• Why did the Novonix (ASX:NVX) share price leap 6% on Thursday?

    green fully charged battery symbol surrounded by green charge lights

    The Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX) share price surged higher today despite no news having been released by the company.

    In fact, the last time the market heard price-sensitive news from Novonix was way back in August. But the silence seemingly hasn’t deterred the market from driving the company’s stock’s value higher.

    As of Thursday’s close, the Novonix share price is $5.39, 5.89% higher than it was at Wednesday’s close.

    Let’s take a look at what might have driven the Novonix share price today.

    Quick refresher

    Novonix is a battery and technology company that operates in two segments.

    First, Novonix’s battery testing solutions develops battery testing equipment. It’s focused on using Ultra-High Precision Coulometry to help create reliable lifetime evaluation of lithium-ion cells.

    Meanwhile, the company’s PUREgraphite business creates environmentally friendly graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

    What drove the Novonix on the ASX today?

    There was no obvious reason for the rise in the Novonix share price today. However, it wasn’t alone in its gains. Many ASX battery material stocks were in the green today.

    The share price of Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO), which is working to supply lithium to the battery and electric vehicle industry, surged 17% today.

    Lithium-sulphur battery company, Li-S Energy Ltd (ASX: LIS), was also up 2.8%. Finally, lithium carbonate supplier and boron producer, Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE) gained 2.2%.

    Perhaps battery-focused shares were spurred on by the potential for Australia to set a net zero emissions target ahead of next month’s COP 26 UN Global Climate Conference.

    According to reporting by SBS, the Liberals and Nationals are at odds over setting a net zero emissions target for 2050, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison pushing to get a plan in place before the Glasgow summit.

    Such discussions could be bolstering interest in companies working in the climate-friendly battery sector.

    Not to mention, Thursday was a good day on the broader market. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was up 0.7% and the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) gained 0.8%.

    Novonix share price snapshot

    Today’s gains are only the latest for the Novonix share price, which has been performing brilliantly on the ASX lately.

    It has gained 334% since the start of 2021. It is also 376% higher than it was this time last year.

    The post Why did the Novonix (ASX:NVX) share price leap 6% on Thursday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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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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  • Why is the Pushpay (ASX:PPH) share price struggling lately?

    a man sits with hands in prayer at a desk with books and a computer.

    Since 17 September 2021, the Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH) share price has fallen by around 6%.

    The electronic donation ASX share has been going through a lot of change since the onset of COVID-19.

    Investors may not know what to make of the business in the current environment.

    Pushpay itself said it’s continuing to expect strong revenue growth in FY22 (and beyond) as continues to execute on its strategy to increase its market share, innovate its products, carry out acquisitions and expanding into the Catholic market.

    What is Pushpay expecting in FY22?

    In FY22, Pushpay said it was expecting to achieve earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, foreign exchange and impairments (EBITDAFI) of between US$64 million to US$69 million. However, it said that uncertainties and impacts surrounding COVID-19 and the broader US economic environment remain.

    But the above numbers include the impact of its plans to invest in the Catholic segment.

    In the long-term, Pushpay is targeting to increase the appeal of its products to new customers and increase the revenue per customer through continued innovation, and acquisitions.

    Pushpay’s Catholic initiative is its first step in investing to grow its customer base outside of its existing core base.

    Management have set a goal of acquiring more than 25% of the Catholic church management system and donor management system market over the next five years.

    The ASX share pointed out that the Catholic church is closely associated with many education providers and non-profit organisations, which can present further opportunities within the US and other international jurisdictions. Acquisitions also provide opportunities to expand the customer base and to deliver new products that can be sold into the existing customer base more rapidly than could be achieved organically.

    Excluding the impact of the investment into the Catholic initiative, Pushpay said it was expecting to achieve EBITDAFI for FY22 from its business of between US$66 million to US$71 million.

    What else has made headlines?

    The Pushpay share price may also be impacted by the acquisition of Resi Media.

    Resi Media is a US-based market-leading streaming solutions provider, servicing more than 70% of the Outreach 100 largest churches in the US.

    Pushpay said this was a strategically compelling acquisition of a market-leading, faith-focused streaming platform to broaden its core product offering.

    Management also said that this adds a further stream of high growth and high margin software as a service (SaaS) revenue. It also brings a large total addressable market across all church segments, non-profit organisations and other verticals.

