If you’re looking for blue chip ASX 200 shares to buy, then you may want to consider the two listed below that brokers are bullish on.

Here’s what you need to know about these blue chips:

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ)

The first blue chip ASX 200 blue chip share that analysts are positive on is big four bank ANZ Bank.

It was recently tipped as a buy by analysts at Citi. The broker appears to believe the acquisition of the banking operations of Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN) could be a boost if everything goes to plan.

If integrated successfully, we believe the deal looks to represent fair value, with the acquisition PE of 13.8x offset by substantial cost synergies (~35% of SUN Bank cost base), funding cost benefits (due to ANZ’s AA rating) and lower capital intensity (a move to AIRB accreditation) over time.

The broker currently has a buy rating and $29.00 price target on the bank’s shares. This compares very favourably to the latest ANZ share price of $22.59 and suggests potential upside of 28% for investors.

Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)

Another ASX 200 blue chip share that could be in the buy zone is retail giant Woolworths.

The team at Goldman Sachs is bullish on the company and believes it is well placed in the current environment to deliver solid sales growth and even stronger earnings growth. The broker recently commented:

We forecast [a sales] CAGR of 6.6% and underlying NPAT of 14.1% over FY22-24e, with key driver being market share gain of AU Foods business at comp sales growth of FY23/24 8.8% and 6.6% respectively driven by effective cost-price pass through and additional mix improvement with relatively stable volume growth.

Goldman has a buy rating and $40.50 price target on its shares. Based on the current Woolworths share price of $37.25, this implies potential upside of 9% before dividends and 12% including its forecast FY 2023 dividend.

The post Analysts rate these ASX 200 blue chip shares as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why did the ANZ share price smash the other ASX 200 banks today?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• ASX 200 midday update: ANZ’s capital raising, Link jumps, Zip’s Q4 update
• ANZ share price edges lower after capital raising
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

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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Shares in Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) experienced a green end to the week. However, it isn’t the share price that may have caught the attention of investors in the big four bank this week.

While Westpac might be Australia’s oldest banking institution, it has proven that age is merely a number. Potentially catching a few onlookers off guard this week, the 205-year-old bank has been caught advertising a job involving cryptocurrency.

Let’s take a look at what it might mean for Westpac shares.

Looking to be a leader in crypto

In the last seven days, many crypto assets have partially rebounded in value. Take for instance the two largest names in the market, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH). These two crypto assets have increased 12% and 32% in value respectively.

Amid this current resurgence, reporting has spread on Westpac putting out the feelers for a ‘Principal Architect in Digital Assets and Cryptocurrency’. However, according to the LinkedIn job posting, this role was first published three weeks ago.

Interestingly, the expression of interest in the crypto sector comes amid some of the greatest scepticism since the dramatic fall in price back in 2018. The developing industry has come under pressure following several collapses of both crypto tokens and institutions — such as the recently publicised Three Arrows Capital debacle.

The evaporation of capital as a result of this undoing has accelerated falls across crypto assets since the beginning of the year. In turn, Bitcoin is now down 49% on a year-to-date basis. In contrast, Westpac shares have slipped a slight 3%.

According to the Westpac job listing, the major bank’s new role includes:

• Helping drive Westpac’s emerging digital assets business, with the goal of entering the market and achieving a leadership position
• Translating emerging trends from the cryptocurrency and digital assets world into the opportunities for Westpac and our customers
• Developing and maintaining the strategic technology roadmap for digital assets, cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies

Based on the information above, it seems Westpac is quite serious about getting involved in crypto.

Westpac shares in review

While 20% price swings in the space of a couple of weeks are customary in the crypto world, few would expect to see such a move among the big four. However, that is exactly what occurred in the front half of June as the Westpac share price reacted to rate hikes.

At the current $21.07 price tag, Westpac is offering a dividend yield of 5.7%.

