The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past few years.

In the earlier part of the demi-decade, the infant formula company’s shares were on an upwards trend. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the course of A2 Milk’s once lofty valuations.

Nonetheless, A2 Milk has created wealth for investors who bought and held its shares over the long term.

Below, we calculate how much you would have made if you’d bought $10,000 worth of A2 Milk shares five years ago.

What’s happening with A2 Milk in 2022?

Since the start of the year, the A2 Milk share price has posted a loss of around 8%.

It’s no secret that cross-border trade issues led to the deterioration of the company’s share price in recent times.

The global pandemic has severely disrupted A2 Milk’s operations, causing logistical challenges between Australia and China. This has weighed down on investor sentiment, causing a sell-off in A2 Milk shares.

As such, demand and supply volatility has caused excess inventory levels, along with the China infant nutrition market which has significantly reduced in growth.

This trend follows the release of China’s 2020 birth numbers which showed a reduction in the birth rate.

Management noted that the market landscape has experienced unprecedented change over the past 12 months, requiring the company to adapt.

So, how much would you have if you’d invested $10,000 from five years ago?

If you’d invested $10,000 into A2 Milk shares in 2017, you would have picked them up for approximately $2.93 apiece. This equates to about 3,412 shares without topping up along the way during the retracement periods.

Fast-forward to today, the current A2 Milk share price is $5.04. This means those 3,412 shares would be worth $17,196.48.

When looking at percentage terms, this implies an average yearly return of 11.45%. In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has given back 4.99% over the same timeframe.

If you are wondering about dividends, the company has chosen not to pay a percentage of its profits to date. Instead, it has decided to increase brand investment to drive consumer demand, and recently bolster its leadership team.

In comparison, investing the same amount in an ASX 200 index-tracking fund would have netted you a total figure of $12,646.92 (albeit excluding any dividends).

A2 Milk share price summary

Over the past 12 months, A2 Milk shares have lost almost 40% following a rollercoaster ride for investors.

The company’s shares were heavily sold off from July 2020 after reaching an all-time high of $20.05. Since then, its shares hit a 52-week low of $4.97 in January 2022, before hovering around those levels.

Based on today’s price, A2 Milk presides a market capitalisation of roughly $3.75 billion and has approximately 743.66 million shares outstanding.

The post Guess how much you’d have today if you’d bought $10,000 of A2 Milk shares 5 years ago appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why this broker is bearish on the A2 Milk share price
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• Why A2 Milk, IGO, Lynas, and Sayona shares are dropping
• What happened to the A2 Milk share price in March?

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras owns A2 Milk. 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 Bruce Jackson.

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If you’re wanting to boost your income portfolio with some new dividend shares this month, then the two listed below could be worth considering.

Here’s why analysts are positive on these high yield dividend shares right now:

GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG)

The first dividend share for investors to look at is fund manager, GQG. While its shares have rebounded strongly from recent lows, they are still trading well below their $2.00 IPO price from October.

Analysts at Morgans appear to believe this could be a buying opportunity. Particularly given its positive performance in FY 2021 and attractive valuation. The broker has an add rating and $2.15 price target on its shares.

Its analysts commented: “GQG has seen a valuation de-rate along with the broader sector, however we view it as unwarranted. Both relative investment performance and flows remain strong. We view GQG’s ~11x FY22 PE as attractive versus its diversity of earnings; current flows momentum; and expected growth. Add maintained.”

As for dividends, Morgans is expecting dividends of 12 cents per share in FY 2022 and then 13 cents per share in FY 2023. Based on the current GQG share price of $1.52, this will mean yields of 7.9% and 8.5%, respectively.

HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (ASX: HDN)

Another ASX dividend share that could be in the buy zone is HomeCo Daily Needs REIT. It is a property company that invests in convenience-based assets across target sub-sectors of neighbourhood retail, large format retail, and health and services.

This has been a great area of the market to be in, with HomeCo Daily Needs delivering strong growth so far in FY 2022. This went down well with analysts at Goldman Sachs, which led to the broker putting a buy rating and $1.70 price target on its shares.

Goldman commented: “We believe HDN is undervalued at its current valuation given its diversified tenant base, and see it as well positioned to benefit from the shift to omni channel retailing, with additional external growth opportunities to drive earnings growth over the medium-term.”

