The Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR) share price has struggled this week, coming off a previous high of $1.405 last week.

However, Gold Road shares have moved into the green today, and are now changing hands at $1.34 each. That’s a 0.37% gain from the market open.

The Gold Road share price is on the move after the company announced acquisition plans for an off-market takeover of Apollo Consolidated Limited (ASX: AOP).

Here’s what we know from the gold producer’s camp today.

Gold Road steps up for takeover bid

Gold Road advised it had made an unconditional, off-market takeover bid to acquire all of the ordinary shares in Apollo it doesn’t already own.

The proposal comes just a few days after Ramelius Resources Limited (ASX: RMS) put forward a conditional cash and scrip offer of 34 cents plus an exchange ratio of 0.1375 Ramelius shares per Apollo share.

At the time, Apollo’s directors unanimously recommended its shareholders accept the offer.

However, Gold Road has since chimed in. It has proposed an all-cash consideration of 56 cents per share to acquire the company. This values Apollo at $166 million on a fully diluted share count basis.

Gold Road says the offer “represents a compelling opportunity for Apollo shareholders to realise certain and near-term value” compared to the Ramelius offer.

Gold Road’s is the superior offer on a cash-for-cash basis. This is because Remelius’ bid implies a total value of 55.4 cents per Apollo share.

In fact, the 56 cents per share on offer signified “the highest price ever paid for an Apollo share”, at the time of the release. However, it represents a roughly 2.5% discount to Apollo’s current price of 58.5 cents.

The release also notes that “several conditions of theirs (Ramelius’ offer) are now incapable of satisfaction”, due to the nature of Ramelius’ “highly conditional” offer.

As it stands, Apollo’s board has recommended its shareholders take no action in respect to the Gold Road offer, until they are able to make an informed decision based on both offers.

There is still a month remaining on the open interest of the Gold Road offer by legislature. That means Apollo shareholders “will have ample time to make a decision after they have received the target’s statement”.

Gold Road share price snapshot

The Gold Road share price has struggled this year to date, having posted a return of about 1% since January 1.

As such, it is in the red by around 9% in the last 12 months, well behind the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)’s climb of about 19% in that time.

The post Gold Road (ASX:GOR) share price edges higher on acquisition news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Gold miners jump, Pro Medicus wins contract
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• These 5 ASX shares are going ex-dividend this week

The author Zach Bristow has no positions 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 Camplify Holdings Ltd (ASX: CHL) share price is racing higher today following a trading update from the company.

At the time of writing, the Camplify share price is $3.80, up 9.51%. It’s worth noting that during morning trade, Camplify shares touched an all-time high of $3.90 before pulling back.

What did Camplify announce?

Camplify is a digital marketplace connecting RV owners with potential hirers in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Spain.

In its release, Camplify reported strong marketplace performance in Q1 FY22, despite the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns in Australia.

While half of the population was severely impacted by travel restrictions, Camplify managed to record growth across key metrics.

Gross transaction volumes (GTV) soared to $10.49 million, an increase of 69% over the prior corresponding period. Revenue also rose to $3.07 million, reflecting a jump of 106% when compared to Q1 FY21. Cash receipts came to $7.68 million.

Camplify advised that growth for the first 3 months of FY22 came predominately from its North Hemisphere operations. Notably, GTV accelerated by 152% in the United Kingdom and 212% in Spain due to the easing of restrictions in both countries.

Operating costs swelled by 30% over the previous quarter. Management noted that this is because of seasonality changes and the Southern Hemisphere lockdown effect.

Marketing costs doubled as additional focus was put on targeting growth in the winter months. The investment in longtail acquisition of RV owners in Australia in preparation for post-lockdown activity contributed to increased marketing spending.

During Q1 FY22, the Camplify marketplace grew by 19,898 customers and saw the total RV fleet reach 6,469.

Camplify noted that as the vaccine rollout continues, unrestricted domestic travel will resume in Australia and New Zealand. The pent-up demand for safe travel is expected to lead to consumers looking for easy holiday options.

About the Camplify share price

Since its initial public offering (IPO) in June, Camplify shares have posted a gain of almost 170% for investors. Its shares have continued on an upwards trend since then, reflecting bullish sentiment on the company.

Based on today’s Camplify share price, the company has a market capitalisation of roughly $102 million with 27 million shares outstanding.

The post Camplify (ASX:CHL) share price leaps 9% on surging customer growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• These were the 5 top performing ASX shares in September

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

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

News broke on Wednesday that PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ: PYPL) may be considering an acquisition of visual search and media company Pinterest (NYSE: PINS). The rumor sent shares of Pinterest soaring. As of 1 p.m. EDT, the stock was up about 13%.

