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.

What happened

Today’s price action in the overall cryptocurrency market is generally bearish. Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) and Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) have dropped 2.1% and 3.2%, respectively, over the past 24 hours as of 11 a.m. ET. These moves appear to be driven by the high-profile hack of Ethereum sidechain Ronin, a significant development in both the size and scale of this heist. Dogecoin is doing what it does best, providing a high-volatility vehicle for investors to trade short-term market movements. 

Convex Finance (CRYPTO: CVX) has seen a larger drop of 4.4% over the same time frame, driven by what appears to be profit taking, following a rather dramatic rise over the past couple weeks. Convex Finance has seen its CVX tokens approximately double since mid-March on bullish expectations around this network’s ability to boost staking returns on Curve Finance pools, as well as new incentives for veCRV holders. 

So what

It’s important to keep these recent 24-hour moves for these tokens in the context of some rather impressive upside moves over the past couple of weeks. Most investors would agree that some profit taking is healthy for these tokens to resume their long-term march higher. Accordingly, perhaps there’s nothing to see here, at least for investors with a perspective that’s longer than 24 hours.

That said, this significant hack of an Ethereum sidechain may cause investors some concern. Security issues remain a key talking point for crypto bears, who are likely emboldened by this news today.

Now what

It remains to be seen whether the crypto market will brush off this hack, as it has done with the previous $320 million hack of the Solana Wormhole bridge in February. 

However, investors looking at the crypto sector as a safe place to park funds for the long term are being reminded today of some of the (potentially expensive) growing pains that can impact investor portfolios in the near term. 

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

The post Why Ethereum and Dogecoin are dropping today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Chris MacDonald owns Ethereum and Solana. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Ethereum and Solana. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Ethereum. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson. 

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

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Shares in Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) are lifting today following the release of a company announcement.

At the time of writing, the Pilbara Minerals share price is trading at $3.24 after spiking 18% in the last month of trade.

Next rung on the ‘mid-stream’ ladder?

Pilbara advised it has completed a scoping study as part of its “mid-stream value-added lithium growth strategy” alongside Calix Limited (ASX: CXL).

Lycopodium Minerals Ltd (ASX: LYL) actually conducted the study, that Pilbara says will give support to technical aspects of its Pilgangoora Operation in WA.

The study’s findings confirm the technical capability of Pilbara’s flowsheet, capable of producing lithium phosphate salt using flotation spodumene concentrate from Pilgangoora.

“The Scoping Study is the first economic evaluation of the Mid-Stream Project which has been prepared to an accuracy level of +/-40% (for Capital costs) and +/-30% (for Operating costs),” it remarked.

“It represents a preliminary study of the potential technical and economic viability of the proposed process path and demonstration scale facility development”.

The release also stated that all progress will move ahead as apart of a proposed joint venture with Calix, with more definitive studies to start that journey.

What’s next?

The company expects to complete a number of milestones by the end of 2022, particularly around joint-venture development and cost optimisation, it says.

This should take place in the form of more definitive and engineering studies, Pilbara notes, “to further assess the operating and capital costs for the Demonstration Plant.”

Each of these moves will guide both Pilbara and Calix to a final investment decision on the site, aiming to commercialise its mid-stream technology across the global industry.

If all goes according to plan, the plant’s construction could start as early as 2023, with completion penciled for Q1 CY2024, Pilbara says.

“Following completion of construction and commissioning, a period of process optimisation
would follow”.

In the last 12 months the Pilbara Minerals share price has soared over 209% and is now trading 4% higher for the week.

The post Here’s why the Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price is spiking today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has 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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It’s a good day to be a Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) shareholder. Not just because this S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) grocery giant is currently up by 0.33% at $18.02 a share. But because today is the day that shareholders will receive Coles’ latest dividend payment.

As you might expect from an ASX blue chip with a mature business model, Coles is a strong dividend payer. During its last earnings report that was delivered in February, Coles announced its results for the six months ending 31 December. 

This report card was something of a mixed bag. Coles reported a 1% increase in revenues, but higher costs ate into its earnings and profits, which fell by 4.4% and 2% respectively. However, the company also announced its interim dividend for the 2022 financial year.

This was a fully franked dividend worth 33 cents per share. That was flat on last year’s interim dividend of the same value. The shares went ex-dividend for this payment on 3 March, meaning any investor who opened a Coles position on or after this date misses out on this dividend when it hits bank accounts today.

Even though today’s dividend is flat on last year’s interim payment, it does represent an increase on Coles’ last final and fully franked dividend of 28 cents per share.

Together, these give Coles shares a trailing yield of 3.3% on current pricing. That’s 4.85% grossed-up with that full franking.

