The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price has jumped almost 15% since the company told investors yesterday how it performed in FY22 and made comments about how its recovery is going in China.

Readers may recall that FY21 was impacted heavily by a reduction in demand from China and daigou shoppers (who buy and export luxury goods to customers in China for a profit). This also had a painful impact on inventory, which then impacted product freshness and product margins.

In FY21, A2 Milk reported that infant nutrition revenue in ANZ decreased 52.1%, which it partly attributed to the unwinding of pantry stocking, as well as COVID-19 restrictions.

But, FY22 appeared to demonstrate some return of demand and growth.

Growth returns

A2 Milk reported that total revenue grew by 19.8%, while China label and English label infant formula sales grew 12.2% and 11.6%, respectively.

Earnings per share (EPS) rose 51.8% to 16.5 cents, while the company also announced a $150 million share buyback.

It said that brand health metrics reached new highs across the business, with the total A2 Milk infant formula spontaneous brand awareness in China increasing “significantly” from 16% to 21% after a 36.3% increase in marketing investment.

The company also achieved a record market share in Chinese infant formula in mother and baby stores and domestic online, with English label infant formula market share in cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) increasing in the second half of FY22. A2 Milk also said that it achieved record market shares in Australia and the USA milk division.

A2 Milk said there was a “deliberate shift” of English label infant formula to more “transparent, performance-based and exclusive partners”. This shift is “progressing well”, with “significantly improved share of voice in the daigou channel”.

A2 Milk managing director and CEO and David Bortolussi said:

We remain committed to the daigou channel and have increased our direct engagement and marketing support with more daigou supporting the brand.

The Age reported that Bortolussi also said the slowed rate of decline in the daigou channel was proof it was “turning a corner”, and he “absolutely” wanted the channel to bounce back to its better days like before COVID-19 hit. He also said:

The daigou channel, through one-to-one word of mouth recommendation, is a really powerful form of new user recruitment and communicating our brand messaging through the market more generally. So, it’s a really important and effective channel we want to support.

A2 Milk also said that within its English label infant formula channels, it has seen a mix shift from daigou to CBEC and offline to online (O2O).

However, the company acknowledged that it lost market share in the daigou channel during the year, but the rate of decline slowed during the second half after a change of distribution markets.

Kantar data indicated that consumer sales in the daigou channel were down 17% in FY22 and that the company’s daigou market share declined to 18.7% at the end of June 2022.

Outlook

The A2 Milk share price can be impacted by what investors are expecting from the company.

Management said that China label infant formula sales are expected to be up in FY23, with “significant growth” in sales in the first half of FY23. At this stage, sales in the second half of FY23 are expected to be “impacted” by the transition to the company’s new pending GB registration.

English label infant formula sales are expected to be “up” in FY23, with FY23 first-half sales expected to be “broadly in line” with the second half of FY22 due to the impact of managing the transition to the refreshed a2 Platinum range.

Overall, the company is expecting high single-digit revenue growth in FY23. It’s expecting earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) growth in FY23, with a “modest” improvement in the EBITDA margin, despite increasing its marketing spending.

A2 Milk share price snapshot

Despite the big rise over the last two days (it’s currently up another 4.17% today to $5.63), the A2 Milk share price is virtually flat over the last six months.

The post Are A2 Milk shares ‘turning a corner’ on the daigou debacle? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why A2 Milk, Deep Yellow, Healius, and IGO shares are racing higher
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why A2 Milk, Lovisa, McMillan Shakespeare, and Tyro are storming higher
• Everything you need to know about the latest A2 Milk share buyback
• A2 Milk share price soars 8% as company regains money-making mojo

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk. 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 tech shares are broadly enjoying a good run today.

While the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up a respectable 0.64% in mid-afternoon trading, the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) has gained more than twice that much, up 1.4%.

But that’s chicken feed compared to the 96% gain posted by human imaging company Advanced Human Imaging Ltd (ASX: AHI).

