The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) wrapped up another week of earnings season last week, which saw the ASX 200 shake off the malaise of the previous week to end higher. But only just. The ASX 200 managed a 0.37% rise for the week, finishing up at 7,488.3 points.

The ASX 200 was once again dominated by some blockbuster earnings reports last week. We saw big moves from some ASX 200 shares off the back of earnings. These included WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) and Blackmores Ltd (ASX: BKL). But we also saw some negative reactions from investors for companies ranging from Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) to A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) and Appen Ltd (ASX: APX).

Even though ASX blue chips like Wesfarmers and Woolies doled out massive dividend hikes and (in Wesfarmers’ case) a $2 billion capital return program, it wasn’t enough to stop investors worrying about these companies’ forecasts for a potentially difficult year ahead.

ASX banks and miners stage a recovery

Apart from the companies reporting, we saw a few steady moves from some of the ASX 200’s biggest blue-chip shares. The ASX banks all had a strong week after a meaningful pullback the week prior. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) was the major beneficiary, rising more than 2% last week. But both Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) both managed rises of just under 1%.

The ASX’s big iron ore miners in BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) also both staged muted recoveries after their shellacking over the previous week, due to a slight rebound in the iron ore price. As did ASX energy shares like Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL), backed by stabilising crude oil prices.

It’s also worth pointing out the impressive week that ASX travel shares enjoyed. Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) seemed to give the entire sector a boost when it announced it’s planning on resuming international flights by December this year. That’s despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis most of the country (as well as New Zealand) is currently facing, as cases of the Delta variant continue to vex New South Wales and Victoria in particular.

How did the markets end the week?

Decently, but nothing to write home about. Monday saw the ASX 200 start things off on a positive note with a gain of 0.39%. Tuesday and Wednesday backed this up, with additional gains of 0.17% and 0.38%, respectively.

But a more pessimistic Thursday and Friday saw the ASX 200 give up some of its mid-week gains. Thursday saw the ASX 200 retreat by 0.54%, which was augmented by a more feeble 0.04% sell-off on Friday.

Overall, the ASX 200 started the week at 7,460.9 points and finished up at 7,488.3 points – a rise of 0.37%

Meanwhile, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) managed a decent week too. The All Ords started the week at 7,725.1 points but ended up at 7,760.1 points – a rise of 0.45%. 

Which ASX 200 shares were the biggest winners and losers?

It’s time for our Foolish answer to the old gossip pages, where we check out the ASX 200’s biggest winners and poorest losers of the week.  So put the kettle on as we, as always, start with the losers:

Worst ASX 200 losers	% loss for the week
Austal Limited (ASX: ASB)	(19.4%)
NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF)	(16.7%)
Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)	(16.1%)
Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX: LNK)	(15.6%)

As you can see, our ASX 200 wooden spooner last week was shipbuilding company Austal, with a nasty 19.4% drop over the week that was. As you might expect at this time of year, this seems to be a reaction to the company’s FY21 earnings report, which Austal dropped on Tuesday. With revenues and earnings both down by double digits, it’s not hard to see what spooked investors here, even if net profits were up.

Next, we had private health insurer NIB. Again, we seem to have NIB’s FY21 earnings to blame here. The insurer reported increases in both revenue and net profits, but this seemed to fall short of investors’ expectations.

Kogan was yet another victim of its own earnings report, which the e-commerce company announced on Tuesday too. Although revenues jumped a healthy 56.8% for Kogan, investors were not too impressed, it seems, by the company’s diminutive reported net profit after tax of $3.5 million.

And finally, we had Link Administration, which… also reported earnings last week. Investors were hitting the sell button after the company divulged that its revenues shrank by 6% last financial year, which accompanied an 18% fall in net profits.

Now with the losers out of the way, let’s take a look at the winning ASX 200 shares from last week:

Best ASX 200 gainers	% gain for the week
WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC)	29.3%
Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL)	28.4%
Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CUV)	25.8%
Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)	22.9%

As is evident, we had a big week for ASX 200 winners last week. Topping the pile was ASX 200 tech and WAAAX share WiseTech Global. WiseTech lit the ASX on fire when it reported its own FY21 earnings on Wednesday. The company bulldozed expectations across the board, with a 63% leap in earnings, a doubling of its net profits after tax and some bullish guidance for FY2022. Investors reacted accordingly.

