S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining shares are handily beating the benchmark on Monday.

In early afternoon trade, the ASX 200 is up 0.6%.

As for the big-name mining stocks:

• Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) shares are up 3.1%
• BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are up 4.3%
• Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) shares are up 3.9%

Here’s what investors are considering on Monday.

What’s boosting ASX 200 mining shares today?

Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue all look to be enjoying some healthy tailwinds from a big leg up in the iron ore price. The ASX 200 mining shares all derive at least half of their annual revenue from iron ore.

The industrial metal is up 5% today to US$88 per tonne.

The lift came amid renewed speculations that China may move to ease its COVID-zero policies. Demand for the steel-making metal from China, the world’s number two economy and most populous nation, has been hit as rolling lockdowns in the country continue to hamper its industry and economic growth.

The ASX 200 mining shares leapt higher on Friday on their international listings as speculations on China’s virus control policies swirled. The BHP share price gained 9.8% on the NYSE on Friday while Rio Tinto shares closed up 10%.

Commenting on those moves, Ben Cleary, global natural resources portfolio manager at Tribeca Investment Partners said (courtesy of The Australian Financial Review):

That move on Friday was a big move, not a move we’ve seen for more than a decade. [On China] there seems to be a different headline every day, but the reality is it’ll reopen at some stage, and they’re seemingly in the early stages of making [Western vaccines] available for certain groups, including expats.

Cleary looks to have nailed that analysis on several fronts, including the different headlines every day out of China.

Over the weekend, Chinese officials reiterated their commitment to the COVID-zero policies. However, that doesn’t look to be dampening ASX 200 investor enthusiasm for the big mining shares today.

How have BHP, Fortescue and Rio Tinto shares been tracking?

All three of the ASX 200 mining shares have outpaced the benchmark over the past 12 months.

While the ASX 200 has lost 7% over the full year, BHP shares have gained 10%, Rio shares have gained 7% and the Fortescue share price is up 14%.

The post Why are ASX 200 mining shares bolting out the gates on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Rio Tinto share price having such a stellar start to the week?
• Looking to buy Fortescue shares? Here are the questions I asked before jumping in
• Why is the BHP share price charging 4% higher?
• Hotels, hurt feelings, and HR hassles, but Fortescue’s biggest shareholder still got richer this week
• Why did the Rio Tinto share price underperform by over 10% in October?

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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The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) share price has started the week in the red.

In afternoon trade, the buy now pay later (BNPL) provider’s shares are down 1.5% to 65 cents.

Why is the Zip share price falling?

The Zip share price is under pressure today despite there being no news out of the BNPL provider.

However, it is worth noting that both the financials and tech sectors are under pressure today, which could be weighing on its shares.

For example, the S&P/ASX 200 Financials index is down 1.2% this afternoon and the S&P/ASX All technology Index is down 0.9%.

Anything else?

It’s possible that some commentary from Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) CEO Peter King could be putting pressure on the Zip share price.

King spoke cautiously about the economic environment and consumer spending. He said:

We are not yet seeing increases in hardship or stressed assets. Many customers built up savings during the past two years and 68% remain ahead on their mortgage repayments. However, it is inevitable that the impact of higher rates will be felt, including when borrowers’ low fixed-rate loans are rolled over.

In Australia, consumer spending is resilient but as higher rates bite, we expect the heat to come out of the economy and inflation pressures to ease. Small business is one sector we are watching closely as consumption slows. Housing prices have fallen in recent months and this will continue into 2023. Credit growth is expected to ease. GDP growth will slow and unemployment will rise. These will be necessary outcomes if we are to lower inflation.

Whether this impacts spending on Zip’s platform, only time will tell.

The post Why is the Zip share price dropping today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Zip share price slides despite CEO pinpointing profit timeline
• What could this proposed regulation mean for Zip shares?
• Why is the Zip share price up 5% on Tuesday?
• Why has the Zip share price dumped 12% in October?
• Could this represent another nail in the Zip share price coffin?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Westpac Banking Corporation. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Westpac Banking Corporation. 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 All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is back in the green today, driven high by three shares posting new multi-year highs. Right now, the benchmark index is up 0.3% at 7,110.5 points.

Meanwhile, these ASX All Ordinaries shares have gained as much as 6.9% today to hit their highest points in years.

So, what’s bolstering them to long-forgotten, or never-before-seen, heights? Keep reading to find out.

3 ASX All Ordinaries shares posting multi-year highs

First off the rank is the share price of ASX All Ordinaries gold developer Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX: TIE). The stock launched to a new all-time high of 77 cents earlier today, marking a 6.9% gain.

