The team at Morgans has been looking at the best ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) shares to buy this month.

Among its best dividend ideas for the month of December are the two ASX 200 shares listed below. Here’s what the broker is saying about them:

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Morgans remains very positive on this telco giant and believes it could be an ASX 200 dividend share to buy. The broker has an add rating and $4.60 price target on Telstra’s shares.

Morgans is very positive on Telstra’s outlook thanks to its successful turnaround and believes that its recent restructure could unlock value for shareholders. It explained:

After a major turnaround, TLS has emerged in good shape with strong earnings momentum and a strong balance sheet. In late CY22 shareholders vote[d] on Telstra’s legal restructure, which opens the door for value to be released. […] TLS currently trades on ~7x EV/EBITDA. However some of TLS’s high quality long life assets like InfraCo are worth substantially more, in our view. We don’t think this is in the price so see it as value generating for TLS shareholders.

As for dividends, Morgans is expecting Telstra to continue to pay fully franked 16.5 cents per share dividends in FY 2023 and FY 2024. Based on the current Telstra share price of $4.00, this equates to yields of 4.1%.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

Morgans sees this conglomerate as a dividend share to buy this month and has an add rating and $55.60 price target on its shares.

This is thanks to its high quality retail portfolio and focus on value, which could be important given the cost of living crisis. The broker explained:

WES possesses one of the highest quality retail portfolios in Australia with strong brands including Bunnings, Kmart and Officeworks. The company is run by a highly regarded management team and the balance sheet is healthy. We believe WES’s businesses, which have a strong focus on value, remain well-placed for growth despite softening macro-economic conditions.

As for dividends, Morgans is expecting Wesfarmers to continue to pay fully franked dividends of $1.82 per share dividends in FY 2023 and $1.89 per share in FY 2024. Based on the current Wesfarmers share price of $47.75, this equates to yields of 3.8% and 4%, respectively.

The post Morgans names 2 of the best ASX 200 dividend shares to buy in December appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Down 20% so far this year, are Wesfarmers shares now a no-brainer buy?
• Telstra share price outperforming despite data breach impacting 132,000 customers
• Telstra share price on watch following latest telco data breach
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• Could the VAS ETF outperform the BHP share price in 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 positions in and has recommended Telstra Group and Wesfarmers. 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 tough year for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) in 2022, to be sure. Year to date, the ASX 200 remains down by a depressing 5.39%.

Time is certainly running out if the ASX 200 wants to post a gain for this year. But that loss is nothing compared to the Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) share price.

Wesfarmers has long been an ASX 200 blue-chip share. It was also one with a reputation for stability. Until this year:

Today, Wesfarmers is going for $47.75 a share as of market close, down 0.35% for the day. At this price, Wesfarmers shares are now down by a painful 20.4% year to date in 2022. That’s a loss nearly quadruple what the ASX 200 Index has given investors.

And we are certainly a long way from the all-time record high of more than $66 a share that we saw in August of last year.

So with all of this pain now under 2022’s bridge, what’s next for Wesfarmers shares? Could these late throes of 2022 be a good time to pick up some shares at a price 20% lower than we could at the start of the year?

Let’s see what some of the ASX’s expert investors reckon.

Are Wesfarmers shares a buy today? Here’s what two brokers say

One ASX broker who thinks Wesfarmers shares are a bargain at the current price is UBS. As we covered last month, UBS gave Wesfarmers an add rating, replete with a 12-month share price target of $56. If realised, that would give investors a pleasing upside of 17% from where the shares are today.

UBS is anticipating that Wesfarmers’ core retail businesses, such as Kmart and Bunnings, are performing well in the current environment. The broker even predicts that these businesses could grow their market share from here.

But UBS isn’t the only broker eyeing off Wesfarmers right now. Morgans is also bullish on the retail and industrial conglomerate. It has a slightly lower share price target of $55.60 on the Wesfarmers share price.

Morgans notes Wesfarmers has been enjoying strong retail conditions and thinks the company is a solid long-term buy at the current level. So it’s fair to say that more than one ASX expert investor is eyeing off the Wesfarmers share price this December.

But we’ll have to see what 2023 brings for this ASX 200 blue-chip stalwart

The post Down 20% so far this year, are Wesfarmers shares now a no-brainer buy? 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 Woodside share price smashing the ASX 200 on Monday?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Monday
• Is Xero a ‘safe’ ASX share?
• One ASX 200 share I’m buying for passive income before 2022 is over

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 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.

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The small-cap ASX share Smartpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: SMP) is a leading idea according to a fund manager.