The ASX tech share leapt higher on open and kept marching to 24.5 cents until entering a trading halt this afternoon.

In an announcement to the ASX, Advanced Human Imaging said: “The Company requests a trading halt immediately, in response to the ASX pricing letter dated 30 August 2022 and pending the release of an announcement in relation to a material acquisition.”

What’s spurring investor interest?

The Advanced Human Imaging share price closed flat at 12.5 cents yesterday after releasing a non-price sensitive announcement before market open.

The ASX tech share updated the market on the completion of its Master Services Agreement (MSA) with Estonia-based digital health provider Activate Health OÜ.

According to the release, Activate Health has built the world’s first AI-driven digital therapeutics platform for metabolic syndrome. Their technology has now been integrated with Advanced Human Imaging’s MultiScan SDKs to identify early indications of chronic disease risk.

The company said Activate Health will purchase a block of 4,000 of its FaceScans and a block of 4,000 BodyScans for €22,960 (AU$33,330).

Commenting on the MSA, strategy lead of Advanced Human Imaging Vlado Bosanac said:

The combination of the AHI solution will provide a far deeper insight of the users within the Activate digital therapeutics platform. The AHI solution will empower the Activate platform with the ability to identify chronic disease risk, for the early intervention, allowing Activate to intervene and assist their consumers with better health outcomes.

We are delighted to be involved with such an innovative company, based in the world’s leading digital health community, and look forward to making a positive impact on Europeans’ longevity of life, health and wellbeing.

In yesterday’s release, the ASX tech share noted that its AHI solution will launch in the Netherlands “in the coming weeks” with an update to “be provided once the product is launched by Activate”.

How has this ASX tech share been performing?

Despite its gains today, the Advanced Human Imaging share price remains down 73% year to date. Over the past 12 months, the ASX tech share is down an even more painful 82%.

Though you’re unlikely to hear investors who snapped up shares yesterday complaining.

The post ASX tech share Advanced Human Imaging share price frozen after rocketing 96% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ASX dividend windfall continues but it’s not just Woodside and ASX 200 energy stocks splashing the big cash
• Hoping to bag the next Wesfarmers dividend? You’d better be quick
• Why is the Beach Energy share price lagging its sector on Tuesday?
• Why is the Paladin Energy share price up 6% today?
• Bannerman share price explodes 24% as ASX uranium explorers soar

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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1) In a welcome relief to the recent battering, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is trading higher on Tuesday with energy stocks powering the benchmark index northwards.

This came despite United States markets again heading lower overnight Monday, albeit modestly so compared to Friday night’s violent sell-off, where the S&P 500 lost 3.4% and the NASDAQ slumped 3.9%.

Doing the damage late last week was US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell saying:

While higher interest rates, slower growth, and softer labour market conditions will bring down inflation, they will also bring some pain to households and businesses. These are the unfortunate costs of reducing inflation.

So much for the economic soft landing so hoped for by the stock market bulls. The bond market, as demonstrated by an inverted yield curve, is signalling recession. The stock market is shooting first, asking questions later.

The best case scenario could be for a mild US recession, with a commensurate mild stock market correction. The S&P 500 index is already down 16% so far in 2022, having been down as much as 23% in June. Those lows could come back into play as Powell brings “some pain”, starting with the next interest rate hike – either 50 or 75 basis points – on 20-21 September.

2) Here in Australia, the ASX 200 is down only 6% so far in 2022. 

It could have been far worse were it not for energy stocks, primarily coal and oil.

The Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) share price is up over 200% year to date, with the New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC) share price also burning higher, up 124% so far this year.

The Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price has also had a stellar 2022, up 63%. Not bad for a company with a market capitalisation of $67 billion!

Powering Woodside shares higher today is a bumper set of results, including declaring its largest interim dividend since 2014. The dividend is US$1.09 per share, well up on the 30 US cents paid in FY21. On a trailing basis, Woodside shares trade on a dividend yield of 8.5%.