Interestingly, there’s been no news from the miner this month. Additionally, the market had no reaction to its latest quarterly report, released in late October.

Though, the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) is gaining 3.9% right now and gold futures lifted 2.8% on Friday to reach US$1,676.60 an ounce.

The Stanmore Resources Ltd (ASX: SMR) share price also soared to a new all-time high today, reaching $3.21 in early trade despite the company’s silence. Sadly, it’s since plunged into the red.

The ASX All Ordinaries coal share has had a ripper ride through 2022 so far, gaining more than 200% year to date.

Finally, the Syrah Resources Ltd (ASX: SYR) share price took off this morning, gaining 3.9% to reach $2.65 – its highest point since 2018.

Once again, there’s been no news from the graphite and battery anode developer today.

Though, both it and Tietto Minerals were among the best performing ASX All Ordinaries resources shares in October.

The post 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares hitting new multi-year highs today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Top 3 rising ASX resources shares in October
• Why has the Paladin Energy share price surged 11% in a month?
• Up 30% in a month, the ASX coal share that still ‘seems too cheap’: expert
• 2 ASX companies producing minerals the whole world wants: expert
• 5 ASX shares that have crushed the market this year

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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This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

Shares of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) moved in opposite directions after their latest earnings reports. Apple’s stock jumped nearly 8% on Oct. 28 after it soundly beat Wall Street’s expectations, but Alphabet’s stock tumbled 9% on Oct. 26 after it broadly missed analysts’ expectations on both the top and bottom lines.

Apple’s stock has still declined 12% this year as of this writing, but Alphabet fared much worse with a 34% drop. Let’s see why Apple outperformed Alphabet by such a wide margin and if it will remain the better bear market buy.  

The key differences between Apple and Alphabet

Apple generated 79% of its revenue in its latest quarter by selling iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other hardware products and accessories. The remaining 21% came from its Services business, which houses its App Store and subscription-based services. It ended fiscal 2022 (which ended in September) with over 900 million subscribers across all of its services.

Alphabet generated 79% of its revenue in its latest quarter from Google’s advertising business, which houses the ads from its core search engine, its advertising network, and YouTube. The rest of Alphabet’s revenue came from Google’s Cloud platform (10% of its revenues), its subscription-based services, hardware products, and other smaller businesses.

Apple’s hardware business faced supply chain constraints throughout the first nine months of fiscal 2022, but that pressure eased in the fourth quarter. It was also affected by intermittent COVID-19 lockdowns in China, but its sales in the Greater China area (19% of its fiscal 2022 revenue) still increased nearly 9% for the full year.  

Alphabet’s main challenge is the slowdown of the digital advertising market. Its ad sales had recovered quickly from the pandemic in 2021, but inflation, rising rates, and other macro headwinds all caused companies to buy fewer ads this year. YouTube, which suffered its first year-over-year revenue decline last quarter, also struggled to keep pace with ByteDance’s TikTok in the short video market. Google’s Cloud business continued to grow, but it couldn’t fully offset its slower ad sales.

Which tech giant is growing faster?

Apple’s revenue rose 33% to $365.8 billion in fiscal 2021, driven by robust sales of the iPhone 12 (its first family of 5G devices), while its EPS surged 71%. Its growth cooled off in fiscal 2022 as it lapped those 5G upgrades and it faced persistent supply chain headwinds, but its revenue still increased 8% to $394.3 billion as its EPS rose 9%. Analysts expect its revenue and earnings to grow 4% and 5%, respectively, this year.

Those growth rates might not seem impressive, but they don’t factor in any new devices — including its long-rumored AR (augmented reality) headsets — or services that Apple might launch in 2023. Apple ended fiscal 2022 with $169 billion in cash and marketable securities, so it could still easily expand into new markets with big investments and acquisitions.  

Alphabet’s revenue rose 41% to $257.6 billion in 2021 as its advertising business posted a strong post-pandemic recovery. Its EPS also increased a whopping 91%. But in the first nine months of 2022, its revenue only grew 13% year over year to $206.8 billion (and decelerated throughout all three quarters) as its EPS declined 14%. Analysts expect its revenue to rise 10% this year but for its earnings to decrease 15%.

That slowdown can be entirely attributed to the market’s softening demand for digital ads. Its overseas revenues are also being gobbled up by a strong dollar, which could continue to strengthen as interest rates continue to rise. Nevertheless, analysts expect Alphabet’s revenue and earnings to grow 9% and 14%, respectively, as some of those headwinds dissipate.