The post Own Westpac shares? Why the major bank could soon make a crypto splash appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why did the ANZ share price smash the other ASX 200 banks today?
• RBA in the spotlight; and Westpac hikes fixed rates. Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News
• How high will the RBA hike rates in 2022? Here’s what the ASX 200 banks are forecasting
• This is what analysts are forecasting for the Westpac dividend through to FY24
• ‘CBA and Westpac are too big’: One fund manager’s take on the future of ASX 200 bank shares

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has positions in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. and The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin and Ethereum. 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 Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH) share price has been in focus for a few months now for many ASX investors. That’s what happens when a company’s shares fall almost 60% over 2022 thus far (as of a few weeks ago). But, more recently, Adairs shares have been bouncing back with a vengeance.

Since hitting a new 52-week low of $1.65 a share in mid-June, the Adairs share price has now recovered by an impressive 43%, going off the $2.36 price it is commanding at the time of writing.

Many investors watching this rollercoaster ride might be wondering if Adairs is an ASX 300 dividend share. Well, let’s answer that today.

So, first things first. Adairs is an ASX 300 share, by virtue of its presence on the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO). Its market capitalisation of just over $400 million isn’t enough to have Adairs qualify for the more popular and widely-used S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

But it does make the cut for the ASX 300, which means an ASX 300 ETF like the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) has Adairs shares in its portfolio.

But what of dividends?

Is ASX 300 retailer Adairs a dividend share?

The answer to that question is also a resounding yes. Adairs is indeed a dividend share and has been paying out dividends to its shareholders for years now. This has been the case ever since Adairs listed on the ASX boards back in 2015.

Since the company’s inaugural dividend payment in April 2016, Adairs has only missed a biannual dividend payment once – the period covering the first six months of COVID-ravaged 2020. Adairs resumed paying out dividends in the second half of 2020 and has been doing so ever since.

Adairs’ last dividend payment arrived on 14 April this year. This was an interim dividend worth a fully franked 8 cents per share. The previous final dividend that investors saw in September last year came to a fully franked 10 cents per share.

Together, the 18 cents per share that Adairs has paid out over the past 12 months gives this retail share a trailing dividend yield of 7.36% (or 10.9% grossed-up) at the current Adairs share price of $2.36.

Now those (objectively impressive) metrics are past-facing. We do not yet know what kind of dividends Adairs will pay in the future. If the company trims its next two dividends, then investors won’t be enjoying a 7.36% dividend yield going forward.

But if Adairs maintains or even increases its dividends over the next year, then income investors will no doubt be a very happy lot.

But we shall just have to wait and see what happens with this ASX 300 retail share.

The post Is Adairs considered an ASX 300 dividend share? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why did the ANZ share price smash the other ASX 200 banks today?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• IAG share price drops despite ‘strong momentum’ for FY23
• ASX 200 midday update: Brickworks higher, IAG drops on prelim results, Zip rockets

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in ADAIRS FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended ADAIRS FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended ADAIRS 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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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.

Like some other big tech companies, Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) has been in the antitrust hot seat for several years now. The company has a huge presence in U.S. e-commerce, controlling roughly 40% of a fast-growing market, and it’s also the leading cloud infrastructure provider.

Amazon has no direct rival in e-commerce as no other company has more than single-digit market share in the category, and Amazon has used that dominant position to its advantage, launching businesses like its third-party marketplace and advertising embedded on its product pages.

Both of those deliver high margins. In fact, Amazon’s marketplace is so successful that it generates more in sales volume than the company’s first-party business (that is, direct sales).

The online retail giant has taken note of the success of individual products in the marketplace, at times launching its own similar private-label products. Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said Amazon policy forbids using third-party data in making first-party product decisions, but he also told a congressional panel that he couldn’t guarantee that that policy had never been violated.

Developing house brands is a tried-and-true strategy for brick-and-mortar retailers, and Amazon has followed suit and ramped up its private-label business over the years. It has reached nearly 250,000 private-label products across 45 different owned brands.

However, The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that Amazon is cutting back on that business due to a combination of regulatory pressure and weak sales in some of the product categories.

Bezos, who is now executive chairman, has been a big backer of the private-label business, but it hasn’t lived up to his expectations.

Amazon’s owned brands, which span categories like batteries, clothes, and baby-care products, account for just 1% of total retail sales, falling well short of a goal Bezos had set of capturing 10% of Amazon’s total sales by 2022.

