The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price has been on the up-and-up this week.

That’s despite the Finance Sector Union (FSU) having slammed the bank for denying staff paid COVID-19 leave.

According to the union, the bank’s paid pandemic leave was revoked this month despite Australia’s current Omicron wave.

At the time of writing, the CBA share price is $97.97. That’s 0.35% higher than its previous close and 5% higher than it was at the end of last week.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has lifted 0.24% today and 3% this week.

Let’s take a closer look at criticisms hurled at the banking giant this week.

Union slams CBA for scrapping paid pandemic leave

The CBA share price has outperformed this week despite the FSU labelling the bank’s decision to scrap paid pandemic leave “irresponsible”.

According to the union, CBA staff were told the bank would no longer provide ten days of paid leave to those impacted by COVID-19, saying it was an additional benefit provided during the 2021 and 2022 financial years.

They were told if time off was needed because they or a family member contracted COVID-19 they could use personal or carers leave.

Finance Sector Union national secretary Julia Angrisano said it was “outrageous” that CBA would scrap the initiative before the end of the pandemic, continuing:

Even worse that the CBA pulls the pin on its staff at the same time the Federal and State governments have extended Pandemic Leave Disaster payments for workers without sick leave.

What does the CBA expect to happen here? Have taxpayers pick up the cost? … This is the bank that posted a $2.4 billion dollar third quarter cash profit in May.

The union has called upon the bank and its CEO Matt Comyn to reinstate the leave entitlement.

A spokesperson for CBA said the bank instated paid pandemic leave in 2020 to support staff facing 14-day isolation periods, lengthy lockdowns, and homeschooling. They continued:

Should our people be unwell, or required to care for immediate family or a household member, they have access to a range of different leave options to support them. In the event all these leave options have been exhausted, employees are encouraged to have the conversation with their manager to understand other options that may be available.

CBA share price snapshot

The CBA share price is currently 4.5% lower than it was at the start of 2022. It has also fallen 2% since this time last year.

The post Own CBA shares? Union labels bank ‘irresponsible’ following major COVID change appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• How high will the RBA hike rates in 2022? Here’s what the ASX 200 banks are forecasting
• ‘CBA and Westpac are too big’: One fund manager’s take on the future of ASX 200 bank shares
• Should owners of CBA shares be worried about ANZ’s mega deal?
• How to beat the market with ‘boring’ ASX shares: fundie
• Setting the pace: Why ASX 200 bank shares are feeling the pinch on Friday

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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It has been another busy week for Australia’s top brokers. This has led to the release of a large number of broker notes.

Three broker buy ratings that you might want to know more about are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

Allkem Ltd (ASX: AKE)

According to a note out of Morgans, its analysts have retained their add rating and lifted their price target on this lithium miner’s shares to $16.72. The broker was pleased with Allkem’s fourth quarter update and believes more of the same is coming in FY 2023 thanks to strong lithium prices and production from Naraha and Stage 2 of Olaroz. The Allkem share price is trading at $10.27 on Friday afternoon.

Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR)

A note out of Macquarie reveals that its analysts have retained their outperform rating and $1.85 price target on this lithium developer’s shares. This follows the appointment of Lycopodium Limited (ASX: LYL) to complete the engineering, procurement, construction management (EPCM) and commissioning services for the Kathleen Valley Lithium Project. Macquarie notes that this is an important step to ensuring that things remain on schedule. It expects production to commence in 2024. The Liontown share price is fetching $1.21 this afternoon.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Analysts at Goldman Sachs have retained their buy rating and lifted their price target on this elasticity connectivity provider’s shares to $9.60. This follows a quarterly update which revealed stronger than expected growth and a maiden EBITDA profit. Goldman believes the latter de-risks funding concerns, which should be supportive of its valuation. Looking ahead, the broker now expects 30%+ revenue each year through to and including FY 2025. The Megaport share price is trading at $8.73 on Friday.

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

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• Do these 2 All Ords ASX shares offer a hefty upside?
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• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Why Kelsian, Link, Liontown, and Zip shares are racing higher
• Liontown share price jumps 7% on ‘significant milestone’

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Allkem Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is experiencing a rather strange end to the trading week this Friday.

At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is still in positive territory, up by 0.03% at almost 6,800 points. But the ASX 200 initially plummetted upon market open this morning before rising to almost 6,820 points and easing off.

But rather than trying to figure all of that out, let’s instead dig deeper into these market moves and take a look at the ASX 200 shares currently topping the share market’s trading volume charts, according to investing.com.

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Friday

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

First up this Friday is a familiar face in Pilbara Minerals. This ASX 200 lithium producer has had a hefty 11 million of its shares trade on the ASX boards so far this Friday. There’s been no news out of Pilbara today.

