• Why is the A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price leaping again today?

    A cow leaps into air in front of a cloudy sky.

    The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price is continuing its ascension on the back of yesterday’s 13.3% rally.

    At the time of writing, the fresh milk and infant formula producer’s shares are up 3.57% to $6.81 apiece. However, earlier in the day they were changing hands for as much as $7.23, a gain of almost 10% on yesterday’s closing price.

    Today’s strong performance puts the company’s shares at a 3-month high. However, on paper shareholders are still carrying a heavy 53% loss over the past year.

    The question is: what recent events have led to this share price rejuvenation?

    Positive signs for sales channel

    Investors are turning the A2 Milk share price greener than dairy cow pastures today. This comes amid renewed optimism for the company’s all-important daigou sales channel. This is likely being influenced by two different factors.

    Firstly, the $4.32 billion specialty milk has gained gusto on the back of yesterday’s quarterly update by Bubs Australia Ltd (ASX: BUB). The smaller alternative infant formula company revealed a stellar quarter, with revenue surging 45% from the previous quarter.

    Importantly, Bubs reported a 156% year-on-year resurgence in its Chinese business. Additionally, sales through the daigou channel increased 6.5 times from the prior year. As a result, investors are looking at the potential return of a critical revenue source for A2 Milk.

    Secondly, earlier in October, Australian authorities approved international students vaccinated with Sinovac entry into Australia. This move indicates the potential resumption of Chinese nationals entering Australia and sending infant formula back home.

    What analysts think of the A2 Milk share price

    While the latest news suggests there is light at the end of the tunnel for A2 Milk, analysts at Credit Suisse prefer other opportunities. The broker maintains a price target of $5.50, indicating negative performance to come.

    However, analysts at Citi have taken the other side of the fence on the A2 Milk share price. Presently, the broker holds a $7.20 price target on the milk maker. Behind this optimistic outlook is the belief that demand for the company’s products will improve.

    The post Why is the A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price leaping again today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in A2 Milk right now?

    Before you consider A2 Milk, 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 A2 Milk 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 Mitchell Lawler 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 and BUBS AUST 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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  • Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

    3 asx shares to buy depicted by man holding up hand with 3 fingers up

    Many of Australia’s top brokers have been busy adjusting their financial models again, leading to the release of a large number of broker notes this week.

    Three broker buy ratings that have caught my eye are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

    Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ)

    According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have upgraded this regional bank’s shares to a buy rating with an improved price target of $10.50. Citi notes that the bank delivered an FY 2021 result in line with its expectations and was pleased with its outlook. The broker expects further strong volume growth and discipline on costs to deliver positive jaws. Citi feels this should leave it well positioned versus peers in a slowing revenue environment. The Bank of Queensland share price is trading at $9.39 on Thursday.

    Nitro Software Ltd (ASX: NTO)

    A note out of UBS reveals that its analysts have initiated coverage on this document productivity software company’s shares with a buy rating and $4.70 price target. UBS believes Nitro is well-placed for growth in the coming years and is forecasting strong recurring revenue growth. It also sees significant potential in the company’s NitroSign offering in the US$17 billion e-signing market. The Nitro share price is fetching $3.51 this afternoon.

    Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

    Another note out of Citi reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating and $30.00 price target on this banking giant’s shares. This follows the release of an update which reveals that the bank expects $1.3 billion in notable items with its FY 2021. While Citi was disappointed with this and feels it is a hit to management’s credibility at a time when it is working on bold cost reductions, it remains positive on the bank. This is due largely to the aforementioned cost-base reduction plans. The Westpac share price is trading at $25.52 today.

    The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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    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 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 Baby Bunting and Sonic Healthcare 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 ANZ (ASX:ANZ) dividend yield is topping the big four ASX bank shares

    man laying on his couch with bundles of money and extremely ecstatic about high dividend returns

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having a pretty decent day of gains so far this Thursday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is up a very healthy 0.96% to 7,342 points. One ASX 200 share that isn’t joining the party though is the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price.

    ANZ shares are presently trading at $27.72 each, down 0.22% for the day so far. It’s not just ANZ though. Another big four ASX banking share is also in the red today. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) is currently down 0.59% to $102.61 a share.

    But it appears to be an even split, given both National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) are both in the green so far today.

    ANZ also happens to currently be the worst-performing ASX bank share in 2021 out of the big four. It’s up 20% year to date. That compares to CBA’s 22%, NAB’s 25%, and Westpac’s 30%.