Will Coles raise its dividend next year?

Since its float back in 2018, Coles has built a solid reputation as an ASX dividend share. This latest payout is actually the first time Coles hasn’t delivered a year-on-year interim dividend increase. But perhaps dividend investors shouldn’t despair just yet.

As we covered earlier this month, ASX broker Citi is still forecasting Coles will raise its final dividend for FY22 to 32 cents per share, which, at an FY22 total of 65 cents per share, would still mean Coles’ annual dividends will keep rising. It’s also pencilling in 72 cents per share in dividends in FY23, complete with a buy rating and a 12-month share price target of $19.30. That implies a share price upside of around 7.5% over the next year.

At the current Coles share price, this ASX 200 consumer staples share has a market capitalisation of $23.98 billion.

The post The Coles (ASX:COL) dividend is being paid today. Here’s what you need to know appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 owns and has recommended COLESGROUP DEF SET. 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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S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining shares have widely outperformed the benchmark over the past six months.

The reason, as you’re likely aware, is soaring commodity prices.

That’s helped propel the S&P/ASX 300 Metals & Mining Index (ASX: XMM) – which includes some smaller miners outside the ASX 200 – to a 31.82% gain over the past six months.

Over those same six months, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gained 2.95%.

So, how did the big ASX 200 mining shares fare?

Miners make hay as iron ore rebounds

With iron ore rebounding from US$93 per tonne in early November to US$158 per tonne today, the Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG) share price has gained 37.2% over six months.

Meanwhile, Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares are up 19.8%, and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) has gained 39.5%. All since 1 October.

While the ASX 200 mining shares have revenue sources outside of iron ore (some more than others), the price of the industrial metal they dig from the ground does have a major impact on their share prices.

Which brings us to…

Are these ASX 200 mining shares in trouble?

Andreas Lundberg is the joint portfolio manager of The Montgomery Fund.

He’s concerned about the unravelling of China’s property development sector. This could usher in some serious headwinds for ASX 200 mining shares.

“[Property] sales in China are down close to 50% year-on-year in January and February. This does not bode well for demand for iron ore,” Lundberg points out. “And that’s bad news for our iron ore miners, as property construction accounts for about 42% of Chinese steel demand.”

Addressing the worsening financial woes of China Evergrande Group (HKG: 3333), Lundberg says, “Things are going from bad to worse for China’s second-largest property developer.”.

He continues:

Evergrande Group requested a trading halt and subsequently said they will not be able to produce an annual report before the deadline of 31 March as their auditors have imposed a lot of ‘additional audit procedures’ due to the deteriorating trading situation.

In his eyes, that means “auditors are not at all comfortable signing off the accounts as a going concern”.

And the troubles aren’t limited to China’s number two property developer.

“Evergrande’s woes are not an isolated case,” he says. “Signs of distress are starting to emerge at other Chinese developers too.”

According to Lundberg:

We are seeing more signs of distress in the Chinese property development sector. For example, last week Sunac China Holdings Ltd (HKG: 1918) proposed a delay in their upcoming Rmb 4.0 billion maturing bond repayment indicating they are also suffering cash flow issues.

So, are these ASX 200 mining shares in trouble?

“All in all, there is bad news for the Chinese property sector and by extension the seaborn iron ore market,” he says.

ASX 200 mining shares open strongly

For the time being, it’s looking like another positive day for ASX 200 mining shares. At the time of writing, the S&P/ASX 300 Metals & Mining Index is up 2.69%.

The post Are these ASX 200 mining shares in trouble? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• The BHP share price is up 4% and close to a record high
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• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Telstra CEO steps down, Fortescue confirms E.ON deal
• What was the highest ever BHP share price?

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 BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price is having a strong day on Thursday.

In morning trade, the mining giant’s shares are up 4% to $52.61.

This means the BHP share price is now up 24% since the start of the year and trading within sight of its record high of $54.55.

Why is the BHP share price rising on Thursday?

There appears to have been a couple of catalysts for the rise in the BHP share price today.

The first is a positive session for commodity prices overnight on Wednesday. Oil prices rose amid supply concerns and base metal prices pushed higher after the US dollar weakened.

In respect to the latter, according to CommSec, the aluminium price rose 3.5%, the nickel price climbed 3.7%, and the iron ore price rose slightly and sits at a lofty US$150.88 a tonne.

This has helped drive the S&P/ASX 200 Resources index 2.5% higher this morning.

What else?

In other news, this morning a broker note out of Macquarie reveals that its analysts have retained their outperform rating and $61.00 price target. This implies potential upside of 16% even after today’s strong gain.

