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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More reading

• Why Challenger, Hansen, JB Hi-Fi, and Temple & Webster shares are surging today
• Beginners: Here are 2 ASX dividend stocks to get your portfolio started!
• Westpac shares at a 52-week high ahead of results: What’s the market expecting?
• Morgans names the best ASX 200 dividend shares to buy in February
• 3 ASX dividend shares with 5%+ yields to buy now

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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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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More reading

• How much could $10,000 invested in Core Lithium shares be worth next year?
• How another acquisition could boost Woodside shares following the collapse of the Santos deal
• This 6.7% ASX dividend stock pays cash every month
• Everything you need to know about the supersized CSL dividend
• Why Challenger, Hansen, JB Hi-Fi, and Temple & Webster shares are surging today

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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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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More reading

• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Shares vs. property: Beginner investors choosing Aussie shares, ASX ETFs and rentvesting
• 7 ASX lithium shares going gangbusters today
• Why Champion Iron, Core Lithium, Metcash, and West African shares are sinking
• Core Lithium and 2 other ASX 200 lithium shares plunging to 52-week lows

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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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.

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More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• Up 53% and 10.5% yield: 2 ASX 200 shares with signs of ‘high potential growth’
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• How to build a bulletproof ASX 200 passive income portfolio with just $10,000
• What this Warren Buffett-linked CEO’s prediction could mean for Woodside shares

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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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.

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More reading

• How I’d aim to build a bullet-proof ASX passive income portfolio with just $7,000 in 2024

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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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.

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More reading

• CSL shares tumble despite first-half earnings beat
• CSL share price on watch amid 20% profit jump
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• CSL shares could pop 9% on surprising results if history repeats itself
• Why CSL, Fletcher Building, Skycity, and Wildcat shares are falling today

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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is fighting hard to stay in positive territory. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is up a fraction to 7,615.3 points.

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

Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF)

The Challenger share price is up 7% to $7.05. This follows the release of the annuities company’s half-year results. Challenger posted a 16% increase in normalised net profit before tax of $290 million and an 80% jump in statutory net profit after tax to $56 million.

Hansen Technologies Limited (ASX: HSN)

The Hansen share price is up almost 6% to $5.39. This morning, the billing software provider announced the acquisition of Powercloud GmbH for an equity value of ~A$49 million. Powercloud is a leading provider of mission-critical billing and customer management software products to utility companies and regional municipalities across Germany. It is expected to add FY 2025 revenues of approximately A$40 million to A$46 million and is anticipated to become EBITDA accretive within the financial year ending June 2025.

JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH)

The JB Hi-Fi share price is up a further 5% to $63.57. Investors have been buying the retailer’s shares since the release of its half year results on Monday. Although JB Hi-Fi’s total sales were down 2.3% to $5.16 billion and its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) fell 20% to $386.7 million, this was still comfortably ahead of the market’s expectations.

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

The Temple & Webster share price is up almost 11% to $11.09. This follows the release of the online furniture and homewares retailer’s half-year results. Temple & Webster reported a 23% increase in revenue to a record of $254 million and a 3% lift in EBITDA to $7.5 million. The latter meant an EBITDA margin at the top end of its guidance range.

The post Why Challenger, Hansen, JB Hi-Fi, and Temple & Webster shares are surging today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Challenger share price rockets 10% on half-year earnings
• Up 115% in a year, Temple & Webster share price soars again today on record revenue
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why Audinate, Beach Energy, Calix, and JB Hi-Fi shares are charging higher
• Everything you need to know about the reduced JB Hi-Fi 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 positions in and has recommended Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Challenger, Jb Hi-Fi, and 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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I’m bloody lucky. I have, I’m pretty sure, the best job in the world.

I love business and investing.

I love analysis, and working out the relationship between different factors.

I love writing (and, as they say, it forces you to work out what you really think, which is a wonderful benefit).

And I love helping people get the most from their finances.

It might not surprise you that at one point I considered becoming a teacher (the kids are probably glad I didn’t!).

And why am I lucky?

Well, I have a job, and an employer, that lets me do all of that.

Sometimes, I write about investing. Sometimes about business. Sometimes about the economy. And sometimes about economic policy.

That’s a very broad remit. 

And when I do, my aim is to improve things – for our members and readers, obviously, but also for our broader society.

Why?

Well, selfishly on behalf of those people, a better society is better for all of us, including investors.

But also because I think we have a moral responsibility to do so.

Now, it’s impossible to divorce those two things, of course.

If I help people grasp the power of investing, of course some are going to join The Motley Fool.

And, I think we can help them, so I’m good with that.

But also, many won’t. Many will find other ways to use the insights I try to provide. And that’s totally fine with me.

Which is all preamble. Hopefully useful context, too.

Because I’m really pleased to let you know that The Motley Fool has decided to run a free week of live webinars, on YouTube, that we’re calling Financial Literacy Week.

Our aim?

To help people get their financial lives in order.

To give them (you?) the information and tools they need to wrest back control, and to set themselves on the right path.

Why?

I mean, it’s good for our brand. It exposes more people to our business. Those things are undoubtedly true. We might eventually get some of those people to become members of one of our services.