The timing of PayPal’s consideration to buy Pinterest makes sense. The stock has been hammered this year. Before the growth stock‘s bump today, shares were down 16% year to date. Moreover, the stock is down 30% from all time highs — and that includes the stock’s pop on Wednesday.

Given this rumor and the stock’s big gain today, what should investors do?

Buyout rumors: What you need to know

PayPal has been reportedly talking with Pinterest about buying the company for a potential price of $70 per share, Bloomberg News said on Wednesday. This would represent more than a 25% premium for Pinterest stock based on where shares were trading before this rumor started circling.

The photo- and idea-sharing website, which makes most of its money from digital advertising sales, has been morphing into a discovery platform for online purchases. Indeed, just this month, Pinterest announced new features that enabled sellers to upload product catalogs and make them discoverable to target audiences. The evolving shopping aspect of Pinterest’s platform may be one thing that makes the potential acquisition attractive to digital payment juggernaut PayPal.

What should investors do?

Given the stock’s sudden surge, current Pinterest shareholders may be tempted to do some profit-taking. And prospective investors may be considering buying the stock in hopes that the potential acquisition is more than just a rumor. After all, the rumored $70 price tag still represents a 13% premium from where shares are trading at the time of this writing.

While it’s tempting to take action on this news, oftentimes in investing it’s best to lean toward inaction over action.

For investors who already owned Pinterest stock, there was likely something about the underlying business that seemed attractive to them. Pinterest’s core business remains — and it will remain even if the acquisition never pans out. So why sell today?

For investors who didn’t own the stock, there was likely a reason they were avoiding it already — so they shouldn’t rush to buy shares out of speculation that they’ll see a short-term pop. After all, it’s always possible that an acquisition never comes to fruition.

So, are Pinterest shares a buy, sell, or hold today? It’s likely wise to consider them a hold — at least until there’s more clarity about whether the company will remain independent or not. 

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

The post Pinterest stock: Buy, sell, or hold ahead of possible buyout? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why PayPal investors got nervous on Wednesday

Daniel Sparks has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended PayPal Holdings and Pinterest. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2022 $75 calls on PayPal Holdings. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended PayPal Holdings and Pinterest. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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

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The SelfWealth Ltd (ASX: SWF) share price has struggled to make headway this year, down 37% year-to-date. At the time of writing, shares are swapping hands for 34.5 cents apiece — a 2.82% drop on yesterday’s closing price.

Despite its underperformance, the business has managed to deliver very strong growth rates as the Australian investing landscape continues to grow rapidly.

SelfWealth held its annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday, which reiterated some of the company’s key achievements, growth initiatives, and outlook.

SelfWealth’s growth journey so far

The SelfWealth share price slipped 2% in FY21 despite the company delivering record results. These included:

• Revenue surging 135% to $18.4 million;
• Active traders increasing 105% to 95,189;
• Positive operating cash flow of $1.1 million driven by strong revenue growth and disciplined cost control;
• Gross profit margins of 41.4%, up from 33.4% in FY20; and
• US trading launched in December 2020 and adopted by 29% of total active traders within the first six months.

SelfWealth described FY21 as a year where it “refined” vision, transitioning from a sole focus on ASX-listed equities to becoming a much broader wealth creation platform.

What’s next for SelfWealth and its share price?

Investors will be hoping the company’s plans spell good news for the SelfWealth share price. SelfWealth is on a mission to grow its market share to become the second-largest online trading platform (currently No. 4).

The retail trading environment has rapidly evolved in favour of SelfWealth’s business, where its addressable market has doubled since January 2020 thanks to a jump in trading interest.

According to Investment Trends, Selfwealth’s market share is gathering momentum, recently passing a big four bank and currently ranked number 4 for market share.

The AGM slides highlighted SelfWealth as ranked 183 of all websites in Australia. By comparison, Commsec, NAB Trade, CMC, and Stake sit at 58, 225, 346, and 415 respectively.

Looking ahead, SelfWealth has an exciting product roadmap including offering traders new global markets, beta testing for cryptocurrencies, and educational content for members in 2Q22.

The SelfWealth share price remains subdued despite its exciting growth plans and sector tailwinds.

This has happened in the past following the company’s record FY21 full-year results announcement and recent first-quarter activities update.

The post SelfWealth (ASX:SWF) share price falls despite accelerating growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Kerry Sun 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 Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) share price is in the red in late morning trade, down 1.02% to $24.27.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is struggling today too, and is currently up 0.13% after earlier posting an 0.2% loss.