But it doesn’t stop there. Macquarie expects a dividend yield of 10% in FY 2022 and 6.9% in FY 2023, making the total potential return on offer even more attractive for investors.

Macquarie believes that sky high iron ore and coal prices will underpin strong earnings, cash flow, and dividends in the coming years.

The post The BHP share price is up 4% and close to a record high 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 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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Shares in Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) have compressed this past month and are 8% down over that period, now trading at $4.41.

While most other ASX financials have been roaring, IAG has been left behind. This is illustrated by a comparison with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) which has almost broken even these past five years (after consistent gains from April 2020). In contrast, the IAG share price has erased around half its value from a closing high of $8.62 in the same time.

This year to date, the index is climbing nearly 5% higher, whilst IAG has just scraped past a 350 basis points gain. On all other major time frames, it sits in the red.

So, what’s the outlook for IAG shares in April?

Despite an extended period of downside, you may be surprised to find that analyst sentiment is actually quite positive on the insurer.

More than 58% of analysts covering the stock rate it as a buy right now, with the consensus price target sitting at $5.10 per share, according to Bloomberg data.

JP Morgan is constructive on IAG, rating it a buy with a $5.50 valuation, slightly ahead of consensus. In a recent note, it said:

AG has a strong position in the Australian and NZ personal lines market, but has suffered in recent times from concerns around COVID-19 Business Interruption losses and concerns on market share losses in personal line.

Short- to medium-term margin pressures have proved challenging for IAG, including higher reinsurance costs, lower yields, higher natural perils and reducing reserve releases.

Nonetheless, the broker is certainly optimistic about IAG’s prospects, but retains a heavy undertone of caution in its forecasts, adding:

Our PT [price target] is $5.50… We maintain an element of caution in setting our price target, reflecting uncertainty as to how personal lines insurers may trade coming as economies emerge from COVID-19 induced lockdowns, and mobility increases.

Meanwhile, analysts at Fitch Ratings said that Australian insurers were set to face net losses from extreme weather in February.

Companies like IAG will feel the effect at the earnings level instead of their capital base, the ratings agency added.

It said in a recent note that “higher modelled catastrophe losses and rising reinsurance costs in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events, coupled with reduced appetite from global reinsurers, pose risks to insurers’ credit profiles over the medium term”.

Fitch estimates the gross loss to be lower than the Insurance Council of Australia’s call of $2.5 billion, but that uncertainties remain as the La-Nina weather cycle is set to drench the nation further.

It notes that IAG is likely to be heavily affected versus other Australian insurers.

IAG shares have slipped 6% into the red during the last 12 months and are trading 3% down over the previous week of trade.

The post Owns IAG (ASX:IAG) shares? Here’s your outlook for April appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Have IAG shares been a good investment? Here’s what $10,000 invested 4 years ago looks like now
• What’s driving the IAG (ASX:IAG) share price lower on Wednesday?
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Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Insurance Australia 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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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) fans have often spruiked the cryptocurrency as a store of value when other assets like shares and real estate hit turbulence.

This is a role traditionally performed by gold for many centuries.

“Amongst retail investors it is increasingly regarded as a ‘safe haven’ asset, similar to gold,” said DeVere Group chief executive Nigel Green.

But one concern that’s become prominent in recent years is the amount of computing power required to mine new Bitcoins.

Mining involves solving extremely complicated mathematical calculations on very powerful computers. This requires a tremendous amount of energy, both to power the computers and to house them.

Some Bitcoin mining data centres are deliberately located in cold locations like Siberia to use less energy to cool the data centres.

All this leads to the question of the environmental impact of creating new coins.

It’s not a physical asset but has physical impacts

In response, Bitcoin bulls have always argued there is a greater environmental cost to mine gold.

Gold obviously has to be physically discovered then dug up out of the ground and processed.

But now it seems that argument is on shaky ground.

A new study has shown how generating Bitcoin takes up more energy than mining the same value of gold out of the earth.

According to the Bankless Times, mining US$1 worth of Bitcoin uses 17 megajoules of energy, while digging up the same value of gold costs 5MJ.

“Although both assets consume quite a bit of energy, Bitcoin’s consumption is comparably higher since the network still needs electricity to complete transactions and continue functioning,” reported the Times.

The cryptocurrency fares even worse when the impact is translated to the carbon footprint.

“Following the surge in the number of users, Bitcoin’s carbon footprint is currently about 15 times that of gold,” stated the Bankless Times.

“Mining 1 Bitcoin emits about 191 tonnes of carbon dioxide, while mining gold worth 1 Bitcoin emits about only 13 tonnes.”

