On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was a positive performer despite news that inflation has climbed again. The benchmark index rose 0.2% to 6,823.2 points.

Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to storm higher

The Australian share market is expected to storm higher on Thursday following a stellar night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 52 points or 0.8% higher this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones was up 1.4%, the S&P 500 rose 2.6%, and the NASDAQ stormed a massive 4.1% higher.

Rio Tinto half-year result falls short of expectations

The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price could come under pressure today after the mining giant’s half-year results fell short of consensus estimates. Rio Tinto reported a 10% decline in revenue to US$29,775 million and a 26% reduction in underlying EBITDA to US$15,597 million. This compares to the market consensus estimate of US$30,785 million and US$16,813 million, respectively. The miner’s interim dividend was also well short of expectations at US$2.87 per share.

Oil prices jump

Energy shares including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could have a good day after a strong night of trade for oil prices. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 3.4% to US$98.20 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 2.9% to US$107.43 a barrel. Oil prices jumped after Russia cut its gas supply.

US Fed raises rates

As was widely expected, the US Federal Reserve has lifted interest rates again. The central bank elected to increase rates by 0.75% for the second meeting in a row. This took the benchmark overnight borrowing rate up to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%. The big news, though, was that the Fed has hinted that it could slow the pace of its hiking campaign. This sent US equities hurtling higher.

Gold price rises

Gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL) could have a decent day after the gold price pushed higher. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.9% to US$1,733.5 an ounce. News that the Fed could slow its future rate hikes boosted the precious metal.

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Do Woodside shares really have a 6% dividend yield right now?
• Rio Tinto share price on watch after half-year earnings miss
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Why I think Coles shares are a compelling buy today

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has 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 Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR) share price has descended slightly in the past month, but could it go ahead in the future?

The company’s share price has lost 1.41% in the last month and is currently trading at $11.19. In today’s trading, the company’s share price closed 2.01% lower.

So what is the outlook for the Dicker Data share price?

What is ahead?

Dicker Data is an Australian technology company that supplies software, cloud, and computer hardware products to major international companies.

Morgan Stanley analysts have recently placed a $16 price target on the company’s shares and maintained an overweight rating. At its current level, this represents nearly 43% upside for the Dicker Data share price.

Further, Morgan Stanley is predicting Dicker Data could provide a fully franked dividend of 48.5 cents in FY 2023. In FY 2022, the broker forecasts a 41.4 cent dividend.

Meanwhile, Airlie Funds Management analysts have recently predicted Dicker Data’s prospects “should remain strong”. Portfolio manager Matt Williams said:

No matter the upcoming economic conditions, we think the path to digitisation won’t be affected… [O]ver the past seven years, sales and profits have compounded annually at 16% and 20% respectively.

Dicker Data recently updated the market on its unaudited results for H1 2022. According to the report, revenue growth is up 36% on the prior corresponding period.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) has also grown 20% in the same timeframe from $51 million to $61 million.

The company will hold a webcast of its F22 half-year results on 30 August.

Share price snapshot

The Dicker Data share price slumped nearly more than 24% in the year to date but lost just 0.53% in the past year.

For perspective, the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) has shed nearly 26% in a year and almost 29% year to date.

Dicker Data has a market capitalisation of more than $1.9 billion based on the current share price.

The post Down 1% in a month, what’s next for the Dicker Data share price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Dicker Data share price powers down despite record first-half profit
• Brokers rate these ASX dividend shares as buys
• Top ASX dividend shares to buy in July 2022
• Why Dicker Data shares are among this fund manager’s favourites
• Here’s why brokers rate these ASX dividend shares as buys

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 positions in and has recommended Dicker Data Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Dicker Data 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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Few ASX 200 shares have had as dramatic a year as the Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price. For one, over the past 12 months, Woodside shares have gained an impressive 40.25%. That certainly looks good against the 8.3% loss that the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) recorded over the same period.

But then there’s also the blockbuster merger with BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)’s petroleum division to consider as well. Back in May, the old Woodside Petroleum Ltd became Woodside Energy after BHP spun out its petroleum division. All BHP shareholders at the time received one new Woodside Energy share for every 5.534 BHP shares owned.