Thus, this volume is the likely result of the movements of the Pilbara share price itself. This lithium stock has lost a significant 1.17% of its value so far today and is now down to $2.53 a share.

Aurizon Holdings Ltd (ASX: AZJ)

ASX 200 rail freight company Aurizon is next up. So far today, a sizeable 14.19 million Aurizon shares have changed hands. We haven’t heard anything out of this transport share either.

So again, we can probably blame some share price machinations here. And indeed, the Aurizon share price has had a moderate move today. The company has lost 1.15% of its value so far and is down to $3.86 a share.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) share Zip is our third, final and most traded ASX 200 share this Friday. Thus far today, a whopping 35.8 million Zip shares have been bought and paid for on the ASX. We don’t have to look too far for this one.

As my Fool colleague Brooke covered this afternoon, Zip shares have rocketed today. The BNPL share is up an eye-popping 15.48% today at 89.5 cents a share, meaning the company has now gained more than 50% just this week. No wonder so many shares are trading.

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

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More reading

• Why Brickworks, Ioneer, Telix, and Zip shares are charging higher
• IAG share price drops despite ‘strong momentum’ for FY23
• Up 59% this week: Why is the Zip share price surging another 17% today?
• ASX 200 midday update: Brickworks higher, IAG drops on prelim results, Zip rockets
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

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 positions in and has recommended ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Aurizon Holdings 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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The Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price started poorly and continues to slide into the red on Friday.

At the time of writing, the share is swapping hands at $5.09 apiece, more than 5% down on the day.

Meanwhile, travel shares have faced turbulence lately, amid a number of headwinds that could potentially impact the wider sector.

Webjet share price to face headwinds in FY23?

It hasn’t been a good start for Webjet on the chart this financial year. The share trades at 3-month lows after taking a nosedive on two occasions.

First was on 8 June, when it slipped from $6.13 to $5.15 in just over 1 week. It then traded sideways into FY23.

That was, until 20 July, where it’s fallen from $5.45 to the current market price. This price action could certainly impact the outlook for Webjet in FY23.

Moreover, as TMF reported today, ASX travel shares have sold off following a set of weak quarterly earnings from two US airlines overnight.

“This has sparked fears that the travel market recovery may take longer than hoped,” TMF said.

These fears have been compounded by a more downbeat outlook on the macroeconomic front, Morgans says.

“Despite travel demand recovering strongly, in recent months the travel sector globally has derated due to concerns about a weak macro outlook,” the broker said in a recent note.

Meanwhile, 46% of brokers covering the Webjet share price say it’s a buy right now, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.

From this list, the consensus price target is $5.94 apiece, suggesting some more upside if these brokers turn out to be correct.

In the last 12 months, the Webjet share price has held a 4% gain.

The post What’s in store for the Webjet share price in FY23? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why Accent, Humm, IAG, and Webjet shares are dropping
• Why are Flight Centre, Webjet, and other ASX travel shares sinking today?
• ASX 200 midday update: Brickworks higher, IAG drops on prelim results, Zip rockets
• The Webjet share price is having its best day of July so far. What’s happening?
• Clipped wings: Why ASX 200 travel shares are having trouble getting off the ground today

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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 Webjet 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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In late afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is fighting hard to staying in positive territory. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.1% to 6,800.9 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping:

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

The Accent share price is down 9% to $1.38. Investors have been selling this footwear retailer’s shares following the release of a trading update. Accent advised that it expects to report earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) in the range of $61 million to $63 million in FY 2022. This will be down by approximately 50% from the $124.9 million it reported in FY 2021.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price is down 5% to 48 cents. Investors have been selling Humm’s shares after it confirmed that Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation has lodged a statement of claim in relation to a potential exposure to Forum Finance. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is reportedly chasing Humm for ~$34 million. It alleges that the company was negligent in selling it items linked to the Forum Group and misled the bank.

Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG)

The IAG share price is down 2% to $4.18. This follows the release of the insurance giant’s preliminary full-year results. IAG revealed that its insurance profit margin came in at 7.4% in FY 2022. This is down 6.1 percentage points year on year and short of its 10% to 12% guidance. Management blamed this largely on its net natural peril costs of $1,119 million, which were $354 million above the original allowance of $765 million.

Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB)

The Webjet share price is down 5% to $5.09. Investors have been selling Webjet and other ASX travel shares following a poor night for the sector on Wall Street. This was driven by disappointing quarterly updates from two major US airlines.

The post Why Accent, Humm, IAG, and Webjet shares are dropping appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• What’s in store for the Webjet share price in FY23?
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• Why are Flight Centre, Webjet, and other ASX travel shares sinking today?
• ASX 200 midday update: Brickworks higher, IAG drops on prelim results, Zip rockets

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 Insurance Australia Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Accent Group, Humm Group Limited, and Webjet 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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In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a small gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.1% to 6,800.9 points.

