Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) put the foot on the gas amid a flurry of earnings that sat well with investors. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 1.08% higher at 7,284.9 points.

In a comforting mid-week performance, only two of the eleven ASX sectors finished in the red today. These were energy shares and mining companies. On the other side of the coin, the healthcare sector was by far the strongest performing sector, climbing 6.22% after CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) rallied on its half-year result.

The question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the battery materials company soared 17.99% after securing a binding lithium supply agreement with Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA). Find out more about Liontown Resources here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Imugene Ltd (ASX: IMU). The clinical-stage immunotherapy developer experienced a 12.73% jump in its share price despite there being no announcements released today. Uncover the latest Imugene details here.

Today’s top 10 biggest gains were made in these ASX shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR)	$1.64	17.99%
Imugene Ltd (ASX: IMU)	$0.31	12.37%
Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE)	$11.77	11.67%
Vicinity Centres (ASX: VCX)	$1.865	11.01%
AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: AVZ)	$0.805	10.27%
CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)	$263.69	8.51%
Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)	$24.34	7.56%
Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA)	$3.56	7.55%
Fletcher Building Ltd (ASX: FBU)	$6.26	7.38%
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)	$0.74	6.48%

Our top 10 ASX shares today countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check-in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX lithium shares or EV makers, what’s been the better bet?
• Losing sleep over falling ASX share prices? Here’s how one expert says investors can ‘take advantage of sell-offs’
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts on Wednesday
• Why CSL, Liontown, Nearmap, and Treasury Wine shares are storming higher
• Is now the time to buy the dip in ASX 200 shares?

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited and Treasury Wine Estates 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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With so many shares to choose from on the Australian share market, it can be hard to decide which ones to buy over others.

To narrow things down, I have picked out three ASX 200 shares that are highly rated by analysts. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD)

The first ASX 200 share to look at is Elders. It is one of Australia’s largest agribusiness companies. Its outlook has become increasingly positive recently thanks to the success of its transformation plan and acquisitions. In addition, it looks well-placed to benefit from the rationalisation of the rural services industry, margin expansion opportunities, and the benefits of its large scale systems modernisation project.

Goldman Sachs is a fan of Elders. Its analysts currently have a conviction buy rating and $15.65 price target on its shares.

REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

Another ASX 200 share to look at is REA Group. It is the dominant player in real estate listings in the Australian market. REA looks well-placed for growth in the coming years thanks to its new revenue streams, acquisitions, price increases, its international operations, and strong market position in Australia. In respect to the latter, with its recent half year results, management advised that a record 13.2 million people visited its local site in October. This is the equivalent of 65% of Australia’s adult population. Furthermore, on average, there are 3.3x more visits than the nearest competitor each month.

Goldman Sachs remains very positive on REA Group. Its analysts currently have a buy rating and $167.00 price target on its shares.

ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

A final ASX 200 share to look at is ResMed. It is a sleep treatment focused medical device company which has been growing at a consistently solid rate over the last decade. Pleasingly, the next decade looks just as positive for ResMed. This is thanks to its world class products, significant market opportunity, and the growing prevalence of sleep disorders. In addition, the company’s near term performance is being boosted by a major product recall (5.2m CPAP devices) from Philips.

Morgans is positive on the company and has an add rating and $40.46 price target on its shares.

The post 3 buy-rated ASX 200 shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 quality ASX 200 tech shares with ‘years of growth’ ahead: broker
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• The REA (ASX:REA) share price has tumbled 21% this year. Is it a bargain?
• 3 buy-rated ASX growth shares to make you smile
• 2 highly rated ASX 200 shares to buy immediately

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 Elders Limited, REA Group Limited, and ResMed Inc. 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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Exchange traded funds (ETFs) continue to grow in popularity with investors and it isn’t hard to see why. These funds allow investors to gain exposure to sectors, themes, markets, and entire countries through a single investment.

This means an investor can home in on certain areas of the investment world that they’re particularly bullish on.

With that in mind, listed below are three ETFs that could be worth getting better acquainted with. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF (ASX: CRYP)

The BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF could be worth looking at if you have an interest in cryptocurrencies. BetaShares notes that this ETF allows investors to access the growth potential of the crypto economy through companies at the forefront of the industry. Among the companies included in the fund are crypto trading platforms, crypto mining and mining equipment firms, and others servicing crypto-markets. This includes Coinbase, Silvergate, and Riot Blockchain.