Two steps forward, one step back

While there is no talk of shuttering the private-label business, the Journal said that Amazon is significantly reducing the number of private-label goods on its site, eliminating several weak sellers to focus instead on fast-moving consumer goods like batteries whose sales it can more easily forecast and fulfill.

The regulatory threat may also be a factor. Amazon is the world’s second-biggest company by revenue, and it could pass No. 1 Walmart as soon as next year.

Senators like Elizabeth Warren and antitrust regulators have become wary of the company’s power and have suggested potential moves like splitting the marketplace from the first-party business or cleaving Amazon Web Services from the e-commerce division. Those antitrust attacks don’t help Amazon’s reputation, and the company is already dealing with a unionization push at some of its warehouses.

The decision to curtail its private-label business might also reflect the company’s realization that its greatest strength in e-commerce is as a facilitator rather than a direct seller. The recent launch of Buy with Prime, allowing online shoppers to shop directly on non-Amazon websites and get Prime delivery for the first time, could juice sales by leveraging the company’s logistics network.

What it means for investors

It’s easy to forget that Amazon has had its share of failures over its history, including the Fire Phone, the Amazon Webstore (a competitor to Shopify), and Amazon Destinations, its online travel agency. Given the company’s overall success, it’s unusual for some of its initiatives to flop.

It’s too early to call the private-label business a failure, but it clearly hasn’t lived up to Bezos’s expectations, and Amazon lags behind brick-and-mortar competitors whose owned brands have thrived. Costco, for example, is nearly synonymous with Kirkland, the private-label brand that comprises everything from peanuts to underwear, and Target has 10 of its own billion-dollar brands, each bringing in $1 billion or more in annual revenue, meaning its private-label business is bigger than Amazon’s even though its overall revenue is much lower.

Brick-and-mortar chains, for a number of reasons, might have an advantage over Amazon in selling private-label goods.

Costco, for example, has far fewer stock keeping units (SKUs), or individual items for sale, than Amazon, making the private-label business less complicated. The regulatory criticism also seems a good reason for Amazon to pull back in an area that has already sparked ire from government officials.

While this looks like a minor defeat, it’s worth remembering that experimentation and failure are core parts of the company’s culture, and Amazon doesn’t expect every new idea to pan out. Though it’s pulling back on private labels, programs like Buy with Prime and Amazon Go seem to be gaining momentum.

That’s a reminder that the company still has plenty of levers to pull in order to grow the business, even if private-label products aren’t delivering as expected.

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

The post Amazon is bowing to regulators. Here’s what it means for shareholders appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Better bear market buy: Netflix vs Amazon

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Amazon, Costco Wholesale, Shopify, Target, and Walmart Inc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2023 $1,140 calls on Shopify and short January 2023 $1,160 calls on Shopify. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon. 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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Fund manager Wilson Asset Management (WAM) has explained why the IPH Ltd (ASX: IPH) share price outperformed in June and why the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) share could keep performing from here.

WAM runs a number of different listed investment companies (LICs) including WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE), WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM) and WAM Research Limited (ASX: WAX).

IPH is, or was, in the WAM Research and WAM Capital portfolios at the end of June 2022. It was in the top 20 holdings.

What is IPH?

The fund manager described IPH as Asia Pacific’s leading intellectual property services group, comprising a network of member businesses, servicing more than 25 countries.

Recent performance

The IPH share price has risen by around 15% since mid-June.

WAM noted that in June, the business didn’t release any “fundamental” news to explain the strong rebound of IPH shares

The fund manager explained the bounce of the legal outfit’s shares may have been due to currency tailwinds because IPH invoices the vast majority of its clients in US dollars.

While the IPH share price went up, the global share market declined in June after, according to WAM, news of continued interest rate rises and rising inflation, and sentiment gravitated towards businesses with more “resilient earnings profiles” that have “historically proven themselves capable of delivering organic growth in tougher economic environments.”

In other words, IPH’s defensive earnings and business model could lead to good performance during this difficult period.

Latest IPH update

IPH wants to deliver growth in a number of ways including organic growth, acquisitions and expanding service offerings to clients in Australia and New Zealand.