    Pushpay thinks this has material synergy opportunities through product cross-selling and integration with Pushpay’s sales and marketing engine.

    In FY21, Resi Media had $12.9 million of annual recurring revenue (ARR), with 101% revenue growth. It had a total of 3,374 customers, with 314% customer growth compared to FY20. The net revenue retention rate was more than 100%.

    The post Why is the Pushpay (ASX:PPH) share price struggling lately? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    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 PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Why the HUB24 (ASX:HUB) share price jumped 11% to a record high today

    A young man pointing up looking amazed, indicating a surging share price movement for an ASX company

    The HUB24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) share price was in exceptionally strong form on Thursday.

    The investment platform provider’s shares were up as much as 11% to a record high of $31.83 at one stage.

    The HUB24 share price ultimately ended the day with a gain of almost 9% to $31.25.

    Why did the HUB24 share price rocket higher?

    Investors were bidding the HUB24 share price higher today after the release of a very strong first quarter update.

    According to the release, the company achieved record first quarter funds under administration (FUA) net inflows of $3 billion. This brought its total FUA to $63.2 billion, which is an increase of 229.1% over the prior corresponding period.

    This was driven by a 139% jump in platform FUA to $45.4 billion and Portfolio, Administration and Reporting Services (PARS) FUA of $17.8 billion. The latter business was acquired from Ord Minnett in December 2020 and therefore was not part of the company in the prior corresponding period.

    Netwealth also impresses

    It wasn’t just HUB24 that delivered strong growth in the first quarter. The Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL) share price also surged higher today following the release of its own quarterly update. This appears to have given investor sentiment in the industry a real boost today.

    According to its release, Netwealth reported record net inflows of $4 billion for the quarter. This took Netwealth’s FUA to $52 billion, which represents an increase of 52.7% over the prior corresponding period and 10.2% quarter on quarter.

    Is the HUB24 share price a buy?

    Earlier this week the team at Credit Suisse put an outperform rating and $34.00 price target on the company’s shares.

    Based on the current HUB24 share price of $31.25, this still implies potential upside of almost 9% for investors.

    And it is worth noting that the broker has yet to respond to this and could amend its price target higher (or lower) in the coming days once it has run the rule over this update.

    This could make it worth keeping a close eye on HUB24 shares.

    The post Why the HUB24 (ASX:HUB) share price jumped 11% to a record high today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in HUB24 right now?

    Before you consider HUB24, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and HUB24 wasn’t one of them.

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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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 shares of and has recommended Hub24 Ltd and Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24 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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  • WAM Capital (ASX:WAM) share price hits 52-week high amid investment update

    happy group of people

    The WAM Capital Ltd (ASX: WAM) share price has enjoyed a pretty fabulous day of trading on the ASX boards this Thursday.

    At first glance, WAM’s gain of 0.42% to $2.39 a share doesn’t seem that noteworthy. It didn’t even do as well as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which closed up 0.54% to 7,311 points.

    But when you consider that $2.39 is WAM Capital’s 52-week high, you can understand why some WAM Capital shareholders might be in a celebratory mood today.

    It comes after Wilson Asset Management (the WAM in WAM Capital) released its latest investment update. Wilson releases an update for all of its listed investment companies (LICs), including WAM Capital, every month.

    And today, the update for September dropped at around midday.

    What did Wilson say about WAM?

    To kick things off, Wilson reported that WAM Capital’s net tangible assets (NTA) per share stood at $1.98. That’s up around half a percentage point from the $1.97 per share that this LIC reported last month for August.

    Since they are what’s known as closed-ended investment vehicles, an LIC can either trade at a premium or a discount to its underlying NTA. Usually, LICs with a strong performance history or high dividend yields command a premium. Conversely, LICs that don’t enjoy as much investor confidence can trade at a discount.

    We can probably put WAM Capital in the former camp. That’s because even though WAM Capital only had $1.98 in assets per share as of 30 September, it was trading with a share price of $2.37.

    At today’s price of $2.38, this LIC now has a premium to its underlying NTA of around 20%.

    WAM also told investors that WAM Capital managed to outperform the All Ordinaries Total Accumulation Index (ASX: XAOA) over September. It also announced that it has added to its profit reserve (from which it pays out dividends).

    This LIC now has 28.2 cents per share in its reserve. That’s up from 27.9 cents last month. Since WAM Capital’s annual dividend is sitting at 15.5 cents per share, this indicates WAM has enough gas in the tank to fund it for at least another 12-18 months.

