The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price has sank just over 50% in 2021 (to today).

It has fallen so much, could it actually be an opportunity because investors have gone too pessimistic and it’s now good value, even with its problems?

Broker ratings on the A2 Milk share price

One of the latest brokers to have their say on A2 Milk is Credit Suisse.

The price target from the broker on A2 Milk is $5.75. That is higher than where it is today, but it doesn’t signify a huge return over the next 12 months, just a mid-single digit rise.

A2 Milk may be seeing lower sales on lower demand because of a slowing birth rate in China. However, a positive is seemingly higher prices for its products in China.

Based on Credit Suisse’s numbers, the A2 Milk share price is valued at 27x FY23’s estimated earnings.

However, some brokers are far more positive on the infant formula and milk business.

For example, Citi currently rates it as a buy with a price target of $7.30. That suggests that the A2 Milk share price could rise by more than 30% over the next year if the broker is right.

Citi notes that A2 Milk’s inventory is getting better and it has changed things with distributors to improve the situation.

Actions taken to improve things

A2 Milk says that the 2021 result was disappointing. However, it has taken a number of actions to try to address the COVID-19 disruption.

It has recognised stock write-downs and deliberately slowed down sales, together with other planned initiatives, to reduce inventory levels and rebalance English label infant formula pricing across channels.

A2 Milk has swapped older distributor inventory with more recent stock to improve the on-shelf product freshness.

The company has also done other things like spending on more marketing, improved its leadership team and re-organised its Asia-Pacific division.

Profit margin expectations

A2 Milk has an ambition to grow sales to over NZ$2 billion and improve margins. The earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin target is “probably in the ‘teens’ in the medium term” due to market conditions and in the longer-term the target is in the “low-to-mid-20s” subject to a better recovery.

Trading update

In terms of sales, English label infant formula sales in the first quarter of FY22 were down on the first quarter of FY21, but “significantly up” on the fourth quarter of FY21. FY22 first half English label sales are expected to be down year on year, but ahead of expectations.

Chinese label infant formula sales in the first quarter were “constrained” to reduce channel inventory levels. Sales were down significantly year on year and on the fourth quarter of FY21. Chinese label infant formula sales are expected to be significantly down in the FY22 first half.

However, tier 1 inventory levels are now at required levels for both English and Chinese label products.

ANZ fresh milk volumes were up in the first quarter of FY22 year on year, though in New Zealand dollar terms the sales were flat because of foreign currency fluctuations.

US liquid milk volumes were down in the first quarter of FY22 compared to the first quarter of FY21 after the reduction of ranging by a club channel customer. Distribution cost pressures continue in the US market.

A2 Milk share price valuation

Getting back to Citi’s thoughts, on the broker’s numbers, A2 Milk shares are valued at 27x FY23’s estimated earnings.

The post Is the A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price now too cheap to ignore? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Broker names 3 ASX consumer good shares to buy in 2022
• Experts tip 2 beaten up ASX shares for gains in 2022
• What I’d do with these ASX dogs of 2021: expert
• This broker thinks the A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price is heading to $7.70
• How the A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price tanked 5% in November

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

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Shares in Aussie airline Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) have been at the back end of the pandemic-induced frenzy in financial markets this year.

The ‘reopening trade’ has been tried and tested on several occasions, however new COVID-19 variants and volatile case numbers have put a dent in its full lift-off each time.

With most commentary pointing to a gradual return to full mobility in global borders by 2022, we seek to answer if Qantas is worth the allocation of investors’ hard-earned capital right now.

Following the company’s trading update yesterday, it has been attracting upgrades en masse from leading brokers. So is it a buy? Let’s take a look.

What’s the verdict on Qantas shares?

The team at Jefferies were happy with the takeouts from Qantas’ trading update. They noted movement on the company’s debt position, even whilst trimming its earnings expectations at the same time.

The firm is a long-term bullish supporter of Qantas. It values the company at $5.95 a share after paring its target by about 9% today.

