Fund manager Wilson Asset Management (WAM) has identified two top small-cap ASX shares in one of the portfolios it manages that could be investment ideas.

WAM operates several listed investment companies (LICs). Some, such as WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) and WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM), focus on larger companies.

There’s also one called WAM Microcap Limited (ASX: WMI) which focuses on small-cap ASX shares with a market capitalisation of under $300 million at the time of acquisition.

WAM says WAM Microcap targets “the most exciting undervalued growth opportunities in the Australian microcap market”.

These are the two small-cap ASX shares the fund manager outlines in its recent monthly update.

Austin Engineering Ltd (ASX: ANG)

WAM described Austin Engineering as a designer and manufacturer of customised dump truck bodies, buckets, water tanks, tyre handlers and other ancillary products that are used in the mining industry.

The fund manager pointed out that in January, Austin Engineering reported a surge in global truck-tray orders from December 2022 to January 2023, increasing its order book and improving the revenue outlook for the second half of FY23.

WAM noted that the ASX share is now expecting its revenue for the second half of FY23 to be around $250 million as the pipeline is expected to “remain strong for at least the next 18 months.”

The investment team like this because of the “robust outlook for growth and a strong balance sheet”. WAM thinks that the Austin Engineering share price is still undervalued.

Healthia Ltd (ASX: HLA)

Healthia has more than 300 clinics, according to WAM, describing it as “one of the leading diversified allied healthcare providers across Australia and New Zealand.”

The fund manager noted that at the end of January, Healthia provided guidance for the FY23 half-year result, revealing total sales are expected to be between $122.5 million to $127.5 million, which would be growth of 5.4% on the prior corresponding period.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) is expected to be between $17.7 million to $18.3 million, which would be a growth of 4% and higher than analyst expectations.

WAM was positive about the fact that the company confirmed its guidance. The fund manager also suggested that the “strong balance sheet” will allow the ASX share to make acquisitions that can add to earnings in the future.

The post 2 exciting ASX shares that are on course for ‘robust growth’: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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’);
})()

More reading

• How I’d invest $200 a month in ASX shares to make a $20,000 passive income for life
• I’d aim for $1 million buying just a few ASX shares

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

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/C5Zf2vH

It’s been a fairly disappointing start to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far this Monday. The ASX 200 has slipped by around 0.03%, albeit having broken even more than once throughout the trading day thus far. But the Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) share price is seemingly doing far worse.

Wesfrmers shares look like they are having a shocker today. The industrial and retail ASX 200 conglomerate closed at $51.09 a share last Friday. But at present, Wesfarmers shares are going for $50.46 each, down a hefty 1.23% from last week’s close.

But shareholders need not despair at this apparent underperformance of the ASX 200 today. That’s because Wesfarmers shares are falling for what is probably the best reason to have a sharp drop in value – the company has traded ex-dividend today.

Wesfarmers share price drops after trading ex-dividend

When an ASX dividend share declares a dividend payment, it also must include an ex-dividend date. This is the date that cuts off eligibility for the new dividend. If investors hold the shares before the ex-div date, they get the dividend. If investors buy the shares on or after the ex-div date, they don’t. It’s as simple as that.

Because a company’s shares become nominally less valuable after going ex-dividend, it is normal to see a big share price fall when the shares do trade ex-div. This is what is happening with Wesfarmers shares today.

Thus, if an investor buys Wesfarmers shares right now, they would not be eligible for this round of dividends and will have to wait for Wesfarmers’ next dividend for their first paycheque.

So how much are Wesfarmers investors in line to receive from the company’s latest dividend payment?

Well, it was only last Wednesday that Wesfarmers reported its latest earnings, covering the six months to 31 December 2022.

Amid rises in revenue, earnings and profits, Wesfarmers also declared an interim dividend of 88 cents per share, fully franked, for the first half of FY2023. That was a pleasing 10% rise in the interim dividend of 80 cents per share from last year.

This payment will be arriving in eligible investors’ bank accounts next month on 28 March.

Combined with Wesfarmers’ last final and fully franked dividend of $1 per share, Wesfarmers now has an annual dividend of $1.88. On today’s pricing, that gives the company a dividend yield of 3.73%, or 5.33% grossed-up with that full franking.

The post Why is the Wesfarmers share price dipping on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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’);
})()

More reading

• 8 ASX 200 shares trading ex-dividend this week
• 4 ASX 200 shares rerated by brokers following earnings results
• Passive income watch: 3 ASX 200 shares that announced boosted dividends this week
• Are Wesfarmers shares a buy following the ASX 200 giant’s latest earnings result?
• Will ASX 200 shares crash in 2023?