    Some of the companies this LIC is currently invested in include Pact Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: PGH), Virgin Money UK (ASX: VUK)Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL), and Carsales.com Ltd (ASX: CAR).

    At the current WAM Capital share price, this LIC has a market capitalisation of $2.09 billion. It also has a dividend yield of 6.5%.

    The post WAM Capital (ASX:WAM) share price hits 52-week high amid investment update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in WAM Capital right now?

    Before you consider WAM Capital, you’ll want to hear this.

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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

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  • Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

    Top 10 - asx shares today

    Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) broke its losing streak with a green session. The benchmark index climbed 0.54% to 7,311.7 points.

    There was plenty of gains to be had across the top 200 on Thursday. Though, the most substantial increases were seen in tech shares and miners. Meanwhile, oil producers underperformed as the price for the commodity took a hit overnight.

    However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the ten stocks that rose to the occasion:

    Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

    Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the financial management platform ascended 15.89%. This impressive performance followed a positive quarterly update from the company, showing record net inflows. Find out more about Netwealth Group here.

    The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR). The minerals explorer with exposure to lithium rallied 14.29% despite no announcements from the company. Uncover the latest Liontown Resources details here.

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

    ASX-listed company Share price Price change
    Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL) $16.56 15.89%
    Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) $1.60 14.29%
    Wisetech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) $53.73 7.61%
    Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) $17.70 6.82%
    Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX) $5.38 5.70%
    Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) $2.07 5.61%
    Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) $143.22 5.41%
    South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) $3.84 5.21%
    Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) $3.91 5.11%
    Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) $6.81 4.93%
    Data as at 3:49pm AEDT

    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.

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Lynas Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended MEGAPORT FPO, Netwealth, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Netwealth, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT 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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  • Blackmores (ASX:BKL) share price lifts as boardroom battle heats up

    Two people jump in the air in a fighting stance, indicating a battle between rival ASX shares

    The Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL) share price is edging 1.23% higher in late afternoon trade today. Shares are now changing hands at $97.73 apiece.

    That’s a shade off the health supplements giant’s 52-week closing high of $99.80 on 31 August, despite no market-sensitive information out of the company.

    What’s happening with Blackmores?

    There’s nothing remarkable that may directly explain the gains in the Blackmores share price today.

    However, Blackmores shareholders have endured a bumpy ride these past 2 months, after reports surfaced of an internal dispute between its key stakeholders.

    Apparently, Blackmores’ biggest shareholder, Marcus Blackmore, is unhappy with how the board’s chairperson, Anne Templema-Jones, is guiding the company, and the decision not to appoint former Pharmacy Guild president George Tambassis to the board.

    Blackmore is also reportedly seeking more diversity on the board. Additonally, he wants more inclusion from the pharmaceutical industry, given around 75% of its products are sold through Australian pharmacies.

    As such, the almost 20% owner of the company is threatening to vote against the re-election of Templeman-Jones as chair.

    Now it appears Blackmores is back on the offensive, with reports surfacing it has engaged proxy solicitation firm Georgeson as mediator ahead of its AGM later this month.

    According to reporting from The Australian, Georgeson has been contacting Blackmores’ shareholders to request their voting intentions.

    This comes alongside a discrepancy where Tambassis is unable to obtain the email addresses and phone numbers of the company’s shareholders, in order to advocate for his election.

    According to Blackmores, it doesn’t store this data – only the postal addresses of its shareholders.

    And the divide between the Blackmores name bearer and its chairperson is increasingly obvious when peeling back the layers.

    Templeman-Jones purportedly engaged a recruitment firm to rebuild the company’s board. On the other hand, Blackmore has engaged investment banking advisory firm Rothschild for the matter.

    Each corner holds a different view on where to steer the company, and this is sure to play out at the Blackmores’ AGM on 27 October.

    Blackmores share price snapshot

    The Blackmores share price has climbed 29% this year to date. This comes after it jumped by $22 a share in just over a week back in August.

    It’s rallied 7.5% over the past month, which has bought its return in the last year to 49%.

    These returns are each well ahead of the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)’s climb of around 19% in that time.

    The post Blackmores (ASX:BKL) share price lifts as boardroom battle heats up appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    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 owns shares of and has recommended Blackmores Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price climbs amid news of latest green push

    A woman in a hard hat and overalls with high visibility stripes sits at the wheel of a large mining vehicle with mining equipment in the background.