But if it was just about making a sale, we’d find some ‘shorter putts’. We’d throw more resources into getting current investors to use us. Or potential investors to start investing with us.

But we’re doing it, primarily, because we think we can help people who want to take control of their finances, but don’t know where to start.

And if we can, we think we should.

So we are.

Maybe you could benefit from rebooting your finances. Or maybe you know someone else who could. Or someone who needs to know what healthy financial habits look like.

That’s what we’re aiming to do.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Financial Literacy Week is free.

• It runs from February 26 to March 1.

• Each day that week, we’ll be live on YouTube.

• I’ll give you some actionable insights to help you get your financial life (back) on track.

• And we’ll answer as many of your questions as we can!

No, there are no silver bullets. And there’s no secret strategy.

You will have heard most of it before, too.

But our aim is to give it to you straight, in an easy-to-follow format.

Because, sometimes all we need is a bit of a push, and a few simple steps to follow.

That’s how you get the financial snowball rolling. And once it does, the results can be astounding.

I’m really excited we’re doing this – and proud that The Motley Fool is behind it.

I hope you’ll join us (and please let your friends and family know if you think they might benefit from it, too!)

Did I mention it’s free?

Click here to RSVP and get all of the details!

The post Announcing Motley Fool's Financial Literacy Week Event appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Scott Phillips 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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In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is out of form and edging lower. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 0.1% to 7,605.6 points.

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

Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)

The Breville share price is down 12% to $24.02. Investors have been selling the appliance manufacturer’s shares after its FY 2024 guidance fell short of expectations. Although Breville’s first-half earnings were in line with estimates, its guidance missed by around 4%.

James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX)

The James Hardie share price is down 5% to $56.22. This is despite the release of the building materials company’s quarterly update, which revealed strong revenue and profit growth. James Hardie reported a 14% increase in global net sales to US$978.3 million and a 34% jump in adjusted EBITDA to US$280.4 million.

Seek Ltd (ASX: SEK)

The Seek share price is down 9% to $24.42. Investors have been selling the job listings company’s shares on Tuesday after it posted a 5% decline in revenue and a 24% drop in adjusted net profits after tax for the first half. Management advised that this reflects Australian and New Zealand paid job ads falling 20%.

Strike Energy Ltd (ASX: STX)

The Strike Energy share price is down 24% to 32 cents. This follows the release of an update on well testing activities at South Erregulla. Management believes it has encountered a possible gas-water contact in the SE-3 well. Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Nicholls, said: “The SE-3 flow test has not matched its petrophysical interpretation, which is disappointing. Further analysis and data collection is ongoing and Strike is reviewing the potential to return to the well.”

The post Why Breville, James Hardie, Seek, and Strike Energy shares are sinking like stones today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 2 ASX All Ords shares getting crushed on earnings results
• Seek share price sinks 10% as hiring slowdown hits earnings
• Guess why this ASX 200 energy stock is crashing 30% today
• Breville share price crashes 13% on guidance miss
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Seek. 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 Seek. 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’s a little-known ASX mining stock that has handed investors absolutely stunning gains over the week gone by.

Last Monday, 5 February, the rare earths miner closed trading for 13 cents a share. At the time of writing, those same shares are swapping hands for 31 cents apiece, up an eye-popping 138% in a week.

Meaning, if I’d invested $5,000 in this ASX mining stock a week ago, I’d be sitting on $11,923 right now!

Any guesses?

If you said American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR), go to the head of the virtual class.

Here’s why investors have been sending this ASX mining stock rocketing.

What’s boosting the American Rare Earths share price?

A lot’s been happening with American Rare Earths over the past trading week.

This appears to have been spurred by last Wednesday’s announcement of an increase in the resource estimate at the company’s Halleck Creek project, located in the US state of Wyoming.

The ASX mining stock reported that its resource estimate had increased by 64% to 2.34 billion tonnes at 3,166 parts per million (ppm) Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO). Shares closed up 3.9% on Wednesday and 3.7% on Thursday before really going meteoric following Friday’s investor presentation.

The ASX mining stock closed up 14% on Friday and gained another 50% on Monday. Shares are up 29% at the time of writing today.

Investor enthusiasm looks to have spiked after the company noted it has the largest ASX-listed portfolio of strategic rare earth element assets in the US. And with the upgraded resource estimated at its 100% owned flagship Halleck Creek Project, management reported the asset has the potential “to be the largest rare earths deposit in the US”.

With the Western world eager to secure rare earths elements from sources outside of China, American Rare Earths looks to be well-placed to deliver the technology crucial elements.

How has this ASX mining stock performed longer term?

Most of the recent big gains for American Rare Earths shares have come over the past week.

The ASX mining stock is up 26% since this time last year and up 1,425% over five years.

The post If I’d invested $5,000 in this ASX mining stock a week ago I’d have $11,923 today! appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Announcing Motley Fool’s Financial Literacy Week Event
• Why Breville, James Hardie, Seek, and Strike Energy shares are sinking like stones today
• BHP share price resilient ahead of Friday’s strike action
• 2 ASX All Ords shares getting crushed on earnings results
• Seek share price sinks 10% as hiring slowdown hits earnings

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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