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

Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

The Brickworks share price is up 2.5% to $20.62. Investors have been buying this building products company’s shares after it announced the launch of the Brickworks Manufacturing Trust and provided a trading update. In respect to the latter, Brickworks expects to report record Property earnings and strong earnings growth from its Building Products operations in both Australia and North America in FY 2022.

Ioneer Ltd (ASX: INR)

The Ioneer share price is up 4% to 51.5 cents. This follows news that the company has signed an offtake agreement with auto giant Ford for lithium from its Rhyolite Ridge Project. The agreement will see Ford’s battery-making joint venture BlueOvalSK snapping up a third of the project’s expected average annual lithium output for five years.

Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX)

The Telix share price has continued its ascent with a 7% gain to $7.20. Investors have been buying the radiopharmaceuticals company’s shares this week following the release of a strong quarterly update. Telix reported total revenue of $22.5 million from global sales of its Illuccix product in its first commercial quarter. This is a 10x increase on the previous quarter.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)

The Zip share price is up 15% to 89 cents. This appears to have been driven by a positive reaction from a leading broker to the buy now pay later provider’s fourth quarter update. According to a note out of Ord Minnett, its analysts have put an accumulate rating and 90 cents price target on its shares. The broker believes Zip could be profitable by the end of FY 2024.

The post Why Brickworks, Ioneer, Telix, and Zip shares are charging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Up 59% this week: Why is the Zip share price surging another 17% today?
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• Brickworks share price higher on record earnings, Goodman deal
• Ioneer share price leaps 8% on Ford supply agreement
• Why has the Brickworks share price leapt 10% in a month?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in TELIXPHARM DEF SET. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Brickworks and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Brickworks. 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 Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) share price is surging 7% higher in afternoon trade on Friday.

At the time of writing, the share is swapping hands at $1.69 apiece, after cruising more than 32% into the green over the past month of trade.

What’s up with the Polynovo share price?

It’s been a quite period for the company and investors have bid the share up on no market-sensitive news.

In fact, Polynovo was the target of short sellers en masse only two weeks ago.

Therefore the Polynovo share price has crushed the shorts since then and continued to rally above 6-month highs.

Earlier this month the company’s chair, David Williams, bought 250,000 of shares. This brought a total investment of $5 million in Polynovo shares since May 2022.

As TMF reported at the time, “[i]nsider buying can be a sign that management is optimistic about the future direction of a company.”

Moreover, healthcare shares have caught a strong bid lately. The S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) has jumped more than 12% in the past month.

This strength looks to have transposed well onto the Polynovo share price, as seen on the chart below. As shown, the share tracks the healthcare benchmark in close fashion.

In the past 12 months the Polynovo share price has clipped a 24.5% loss, but has now gained around 11% this YTD.

The post The Polynovo share price has popped 32% in a month. What’s going on? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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 POLYNOVO 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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When investing in a blue-chip company, you would expect to reap at least modest returns over the long term.

However, this hasn’t been the case with the Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price.

Since 2017, the telco provider’s shares have logged wild price swings of around 35% in either direction.

And despite starting 2022 at a multi-year high of $4.31, the share is down 4% over the past five years.

Nonetheless, most people assume the company’s bi-annual dividend payout makes up for any potential loss in share price growth.

So, has the Telstra dividend provided value over the last five years to make up for the share price loss?

Let’s take a look.

What if you had invested $10,000 in Telstra shares 5 years ago?

If you bought $10,000 worth of Telstra shares five years ago, you would have got them for $4.13 each. This would have given you approximately 2,421 shares without factoring in any dividend reinvestments over the years.

Fast-forward to today, the current Telstra share price is $3.94. This means those 2,421 shares would now be worth around $9,538.74 – a loss of $461.26.

In contrast, an ASX 200 index-tracking fund would have given back 18.7% since 2017 or a yearly average of 3.49%.

But what about the Telstra dividends?

Over the last five years, Telstra has made 10 bi-annual dividend payments from September 2017 to April 2022.

Calculating those dividends gives us an amount of 93.5 cents per share. This means that with the 2,421 shares owned, you’d have made $2,263.64.

When putting both the initial investment gains and dividend distribution, you’d be sitting on $11,802.38.

As you can see, investing in Telstra may have incurred a small loss, but the dividends would be making up for it.

Telstra share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the Telstra share price has risen around 4%, despite riding through harsh macroenvironmental conditions.

Based on the current share price, Telstra commands a market capitalisation of around $46.33 billion.