As we covered at the time, this tie-up saw Woodside become a “top 10 global energy producer with over two billion barrels of proven and probable reserves and annual EBITDA approaching US$5 billion”.

So as it stands today, the ‘new’ Woodside has a market capitalisation of $59.8 billion. But is Woodside’s trailing dividend yield of 5.94% too good to be true?

Well, this trailing yield comes from the last two dividend payments this oil share has doled out. These were the $1.46 per share final dividend investors received in March as well as the interim dividend of 41 cents that was paid out last September.

Both of these payments were fully franked, which means that the trailing yield of 5.94% grosses up to an even more impressive 8.49% with the value of that franking.

But that represents the past. So what of the future?

Are Woodside shares’ dividend yield of 6% a floor or a ceiling?

Well, any company’s trailing dividend yield comes from its past dividend payments. So no investor should automatically assume Woodside shares will continue to pay a near-6% yield.

Saying that, many ASX experts are indeed predicting Woodside will be able to keep doling out large dividend payments going forward.

One is broker Ord Minnet. As my Fool colleague Tristan covered last month, this broker reckons Woodside’s next interim divided will bring its dividend yield up to 13.6% for FY2022. However, Ord Minnet is also predicting the dividends Woodside will pay that cover FY2023 will be lower, and will equate to a forward yield of 8.1%.

Even so, if Ord Minnet is to be believed, it looks as though Woodside’s trailing dividend yield of almost 6% might be a floor, rather than a ceiling, over the next 12 months. But we shall have to wait and see what happens.

The post Do Woodside shares really have a 6% dividend yield right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Why I think Coles shares are a compelling buy today
• ASX 200 shares lift as inflation hits highest level in 20 years
• Looking for value: The ASX shares this fundie is holding amid rising inflation

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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The Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS) invests in a global portfolio of shares. But could it be a good idea for dividends?

It’s one of the more popular index funds. It is invested in more than 1,470 businesses in the portfolio, spread across a number of different countries including the US (70.2% of the portfolio), Japan (6.3%), the UK (4.5%), Canada (3.7%), France (3.2%), Switzerland (3%) and so on.

The ASX is known for being a dividend-friendly share market. Other share markets typically don’t have as large of a dividend yield. The ASX’s largest businesses mostly have low price/earnings (p/e) ratios and high dividend payout ratios, leading to a higher yield for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

How good is the VGS ETF dividend yield?

The Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF is invested in a whole range of different businesses.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) simply pass through to investors the dividends that they receive. The biggest positions have the biggest influence on the dividend yield.

Let’s look at the top 10 holdings in the VGS ETF: Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon.com, Tesla, UnitedHealth, Johnson & Johnson, NVIDIA, Meta Platforms and Exxon Mobil.

Some of those names don’t even pay dividends, like Tesla, Amazon and Alphabet. Others, like Apple and Microsoft, do pay dividends but their p/e ratios are so high that the subsequent dividend yield is very low.

According to Vanguard, the VGS dividend yield at 30 June 2022 was 2.1%. This has been pushed a bit higher after a 16% decline in the unit price of the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF in 2022.

Dividend growth

ETFs can distribute both capital gains and dividends to investors. While capital gain distributions are somewhat unpredictable, the dividends/distributions are more predictable and can be more consistent.

Businesses like Microsoft, Apple and Johnson & Johnson have been growing their dividends over the past decade. Plenty of other businesses within the VGS ETF have also grown their dividend.

So, the underlying dividend income from Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF can steadily grow. The typically good earnings growth of the underlying VGS ETF portfolio names can help fund dividend growth and also hopefully lead to decent capital growth as well, over the longer term.

The post Is the Vanguard VGS ETF a good idea for dividends? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 3 popular ASX ETFs for investors to buy
• Is VGS the best international shares ETF on the ASX?
• I think the 16% drop in 2022 makes this Vanguard ETF a buy
• Here are 2 top ETFs to boost your portfolio
• Here are 2 top ETFs for ASX investors next week

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. 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 Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, and Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth Group and 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), Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., Nvidia, and Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price will be one to watch on Thursday.

This follows the release of the mining giant’s half-year results after the market close today.