Smartpay allows merchants to take payments from customers with a “versatile, portable EFTPOS machine”.

Recent result

Less than a month ago, the business announced its interim result for the six months to 30 September 2022.

It revealed revenue of $35.4 million, an increase of 68% year over year. Smartpay generated $8.1 million in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), which was a rise of 119%. The company also reported net profit before tax of $2.7 million, an increase of 637%.

The company saw $5.5 million of monthly Australian acquiring revenue at September 2022.

The ASX share made positive operating cash flow of $10.1 million in the period. The operating cash flow is being used to fund the purchase of new terminals, ongoing development of software and reduce bank debt.

The company is working on its Android in-store proposition, which is a “key focus”. It is seeing momentum and an acceleration. It’s looking forward to a “strong” second half.

Fund manager thoughts on the Smartpay share price

The fund manager of EGP Capital, Tony Hansen, shared some comments about Smartpay in the fund update for November 2022. Hansen said that the Smartpay update in mid-October was “spectacular”.

The fund manager commented that “the miracle of operating leverage in a fast-growing, negative working capital business is on display in all of its glory”.

He noted that while he would prefer to see every cost line grow slower than revenue, he is happy enough that marketing doubled. Hansen pointed to the “positive outcomes every increase in marketing Smartpay has had over the past few halves has had.”

In the prior year, marketing costs increased by 74%, while revenue went up 68% in this latest period.

Hansen remains “very bullish” despite the “sharp increase” of the Smartpay share price.

One reason to like the ASX share is that the stated customer churn was just 1.1%. On the current Australian terminal fleet, that equates to only 12 terminals per month that would need to be replaced to maintain the fleet size.

Hansen suggested that the customer churn is so low that the marketing budget could be “almost completely extinguished and the business would probably hold similar revenue in perpetuity”.

ASX share cash flow machine?

Hansen thinks that the business is consistent and could make a lot of money if management wanted it to. He concluded:

It is truly an annuity business, and at the flip of a switch, could be turned into a cash flow monster should management (or an acquirer) choose to do so. We prefer that given they still speak for a low single-digit market share that they continue to grow at the fastest pace prudence enables.

Smartpay share price snapshot

Over the last month, Smartpay shares have risen by around 20%.

The post Could this under-the-radar ASX share be a ‘cash flow monster’ at the flip of a switch? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 3 small-cap ASX shares with over 30% upside: brokers
• Why is the Woodside share price smashing the ASX 200 on Monday?
• Why is the Origin Energy share price dumping 8% on Monday?
• Will the Flight Centre share price have a better year in 2023?

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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) started the week off in the red today. It slumped 0.45% in Monday’s session to trade at 7,180.8 points.

The star of today’s trade was the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ). It gained 1.2% amid rising oil prices.

The black liquid’s value rose by as much as 1% on Monday amid an ongoing leak at a key North American pipeline, Russia’s response to a price cap on its oil exports, and China’s relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, as Reuters reports.

On the other side of the coin, the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) tumbled 4.3%, weighed down by the Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) share price’s 7.8% tumble.

Another major drag was the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ). It fell 1.5% on Monday.

All in all, only four of the ASX 200’s 11 sectors closed in the green today. But which stock outperformed all others to take home today’s crown? Keep reading to find out.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

The biggest gains on the ASX 200 today came from BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN).

The artificial intelligence and machine learning technology developer’s share price gained 9.4% despite the company’s silence.

Today’s biggest gains were made by these shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN)	$0.70	9.38%
Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)	$6.72	4.02%
Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS)	$35.10	2.69%
Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ)	$4.83	2.55%
Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA)	$0.22	2.33%
Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)	$171.50	2.06%
Pendal Group Ltd (ASX: PDL)	$5.02	2.03%
Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT (ASX: CQE)	$3.32	1.84%
Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF)	$7.33	1.81%
Centuia Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)	$3.20	1.59%

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 Woodside share price smashing the ASX 200 on Monday?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Monday
• Why Arafura, Megaport, Nitro, and Sayona Mining shares are storming higher today
• Why this one top fund manager is optimistic about 2023, and one little-known IPO that has hit it out of the park
• Is Xero a ‘safe’ ASX share?

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 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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These three small market cap shares have more than a 30% upside according to brokers.

Australian Vintage Ltd (ASX: AVG), Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6) and AIC Mines Ltd (A1M) are rated as buy or overweight in separate reports published by the ASX.

Let’s take a look at these three ASX shares in more detail.

