The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fell by 0.5% to 7,491 points.

Here are some of the highlights from the ASX:

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

The A2 Milk share price fell around 12% after the infant nutrition business released its FY21 result. It was one of the worst performers in the ASX 200.

It reported that its revenue dropped by 30.3% to $1.21 billion. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 77.6% to $123 million – that included $109 million of stock write-downs and $10 million of Mataura Valley Milk (MVM) acquisition costs.

This led to net profit after tax (NPAT) dropping 79.1% to $80.7 million.

A2 Milk disclosed that actions taken in the fourth quarter of FY21 to address excess inventory are proving effective with channel inventory levels reducing, product freshness improving and market pricing increasing. Rebalancing of channel inventory is expected to continue in the first quarter of FY22.

The ASX 200 share’s board and management are confident in the underlying fundamentals of the business and that the growth opportunity in core markets remains strong. A2 Milk said that the long-term outlook is positive, with opportunities for product innovation, category expansion and new markets, supported by a “healthy brand” and strong balance sheet.

Chinese label infant nutrition is expected to show sales growth in FY22, while the English label is targeting a stabilisation of sales in FY22 but a “wide range of outcomes is possible”.

Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

The Appen share price dropped around 22% after the tech business announced its FY21 half-year result. It was the worst performer in the ASX 200.

It reported that global revenue was down 2% to $196.6 million because of lower global services revenue as global customers allocated resources to new, non-advertising projects in the first half of 2021. But markets revenue increased by 31.5% to $47.8 million, driven by China, new Enterprise customer wins and product-led growth.

Underlying EBITDA fell 14.3% to $27.7 million. Appen explained that this was due to higher costs relating to growth investments.

The underlying net profit after tax dropped 35% to $12.5 million and statutory net profit plunged 55.1% to $6.7 million.

It also announced the acquisition of Quadrant for US$25 million upfront and an extra US$20 million of Appen shares if it achieves certain milestones. Quadrant was described as a global leader of mobile location and point of interest data, extending Appen’s product offering.

In terms of the outlook, it reduced its EBITDA guidance by $2 million to a range of between $81 million to $88 million. The reduction was due to the planned investment in Quadrant’s product and market expansion. Full year underlying EBITDA is expected to be at the low end of this range due to ad-related project impacts.

Year to date revenue and orders in hand for delivery in FY21 is approximately $360 million as at August 2021. This is 10% above the August 2020 guidance of $328 million which was 79% of full year 2020 revenue.

Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL)

The Blackmores share price rose around 15% today after the release of its FY21 result. It was the best performer in the ASX 200.

Blackmores reported that group revenue increased by 1.3% to $575.9 million. Its gross profit increased by 4.6% to $301 million, with the gross profit margin increasing 1.6 percentage points to 52.3%.

Underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) increased 51.7% to $47.6 million, with a 2.7 percentage point increase of the underlying EBIT margin to 8.3%. Underlying net profit soared 61.2% to $25.4 million. Statutory net profit rose by 89.4% to $28.6 million.

Blackmores achieved $28 million of annualised gross cost saving benefits in FY21 through strong delivery against business improvement programs.

Management said the business was continuing to execute on its strategic game plan, including reducing costs and improving efficiency, along with targeted investment in growth opportunities across key markets and profit margin uplift initiatives.

The Blackmores board declared a final dividend of 42 cents per share.

Within the result, international revenue increased by 17.7% and underlying EBIT rose 49.5%. China segment revenue went up 27.8% and underlying EBIT rose from $0.2 million to $14.3 million. Blackmores says the outlook remains positive for its international and China segments with strong sales growth for these segments.

The post ASX 200 drops, A2 Milk sinks, Appen plummets appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Here are the 3 heaviest trading ASX 200 shares this Thursday
• Why A2 Milk, Appen, Jumbo, & Link shares are sinking
• Own A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) shares? Here’s what the company has planned for FY22
• Why Blackmores, Flight Centre, Kuniko, & Qantas shares are soaring today

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 Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Appen Ltd and Blackmores Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP) share price has spent a day in the green today, despite no fresh news released from the company.