Rio Tinto share price on watch following earnings miss

• Revenue down 10% to US29,775 million
• Underlying EBITDA down 26% to US$15,597 million
• Free cash flow down 30% to US$7,146 million
• Dividend of 276 US cents per share
• No special dividend

What happened during the half?

For the six months ended 30 June, Rio Tinto reported a 10% decline in revenue to US$29,775 million and a 26% reduction in underlying EBITDA to US$15,597 million.

This was driven by a softer iron ore price, which led to the company’s iron ore EBITDA falling 35% to US$10,395 million for the half. This was partially offset by a 49% lift in aluminium EBITDA to US$2,866 million.

How does this compare to expectations?

Unfortunately for the Rio Tinto share price, this result appears to have fallen a touch short of expectations.

For example, a recent note out of Goldman Sachs reveals that its analysts were expecting revenue of US$29,655 million and underlying EBITDA of US$15,671 million.

Furthermore, the market consensus estimate was for revenue of US$30,785 million and underlying EBITDA of US$16,813 million.

Also falling short of expectations was its dividend of 276 US cents per share. Not only did this come in short of estimates, but there was no special dividend this time around.

Goldman was pencilling in total dividends of US$3.68 per share, whereas the consensus estimate was for US$3.97 per share. Both estimates included special dividends of 50 US cents and 67 US cents, respectively.

Though, it is worth highlighting that this was the second largest interim dividend in the company’s history.

Management commentary

Rio Tinto’s chief executive, Jakob Stausholm, commented:

We remain focused on delivering on our long-term strategy, with a steady improvement in operating performance and some notable advances in our growth agenda. We continue to strengthen our partnership with the Mongolian government following commencement of underground mining at Oyu Tolgoi, delivered first iron ore from the Gudai-Darri mine and approved early works funding at the Rincon lithium project.

Stausholm spoke cautiously about the second half. He notes that the “market environment has become more challenging at the end of the period.”

Nevertheless, the chief executive remains optimistic on the longer term.

We are committed to making lasting, long-term change to our culture, including to our workplace culture, and to building better relationships with Indigenous peoples, communities and partners. The progress we are making will ensure we continue to deliver attractive returns to shareholders, invest in sustaining and growing our portfolio, and make a broader contribution to society in the drive to netzero carbon emissions.

The post Rio Tinto share price on watch after half-year earnings miss appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Top broker issues new warning on outlook for iron ore price
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Rio Tinto share price climbs ahead of tomorrow’s earnings update. Here’s what to watch
• Guess how much Rio Tinto shares have paid in dividends over the last 5 years
• Why Leo Lithium, Rio Tinto, Santos, and Woodside shares are dropping today

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has 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 AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) share price has risen by 9.3% over the past month.

This compares to an 0.94% gain for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and a 5.5% bump for the S&P/ASX 200 Financial Index (ASX: XFJ).

AMP has even outdone the big four ASX bank shares, with the best performers there being National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), both up around 8%.

What’s driving the AMP share price up?

As my Fool colleague Tristan recently reported, AMP is seeing growth in some parts of its remaining business.

The company has sold off other segments of its business to raise cash. AMP will use the proceeds to fund share buybacks and capital returns for its long-suffering shareholders.

At a recent webinar hosted by the fund manager, Allan Gray, the AMP CEO Alexis George had this to say:

We really had to reposition the businesses we had, which is the bank and wealth management. They weren’t competitive. They couldn’t really compete against the players in the market. I think we’ve done that now on most of those businesses, in fact, all of the businesses in wealth management and they’re ready to compete.

I think we really need to explore some new revenue opportunities into new ancillary revenue and I think we’ve really committed to the retirement space.

Q1 FY22 update

The AMP share price jumped 1.7% on 5 May when the company released its Q1 FY22 AUM and cashflows update.

AMP told the market it had increased its total loan book by $500 million to $22.6 billion. Total deposits increased by $1.7 billion to $19.5 billion.

Australian wealth management assets under management decreased by $5.8 billion to $136.5 billion with net cash outflows of $1.3 billion. This was an improvement on the $2 billion outflows in the prior corresponding period.

AMP Capital assets under management on a ‘normalised’ basis declined by 0.6% to $52.5 billion.

