• Broker names 2 quality ASX dividend shares to buy

    If you’re looking for dividend shares with attractive yields, then you may want to look at the ones listed below.

    Here’s why analysts at Bell Potter rate these dividend shares as buys:

    Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

    The first ASX dividend share to look at is this footwear focused retailer. It is the company behind a growing collection of popular retail brands. These include HYPEDC, Platypus, Stylerunner, and The Athlete’s Foot.

    Accent’s shares have been hit hard this year due to COVID lockdowns impacting its profits materially and concerns over sports giants Adidas and Nike focusing on growing their direct to consumer businesses.

    The team at Bell Potter isn’t concerned, though, and continues to forecast a strong sales and profit rebound in FY 2023. In light of this, its analysts believe recent share price weakness is a buying opportunity.

    Last month Bell Potter put a buy rating and $2.75 price target on the company’s shares. As for dividends, it is expecting fully franked dividends per share of 5.8 cents in FY 2022 and then 10.9 cents in FY 2023.

    Based on the current Accent share price of $1.67, this will mean yields of 3.5% and 6.5%, respectively.

    Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)

    Another ASX dividend share for investors to consider is banking giant, CBA.

    The team at Bell Potter believe Australia’s largest bank could be a quality option for income investors. It currently has a buy rating and $108.00 price target on the bank’s shares.

    The broker is positive on CBA due to its strategic strengths of scale, brand, and diversification, which are supported by an irreplaceable infrastructure comprising over 1,100 branches, 3,800 Australia Post agencies, and nearly 3,600 ATMs.

    Bell Potter appears confident this will support solid dividend growth over the coming years. For example, the broker has pencilled in fully franked dividends per share of $3.87 in FY 2022 and $4.07 in FY 2023. Based on the current CBA share price of $105.70, this will mean yields of 3.7% and 3.85%, respectively.

    The post Broker names 2 quality ASX dividend shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

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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 Accent Group. 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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  • 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday

    Business woman watching stocks and trends while thinking

    Business woman watching stocks and trends while thinking

    On Monday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) started the week in a subdued fashion. The benchmark index fell 0.2% to 7,278.5 points.

    Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Tuesday? Here are five things to watch:

    ASX 200 expected to rise

    The Australian share market looks set to rise today despite a poor night of trade in the US. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to open the day 78 points or 1.05% higher. In late trade on Wall Street, the Dow Jones is down 0.9%, the S&P 500 has fallen 0.4%, and the Nasdaq is down 0.9%. This follows comments by US Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, stating that inflation is too high.

    Oil prices jump

    Energy producers such as Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a great day after oil prices jumped overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 7.3% to US$112.32 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has risen 7.7% to US$116.24 a barrel. This was driven by speculation that the EU will ban Russian oil.

    TechnologyOne rated as a buy

    The TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) share price could be in the buy zone according to Bell Potter. This morning the broker retained its buy rating but trimmed its price target to $14.00. This implies potential upside of 26% for investors. Bell Potter believes that customer flips to the company’s software as a service solution are likely to be accelerating.

    Gold price rises

    Gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL) could have a better day after the gold price edged higher overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.25% to US$1,934.50 an ounce. Demand for safe haven assets boosted the precious metal.

    Shares going ex-dividend

    A couple of ASX 200 shares are going ex-dividend this morning and could trade lower. This includes toll road operator Atlas Arteria Group (ASX: ALX) and health supplements company Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL).

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

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

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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 Blackmores 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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  • Here are 4 popular ETFs for ASX investors to check out

    ETF written in yellow with a yellow underline and the full word spelt out in white underneath.

    ETF written in yellow with a yellow underline and the full word spelt out in white underneath.

    Are you looking for some exchange traded funds (ETFs) to add to your portfolio this month? If you are, it could be worth taking a closer look at the four ETFs listed below.

    Here’s what you need to know about these ETFs right now:

    BetaShares Cloud Computing ETF (ASX: CLDD)

    The first ETF to look at is the BetaShares Cloud Computing ETF. This ETF gives investors exposure to a group of leading global companies involved in the delivery of computing services, servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics and other services over the internet. Through this ETF, you’ll be buying a slice of cloud-based tech companies such as Dropbox, Netflix, Shopify, and Zoom.