    However, this situation has also resulted in ANZ offering up the largest dividend yield out of the big four right now.

    What are ANZ shares offering in terms of dividends today?

    On current pricing, CBA shares are worth a dividend yield of 3.4%. NAB is putting up 3.14%, while Westpac has 3.49% on the table. But ANZ shares currently have a dividend yield of 3.79%. That’s fully franked too, as are the other banks’ payouts.

    This dividend yield, which grosses-up to 5.41% with said full franking, comes from ANZ’s past two dividend payments. These were a July interim payment of 70 cents per share, and a final dividend payment of 35 cents per share that ANZ forked out in December last year.

    Just for some food for thought, if ANZ pays out another 70 cents per share final dividend this year, it will offer a forward dividend yield of 5.05%.

    So now that we’ve established ANZ as offering the best big four banking dividend yield today, where to next for ANZ shares?

    Could this ASX bank be a buy right now?

    One broker who thinks this bank is hot right now is Morgans. As my Fool colleague Tristan covered earlier this week, Morgans reckons ANZ shares could hit $34.50 each by Christmas. That implies an upside of almost 25% on today’s pricing.

    Morgans simply estimates ANZ shares offer compelling value at their current level. The broker is eyeing the bank’s cost-cutting programs, as well as the quality of its loan books, and clearly likes what it sees.

    At the current ANZ share price, this ASX bank has a market capitalisation of $78.8 billion and a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 16.77.

    The post The ANZ (ASX:ANZ) dividend yield is topping the big four ASX bank shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

    The online investing service he’s run for 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 owns shares of National Australia Bank Limited. 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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  • Up another 16%, the Core Lithium (ASX:CXO) share price is surging this week. Here’s why

    Female miner uses mobile phone at mine site

    The Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) share price is running ahead of its lithium peers, surging 30% in the last two days to record highs of 55 cents.

    Australia’s next lithium producer

    Core Lithium is positioned to become Australia’s next lithium producer following the Board’s Financial Investment Decision (FID) to proceed with the construction of its Finniss Lithium Project.

    According to the FID announcement, Finniss’ development is fully funded and project execution will begin immediately in October 2021.

    The Core Lithium share price has faced little resistance in its recent rally, trading flat at the beginning of October before breaking out in the last two days.

    Core Lithium expects to begin commissioning its DMS (Dense Medium Separation) plant and first production of lithium concentrate by Q422.

    The company expects to achieve steady-state production by FY23 and forecasts Finniss to produce about 175,000 tonnes per annum of spodumene concentrate for world markets.

    To add some perspective, the $5.8 billion market cap Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) is projecting FY22 spodumene concentrate production between 460,000 to 510,000 dry metric tonnes (dmt).

    By comparison, the Core Lithium share price currently trades at a market cap of around $650 million.

    Core Lithium has in place significant end-users with binding offtake agreements with China’s lithium giant, Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium and Ya Hua International.

    Core Lithium share price riding sector tailwinds

    The lithium sector is running hot amidst surging spot prices and the anticipation that prices will continue to soar.

    In the last two weeks of September, battery-grade lithium carbonate prices cracked 2018 highs on the back of strong demand from China and tight supply.

    But this could be the beginning according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    In the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, it cited that prices for green materials such as cobalt, nickel and lithium could see triple-digit increases in order to meet the world’s transition from fossil fuels.

    “… prices would reach historical peaks for an unprecedented, sustained period under the Net Zero by 2050 emissions scenario. The prices of cobalt, lithium, and nickel would rise several hundred percent from 2020 levels …” the report said.

    The post Up another 16%, the Core Lithium (ASX:CXO) share price is surging this week. Here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Core Lithium right now?

    Before you consider Core Lithium, 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 Core Lithium 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 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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  • What happened to the Ethereum price in the FY22 first quarter?

    a cryptocurrency blockchain miner acts with surprise upon looking at his phone while standing behind a conglomeration of technology to access cryptocurrency.

    The Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) price is up 3% over the past 24 hours. One Ether is currently trading for US$3,617 (AU$4,888).

    That gives the world’s number 2 cryptocurrency a market cap of some US$427 billion, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

    With today’s gains, the Ethereum price is up 22% so far since the start of the new financial quarter on 1 October (Q2 FY22).

    Now, cryptocurrencies don’t abide by the financial reporting standards and quarterly market updates like ASX companies do. At least not yet.

    But here’s how the Ethereum price moved over the past Q1 FY22, a quarter that saw the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gain 0.4%.

