Shares in The Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) are inching lower again on Wednesday and now trade at $3.23 apiece in afternoon trade.

The group is coming off a whirlwind where its former managing director and CEO, Matt Bekier, resigned earlier this week.

Star is also under fire for its anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and ability to prevent potential fraud from occurring at its licensed premises in an ongoing inquiry.

The bad news keeps on rolling in today, with the group announcing it has been served a class action in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

What is going on with Star Entertainment today?

The spillover from an ongoing review into Star’s operations has led shareholders to believe the group wasn’t transparent in its dealings with questionable figures and practices.

As The Motley Fool’s Brooke Cooper reported earlier this week, Star’s “former chief risk officer Paul McWilliams told the inquiry that Bekier “was in … a sulk” when presented with the report.”

“McWilliams also said that the CEO appeared to believe that KPMG didn’t know what they were talking about”.

Now it’s apparent that stakeholders – like regulators – have had enough and are demanding more answers from the company.

“The Star Entertainment Group has been served by Slater & Gordon with a statement of claim for a securities class action in the Supreme Court of Victoria,” it said in a statement today.

“The claim alleges The Star failed to comply with continuous disclosure requirements and engaged in
misleading or deceptive conduct between 29 March 2016 and 16 March 2022 through various alleged
disclosures or non-disclosures about its systems, controls, operations and regulatory risks,” it read.

Each of the allegations is in reference to the ongoing ILGA inquiry and media reports, Star confirmed.

“The Star intends to defend the proceedings”.

Star Entertainment share price snapshot

In the last 12 months, the Star Entertainment share price has collapsed by 15% and is now 12% down for the year to date.

In the previous month, things have worsened and shares are down a further 3.5% at the time of writing.

The post Star Entertainment (ASX:SGR) share price slides as bad news keeps rolling in appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Star Entertainment (ASX:SGR) share price slips after CEO steps down
• Why is the Star Entertainment (ASX:SGR) share price slumping to fresh 52-week lows?

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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The Culpeo Minerals Ltd (ASX: CPO) share price is rocketing higher on Wednesday after the company announced it has struck copper.

The first hole of the maiden drilling program at the company’s Lana Corina Project found the visual copper mineralisation.

At the time of writing, the Culpeo Minerals share price is 30 cents, 140% higher than its previous close.

However, at its intraday high, the company’s stock was swapping hands for 45 cents – representing a 260% surge.

Let’s take a closer look at the news driving the copper explorer and developer’s share price sky high.

Culpeo Minerals share price takes off on copper find

Shares in Culpeo Minerals are flying off the shelf on news that’s boosting hopes the company’s recently secured project could house a significant copper deposit.

The first hole drilled by the company at the site has intersected visual copper mineralisation.

The mineralisation is hosted in sheeted veins and breccia pipes from around 50 metres down hole to a depth of 200 metres.

Culpeo Minerals managing director Max Tuesley commented on the find:

We are excited about the intersection of significant amounts of copper sulphides in this first hole.

This provides further confidence in the prospectivity of Lana Corina and its potential to host a significant copper deposit.

[We] view Lana Corina as a key component of our high-quality copper portfolio in Chile.

For now, the company is continuing to drill the eight-hole maiden program. It also expects assay results will be complete in the next six weeks.

The company entered an agreement to acquire up to 80% of the project, located in Chile, earlier this month. It began the drilling program immediately after securing the rights to a holding in the project.

Today’s gains see the Culpea Minerals share price 82% higher than at the start of 2022.

The post Here’s why the Culpeo Minerals (ASX:CPO) share price is exploding 140% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Star Entertainment (ASX:SGR) share price slides as bad news keeps rolling in
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• Own AGL shares? Your dividend arrives today
• VGI Partners (ASX:VGI) share price rockets 23% after announcing this key update
• This ASX energy share just plunged 52%. Here’s why

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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It has been a very good day for the Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) share price.