AIC Mines

AIC Mines shares are flat today and currently fetching 45 cents. Ord Minnett has placed a “speculative buy” rating on the AIC Mines share price with an 80 cent price target. This implies an almost 78% upside on the current share price.

Ord Minnett is positive on AIC Mines’ takeover of Demetallica Limited (ASX: DRM). Commenting on the acquisition, analysts said:

….the acquisition increases A1M’s prominence in terms of scale, liquidity, mine life and risk profile – which should place it on the radar for more investors. We increase our target price to A$0.80/sh (+7%) and retain our positive view.

Australian Vintage

Australian Vintage shares are down 3.2% today and are currently fetching 60.5 cents. MA Moelis Australia has placed a buy rating on the wine company’s share price with an 87 cent price target. This implies an upside of about 43%. Analysts are positive on the company’s agreement to sell multiple commercial vineyards to Warakirri Asset Management for $62.5 million. This deal “unlocks significant value” from the company’s balance sheet, CEO Craig Garvin said earlier this month.

Commenting on the outlook for Australian Vintage, broker MA Moelis Australia said:

We see the sale and leaseback of the Coldridge and Grande Junction commercial
vineyards as a positive move, which strengthens the balance sheet at a time when
market conditions are relatively challenging due to an oversupply of Australian wine.

We maintain our buy rating and raise our target price to $0.87 (prev: $0.81),
reflecting the change in capital structure.

Clarity Pharmaceuticals

Clarity Pharmaceuticals shares are 1.1% in the green today and are currently priced at 92 cents. Wilsons has maintained an “overweight” rating on Clarity Pharmaceuticals with a 12-month price target of $1.22. This implies a nearly 33% upside based on the current share price.

Wilsons is positive on Clarity’s upcoming trial results for its SAR-bisPSMA product for prostate cancer. Analysts said:

We maintain our overweight rating on Clarity Pharmaceuticals with a revised price target of $1.22/sh. We view the upcoming release of Clarity’s Phase I/II propeller trial results for their 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA in prostate cancer diagnosis as a de-risking event, with clear signals
towards a positive outcome.

Pending the release of these results, we revise our SOTP ROVs, additionally supported by the SAR-Bombesin PSMA-negative prostate tracking ~3 years ahead of schedule.

The post 3 small-cap ASX shares with over 30% upside: brokers appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Woodside share price smashing the ASX 200 on Monday?
• Why is the Origin Energy share price dumping 8% on Monday?
• Will the Flight Centre share price have a better year in 2023?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Monday
• Why is the Woolworths share price lagging the ASX 200 on Monday?

Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea 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 Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price is outperforming on Monday amid rising oil prices.

The black liquid’s value is gaining on news a major United States pipeline will remain closed following an incident, Russia’s response to a price cap on the nation’s exports, and relaxing COVID-19 restrictions in China.

Right now, the Woodside share price is up 2.31% at $34.97.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has slumped 0.41%, and the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) is up 1.17%.

Let’s take a closer look at what might be going on with the ASX 200 oil giant on Monday.

What’s driving the Woodside share price higher today?

The Woodside share price is out in front this afternoon, placing the company among the ASX 200’s top-performing stocks as oil spends a day in the green.

As of the time of writing, Brent crude futures are up 0.6% at US$76.56 a barrel, and WTI crude futures have lifted 0.82% to US$71.60 a barrel.

That’s likely good news for oil fans. Particularly as the energy commodity hit a 2022 low just last week.

It comes after the major North American Keystone Pipeline System was shut down last week after oil was confirmed to have leaked into a creek.

TC Energy – the company operating the pipeline – provided an update overnight. It said the product was contained, but it hadn’t confirmed a timeline for restarting the service.

Meanwhile, it’s been just days since Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia may cut oil production in response to a US$60 per barrel price cap on the nation’s oil agreed upon by Western powers, Reuters reports.

Finally, the energy commodity’s price might be rising amid expectations that China’s recent lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, as SBS covers, could bolster demand for the black liquid.   

As an oil producer, Woodside’s bottom line mainly depends on the energy commodity’s value. The higher the oil prices, the more profit the company can rake in.

Thus, its climbing oil prices are behind the Woodside share price’s Monday gains.

The post Why is the Woodside share price smashing the ASX 200 on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Monday
• Is Xero a ‘safe’ ASX share?
• One ASX 200 share I’m buying for passive income before 2022 is over
• A bull market is coming: 3 ways Warren Buffett is preparing
• 3 ‘strong’ ASX 200 dividend shares for 2023 revealed: expert

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 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 Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) share price is taking a beating today, down 8% in afternoon trading.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy company closed on Friday trading at $7.80 and are currently trading for $7.18.