    How did the Ethereum price move in Q1 FY22?

    You’re unlikely to find crypto investors who bought Ether on 1 July and sold on 1 October complaining.

    On 1 July the Ethereum price stood at US$2,114. By 1 October it was trading for US$2,967, or a gain of 40%.

    Not that the token moved up in any kind of straight line. The volatility that cryptos are well-known for was certainly on display over the 3 months.

    On 20 July the Ethereum price dipped to US$1,787. By 6 September it hit a quarterly high of US$3,960. That’s a price move of more than 121%.

    It also means investors who bought at that high and sold on 1 October could have lost 25% of their investment.

    Proceed with care.

    Is Ether like Bitcoin?

    Ether is like Bitcoin (CRYTPO: BTC) in that both tokens rely on the blockchain. But from there the 2 digital coins vary greatly.

    Bitcoin predominantly serves as an alternate to fiat currencies. You can buy things with it from supporting merchants, send it to family or businesses overseas, or sit on it in the hope it goes up in value.

    Ethereum on the other hand has many real-world use cases.

    Ray Brown, market analyst at Australian crypto and Bitcoin exchange CoinSpot, explained:

    Where Bitcoin functions primarily as a currency, Ethereum has been designed as an “open source” network that provides a foundation for other applications and smart contracts. For this reason, Ethereum provides the ideal environment for the 1000s of other altcoins that have developed and scaled their own projects using the Ethereum blockchain.

    Will the ATO know if I made a profit from the rising Ethereum price?

    In short, yes, they will.

    As H&R Block Inc (NYSE: HRB)’s Australian tax communications director Mark Chapman told my Foolish colleague Tony Yoo:

    Cryptocurrency is not really anonymous. The ATO receives data from Australian designated service providers (DSPs) which enable it to identify the name of the cryptocurrency investor, date of birth, addresses, ABN (if applicable), email address, contact phone numbers and social media accounts.

    So, whether you make or lose money from the Ethereum price moves in the upcoming financial year, be sure to include that in your tax filings.

    The post What happened to the Ethereum price in the FY22 first quarter? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider Ethereum, 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 Ethereum 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 Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Bitcoin and Ethereum. 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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  • Adriatic Metals (ASX:ADT) share price plunges 16% on Sandfire update

    share price dropping

    The Adriatic Metals Plc (ASX: ADT) share price is sliding 15.92% into the red during early afternoon trade and is currently changing hands at $2.80.

    Adriatic shares are on the move after major shareholder Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) completed the sale of its equity interest in the company.

    Here’s what we know.

    Why is the Adriatic Metals share price down 16%?

    Sandfire Resources originally announced its intention to divest away from Adriatic yesterday, advising of a secondary placement that was due to take place.

    Today Sandfire confirmed it had completed the sale of 34,600,780 CHESS depositary interests – representing ordinary shares – in the capital of Adriatic Metals.

    This is is a sizeable chunk of Adriatic’s float, and comprises a 16% stake in the company that was sold off today in total.

    The lot was sold at a price of $2.80 per Adriatic “secondary placing share”, representing a 16% discount to the company’s closing share price yesterday, after it went into a trading halt pending a separate announcement.

    Effectively, Adriatic’s shares were sold to institutional investors and others in the placement below the market price at the time, never a good feeling for current shareholders.

    Lead bookrunners, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc, RBC Europe Ltd, and Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited, each helped in the sale to their pitchbook of institutional investors.

    Gross proceeds from the sale came in at $97 million – of which Adriatic Metals will receive none, not even the crumbs.

    Aside from Sandfire’s divestment, Adriatic also advised it too had completed an institutional placement to raise additional capital, to fund its Vares Silver Project.

    Curiously, Adriatic advised that the placing price of 1.5174 pounds per new ordinary share, is equivalent to “A$2.80 per CHESS Depositary Interests representing such New Ordinary Shares” – the exact price of Sandfire’s sale.

    Canaccord Genuity, RBC and Stifel Nicolaus were joint bookrunners on Adriatic’s placement as well.

    The placement formed part of a greater “project finance package” the company completed to fund the construction of the Vares site.

    It consisted of a term sheet with a liability of US$142.5 million, comprised of a US$120 million debt senior debt facility and a US$22.5 million copper stream.

    The news isn’t enough to save the Adriatic Metals share price today, with investors driving prices lower from the selling pressures.

    Adriatic Metals share price snapshot

    The Adriatic Metas share price has climbed 20% this year to date, however has struggled over the last 12 months.