Qantas came in with a deeper underlying EBITDA forecast for 1H. It expects a loss of $250 million to $300 million versus Jefferies’ estimate of $101.5 million.

As such, the firm updated its modelling to reflect a pre-tax loss of $1.05 billion. This is a substantial increase on the previous $623 million loss forecasted previously.

However, Jefferies was impressed by Qantas’ efforts at reigning in its debt to $5.65 billion towards the end of December.

“While the 1H EBITDA is below expectations – driven by cost increases from the restart of international flying and longer lockdowns – recovery of travel demand is expected to remain uneven, offering opportunities,” Jefferies says.

Analysts at Macquarie also upgraded their price target and rated Qantas a buy with a valuation of $6.10 per share.

The firm notes that domestic and international border policies are loosening, which is setting the company up for a “snap-back in profitability in 2H FY22”.

It actually sees earnings in FY23 surpassing pre-Covid levels, considering the raft of structural changes and asset divestments in recent times.

JP Morgan also rates Qantas a buy with a $6.50 price target for June 2022. The firm notes that Qantas appears to be well-positioned to weather the airline industry’s recovery.

It takes this view because Qantas has taken a material $1 billion in costs per annum out of its business. This is likely to become an ongoing saving from FY23, JP Morgan says. Further, the broker favours Qantas’ high proportion of earnings from domestic and loyalty at approximately 70-75% of earnings.

It also likes Qantas’ balance sheet and its more favourable competitive position both domestically and internationally.

Fellow broker Citi also chimed in and valued Qantas at $5.86 per share in a note to clients today. Citi acknowledged concerns about the Omicron variant but still believes the risk-reward equation is skewed towards investors’ favour.

The broker reckons the market is yet to price in the international division reopening, which could bode well for the Qantas share price.

Meanwhile, Credit Suisse raised its price target on Qantas by 12% to $4.60 per share. Ord Minnett retained its buy rating on the stock, noting it remains comfortable with the prognosis for the aviation industry.

Of the list of analysts provided by Bloomberg Intelligence, 11 rate Qantas a buy and just 1 says hold. Out of this spread, the consensus price target is $6.07 on Qantas shares. This is a 27% return objective from the current market price of $4.77.

So consulting this list, the sentiment appears to be bullish on Qantas shares, particularly after its most recent trading update. Time will tell if the thesis plays out in full.

Qantas share price summary

It’s been a year to forget for Qantas shareholders, with a share price loss of 6% in the past 12 months.

In the past month, Qantas shares have plunged by almost 15% into the red.

The post Could Qantas (ASX:QAN) shares prove to be a compelling investment in 2022? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Chorus, CSL, Qantas, and Sims shares are dropping
• Qantas (ASX:QAN) share price descends on $1.1bn half year loss guidance
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: CSL sinks, Qantas’ $1.1bn+ first half loss
• Qantas (ASX:QAN) share price on watch after ‘one of the worst halves of the entire pandemic’
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG) share price is charging higher, up almost 7% to $1.16 in early afternoon trade.

The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is in the green as well, up 0.5%.

Below we take a look at the latest gold results from the ASX resource explorer that look to be spurring investor interest.

What gold results were announced?

The De Grey Mining share price is leaping after the company reported strong gold results from its Diucon deposit at Hemi, located in Western Australia.

The new resource definition results include:

• 63 metres at 4.3grams of gold per tonne from 87 metres in drill hole HERC770
• 9m @ 3.0g/t Au from 83.2m in HEDD106, and
• 27m @ 5.3g/t Au from 55m in HERC787

According to the release, extension and infill drilling are both currently underway at the miner’s Diucon and Eagle projects. Reverse circulation (RC) and diamond holes are targeting depth extensions and additional lodes to the south.

Management commentary

Commenting on the results, De Grey’s general manager exploration, Phil Tornatora said:

Recent drilling at Diucon has increased the depth of mineralisation to approximately 550 metres below surface. Zones of higher gold grades, commonly associated with visible gold, continue to be intersected.