At one stage today, the location technology company’s shares were up as much as 16% to $6.28.

The Life360 share price has given back some of these gains but remains up 12% at $6.07 at the time of writing.

Why is the Life360 share price shooting higher?

The catalyst for the rise in the Life360 share price on Wednesday has been a rebound in the tech sector. For example, in early afternoon trade, the S&P ASX All Technology index is up a sizeable 3.2%.

The gains have been strongest among loss-making tech shares, which were hit the hardest following the tech selloff earlier this year.

One leading broker that would approve of the Life360 buying frenzy today is Bell Potter. Earlier this month, the broker named the company as one of its top three picks in the tech sector.

It commented: “Life360 (360): Also remains a key pick and we believe has been oversold as, despite currently being loss making, has ample cash to fund it through to cash flow breakeven or positive in 2023 or 2024 while maintaining strong top line revenue growth and realising the synergy benefits from the recent Tile acquisition.”

Bell Potter has a buy rating and $10.00 price target on its shares.

The post Why is the Life360 (ASX:360) share price rocketing 16% higher? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns Life360, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Life360, Inc. 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 AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) share price may be many things to many investors, but it is at least still an ASX dividend share.

AGL has been one of the most disappointing performers on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) in recent years. It seems like an eternity ago, but it was only back in 2017 that AGL was a $28 share. Today, this energy giant is going for $7.72 at the time of writing.

That represents a 21.4% loss over the past 12 months, a 70.7% slide over the past five years and more than 72% away from that all-time high. In fact, if one had owned AGL shares since January 1999, they would still be underwater by around 3.7% today from a capital standpoint.

Saying all that, the company is up a robust 26% so far in 2022 so it’s not all bad news.

AGL to pay out interim dividend today

But AGL was, and is still, an ASX dividend share. And today happens to be payday for AGL shareholders. So let’s take a look at the dividends that investors can look forward to seeing in their bank accounts today.

AGL announced today’s dividend during its half-year earnings report that was released back in February. These earnings were something of a mixed bag. Although AGL reported revenue growth of 6% for the period, it also came up with a 21% fall in underlying earnings as well as a 41% drop in underlying profits.

AGL did announce an interim dividend though. But it perhaps wasn’t quite what investors were hoping for. AGL’s previous interim dividend was a 41 cents per share payment, consisting of 31 cents per share in ordinary dividends, and a 10 cents per share special dividend.

The interim dividend that investors will receive today, however, only comes in at 16 cents per share, a 60% reduction from last year. Like most of AGL’s recent dividends, it will not come franked.

So AGL investors can look forward to receiving this dividend today, after the company traded ex-dividend on 23 February.

At the current AGL share price, this ASX 200 company has a trailing dividend yield of 6.48%.

The post Own AGL shares? Your dividend arrives today 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 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 VGI Partners Ltd (ASX: VGI) are soaring 26% higher at the time of writing to now trade at $4.50 apiece.

Investors are responding positively to an announcement released by the company regarding a proposed merger with an alternative investment manager.

VGI shares shot north immediately after the announcement and just nudged past their intraday high, as investors continue to pile in on tremendous volume at time of writing.

What did VGI announce?

Back in January VGI advised it had entered into exclusive talks for a potential merger with specialist alternative investment manager Regal Funds Management Pty Limited.

Regal is an alternative investments specialist and the investment manager of the publicly listed Regal Investment Fund (ASX: RF1).

Today VGI advised it had entered into a merger implementation deed with Regal Funds Management, whereby on completion of the merger, VGI will acquire 100% of the shares in Regal.

For their consideration, Regal shareholders will receive an issue of new VGI ordinary shares “to create a merged business,” the company says.

“It is expected that immediately following implementation of the Merger existing VGI shareholders will represent approximately 33.3% and existing Regal shareholders approximately 66.7% of the Merged Entity,” it added.

Speaking on the announcement, founder and CIO of VGI, Robert Luciano, said the opportunity was an “exciting development” for all those involved.