    There, it has posted a return of just 18%, behind the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)’s gain of around 20% in that time.

    The post Adriatic Metals (ASX:ADT) share price plunges 16% on Sandfire update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Adriatic Metals right now?

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

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  • 2 ASX dividend shares with large yields and consistent payouts

    There are some ASX dividend shares that have large yields and have been paying consistent dividends to investors.

    In this era of low interest rates and unpredictability, businesses with high yields and growth could be worth thinking about for income.

    Here are two of them:

    Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

    This is a large real estate investment trust (REIT) that has a diverse property portfolio across a number of different sectors. Those sectors include agri-logistics, hospitality, convenience retail, diversified long weighted average lease expiry (WALE) retail, industrial, office and social infrastructure.

    But the thing that all of the properties have in common is a long-term WALE, which gives strong income visibility. The WALE is currently approximately 12.6 years with a weighted average rent review of 2.9%. It has an occupancy rate of 98.4%.

    It’s regularly making acquisitions to improve and diversify its portfolio and rental income. For example, it recently entered into an agreement to buy half of ALE Property Group (ASX: LEP). It has a national portfolio of 78 high-quality pubs that are leased to Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV).

    The ASX dividend share’s latest acquisition is the Toyota distribution centre in Larapinta, Queensland.

    Charter Hall Long WALE REIT has a 100% distribution payout ratio policy. It’s expecting to grow its FY22 operating earnings per security (EPS) by at least 4.5% compared to FY21. That translates to a FY22 yield of 6.2%.

    It’s currently rated as a buy by the broker Citi with a price target of $5.59.

    Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG)

    Magellan is one of the largest fund managers on the ASX. According to the ASX, it has a market capitalisation of $6.1 billion.

    In FY21, Magellan grew its total interim and final dividend by 8% to 199.7 cents. That excludes the annual performance fee dividend. The funds management business within Magellan saw a 10% increase of profit before tax and before performance fees to $526.6 million.

    One of the things that dragged on the profitability in FY21 was the share of losses from its ‘associates’ which amounted to $41.8 million. The loss predominately related to Barrenjoey, the new investment bank. Magellan has also invested in the Finclear and Guzman y Gomez businesses. The ASX dividend share is pleased with the progress of all three businesses.

    In FY21, it ended with funds under management (FUM) of $113.9 billion, whilst average FUM for the last financial year was $103.7 billion. At 30 September 2021, Magellan had $113.3 billion of FUM

    Magellan said that it recently secured its first two investment mandates for its global sustainable strategy, whilst no institutional mandates were lost during the quarter. However, in the first three months of FY22, it did see net outflows of $1.53 billion.

    One of the brokers that currently rates Magellan as a buy is Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) with a price target of $38. It’s expecting more outflows in FY22, but thinks it looks good value now.

    Macquarie thinks that Magellan is priced at 14x FY22’s estimated earnings with a partially franked dividend yield of 6.9%.

    The post 2 ASX dividend shares with large yields and consistent payouts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider Magellan, 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 Magellan 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 owns shares of Magellan Financial Group. 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 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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  • Why Adriatic Metals, Platinum, Redbubble, & Whitehaven Coal are dropping

    share price plummeting down

    In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on form and pushing notably higher. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.8% to 7,329.7 points.

    Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping:

    Adriatic Metals (ASX: ADT)

    The Adriatic Metals share price is down 16% to $2.80. This morning the base and precious metal explorer announced the completion of a US$52 million placement. These funds were raised at $2.81 per share, which represents a 15.6% discount to its last close price. The company also raised gross proceeds of US$50 million via a conditional equity subscription from Orion Partners.

    Platinum Asset Management Ltd (ASX: PTM)

    The Platinum share price is down 2% to $3.18. Investors have been selling this fund manager’s shares this week following another disappointing funds under management (FUM) update. Platinum reported net outflows of $292 million during September.

    Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL)

    The Redbubble share price has crashed over 13% lower to $3.96. This morning the ecommerce company released a first quarter update which revealed a sizeable decline in sales, revenue, and earnings. Redbubble reported a 21% decline in gross transaction value to $142 million and a 28% reduction in marketplace revenue to $106 million. This led to an 85% decline in first quarter EBITDA.

    Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

    The Whitehaven Coal share price is down 2% to $3.23. This follows the release of the coal miner’s quarterly update this morning. For the three months ended 30 September, the miner’s total managed coal sales were down 23% to 4.6 million tonnes. Positively, though, this was offset by a significant increase in thermal and metallurgical coal realised prices during the quarter.