The southern lodes have been tested to a maximum depth of only around 200 metres vertically, and drilling is extending these at depth. In addition, the main zones of mineralisation continue to be extended along strike to the west and at depth, all of which are expected to contribute to an upgraded resource base at Diucon.

Tornatora added that De Grey is also conducting infill drilling it increase the resource confidence from JORC Inferred to Indicated classification.

De Grey Mining share price snapshot

The De Grey Mining share price is up 9% since this time last year. That’s right in line with the 9% gains posted by the All Ords over the past 12 months.

Over the past month, shares in De Grey Mining are down 5%.

The post Why the De Grey Mining (ASX:DEG) share price is storming 7% higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Macquarie (ASX:MQG) upgraded these ASX gold shares to ‘buy’ for 2022

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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Friday is proving to be disastrous for the Openpay Group Ltd (ASX: OPY) share price, and the buy now, pay later (BNPL) sector in general.

The industry’s pain comes amid the launch of an inquiry into BNPL companies by the United States’ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

At the time of writing, the Openpay share price is 84.5 cents, 6.11% lower than its previous close.

For context, the broader market is currently in the green. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 0.56% while the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has gained 0.47%.

Let’s take a look at what’s going on with ASX-listed BNPL providers on Friday.

Openpay share price tumbles alongside BNPL peers’

The Openpay share price is suffering today, but at least it’s not alone.

Right now, the share price of the sector’s biggest participant, Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) is experiencing a 7% fall, while that of Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) has tumbled 5%. Sezzle Inc‘s (ASX: SZL) stock is also trading 6% lower.

Interestingly, the Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM) share price is bucking the trend, recording a 1.4% gain.

Looking internationally, the Affirm Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: AFRM) share price fell 10.5% overnight, while that of Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL) slipped 1%.  

CFPB launches inquiry into BNPL services

United States’ financial law implementation and enforcement body, CFPB, is concerned about the burgeoning BNPL industry’s effects on the health of the financial sector and consumers’ finances.

In reaction to its worries, it has launched an inquiry into the industry. The inquiry will focus on debt levels, regulatory conformity, and data collections.

It’s put the call out to 5 industry giants, Afterpay, Zip, Paypal, Affirm, and Klarna, to provide information on the pros and cons of their services.

According to CFPB director Rohit Chopra, the body will use the information collected from the companies to “report to the public about industry practices and risks”.

The entity is working with its international partners to conduct the inquiry. It specifies such partners exist in Australia.

Right now, the Openpay share price is 64% lower than it was at the start of 2021. It has also slipped 27% since this time last month.

The post Openpay (ASX:OPY) share price sinks 6% in grim day for ASX BNPL shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Openpay (ASX:OPY) share price pushes higher on American Express deal

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. owns and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Humm Group Limited and PayPal Holdings. 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 ReadyTech Holdings Ltd (ASX: RDY) share price is marching higher today, up almost 3% at the time of writing.

The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is in the green too, up a more subdued 0.48%.

ReadyTech, an SaaS business, is focused on providing cloud-based software to the education, employment and government sectors.

Below we take a look at the acquisition announcement that looks to be driving investor interest in the ASX tech share.

What acquisition was announced?

The ReadyTech share price is gaining after it reported it has acquired Open Windows Software Pty Ltd.

Open Windows provides source-to-contract management modules to private and government customers, with most of its customers in local and state government.

According to the release, ReadyTech will pay $4.8 million upfront for the acquisition. That consists of just over $4 million in cash from its cash reserves, with the remaining $768,000 to be paid in ReadyTech shares.

ReadyTech will also pay up to $9.5 million in deferred consideration, which it reports “will be structured into milestone earnouts over 4.5 years”. That will be paid in a combination of shares and cash.

The acquisition was completed yesterday. The company expects it to deliver recurring revenue of $1.5 million in FY22.

Commenting on the acquisition, ReadyTech CEO Marc Washbourne said:

Open Windows has a strong reputation for its modular SaaS based approach, unique workflow process design, modern user interface, and ability to handle the complex requirements of multi-party contract management and procurement supply chains.