Alphabet ended the third quarter with $22 billion in cash and equivalents, which also gives it ample room for fresh investments and acquisitions. But for now, Alphabet plans to rein in its spending until its core advertising business recovers.

The valuations and verdict

Apple’s stock outperformed Alphabet’s this year because its core business seemed more resistant to the macro headwinds. But at 24 times forward earnings, Apple’s stock looks a bit pricey relative to its near-term growth. Alphabet trades at just 17 times forward earnings, but that lower valuation suggests that investors aren’t too optimistic about its future. 

I own both of these stocks, and I think they’re still great long-term investments. But if I had to buy more shares of one of these stocks right now, I’d pick Apple instead of Alphabet because its near-term growth is more predictable, it’s better insulated from the macroeconomic headwinds, and it’s widely expected to roll out new products and services — which the market probably hasn’t fully priced in yet — in 2023 and beyond. Alphabet’s stock might seem cheaper, but it probably won’t command a higher valuation until the broader digital advertising market recovers. 

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The post Better big tech stock: Apple vs. Alphabet appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Is Apple stock a buy now?
• Does the Vanguard International Shares ETF contain ‘good’ quality companies?
• Why Alphabet’s earnings disappointment is no reason to panic
• Apple’s latest price changes tell investors a lot about the future of the company
• Better cloud computing stock: IBM vs. Alphabet

Leo Sun has positions in Alphabet (A shares) and Apple. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Apple. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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The Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price has started the week in a positive fashion.

At the time of writing, the energy producer’s shares are up over 2% to $39.04.

Why is the Woodside share price pushing higher?

Investors have been bidding the Woodside share price higher today after oil prices surged higher on Friday night.

According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was up 5% to US$92.61 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price charged 4.1% higher to US$98.57 a barrel.

Traders were buying oil amid speculation that China could soon scrap its COVID zero policy. This sparked hopes that Chinese economic growth could get a big boost and put a rocket under most commodity prices.

Why aren’t its shares rising more?

Unfortunately, the above speculation lasted little more than a day, with Chinese authorities reiterating that its policy is here to stay at the weekend.

This has led to oil prices pulling back on Monday during Asian trade. At the time of writing, the WTI crude oil price is down 1.6% to US$91.16 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 1.2% to US$97.41 a barrel.

Are its shares buys?

The general consensus right now is that the Woodside share price is fully valued.

For example, Macquarie has a neutral rating and $33.10 price target and Morgans has a hold rating and $36.90 price target and . Morgans commented:

WDS is a high quality global-scale business, but recent share price strength, which has performed increasingly in excess of the oil price, has left the company appearing close to fair value. We maintain a Hold rating with a A$36.90 Target Price.

Even Citi, which has a buy rating, has a price target below the current Woodside share price at $38.80.

The post Why is the Woodside share price climbing today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Why did the Woodside share price totally smash the ASX 200 today?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• With 8% yield, are Woodside shares a dividend no-brainer buy?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

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

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ASX lithium shares have been high on investor radars this year.

And looking at the Trek Metals Ltd (ASX: TKM) share price action today, you can understand why.

Shares in the lithium stock leapt 50% higher in early trade and as we head into the lunch hour remain up a heady 40.6% trading at 9 cents apiece.

Prices for the battery-critical mineral are trading at or near all-time highs amid booming global EV growth. And investors are bidding up the ASX lithium share after it exited Friday’s trading halt this morning and released an update reporting promising lithium exploration results.

What did Trek Metals report?

The Trek Metals share price is rocketing on the report that it has confirmed significant lithium potential at its Tambourah Project in Western Australia.

The junior explorer reported that laboratory assays from rock chip samples returned results of up to 3.07% Li2O. The samples came from multiple recently identified spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes.

Commenting on the results sending the ASX lithium share soaring today, Trek Metals CEO Derek Marshall said:

Confirming very high-grade lithium at surface in multiple spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes is about as good as it gets for this stage of exploration, highlighting the enormous prospectivity of the mineralised system at Tambourah.

The company noted that the Tambourah Project is under-explored for lithium and has never been drill tested.

“We have ticked another major box towards making a greenfields lithium discovery,” Marshall said.

As for the next steps for the ASX lithium share, Marshall added:

We are looking forward to advancing the project to the next stage with the definition of drill targets and progressing agreements and approvals required to get a rig turning as soon as practicable.

How has this ASX lithium share fared in 2022?

The Trek Metals share price has seen some significant swings this calendar year. Despite soaring higher today, the ASX lithium share remains down 10% in 2022.