However, the communications platform provider posted its earnings for the financial year 2021 just yesterday.

The Whispir share price finished today’s session trading at $2.53 apiece, 9.52% higher than yesterday’s closing price.

Let’s take a closer look.

The latest news from Whispir

The Whispir share price soared yesterday after it released its FY21 results, which highlighted 12 months of good and bad times for the company.

During FY21, the company brought in $47.7 million of revenue and onboarded 171 new customers. However, its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) showed a $5.6 million loss and it reported a net loss after tax of $9.65 million.

Despite the pitfalls, the market responded positively to Whispir’s results yesterday, boosting its share price 4.9% higher over the course of the day.

Perhaps, the company’s forecast was what excited the market.

Whispir announced it expected to bring in between $57.2 million and $60.2 million of revenue in FY22. However, EBITDA was still likely to be in the red, with an expected EBITDA loss of between $13 million and $15.5 million.

No matter the balance between good and bad news, market watchers appear to have liked what they saw. And not just yesterday.

The Whispir share price has gained a whopping 16.5% this week so far.

Whisper share price snapshot

Despite a good week’s trade, the Whispir share price has struggled on the ASX lately, falling 31% since the start of 2021. It has also slipped 43% since this time last year.

The company has a market capitalisation of around $270 million, with approximately 116 million shares outstanding.

The post Here’s why the Whispir (ASX:WSP) share price surged 9% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Whispir (ASX:WSP) share price up 6% on solid FY21 result
• 3 exciting small cap ASX shares to watch right now
• 3 quality ASX growth shares for August
• 3 exciting small cap ASX shares to watch
• Why Fortescue, Over The Wire, Pro Medicus, & Whispir shares are dropping

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Whispir 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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Yesterday I looked at three ASX shares brokers have given buy ratings to this week.

Unfortunately, not all shares are in favour with them right now. Three ASX shares that have just been given sell ratings by brokers are listed below. Here’s why these brokers are bearish on them:

Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN)

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have retained their sell rating but lifted their price target on this infection prevention company’s shares to $5.00. While Nanosonics delivered a full year result ahead of Citi’s expectations, it wasn’t enough for a change of rating. The broker continues to believe its shares are overvalued. It also doesn’t believe the market is taking into account execution risks for new product launches. The Nanosonics share price was fetching $7.01 on Thursday.

Platinum Asset Management Ltd (ASX: PTM)

A note out of Macquarie reveals that its analysts have retained their underperform rating and cut their price target on this fund manager’s shares to $3.85. Platinum’s FY 2021 results fell a touch short of Macquarie’s expectations due to higher costs. Outside this, the broker highlights that Platinum’s international funds are underperforming, which it feels will put pressure on fund flows. The Platinum share price fell heavily on Thursday and ended the day at $3.94.

Reece Ltd (ASX: REH)

Another note out of Macquarie reveals that its analysts have retained their underperform rating and cut their price target on this plumbing parts company’s shares to $18.80. This follows the release of a full year result that was just ahead of expectations. However, the broker was disappointed with the performance of Reece’s US business. Combined with its shares trading on lofty multiples, Macquarie is holding firm with its underperform rating. The Reece share price has pulled back significantly since its result but is still trading above the broker’s price target at $20.64.

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

More reading

• Platinum (ASX:PTM) share price slumps 8% as FUM declines
• Top broker gives its verdict on the Nanosonics (ASX:NAN) share price
• Why Bravura, Nine, Reece, & Zip shares are sinking today
• The Reece (ASX:REH) share price is down 12% after yesterday’s FY21 earnings
• Which ASX 300 shares are the biggest winners and losers today?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Nanosonics Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Nanosonics 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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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) took a tumble to the downside. The benchmark index finished 0.54% lower to 7,491.2 points. Disappointingly, the weight was felt across several sectors including tech, miners, utilities, healthcare, and consumer staples.

However, the question is: which shares from the top 200 delivered the most green on the ASX today? Here are the ten stocks that delivered the biggest gains while the market fell:

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the coal miner increased 4.95% after releasing its FY21 full-year results. Find out more about Whitehaven Coal here.