    BetaShares Global Energy Companies ETF (ASX: FUEL)

    Another ETF to look at is the BetaShares Global Energy Companies ETF. This ETF provides investors with access to some of the biggest energy companies in the world. BetaShares notes that these are larger, more geographically diversified, and more vertically integrated than Australian-listed energy companies. Among its holdings are BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell.

    BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

    Another ETF which could be worth checking out is the BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF. This exchange traded fund gives investors access to the 100 largest businesses on Wall Street’s technology-focused NASDAQ index. This includes tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Facebook/Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, and Nvidia.

    VanEck Vectors Australian Banks ETF (ASX: MVB)

    A final ETF for investors to look at is the VanEck Vectors Australian Banks ETF. This ETF allows you to own a slice of all the big four banks, the regionals, and investment bank Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) through a single investment. And as the banks tend to pay their shareholders big dividends, this ETF is likely to offer a generous yield most years.

    The post Here are 4 popular ETFs for ASX investors to check out appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

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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 BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and BetaShares Global Energy Companies ETF – Currency Hedged. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS. 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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  • Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) now has control of API, but is the real fight just beginning?

    Elderly couple look sideways at each other in mild disagreementElderly couple look sideways at each other in mild disagreement

    The Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) share price finished in the green today amid another acquisition milestone.

    Wesfarmers shares were trading at $50.68 at market close, a 0.7% gain. In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) slipped 0.22%.

    Let’s take a look at what could impact Wesfarmers in the future.

    What challenges lie ahead?

    Wesfarmers recently received shareholder approval to take over Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (ASX: API), the owner of Priceline. Today, the Federal Court approved the scheme of arrangement for this acquisition.

    However, many of API’s Priceline network pharmacies are independently owned franchises. This means Wesfarmers will need to work with 1400 independent retailers, The Financial Review reported.

    The publication quoted former financial services chief executive Andrew Reitzer, who has previously said working with independently owned retailers was like “herding cats”.

    The problem with this business model is that independent retailers are exactly that – fiercely independent. They have strong opinions on what works best for their business and don’t like being told what to do and when to do it.

    Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott has acknowledged the differences working with franchises but also recognises the similarities, the publication reported. He said:

    There are differences in terms of managing a successful franchise group, but there are a lot of basic principles around product, pricing, supply chain, digital engagement and e-commerce that will still be very relevant.

    API shares will be suspended from the close of trading on 22 March.

    WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) portfolio manager John Ayoub has recently named Wesfarmers as one of five reliable shares that can ride out 2022 volatility.

    Wesfarmers share price snapshot

    The Wesfarmers share price has climbed 0.14% in the past 12 months but lost 14.54% in the year to date.

    Over the past month, Wesfarmers shares have jumped 0.54% and are 3.05% higher in the last week.

    Wesfarmers has a market capitalisation of about $57.5 billion based on the current share price.

    The post Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) now has control of API, but is the real fight just beginning? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Wesfarmers right now?

    Before you consider Wesfarmers , you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Wesfarmers wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

    More reading

    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 Wesfarmers 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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  • How have ASX artificial intelligence shares been performing lately?

    appen share price

    appen share price

    As most investors would be acutely aware of, the share market has taken its participants on a wild ride over 2022 thus far. Take the performance of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) just today as an emblem. The ASX 200 rocketed close to 1% soon after open, but ended up losing all of its goodwill by the afternoon, and ended up closing down by 0.22% by the end of the trading day. In 2022 so far, the ASX 200 remains down by 4.1%. But some sectors have been hit harder than others. So let’s check out how ASX artificial intelligence shares have been faring of late. 

    We know that the tech sector hasn’t been the luckiest this year. In fact, many ASX tech shares are amongst the ASX 200’s worst performers in 2022. But let’s see if this extends to artificial intelligence shares. 

    AI: Making it Appen…

    Let’s first check out what could arguably be described as the ASX artificial intelligence share posterchild, Appen Ltd (ASX: APX). Appen shares had a strong day today, rising 1.15% to $7.05 a share. But unfortunately, that doesn’t make up for the rather dismal year that this annotated dataset company has had to endure. Appen remains down by a nasty 36.7% in 2022 thus far. 