“Regal’s long track record in hedge fund, private market and real asset investments really complements VGI’s extensive capabilities in global long/short investing, with both businesses able to benefit from a centralised corporate platform, operational infrastructure and sales and marketing capability,” he commented.

“For VGI shareholders, the transaction provides an attractive opportunity to gain access to a scalable, growing and well-diversified investment management business and really represents a new chapter of growth for shareholders of the merged group”.

A merging of giants

VGI said it will likely be renamed and will remain publicly listed on the ASX, albeit with a new ticker. Plus, if successful, the move could create an alternative investment juggernaut, VGI says, forming part of an extensive “strategic rationale”.

“The VGI Board of Directors believes that the Merger has the potential to deliver several attractive benefits to VGI shareholders,” it remarked.

“The Merger will combine two of Australia’s most recognised and successful hedge fund managers and is expected to create a market-leading provider of alternative investment strategies with total funds under management of approximately A$5.6 billion”.

Not only that, but additional benefits include “exposure to a diversified and growing platform of hedge fund…deep industry experience, networks, and established investment track records of two industry leaders,” the company notes.

This, alongside “accessing Regal’s highly developed corporate platform…and providing an opportunity for Robert Luciano and the VGI investment team to leverage additional resources from the merged group,” just to name a short few.

VGI shares have struggled this year to date and are down more than 5% in that time, but have snapped back hard in the previous month to trade 11% higher.

The post VGI Partners (ASX:VGI) share price rockets 23% after announcing this key update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why is the Firefinch (ASX: FFX) share price soaring 12% to a 14-year high?

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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The 88 Energy Ltd (ASX: 88E) is having a tough day on the market in response to a company update.

The company’s shares are currently swapping hands at 16 cents apiece, a 51.5% fall. In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 0.74% at the time of writing.

So what news did this ASX energy share deliver to the market?

Merlin-2 well results ‘disappoint’

88 Energy is an oil exploration company with projects on the Alaskan Central North Slope and Permian Basin in Texas, United States.

Today, the company advised it was unable to obtain fluid samples from target zones in the Merlin-2 well in Alaska. This was despite encouraging oil shows and logging while data drilling.

Initial wireline logging analysis showed reservoir quality at the well is “insufficient” to justify a production test”.

The main objective of the Merlin-2 well operations was to collect hydrocarbon samples from the target zones. However, this was not to be due to the tightness of the formation at the location.

Future operations at the Merlin-2 well will involve plugging and abandoning the well and leaving the drilling area.

Commenting on the results, managing director Ashley Gilbert said:

We appreciate that this result will be disappointing news for shareholders, in particular that we were again unable to obtain a fluid sample at surface or perform a flow test.

However, we will now take the necessary time to fully analyse the data from the Merlin-2 well. This will provide a basis upon which the company can provide further updates on the future potential appraisal program for the Project Peregrine acreage.

In 2021, the company paid off US$16.1 million in debt from the sale of Alaskan oil and gas tax credits. Speaking on the financial position of the company today, Gilbert added:

88 Energy remains in a strong financial position, post the Merlin-2 well, with zero debt and a healthy cash balance that will be further strengthened with projected cash flows from the recently acquired portfolio of Texas production assets, project Longhorn.

Share price snapshot

The 88 Energy share price has gained dropped 62% in a year, sliding 34% year to date.

For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) index has returned about 12% over the past year.

The company has a market capitalisation of about $262 million based on the current share price.

The post This ASX energy share just plunged 52%. Here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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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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In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record another strong gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.8% to 7,524 points.

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

Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE)

The Eagers Automotive share price is up over 2% to $14.40. This morning the automotive retailer announced an agreement with WFM Motors to acquire a portfolio of dealerships and associated properties located in Canberra for approximately $205 million. The portfolio covers a range of brands including Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, Jeep, Lexus, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Volvo, and GMSV.