Below, we take a look at the ASX 200 energy company’s quarterly update for the quarter ending 30 September.

What quarterly results did Woodside report?

Woodside reported a 19% quarter-on-quarter revenue boost with Q3 sales revenue of $1.53 billion.

Despite this, the total delivered production of 22.2 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) fell 2% from Q2 2021.

Revenues were boosted by the 28% quarter-on-quarter increase in the average realised price of oil equivalent. The average price in Q3 increased to $59 per barrel.

Among the biggest news of the quarter was Woodside’s merger commitment deed with mining giant BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP). That agreement aims to combine BHP’s oil and gas portfolio with Woodside’s own portfolio.

Meg O’Neill took the helm of the energy giant as CEO and managing director during the quarter.

Commenting on the quarterly results, O’Neill said:

Revenue from LNG sales during the period was 27% higher than the second quarter despite production being impacted by planned maintenance activities at the North West Shelf Project and Pluto LNG…

We expect in the fourth quarter to see the benefit of stronger pricing on our realised prices, reflecting the oil price lag in many of our contracts and recent increases in gas hub prices. Our production guidance remains unchanged at 90-93 MMboe.

On the highly publicised and anticipated merger agreement with BHP, O’Neill added:

The agreement to pursue a proposed merger of Woodside and BHP’s petroleum business is progressing as planned. Execution of a share sale agreement and an integration and transition service agreement is expected in November, in advance of targeted completion in the second quarter of 2022 following all approvals.

Woodside share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the Woodside share price has risen 30%. This compares to a 20% gain for the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO).

Over the past month, Woodside shares have leapt 16% higher as global demand for oil increases.

The post Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price dips despite quarterly revenue lift appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
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• Own Woodside (ASX:WPL) shares? Here’s what the World Energy Outlook could signal
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

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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At lunch on Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has recovered from a soft start and is pushing higher. The benchmark index is currently up 0.15% to 7,424.4 points.

Here’s what is happening on the ASX 200 on Thursday:

Aristocrat Leisure share price hits record high

The Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) share price stormed to a record high today. This morning the gaming technology company announced the successful completion of the institutional component of its $1.3 billion entitlement offer. It raised ~$895 million at $41.85 per new share. In addition, a bookbuild for institutional entitlement offer shortfall shares cleared at a price of $47.10 per new share. This represents a premium of $5.25 to the offer price and a 2.8% premium to the Aristocrat share price prior to its trading halt. These funds will be used to acquire London-listed leading global online gambling software and content supplier, Playtech, for $5 billion.

Flight Centre shares sink

The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price is tumbling lower today. This appears to have been driven by the issue of convertible notes. According to the release, the travel agent has raised $400 million through the issue of senior unsecured convertible notes for maturity in 2028. Flight Centre intends to use the net proceeds to pay down existing debt and take advantage of the current ultra-low rates on fixed-rate debt financing to help fund its growth vision into the future.

ANZ notable items

The Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) share price is trading lower on Thursday. This follows the announcement of notable items that will impact its second half profits totalling $129 million after tax. The bank notes that this is the equivalent of 3 basis points of CET1 capital at level two. The majority of this relates to remediation charges of $113 million after tax.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers

The best performer on the ASX 200 on Thursday has been the Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) share price with a 6% gain. This follows the announcement of huge profit growth during the first quarter. The worst performer has been the Flight Centre share price with a 6% decline following its convertible note offering.

The post ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Aristocrat hits record high, Flight Centre sinks appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Travel is opening up. So, why is the Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price still the most shorted on the ASX?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

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 Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Rhythm Biosciences Ltd (ASX: RHY) share price is on the move during late morning trade on Thursday.

This comes after the medical device company provided an update in regards to its colorectal cancer test kit product, ColoSTAT.

At the time of writing, the Rhythm share price is up 10% to $1.32 apiece.

Rhythm progresses towards commercialisation of test kit

In today’s release, Rhythm advised it has continued to conduct confirmatory testing on its ColoSTAT proprietary medical device.

Previously, Rhythm achieved positive results from its Study 6 findings in mid-March. It stated that the ColoSTAT prototype test kit demonstrates an accuracy of 84% sensitivity at 95% specificity.

This means the ColoSTAT blood test is 33% more accurate than the current market standard faecal tests.

Rhythm stated that it is advancing its approval process with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for ColoSTAT. Achieving regulatory approval is the final hurdle for entering the Australian market.