    That puts the company’s 12-month falls at an even more depressing 60.88%. Investors seem to have been put off by Appen’s most recent earnings report, which we all got a look at back in February. The shares have lost more than 17% since that report was dropped alone. 

    In these full-year results, Appen reported an 8% increase in revenue, as well as a 3% rise in underlying earnings. However, it might have been the 20% slump in net profits after tax that really turned investors off.

    So not a great time right now for Appen and its shareholders.

    Another ASX artificial intelligence share to check out

    But let’s check out another artificial intelligence company for the ASX in Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN). Brainchip has been around for a while, but really grabbed investors’ attention back in 2020 when its shares rocketed more than 1,500% in just 5 months. The company also went on another run that saw its shares gain more than 160% between Christmas eve last year and 19 January. 

    Here we have a tale on entry points in 2022. Year to date, Brainchip is still up a pleasing 20.25%, even after accounting for today’s nasty 3.056% drop to 95 cents a share. 

    However, if you were unlucky enough to buy Brainchip shares on 19 January at the company’s all-time high of $2.34 a share, you’d be down close to 60% on your money. The company has made a series of announcements and patent successes over this year, which seems to have helped keep its share price especially volatile.   

    So that’s how 2 ASX artificial intelligence shares have been faring lately. It’s been a mixed bag for this fledgling corner of the market. But watch this space, because few would expect the artificial intelligence space to come up with anything but world-changing ideas over the next few years. 

    The post How have ASX artificial intelligence shares been performing lately? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

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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. owns and has recommended Appen Ltd. 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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  • How can investors in ASX shares hedge their portfolios amid uncertainty in 2022?

    A businessman looks around uncertain as he walks through a tall hedge maze.A businessman looks around uncertain as he walks through a tall hedge maze.

    ASX shares across the different sectors have delivered wildly different outcomes so far in 2022.

    Here’s what we mean.

    Since the opening bell on 4 January, ASX shares, as measured by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO), are down 4.64%.

    That’s not great. But it sure beats the 18.2% year-to-date losses posted by the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX).

    On the flip side of the coin, and helping support the All Ords in 2022, are energy shares. As witnessed by the 17.9% gain in the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ).

    ASX shares in the resource and commodity space have done well also.

    And the gold miners have handily outperformed, with the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) up 6.6% so far this year.

    And all of this has come as global uncertainty has soared.

    Fast rising interest rates and a European war roil ASX shares

    Early in the New Year, investors in ASX shares came to grips with the reality that rising inflation rates weren’t so transitory after all. Meaning interest rate hikes from the Reserve Bank of Australia were likely to come. And come significantly sooner than the central bank had forecast just last year.

    Then the world was left in shock by Russia’s brutal invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

    Uncertainties around the duration and scale of Russia’s war have not diminished since its troops crossed the border.

    Meanwhile, investors in ASX shares are still faced with how interest rate hikes will impact their holdings.

    With that in mind, The Motley Fool turned to Josh Gilbert, market analyst at multi-asset investment platform eToro, for his take on how investors can hedge their portfolios in these highly uncertain times.

    Gold, commodities, oil and Big Tech

    Addressing the heightened risks facing investors in ASX shares and global equities, Gilbert told us:

    Commodities are the obvious asset of choice when planning to hedge a portfolio against imposed risks.

    In times of uncertainty, gold is the first asset investors generally turn to as it’s been used for decades as a store of value and tends to perform well in volatile markets. On top of this, oil has been an asset class that investors are rotating into, given its tight supply and high demand.

    Atop commodities, Gilbert also said that investors could consider other cyclical assets, like value stocks, to hedge their portfolios.

    “These assets tend to be the most sensitive to economies re-opening, yet still have strong GDP growth and will likely ride out waves of uncertainty,” he said.

    While technology shares have broadly taken a beating in 2022 (not just ASX tech shares, the United States NASDAQ is down 12.3% this year too), Gilbert said the biggest players in this space could offer investors some defensive hedging.

    According to Gilbert:

    We also see Big Tech as the ‘new defensives’. These are companies that have dominant market positions, strong growth, high margins and fortress balance sheets.