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns Wesfarmers shares. 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 Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/JvgewoT

With so many shares to choose from on the ASX, it can be hard 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:

Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

According to a note out of Morgan Stanley, its analysts have retained their overweight rating and $43.00 price target on this gaming technology company’s shares. This follows news that Aristocrat’s real money gaming (RMG) business has signed a deal with BetMGM for digital slot content. BetMGM believes the deal will makes its online casino the best destination for players. Morgan Stanley believes this is a big positive for Aristocrat and its fledgling RMG business. The Aristocrat share price is trading at $35.70 on Monday.

Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT (ASX: HCW)

A note out of Morgans reveals that its analysts have retained their add rating on this property company’s shares with an improved price target of $2.06. This follows the release of the company’s half year results, which revealed a solid operational performance. Morgans appears positive on the future, highlighting its active development pipeline (Springfield and Proxima) and the uncommitted developments which include strategic partners. The Healthco share price is fetching $1.55 today.

Objective Corporation Limited (ASX: OCL)

Analysts at Goldman Sachs have retained their buy rating but trimmed their price target on this software company’s shares to $14.80. Although Objective Corp’s half year results came in below expectations on both ARR growth and costs/margins, Goldman believes the company has reached an earnings trough after making the decision to reduce its one-off revenue sources and reinvest into growth initiatives. The Objective Corp share price is trading at $12.48 this afternoon.

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

(function() {
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’);
})()

More reading

• Get 5%+ yields from these top ASX dividend shares: experts
• Broker names the best ASX tech shares to buy now
• Top ASX growth shares to buy in February 2023
• Why did this ASX lithium share just rocket 42%?
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy 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 positions in and has recommended Objective. 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/OCPAV9U

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares are pushing higher on Monday.

In afternoon trade, the banking giant’s shares are up 1% to $23.03.

Investors appear to have responded positively to Friday’s first quarter update from Australia’s oldest bank.

Should you buy Westpac shares following its update?

If you don’t already have exposure to the banking sector, then Westpac shares could be worth considering according to analysts at Goldman Sachs.

A note out of the investment bank reveals that its analysts have responded to Westpac’s update by reiterated their conviction buy rating with an improved price target of $27.74.

Based on the current Westpac share price, this implies potential upside of 20% for investors over the next 12 months.

In addition, the broker is now expecting a $1.47 fully franked dividend in FY 2023. This represents a 6.4% dividend yield, which stretches the total potential return beyond 26%.

This is a potential return that it two and a half times greater than the market’s historical annual return.

What did the broker say?

Goldman notes that Westpac’s asset quality during the first quarter is run-rating ahead of its first half expectations. Offsetting this, though, the broker suspects that its earnings could be a touch softer than forecasts. It explained:

WBC has released its Dec-22 (1Q23) Pillar 3 update, which suggests WBC’s asset quality was run-rating slightly better than what was implied by our prior 1H23E forecasts, while the CET1 ratio was broadly consistent. As we had expected, no earnings update was provided. However, the slightly lower than expected RWAs could imply that either i) earnings were slightly below, and/or ii) capital deductions were slightly higher than what was implied by our 1H23 forecasts.

And while this has led to Goldman reducing its earnings per share forecast by 0.3% in FY 2023, it remains positive. Particularly given its belief that Westpac’s margins have not yet peaked like rival Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA).

All in all, the broker believes that this makes Westpac shares great value at current levels. It adds:

We reiterate our Buy (on CL) recommendation on WBC given: i) trends in today’s update suggest NIM trends more consistent with what NAB reported, rather than CBA, which suggested NIMs have now peaked, ii) despite WBC recently revising its FY24E cost target to A$8.6 bn (from A$8.0 bn), the bank’s performance on cost management remains strong in this inflationary environment with a 9% step down in underlying costs expected over the next two years, iii) the stock is trading at a 23% 12-month forward PER discount to peers (historically has traded at a 2% discount).

The post Should I buy Westpac shares following the ASX 200 bank’s latest earnings update? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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’);
})()

More reading

• Westpac share price lower on mixed quarterly update
• Why term deposits can’t compete with these 5 ASX dividend machines
• Earnings preview: Here are the ASX shares reporting on Friday
• Westpac share price on watch following Q1 update
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

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

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/PqF1Eug

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has started the week in a subdued fashion. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down slightly to 7,344.5 points.

Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping:

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

The A2 Milk share price is down 8% to $6.52. This follows the release of the infant formula company’s half year results. Although the company delivered a solid result, its earnings may have still fallen a touch short of expectations. In addition, its guidance appears to have disappointed investors.

BlueScope Steel Limited (ASX: BSL)

The BlueScope share price is down 12% to $17.48. Investors have been hitting the sell button on Monday after the steel producer released its half year results and reported a 64% decline in net profit after tax to $1.64 billion. Softening customer demand weighed on the company’s performance.

NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF)

The NIB share price is down 10% to $7.15. This has been driven by the release of the private health insurer’s half year results. Although NIB reported a 12.8% increase in net profit after tax to $91.6 million, this was well short of the consensus estimate of $110 million. NIB declared a 13 cents per share interim dividend, which was in line with expectations.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

The Pilbara Minerals share price is down 5% to $4.21. Investors have been selling Pilbara Minerals and other lithium shares on Monday following a selloff of their Wall Street peers on Friday. This was driven by news that the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker is offering discounts to Chinese automakers. Investors appear to be interpreting this as a sign that high lithium prices have been and gone.

The post Why A2 Milk, BlueScope, NIB, and Pilbara Minerals shares are dropping today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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’);
})()

More reading

• NIB share price tumbles 10% despite higher profit and bolstered dividend
• Why are ASX lithium shares being hammered on Monday?
• Why is the Pilbara Minerals share price crashing 7% today?
• Why is the A2 Milk share price sinking 9% today?
• BlueScope Steel share price plummets 10% on $1b profit hit

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 A2 Milk and NIB Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/w3jrPS8

The Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) share price is under heavy selling pressure today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) lithium stock closed on Friday trading for 96 cents. At the time of writing, shares are trading for 93 cents apiece, down 3.6%.

This won’t come as good news to Core Lithium shareholders, who’ve now seen the share price decline by 11% over the past five trading days.

But not everyone is losing money on the retrace.

Short interest in the lithium miner approached 10% last week, giving the company the dubious honour of being the fifth most shorted stock on the ASX.

Why are shares under pressure again today?

It’s not just the Core Lithium share price that’s sliding today. Most every ASX lithium stock is deep in the red.

Investors have been jittery about declining lithium prices since the price of the battery-critical metal hit all-time highs in November.

And news out of the United States over the weekend looks to have justified some of those fears.

In Friday trading, US-listed lithium heavyweights SQM, Albemarle and Livent each closed 10% lower.

As my Fool colleague James Mickleboro reports, the sell-off in the US stocks and today’s decline in the Core Lithium share price appear to be linked to “reports that the world’s largest battery maker, CATL, is offering discounts to some of the Chinese automakers it supplies batteries”.

The discounted battery offers come in the wake of three months of declining lithium prices and seem to indicate CATL doesn’t expect a big lift any time soon.

With a 37% global share of the electric vehicle battery market, when CATL starts to discount the price of its batteries, the ripples can spread far.

Judging by the investors’ reactions, the market may in accordance with CATL and pricing in lower lithium prices over the months ahead.

Core Lithium share price snapshot

With today’s intraday fall factored in, the Core Lithium share price is down 9% in 2023. As you can see in the chart below, shares in the ASX 200 lithium miner remain up 17% over the past 12 months.

The post Why is the Core Lithium share price being trashed on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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’);
})()

More reading

• Here are the 10 most shorted ASX shares this week
• Why are ASX lithium shares being hammered on Monday?
• Down 22% in a month, is it time to dive in and buy Lake Resources shares?
• Why this US$1 trillion milestone matters for ASX 200 lithium shares
• 4 ASX 200 lithium shares being targeted by short sellers

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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/vrq8bxO

The Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price hasn’t moved that much over the past year, though it is up 6%. However, I think it’s on track to deliver market-beating returns from here.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting Telstra shares are about to double over the next 12 months. But I believe the combination of dividends and capital growth can beat the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over the next two or three years.

Looking at the 20 biggest blue-chip ASX shares in terms of market capitalisation, I think Telstra is one of the first I’d want in my portfolio. In my opinion, there are a number of reasons why investors who are interested in Telstra can consider it an unmissable buy during this period of time.

Growing revenue

I think that Telstra is now in a strong position where it can increase prices for its subscribers. While increasing its subscription price in line with inflation is not exactly a huge jump, it does mean it can give itself a very useful revenue boost. In the FY23 half-year result, it grew its revenue by 6.4%.