Could AMP be taken over?

The hot topic in the banking sector right now is the announcement from Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) that it is buying the banking division of Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN).

The potential for AMP to be taken over was raised at the Allan Gray webinar.

Allan Gray owns AMP shares in its Australia Stable Fund, representing 1.9% of the funds invested.

Allan Gray portfolio chief investment officer Simon Mawhinney said “there’s less chance of it being taken over by a big four bank than perhaps it merging with a non-big four regional bank”.

Mawhinney added:

Sure, there is some scope to merge with another bank. It might happen. I hope that if someone came to AMP and said, ‘Here’s 1.3 times NTA for AMP Bank, do you want it or not?’ I hope they would take it because we would be delighted with that outcome.

The post The AMP share price has surged 9% so far this month. Can it keep going? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ‘Ready to compete’: Will AMP seek out new opportunities or stick to its knitting?
• Own AMP shares? CEO touts its ‘digital bank’ status in competitive landscape
• ‘CBA and Westpac are too big’: One fund manager’s take on the future of ASX 200 bank shares
• AMP share price in focus as Mirvac wins control of $7.7 billion office fund
• Why interest rates need to rise despite ASX carnage: economist

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Limited and 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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a second day in the red on Wednesday despite materials shares weighing on the market. The index was 0.23% higher at 6,823.20 points at today’s close.

That was despite news Australia’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 6.1% over the 12 months to the June quarter.

The S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XIJ) and S&P/ASX 200 Financial Index (ASX: XFJ) led the market, gaining 1.2% and 1% respectively.

They were driven by shares in Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CUV) and Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP), which gained 8% and 21% respectively despite the companies’ silence.

On the other side of the spectrum, the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XIJ) tumbled 1.2% today.

It was likely driven lower by the falling price of some base metals including nickel. Gold futures fell ever so slightly to US$1,717.70 an ounce overnight while iron ore futures rose 1.3% to US$106.35 a tonne.

At the end of Wednesday’s trade, six of the ASX 200’s 11 sectors were in the green.

So, which ASX 200 shares outperformed all others on Wednesday. Keep reading to find out.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

For the second day in a row, the Zip share price took out the top spot among its peers. Find out what’s been driving the buy now, pay later (BNPL) share lately here.

Today’s biggest gains were made by these ASX 200 shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)	$1.24	20.98%
BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN)	$1.26	8.62%
Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CUV)	$16.96	8.03%
Silver Lake Resources Limited (ASX: SLR)	$1.41	6.02%
De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG)	$0.825	3.77%
Ramelius Resources Limited (ASX: RMS)	$1.03	3.52%
Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE)	$11.35	3.37%
West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF)	$1.235	3.35%
St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)	$0.93	3.33%
Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL)	$1.625	3.17%

Our top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays 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

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Why I think Coles shares are a compelling buy today
• Why Alcidion, Betmakers, BrainChip, and Zip shares are racing higher
• ASX 200 shares lift as inflation hits highest level in 20 years
• Why are Zip shares getting the attention of investors today?

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended ZIPCOLTD FPO. 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 Droneshield Ltd (ASX: DRO) share price surged on Wednesday amid the company securing a deal with a US government agency.

The company’s share price gained 9.59% to close at 20 cents. For perspective, the  S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) closed 0.3% higher today.

Let’s take a look at what went on with the Droneshield share price today.

$500,000 US Government agency repeat order

Investors bought up Droneshield’s shares after the company secured a new deal in the US.

The company advised the market it has received a repeat order worth $500,000 for its counter-drone defence system.

Droneshield expects to receive payment for the deal in the September quarter.

CEO Oleg Vornik said DronesShield is now at an “inflection point”. He also noted the company has multiple high-profile customers.

Vormik added the “next step” for the company will be achieving orders regularly in the multimillion dollars which he expects “to commence through 2H22”.

He added:

This repeat order from a customer with some of the most demanding and complex Government agency requirements globally, shows the industry leading capabilities of DroneShield products.

Droneshield provides artificial intelligence technology for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) threats.

Share snapshot

The Droneshield share price is up more than 14% year to date, gaining 5% in the past week.

For perspective, the benchmark ASX 200 Index has shed about 8% in the last year.