The post The Telstra share price has lost 4% over the past 5 years. Have the dividends been worth it? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Analysts name 2 top ASX 200 dividend shares to buy
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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has positions in Telstra Corporation 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 positions in and has recommended Telstra Corporation 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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When it comes to investing in international shares on the ASX, investors often turn to exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETFs like the Vanguard MSCI International Shares Index ETF (ASX: VGS) can be an easy and cost-effective way to add some diversification to one’s portfolio.

This is especially useful regarding shares listed outside the ASX, which can often be complicated to invest in on an individual share basis.

Indeed, the VGS ETF is one of the first choices for ASX investors interested in international shares. It is currently the second-most popular international shares index fund on the ASX, behind the iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV).

Unlike IVV, which invests only in US companies, VGS is a truly international fund, offering exposure to more than 20 countries and their share markets. It has close to 1,500 individual shares within it, most of which hail from the United States.

As such, it is the most significant US shares such as Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corporation that dominate this ETF’s holdings.

But you’ll also find companies from other countries such as France, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom in this ETF as well.

So, is VGS really the best ETF out there for international shares, as its popularity suggests?

Well, let’s get under the hood of this ETF.

Performance matters

Arguably the best way to measure an ETF’s quality is to look at its returns and fees compared to its rivals.

In VGS’s case, this ETF has returned an average of 7.89% per annum over the past three years (as of 30 June). Over the past five, it has returned an average of 10.2% per annum.

Looking at fees, VGS charges a management fee of 0.18% per annum. That’s $18 per year for every $10,000 invested.

But let’s now compare these metrics to one of VGS’s rivals in the ASX international shares ETF space – the iShares Global 100 ETF (ASX: IOO). IOO is an ETF that also offers ASX investors exposure to international shares. But it does so in a very different way.

Instead of the almost 1,500 individual shares in VGS’s portfolio, IOO only invests in 100 of the largest companies in the world. These are pulled from a similar geographic range as the VGS portfolio, with economies from Europe, Asia and North America all represented.

But it’s the performance and fees that differentiate the iShares Global 100 ETF from the Vanguard International Shares ETF.

IOO charges a management fee of 0.4% per annum or $40 a year for every $10,000 invested. So already, it is behind VGS in the fees arena.

But let’s see if IOO’s performance can make up for this.

IOO vs. VGS: Which ASX ETF is best?

Over the past three years, IOO has returned an average of 11.87% per annum. Over the past five, it has clocked an annual average return of 13.18%. Both metrics compare favourably against VGS, which has only managed 7.89% and 10.2%, respectively.

That outperformance makes up for IOO’s slightly higher management fee, at least over those periods.

Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future returns, so there’s no way of knowing whether the iShares Global 100 ETF will continue to outperform the Vanguard International Shares ETF. But I know which one I would rather have owned over the past five years.

The post Is VGS the best international shares ETF on the ASX? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. 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 Amazon, Apple, Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF, and iShares Trust – iShares Core S&P 500 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 Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH) share price has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over the last 12 months while seemingly offering an impressive dividend yield.

The provider of gambling and entertainment services’ stock has lifted around 7.5% over the last 12 months – adjusted for the recent demerger of its lottery and Keno business. It’s currently trading at $1.01.

Meanwhile, the ASX 200 has tumbled nearly 8% since this time last year.

Potentially making the company’s performance even more impressive is the 13.5 cents of dividends it’s paid out in that time. But such offerings likely won’t hold up in the future.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on with the ASX 200 consumer discretionary stock’s current dividend yield.

Tabcorp shares offer 13% dividend yield, for now

The Tabcorp share price is currently trading with a 13.3% dividend yield. But that might change in the future following its split from its lottery and Keno business.

The business was spun out into The Lottery Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLC) in May of this year.

It’s also worth noting that, on the eve of their split, the Tabcorp share price closed at $5.34. That saw it offering a dividend yield of 2.5%.

The Lottery Corporation’s assets brought in around 55% of Tabcorp’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) in financial year 2021.

Of course, that means it brought in a lot of the cash that made up Tabcorp’s dividends.

Thus, Tabcorp’s future dividends will likely be notably smaller, in line with its new targeted payout ratio of 50% to 70% of its post-demerger net profit after tax (NPAT). Though, there’s no need for immediate worry.

Tabcorp’s final dividend for financial year 2022 is expected to include five months of The Lottery Corporation’s earnings, as well as its own half-year earnings. It will aim to pay out the earnings in line with its previous payout ratio of 70% to 80% of NPAT.

Additionally, many Tabcorp shareholders will now have holdings in a strong dividend-paying stock.

Tabcorp investors received one Lottery Corporation share for each Tabcorp share held as part of the demerger.

The Lottery Corporation is aiming to pay out between 70% and 90% of its NPAT, with its first dividend targeted for March 2023.

The post Is the Tabcorp share price really trading on a 13% dividend yield right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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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