In respect to dividends, the broker is forecasting dividends per share of 8 cents in FY 2022 and then 9 cents in FY 2023. Based on the current HomeCo Daily Needs share price of $1.47, this will mean yields of 5.4% and 6.1%, respectively.

The post 2 high yield ASX dividend shares analysts rate as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Bruce Jackson.

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The Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price has risen by 20% in just a month. So, could the Fortescue share price be a buy?

Fortescue was founded as an iron ore mining company. It’s now one of the biggest iron ore miners globally, alongside Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP).

It has multiple hubs and projects in Western Australia, including the Chichester Hub, the Solomon Hub, the Western Hub (which includes the Eliwana mine), its Hedland operations and the Iron Bridge project.

What happened to the Fortescue share price?

The last six months show a 45% rise in the Fortescue share price.

As a miner, Fortescue’s short-term profitability can be dictated by the movement of the iron ore price. Amid events in China and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the iron ore price has risen to above US$150 per tonne.

Analysts at Ord Minnett and Macquarie expect the second half of FY22 to bring a bigger dividend than the first.

Fortescue has committed to a dividend payout ratio range of between 50% to 80% of full-year of net profit after tax (NPAT), As such, a rise in the commodity price can help cash payouts.

Ord Minnett now thinks that the iron ore price will be US$139 per tonne in 2022 and US$115 per tonne in 2023.

Green hydrogen deal in Europe

The broker noted the recent deal with E.ON in which a third of Fortescue Future Industries’ (FFI) targeted production capacity by 2030 will be supplied to E.ON.

Fortescue Future Industries and E.ON are partnering to deliver up to five million tonnes per annum of green, renewable hydrogen by 2030. They have signed a memorandum of understanding to execute this ambition.

FFI said that this partnership marks a “broader ambition to lead the decarbonisation of Europe and to strengthen security of green energy supply at a time when Europe needs to reduce its energy dependence on fossil fuels from Russia as quickly as possible.”

According to FFI, five million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of renewable green hydrogen is equal to approximately one-third of the calorific energy Germany imports from Russia.

FFI also said:

It is intended that such large amounts of renewable green hydrogen will be powered by Australia’s immense renewable resources as well as FFI’s other planned global projects, and will be distributed by E.ON. The parties have also agreed to work together to analyse what solutions could look like to solve infrastructure issues and to build a secure value chain.

Fortescue has a global portfolio of partnerships to explore green hydrogen production projects in various countries. They include Australia, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Jordan, New Zealand, India and Brazil.

Is the Fortescue share price an opportunity?

Broadly, brokers don’t think so. There are plenty of sell and hold (or equivalent) ratings.

For example, Morgan Stanley’s rating on the company is ‘underweight’. They have concerns about the valuation and how much FFI may spend on all of its initiatives. Morgan Stanley’s price target is $15.95.

One of the most recent ratings comes from Ord Minnett. The broker rates Fortescue as a hold with a price target of $20. The stronger-than-expected iron ore price is helping. Ord Minnett thinks Fortescue will pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 13.8% for FY22.

The post Up 20% in a month: Is the Fortescue share price a buy? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 midday update: Magellan jumps, tech shares tumble
• Fortescue share price lifts amid $2b cap raise
• Iron ore just passed US$160 per tonne. So why is the Fortescue share price slipping?
• What’s the outlook for the Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price in April?
• The Fortescue share price doubled the return of the ASX 200 in March

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns Fortescue Metals Group 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 Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE) share price has been a very strong performer in 2022.

Since the start of the year, the lithium developer’s shares have stormed 70% higher.

The good news for shareholders is that the Lake Resources share price could build on this today following the release of a positive announcement.

Why could the Lake Resources share price could rise today?

The Lake Resources share price could be heading higher today after the lithium developer announced a major new offtake agreement.

According to the release, Lake has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with car giant Ford Motor Company for offtake of approximately 25,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of lithium from the Kachi Project in Argentina.

Management notes that the strategic collaboration between Ford and Lake will sit alongside the latter’s collaboration with Hanwa to fully develop a clean lithium supply chain to meet the global environmental demands for electric vehicles.