Betashares Global Sustainability Leaders ETF (ASX: ETHI)

Another ETF for ASX investors to look at is the Betashares Global Sustainability Leaders ETF. This ETF gives investors exposure to large global stocks that have been identified as “Climate Leaders.” BetaShares notes that these companies have passed screens that check for direct or significant exposure to fossil fuels. It even checks for those that are engaged in activities deemed inconsistent with responsible investment considerations. Included in the fund are the likes of Apple, Nvidia, Toyota, and Visa.

iShares Global Healthcare ETF (ASX: IXJ)

A final ETF to look at is the iShares Global Healthcare ETF. As its name implies, this ETF provides investors with exposure to the healthcare sector. This includes the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device sectors. Among its holdings are many of the world’s biggest and best healthcare companies such as Australia’s own CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL), Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Pfizer. These companies look well-placed to benefit from favourable industry trends such as ageing populations.

The post 3 popular ETFs for ASX investors today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF (ASX:CRYP) leaping 5% today?
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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 Betashares Crypto Innovators ETF. 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 Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) crawled higher today, finishing 1.5% up at $10.07.

Following the release of the bank’s interim results for 1H FY22 yesterday, investors are piling in to secure a spot for the ride in 2022. This sent the bank’s shares soaring to five-month highs.

Analysts aren’t as agreeable, however. As the bank posted its results yesterday, several teams have come out with their outlook for Bendigo Bank investors in 2022.

Is Bendigo Bank a buy?

Analysts at investment bank JP Morgan aren’t so certain at the moment. They note Bendigo’s cost projections are aggressive and will require near pin-perfect execution to materialise.

Although, Bendigo did come in with a fairly robust set of results, as reported by Mitchell Lawler of The Motley Fool yesterday. Revenue grew by 8.5% year on year, whereas cash earnings gained 19%. As such, the bank declared a 26.5 cents per share dividend, up 13% from last payment – well ahead of inflation.

Not only that, but the bank completed the acquisition of Ferocia Pty Ltd. This gives it full ownership of the neobank Up. Bendigo now boasts 460,000 new customers to its database as a result of the transaction.

Yet, in a recent note, JP Morgan highlights the bank is now aiming to flatten its cost base over FY22–FY24. This is a change in course from previous guidance that signalled a 3% increase.

The broker questions if Bendigo can hit these targets, “despite rising wage pressures in the industry, with 60% of the cost base being staff expenses.”

Even though the cost targets could be a benefit to the bank, JP Morgan is happy to sit on the sidelines with Bendigo on grounds of the broker’s valuation, which is tracking near the current share price.

Meanwhile, analysts at fellow broker Jarden Securities are constructive on Bendigo’s cost management initiatives planned for the coming years.

Whilst the firm tips Bendigo to incur a period of margin pressures into the coming periods – particularly to net interest margins (NIMs) – it reckons these pressures should level off into Q4 FY22, as the fixed rate mortgage market undergoes a repricing.

This, combined with the bank’s cost targeting measures, could potentially offset headwinds to revenue growth over the coming periods, analysts say.

However, even though Jarden is constructive on the company, as an investment, it rates Bendigo as a hold after assigning a price target of $9.80 per share.

Then there’s the bulls

Elsewhere, both Barclay Pearce and Evans & Partners rate the bank as a buy. They are joined by analysts at Macquarie who value Bendigo at $11 per share.

Analysts at Barclay updated their target on Bendigo from $11.59 to $12.24 per share following the bank’s earnings. The firm forecasts $1.74 billion in revenue for 2022. It reckons investors could be in for a 53.9 cents per share dividend this year as well.

Analysts are forecasting a gain in earnings per share (EPS) for Bendigo over the next six to 12 months. That’s according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.

The data also shows that, historically, this has been a good sign for Bendigo. Its share price tends to dance to the tune of forward EPS estimates.

Let’s take a closer look at what that means. Going back to September 2019, each period when analysts tipped the bank’s EPS to rise for the next 12 months, its share price followed suit, rising in unison.

Similarly, when EPS was forecast to decline, the Bendigo Bank share price either remained flat or headed south.

In actual fact, the forward EPS estimates are what is known as a leading indicator in this case (insight into market sentiment) and thus could be useful information for market pundits.

Bendigo Bank share price snapshot

In the last 12 months the Bendigo Bank share price has faltered over 10%. Year to date, however, shares are up more than 10%, and have shot up another 9% in the last month.