As mentioned earlier, vitamin purveyor Blackmores also smashed expectations with its earnings report, which was delivered on Thursday. Although revenues were ‘only’ up by 1.3%, net profits after tax came in at a robust $25.4 million, up 51.7% on last year’s numbers.

Pharma company Clinuvel also impressed with its earnings, which included a 43% jump in revenues.

And Flight Centre also got a major boost with its own report. That was despite this ASX travel share reporting an underlying loss of $364 million for the financial year just gone.

A wrap of the ASX 200 blue-chip shares

Before we go, here is a look at how the ASX 200’s blue-chip shares are faring as we prepare for the final week  of August earnings:

ASX 200 company	Last share price	Trailing P/E ratio	Trailing Dividend Yield	52-week high	52-week low
CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)	$311.06	43.36	0.99%	$320.42	$242
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)	$101.54	21.57	3.45%	$109.03	$62.64
Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)	$25.99	22.24	3.42%	$27.12	$16
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ)	$28.32	17.16	3.71%	$29.64	$16.40
National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)	$27.64	21.21	3.26%	$27.84	$16.56
Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)	$165.60	20.08	2.84%	$166.66	$118.36
Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG)	$20	7.04	12.35%	$26.58	$15.62
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)	$44.70	14.54	9.16%	$54.55	$33.73
Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO)	$109.70	6.91	8.27%	$137.33	$90.04
Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM)	$24.53	12.53	3.14%	$33.32	$23.08
Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL)	$20.28	39.36	2.86%	$27.60	$16.80
Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)	$3.86	24.72	4.15%	$4.02	$2.66
Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)	$40.96	36.56	2.47%	$44.06	$35.96
Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)	$62.20	37.51	2.65%	$67.20	$43.50
Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)	$17.89	23.76	3.41%	$19.04	$15.28
Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)	$14.08	–	2.59%	$15.64	$12.36
Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD)	$7.90	–	–	$8.04	$5.34
Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)	$130.35	–	–	$160.05	$70.06

And finally, here is the lay of the land for some leading market indicators:

• S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) at 7,488.3 points.
• All Ordinaries Index (XAO) at 7,760.1 points.
• Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) at 35,455.8 points after rising 0.69% on Friday night (our time).
• Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) going for US$48,423 per coin.
• Gold (spot) swapping hands for US$1,818 per troy ounce.
• Iron ore asking US$157.63 per tonne.
• Crude oil (Brent) trading at US$72.70 per barrel.
• Australian dollar buying 73.14 US cents.
• 10-year Australian Government bonds yielding 1.19% per annum.

That’s all folks. See you next week!

The post ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: A mixed bag of earnings dominates ASX appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• How has the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price performed against the banking sector in August?
• Why the Sydney Airport (ASX:SYD) share price has beaten the ASX 200 in the last year
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• The Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price fell 11.5% last time the company reported

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of A2 Milk, National Australia Bank Limited, Newcrest Mining Limited, and Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Appen Ltd, Austal Limited, CSL Ltd., Kogan.com ltd, Link Administration Holdings Ltd, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Appen Ltd, Blackmores Limited, COLESGROUP DEF SET, Kogan.com ltd, Macquarie Group Limited, Telstra Corporation Limited, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, Link Administration Holdings Ltd, and NIB Holdings 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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Reporting season is informative for ASX share investors, but it can get overwhelming.

There is information overload. And reported results sometimes have no correlation to stock price, as the market will buy and sell according to what the future prospects are.

And that’s before the spectre of the coronavirus‘ Delta variant hanging over everyone’s heads right now.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, and associated lockdowns, have impacted some businesses very positively, but been less kind on others,” said Montgomery Investment Management chief investment officer Roger Montgomery.

“These impacts are coming to light in the current FY21 reporting season.”

The complexity of this situation can mean it can be helpful to see which ASX shares a professional liked after their financial reporting.

Here are 2 stocks that Montgomery liked coming out of the August frenzy.