The Australian Financial Review (AFR) declared earnings season a “windfall” for ASX dividend share investors, saying Australian companies are on track to pay out more than $100 billion in dividends in the 2023 financial year.

So much for a recession here in Australia.

3) It’s not just energy companies that trade on very attractive dividend yields. 

The Best & Less Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: BST) share price is up 5% today to $2.75 after the discount retailer reported a “resilient trading performance” with revenue down just 6% despite 11% lost trading days.

Discretionary retailers are often hardest hit during periods of economic slowdown as consumers tighten their belts. 

Exhibit A is the Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV) share price, down 33% so far in 2022, a highly unusual experience for shareholders in arguably one of the country’s leading retailers.

Exhibit B is the City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX) share price, down 33% since reporting lacklustre results just last week, and down a very painful 70% year to date. 

Retailing is a tough and fickle business at the best of times, let alone in times of lockdowns, supply chain challenges, staff shortages, rising inflation, and an economic slowdown. Good luck fighting those gale-force headwinds.

But Best & Less is powering forward, saying: “As we move further into an uncertain economic environment, with rising interest rates and cost-of-living pressures placing families under increasing financial strain, we expect an acceleration in the migration to value that is already underway.”

With 90% of items sold being priced under $20, Best & Less says it expects Australian families facing cost of living pressures to increasingly prefer its specialty value offer.

Best & Less declared a fully franked final dividend of 12 cents per share, bringing the full year dividend to 23 cents. With Best & Less shares currently $2.75, they trade on a fully franked dividend yield of 8.4%. 

4) Best & Less is one of those rare recent initial public offerings (IPOs) that is trading above its issue price, having raised $60 million at $2.16 per share. 

Spare a thought for shareholders in well-and-truly-busted recent IPOs, Booktopia Group Ltd (ASX: BKG) and Adore Beauty Group Ltd (ASX: ABY), down 88% and 76% respectively from their 2020 issue prices.

Always on the lookout for a bargain, I’ve been sniffing around for anything that I think might have been a baby thrown out with the bathwater.

After experiencing a modicum of success in the June sell-off, the unforgiving market has recently dealt me some punishment, handing me back some of my short-lived gains, sometimes with interest. 

Stock picking can be a very humbling endeavour. 

5) One recent IPO that I don’t own, but looks interesting in more than just name, is BirdDog Technology Ltd (ASX: BDT). The company describes itself as a global video technology company that enhances the quality, speed, and flexibility of video.

The BirdDog Technology share price is down 72% from its 65-cent IPO issue price in November 2021, some of it deservedly so given a financial performance that has been underwhelming. But with a host of new video technology products, and an acceleration of key strategic partnerships, BirdDog looks to be well placed to deliver strong organic growth in the coming year.

The BirdDog share price trades at 18 cents and the company is capitalised at just $36 million. Of that, as at 30 June 2022, $23 million was in cash and $18 million was in current inventory. 

With the company trading at around breakeven in Q4, the downside looks to be limited, to say the least. 

The post ASX dividend windfall continues but it’s not just Woodside and ASX 200 energy stocks splashing the big cash appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Beach Energy share price lagging its sector on Tuesday?
• 3 ASX 200 energy shares smashing multi-year highs on Tuesday
• Woodside dividend tripled: Here’s everything you need to know
• What’s the outlook for the oil price in September?
• Best & Less share price surges 7% on sharp FY22 results

Motley Fool contributor Bruce Jackson has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Adore Beauty Group Limited and Booktopia Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Adore Beauty Group Limited and Premier Investments 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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Shares in Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) have remained steady since the company reported its full-year results on 26 August.

Despite delivering a mixed financial scorecard, the Wesfarmers share price shrugged off the negative sentiment on the ASX that day.

This is because the conglomerate’s earnings beat the consensus estimate among a number of brokers.

At the time of writing, the conglomerate’s shares are 0.72% higher to $47.74 apiece for the day.

Wesfarmers shares gear up to trade ex-dividend

As the market reels from its heavy losses, investors are sending the Wesfarmers share price into positive territory.