The next best performing ASX share out of the top 200 today was Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU). The miner’s shares climbed 4.04% to $9.27 today, potentially riding some residual euphoria after posting its full-year results yesterday. Uncover the latest Iluka Resources information here.

Today’s top 10 biggest gains were made in these ASX 200 shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)	$2.32	4.51%
Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU)	$9.28	4.15%
Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)	$16.95	3.67%
Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)	$5.03	3.29%
Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC)	$2.775	3.16%
Growthpoint Properties Australia (ASX: GOZ)	$4.23	2.92%
Seven Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: SVW)	$21.71	2.65%
IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IDP)	$29.07	2.43%
Domino’s PIZZA Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)	$148.66	2.07%
Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC)	$67.825	1.84%

Our top 10 ASX 200 shares 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 200 shares on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 midday update: A2 Milk and Appen sink, Flight Centre rises
• Whitehaven (ASX:WHC) share price sinks on falling FY21 revenues
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• ASX 200 rises, WiseTech soars, Zip drops
• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Ramsay Health Care Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Idp Education Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Dominos Pizza Enterprises Limited, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, and Ramsay Health Care 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 Service Stream Ltd (ASX: SSM) share price sunk into the red during Thursday afternoon trade as the telecommunications company reported its FY21 earnings.

Service Stream shares closed the day at 86 cents a piece, a 2.82% drop on the day.

Let’s investigate a little further.

Service Stream share price sinks despite strong profit and earnings growth

• Revenue of $804.2 million, a 13.4% increase from the year prior
• EBITDA growth of 25.9% year on year to $80.1 million
• Adjusted net profit after tax (NPAT) of $38.9 million, which signifies a 33.8% growth from a year ago
• Net cash recorded a loss of $3.9 million compared to FY20
• FY21 interim dividend of 2.5 cents per share, no final dividend announced.

What happened in FY21 for Service Stream?

In what should potentially be a positive for the Service Stream share price, the company grew revenue by about 13% year on year to $804.2 million.

It also recognised a 26% growth in EBITDA to $80 million, which came through to an NPAT of around $39 million. This represents a 34% year on year growth pattern.

In terms of its divisions, Service Stream’s utilities segment grew revenue by $27.5 million to just over $411.5 million. This was split between Comdain infrastructure revenue of $320 million and metering and technical services revenue of $92 million. COVID-19 had a material impact on its utilities division, as per the company’s report.

However, in its telecommunications division, revenue contracted by $152 million, a 28% year on year decrease. The down-step resulted from a decrease in both activation and wireless revenue, down 30% and 14% respectively from FY20.

Service Stream also generated about $74 million in “operating cash flow before interest and tax (OCFBIT)”. This represents an “outstanding EBITDA to OCFBIT conversion ratio of 99%”, according to the company.

The telco company left FY21 with $50.6 million in cash and $35 million of debt. Finally, the board declared that there would be no final dividend for FY21. This point could weigh on the Service Stream share price.

The decision is due to the Lendlease Services acquisition from 21 July to “ensure the group maintains a strong balance sheet”.

What did management say?

Service Stream chair Brett Gallagher said:

Although earnings related to the Group’s telecommunication division reduced during the year, the fundamentals of Service Stream remained strong, reinforcing the resilience of our business model and the nature of the Group’s operations supporting essential infrastructure across the country.

Regarding Lendlease, Gallagher concluded:

The Board is also pleased that despite a challenging year, Management has maintained its focus on executing the Group’s Strategy, and is delighted with the acquisition of Lendlease Services which will create a broader portfolio of operations across the wider infrastructure services market.

What’s next for Service Stream?

Service Stream expects “post-acquisition pro forma FY22 EBITDA” to be in the range of $120 million -$125 million.

The company’s “standalone earnings” are expected to “rebase below FY21”. This would be in line with the “telecommunication contracts secured in FY21”.

Moreover, it expects lockdowns “should diminish as vaccination rates increase”. However, it remains cautious on making forecasts with the current state of the economy affected by COVID-19.