Redbubble is not just a lockdown winner

Online art merchandise marketplace Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL) won over many investors last year as consumers turned to e-commerce for homewares and gifts. Its shares multiplied 14 times from the March 2020 trough to January 2021.

But this year has been a different story, as investors saw it as a loser in the post-COVID reopening economy.

Despite a massive rally after its results earlier this month, the stock is still down about 30% for the year.

“The stock initially fell and then closed higher last Thursday producing a near-40% range on extremely high turnover,” said Montgomery on the company blog.

“We currently believe Redbubble will prove to be a high-quality company provided it can convert the long-term prospects for its ‘flywheel’ into its potential economics.”

Redbubble’s financials slightly missed analyst forecasts, but Montgomery likes the network effect starting to take hold in its ecosystem.

“Repeat purchases grew by 67%, outpacing first purchase growth of 52%. When combined with transactions per customer rising from 1.1 times to almost 1.2 times, it suggests the platform is becoming established,” he said.

“Indeed, the rising customer base is attracting more suppliers to the platform with artist growth of 54% to 728,000 artists.”

He added that the network effect is a “powerful” driver of sustainable competitive advantage, which helps “entrench high returns on equity”.

ASX share that offers growth and defence

Vehicle accessories and parts provider Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP) reported outstanding results after virus-weary Australians turned to their cars for commuting and recreation.

“Bapcor reported FY21 NPAT [net profit after tax] growth of 47% from 20% revenue growth and 39% EBIT [earnings before interest and tax] growth,” said Montgomery.

“Trade revenue rose 15.5% and Trade EBITDA rose 19%… Wholesale was 26.8% higher at the revenue line and EBITDA rose 42.2%. Finally, retail rose 26% and retail EBITDA rose 20%.”

Despite this, Bapcor shares are down almost 10% this month and 5.9% for the year.

The business is currently taking a battering from the Sydney and Melbourne lockdowns.

“Bapcor’s NSW trade business has copped a 20% hit and NSW retail is off 20 to 30%,” Montgomery said.

“An opening up pre-Christmas, however, could produce a mini-boom.”

Bapcor management was cautious about forecasts for the current financial year. But, according to Montgomery, the business is expecting 2022 financial year earnings to “at least” match the previous year.

“Our small caps team really likes Bapcor and believe it is a high-quality business with defensive business characteristics offering growth.”

The post 2 ASX shares I like from reporting season: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why Adairs, Redbubble, Treasury Wine, & Western Areas are storming higher

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns shares of REDBUBBLE FPO. 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 Bapcor. 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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Looking for growth shares to buy? Then you might want to consider the two listed below.

Here’s why they have been tipped as growth shares to buy:

Hipages Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: HPG)

The first ASX growth share to look at is this leading Australian-based online platform and software as a service (SaaS) provider. Hipages’ increasingly popular platform connects consumers with trusted tradies to simplify home improvement. It was on form in FY 2021, reporting a 22% year on year jump to $55.8 million. This was ahead of its guidance for the year. It also reported a 27% increase in its monthly recurring revenue (MRR) to $5.2 million. This annualises to $62.4 million.

This went down well with analysts at Goldman Sachs. In response they have retained their buy rating and lifted their price target to $4.35. It notes that Hipages currently captures <1% of a total $97 billion tradie business spend, representing a meaningful opportunity for growth.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

A final ASX growth share to look at is Zip. This leading buy now pay later (BNPL) provider appears well-placed for growth over the 2020s due to its international expansion and the increasing popularity of the payment method with consumers and merchants. As well as having a $5 trillion market opportunity in the United States, the company has been expanding into the lucrative European and Asian markets through acquisitions. Combined, this gives Zip a significantly long runway for growth.

The team at Morgans remains very positive on Zip. In response to its recent full year results, the broker retained its add rating and lifted its price target to $8.87. This compares very favourably to the latest Zip share price of $6.90. Morgans continues to see longer term upside if Zip can execute on its ambitions of becoming a global payments player.