It appears that investors are eager to quickly secure the Wesfarmers dividend as the ex-dividend date fast approaches.

In case you weren’t aware, you’ll have till the end of the day to buy the company’s shares and lock in the dividend.

Although, you can expect the share price to fall tomorrow as when a company reaches its ex-dividend day, investors tend to offload their holdings for a quick profit.

When is payday for Wesfarmers shareholders?

For those who lock in the upcoming Wesfarmers dividend, you’ll receive a payment of $1 per share on 6 October.

The dividend is fully franked and is 11.1% higher than the previous corresponding period (90 cents per share).

This brings the total FY 2022 dividend to $1.80 per share, representing a slight increase on last year’s total $1.78 per share dividend.

Wesfarmers acknowledged that a key component of total shareholder return is the dividends paid to shareholders. After all, investors are highly drawn to quality blue-chip shares that pay dividends.

Wesfarmers’ dividend distributions are based on franking credit availability, current earnings, cash flows, future cash flow requirements and targeted credit metrics.

In that respect, management said that the final dividend reflects a strong second-half net profit after tax result.

It is also the highest final dividend to be paid since September 2018.

Furthermore, shareholders can elect for the dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) which will add a portion of shares to their portfolio instead.

There is no DRP discount rate and the last election date for shareholders to opt in is on 2 September.

Wesfarmers share price snapshot

In 2022, the Wesfarmers share price has fallen 20% on the back of tough macroenvironmental conditions in recent months.

The company’s shares reached a year-to-date low of $40.03 on 17 June, before treading higher in the following weeks.

Wesfarmers commands a market capitalisation of roughly $53.74 billion and has a dividend yield of 3.55%.

The post Hoping to bag the next Wesfarmers dividend? You’d better be quick appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 6 ASX shares Morgans would buy right now
• Everything you need to know about the latest Wesfarmers dividend
• Wesfarmers share price lifts as earnings beat brokers’ consensus
• Wesfarmers share price in focus as profit slips to $2.35b
• Earnings preview: Here are the ASX shares reporting today

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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers 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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It’s been a day of modest gains for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far this Tuesday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has gained 0.55% to just over 7,000 points. But one ASX sector, in particular, is doing far better than the broader markets today – ASX energy shares.

For one, the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) is vastly outperforming the ASX 200 today. It’s currently up a pleasing 1.67%. And we can see this playing out in the share prices of many ASX oil shares.

Take Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS).

Investors are salivating at this oil share’s FY22 earnings that were reported this morning, and have sent Woodside shares up a healthy 1.70% so far today. Likewise, Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) shares have gained a pleasing 1.97%.

But we can’t quite say the same for the Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) share price. Beach shares closed at $1.74 a share yesterday. But this oil share is only trading at $1.75 so far today, up a seemingly paltry 0.43%.

So why are investors leaving Beach shares out in the cold today?

Why is the Beach Energy share price underperforming?

Well, it isn’t really. See, there is something else going on with the Beach share price today. This energy share has just traded ex-dividend for its upcoming final dividend payment.

When Beach revealed its FY22 earnings results back on 15 August, it also announced that its final dividend for FY22 would come in at 1 cent per share, fully franked. Beach has consistently paid both an interim and final dividend of 1 cent per share since 2017, so this dividend does nothing to break that mould.

But investors needed to own Beach shares yesterday if they wish to receive this dividend, given that today is the company’s ex-dividend date.

An ex-dividend date cuts off any new shareholders from the upcoming dividend. It usually coincides with a share price drop (or, in this case, a depressed share price gain).

This drop reflects the value of the upcoming dividend leaving the company’s share price, seeing as it is now unavailable for newer investors, making the shares nominally less attractive.

This explains why Beach shares are underperforming the company’s peers in the energy sector so dramatically today.

Beach Energy investors can now look forward to receiving the 1 cent per share dividend payment on 30 September.