The Service Stream share price has had a difficult year to date, posting a loss of 51% since January 1. This has lagged the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)’s climb of 14% this year to date.

The post Service Stream (ASX:SSM) share price slides despite 34% profit growth in FY21 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s why the Service Stream (ASX:SSM) share price is gaining today

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

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Two of Australia’s buy now, pay later giants – Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) reported earnings for the 2021 financial year yesterday. Unfortunately for shareholders, the metrics did no favours for the respective share prices of the two on the day.

Often it can be worthwhile to compare between companies in the same industry to gain a sense of market position between peers. Although Afterpay’s earnings are considerably larger, the comparison can still provide some insights into how the two stack up.

So, let’s take a closer look at the financials.

Afterpay earnings failed to impress

If you didn’t have a chance to catch up prior, here are the highlights from Afterpay’s full-year results.

• Underlying sales grew 90% (or 102% in constant currency) to $21.1 billion
• Total income up 78% (or 89% in constant currency) to $924.7 million
• EBITDA down 13% to $38.7 million
• Active customers increased 63% to 16.2 million
• Active merchants up 77% to 98,200
• Square-Afterpay transaction on track to complete in Q1 of calendar year 2022

Following the release of its earnings, the Afterpay share price fell slightly. This is likely attributable to the payment company falling short of some investor and analyst expectations. As covered by my colleague, James, Afterpay fell short of broker Ord Minnett’s expectations. Analysts at the broker anticipated an underlying EBITDA of $75.4 million. However, Afterpay posted less than half of this expectation with $38.7 million.

How does this compare to the Zip earnings result?

Zip released its own FY21 result on the same day as Afterpay. Although the two companies vary drastically in terms of scale, both operate in the same industry and measure success through very similar metrics. In fact, it is possible that the two even share an overlap in customers.

For that reason, here’s a closer look at Zip’s earnings highlights for comparison:

• Total transaction volume grew 176% to $5.8 billion
• Revenue of $403.2 million, up 150% year on year
• Cash EBTDA loss of $22.9 million compared to $3.5 million profit in prior year
• Active customers at 7.3 million, up 247.5%
• Active merchants at 51,300, up 109.4%

Evidently, Zip is growing its customer and merchant base at a faster rate than Afterpay. Although, it is worth keeping in mind that Zip is operating from a lower base. However, that doesn’t mean we should completely dismiss this rapid growth.

The smaller BNPL contender now boasts an active customer base that is nearly half the size of Afterpay’s. This is despite Zip holding a market capitalisation that is roughly one-tenth that of its larger rival.

Likewise, we can see from comparing with Afterpay’s earnings that Zip is processing roughly one-fourth as much as Afterpay in the way of sales.

The post How does Afterpay (ASX:APT) earnings result compare to Zip? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 rises, WiseTech soars, Zip drops
• The Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price is down despite revealing major global growth
• Why Bravura, Nine, Reece, & Zip shares are sinking today
• Got Afterpay (ASX:APT) shares? Here’s what to look out for in FY22
• How does the Afterpay (ASX:APT) result compare with broker expectations?

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 and ZIPCOLTD 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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having a bit of a pullback this Thursday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is down 0.62% to 7,485 points. But rather than dwelling on that statistic, let’s instead check out some of the heaviest trading ASX 200 shares on the share market today.

The 3 heaviest trading ASX 200 shares on Thursday

Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)

The Flying Kangaroo is our first ASX 200 share to check out today. At the time of writing, we have seen a hefty 21.38 million Qantas shares change hands so far. This follows the national airline’s FY2021 earnings report which the company gave to us before market open this morning. This earnings report also announced that the company plans to restart international flights in December this year.

The response from investors has been enthusiastic, and the Qantas share price is currently up a healthy 3.3% to $5.03. This movement is likely behind the large volume of Qantas shares we are seeing bought and sold today.

IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL)

IDP Education is our second ASX 200 share this Thursday. Today we have seen approximately 22.09 million IDP shares trade so far. Although IDP hasn’t had anything to say today, we did receive the company’s own FY21 earnings report yesterday.