The post To buy, or not to buy, that is the question: Analysts are indecisive on Bendigo Bank (ASX:BEN) shares after mixed earnings appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why are ASX 200 bank shares getting so much love today?
• Why Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Crown, JB Hi-Fi, and Newcrest are pushing higher
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: JB Hi-Fi impresses, Crown accepts $8.9bn Blackstone bid
• Bendigo Bank (ASX:BEN) share price lifts amid 32% jump in profits
• ‘Ideal partner’: Bendigo Bank (ASX:BEN) share price lifts amid new fintech deal

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 Bendigo and Adelaide Bank 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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ASX lithium shares and electric vehicle (EV) makers are both enjoying a boom as the decarbonisation trend takes hold.

The global market for EVs is expected to grow from 11 million vehicles in 2020 to 145 million by 2030, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). And with major players like Volkswagen, Ford, and General Motors getting into the game, it’s clear that this trend is here to stay.

But what about lithium shares? ASX-listed lithium companies have been at the forefront of the green boom and many investors are wondering if they make for a better investment case than EV makers.

So far, it’s been difficult to say for sure. However, looking back at what has happened in the past might give us some clues.

EV production to take charge of lithium future

Whether the real winners of the green shift will be EV makers or ASX-listed lithium shares partly depends on the battery composition of the future.

According to the IEA, the total lithium demand for EVs and battery storage is roughly 30% of the entire market. However, the agency’s forecasts anticipate this will expand to 83% of all lithium demand by 2030 under a ‘sustainable development’ scenario.

This creates some risk for ASX-listed lithium investors if battery chemistry were to evolve beyond the need for lithium. However, as noted in the scientific journal Nature, the plummeting price of lithium-ion batteries over the years means they will likely dominate the scene for the foreseeable future.

How has it played out for ASX lithium shares so far?

The last year has seen many ASX lithium shares benefit from record-high prices for the electrifying material. In 2021, the price of lithium carbonate exploded by roughly 500%, according to Trading Economics.

Undoubtedly, a major catalyst for these higher prices was a growing demand for EVs. Last year, nearly 6.5 million new electric cars were delivered, an increase of more than 108% over the prior year.

Importantly, experts have estimated that for every 1% increase in EV market penetration, an additional 70,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate is required.

#Lithium.. they need MORE

Committed mine production and primary demand for lithium, 2020-2030. @IEA https://t.co/mCcAtaOhBZ pic.twitter.com/CIGYmUGtSd

— Gigi Penna (@giginator_) October 7, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

As a result, investors are responding to the expected supply gap (as shown above) by bidding ASX-listed lithium shares higher. For example, here’s how some of the largest lithium companies on the ASX have performed in the last 12 months:

• Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN), up 34%
• Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS), up 187%
• Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR), up 330%

What about EV shares?

Despite noteworthy increases in electric vehicle sales in 2021, manufacturers of these electricity eaters are not experiencing the same fanfare as ASX-listed lithium shares recently.

In fact, investing in the likes of Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) or Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) a year ago would have led to the underperformance of all three of the lithium shares listed above, as shown below.

An interesting dynamic to consider is: as lithium prices move higher, this will have a direct impact on the margins of EV makers if they cannot pass on the additional cost.

The post ASX lithium shares or EV makers, what’s been the better bet? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts on Wednesday
• Why CSL, Liontown, Nearmap, and Treasury Wine shares are storming higher
• Liontown (ASX:LTR) share price rockets 16% today on Tesla lithium deal
• These 3 charts show why you might want exposure to China’s EV makers
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Tuesday

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Tesla. 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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ASX travel shares gained altitude today amid a global travel recovery.

The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) soared 5.79%, Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) gained 4.83%, and Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) climbed 2.68%.

Let’s take a look at what lifted the travel sector today.

ASX travel shares rise

ASX travel shares took off but they were not the only travel stocks taking flight. In the US, on Tuesday, American Airlines Group surged 8%, United Airlines Holdings jumped 7.56% and Delta Air Lines Inc finished 6% ahead.

And airlines weren’t the only companies in on the party. Cruise operators Royal Caribbean gained 4%, Carnival Corporation Corp jumped 6.65%, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings surged 6.92%.

Speculation that Russian president Vladimir Putin may still be prepared to hold back on war with Ukraine may have helped these shares, as my Foolish colleague in the US reported.

In Australia, the Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) share price also surged 7.65% while Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO) finished the day up 7.08%.

Corporate Travel’s gain came on the back of its half-yearly results today which showed its revenue more than doubled in H1 FY22. The company also reported its revenue in North America is higher than it was pre-COVID-19.

Meanwhile, news that WA Premier Mark McGowan may be lifting WA’s border lockdown could also be good news for ASX travel shares.

