development each year to cement its leadership position and position it for growth.

Goldman Sachs is confident in the company’s outlook and has put a buy rating and $42.80 price target on its shares. It commented:

We view ALL as strategically the most diversified, holding a top 3 spot in slot machine sales in the US, having a strong digital gaming offering, and now launching into the growing iGaming market. While short-term headwinds persist in the form of supply chain, spend for longer term growth etc., we believe that the longer-term growth outlook remains strong.

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

Another ASX growth share that Goldman Sachs is bullish on is Temple & Webster. It is Australia’s leading pure-play online retailer of furniture and homewares.

Goldman currently has a buy rating and $6.50 price target on the company’s shares.

The broker believes the company is well-placed to be a big winner from the shift to online shopping. Especially given that the shift is still in its infancy for Temple & Webster’s target categories. It commented:

We believe TPW is well positioned in the upcoming cycle to continue to grow market share, despite a weaker macro environment. In our view TPW is best placed to be a winner in a category that favours scale players, requires a specialised approach to e-commerce, and has higher barriers to entry vs. other retail categories; and greater focus on costs is a sensible strategy to balance near-term profitability with growth.

The post 2 ASX growth shares to buy: Goldman Sachs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• How I’d invest $20,000 in ASX 200 shares to aim for a million
• Buy these 3 ASX growth shares this month: experts
• This ASX growth share has a massive 84% upside: Goldman Sachs
• Guess which ASX 200 share is giving another $500 million back to its shareholders
• 2 ASX All Ords shares I think can make big returns by 2025

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 Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Temple & Webster 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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Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) shares have had an extraordinary run lately.

The stock has risen by an astounding 94.5% in the year to date. But that incredible tear may have come to an end this week.

Over the past two days, the ASX tech share has fallen by 17.14%. Weebit Nano shares closed the week at $6.77, down 6.1% for the day on Friday.

Let’s see what’s happened over the past two days.

What’s put the brakes on Weebit Nano shares?

There has been no news from the semiconductor technology company since Monday, when it released its US roadshow presentation.

In the week before, the company released its half-year results. It reported no revenue and a $22.3 million loss due to ongoing research and development costs, up 3.5% on the prior corresponding period.

Weebit management said the company had “achieved several key technical and commercial milestones” during the half, and it expected to bring in its first revenue later this year.

Looking at the broader tech sector’s performance over the past two days for insights, the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) has fallen slightly by 0.93%.

The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has gone up by 0.22%.

So, in all likelihood, the pullback in Weebit Nano shares is likely due to some investors taking profits.

The post Down 17% in 2 days, has the dream run for Weebit Nano shares finally ended? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Up 59% in a month, guess which ASX All Ords share just hit another multi-year high
• Why Kogan, Praemium, TPG, and Weebit Nano shares are racing higher
• 3 ASX All Ords shares making moves today following earnings, one up 16%
• ASX tech share Weebit Nano has surged 90% in 2023. What’s going on?
• Love all around: 2 ASX All Ords stocks smashing new 52-week highs on Valentine’s Day

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

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The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) share price closed higher today as the buy now, pay later (BNPL) company prepares to exit more international markets and sell off the associated assets.

In 1H FY23, Zip decided to abandon its ambitious plans to create a global payments empire amid significant pressure from stakeholders following a gut-wrenching decline in the share price.

Over the past two years, the Zip share price has declined by more than 95%.

It has fallen from a peak of $13.05 in February 2021 to a trough of 43.5 cents in June 2022.

Today, the Zip share price closed the session in the green, up 0.38% to 53 cents.

Let’s delve into Zip’s plans for divestment.

Asset sales will ‘neutralise cash burn’

The company is preparing to exit more regions in its ‘rest-of-market’ network after previously announcing the closure of operations in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and the Middle East.

Last week at its 1H FY23 results presentation, Zip announced it was exiting more markets. It will soon sell or end operations in India, the Philippines, Turkey, the Czech Republic, South Africa, and Poland.

That means the company will exit 10 out of 14 regions, so it can solely focus on Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada.

This is part of a broader plan previously announced by the BNPL operator to achieve positive cash flow by the 1H FY24.

In its 1H FY23 statement released last week, Zip said:

The Company will take actions to divest, restructure or wind down these businesses, which is expected to neutralise cash burn and deliver additional cash inflows during 2H23, contributing directly to the group’s available cash and liquidity.

Zip CEO Larry Diamond said:

[The asset sales will] deliver cash inflows during the second half of FY23 and neutralise the cash burn in these markets. With these proceeds and the improvements we are seeing in the core business, we have sufficient cash and liquidity to deliver on our target of group positive cash EBTDA during HY24.

According to Bloomberg, Zip is working with advisory firms to arrange the asset sales.