Management commentary

Lake’s Managing Director, Steve Promnitz, commented: “Both Lake and Ford see this as an opportunity for a potential long-term agreement with the ability to scale up environmentally responsible production and participate in Lake’s other projects to ensure high-quality lithium products are available to Ford said. This MoU with Ford supports Lake’s strategy to be a key independent supplier into global lithium supply chains and ensure the security of supply to customers.”

This sentiment was echoed by Lake’s Chair, Stu Crow, who highlighted the company’s green credentials.

He said: “Increasing customer and consumer scrutiny around lithium production’s environmental and ethical credentials drives our focus on sustainable extraction. Lake Resources is committed to integrating sustainable development practices throughout our operations, minimising our environmental footprint, and contributing to a clean energy future.”

“This MoU with Ford follows the Hanwa MoU. Together with the UK and Canada Export Credit Agencies’ indicative provision of debt finance for around 70 percent of the Kachi project’s capital requirements, this provides a framework of support for Lake’s TARGET 100 Program, which has the goal of producing annually 100,000 tonnes of high purity lithium chemical to market by 2030,” Crow added.

The post Lake Resources share price on watch following lithium deal with car giant Ford appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Guess which 2 ASX shares were the best and worst All Ordinaries performers in March
• 5 ASX mining shares rocking all-time highs on Friday
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• The ASX 200 just had its longest winning streak since 2017. What’s doing?
• 5 ASX lithium and green metals shares hitting new 52-week highs today

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

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As the Easter break approaches, we asked our Foolish contributors to hop to it and compile a list of ASX dividend shares the eggsperts reckon are looking sweet in April. Here is what the team came up with.

Bernd Struben: Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)

Macquarie has a history of reliable dividend payouts. At the time of writing, it offers a 3.0% dividend yield, 40% franked.

Plato Investment’s Peter Gardner lists Macquarie among his top ASX dividend shares.

“Macquarie has continued to deliver consistent earnings growth and consistent dividends in recent years despite the challenges that have faced the financial services sector. Most recently, it achieved a record profit for the December 2021 quarter,” Gardner says.

“Importantly, it has a lot of cash on its balance sheet, which indicates it can sustainably grow dividends in the foreseeable future.”

Atop its dividend yield, the Macquarie share price has gained around 32% over the past 12 months.

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben does not own shares of Macquarie Group Ltd.

Sebastian Bowen: Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

Coles is one of the more visible ASX shares in everyday life. But its large chunk of the mature grocery market has enabled the company to pay out robust dividends, too. And on current pricing, it offers a far-larger dividend than its arch-rival Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW).

On recent pricing, Coles offers a yield of 3.34%, which, with Coles’ typical full franking credits, grosses up to a healthy 4.77%. In addition, broker Morgans currently rates Coles as an ‘add’, with a 12-month share price target of $19.70. It expects dividend increases over at least the next few years, too.

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen does not own shares of Coles Group Ltd or Woolworths Group Ltd.

Tristan Harrison: Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH)

Adairs is a leading homewares and furniture retailer with Adairs, Mocka and Focus on Furniture brands.

The company has multiple strategies to build sales and profit into the future, including growing its store network, upsizing existing stores, growing its membership base, increasing online sales and utilising its new national distribution centre.

Estimates on Commsec show a projected annual dividend per share of 26 cents for FY23. That equates to a forward grossed-up dividend yield of 12.6% at the current Adairs share price.

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison does not own shares of Adairs Ltd.

Mitchell Lawler: Jumbo Interactive Ltd (ASX: JIN)

Jumbo Interactive is an online lottery provider with operations across Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. While it may not be the first ASX share to come to mind for dividends, its 2.3% yield, high levels of free cash flow and growing profits give it some appeal.

Additionally, Jumbo has been taking action to expand its business with great tenacity. In the past year, we have seen the announcement of two acquisitions – Stride in August 2021 and StarVale in January this year.

With both acquisitions expected to be earnings accretive, and Jumbo retaining its dividend payout policy of 85% of statutory net profits, heftier dividends might be inbound in coming years.

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Jumbo Interactive Ltd.

Aaron Teboneras: Washington H. Soul Pattinson & Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)

Having listed in 1903, Soul Patts (as it’s commonly referred to) is the second-oldest company on the ASX.