The post Why Zip (ASX:Z1P) and this fantastic ASX growth share could be buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Own Zip (ASX:Z1P) shares? Here’s what to look out for in FY22.
• How does Afterpay (ASX:APT) earnings result compare to Zip?
• Hipages (ASX:HPG) share price soars 6% on realised guidance
• 3 rapidly growing ASX tech shares to buy
• ASX 200 rises, WiseTech soars, Zip drops

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 Hipages Group Holdings Ltd. and ZIPCOLTD FPO. 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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If you’re looking for a way to beat low interest rates, then you may want to look at the Australian share market. This is because there are a large number of shares that pay generous dividends each year.

Two such ASX shares are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about these dividend shares:

BWP Trust (ASX: BWP)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is BWP Trust. It is the largest owner of Bunnings Warehouse sites in Australia with a portfolio of warehouses leased to the hardware giant.

Compared with most retail property companies, BWP has been a very positive performer during the pandemic. This has been driven largely by the quality of its tenancies. With Bunnings Warehouse reporting stellar sales growth again in FY 2021, BWP has been able to collect rent as normal. It has even seen the value of its properties increase strongly since COVID-19 hit Australia.

In light of this, the company was able to pay an 18.29 cents per unit distribution in FY 2021. It also advised that a similar distribution is expected in FY 2022. Based on the current BWP share price of $4.04, this equates to an attractive 4.5% dividend yield.

National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR)

Another dividend share to look at is National Storage. It is one of the ANZ region’s largest self-storage operators with a portfolio of over 210 centres.

National Storage recently released its full year results and revealed a 28% increase in underlying earnings to $86.5 million. This was driven by a combination of organic growth and the benefits of acquisitions. This allowed the company to pay a full year distribution of 8.2 cents per share.

Another strong year is expected in FY 2022, with management guiding to underlying earnings per share growth of at least 10%. It also notes that it has approximately $900 million of investment capacity to fuel its growth by acquisition strategy.

Based on the current National Storage share price of $2.28, if its distribution grows by 10% to 9.02 cents per share, it will mean a yield of 4%.

The post 2 top ASX dividend shares with attractive yields appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 top ASX 200 dividend shares with very attractive yields
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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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On Friday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished a decent week on a subdued note. The benchmark index fell slightly to 7,488.3 points.

Will the ASX 200 be able to bounce back from this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to rise

The Australian share market looks set to rise on Monday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 13 points or 0.2% higher this morning. This follows a strong end to the week on Wall Street, which saw the Dow Jones rise 0.7%, the S&P 500 climb 0.9%, and the Nasdaq push 1.2% higher. Comments out of the US Federal Reserve boosted US stocks.

Oil prices rise as Hurricane Ida nears

Energy producers including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could have a solid start to the week after oil prices rose on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 2% to US$68.74 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has risen 1.9% to US$72.70 a barrel. Oil prices rose after Hurricane Ida forced the shutdown of production in the Gulf of Mexico.

Fortescue full year results

The Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price will be one to watch when it releases its full year results. According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, its analysts are expecting the iron ore giant to report underlying earnings of US$10,369 million. This is up 118% year on year and is expected to underpin a full year dividend of US$2.70 per share.

Gold price pushes higher

Australian gold miners such as Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could start the week on a positive note after the gold price pushed higher on Friday night. According to CNBC, the spot gold price rose 1.4% to US$1,819.5 an ounce. The gold price rose in response to comments out of the US Federal Reserve relating to its tapering plans.

Altium full year results

The Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) share price will be on watch this morning when it releases its full year results. According to CommSec, the market is expecting the electronic design software company to reported a net profit after tax of US$46 million for FY 2021.

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How has the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price performed against the banking sector in August?
• 3 fantastic ASX shares to buy in September
• The Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price fell 11.5% last time the company reported
• Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price tumbles in August, analysts see further declines in iron ore
• If you invested $1,000 in Woodside (ASX:WPL) shares a decade ago, here’s what it would be worth now

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 Altium. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Altium. 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 small end of the Australian share market is home to a number of companies with the potential to grow strongly in the future.

Three small caps that investors may want to get better acquainted with are listed below. Here’s why they should be on your watchlist:

Alcidion Group Ltd (ASX: ALC)

The first small cap ASX share to watch is this growing informatics solutions company. Alcidion notes that it helps healthcare organisations harness the power of technology to create a clinically relevant environment with digitally enabled care. The company’s tailored platforms are able to leverage clinical decision support, artificial intelligence and real-time visualisation to provide smart health informatics for safer delivery of care. Demand has been growing strongly for its technology, leading to the several large contracts with major healthcare institutions.