What does 191 tonnes of carbon dioxide mean exactly?

According to the Times, that’s the same amount of carbon released from 1.6 million Visa Inc (NYSE: V) transactions.

China’s crypto ban made Bitcoin even dirtier

As the environmental concerns about Bitcoin mining have come into public consciousness, some industry players have taken steps to address the problem.

Many have promised to only use renewable energy sources to power the computers.

But China’s ban on cryptocurrencies last year was a major setback in this movement.

“Before the ban, miners in China would use hydropower to mine Bitcoins, especially during the wet season,” stated the Times.

“This helped a great deal with keeping Bitcoin mining green.”

The post Mining Bitcoin is 3.5 times more expensive than digging up gold appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Investing in cryptos? Here’s what you need to know come tax time: expert

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Bitcoin. 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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Shares in Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) have staged a comeback in 2022 and now trade around 12% higher in that time.

After a solid 11% gain printed in the last month of trade, it appears investors are ready to board the company’s flight back north again.

Yesterday’s trading volume was in-line with the 4-week average, and checking Bloomberg trade data, the order book is stacked towards the buy-side.

But with the recent upside that’s seen shares claw back towards 3-month highs, you’d be surprised to know that analyst sentiment is actually quite low on Flight Centre shares at the moment.

Sentiment is low – really low

The number of analysts recommending Flight Centre as a buy has crept down substantially over the past 12 months. At the moment, just 14% of coverage rates the company as a buy, whereas the remainder are either neutral or urge their clients to sell shares, according to Bloomberg data.

That’s crept down from a high of 71% of analysts saying to buy Flight Centre exactly two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, whilst the consensus price target has crept up from $14.70 back then, it now sits below the current share price at $18.97, suggesting the stock might be overvalued.

Before the open on Thursday, Flight Centre shares were resting at $20.11, after jumping almost 7% in the past week.

What’s being said?

Analysts at JP Morgan are in the bearish camp and rate the stock a sell with a $15 per share valuation. Whilst it notes a number of progress points in the company’s journey since COVID-19, the broker says there are still a few red flags.

In particular, analysts say that lines of revenue tied to leisure and international travel are likely to be worst hit in Australia & New Zealand.

“1H22 Leisure TTV of $950m was materially below $6,619m in the 1H20 pre-COVID period,” it said in a recent note.

“With the business leveraged to the Australia & New Zealand markets (50% of 1H20 group TTV), and with revenue generation skewed to international travel, ongoing restrictions continue to put pressure on the Leisure business,” it added.

Corporate lines have also been impacted by COVID-19, but have staged a small recovery as the economy slowly reopens again.

“The Corporate business generated 60% of group TTV, growing at +148% [year on year] to $2,040 million, but faced some pressure on revenue margin due to the Australian hotel quarantine work in November and December”, the broker remarked.

JP Morgan is joined by Ord Minnett and Jefferies in its conviction to sell. Meanwhile, Bell Potter rates it as a buy, valuing the company at $20.50 per share in the process.

Flight Centre shares have crept up 12% in the past year and are now trading 14% higher since trading resumed in 2022.

The post Who owns Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) shares? You’ll want to read this appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why is the Flight Centre share price soaring today?

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel 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 Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price is in the red in early trading today after the airline outlined its plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, which includes new interim targets.

Additionally, Qantas has unveiled a partnership with Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) and Inpex to explore a Western Australian carbon farming and biofuels project.

At the time of writing, the Qantas share price is down 0.86% at $5.215.

Let’s take a closer look at the news released by the iconic airline today.

Qantas share price in focus on new emissions pledge

The Qantas share price is falling following the release of the airline’s Climate Action Plan this morning.

The national carrier has also announced an interim target that will see it cut its carbon emissions by 25% by 2030 (based on 2019 levels).

“Having a clear plan to decarbonise Qantas and Jetstar so we can keep delivering these services in the decades ahead is absolutely key to our future,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.

The flying kangaroo’s approach to net zero relies on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), waste reduction, fuel efficiencies, and offsets to hit carbon neutrality over the coming 28 years.

In fact, it’s aiming to increase its use of SAF by 10% by 2030 and approximately 60% by 2050.

It has also pledged $50 million to help create an Australian SAF industry, calling on governments to add their own support. The company notes Australia already produces much of the fuel’s feedstock.

Qantas is also aiming to improve its fuel efficiencies by an average of 1.5% each year until 2030. It will engage in fleet modernisations and flight planning to do so.

The airline will continue researching what it calls “next-generation technologies” such as battery and hydrogen power.