The ASX 200 share said that the scale of its business enables it to look further at intellectual property adjacent opportunities. It has a “strong balance sheet and capacity” to go after opportunities.

In a recent investor presentation, the business said that “global IP trends remain supportive for IP protection” and that it’s well placed to capitalise on these trends.

It also said that it has “demonstrated consistent earnings and cash flow generation to underpin returns to shareholders.” The business has been steadily growing its ordinary dividend over the past several years.

IPH share price snapshot

Over the last six and twelve months, IPH shares are virtually flat.

The post Guess which ASX 200 share this fundie tips to outperform appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Experts name 2 beaten down ASX growth shares with plenty of upside potential
• Will Ethereum and Bitcoin see the ‘flippening’ in 2022?
• Up 8% this week, is the Boral share price on the comeback trail?
• Why did the ANZ share price smash the other ASX 200 banks today?
• Why did the Kogan share price rocket 20% this week?

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 recommended IPH Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended IPH 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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With the market starting to rebound, now could be an opportune time to look at buying some beaten down ASX growth shares.

Two that could be worth considering are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)

The first beaten down ASX growth share to consider is Domino’s. This pizza chain operator’s shares have dropped over 40% since the start of the year.

The team at Citi believe this could be a buying opportunity for patient investors. The broker recently reaffirmed its buy rating and $92.95 price target on the pizza chain operator’s shares. This implies potential upside of 30% for investors over the next 12 months.

Its analysts continue to see Domino’s as a great long term option thanks to its store rollout plans and strong balance sheet. It feels the latter is supportive of potential merger and acquisition (M&A) activity.

It commented:

Our Buy rating is predicated on potential upside from potential M&A activity, upside to long term store rollout and sales on track to rebound later in CY22 once the business has cycled through the abnormal comps.

IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL)

Another beaten down ASX growth share that could be worth considering is IDP Education. This provider of international student placement services and English language testing services has seen its shares lose 25% of their value in 2022.

This is despite the company returning to form in FY 2022 and delivering strong growth across the board as demand for its services rebounds from the pandemic.

Goldman Sachs continues to be very positive on IDP Education’s prospects. It currently has a buy rating and $35.50 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of over 30% for investors from current levels.

The broker said:

We see a compelling long-term growth opportunity with a number of drivers: Structural growth in multi-destination student placement markets; supplemented by ongoing recovery in the Australian market; Ability to grow market share in highly fragmented Canadian and UK SP markets; Reinvestment in digital capabilities to increase competitive advantage and strengthen relationships with tertiary institutions and; Consolidation of IELTs business and ability to supplement organic growth with bolt-on acquisitions.

The post Experts name 2 beaten down ASX growth shares with plenty of upside potential appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why I think Domino’s can deliver as an ASX dividend share
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• What I’d do with 3 ASX shares that have plunged this year: expert
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to 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 positions in and has recommended Idp Education Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Dominos Pizza Enterprises 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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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.

With Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) rallying these days, maybe it’s a good time to revisit the “flippening.” The term (and it’s as fun to say out loud as it is to read or write) is the moment that Ethereum bulls are waiting for. The flippening will take place the moment that the world’s second-most-valuable cryptocurrency overtakes market leader Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) in terms of market capitalization.  

There are no guarantees that the event will even happen, of course. Bitcoin continues to be the brand that every investor knows. The gap between the two digital currencies is also pretty substantial. Bitcoin, with its $434 billion price tag, is more than double Ethereum’s market cap of $182 billion.

But with Ethereum now possibly weeks away from a historic milestone as it continues to be the blockchain platform of choice, it wouldn’t surprise crypto traders if Bitcoin surrendered market leadership to its closest peer. Don’t sleep on the flippening.

Trading places 

Momentum has been on Ethereum’s side lately. It’s up 37% over the past week as of Thursday morning, compared to a more modest but still potent 15% recovery for Bitcoin. Ethereum has also tripled Bitcoin’s return over the past month. Stretch the timeline back a year (merrier times, for sure) and even Ethereum’s 23% slide is marginally kinder than Bitcoin’s 28% plunge.