At the current Beach Energy share price, this ASX 200 oil share has a dividend yield of 1.14%.

The post Why is the Beach Energy share price lagging its sector on Tuesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ASX dividend windfall continues but it’s not just Woodside and ASX 200 energy stocks splashing the big cash
• 3 ASX 200 energy shares smashing multi-year highs on Tuesday
• Woodside dividend tripled: Here’s everything you need to know
• What’s the outlook for the oil price in September?
• What’s boosting the Santos share price on Tuesday?

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 Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) share price is in the green today, surging higher from the open on Tuesday.

Shares of the uranium miner currently trade for 81.2 cents each. Earlier today, they hit an intraday high of 85.5 cents apiece, an 11% increase on yesterday’s closing price.

Other uranium shares are also making gains today, with Alligator Energy Ltd (ASX: AGE) up almost 16% to 6.6 cents a share and Bannerman Energy Ltd (ASX: BMN) up 20.50% to $2.35 each at the time of writing.

There has been no news from Paladin today yet its shares remain buoyant along with many of its peers in the uranium industry. So what’s going on?

Let’s recap some of the events over the last week to see if we can make sense of it.

What is going on with the Paladin Energy share price?

There have been positive developments for uranium in the use of nuclear energy over the last few days.

Today, there was the report Australians could see nuclear reactors in their states before the end of the decade, thanks to miniaturised nuclear reactors.

Speaking to The Australian, NuScale technologies said modular reactors could power 700,000 homes in Australia, each contributing around 924 megawatts of electricity. The company made these comments after it received approval to build the first modular reactor for commercial application in the United States.

Although nuclear power is currently banned in Australia, the energy crisis may have revealed the fragility of the system. It remains to be seen whether Australia will follow the US lead in adopting the nuclear option to meet emissions targets.

My Fool colleagues in the US also reported that Japan is restarting some of its nuclear reactors and will build additional nuclear facilities.

Further afield, some European countries, such as France, are looking to do the same as they contend with massive gas shortages due to Russia’s initiation of war in Ukraine. As well, India is also joining the nuclear ranks as it seeks cleaner energy sources.

Paladin share price snapshot

The Paladin Energy share price is down 15% year to date although it’s around 58% higher in the last 12 months.

By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is around 8% lower in 2022 so far and down 6.7% from this time last year.

Paladin’s current market capitalisation is approximately $2.4 billion.

The post Why is the Paladin Energy share price up 6% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Could this tiny development add even more fuel to ASX uranium shares?
• ASX 200 reporting season weekly wrap: Top risers and fallers
• Paladin share price slips despite 57% revenue boost
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday

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

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The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index is rising 1.75% today, but one ASX uranium share is soaring far higher.

The Bannerman Energy Ltd (ASX: BMN) share price is soaring 24% today and is currently trading at $2.415.

Let’s take a look at what is going on with the Bannerman share price.

ASX Uranium shares lift

The Bannerman share price may be lifting today, but it is not alone among ASX uranium shares. The Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) share price is rising 6%, while Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL) is soaring 14%. Meanwhile, Alligator Energy Ltd (ASX: AGE) shares are rising 18%.

This follows global uranium shares rocketing ahead overnight. The Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE: UEC) share price soared 14%, while Centrus Energy Corp (NYSE: LEU) lifted 17% and Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSE: UEC) surged 12.4%.

Uranium shares are lifting amid multiple European countries pushing back plans to close nuclear reactors.

Belgium is planning to keep two of its nuclear reactors open for a further 11 years, while Germany is also reconsidering a plan to shut down all nuclear reactors by 2022.

As my Foolish colleague Bernd reported last week, Japan is also looking to boost nuclear power generation. Japan is planning to restart seven more nuclear reactors. Japanese Prime minister Fumio Kishida said:

Nuclear power and renewables are essential to proceed with a green transformation. Russia’s invasion changed the global energy situation

Elon Musk has also recently weighed in on the nuclear energy debate. In a recent tweet, he said “countries should be increasing nuclear power generation”.