The Australian investment house has a $9 billion portfolio of ASX shares in natural resources, building materials, telecommunications, retail, agriculture, property equity, investments, and corporate advisory.

Major shareholdings include TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW), and New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC).

Soul Patts has consistently rewarded shareholders with dividends for the last 40 years. Its most recent interim dividend increased by 11.5% to 29 cents.

In fact, this ASX dividend share holds the record for the most consecutive annual dividend increases, having boosted its payout every year since 2000.

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras does not own shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson & Co. Ltd, TPG Telecom Ltd, Brickworks Limited, or New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC).

James Mickleboro: Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD)

Elders is an agribusiness company that provides a range of services to rural and regional customers across the Australia/New Zealand region. These include livestock, real estate, feed and processing, wool agency services, and financial planning and grain marketing services.

After a very difficult period during the 2010s, Elders has bounced back strongly in the 2020s following a highly successful transformation plan and the game-changing acquisition of Australian Independent Rural Retailers.

The team at Goldman Sachs is positive on the company’s outlook and has a conviction ‘buy’ rating and a $17.65 price target on Elders shares.

As for dividends, the broker expects dividends per share of 45 cents in FY2022, 47 cents in FY2023, and then 52 cents in FY2024. Based on the current Elders share price of $13.09, this implies yields of 3.4%, 3.6%, and 4%, respectively.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro does not own shares of Elders Ltd.

The post Top ASX dividend shares to buy in April 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How retirees can maximise returns from ASX dividend shares: fund manager
• ASX market beater? Here’s how Coles shares performed during March
• 2 ASX dividend shares expected to pay mega income yields
• Is the Macquarie share price a buy ahead of next month’s earnings results?
• Why has the Washington H. Soul Pattinson share price leapt 13% in 3 weeks?

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended ADAIRS FPO, Brickworks, Goldman Sachs, Jumbo Interactive Limited, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended ADAIRS FPO, Brickworks, COLESGROUP DEF SET, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Elders Limited, Jumbo Interactive Limited, Macquarie Group Limited, and TPG Telecom Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Shares in Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) rallied 19% in March and are up around 19% this year to date as well, after thrusting from a bottom of $87.51 on 10 November.

What’s next for the Rio Tinto share price?

We aren’t in the business of forecasting stock prices, but we can check in to see what the sentiment is by what analysts are saying. There’s good evidence for using the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ in making educated projections in finance, and we’ll draw on that.

Around 41% of analysts rate Rio as a buy right now, according to Bloomberg data. Whereas 53% say it’s a hold, and 6% urge their clients to sell Rio shares.

Collectively, the consensus price target is $118.81 from this list, meaning Rio could just be about fairly priced in this regard.

This comes as no surprise to analysts at JP Morgan who noted Rio’s 2021 earnings came “broadly in line with market expectations.”

Without the earnings surprise to excite investors, JP Morgan seems to think of other names that could get more attention.

Not only that, but Rio is trading at a fair value, it says. “This year is another where shareholders stand to gain a strong dividend yield (approximately 8%),” the broker noted.

“However,” JP Morgan continued, “the stock has traded through our NPV, which is now 13% below the last close.”

“We acknowledge iron ore continues to trade above our expectations and retain our Neutral rating”.

Macquarie doesn’t agree and values Rio at $140 per share, followed closely by those at Jefferies at $139 per share.

The post The Rio Tinto share price rallied 19% in the March quarter. What’s next? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• What drove the Rio Tinto share price higher on Friday?
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• What sent ASX mining shares flaming higher in March?

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 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 Bruce Jackson.

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Ask a Fund Manager

The Motley Fool chats with fund managers so that you can get an insight into how the professionals think. In part 1 of this edition, Peter Gardner, senior portfolio manager & co-founder of Plato Investment Management, explains how the fund works to maximise returns for retirees and zero tax investors.

Motley Fool: How would you describe your fund to a potential client? 

Peter Gardner: The Plato Australian Shares Income Fund aims to help retirees and other zero tax investors meet their income and total return needs.

One of the key differentiators of the fund is that it’s specifically managed and tailored for investors in the lower tax brackets. This gives Plato the ability to maximise after-tax investment returns and income by targeting dividends with franking credits, special dividends and off-market buy-backs.