That sees the Origin Energy share price sharply underperforming the ASX 200, which is down 0.6% at this same time.

The utilities sector, however, is broadly facing some stiffer headwinds on Monday. The AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) share price is down 2.3% and the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index [ASX: XUJ] down 4%.

Here’s what ASX 200 investors are considering.

Energy price caps could become law on Thursday

On Friday prime minister Anthony Albanese announced the government’s planned rollout of price caps for domestic coal and gas sales. An announcement likely pressuring the Origin Energy share price today.

Parliament will meet this Thursday to vote on the proposal. If passed, it will see gas prices in the domestic market capped at $12 per gigajoule. Thermal coal, which is used to generate electricity, will be capped at $125 per tonne within Australia.

Commenting on the government’s rationale for the price caps, Albanese said (quoted by ABC News):

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. And we know with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, what we’ve seen is a massive increase in global energy prices. And because of Australia not investing in enough of our own energy assets, what we have is a vulnerability to those international price movements.

Energy minister Chris Bowen added, “It’s Australian gas, under Australian soil and Australians should not be paying elevated war prices for that gas.”

The price caps and coal and gas won’t be levelled on exports, or on new gas fields. Bowen said if energy companies “want to make money from exports, that’s okay”.

But with the Origin Energy share price and other energy providers already facing some headwinds, the government’s plan doesn’t enjoy unanimous support.

“What the government needs to do is drive more supply of gas into the marketplace,” opposition leader Peter Dutton said.

Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association CEO, Samantha McCulloch, also sounded off against the price caps.

According to McCulloch (courtesy of ABC News):

A gas price cap will force prices higher for households and businesses because it will kill investment confidence and reduce future supply…

This heavy-handed, radical intervention has been conducted with no prior consultation with industry to consider specific measures and warn of potential risks to Australia.

Origin Energy share price snapshot

Despite today’s fall, the Origin Energy share price (as seen in the chart below) remains up 42% over the past 12 months.

The post Why is the Origin Energy share price dumping 8% on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Monday
• Why Bigtincan, Nanosonics, Origin, and Tyro shares are sinking today
• 3 ‘boring’ ASX shares with returns over 25% in 2022
• Why Air New Zealand, Chalice, Evolution, and Origin shares are rising today
• ASX index beaters: 5 shares that have supercharged portfolios in 2022

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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Some may have launched into 2022 thinking it might be the year the travel sector rebounds. With COVID-19 restrictions gradually easing in late 2021 and pent-up Aussies desperate for a holiday, many investors might have cast their eyes on the Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price.

Alas, such hopes for 2022 did not come to fruition. The Flight Centre share price has fallen more than 20% so far this year to trade at $14.78 today.

For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 5% year to date. Beyond that, stock in travel peers Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) and Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) have jumped 14% and 19%, respectively, this year.

So, with hopes of a 2022 recovery dwindling, could the Flight Centre share price be a 2023 turnaround story? Let’s take a look at what experts think.

Could 2023 be a better year for the Flight Centre share price?

Unfortunately, a major turnaround for the Flight Centre share price in the new year seems unlikely, according to many brokers and experts that tip the ASX 200 travel stock a hold.

One major factor dictating their concern is the company’s revenue margin, which remained steady over the first four months of this financial year at 9.8% despite its total transaction value (TTV) leaping 246%.

The company’s revenue margin was weighed down by reduced front-end commission payments from certain airlines. While it’s working to offset such changes, it predicts they will drag on its Australian leisure margins by around 1%.

Qantas was among the first to slash commissions, dropping those for international flights from 5% to 1% earlier this year.

Top broker Goldman Sachs responded to the company’s latest earnings update, adding:

While there are undoubtably temporary factors impacting [margins recovery] … we remain concerned regarding longer term structural move towards online, which are weaker margin channels.

The broker has a neutral rating and a $16.10 price target on Flight Centres shares.

Barrenjoey and JPMorgan are also among those with hold or equivalent ratings on the stock, the Australian Financial Review reports, while Jarden has slapped it with an overweight rating. The trio expect it to rise to $17.90, $16.50, and $21.20, respectively.

The latter broker has said the business could provide greater returns in the future, being larger once it recovered from the pandemic and offering an attractive balance of risk versus reward.

However, short sellers might disagree. Flight Centre is the most shorted share on the ASX, as it has been for most of this year. More than 14% of its stock was in the hands of short sellers at last count.