In a video interview in New York, Diamond said the asset sales should be completed by the end of FY23.

Diamond said:

We expect significant inflows from those regional sales. We are well progressed.

It’s been a tough six to 12 months to reach that conclusion [to close operations in six more regions].

But we are also pragmatic and realistic about our position; those markets would’ve taken three to four years to achieve profitability.

The post Zip share price gains amid global asset sale appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why did the Zip share price crash 26% in February?
• Why is Choice gunning for ASX BNPL companies like Zip?
• Are Zip shares finally cheap enough to buy following last week’s 12% dive?
• Here are the 10 most shorted ASX shares this week
• Is Block one-upping Zip shares with its double-digit growth?

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in Zip Co. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Zip Co. 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) ended the week on a high, gaining 0.39% to close at 7,283.6 points. That sees it having recovered all but 0.29% of Monday’s losses.

Helping it along on Friday was the S&P/ASX 200 Communications Index (ASX: XTJ). It rose 0.9%.

Bank stocks also had a good run into the weekend, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) lifting 0.5%.

Meanwhile, mining giants helped drive the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) 0.5% higher.

On the other hand, the S&P/ASX 200 Real Estate Index (ASX: XRE) was the worst performer, falling 0.3%.

So, with most of the market trading in the green on Friday, which ASX 200 share posted the biggest gains? Let’s take a look.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Taking out the index’s top spot today was the Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) share price.

It roared 13% higher to close at $1.63 on Friday. And that could be just the beginning if Bell Potter is to be believed. The broker recently tipped the lithium hopeful’s stock to soar to $2.81, my Fool colleague James reports.

These shares made today’s biggest gains:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR)	$1.63	13.19%
Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS)	$1.04	5.58%
Newell Brands Inc (ASX: NWL)	$13.56	4.95%
Block Inc (ASX: SQ2)	$114.24	2.92%
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)	$4.18	2.45%
Allkem Ltd (ASX: AKE)	$12.36	2.15%
Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN)	$6.65	1.99%
Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG)	$3.10	1.97%
Perseus Mining Limited (ASX: PRU)	$2.18	1.87%
Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ)	$6.60	1.85%

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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More reading

• Why is the Liontown share price roaring 12% higher today?
• Passive income watch: Here are the ASX 200 shares that delivered some of the biggest dividend boosts this earnings season
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• What’s happening with ASX 200 lithium stocks this week?
• Why Block, Liontown, MMA, and Norwest Energy shares are charging higher today

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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 Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block, Netwealth Group, and Smartgroup. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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It’s been a very positive day indeed for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Friday. As we barrel towards the weekend, the ASX 200 has put on a healthy 0.42% at the time of writing, placing the index at just under 7,290 points. But that’s nothing compared to the bonanza currently being enjoyed by the Liotnown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) share price. 

Liontown shares are on fire today, no other way to put it. This ASX 200 lithium stock closed at $1.44 a share yesterday and opened at $1.42 this morning. But as it presently stands, Liontown has rocketed by a whopping 12.15% up to $1.62 a share.

So what’s going on with Liontown that might have elicited such a dramatic jump in valuation?

Well, it’s not entirely clear, unfortunately. There hasn’t been much in the way of news or announcements out of Liontown itself today. Or indeed, this month so far.

Looking at other ASX 200 lithium shares, we do see some gains. For example, Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares are up a decent 2.33% so far to $4.18 each. Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO )is up by 2.12% at 97 cents a share. And the Allkem Ltd (ASX: AKE) share price has risen by 1.94% to $12.34.

So some healthy moves, but none on Liontown’s level.

What’s with the Liontown share price spike then?

It’s possible that Liontown shares’ sharp rise can be explained by a recent broker recommendation on Liontown. As we covered just yesterday, ASX broker Bell Potter has come out with a speculative buy rating on Liontown shares.

The broker gives the Liontown share price a 12-month target of $2.81. If realised, this would result in an upside of more than 75% from where the shares are right now (after today’s monster move higher).

That would obviously be a very alluring prospect for investors and could explain why we are seeing such a noticeable rush into the Liontown share rice this Friday.

Liontown has already had a great start to 2023. Over the year to date, the Liontown share price has now risen by a pleasing 30.9%:

Even so, the company remains down more than 26% from its most recent 52-week high of $2.22 a share. So no doubt investors will be encouraged by what they’ve seen today. But we’ll have to wait and see if Liontown indeed does make it to $281 a share over the next 12 months.

The post Why is the Liontown share price roaring 12% higher today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Passive income watch: Here are the ASX 200 shares that delivered some of the biggest dividend boosts this earnings season
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• What’s happening with ASX 200 lithium stocks this week?
• Why Block, Liontown, MMA, and Norwest Energy shares are charging higher today
• 5 high-profile ASX 200 shares that will trade ex-dividend on Monday

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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