    The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price is up 2%. To put that into context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is also up 0.95%.

    However, there is reporting by Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) that Rio Tinto is considering a green push.

    How is Rio Tinto considering going greener?

    The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that Rio Tinto is investigating using biomass to replace coal in the steelmaking process. Coal has a reputation of producing a lot of emissions.

    There has apparently been years of research and now it is testing the process, which is patent-pending, that combines raw plant matter with microwave technology to remove oxygen from iron ore and turn it into metallic iron.

    If this test is successful, then there is the potential for it to be “developed at commercial scale to help drive down the greenhouse gases emitted by the carbon-heavy steel mills.”

    According to the SMH reporting, the biomass would count as carbon neutral because the “carbon dioxide released during combustion would initially have been absorbed from the atmosphere during a plant’s lifetime.”

    Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Simon Trott was quoted by the SMH:

    We are encouraged by early testing results of this new process, which could provide a cost-efficient way to produce low-carbon steel from our Pilbara iron ore.

    More than 70 per cent of Rio Tinto’s Scope 3 emissions are generated as customers process our iron ore into steel, which is critical for urbanisation and infrastructure development as the world’s economies decarbonise. While it’s still early days…we are keen to explore further development of this technology.

    How else is Rio Tinto planning to go greener?

    The Rio Tinto share price may be influenced in the future by its Jadar project.

    It has committed $2.4 billion to the lithium-borates project in Serbia, one of the world’s largest greenfield lithium projects. However, it remains subject to receiving all relevant, approvals, permits and licences.

    Rio Tinto said that the Jadar project would scale up Rio Tinto’s exposure to battery materials, and demonstrate the company’s commitment to investing capital in a disciplined manner to further strengthen its portfolio for the global energy transition.

    Jadar will position Rio Tinto as the largest source of lithium supply in Europe for at least the next 15 years. In addition, Jadar will produce borates, which are used in solar panels and wind turbines.

    This could be a very large investment for Serbia, contributing 1% directly and 4% indirectly to GDP. The mine has a 40-year life.

    First saleable production is expected in 2026 at a time of strong market fundamentals for lithium, demand is expected to grow by an average of 25% to 35% per annum over the next decade. Full production will occur in 2029, where it will produce around 58,000 tonnes of lithium. This will make Rio Tinto one of the top ten lithium producers in the world.

    The post Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price climbs amid news of latest green push appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Rio Tinto right now?

    Before you consider Rio Tinto, you’ll want to hear this.

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

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

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  • Own Afterpay (ASX:APT) shares? This little-known company is aiming to disrupt the BNPL sector

    A little girl wearing wonky glasses checks out what's happening in the world on a mobile phone.

    If you own Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) shares, it can be useful to check in on what peers are up to in the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space.

    While the payments company headed up by Nick Molnar and Anthony Eisen might be one of the most recognisable BNPL players, there are smaller competitors sprouting — putting their own spin on things. One such company is the brand-first payment platform provider, Limepay.

    At present, the Afterpay share price is fetching $120.90, up 4.68% from its previous close.

    A different take on BNPL

    In a media release yesterday, Limepay announced the appointment of a new CEO in Willie Pang. From here, Pang will lead the company as it embarks on its renewed business strategy.

    Limepay is a little different from your stereotypical ASX-listed BNPL company. For starters, it isn’t publically listed — but more importantly — it offers a white-label solution. This means merchants can provide alternative payments without redirecting customers to a third party such as Afterpay.

    In fact, in the July 2021 FT Partners’ Fintech Industry Research Report, Limepay was named the only white-label BNPL provider in the Oceania region.

    The distinction is something that the smaller BNPL competitor is proud of, with a different business vision than most. Unlike others, Limepay wants to put the control, knowledge, and ownership of the customer back in the hands of brands. However, Afterpay shares appear unfazed today as the price rallies.

    Commenting on his recent appointment, Limepay CEO Willie Pang stated:

    Limepay has always set out to do something different; to flip the digital payments landscape on its head. Our broader mission is to empower brands to build longer, stronger and ultimately more loyal customer relationships.

    We now have a renewed commitment to providing solutions beyond BNPL – including pay in full, pay later, pay in installments, subscription and in-store options – so brands can own the entire payments experience for their customers.