Open Windows further fortifies ReadyTech’s product-market fit and is suitable to cross-sell to a broad range of our customer base. In particular, Open Windows’ focus on local government makes it a highly strategic and compelling fit for our Government & Justice segment.

ReadyTech share price snapshot

At $3.66, the ReadyTech share price is up an impressive 80% since this time last year. By comparison, the All Ords has gained just over 9% in the last 12 months.

Over the past month, ReadyTech shares have lost around 8%.

The post ReadyTech (ASX:RDY) share price leaps on $14 million acquisition appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Latrobe Magnesium (ASX:LMG) share price on the slide today?
• Why the Audio Pixels (ASX:AKP) share price is shooting 32% higher
• Could 2022 be the year ASX 200 tech shares get some love?
• What’s dragging the Incannex (ASX:IHL) share price 5% lower today?
• BNPL whacked! Why the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price is down 7% to a new 52-week low today

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Readytech Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Readytech Holdings 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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The Latrobe Magnesium Limited (ASX: LMG) share price is heading south on Friday. This comes after the magnesium producer announced an update on the revised terms of a project finance facility.

During early afternoon trade, Latrobe Magnesium shares are swapping hands for 9.4 cents, down 5.05%. It’s worth noting that the Latrobe Magnesium share price has lost more than 20% in value over the past month.

Latrobe Magnesium renegotiates contract terms

Investors are selling Latrobe Magnesium shares despite the company successfully renegotiating more favourable contract terms.

In its release, Latrobe Magnesium advised that the interest rate on its $23 million project finance facility has been amended. The reduced 12% interest payable follows close discussions with RnD Funding, which has agreed to the new terms.

Latrobe Magnesium noted that the lower interest rate is a function of the additional security available to RnD Funding. This follows Latrobe Magnesium’s purchase this week of the property at 20 Tramway Road, Hazelwood North for $4.5 million.

In addition, the company is expecting to receive between $12 million to $15 million of R&D tax refunds until 23 October 2023. Depending on the amount and time that the incentivised payment is collected, Latrobe Magnesium stated that the effective interest rate could be closer to 10%.

When the loan is first drawn down, the term is 5 years. However, the company intends to refinance the balance to make it as cost-effective as possible. Latrobe Magnesium estimates that this will occur in or about October 2023 at an interest rate of about 6% per annum.

About the Latrobe Magnesium share price

Over the past 12 months, Latrobe Magnesium shares have accelerated by 370%.

Based on today’s price, Latrobe Magnesium presides a market capitalisation of $147.28 million. It has approximately 1.57 billion shares outstanding.

The post Why is the Latrobe Magnesium (ASX:LMG) share price on the slide today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s why the Latrobe Magnesium (ASX:LMG) share price is tumbling 7% today
• What’s happening to the Latrobe Magnesium (ASX:LMG) share price today?
• Here’s why the Latrobe Magnesium (ASX:LMG) share price is sinking 7% 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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The Audio Pixels Holdings Ltd (ASX: AKP) share price has returned from its trading halt and is shooting higher.

In afternoon trade, the Israel-based digital speaker developer’s shares are up a massive 32% to $25.10.

Why is the Audio Pixels share price shooting higher?

The catalyst for the rise in the Audio Pixels share price on Friday has been the release of an announcement relating to its long-developed digital loudspeaker products.

According to the release, the company has signed a comprehensive agreement with Earth Mountain (Shanghai) Intelligent Technology to mass produce Audio Pixels’ transformational digital loudspeaker products.

While details on Earth Mountain (Shanghai) Intelligent Technology are very limited on the internet, the release explains that it is a full-service semiconductor company with a focus on the mass commercialisation of devices and systems rooted in Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS).

A search also shows that Earth Mountain was founded by representatives of Israel-based ORAD Ltd, which specialises in solutions for complex technology multidisciplinary projects in security and in perimeter protection.