WA Premier Mark McGowan reportedly said a new reopening date could be on the way, according to 7 News. McGowan said:

We are reviewing (restrictions) as we speak. The reality is, though, that we are getting the third-dose vaccination rate up, the eastern states appear to be coming off their peak, which is a good thing.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government eased its COVID-19 rules for travellers arriving in the country on Tuesday. Fully vaccinated travellers will no longer require a PCR test on arrival in Canada. France also relaxed its travel rules on 12 February.

This is all good news for ASX travel shares.

The post Why are ASX travel shares taking flight today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, and Webjet 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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Recent global turmoil sent the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) to an 8-month low. This led to many investors panicking and quickly selling off their falling ASX shares.

While the benchmark index has mostly recovered since, it is still down about 3% for the year. This is a stark contrast to the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX), which is down 16% year to date.

Below, we take a look at some key takeaways published in a Livewire article from Holon Global Investments expert, Tim Davies.

Research your ASX shares investment

The first step before making any ASX investment is to sit down and read the company’s financial reports over the past three to five years. This includes both the annual and quarterly results, as well as any third-party information on websites and in newspaper articles.

In addition, it pays dividends to read competitors’ reports, and gain a good grasp of the company’s products and services.

Davies explains that “many investors may buy shares in Amazon based solely on its successful e-commerce business, but through detailed reading they would learn that Amazon also has 100 subsidiaries across a range of industries including data storage, logistics, food retailing, media, digital TV subscription and financial services”.

This is important because revenue from these other businesses could grow and substantially contribute to the parent company’s earnings.

Understand the company and its future direction

In the next step, Davies advises that it is best to build a financial model of the chosen ASX company.

This involves using an excel spreadsheet and collating around five to 10 years’ worth of published annual and quarterly reports. Key information such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements should be in there.

By having this information, you can better predict the future direction of the company. Important metrics include price-to-earnings (P/E), price to sales, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA), and discounted cash flow.

However, it is worth noting that making assumptions beyond three to five years is hard to get right.

Davies noted that another similar model is the implied valuation model. This determines whether the targeted ASX company’s shares are cheap. It takes the current share price, then looks at what changes must happen to the company’s financial forecasts for it to be valued at the current price.

This tool is handy during bear markets when share prices do not necessarily reflect the future earnings of a company.

The old adage of ‘buy low and sell high’

While this seems obvious, buying low and selling high is the ultimate goal of all ASX investors. This can be extremely difficult to achieve though, as you are dealing with the psychology of traders and how they react to daily market movements.

Understandably, market volatility can impact a share price in the short term. However, keeping calm and knowing you have picked a sound company can lead to profitable gains over the years.

Davies said price swings are the norm in today’s environment due to a combination of factors. This includes governments exceeding their debt ceilings, intervention from central banks through monetary policy programs, and the fast-paced adoption of technology.

The post Losing sleep over falling ASX share prices? Here’s how one expert says investors can ‘take advantage of sell-offs’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts on Wednesday
• Is now the time to buy the dip in ASX 200 shares?
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: CSL upgrades guidance, Treasury Wine jumps
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

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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Owners of National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) shares will be pleased to learn that the bank’s Project Carbon – now renamed Carbonplace – has attracted attention from more international banking giants.

The founding members of the voluntary carbon market project have been joined by UBS (NYSE: UBS), Standard Chartered (LON: STAN), and BNP Paribas.

As of Wednesday’s close, the NAB share price is $30.60. That’s 0.59% higher than it was at yesterday’s close.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) also moved higher today, gaining 1.04%.

Let’s take a closer look at the latest on the bank’s carbon credits initiative.

More financial giants jump onboard Carbonplace

The NAB share price spent the day in the green amid news Carbonplace’s founding members have been joined by more financial heavyweights.

NAB launched the innovation in mid-2021, alongside CIBC (NYSE: CM), Itaú Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB), and NatWest Group (LON: NWG).

The Carbonplace platform is currently being developed with hopes it can provide infrastructure and systems for the trading of carbon credits. It’s expected to go live before the end of this year.

Carbon credits sold on the platform will be verified using international standards.

According to a release from NAB, the new founders have brought a significant number of potential users with them.

The bank expects that number will keep increasing as more financial entities jump on board.

UBS global markets co-head of distributions, Kevin Arnold, commented on the bank’s involvement in the platform, saying:

[Carbonplace] will help create a streamlined and transparent voluntary carbon market for our clients and the industry, which will be critical to helping us all fulfil our sustainability strategies.

Chris Leeds, head of carbon markets development at Standard Chartered, said Carbonplace will “reduce barriers to entry in the voluntary carbon market”.

NAB share price snapshot

The NAB share price is outperforming the broader market in 2022, having gained 4% year to date.

In comparison, the ASX 200 has slipped 4% since the start of this year.