In Europe, Rhythm has submitted its CE Mark application and is anticipating approval by end of the year. The company notes that the recent confirmatory testing is designed to support the criteria required to obtain a CE Mark.

A final study is underway following the completion of the patient recruitment phase last month. Rhythm expects to deliver the report in the first half of 2022.

Rhythm CEO, Glenn Gilbert, said:

Our visible path to market is emerging as our ongoing testing program continues to provide the company with confidence moving through the regulatory phase. The high accuracy of our cancer diagnostics technology has the potential to deliver positive outcomes for millions of people around the world. This is an exciting time for all stakeholders as we focus on the massive global market opportunity ahead of us.

More on ColoSTAT and colorectal cancer

ColoSTAT is an experimental test kit being trialled as a low-cost and easy-to-use blood test that detects colorectal cancer.

An estimated 850,000 people lose their lives from colorectal cancer each year.

In the United States, Europe, and Australia, more than 130 million people aged 50-74 years have not been tested for colorectal cancer. This represents an addressable market opportunity worth more than $6.5 billion.

Rhythm share price snapshot

The Rhythm share price has accelerated by 500% in the past 12 months, reflecting positive investor sentiment.

The shares reached an all-time high of $1.675 in March before some profit-taking investors swooped in.

At today’s price, Rhythm presides a market capitalisation of roughly $281.9 million with 208.8 million shares on issue.

The post Why is the Rhythm (ASX:RHY) share price climbing 10% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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The Pure Hydrogen Corporation CDI (ASX: PH2) share price is surging higher on news the company is branching into hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Pure Hydrogen is acquiring an interest in a hydrogen fuel cell company and plans to make hydrogen-powered trucks and buses for use on Australian roads.

The announcement has spurred excitement from a market that’s recently been spoilt for hydrogen news.

At the time of writing, the Pure Hydrogen share price is 30 cents, 5.17% higher than its previous close.

Let’s take a closer look at what could be the future of Australia’s transport industry.

Pure Hydrogen branches into transport

The Pure Hydrogen share price is gaining after the company announced it’s acquiring a 24% stake in H2X Global Limited.

H2X is a hydrogen-powered vehicle manufacturer with plans to sell hydrogen fuel cell electric utes, vans, SUVs, and minibuses in Australia in the coming years. It’s also developing a range of industrial vehicles.

Together, the companies plan to bring hydrogen-powered trucks and buses to Australia. Pure Hydrogen will be the preferred supplier of H2X’s hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles.

Additionally, Pure Hydrogen plans to establish Pure X Mobility Pty Limited. Pure X Mobility aims to bring trucks for back-to-base operations such as garbage disposal and concrete delivery to Australia.

Pure Hydrogen’s managing director Scott Brown said of the company’s plan:

These industries are logical ‘starters’ for Pure X Mobility as they are short run operators where refuelling can be managed at back-to-base locations. Targeting sectors where we can rapidly bring heavy vehicles to market will be Pure X’s focus and makes logical commercial sense.

Pure Hydrogen has already begun working with truck and bus manufacturers.

The company is planning to announce several off-take and supply arrangements shortly. It also plans to release news of additional partners to help the development and commercialisation of its hydrogen solutions.

As the Motley Fool Australia recently reported, hydrogen could potentially decarbonise an extra 15% of the global economy.

Further, Fortescue Metals Group Limited‘s (ASX: FMG) green-energy subsidiary, Fortescue Future Industries, is working to create one the world’s largest hydrogen equipment manufacturing facilities in regional Queensland.

Pure Hydrogen share price snapshot

The Pure Hydrogen share price has been soaring alongside many of its ASX-listed hydrogen-focused peers lately.

Including today’s gains, it’s about 30% higher than it was at the start of October. It has also gained a whopping 240% since the start of 2021.

The post Pure Hydrogen (ASX:PH2) share price jumps 5% on hydrogen vehicle plans appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why are ASX hydrogen shares in the spotlight on Monday?
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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 Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) share price has been a strong performer on Thursday.

In morning trade, the healthcare company’s shares are up 7% to $4.90.

Why is the Healius share price surging higher?

The Healius share price is storming higher today after investors responded very positively to a first quarter trading update.

According to the release, the company has continued to experience strong demand for COVID-19 testing during the first quarter. So much so, Healius was averaging 40,000 COVID tests per working day during the period.

As you might have guessed from the Healius share price performance, this has underpinned stellar revenue and earnings growth so far in FY 2022.

The release explains that the company’s first quarter revenue increased 43.7% over the prior corresponding period to $689.9 million. And thanks to effective cost control from Phase 1 of the Sustainable Improvement Program, its underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) grew 159% to $201.9 million.