But, the state of the telco market seems to be that there is less competition – TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG) is also increasing prices. While not ideal for customers, it is hopefully going to mean a boost for total revenue. Telstra also continues to add more mobile customers.

I think that Telstra’s revenue can grow in a number of other ways. For example, it could charge more for 5G mobile connections and it could win over households from a NBN connection to a wireless 5G connection. Telstra can also grow in the Pacific region with Digicel Pacific while other divisions such as Telstra Health could become meaningful contributors to income.

I believe that revenue growth will help drive the Telstra share price.

Improving margins

Costs are a very important part of a business. Put simply, companies can’t operate without paying the costs which help them run and grow.

However, most businesses can improve their operations and become more efficient. That doesn’t just mean cutting jobs or other things for the sake of it.

But, Telstra is looking to cut $500 million of costs out of the business by FY25 despite the impacts of inflation and investing for growth.

The business is looking to grow its underlying earnings per share (EPS) at a high-teen compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between FY21 to FY25. In the FY23 half-year result, Telstra delivered a 27.1% increase in EPS.

I think that its ongoing efforts to grow revenue and reduce costs (as a percentage of revenue) will help the company’s profit margins in the next few years. Higher profit should help grow the Telstra share price over time.

Rising dividend

The improving outlook for the EPS is helping the Telstra board boost the dividend again finally.

In the HY23 result, Telstra grew its interim dividend by 6.3% to 8.5 cents per share. I think that the Telstra board want to steadily increase the dividend to shareholders over the next few years as profit improves.

If the FY23 annual dividend is 17 cents, it would represent an increase from FY22 and it would amount to a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.75%. I think the dividend return can form a solid base for its annual returns from here, while growth of the Telstra share price would mean a pleasing total shareholder return over the next two to three years as Telstra carries out its T25 strategy.

The post Why I think the Telstra share price is now an unmissable buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now
• Passive income watch: 3 ASX 200 shares that announced boosted dividends this week
• Broker gives its verdict on the Telstra share price post-results
• Why Bapcor, Magellan, Sonic Healthcare, and Telstra shares are charging higher
• Everything you need to know about the boosted Telstra dividend

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

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/DuS8gRQ

The NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF) share price is plummeting as the market digests the health insurance provider’s first-half earnings.

Right now, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) stock is down 10.33%, trading at $7.12 a share.

NIB share price tumbles on first-half results

Here are the highlights of the company’s half-year report:

• $91.6 million of net profit after tax (NPAT) – up 12.8% on the prior comparable period’s (pcp)
• Underlying operating profit lifted 13.3% to $125.1 million
• $1.5 billion of revenue – a 9.3% jump
• 20 cents of earnings per share (EPS) – up 12.4%
• Claims expense came to $1.1 billion – up 4.9%
• 13 cent per share fully franked interim dividend declared – 18.2% higher than the pcp’s 11 cent offering

All of the company’s major businesses performed well last half, with strong results from the Australian Residents Health Insurance (arhi) and New Zealand businesses. NIB also saw a recovery in its International Inbound Health Insurance (iihi) business and its travel insurance leg.

Policyholder growth across arhi, iihi, and the New Zealand business saw health insurance premium revenue lift 5.8% to $1.4 billion and contributed to higher net claims expenses.

Finally, the company said its investment income improved – coming in 47% higher at $22.2 million – but markets have been “fickle”.

What else happened last half?

Effects from the pandemic lingered last half, driving arhi’s net margin down to 8.6%. Though, that’s higher than the company’s 6% to 7% target.

That led the company to post its second-lowest premium increase in 20 years – 2.72%.

It also raised $158 million to fund its entry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), purchased plan manager Maple Plan, and launched its Thrive NDIS business.

What did management say?

NIB CEO and managing director Mark Fitzgibbon commented on the results weighing on the insurer’s share price today, saying:

There’s a symmetry returning to the businesses and profitability, after a period of COVID-led disruption. The half-year has set us up for a good full-year result and longer-term outlook.

Market and business conditions look favourable for our strategy and we’ve definitely got an appetite to invest across the group.

Yet inflation, rising interest rates, and slowing economic growth suggest some level of caution is required. Claims are still lower than we’d expected and at some point, volumes will lift.

What’s next?

“No one is happy about the difficulties we see in the public healthcare system, but those issues will continue to render private health insurance more attractive to consumers,” Fitzgibbon continued.

Despite that positive indication, NIB hasn’t reinstated financial guidance, citing remaining COVID-19 consequences and uncertainty.