Firefinch Ltd (ASX: FFX)

The Firefinch share price is up almost 13% to $1.06. Investors have been buying the mineral exploration company’s shares after it announced that it has been granted a mining licence covering the Finkola exploration licence. The Finkola licence is located 23 kilometres north-west of Firefinch’s Morila Gold Mine and contains the Beledjo-Koting gold deposit and other prospects.

Latin Resources Ltd (ASX: LRS)

The Latin Resources share price has jumped 24% to 9.4 cents. This follows the release of the first assay results from drilling at the Salinas Lithium Project in Brazil. These results have confirmed spodumene rich pegmatites that contain high-grade lithium, with a peak grade of 3.22% Li2O returned from one sample. Management believes the results point to a potential major new lithium discovery.

Piedmont Lithium Inc (ASX: PLL)

The Piedmont Lithium share price is up 2% to 97 cents. This morning the lithium developer announced that its partner, Atlantic Lithium, has completed a mineral resource estimate update for the Ewoyaa Project in Ghana. Atlantic Lithium’s new mineral resource estimate is a total of 30.1 million metric tonnes at 1.26% Li2O. This represents a sizeable 42% increase on its previous estimate. Piedmont has the option to earn-in a 50% interest in this project.

The post Why Eagers Automotive, Firefinch, Latin Resources, and Piedmont Lithium are rising today 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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Shares in Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) have climbed around 6% today and now trade at $5.93, a shade off the intraday high of $5.96.

Despite no sensitive news out of the company’s camp today, ASX retail shares have fared well following the outcomes of last night’s federal budget.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg outlined Australia’s economic roadmap for the coming 12 months with a clear focus on cost of living, infrastructure, innovation and national security.

Why are Kogan shares climbing again today?

Kogan had already begun its ascent from 52-week lows in the past month or so, printing a 12% gain in that time.

Much of the upside has been driven by a small but sure rotation back into tech- and growth-oriented shares, with the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) spiking 10% this past month.

However, last night’s budgetary release appears to have inflected positively on ASX retail shares today.

The wider basket has inched forwards whilst competing retailers such as JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH) have posted small gains (shown below).

Market sentiment appears to have turned bullish in the near term once again, with gains across all major indexes except metals and mining.

Whether that is a direct impact from the federal budget remains to be seen, but it surely is a reversal of a trend in situ over the last few months.

Mining and resources have led the way so far in 2022, with the S&P/ASX 300 Metals & Mining Index (ASX: XMM) surging 13% in that time, whilst healthcare indexes have fallen around 10%.

Meanwhile, tech and consumer cyclical-based indexes have fallen hard since January. Though they have staged a comeback, as reported previously.

Momentum has continued into today’s session, with the volume of shares traded more than 50% of the four-week average.

Even still, Kogan still has a ways to go, with shares down 33% this year to date and 51% in the past 12 months.

The post Kogan (ASX:KGN) shares spike another 6% post federal budget 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. owns and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Kogan.com 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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S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy shares have trounced the benchmark in the first quarter of 2022.

Crude oil prices were already in an uptrend heading into the new year. That came as a rebound in global energy demand ran up against limited growth in supply.

Crude prices really took off later in January after oil-rich Russia invaded Ukraine.

This saw Brent crude hit US$128 per barrel on 8 March, up from US$78 per barrel on 1 January. Brent crude remains at multi-year highs, currently trading at US$111 per barrel.

Soaring oil and gas costs have offered little joy to consumers. But ASX 200 energy shares have been amongst the biggest beneficiaries.

Witness the 22% year-to-date increase in the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ), even as the ASX 200 slipped 1% lower.

While many ASX 200 shares have struggled this year, the Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price has gained 19.3%. Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX: WPL) shares, meanwhile, have gained a very impressive 44.2% over that same time.

Which has investors carefully eyeing the supply and demand dynamics in energy markets for the year ahead.