After an initial wobble, IDP Education ended up finishing up 2.3% for the day yesterday. And today has seen investors pile on, pushing the shares up another 2.3% to $29.03 a share. It’s likely this strong buying pressure that has resulted in so many IDP Education shares finding new homes today.

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

And our most traded ASX 200 share today goes to A2 Milk. Unfortunately, unlike the above two shares, A2 Milk is likely seeing a spike in trading volumes today as a result of a poor reaction from investors to its own earnings. A2 reported its FY21 numbers this morning, and the reaction has certainly not been kind.

The company’s shares are currently down a nasty 12.3% to $6.01 apiece today. It’s almost certainly this steep slide in A2 that is behind the whopping 24.93 million shares flying around the markets so far this Thursday.

The post Here are the 3 heaviest trading ASX 200 shares this Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why A2 Milk, Appen, Jumbo, & Link shares are sinking
• Own A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) shares? Here’s what the company has planned for FY22
• Why Blackmores, Flight Centre, Kuniko, & Qantas shares are soaring today
• How do the A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) results compare to broker expectations?
• Qantas (ASX:QAN) share price up amid plan to restart international travel

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Idp Education Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Best & Less Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: BST) shares slipped today after the ASX-newbie released its results for the 2021 financial year (FY21).

At close, the Best & Less share price finished at $2.75, 3% lower than yesterday’s closing price.

Best & Less share price slumps despite 190% profit boost

Investors drove the Best & Less share price lower in spite of the clothing retailer reporting the following key highlights from its FY21 performance:

• $663.2 million of revenue, 6% more than that of FY20.
• Net profit after tax of $47 million, up 191%.
• Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of $71.6 million – up 165%.

Best & Less beat its prospectus forecasts across all key metrics in FY21.

It saw a gross profit of $279.3 million.

The company ended the period with $35.7 million of cash and received $14.1 million of JobKeeper over the period.

What happened in FY21 for Best & Less?

If you’re keen to know how the Best & Less share price performed during FY21, you may be disappointed. That’s because the Best & Less initial public offering (IPO) occurred after the financial year’s end. Those interested can read all about the company’s ASX debut here.

During FY21, Best & Less aimed to boost its online sales and its strategy appeared to pay off.

The company’s online sales grew by 33.5% in FY21, representing 9.2% of all sales. The increased online sales came after Best & Less introduced click-and-collect and ship-from-store facilities.

Additionally, the company sold nearly 90 million units in FY21.

Best & Less’ loyalty programs grew by over 400,0000 members in FY21. The company’s loyalty programs had around 1.7 million members as of June 30, 2021.

Best & Less also opened 2 new stores, relocated 6 stores, and closed 7 stores. It ended the period with 245 stores.

The company also published its first modern slavery statement during FY21 and made progress on its living wage commitments. During the period, Best & Less conducted 217 factory audits to ensure compliance across its supplier base.

It also initiated a workers grievance hotline to protect those employed in its suppliers’ factories and provide them with a voice directly to the company.

The company also supported 173 different charities through Good360 and partnered with Drought Angels.

What did management say?

Best & Less’ CEO Rodney Orrock commented on the results driving the company’s share price lower today, saying:

Delivering a record profit and exceeding our Prospectus forecasts in all key metrics, with EBITDA and NPAT ahead 18.0% and 18.1% respectively, is an endorsement of our strategy, leadership in the value retail apparel segment, particularly baby and kids’ categories and our omnichannel sales model.

Our strong like-for-like sales growth of 10.8% in FY21 reflects the success of our differentiated customer value proposition of ‘twice the quality at half the price’. The robust performance of our core categories, including baby which grew by over 15%, as well as underwear and sleepwear, further highlights the defensive characteristics of our business…

In this challenging environment the deep retail sector experience of our management team pays off, enabling us to respond effectively to rapidly changing conditions. I would like to thank all of our team members for their commitment to providing excellent service, our suppliers for their support during a challenging period and our customers for their continued loyalty.