Booktopia Group Ltd (ASX: BKG)

The second small cap ASX share to watch is Booktopia. It is an online book retailer which has been growing at a rapid rate in recent years. For example, the company notes that it sold one item every ~4.7 seconds and shipped ~6.5 million items in the 12 months to 30 June 2020. This averages 25,000 items per business day. Pleasingly, since then, its growth has gone up another level. This has been driven by the ongoing shift to online shopping, which has accelerated during the pandemic. Also supporting its growth has been the construction of its new distribution centre. This is allowing it to capitalise fully on the shift and ship more items than ever.

Pointerra Ltd (ASX: 3DP)

A final small cap to watch is this 3D geospatial data technology company. Pointerra highlights that its technology has solved an entrenched problem in the digital asset management sector. It allows very large 3D datasets to be used without the need for high performance computing. It achieves this by allowing 3D data to be processed and stored in the cloud for instant, on demand user access. Management believes that it has an enormous $500 billion market opportunity globally.

The post 3 exciting small cap ASX shares to watch closely appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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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 Alcidion Group Ltd and Pointerra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Booktopia Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alcidion Group Ltd and Pointerra 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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Are you interested in boosting your portfolio with some exchange traded funds (ETFs) in September?

If you are, then you may want to look at these highly rated ETFs listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

If you want to gain exposure to the growing Asian economy, then the BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF could help you achieve it. This ETF gives investors a slice of a number of the most promising tech shares in the Asian market.

This means you’ll be owning companies such as ecommerce giant Alibaba, search engine company Baidu, online retail platform Pinduoduo, and WeChat owner Tencent. These are some of the quickest growing tech companies in the region, with millions of active users and very bright growth prospects.

It is worth noting that the ETF has pulled back materially recently amid concerns over a crackdown by Chinese authorities. While this is disappointing, it could be seen as a buying opportunity for long term focused investors. Particularly given the extremely bright outlooks that the companies in the fund have.

BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

Another ETF to look at is the BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF. It aims to track the performance of the NASDAQ 100 Index before fees and expenses. This index comprises 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. This includes many tech companies that are at the forefront of the new economy.

BetaShares highlights that this area of the market is underrepresented on the Australian share market. As a result, it feels the ETF could benefit investors that have large exposure to financials and mining companies and little exposure to technology.

The index has been tipped to continue its outperformance over the next decade thanks to the quality of the companies included within it. Among the companies you’ll be buying a slice of are global giants such as Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla.

In respect to Apple, analysts believe it has a very bright outlook thanks to the strong demand for its iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and Apple Watches. It also has a quick growing services business, which is generating significant recurring revenues. This business has over 600 million subscribers across its Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple News, Apple Pay, and Apple TV+ offerings.

The post 2 top ETFs for ASX investors in September appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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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 BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. 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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How is the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price faring in this month of August so far?

Good question. With earnings season accelerating in the week that’s just passed us by, it’s a great time to gauge the entire S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), of which, of course, Westpac is a major top-5 constituent.

The ASX 200 has had a bumpy month so far, but is still up roughly 1.3% at the time of writing.

So how has Westpac done?

Well, this ASX banking share started the month at $24.52 a share. As of Friday’s close, the bank was trading at a share price of $25.99. That means Westpac shares have given investors a return of roughly 6% for the month so far.

Let’s see how this compares with Westpac’s ASX banking brethren.

How does the Westpac share price measure up to the other ASX banks in August?

Well, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) has had a rather interesting August. As of current pricing, CBA shares are up a decent 1.9% over August so far, rising from $99.65 a share at the start of the month to Friday’s closing price of $101.54 a share.

But in the meantime, CBA did rise to a new all-time high of $109.03 shortly after it released its FY21 earnings report on 11 August. Although investors obviously sent CBA through the roof at the time, the shares are now down more than 6% from those highs.

Turning to Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), and we get a similar story to CBA.