Global oil supply disruption a tailwind for ASX 200 energy shares

The world is looking at oil supply disruptions falling in the range of 5-6 million barrels per day (bpd). That’s according to Reuters’ calculations.

The shortfall in supply is due to the combination of sanctions on Russian oil exports, conflicts in Middle Eastern oil-producing nations, and a lack of new investment in exploration and drilling since the onset of the global pandemic.

The International Energy Agency flagged that sanctions on Russian oil exports, alongside private buyers refusing to take delivery of Russian sourced oil, is likely to see a 700,000 bpd crude oil supply deficit in the second quarter of 2022.

And these disruptions come as global energy demand is rebounding strongly.

That’s likely to mean continued high oil and gas prices, which will help support ASX 200 energy shares in the coming quarter.

In fact, Saudi Arabia is likely to increase the price of its predominant crude variety to a record high.

According to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of five refiners and traders, ” Saudi Aramco may raise the official selling price of its key Arab Light crude by US$5 a barrel to Asia for May-loading cargoes.”

Keep an eye on the demand side too

Investors in ASX 200 energy shares will be keeping an eye on the demand side of the equation as well.

While global energy demand has rebounded strongly, it was only two years ago that COVID-19 driven lockdowns and border closures saw energy demand all but evaporate overnight. That saw crude oil prices crater and ASX 200 energy shares like Santos and Woodside plummet in value.

One of the biggest potential risks to global oil demand analysts are closely watching is the spread of COVID-19 in China.

China is among the few nations still embracing a zero-virus policy. With a recent surge in cases, Chinese authorities have instituted a staged lockdown for Shanghai.

The city, with some 26 million people, has a larger population than all of Australia.

Depending on how the virus and Chinese containment efforts progress, this could have a significant negative impact on crude oil demand in the coming quarter. And that would throw up some headwinds for ASX 200 energy shares.

The post Own ASX 200 energy shares? Here’s the latest on the 2022 crude oil disruptions appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Is the Woodside Petroleum (ASX:WPL) share price a buy today?

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 Firefinch Ltd (ASX: FFX) share price is on the move today following a positive update from the company.

At the time of writing, the lithium developer’s shares are up 12.23% to $1.055 apiece.

What did Firefinch announce to the ASX?

According to the company’s release, Firefinch advised that its subsidiary Birimian Gold Mali SARL has been granted a Finkola exploration licence.

Located 23 kilometres north-west of Firefinch’s Morila Gold Mine in the West African nation of Mali, the licence covers the Beledjo-Koting gold deposit (Beledjo) as well as the K2, K3, and other prospects.

Firefinch will transfer the mining licence to a single purpose Malian company as required by the country’s legislation.

As such, the Malian entity will initially be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Firefinch and will be a separate standalone company from Morila. However, the state of Mali has a right to receive a 10% free carried interest in the company, with an option to purchase an additional 10% at fair market value.

Once the single purpose Malian company has been formed, commercial agreements with Morila are expected to take place. This will involve operating and managing mining and haulage activities at Beledjo and processing the mined ore.

Beledjo contains probable ore reserves of 20,000 ounces of gold within an indicated and inferred mineral resource of 30,000 ounces of gold.

The grant of the mining licence allows Firefinch to add Beledjo into the mining schedule and commence preliminary site works.

Firefinch managing director Michael Anderson commented:

The grant of the Permis d’Exploitation for Finkola is another important step in ramping up production at Morila. Beledjo gives us another ore source and importantly provides oxide ore for blending with fresh ore from the Morila Super Pit.

About the Firefinch share price

Adding to today’s gain, the Firefinch share price has accelerated by 402% in the past 12 months.

When looking year to date, the company’s shares are up almost 22%.

Its current share price represents a 14-year high for the company.

Based on valuation grounds, Firefinch presides a market capitalisation of around $1.24 billion.

The post Why is the Firefinch (ASX: FFX) share price soaring 12% to a 14-year high? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.  The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has 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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