Additionally, NAB’s stock has gained 19% over the last 12 months while the index has gained 5%.

The post Own NAB (ASX:NAB) shares? Here’s why the bank’s carbon credits scheme is attracting global interest appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why are ASX 200 bank shares getting so much love today?
• These are some of the top performing ASX 200 value shares of the past year
• Strap yourself in: Why ASX 200 shares could continue their wild ride in 2022
• Analysts name 2 excellent ASX dividend shares to buy
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week

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 CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price has been a very strong performer on Wednesday.

In afternoon trade, the biotherapeutics giant’s shares are up a sizeable 8% to $262.20.

Why is the CSL share price charging higher?

Investors have been bidding the CSL share price higher today following the release of its half year results.

For the six months ended 31 December, CSL reported a 4% increase in constant currency revenue to US$5,993 million. This comprises a 2% decline in CSL Behring revenue to US$4,216 million and an 18% lift in Seqirus revenue to US$1,592 million.

However, due to margin weakness caused largely by plasma collection headwinds, CSL posted a 5% constant currency decline in net profit after tax to US$1,722 million.

So why are its shares rising?

A couple of items appear to have given the CSL share price a boost today. The first is positive commentary regarding the outlook for plasma collections.

CSL’s CEO, Paul Perreault, commented: “Our core franchise, the immunoglobulin portfolio, has been impacted by the industrywide constraints on collecting plasma in FY21 during the course of the global pandemic. We have responded by implementing multiple initiatives in our plasma collections network, which has given rise to significant improvement in plasma volumes collected. Given the long-term nature of our manufacturing cycle, this will underpin stronger Ig and albumin sales going forward.”

What else?

Also giving the CSL share price a lift was its guidance for FY 2022.

Although the company has reaffirmed its guidance for a net profit after tax in the range of US$2.15 billion to US$2.25 billion at constant currency, this guidance now includes US$90 million to US$110 million in transaction costs related to the Vifor Pharma acquisition. Whereas its prior guidance did not include these costs.

The response

Goldman Sachs has responded to the company’s results.

It commented: “Solid headline beats and effective +4-5% guidance upgrade despite mixed franchise performance.”

Goldman doesn’t currently have a rating on the CSL share price. This is due to it assisting with the aforementioned Vifor Pharma acquisition.

The post CSL (ASX:CSL) share price jumps 8% on guidance upgrade and positive plasma outlook appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why CSL, Liontown, Nearmap, and Treasury Wine shares are storming higher
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: CSL upgrades guidance, Treasury Wine jumps
• CSL (ASX:CSL) delivers US$1.7bn half year profit and tips plasma collection rebound
• Down by a quarter in less than three months, is the CSL (ASX:CSL) share price a buy?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday

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 CSL 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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The Melbana Energy Ltd (ASX: MAY) share price rocketed as much as 16% higher today after receiving a tick of approval for petroleum exploration at an undeveloped site.

At time of writing, the Melbana share price is settled at 7 cents, up 6% on yesterday’s closing price.

So what does today’s news mean for the miner? Let’s take a deeper look…

Petroleum permit granted

This morning, the energy company announced it had received a petroleum exploration permit from the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator.

The site, located in the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Island off the Western Australian coast, was described by the miner as “an attractive opportunity” and home to an “undeveloped Vesta-1 discovery”.

This permit will allow Melbana to conduct operations at the site for an initial six-year period. The miner is already proposing a three-year working plan for the site.

The company estimates its eventual drill one exploration well, completed by year six, will cost around $30 million.

Comment from management

Executive chair Andrew Purcell said:

Our experience in this sub-basin coupled with the previous discoveries and multiple data sets and play types offered in this permit area affords a good opportunity for a technically strong and motivated junior like Melbana to try and identify its next substantial exploration prospect in Australian waters.

Our track record gives us some insights into what the market is looking for and we believe demand for more such opportunities will likely remain buoyant, especially if the current oil price is maintained.

Melbana share price snapshot

For most of last year, the Melbana share price sat at around 2 cents. It saw a small climb to 3 cents in September, before gaining serious traction in January.

Last week, the miner’s shares saw a 24% jump to 4.6 cents each on the back of a ‘significant’ oil find at its site in Cuba. They jumped to a 52-week-high of 8 cents apiece on Monday.

The miner has a market capitalisation of around $190 million.

The post Melbana (ASX:MAY) share price jumps 6% on exploration approval appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Melbana Energy (ASX:MAY) share price rockets 24% on ‘significant’ oil find

Motley Fool contributor Alice de Bruin 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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