ANZ started the month at $27.71 a share and closed at $28.32 on Friday – representing a total gain of 2.2% for August so far. ANZ also got a meaningful boost when CBA reported its numbers, rising to a new 52-week high of $29.64 on 13 August. However, the shares have cooled off since, and remain down more than 4% from those highs.

NAB shares come out on top for August so far

And finally, we have National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB). NAB shares have performed similarly to Westpac over August so far, experiencing no pullback in the weeks since CBA reported its earnings.

NAB started the month at $25.92 a share and ended up on Friday at $27.64. That puts its August gains at 6.6% so far for August. That puts NAB on top of the ASX banks and makes it the best performing major bank over August so far, just pipping Westpac’s 6%.

Even so, Westpac shareholders should be happy with their returns over the month to date, seeing as they still meaningfully outperform the ASX 200 over the same time.

At Westpac’s last share price, the company has a market capitalisation of $95.42 billion, a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 22.24 and a dividend yield of 3.42%.

The post How has the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price performed against the banking sector in August? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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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All eyes will be on the Crown Resorts Ltd (ASX: CWN) share price come Monday. Australia’s largest wagering company is due to release its full-year results for the year ended 30 June 2021 (FY21).

Let’s take a look at how the Aussie wagering share reacted to previous earnings results ahead of Monday’s update.

The Crown share price lifted after February results

Shares in the casino operator climbed higher following its half-year results released on in February. Some of the key takeaways from that announcement included:

• Revenue down 62.1% on the prior corresponding period (pcp) to $581 million
• Operating cash flow down 82.7% on pcp to $72.3 million
• Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) down 99% on pcp to $4.4 million
• No interim dividend on ordinary shares.

They’re certainly not the numbers that investors would have hoped for back in February. However, the Crown share price seesawed in early trade but ultimately managed to climb higher.

Those gains have not been sustained in the months since. Crown shares are down more than 5% year to date despite a significant jump following takeover updates in March and May.

And last August?

It was a similar story when Crown reported its last full-year result in August 2020. Shares in the Aussie casino operator were resilient despite posting an 80.2% drop in net profit after tax.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted on operations as government-mandated shutdowns alongside border closures reduced foot traffic and revenue generation at Crown’s casinos.

That wasn’t enough to put off investors, however, as the casino operator’s shares remained steady. It’s worth noting the Crown share price had already been smashed in 2020 prior to the August earnings season.

Foolish takeaway

Investors will be hoping for share price gains when Crown reports its FY21 results on Monday. The Crown share price closed up 0.32% at $9.32 on Friday afternoon with a market capitalisation of more than $6 billion.

The post The Crown (ASX:CWN) share price lifted last time the company reported appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• The Crown (ASX: CWN) share price lifts after last-ditch licence push
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Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall 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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With a new month on the horizon, now could be an opportune time to consider making some new additions to your portfolio.

To help you on your way, I’ve picked out three ASX shares that analysts have tipped as buys. They are as follows:

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

Altium is an award-winning printed circuit board (PCB) design software provider. Over the last few years it has carved out a leading position in this growing market. It is now aiming to take things to the next level and dominate the market with its cloud-based Altium 365 product. One broker that is positive on the company is Credit Suisse. It currently has an outperform rating and $42.00 price target on its shares.

Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

Another ASX share to look at is Aristocrat Leisure. It is one of the world’s leading gaming technology companies. While the pandemic weighed heavily on its poker machine business, its digital business flourished and delivered strong growth. Pleasingly, both businesses are now pulling together, which appears to have positioned the company well for growth over the 2020s. Analysts at Citi are bullish on Aristocrat Leisure. The broker has a buy rating and $46.00 price target on its shares.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Megaport could be another ASX share to consider buying. It offers scalable bandwidth for public and private cloud connections, metro ethernet, and data centre backhaul. Megaport has networking equipment in hundreds of data centres around the world, which has created a software layer that provides an easy way for users to create and manage network connections. This means that through the Megaport network, users can create and run a global network with or without the need for physical infrastructure. UBS currently has a buy rating and $20.45 price target on its shares.

The post 3 fantastic ASX shares to buy in September appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 exciting ASX growth shares for smart investors
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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 Altium and MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Altium. 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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