It’s naturally going to take a lot for Ethereum to flip the script. It would have to soar 139% from here. And Bitcoin would have to stand still. It’s difficult to fathom because the market needs a reason to disconnect the two leading crypto denominations. When one rallies, the other is inching higher. When investor appetite cools, it tends to chill for both currencies. Bitcoin and Ethereum are both roughly 70% off the all-time highs they hit last year. 

If the flippening chatter isn’t getting the same kind of traction it did a year or two ago, it’s because both cryptos would need to triple from here to return to their peaks. The bullish case was that Ethereum would pass Bitcoin on the way up instead of being passing ships in a less inspiring market climate. 

Why is this baton-passing event even possible at this point? Ethereum bulls will point to the merge as the catalyst that could catapult their crypto of choice to the top. Bitcoin and Ethereum currently rely on proof-of-work models to generate new tokens. Mining for new Bitcoin or Ethereum relies on computation power, a validation process that is battle-tested and secure but a drain on energy resources. Proof of work is a red flag for critics with environmental concerns. 

Ethereum has spent the past two years working to shift to a proof-of-stake protocol. It’s a consensus-based mechanism for validating new coins that is popular with many of the faster and more energy-efficient cryptocurrencies. Ethereum was initially hoping to complete the merge to proof of stake last year, but it has proved to be a herculean task. The can has been kicked through the first half of this year, and Ethereum programmers (for now) have Sept. 19 tentatively circled as the day for the migration to proof of stake to take place. 

Traders credit the new date for the surge in Ethereum over the past week, but we’ve seen deadlines come and go in the past. There are still concerns that this could be a “trade on the news” moment, especially if Ethereum keeps climbing ahead of the merge.

However, this could be the moment when Bitcoin and Ethereum truly separate from each other in terms of market sentiment and momentum. Bitcoin wears the market-cap crown right now because it planted the flag when it comes to crypto. It’s the industry standard. Ethereum rose to second place by raising the bar with blockchain technology that powers smart contracts that fuel functionality beyond just a store of value or the means to settle up a transaction.

There are naturally many other types of cryptocurrencies out there, and they have their own particular strengths. A third digital currency could be the one that ultimately overtakes both Bitcoin and Ethereum to rise to the top.

Ethereum is the one we’re watching now, though. It accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total value locked — or deposited in decentralized finance protocol chains — and many smaller digital currencies are there simply to make Ethereum more useful.

Time may be running out for the flippening to take place this year, but if the merge goes smoothly and Ethereum continues to distance itself from Bitcoin’s current limitations, a shift in market sentiment could make it the top dog by 2023.  

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

The post Will Ethereum and Bitcoin see the ‘flippening’ in 2022? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin are falling today
• Tesla sells 75% of Bitcoin holdings. Here’s why Elon Musk is unloading
• Here’s why the Bitcoin and Dogecoin prices are rocketing
• Ethereum surges, but Ethereum classic up much more on merge anticipation
• These are the stocks making hay from the Bitcoin price upturn

Rick Munarriz has positions in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended bitcoin and Ethereum. 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 Boral Limited (ASX: BLD) share price was on a roll this week, gaining 7.78% to close on Friday at $2.77.

It followed a 58% tumble experienced by the stock over the first half of 2022, driven by a February capital return.

In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) lifted 3% this week. It’s also slipped around 10% since the start of this year.

But with one broker focusing on blue skies ahead, could the market be seeing the start of an about-face from the Boral share price?

Let’s take a closer look at what the expert predicts for the future of the building products and construction materials company’s shares.

46% upside tipped for Boral share price

The Boral share price has struggled in recent times, with inflation and energy prices taking their toll on the company.

Boral is a large energy user, and much of its business relies on the housing market, which can be hit hard by rising inflation and resulting interest rate hikes, as my Fool colleague Brendon Lau reported last month.

Further, the company announced its earnings were hampered by “extraordinary” rain earlier this year.

It expects the rain left a dint to the size of around $30 million in its financial year 2022 earnings while inflation and energy costs could have had a $15 million impact.

On top of that, the company noted it expected its transformation project to deliver a benefit of between $45 million and $50 million. That’s lower than its targeted range of between $60 million and $75 million.