What else did the company say?

While COVID testing was the biggest driver of its strong growth, it wasn’t the only part of the business performing positively.

Management advised that its non-COVID revenue was stronger than expected during the quarter despite the various lockdowns.

Healius’ CEO, Dr Malcolm Parmenter, commented: “For our communities, over and above the COVID testing efforts, Healius continues to deliver essential frontline healthcare services safely, efficiently and effectively through lockdowns and as restrictions lift.”

“With communities now learning to live with COVID and adjusting for the new normal, we expect PCR testing to continue to be pivotal to Australia’s COVID response and the gold standard for testing. As restrictions ease, even with high vaccinations levels, it is expected that the Delta strain will continue to circulate, as evidenced in other international settings. To that end, Healius has invested in additional testing equipment to meet demand for PCR testing and ensure turnaround times are as short as possible, keeping our communities safe,” he added.

What about the future?

Dr Parmenter expects COVID testing to be necessary for the foreseeable future but acknowledges that demand will fluctuate. As a result, no guidance is possible at this point.

He explained: “Looking to the remainder of FY22, we believe COVID PCR testing will be part of the health landscape for years, however, we expect that testing levels will fluctuate. There is also a level of uncertainty in relation to the impacts of economies and borders reopening. Our revenue streams may be affected, both positively and negatively, by government responses to further community outbreaks, including lockdowns, restrictions on clinical activity and the level of funding for COVID testing.“

“Given this uncertainty, we will continue to update the market periodically on our results, rather than provide profit guidance for FY22,” Dr Parmenter concluded.

The post Healius (ASX:HLS) share price jumps 7% following huge Q1 earnings growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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The Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) share price might be worth a look after the company’s latest update.

Kogan is one of Australia’s largest e-commerce retailers, and now also includes the New Zealand Mighty Ape business.

Here are some reasons why Kogan shares could be worth considering:

Return to growth

Earlier in the 2021 calendar year, the business was experiencing a drop off of demand.

However, in the three months to September 2021, Kogan reported that its gross sales were 21.1% higher than the prior corresponding period. Quarter on quarter, gross sales were 23.2% higher to $330.5 million.

Within the gross sales, the company said that Kogan Marketplace gross sales rose by 68.8% quarter on quarter to $110.4 million.

The performance of gross profit was more varied. The gross profit of $52.5 million declined 1.7% year on year, but it was an increase of 31.6% quarter on quarter.

Customer base still increasing strongly

Customers are the driver of more demand for products and services. This is what drives the network effects and can be a help for growing profit, as well as helping the long-term direction of the Kogan share price.

Kogan.com saw active customers increase 30.7% year on year to 3.35 million. Meanwhile, Mighty Ape had 748,000 active customers at 30 September 2021.

The ASX tech share also has a membership service called Kogan First. The number of Kogan First members grew by 171.1% year on year and 64.4% quarter on quarter to 197,000. At the date of the announcement, it had grown to over 210,000 members.

Kogan said that in the first quarter of FY22, it was focused on scaling Kogan First (and Kogan Marketplace).

Continuing to improve

Whilst the second half of FY21 was difficult, Kogan is continuing to work on various parts of its business to capture the large e-commerce opportunity.

Kogan said that it has been trying to improve its logistics and customer service, whilst also driving synergies with the integration of Mighty Ape.

Management said that the company has finally resolved the previous inventory pressures, whilst also closing a number of inefficient overflow warehouses. This reduction in inventory levels led to the company significantly reducing its warehousing costs, delivering an average variable cost saving $0.8 million per month in the first quarter of FY22, compared to the last quarter of FY21.

Inventory reduced from $227.9 million (comprising $191.8 million in the warehouse and $36.1 million in transit) at 30 June 2021, to $194.3 million (comprising $154.2 million in the warehouse and $40.1 million in transit) as at 30 September 2021.

Whilst adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $10.8 million was a decline of 57% year on year, it was a 240.7% increase quarter on quarter.

What is the Kogan share price valuation?

According to Commsec, the Kogan share price is valued at around 27x FY23’s estimated earnings.

The post Why the Kogan (ASX:KGN) share price could be a top buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why A2 Milk, Adairs, Bapcor, and Kogan shares are racing higher
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Kogan jumps, Flight Centre sinks
• Kogan (ASX:KGN) share price surges 8% higher amid strong Q1 sales growth
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Aristocrat’s $5bn acquisition, Zip falls on Q1 update

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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