    The post Why Adriatic Metals, Platinum, Redbubble, & Whitehaven Coal are dropping 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 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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  • Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price edges lower amid Digicel acquisition news

    Two male Telstra executives wearing dark coloured suits sit at a table holding their mobile phones discussing the Telstra share price

    In some much-needed relief for investors, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) opened strongly today and is comfortably in the green at the time of writing. The ASX 200 is currently sitting at 7,333 points, up a healthy 0.84% for the day so far.

    But one ASX 200 share not joining in the action is Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS).

    Telstra shares are presently trading at $3.83. That’s 0.52% down on yesterday’s close. This means Telstra is now down 3.28% over the past month. It’s also down by roughly 5.5% from the new 52-week high it reached back in August at $4.05.

    This lukewarm performance comes despite a run of recent good news for Telstra shares.

    Just yesterday, we covered how broker Morgan Stanley has recently rated Telstra shares a buy with a 12-month share price target of $4.50. This implies a potential future upside of more than 17% over the next year.

    Morgans is bullish on Telstra following the company’s release of its ‘T25’ cost-cutting plan and its growing 5G network.

    Could the Telstra share price be rising on Digicel news?

    Another piece of news is out regarding Telstra today. According to an article in The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Telstra’s potential acquisition of the Pacific Islands-based Digicel Pacific is “weeks away from being sealed”.

    Telstra initially flagged the potential acquisition back in June. Due to some geopolitical considerations, the federal government is keen to partner with Telstra to allow it to acquire Digicel.

    Digicel owns a vast network of 3G and 4G mobile networks across the South Pacific.

    According to the SMH report, the government is set to provide “more than $1.5 billion in taxpayer money” to help Telstra buy Digicel. An announcement is expected “as early as November”.

    This will see Telstra put up $200-300 million of its own cash, together with the government’s $1.5 billion, for Digicel Pacific’s assets.

    It’s not entirely clear whether this news is directly affecting the Telstra share price today. But even so, it seems acquiring Digicel is certainly on the cards for Telstra now.

    At the current Telstra share price of $3.83, the ASX 200 telco has a market capitalisation of $45.79 billion.

    Telstra shares also have a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 24.59 and a dividend yield of 2.6%.

     

    The post Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price edges lower amid Digicel acquisition news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider Telstra, 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 Telstra 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 Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Telstra Corporation Limited. 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 Telstra Corporation 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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  • Why is the Podium Minerals (ASX:POD) share price frozen on Thursday?

    The Podium Minerals Ltd (ASX: POD) share price is in the freezer today while the company prepares to release news of a capital raise.

    The company’s shares are expected to remain frozen until it either releases word of the capital raise or the market opens on Monday, whichever comes sooner.

    Until then, the Podium Minerals share price will remain halted at its previous closing price of 33 cents.

    Let’s take a closer look at the company’s business and cash position.

    What does Podium Minerals do?

    Podium Minerals is an exploration company focused on platinum group metals, gold, and base metals. It owns and operates Western Australia’s Parks Reef PGM Project.

    The company has completed several drill programs at the project and is currently embarking on its deepest yet.

    The latest drill program will initially see 2 diamond drill holes extending 750 metres downwards. It will be co-funded by the Western Australian Government.

    Podium Minerals’ cash position

    The last time the market got a look at Podium Minerals’ cash position was when it released its earnings for financial year 2021.

    The Podium Minerals share price gained 9% on the back of the company’s annual earnings report.

    As of 30 June 2021, the company had around $3 million of cash and cash equivalents and $332,949 of liabilities.

    Over financial year 2021, the company received $198,849 of revenue and recorded a net loss after tax of around $1.2 million.

    Additionally, it’s been around 15 months since the company last completed a capital raise.

    Back then, it underwent a placement and share purchase plan, each worth $500,000. Both the placement and share purchase plan offered new shares in the company for 1.6 cents apiece.

    The share purchase plan was ultimately oversubscribed by more than 100%, bringing in $1.04 million. Of that, $110,000 was from directors’ investments.

    The funds were to go towards growing the Parks Reef Project.

    Podium Minerals share price snapshot

    This year has been a good one for the Podium Minerals share price.

    It has gained 200% since the start of 2021. It’s also 371% higher than it was this time last year.

    The post Why is the Podium Minerals (ASX:POD) share price frozen on Thursday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Podium Minerals 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.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3iWgsR1