But analysts at Macquarie believe the worst could be over for the ASX 200 stock.

The broker has slapped Boral shares with a $4.05 price target and an ‘outperform’ rating. That indicates a 46.2% upside on the company’s current share price.

The post Up 8% this week, is the Boral share price on the comeback trail? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

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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 recommended Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a rather rocky end to the week’s trading session on Friday. The ASX 200 ended up losing an anaemic 0.04%, falling to just over 6,790 points. But perhaps surprisingly, most of the ASX 200-dominating bank shares performed rather better.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price inched ahead, gaining 0.18% today to $97.80 a share. But Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares had a very healthy day indeed. Westpac rose 1.1% at $21.07 a share.

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) performed similarly. It finished up a robust 0.74% at $29.88 a share.

But it was the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price that really lit up the tyres. ANZ shares rose a pleasing 3.01% to $22.59 each. That comes after this ASX 200 bank share closed at $21.93 a share yesterday.

Why did the ANZ share price outshine the other ASX banks?

Well, we can’t know for sure, seeing as there was nothing out today from ANZ itself that might easily explain this disparity.

However, we can consider that ANZ has been in the news this week in a big way. On Monday, the bank announced that it intends to acquire the banking arm of Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN) for $4.9 billion. This would be one of the largest ASX bank deals in more than a decade.

ANZ’s shares have been halted from trading for most of the week so that the bank could undertake capital raising to fund the acquisition. ANZ shares returned from this halt yesterday, but perhaps investors decided that the bank is looking good with its brand new bag today.

There is certainly no news or announcements out of the other ASX banks this week that come close to the significance of ANZ’s plans. So this could be why we saw such enthusiasm for the ANZ share price today as we head into the weekend.

Whatever the reason, it was certainly a pleasing day for ANZ shareholders.

At the last ANZ share price, this ASX 200 bank share has a market capitalisation of $63.82 billion, with a dividend yield of 6.37%.

The post Why did the ANZ share price smash the other ASX 200 banks today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in National Australia Bank 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 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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Despite a few bumps and bruises, it’s been a pretty good week for ASX shares this week.

As it stands on Friday afternoon, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has put on a pleasing 3.15% since last Friday’s close. But that’s nothing compared to the Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) share price.

Kogan shares have had a ripper of a week, no way around it. For starters, this online-based retailer added a pleasing 4.47% during today’s trading session alone, leaving it at $3.27 a share going into the weekend.

This time last week, Kogan shares were trading at just $2.72, only a whisker off the company’s 52-week low of $2.66.

This means that the Kogan share price has climbed from $2.72 to $3.27 in a week – a whopping gain of 20.22%.

But even so, this company is still deep in the red over 2022 thus far. Year-to-date, the Kogan share price remains down a nasty 62% or so, despite this week’s gains.

So what has put such a rocket behind the Kogan share price this week?

Why has the Kogan share price shot the moon this week?

Well, unfortunately, it is entirely unclear. This week’s spectacular gains have not resulted from anything the company has released itself. Indeed, we haven’t had any official news or announcements from Kogan since 8 July.

However, we have seen a definite trend emerging on the ASX boards this week that could shed some light on Kogan’s gains.

Many smaller ASX retailers like Kogan have been suffering a similar fate this year. But this week has seen several of them jump on a similar rocket to Kogan.

Take Dusk Group Ltd (ASX: DSK). Its shares are up 8.6% over the past week. Or Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV). Lovisa shares have surged more than 8% over the same period. Not quite at Kogan’s level, but pleasing enough.

So perhaps Kogan’s impressive gains are just part of this trend that we are seeing. Whatever the reason, it has undoubtedly been a great week for Kogan shareholders.

At the last Kogan share price, this ASX retailer has a market capitalisation of $350.72 million.

The post Why did the Kogan share price rocket 20% this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Do these 2 All Ords ASX shares offer a hefty upside?
• 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares going great guns on Thursday
• RBA in the spotlight; and Westpac hikes fixed rates. Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News
• 2 All Ords ASX shares this fund manager thinks are compelling
• 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares leaping 10% or more today

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Dusk Group Limited and Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Dusk Group Limited and Lovisa Holdings 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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