MF: How does that differentiate Plato’s income fund from other funds targeting dividends?

PG: Most Australian equities funds have all types of investors within their unit trusts, ranging from high taxpayers through to zero taxpayers, like retirees. Having a mix of tax-paying investors makes it impossible to maximise after-tax income and capital returns for all your clients due to their different tax rates.

On top of this, our fund is built on a very differentiated dividend rotation strategy. We’re very nimble in rotating the portfolio to capture dividends. This also helps minimise the typical risks of set-and-forget yield strategies, which can take on significant concentration risk and be overly exposed to potential dividend traps.

MF: How will rising inflation and increasing interest rates impact higher yielding ASX shares?

PG: For some time now, some of the strongest yielding companies have been from the mining and resources sector. And these companies can often benefit from inflation as commodity prices rise. While there have been cost pressures on many of the miners, this has been largely offset by revenue increases.

Interestingly you see a similar dynamic among strong businesses with pricing power in other high-yielding sectors.

If you look at consumer staples, supply chain distributions, natural disasters and other factors leading to inflation have already pushed up costs. However, unfortunately for consumers, most of the large retailers have the ability to pass on these price rises to us all.

Many of our team members have also worked through various inflationary cycles. And, as contentious as it may be, we’ve actually seen many businesses improve their margins during inflationary environments.

So, while inflation is bad news for unprofitable tech and companies without pricing power, for many of the strong dividend payers in Australia it’s not all doom and gloom.

MF: National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) is one of your biggest holdings. Why is that?

PG: NAB is our preferred bank at the moment. It’s coming up to its ex-dividend date, which happens at the end of May. It’s also had pretty decent performance recently in terms of its business momentum. NAB is growing its loan book better than many of the other banks.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) is also doing really well in that regard. But it’s fairly expensive at the moment, whereas NAB is still on the cheaper side.

MF: What are your expectations around NAB for the year ahead?

PG: Their margins will probably be under a little pressure compared to where they have been, as has happened with all the major banks. But as interest rates start to increase, that should improve their net interest margin going forward. The RBA hasn’t moved on interest rates yet, but we do expect that in the second half of this year.

MF: How does the potential negative impact of rising interest rates on the banks’ mortgage books factor into that?

PG: We don’t see an increase in the interest rate of 1% as causing any significant impact on bad debts. If interest rates were to increase by 3% or 4% then that’s where you’d start to see the Australian borrower begin to struggle. But based on all the statistics that we see, people have a lot of money in their offset accounts. So, we wouldn’t expect any significant defaults. Especially in the early stage of the rate increases.

If inflation doesn’t get under control and the RBA is forced to ratchet up interest rate increases, then that’s something that could be an issue in the long term. But we don’t see that as a short to mid-term issue.

MF: If the market closed tomorrow for four years, which ASX income stock would you want to hold? 

PG: That’s a difficult question for a manager as active as Plato! While we often hear about stock to hold for a lifetime and the like, investors often forget how much can change in a matter of years.

In the current portfolio of the Plato Australian Shares Income Fund, we’d be relatively comfortable with our holdings in Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) and JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH).

***

Tune in tomorrow for part 2 of our interview, where Plato Investment’s Peter Gardner reveals his two favourite ASX dividend shares.

(You can find out more about the Plato Australian Shares Income Fund here.)

The post How retirees can maximise returns from ASX dividend shares: fund manager appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why these ASX bank shares could outperform over the next 6 weeks
• Here are the 5 best performing ASX 200 bank shares of the March quarter
• How much is the next NAB dividend?
• Own CBA shares? Here’s why the bank’s crypto rollout is facing delays
• Is the Macquarie share price a buy ahead of next month’s earnings results?

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 Bruce Jackson.

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On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week in a positive fashion. The benchmark index rose 0.5% to 7,478 points.

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

ASX 200 expected to rise

The Australian share market looks set to start the week on a positive note despite a mixed finish to the last one on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 27 points or 0.35% higher this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones rose 0.4%, the S&P 500 fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq sank 1.3%.

Oil prices rise

Energy producers Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could have a good start to the week after oil prices pushed higher. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price rose 2.3% to US$98.26 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price rose 2.2% to US$102.78 a barrel. This couldn’t stop oil prices recording a second consecutive weekly decline thanks to stockpile releases.