Finally, Qantas has committed to ditching single-use plastics by 2027 and cutting ties with landfill by 2030.

“We’ve had a zero net emissions goal for several years, so today’s interim targets are about accelerating our progress and cutting emissions as quickly as technology allows,” commented Joyce.

“One benefit of setting these targets now is sending a clear signal that we’re in the market for large volumes of sustainable aviation fuel, for carbon offset projects, and for products that can be recycled. That will hopefully encourage more investment and build more momentum for the industry as a whole.”

Qantas enters Australian biofuel partnership

Also potentially affecting the Qantas share price today is news of an agreement to investigate an Australian biofuels hub.

The airline announced it has entered a new memorandum of understanding with ANZ and Inpex.

The agreement will create a feasibility study into producing low-carbon renewable biofuels in Western Australia’s wheat belt.

According to the airline, it could support reforestation and decarbonisation by planting drought-resilient native tree crops, integrating them with farming systems.

The entities have already assessed the potential of a carbon farming project.

Now, they will investigate harvesting and processing native biomass crops and selected agricultural waste residues to produce biofuels.

If all goes to plan, native trees will begin to be planted in 2023.

Qantas share price snapshot

The Qantas share price has been outperforming the broader market in 2022 so far.

Right now, it is 2% higher than it was at the start of the year. In that time frame, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has slipped nearly 1%.

Though, the airline’s stock has only grown 3% over the last 12 months. For comparison, the ASX 200 is sporting a 10% gain.

The post ‘Key to our future’: What’s going on with the Qantas share price today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Qantas share price lifting today?
• Expert reveals 3 ASX shares to watch following tonight’s federal budget
• Is Qantas an ASX dividend share?
• What was the highest ever Qantas share price?
• Own Qantas shares? Here’s how the airline is planning to profit from NFTs

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 Bruce Jackson.

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The two ASX shares in this article are rated as impressive buys, according to some of the leading Australian investment experts.

COVID-19 has impacted the economy in a number of ways. Some businesses have seen profits sink. But the reopening of Australian borders and international borders could be beneficial for several ASX shares.

Brokers like the prospects of these two businesses:

Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)

Corporate Travel says that it’s the world’s fourth-largest global corporate travel manager. Once a full recovery has been completed, it thinks it will be able to generate $810 million of revenue and underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $265 million.

It’s rated as a buy by at least five brokers, including Macquarie, which has a price target of $26.70 on the business. That implies a potential upside of around 10% over the next 12 months.

Macquarie rates Corporate Travel as a leading ASX travel share idea, partly thanks to a recovery in passenger volumes of North American travellers. For example, United Airlines said that it expects the 2022 first-quarter capacity to be down 16% to 18% compared to the first quarter of 2019.

In the first half of FY22, Corporate Travel said that it generated an underlying EBITDA of $18.2 million, with positive underlying EBITDA in the first half of FY22 for North America, Europe and ANZ. The HY22 Europe EBITDA was higher than what was achieved in the pre-COVID FY20 half-year result.

Management said that the current environment is helpful for the ASX share to keep winning market share.

Idp Education Ltd (ASX: IEL)

Idp Education describes itself as a global leader in international education services. It helps international students study in English-speaking countries.

It is the co-owner of IELTS, the world’s most popular high-stakes English language test, according to the company. It also operates 11 English language teaching campuses across South East Asia.

Idp Education is rated as a buy by at least three brokers, including Morgan Stanley. This broker has a price target of $40.20, which implies a possible upside of more than 25% over the next 12 months.

Morgan Stanley notes that Idp Education’s earnings are recovering strongly and that the business could keep growing earnings and market share.

In the FY22 first half result, the ASX share said that its total revenue rose by 49% to $396.8 million. English language testing revenue soared 68% to $256.7 million, while multi-destination student placement revenue jumped 68% to $79.6 million.

The company’s EBITDA increased 45% to $96.6 million and net profit after tax (NPAT) grew by 70% to $50.8 million.

Idp Education’s CEO and managing director Andrew Barkla said that the ASX share is strongly positioned in the rebound as it delivers “smarter and increasingly personalised ways to guide people on their study, career and migration journey.”

Mr Barkla also said that the company’s footprint is expanding in key markets, that there are positive global policy settings for the industry and that it’s in a strong position to help even more customers. He said that the company has invested for the long-term and it is seeing the benefits of that through increased demand for its services.

Morgan Stanley thinks that the Idp Education share price is valued at 46x FY23’s estimated earnings.

The post Buy these 2 impressive ASX shares in April 2022: experts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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. owns and has recommended Idp Education Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited 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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