    We know that Afterpay’s growth has been considerable, typically doubling across most of its metrics year on year. So, how does Limepay’s growth stack up against the ASX-listed giant? Well, the release indicates that underlying merchant sales grew by 1,100% year-over-year in FY21. As of now, Limepay boasts over 100 active merchants including Puma, EB Games, and Ecosa.

    Could Limepay join Afterpay shares on the ASX?

    Interestingly, Limepay was set for an initial public offering (IPO) to list on the ASX earlier in the year. However, those plans were muddied after co-founder and chief revenue officer, Daniel Peters, resigned suddenly after raising nearly $30 million in venture capital.

    Since then, Limepay’s financial adviser noted that the company would apply a “wait and see approach” to joining Afterpay shares on the ASX. Although, yesterday’s release gave no additional detail regarding a future listing.

    The post Own Afterpay (ASX:APT) shares? This little-known company is aiming to disrupt the BNPL sector appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of 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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  • Why did the Western Areas (ASX:WSA) share price just hit an 18-month high?

    excited man reaching new record high on mountain side

    After a week of generally strong performance, the Western Areas Ltd (ASX: WSA) share price has reached its highest point in nearly 2 years.

    The nickel producer’s stock has been gaining nearly every session since last Thursday, clocking up an extra 11.7% of value in that time.

    As a result, the Western Areas share price reached a high of $3.33 in intraday trade today – the highest it’s been since the end of October 2019.

    At the time of writing, it has dropped to trade at $3.28. Though, that’s still 2.34% higher than its previous close.

    So, what might have spurred Western Areas’ stock to soar to long-forgotten heights? Let’s take a look.

    Western Areas looks to the future

    The reason behind the Western Areas share price’s recent surge is a mystery. However, the company did release its non-price sensitive annual report this afternoon.

    In its annual report, the company’s leaders reminisced on financial year 2021 – a year in which Western Areas struggled against COVID-19 and lessening production at its Forrestania operations.

    Forrestania is now a maturing operation and it brought in lower grades of nickel in financial year 2021. In fact, relative to financial year 2020, nickel production at Forrestania was down 23%.

    The company has since implemented a turnaround strategy which has resulted in a rebound of performance.

    Additionally, Western Areas’ Odysseus Mine is fully funded and its development is progressing on schedule.

    Odysseus’ maiden production is expected in financial year 2023, in line with an expected global shortage of nickel.

    The annual report likely didn’t move Western Areas’ shares today, but it might have boosted confidence in the company’s future.

    Western Areas share price snapshot

    It goes without saying, the Western Areas share price has been performing well on the ASX lately.

    It has gained 21% since the start of 2021. It’s also 46% higher than it was this time last year.

    The post Why did the Western Areas (ASX:WSA) share price just hit an 18-month high? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Western Areas right now?

    Before you consider Western Areas, you’ll want to hear this.

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    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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  • Could the Appen (ASX:APX) share price jump to $17 by Christmas?

    a woman holds her hand out under a graphic hologram image of a human brain with brightly lit segments and section points.

    The Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price has been a strong performer on Thursday.

    In afternoon trade, the artificial intelligence (AI) data services company’s shares are up 6% to $9.31.

    However, despite this strong gain, Appen’s shares are still down a disappointing 63% since the start of the year.

    Could the Appen share price rebound to $17.00 by Christmas?

    Positively for shareholders, one leading broker believes the Appen share price could rise materially from here.

    According to a note out of Citi this week, its analysts have retained their buy rating and $17.00 price target on the company’s shares. Based on the current Appen share price, this implies massive upside of 82% for investors.

    In light of this, Citi appears to see potential for the Appen share price to trade at that level at Christmas. Though, it is worth noting that this price target is for the next 12 months.

    Why is Citi bullish?

    While the broker acknowledges that trading conditions have been tough recently, which explains why Appen’s shares are performing so poorly this year, it remains positive on the long term.

    Citi sees Appen as well placed to benefit from the higher spending on artificial intelligence and expects it to leverage its increased capabilities and expand its addressable market.

    The broker has also previously noted that its industry discussions suggest that demand for human annotated training data is not structurally impaired.

    It also previously suggested that the company could become a takeover target if its shares stay this low for much longer. The broker highlights that rival Lionbridge was acquired by Telus on much higher multiples to those that the Appen share price currently trades on.

    All in all, this could make it one to watch over the coming months.

    The post Could the Appen (ASX:APX) share price jump to $17 by Christmas? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

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

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3v9Gk0M