Countries should be increasing nuclear power generation! It is insane from a national security standpoint & bad for the environment to shut them down.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Meanwhile, small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) designer NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR) has told The Australian that small nuclear reactors could power nearly 700,000 homes in Australia by 2027. The first SMR recently received approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. However, Australia currently has a ban on nuclear energy.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan today called for an “end” to the nuclear ban in Australia. He said on Sky News:

We’re the only developed country, only G20 country in the world that actually bans nuclear energy.

Bannerman Energy share price snapshot

The Bannerman Energy share price has soared 51% in the past year, while it has fallen nearly 11% year to date.

In the past week alone, Bannerman Energy shares have soared 41%.

This ASX uranium share has a market capitalisation of about $361 million based on the current share price.

The post Bannerman share price explodes 24% as ASX uranium explorers soar appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Could this tiny development add even more fuel to ASX uranium shares?
• Why are ASX uranium shares going gangbusters on Thursday?
• The ASX shares with 30% to 50% upside: fundie

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 NuScale Power Corporation. 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.

There’s little question the iPhone remains both the flagship product and the chief money maker for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). The device accounted for roughly 52% of the tech giant’s sales over the past 12 months, just as it did during the prior-year period. The popularity of the iPhone makes it difficult for any other product or service to move the needle for the company.

That said, Apple has an under-the-radar service that has quietly, and without much fanfare, become one of the company’s fastest-growing revenue streams.

How do you want to pay for that?

Most investors don’t even give Apple Pay a second thought, yet the iPhone’s digital payment method has risen from relative obscurity when it was introduced in late 2014 to being indispensable for a large and growing number of iPhone users.

Consider this: About 10% of iPhone users had activated Apple Pay by 2016, according to research provided by venture capital firm Loup Ventures. That percentage doubled in 2017 and again in 2018. By 2020, activations had risen to 50%. The need for touch-free payment methods during the pandemic drove a surge of use, pushing activations to 75%. It’s worth noting that just because Apple Pay is activated doesn’t necessarily mean it’s being used, but the trend is undeniable.

Apple Pay is also much more widely accepted now than it was in the early days. When it was introduced, only about 3% of retailers had the technology necessary to accept contactless payments. Now roughly 90% of merchants in the U.S. accept Apple Pay. 

Perhaps more importantly, Apple Pay is the leading payment app among teens, outpacing even PayPal‘s Venmo, according to Piper Sandler‘s semiannual Taking Stock With Teens survey. This suggests that Apple Pay could become even bigger as members of Generation Z — the largest demographic yet — become the primary breadwinners. 

Move the needle? Not bloody likely.

So what does this mean for Apple in terms of revenue? The truth is that given the massive size of its iPhone business — which generated more than $200 billion in sales over the last 12 months — it’s unlikely that any other single business will move the needle for Apple, but the numbers are compelling nonetheless. Apple Pay generates billions of dollars in revenue for the iPhone maker. 

Apple’s total revenue amounted to more than $387 billion over the trailing 12-month period. The company doesn’t provide specific details regarding Apple Pay’s contribution, but estimates suggest it accounts for roughly 1% of the total, or $3.88 billion, according to Loup Ventures. 

That’s not all. While the U.S. has long lagged other developed nations in contactless payments, its overall adoption has reached a tipping point. This is thanks in part to pandemic-related safety protocols and greater acceptance of touchless payments by consumers.

A bigger piece of a growing pie

In its first-quarter earnings call, Visa (NYSE: V) revealed that it is “nearing 20% tap-to-pay penetration with key metro cities showing even stronger growth.” The company said that a host of large cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, and Seattle, all exceeded 25% penetration. San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland had surpassed 30%, and New York topped the list at 45%. This suggests that the overall adoption of touch-free payments is growing and Apple is well-positioned to reap the rewards.