Droneshield has a market capitalisation of nearly $86.5 million based on its current share price.

The post Why did the Droneshield share price charge 10% higher today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Experts name 3 ASX 200 shares to buy now
• Why is the Openpay share price up 55% in a week?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Sezzle share price rockets 95% before being frozen. What’s going on?
• 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares hitting new 52-week highs on Wednesday

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

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If you’re interested in adding some S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares to your portfolio in August, then the three listed below could be worth considering.

These ASX 200 shares have all been named as buys recently. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

The first ASX 200 share to look at is Cochlear. It is one of the world’s leading hearing solutions companies. It could be a great long term option for investors thanks to its leadership position in an industry with high barriers of entry and experiencing favourable tailwinds such as ageing populations.

Goldman Sachs is a fan of Cochlear. Its analysts currently have a buy rating and $237.00 price target on its shares. This compares favourably to the latest Cochlear share price of $212.64.

NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

Another ASX 200 share that could be in the buy zone is NextDC. It is a leading data centre operator with a collection of world class centres that are benefiting from the ongoing structural shift to the cloud. Together with its potential expansion into Asia and Edge (regional) data centres, NextDC has been tipped to grow strongly in the coming years by a number of brokers.

One of those is Citi, which currently has a buy rating and $14.55 price target on its shares. This is materially higher than the latest NextDC share price of $11.60.

SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK)

A final ASX 200 share for investors to look at is leading job listings company, Seek. It appears well-positioned for growth in the coming years thanks to its leadership position, strong pricing power, and exposure to Australia’s recovery from the pandemic.

The team at Credit Suisse is positive on Seek. Its analysts currently have an outperform rating and $36.90 price target on its shares. This implies significant upside from the current Seek share price of $21.49.

The post Experts name 3 ASX 200 shares to buy now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• How are ASX 200 tech shares performing on Wednesday?
• Analysts name 2 ASX growth shares to buy in August
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Looking for ASX shares to buy? Here are two analysts rate as buys
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in NEXTDC Limited and SEEK Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Cochlear Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear Ltd. and SEEK 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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What an incredible week it has been for the Openpay Group Ltd (ASX: OPY) share price.

Since last Wednesday, shares in the buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) company were trading as low as 20 cents a pop.

Today, these shares are now fetching for 31 cents – up 21.57% for the day.

This represents a gain of 55% over the past week for those lucky shareholders who decided to buy in.

Let’s take a look at what could be boosting the company’s share price.

What’s driving the Openpay share price higher?

Investors are also bidding up Openpay shares following strong market moves in the sector today.

BNPL peers, Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) and Splitit Payments Ltd (ASX: SPT) are up 15.61% and 5.5%, respectively.

With no announcements from either company, it appears short sellers could be closing out their positions as investor confidence ramps up.

In addition, news that Openpay is expanding its services into other markets is also providing support.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Openpay is looking to enter the healthcare sector to combat the global economic slowdown.

As consumer spending tightens up, the first industry to be impacted is likely discretionary purchases such as shopping for clothes.

However, in a bid to boost revenue and ensure survival in a gloomy economic environment, Openpay is pivoting towards payment plans for medical procedures. This is because consumers are more inclined to spend on healthcare treatments such as dentistry or other frequently needed services.

Minimising credit risk has become a top priority for BNPL providers as bad debts continue to rise across the industry.

But by servicing the healthcare market, payment instalments can be linked to a patient’s continued treatment plan. In essence, it is less likely that a person will miss a payment as they have an ongoing relationship with the healthcare provider.

Openpay share price snapshot

Despite rocketing this week, the Openpay share price has a long way to go to recover its losses in 2022, down 55%.

Its shares reached an all-time low of 12 cents on 30 June, before rebounding to a two-month high.

Based on today’s price, Openpay presides a market capitalisation of roughly $35.61 million.

The post Why is the Openpay share price up 55% in a week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Sezzle share price rockets 95% before being frozen. What’s going on?
• 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares hitting new 52-week highs on Wednesday
• Top broker tips 55% upside for Liontown share price
• How much has Mineral Resources paid in dividends over the last 5 years?

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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 ZIPCOLTD FPO. 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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