That’s right in line with the 10% year-to-date loss posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

The post Guess which ASX lithium share just rocketed 50% on a new discovery appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why is the Rio Tinto share price having such a stellar start to the week?
• 3 reasons why I’d buy ASX shares now and hold them forever
• Why is the Westpac share price dropping 4% today?
• Arafura share price rockets 10% on Hyundai and Kia rare earths deal
• Why is this newly minted ASX 200 share rocketing 10% on Monday?

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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It’s been a pretty decent start to the week for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far today. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has gained a healthy 0.45% to back over 6,920 points. But the Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price is doing even better than that.

Rio shares are up pleasing 2.82% so far today to $95.42 each, a gain worth several-fold more of what the broader markets have delivered. So what’s going on with Rio shares that have gotten investors so excited this Monday?

Why is the Rio Tinto share price shooting the lights out today?

Well, the first thing to note is that it’s not just Rio Tinto that is enjoying some time in the sun today. Most ASX mining shares have also risen strongly. The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price is up more than 4% today, while Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) is up 2.2%, and Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) shares have gained 3.3%.

This follows a strong rally in commodity prices over the weekend. As my Fool colleague covered this morning, WTI crude rose 5% to US$92.1 per barrel, while Brent crude lifted 4.1% to US$98.57. Gold also rose 2.8% to US$1,676.60 per ounce. Iron ore, Rio Tinto’s primary commodity, also performed strongly. It rose by 4.78% to US$87.30 per tonne.

This might have had something to do with speculation that China could be about to alter its growth-sapping zero-COVID policy.

Miners like Rio tend to rise and fall on the prices of the commodities that they produce. So it’s no surprise that most ASX resources shares are reacting so well to these higher prices during today’s ASX session. And with iron ore rising close to 5%, there was little chance that the Rio Tinto share price wouldn’t get an invite to the party.

Even so, Rio Tinto shares remain down by 4.44% over 2022 thus far. At the current Rio share price, this ASX 200 mining giant has a market capitalisation of $34.44 billion, with a trailing dividend yield of 10.1%

The post Why is the Rio Tinto share price having such a stellar start to the week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why did the Rio Tinto share price underperform by over 10% in October?
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• I think right now is the time to buy these 2 ASX dividend shares
• Why Atlantic Lithium, Coronado Global, Lake Resources, and Rio Tinto are charging higher

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Newcrest Mining Limited. 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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ASX shares are my favourite way to invest and build wealth for the long term.

But, there is a lot of uncertainty right now in the world. The Russian invasion of Ukraine. Inflation. Rising interest rates. The US elections. Until this year, the COVID-19 pandemic was heavily on investors’ minds in Western countries as well.

But, despite everything that’s going on, and could happen, there are a number of reasons why I think that right now is a great time to invest for the long term.

Lower prices

One of the main goals of investing is to buy attractive assets for less than we think they’re worth or will be worth in the future.

It’s impossible to say what share prices will do next week, next month or next year.

But, what we can see is that the share prices of many great businesses have fallen heavily this year. For example, the Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price has declined by around 50% this year. The Microsoft share price is down by more than 33% in 2022. And so on.

It’s a cheesy phrase, but ‘buy low, sell high’ is worthwhile paying attention to. Share prices are lower this year, substantially so, largely thanks to inflation and higher interest rates.

If I could choose to invest at any point in time, I’d obviously choose when the price is low. Now seems like as good a time as any to put money to work into the ASX share market.

There is always uncertainty

Share prices don’t fall for no reason. For the market to fall more than 10% or even 20%, there has to be a serious event that’s causing investors to panic. A global pandemic and the GFC are two of the most recent examples.

But, if we look back over the past two decades, there have always been things for the market to be uncertain about. Higher interest rates and inflation are the latest things. But Brexit, the debt issues in Europe about a decade ago, wars and so on all caused fear for investors in the past. History is full of examples of things that were going wrong. But, the share market is currently higher than nearly all times in history. My point is that life goes on.

For me, it’s times of uncertainty that can open up the best buying opportunities with ASX shares, as we’re seeing now.

While I’m sure there will be things in the future to worry about, I think history has shown it’s useful to be optimistic for the long term.

Long-term returns

I think investing for the long-term, essentially forever, is the best way to invest. We can’t know for sure what’s going to happen. But, I believe that ASX shares are a great way to deliver attractive compounding over time.

According to Vanguard, over the last 30 years, ASX shares have delivered an average return per annum of 11.1% per annum.