Apple’s influence isn’t limited to the U.S. Early last year, the company reported it had a base of more than 1 billion active iPhones worldwide, a number that has no doubt increased in the year and a half since. Furthermore, Apple Pay is supported in 73 countries and regions around the world, a list that grows larger each year.

The iPhone will remain Apple’s primary breadwinner for the foreseeable future. That said, Apple Pay is just one piece of a large and growing puzzle that should help drive Apple stock higher for years to come.

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

The post This under-the-radar Apple business is growing by leaps and bounds appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Danny Vena has positions in Apple and PayPal Holdings and has the following options: long January 2024 $95 calls on PayPal Holdings. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Apple, PayPal Holdings, and Visa. 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 Apple and PayPal Holdings. 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is bouncing back after yesterday’s disastrous 2% tumble, and energy shares are in the lead.

The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) is up 1.85% right now, beating the broader market’s 0.47% gain.

And three ASX 200 energy shares are making the most of the sector’s day in the green, leaping to their highest prices in years.

3 ASX 200 energy shares rocketing to long-forgotten heights

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS)

ASX 200 energy giant Woodside saw its shares surge to a high of $36.68 earlier today – the highest it’s traded in more than three years.

The company also posted its earnings for the first half of 2022 this morning, in which it declared a whopper dividend. It’s US$1.09 interim dividend is more than three times what it offered investors this time last year.

The company also reported a 417% increase in after-tax profits, coming in at US$4.16 billion.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

Speaking of earnings, it’s still less than a week since Whitehaven Coal dropped its results for financial year 2022. The ASX 200 energy share leapt to $8.17 earlier today, marking a new all-time high.

Like its ASX 200 peer, the coal producer posted a huge jump in profits in its latest earnings, bringing in $1.9 billion after-tax in financial year 2022.

It’s trading in the green today despite coal futures slipping 1% to US$422.75 a tonne overnight. Though, that’s not far from the commodity’s record high.

New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC)

The final ASX 200 energy share posting a multi-year high on Tuesday is coal giant New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC). It surged to trade at $5.18 earlier today – the highest it’s been since 2012.

The last time the market heard from the company was on last Monday when it dropped its latest quarterly earnings, detailing a 29% boost in production.

The post 3 ASX 200 energy shares smashing multi-year highs on Tuesday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Woodside dividend tripled: Here’s everything you need to know
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• Woodside share price slumps ahead of tomorrow’s earnings update

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

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The Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ) share price could have some additional upside potential, according to a broker note posted this morning.

Shares of the Queensland bank currently trade for $6.96 each, up 0.71%, after closing yesterday at $6.91 a share.

Let’s look into why these shares could be undervalued.

Regional banks could be undervalued compared to major banks

UBS analyst John Storey said regional banks, such as Bank of Queensland, are currently undervalued due to their positive fundamentals and the selloff in their share prices, as originally reported by The Australian.

Storey gave Bank of Queensland a price target of $22 per share — that’s a 216% upside at the time of writing.

The rationale behind his analysis was that regional banks could see a 50-100 basis points increase in their return on equity (ROE) forecasts from higher leveraged balance sheets. ROE is a key ratio of how effectively companies generate profits from their existing assets, such as capital.

The Bank of Queensland share price has lost 13% over the last six months, taking a particularly steep fall in June when it crashed 11% in a single month. This makes it potentially undervalued relative to its previous trading levels, assuming there have been no changes in its fundamentals.

Bank of Queensland share price snapshot

Shares in Bank of Queensland are currently down 16% year to date. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down around 8% over the same period.

The company’s current market capitalisation is around $4.5 billion.

The post Is the Bank of Queensland share price undervalued compared to other ASX banks? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why did the Bank of Queensland share price lag the other ASX 200 banks today?
• Experts name 2 ASX dividend shares to buy next week
• Is the Bank of Queensland share price a smart ASX 200 bank buy?
• How to play ASX bank shares for dividends this reporting season: expert
• Why is the Bank of Queensland share price getting a caning on Monday?

Motley Fool contributor Matthew Farley 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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