    While many Big Tech stocks often have high valuations, investors are beginning to see them as ‘all-weather’ assets that can successfully navigate whatever the Federal Reserve, the economy, or geopolitical tensions throw at them.

    The post How can investors in ASX shares hedge their portfolios amid uncertainty in 2022? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

    More reading

    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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  • 2 exciting small cap ASX shares for your watchlist

    A young women pumps her fists in excitement after seeing some good news on her laptop regarding the NRW share price

    A young women pumps her fists in excitement after seeing some good news on her laptop regarding the NRW share price

    Investing in the small side of the share market carries more risk than other areas. However, if your risk tolerance allows for it, small caps could be a good thing for a balanced portfolio given the potential returns on offer.

    With that in mind, here are two small cap ASX shares that could be worth watching closely:

    Elmo Software Ltd (ASX: ELO)

    The first small cap to watch is ELMO. It is a cloud-based human resources and payroll software company that provides a unified platform to streamline processes. This includes processes such as employee administration, recruitment, on-boarding, learning, performance, remuneration, compliance training and payroll.

    Elmo has been a strong performer in recent years and continued this trend during the first half of FY 2022. For the six months ended 31 December, Elmo grew its annualised recurring revenue (ARR) by 35% since the end of June to $98.3 million. Management advised that this reflects strong trading conditions due to the increased adoption of cloud-software solutions by businesses to manage remote or hybrid workforces.

    This result went down well with the team at Morgan Stanley. In response, the broker put an overweight rating and $7.80 price target on its shares.

    Serko Ltd (ASX: SKO)

    Another small cap to watch is Serko. It is an online travel booking and expense management provider behind the Zeno Travel and Zeno Expense platforms.

    Serko’s Zeno Travel platform provides AI-powered end-to-end travel itineraries, cost control, and travel policy compliance to corporate customers. Whereas Zeno Expense allows businesses to automate and streamline their expense administration function, identify out-of-policy expense claims, and prevent fraud.

    Thanks to travel markets rebounding strongly from COVID and a major deal with travel giant Booking.com commencing last year, Serko reported an 81% jump in operating revenue to NZ$9.2 million during the first half of FY 2022.

    The team at Ord Minnett appear to believe this strong form can continue long into the future. Last month the broker put a buy rating and $7.93 price target on Serko’s shares.

    The post 2 exciting small cap ASX shares for your watchlist appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

    More reading

    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 Elmo Software and Serko Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Elmo Software. 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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  • Why has the BHP share price dropped 7% in 2 weeks?

    A barrel of oil suspended in the air is pouring oil while a man in a suit stands with a droopy head watching the oil drop out.A barrel of oil suspended in the air is pouring oil while a man in a suit stands with a droopy head watching the oil drop out.

    The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price has dropped around 7% in just two weeks.

    It has been a volatile time for many ASX shares. Yet, over the last two weeks, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has actually risen by more than 3%. That implies an underperformance compared to the index of around 10%.

    Commodity volatility

    At the moment, there are quite a few commodities in the BHP portfolio, including copper, iron ore, petroleum and nickel.

    However, BHP is planning to divest its petroleum business to Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL). At that time, BHP shareholders will receive Woodside shares. In fact, 52% of Woodside shareholders will own the expanded Woodside, while BHP shareholders will own the remaining 48%. But for now, BHP still owns the whole business.

    After a rapid climb of the oil price amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has dropped back to under US$110 per barrel.

    What’s next for the BHP share price?

    The company is scheduled to pay its interim dividend next week.

    It recently completed the unification of its UK and Australian businesses, under the Australian company. According to BHP, this will make corporate action easier, such as divestments or acquisitions.

    BHP is expecting to continue to benefit from the power of scale and compound growth.

    The resources business says population growth, decarbonisation and rising living standards will drive demand for energy, metals and fertilisers for decades. The urban population is expected to grow from 4.3 billion to around 7 billion in 2050. Furthermore, predictions are that the global GDP will grow from US$87 trillion to US$400 trillion by 2050.

    Management is looking to increase its exposure to future-facing commodities, with copper, nickel and potash.

    The post Why has the BHP share price dropped 7% in 2 weeks? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in BHP right now?

    Before you consider BHP, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and BHP wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has 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 Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price has leapt 12% in 4 days. What’s happening?