NIB share price snapshot

Today’s tumble sees the NIB share price in the year-to-date red. But looking longer-term, the stock has been outperforming.

It’s currently 8% lower than it was at the start of 2023 and 6% higher than it was this time last year.

For comparison, the ASX 200 has gained 6% year to date and 2% over the last 12 months.

The post NIB share price tumbles 10% despite higher profit and bolstered dividend appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Why Inghams, Kelsian, Nuix, and Perenti shares are racing higher
• Why is ASX lithium share Magnis in a trading halt?
• Why is the DroneShield share price surging 10% today?
• 3 ASX shares that could create lasting generational wealth
• Guess which ASX 200 director has been buying up shares since their company reported

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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended NIB Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/K1qvasb

In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to start the week with a small gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up slightly to 7,348.6 points.

Four ASX shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are racing higher:

Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING)

The Inghams share price is up 9% to $2.99. This appears to have been driven by news that a couple of brokers have upgraded the poultry producer’s shares. One of those is Macquarie, which has upgraded its shares to an outperform rating with a $2.97 price target. It was pleased with Ingham’s first half results.

Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX: KLS)

The Kelsian share price is up 5% to $6.49. This morning, this travel and transport company announced that it won two new major contracts with Transport for NSW. These contracts will see Kelsian operate bus services in southwestern Sydney in the bus service areas Region 2 and Region 15 through to June 2031. The new contract secures more than $500 million in revenue over the contract term.

Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL)

The Nuix share price is up 2% to $1.09. This morning the investigative analytics software provider released its half year results and reported a 3.4% in annualised contract value to $170.2 million and a $1.3 million net profit. This compares to a loss of $2.3 million a year earlier.

Perenti Ltd (ASX: PRN)

The Perenti share price is up 9% to $1.15. This morning, this mining services company announced that it has been awarded a new surface contract at the Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) owned Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Fimiston open pit gold mine in Western Australia. The new ~$160 million contract runs for 60 months.

The post Why Inghams, Kelsian, Nuix, and Perenti shares are racing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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’);
})()

More reading

• Northern Star share price falls as half-year earnings decline 12%
• Nuix share price surges 6% on return to profit
• Earnings preview: Here are the ASX shares reporting on Monday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Inghams share price dives 7% on slashed dividend

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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/k2zn6cF

The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is having a bit of a bouncy start to the trading week today. At the time of writing, the All Ords has spent time in both positive and negative territory this Monday but is presently down by around 0.05%. But one ASX All Ords lithium share isn’t even at the table today. 

The Magnis Energy Technologies Ltd (ASX: MNS) share price closed at 40 cents last Friday. And that’s where the company will be staying, at least for a while.

That’s because, just before market open this morning, Magnis put out an ASX notice. This told investors its shares would be placed in a trading halt, effective from today.

Here’s some of what the notice said:

The Company requests the trading halt pending an announcement to the market in relation to a material transaction, the signed agreement for which was received from the counterparty over the weekend…

The Company requests that the trading halt applied to its securities continue until the earlier of the making of an announcement in relation to the proposed material transaction and the commencement of trading on 21 February 2023.

That’s all we know for now.

ASX lithium share Magnis on ice

Magnis did give investors another update last Friday. But this was related to its Imperium3 lithium-ion battery plant in the US state of New York, in which Magnis owns a 61% interest.

This informed investors that there will be a delay in gaining United Nations certification for the safe transportation of the lithium-ion batteries manufactured at Imperium3:

In one of the last tests performed, a cell reported an irregular result which has resulted in the process starting again with a new batch of cells.

In order to compress the timeline to achieve certification, additional accredited independent certifiers have been appointed. While disappointed with the delay, Magnis is pleased that cells produced by iM3NY are continuing to be sampled by a range of existing and potentially new customers, which reinforces the Company’s view on positive market demand for these new cells.

The Magnis share price reacted poorly to this news, with the company losing a nasty 7.96% last Friday. That put the company at the 40 cent share price Magnis is frozen at today:

It appears that these two consecutive announcements are not related, but we shall have to wait and see what Magnis comes out with later this week.

The post Why is ASX lithium share Magnis in a trading halt? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
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’);
})()

More reading

• NIB share price tumbles 10% despite higher profit and bolstered dividend
• Why Inghams, Kelsian, Nuix, and Perenti shares are racing higher
• Why is the DroneShield share price surging 10% today?
• 3 ASX shares that could create lasting generational wealth
• Guess which ASX 200 director has been buying up shares since their company reported

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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/RmiXLpr