If ASX shares managed to produce an average return per annum of 10% over the next two decades, this would be very helpful for wealth building. For example, using the Moneysmart calculated, investing $1,000 a month into ASX shares would grow into $687,000 in two decades.

I think that the prices we’re being presented with can generate attractive returns in the long term. Investing for the long-term also means we can avoid unnecessary capital gains tax events as well as reduce brokerage.

The post 3 reasons why I’d buy ASX shares now and hold them forever appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Rio Tinto share price having such a stellar start to the week?
• Why is the Westpac share price dropping 4% today?
• Arafura share price rockets 10% on Hyundai and Kia rare earths deal
• Why is this newly minted ASX 200 share rocketing 10% on Monday?
• Warren Buffett’s portfolio is different from yours. Here’s why

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 Microsoft and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. 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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We seem to be having a fairly positive start to the trading week for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). So far this Monday, the ASX 200 has put on a decent 0.32% and is up to around 6,917 points. But something else is happening to the Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) share price.

Macquarie shares appear to be having a rather awful Monday so far today. The ASX 200 bank closed at $170.37 a share last week. But today, Macquarie shares opened at $168.14 and have dipped down to $167.10 at the time of writing, a good 1.92% lower than last week’s close.

So why are Macquarie shares getting such a shunning today?

Macquarie share price tumbles as ex-dividend date arrives

Well, the answer is that it is not as bad as it seems. Macquarie shares have just traded ex-dividend for the financial giant’s upcoming interim dividend.

As we covered last week, Macquarie is scheduled to pay out its latest dividend next month, on 13 December. This will be a shareholder payment worth $3 a share, partially franked at 40%. That’s a pleasing increase over 2021’s interim dividend of $2.72 per share and the final dividend of $1.40 per share that investors enjoyed back in July.

But next month’s dividend is now closed to new investors. That’s because Macquarie’s ex-dividend date for this payment is today. This means that new investors won’t be eligible to receive this payment.

As such, the value of the dividend is no longer included in the Macquarie share price. This is why we are seeing such a steep fall for Macquarie shares during today’s session.

Investors have until 9 November to decide if they want to receive a cash payment or else opt for the optional dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) if they wish to receive new Macquarie shares in lieu of cash.

As of last week’s closing share price, this latest shareholder payment will give Macquarie shares a dividend yield of 2.58%.

Macquarie Group shares have lost 20.7% year to date in 2022 so far and 16.6% over the past 12 months. The ASX 200 bank share remains up by 71% or so over the past five years.

The post Why is the Macquarie share price starting the week lower? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. 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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One of the most popular options for income investors on the Australian share market is the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) dividend.

Australia’s oldest bank regularly shares a portion of its profits with investors and more often than not provides an above-average dividend yield.

The good news is that this remains the case today, with Westpac reporting its full year results this morning and increasing its dividend payment year over year.

Westpac dividend for FY 2022

In case you missed it, this morning Westpac released its FY 2022 results and revealed a 1% decline in cash earnings to $5,276 million. This reflects weakness in the consumer and business segments, which offset growth in New Zealand and the institutional business.

Nevertheless, despite posting a cash earnings decline for the year, that didn’t stop the Westpac board from lifting its full year dividend.

According to the release, the Westpac board declared a fully franked final dividend of 64 cents per share. This was up 6.7% from FY 2021’s final dividend of 60 cents per share. This took the Westpac dividend for FY 2022 to a total of $1.25 per share fully franked, which was an increase of approximately 6% on last year’s payment of $1.18 per share.

All in all, this will mean Westpac returns over $7.8 billion to shareholders via dividends and a share buyback in FY 2022.

Commenting on the dividend, Westpac’s chairman, John McFarlane, said:

The Group remains well capitalised. When considering dividends, the Board focuses on cash earnings but also looks through selected irregular large items. This led to the Board determining a final dividend of 64 cents per share and total of 125 cents per share fully franked for the year, an increase of 6%, just ahead of statutory profit growth.

What else do you need to know?

The release notes that the final Westpac dividend will be paid on 20 December to shareholders that are on the register at the record date of 18 November.

In addition, Westpac will be running its dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) again this year. However, there will be no discount to the market price. If you wish to take part in the DRP, you’ll need to make sure your DRP election reflects this before the close of play on 21 November.

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

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More reading

• Westpac share price on watch following FY22 results
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Morgans names 2 more of the best ASX shares to buy in November
• Own Westpac shares? What to expect from next week’s FY22 results
• Is Bendigo Bank the best bet for dividends out of all the ASX 200 bank shares?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Westpac Banking Corporation. 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 Corporation. 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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