The agreement

The agreement sees Earth Mountain guarantee Audio Pixels with a long-term resilient supply of tens of millions of digital loudspeaker chips per year from the first quarter of 2022. Though, it is important to note that this is not a sales order but merely the promise of supply if sales are made.

Former poker play and current Audio Pixel’s Chairman, Fred Bart, commented: “This agreement with EM represents a major milestone toward the commercialization of our technologies is all the more valuable given that it comes at a time when industry at large is struggling to secure semiconductor fabrication capacity. Our collaboration with EM enables us to expedite and broaden the number of customers and applications for our ground-breaking technologies”

Earth Mountain’s CEO, Helen Du, said: “We are excited to be a part of Audio Pixels’ international ambitions to transition sound reproduction technologies into the digital era. We hope to expand our relationship in AKP beyond this fabrication and commercialization agreement to include promotion, distribution and support for the products throughout greater China.”

The post Why the Audio Pixels (ASX:AKP) share price is shooting 32% higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Could 2022 be the year ASX 200 tech shares get some love?
• What’s dragging the Incannex (ASX:IHL) share price 5% lower today?
• BNPL whacked! Why the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price is down 7% to a new 52-week low today
• Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price lifts despite lithium project plans suspended following protests
• Here’s why the Leigh Creek (ASX:LCK) share price is crashing 8% downstream today

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

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This year has been a brutal one for investors of tech shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

Not so long ago, companies in the information technology space were the darlings of the Australian share market. The allure of potentially far superior returns (even multibaggers) within the space attracted new investors hand over fist. In turn, we witnessed the creation of the ‘WAAAX‘ shares and a new ASX index known as the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX).

However, the tides shifted throughout this year as fears of higher interest rates strained valuations of ASX 200 tech shares. To put it into perspective, only two of the five WAAAX shares have posted a positive return this year.

Despite a fruitless 2021, could the tech sector be the recipient of some affection next year?

Fund managers hone in on tech shares for 2022

If the Sohn Hearts & Minds Investment Conference earlier this month was anything to go by, fund managers are locking onto the unloved sector. Nearly two-thirds of the 13 stock picks at the conference fell into the tech category. Though only one pure tech play featured in the list was a constituent of the ASX 200.

The one ASX 200 tech share making the cut was multi-cloud connectivity provider, Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1). Unlike many other ASX-listed tech shares, the company founded by Bevan Slattery managed to outperform the benchmark index this year — rising 28.5%.

However, investing great Charlie Munger delivered a shot across the bow to investors at the conference. The other half of the iconic duo at Berkshire Hathaway warned that valuations still looked crazier than in the dotcom era. A broad market rally has Munger believing equities are expensive, especially for ‘great’ companies.

ASX 200 tech shares experts are keeping an eye on

Let’s take a quick look at a couple of ASX 200 tech shares that have made it onto the experts’ ‘good’ list coming up to Christmas.

The first company that could be looking attractive as we head into 2022 is Life360 Inc (ASX: 360). The family safety app provider is a buy for Tribeca Investment Partners’ Jun Bei Liu and Market Matters’ James Gerrish. A combination of high organic growth and reasonable valuation has this tech company ripe for the picking in the eyes of these experts.

Another ASX 200 tech share that has investors intrigued coming up to the end of the year is Tyro Payments Ltd (ASX: TYR). The payments solution company is a buy for Gerrish — looking out 12 months from now, the fund manager reckons total transaction value should increase ‘very strongly’.

The post Could 2022 be the year ASX 200 tech shares get some love? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This top fund manager just called these leading ASX shares a buy
• Top broker names the best ASX tech shares to buy in 2022
• 3 excellent ASX growth shares to buy right now
• Down 25% in six months, is the Tyro (ASX:TYR) share price now a bargain buy?
• 3 hot ASX tech shares to buy in 2022

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Life360, Inc., MEGAPORT FPO, and Tyro Payments. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO and Tyro Payments. 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 Incannex Healthcare Ltd (ASX: IHL) share price is in the red today after a company update on its potential NASDAQ listing.