The post Will the Flight Centre share price have a better year in 2023? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why this one top fund manager is optimistic about 2023, and one little-known IPO that has hit it out of the park
• Here are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Here are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
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• Here are the 10 most shorted ASX shares

JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. 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 JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel 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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) seems to be proving how it doesn’t really like Mondays. Last week was a rather disappointing one for ASX 200 shares, and today, it doesn’t look like that sentiment is going away.

At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has lost a depressing 0.5%, which leaves the index at just under 7,180 points.

But rather than dwelling on all of that, let’s instead have a look at the ASX 200 shares that are currently topping the share market’s trading volume charts, according to investing.com.

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Monday

Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG)

First up today is ASX 200 energy utility share Origin. This Monday has seen a sizeable 13.75 million Origin shares trade hands as it currently stands. This is almost certainly a result of the torrid share price drop Origin has endured so far today.

At present, the company’s shares are down by a nasty 7.56% to $7.21 each. This looks like a consequence of the news that the federal government is planning on imposing a price cap on coal and gas.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Next up we have the ASX 200 lithium giant Pilbara Minerals. So far today, a hefty 15.98 million Pilbara shares have found a new owner. There’s been no new news out of Pilbara this week so far. So this volume could be in response to the share price moves that Pilbara is experiencing.

This company is defying the broader market today and has surged 2.35% higher to $4.58 a share. That’s despite Pilbara opening in the red this morning.

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)

Third and finally this Monday, we have another ASX 200 lithium share in Core Lithium. This session has had a notable 19.91 million Core shares find their way across the ASX boards. There hasn’t been any fresh news out of Core either. But that hasn’t stopped this company from having a fairly wild day of trading.

Core shares are presently up by 0.6% to $1.18 each. But the company has been bouncing around dramatically all day, going as low as $1.14 and as high as $1.19 a share. All this volatility has probably prompted the high volumes on display here.

The post Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• What’s weighing on the Core Lithium share price today?
• Why Bigtincan, Nanosonics, Origin, and Tyro shares are sinking today
• Is Xero a ‘safe’ ASX share?
• One ASX 200 share I’m buying for passive income before 2022 is over
• A bull market is coming: 3 ways Warren Buffett is preparing

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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It hasn’t been a great start to the week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far this Monday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has shed another 0.6%, leaving the index at around 7,170 points. But it’s been even worse for the Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price.

Woolworths shares are really having a clanger today. The ASX 200 supermarket giant has lost a painful 1.1% so far this session, leaving it at $34.08 a share:

So why is the Woolworths share price underperforming so dramatically this Monday?

Well, it’s not really clear. There hasn’t been any ASX news or announcements out of the company directly today that would conveniently explain this loss.

However, we can note that Woolies isn’t the only ASX 200 consumer staples share feeling the pain today. The company’s arch-rival Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) is also feeling the heat. The Coles share price is presently down by just under 1%.

Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS), the owner of the IGA network, has lost 0.7%. So not a great day for consumer staples shares in general, it would seem.

However, there are some rumours flying around today that do involve Woolworths. These could well be influencing the sell-off we are seeing with the company’s shares.

Why is the Woolworths share price waning today?

As my Fool colleague James flagged this morning, there is speculation that Woolies could be about to make a major new acquisition. The company is reportedly “close to signing an agreement” to acquire pet supplies company Petstock.

This would be a massive shakeup for Woolworths, and will likely come with a big price tag as well, considering Petstock’s established presence in the pet supply market.

So this could well be influencing Woolworths shares today as well. If that is true, it seems investors aren’t too enthused. But we shall have to wait and see if anything concrete comes from these rumours.

One ASX expert licking their lips over the falling Woolworths share price today could well be Goldman Sachs.

As we covered this afternoon, Goldman has recently come out with a conviction buy rating on Woolworths shares, complete with a 12-month share price target of $41.70. If realised, that would result in an upside of more than 22% from the current share price.

Goldman reckons Woolies has a “clear growth pathway” over the next few years and is looking attractive at the current share price, particularly after the falls we have seen recently.

So no doubt this ASX broker is greeting the falls we are seeing today with excitement.

At the current Woolworths share price, this ASX 200 consumer staples giant has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27.4, with a trailing dividend yield of 2.7%.

The post Why is the Woolworths share price lagging the ASX 200 on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Goldman Sachs names 2 ASX 200 blue chip shares to buy
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• What’s impacting the Woolworths share price on Thursday?
• 10 ASX shares to buy in 2023
• 5 popular ASX 200 stocks I’m avoiding, plus one that still looks dirt cheap

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 positions in and has recommended Coles Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Metcash. 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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