    Woman jumping for joy at great news with wide open country around her.Woman jumping for joy at great news with wide open country around her.

    The Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price has been accelerating despite the company keeping quiet this month.

    In fact, in the last 4 days, the ASX-listed lithium player shares have powered ahead by 12%.

    At the time of writing, Pilbara Minerals shares are up 2.86% to $2.88.

    Why is Pilbara Minerals heavily being traded?

    As the largest ASX-listed lithium player, it appears investors have been taking advantage of the hype surrounding the lithium revolution.

    On most days, the company’s shares are swapping hands anywhere between 20 million and 35 million shares. However, on 18 March, Pilbara Minerals saw more than 58.4 million shares being exchanged.

    With no company announcements, a lot of attention has turned to the incredible rise in the spot price for lithium. Over the past year alone, lithium carbonate has rocketed almost 600% in value.

    The battery-making ingredient is expected to be adopted across a number of industries, notably the global transition to electric vehicles.

    Furthermore, Pilbara Minerals released its half-year results on 23 February, highlighting a significant increase in shipments of spodumene concentrate. This was underpinned by improved market conditions and robust operational performance at its Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Operations.

    A couple of brokers weighed in on the company’s share price following its interim financial scorecard.

    Analysts at Macquarie slashed its 12-month price target by 5% to $3.50 for Pilbara Minerals shares. 

    Citi also reduced its rating by 5.4% to $3.50.

    Based on the current share price, this implies an upside of around 22% for investors.

    About the Pilbara Minerals share price

    Pilbara Minerals shares have raced 170% higher since this time last year.

    The company’s share price reached an all-time high of $3.89 in mid-January before treading lower.

    Pilbara Minerals presides a market capitalisation of roughly $8.56 billion and has approximately 2.98 billion shares on its books.

    The post The Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price has leapt 12% in 4 days. What’s happening? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Pilbara Minerals right now?

    Before you consider Pilbara Minerals, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Pilbara Minerals wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

    More reading

    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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  • The ANZ share price has gained under 4% in 3 years. Have the dividends been worth the wait?

    Woman with money on the table and looking upwards.Woman with money on the table and looking upwards.

    The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price has travelled sideways over the course of the last few years.

    This has led investors to believe that the banking giant is now fully valued, trading at the same levels pre-COVID-19.

    Below, we calculate if the dividends have been worth the wait if a shareholder made an investment 3 years ago

    What if you had invested $10,000 in ANZ shares 3 years ago?

    If you had invested $10,000 in ANZ shares on this day 3 years ago, you would have bought them for around $26.52 each. This would have given you approximately 377 shares without factoring in any dividend reinvestments over the years.

    Fast-forward to today, the current ANZ share price is $27.58. This means those 377 shares would now be worth around $10,397.66. When considering percentage terms, this implies a gain of just 3.9%, or an average return of 0.39% per year. This is considerably less than what the standard inflation rate is, which means your money would be worth less than this time 3 years ago.

    In contrast, the ASX 200 has returned a yearly average of 5.62% to shareholders in the past 3 years.

    And the dividends?

    Over the course of the last 3 years, ANZ has made a total of 6 bi-annual dividend payments from July 2019 to December 2021.

    Adding those 6 dividends payments gives us an amount of $3.62 per share. Calculating the number of shares owned against the total dividend payment gives us a figure of $1,364.74.

    When putting both the initial investment gains and dividend distribution, an investor would have made roughly $11,762.40.

    In comparison, investing the same amount in the ASX 200 would have netted you a total figure of $11,844.11.

    As you can see, investing in the ASX 200 would have given you a slightly better return than parking your money in ANZ. And that’s even including the dividend payments.

    No doubt, it pays off to research a company’s products/services, financial statements, projections, competitive moat and market trends before investing.

    ANZ share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, the ANZ share price has shed around 2% driven by tough trading conditions.

    Its shares hit a 52-week low of $24.65 on 8 March, before quickly rebounding to the mid $27 mark.

    Based on the current share price, ANZ commands a market capitalisation of around $77.32 billion.

    The post The ANZ share price has gained under 4% in 3 years. Have the dividends been worth the wait? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in ANZ right now?

    Before you consider ANZ, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and ANZ wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

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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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