Pro Medicus shares still a sell

The team at Goldman Sachs believes the Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) share price remains expensive. In response to a major $32 million contract win with Inova Health System, the broker has retained its sell rating and $44.80 price target. While Goldman is a fan of the healthcare technology company, it notes that its “valuation remains highly elevated.”

Gold price rises

Gold miners Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a decent start to the week after the gold price edged higher on Friday night. According to CNBC, the spot gold price rose 0.4% to US$1,945.6 an ounce. Geopolitical risks and rising inflation offered support to the precious metal.

Brickworks goes ex-dividend

The Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW) share price is likely to trade lower today when it goes ex-dividend for the building products company’s latest dividend payment. Last month the company declared a fully franked interim dividend of 22 cents per share. This will be paid to eligible shareholders next month on 3 May.

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

More reading

• These were the worst performers on the ASX 200 last week
• These were the best performers on the ASX 200 last week
• BHP and Woodside one step closer in creating $40 billion energy giant
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• What impacted the Woodside share price on Friday?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Brickworks and Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Brickworks and Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Looking for some small cap shares to add to your watchlist? Then have a look at the three listed below.

Here’s why they could be worth getting better acquainted with:

Bigtincan Holdings Ltd (ASX: BTH)

The first small cap to watch is Bigtincan. It is a provider of enterprise mobility software that helps sales and service teams increase their sales win rates, reduce expenditures, and improve customer satisfaction through improved mobile worker productivity.  It has a number of blue chip clients such as Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) and sports giant Nike. Morgan Stanley is a fan of Bigtincan. It has an overweight rating and $2.10 price target on its shares.

MoneyMe Ltd (ASX: MME)

Another small cap ASX share to watch is MoneyMe. It is a fintech that uses technology and artificial intelligence to deliver highly automated credit products and customer experiences. MoneyMe notes that it originates loans through a diversified mix of credit products and distribution channels to create significant scale and long-term customer advantages. This includes through the SocietyOne business, which MoneyMe recently acquired for $132 million. Morgans is positive on the company’s future. It has an add rating and $2.35 price target on its shares.

Serko Ltd (ASX: SKO)

A final small cap to watch is Serko. It is an online travel booking and expense management provider with a number of quality solutions which have significant market opportunities. It also has a game-changing deal with travel booking giant Booking.com which is beginning to take shape now COVID headwinds are easing. Last week, Citi initiated coverage on Serko with a buy rating and $5.75 price target.

The post 3 small cap ASX shares brokers rate as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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. owns and has recommended BIGTINCAN FPO and Serko Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended BIGTINCAN FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Serko Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Once again, a large number of broker notes hit the wires last week. Some of these notes were positive and some were bearish.

Three sell ratings that investors might want to hear about are summarised below. Here’s why top brokers think investors ought to sell these shares next week:

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have downgraded this struggling infant formula company’s shares to a sell rating and slashed their price target on them to $4.80. Citi has a number of concerns which it appears to believe have shifted the risks to the downside. These include supply disruption in China following lockdowns, weak pricing on Chinese ecommerce reseller platforms, and delays with its SAMR re-registration. Citi notes that the latter is far from guaranteed and could materially impact its sales should it not be granted. The A2 Milk share price is trading at $5.04 on Sunday.

IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)

A note out of UBS reveals that its analysts have initiated coverage on this battery materials miner’s shares with a sell rating and $12.65 price target. Although UBS notes that IGO provides investors with exposure to an attractive area of the resources sector, it isn’t enough for a more positive rating. This is due to concerns over its current valuation. In addition, UBS fears that current lithium and nickel prices are unsustainable. The IGO share price was fetching $13.68 at Friday’s close.

Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG)

Analysts at Macquarie have retained their underperform rating but lifted their price target on this fund manager’s shares to $13.25. This follows the release of Magellan’s latest funds under management update. While Macquarie was pleased to see Magellan’s fund outflows slow, it thinks it may be too soon to get excited. The broker isn’t expecting the outflows to stop any time soon. Particularly given the poor investment performance of its funds. The Magellan share price ended the week at $16.95.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• ASX 200 lunch update: GrainCorp jumps on earnings upgrade, Pro Medicus signs $32m deal

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 recommended A2 Milk and Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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