Shares in the medicinal cannabis company were swapping hands at 47.5 cents at the time of writing, down 5%.

Let’s delve into what might be weighing on the Incannex share price today.

What did the company announce?

Incannex is planning an initial public offering (IPO) on the United States NASDAQ exchange early next year under the ticker NASDAQ: IXHL.

As reported by my Foolish colleague Zach, the company filed the F-1 form for listing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission back in August.

However, the company advised today that shareholder approval for the issue of 180 million shares as part of the offering had now expired.

The number and price of the American Depositary Shares to be issued under the potential offering still needs to be decided.

Despite this, Incannex informed investors it was still in a position to conduct an offering in January 2022.

The company told investors it had taken several months to address comments raised by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. However, these issues have now been “adequately addressed”.

The company is seeking a dual listing, so Incannex shares will continue to be listed on the ASX during and after the potential US offering.

Management comment

Commenting on today’s update, CEO and managing director Joel Latham said:

We are grateful to our team for their work on the registration process and now look forward to marketing the offering and listing on Nasdaq in January when institutional investors are back on deck after the relatively short winter holiday period in the northern hemisphere.

It’s been a momentous year for Incannex with six research and development programs that continue to progress rapidly.

Incannex Healthcare share price snapshot

The Incannex share price has gained a whopping 206% since January this year.

However, shares in the company have dived nearly 10% in the past week and 15% in the last month.

Based on the current share price, Incannex has a market capitalisation of roughly $574 million.

The post What’s dragging the Incannex (ASX:IHL) share price 5% lower today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These were the top performing ASX cannabis shares in November
• These were the 5 best performing ASX healthcare shares in November

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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Much to the relief of ASX investors no doubt, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is actually enjoying a day in the green so far this Friday.

At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is up a healthy 0.49% at 7,331 points. That may come as a reprieve to many investors, who have had to watch the ASX 200 go backwards for most of the week.

But somehow, no one told buy now, pay later (BNPL) shares like Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT).

BNPL shares are getting whacked on the ASX boards today and poster child and pioneer Afterpay is taking the brunt of it. The Afterpay share price is currently down a nasty 7.37% and is going for $82.90 right now.

Earlier in today’s session, Afterpay shares hit $81.30, which is a new 52-week low for the company. Afterpay hasn’t seen that kind of pricing for its stock since early October last year.

But it’s not just Afterpay. The entire ASX BNPL sector is awash with red ink today. Look at Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P). Zip shares are down 6.29% to $4.17 after also hitting a new 52-week low earlier today at $4.05.

Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL) is down 7.12% to $3. And Openpay Group Ltd (ASX: OPY) has lost 6.11% at 85 cents a share. All 4 of these BNPL shares have hit 52-week lows today.

BNPL share Afterpay hits 52-week low

So we don’t need to look too far to see what’s going on here. As we covered this morning, these falls come amid a new probe into the BNPL sector that has just been launched by the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

This probe is examing whether the US BNPL space needs further regulation. While only Afterpay and Zip are being targeted by this investigation, the fallout seems to be extending to other ASX BNPL shares, going by the above share price movements.

Circling back to the Afterpay share price, it wouldn’t have helped that the Block Inc (NYSE: SQ) share price fell by more than 4.5% overnight as well.

Block (formerly known as Square) is the company set to acquire Afterpay in the next few months. Since Afterpay shareholders are to receive a fixed ratio of 0.375 Block shares for every Afterpay share they own, any falls in the Block share price reduces the value of this takeover for Afterpay investors.

So not a good day at all for ASX BNPL investors this Friday.

The Afterpay share price is now down more than 30% in 2021 so far.

The post BNPL whacked! Why the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price is down 7% to a new 52-week low today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: BNPL shares sold off, Corporate Travel returns
• Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price dives 8% amid US concerns and Sezzle merger rumbles
• ASX BNPL shares tumble today amid US probe
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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns Block, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Block, Inc., and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. 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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