What’s next for Best & Less?

Here’s what investors keeping an eye on the Best & Less share price need to know:

The company has been hit hard with COVID-19 restrictions since the end of FY21, with approximately 19.9% of Best & Less’ potential trading days being lost due to government-mandated closures. Additionally, stores allowed to remain open have seen reduced foot traffic.

Between 30 June and 22 August, the company’s total sales are down 25.7%.

However, over the same period, the company’s online sales have grown by 6.8% from FY20 and by 107.5% against the same period 2 years ago.

44 of the company’s NSW stores opened again yesterday, in line with government restrictions.

Still, to accommodate lost income, Best & Less is undergoing a capital and hiring freeze and its senior management team has voluntarily reduced their salaries by 20% until the end of lockdowns.

The company is also negotiating with its landlords to “appropriately share the burden of the mandated store closures”.

Despite the current struggles, Best & Less expects to achieve its prospectus’ EBITDA and net profit after tax forecasts for the 2021 calendar year. These are $62.4 million and $41.3 million respectively.

Best & Less share price snapshot

Since Best & Less listed on the ASX, its share price has gained 15%. Its shares are also going for 27% more than its prospectus’ offer price of $2.16 apiece.

The post Best & Less (ASX:BST) share price slides despite record profit appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why A2 Milk, Appen, Jumbo, & Link shares are sinking
• Audio Pixels (ASX:AKP) share price storms 7% higher following progress update
• ASX 200 just reached a massive milestone
• AUB (ASX:AUB) share price sinks 7% despite 50% growth in profit
• Own A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) shares? Here’s what the company has planned for FY22

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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In late trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to end its winning streak and record a disappointing decline. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 0.6% to 7,487.5 points.

Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are sinking:

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

The A2 Milk share price has sunk 12% to $6.02. This follows the release of a full year result that narrowly achieved its downgraded (four times) guidance range. The infant formula company reported a 30.3% decline in revenue to NZ$1.21 billion and a 77.6% fall in EBITDA to NZ$123 million. The company also revealed that it has decided against a capital return and warned that FY 2022 would be challenging.

Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

The Appen share price has crashed 22% to $10.81 after the release of its half year results. Appen reported a 2% decline in revenue to US$196.6 million and a 14.3% fall in EBITDA to US$27.7 million. Although its EBITDA was a touch ahead of the US$27million analysts at Citi were expecting, the broker noted that its estimate was ~20% lower than consensus estimates. This means it fell well short of what the market was expecting. Appen also announced the acquisition of location data provider Quadrant.

Jumbo Interactive Ltd (ASX: JIN)

The Jumbo share price is down 10% to $16.40. This follows the release of the lottery ticket seller’s full year results. Jumbo reported total transaction value (TTV) growth of 37% to $487 million and revenue growth of 17% to $83.3 million. However, softer margins led to underlying net profit after tax growing only 7% to $28.3 million. Jumbo also announced the acquisition of Canada-based Stride Management.

Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX: LNK)

The Link share price is down 12.5% to $4.50. Investors have been selling the financial technology company’s shares following the release of a disappointing full year result. Link reported a 6% year on year decline in revenue to $1.16 billion and an 18% decline in operating net profit after tax and amortisation to $113 million.

The post Why A2 Milk, Appen, Jumbo, & Link shares are sinking appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Appen Ltd, Jumbo Interactive Limited, and Link Administration Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Appen Ltd and Jumbo Interactive Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk and Link Administration Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Audio Pixels Holdings Ltd (ASX: AKP) share price is racing higher today following a positive update from the speaker development company.

At the time of writing, Audio Pixels shares are up 7.02% to $27.61. In comparison, the All Ordinaires Index(ASX: XAO) is down 0.58% to 7,764 points.

What did Audio Pixels announce?

According to its release, Audio Pixels advised that it has commenced technological demonstrations of its advanced MEMS-based transducers.

The company is developing the next generation of speakers that will exceed current market performance and design specifications.

Audio Pixels stated that in-person demonstrations have taken place out of the clean room with expert representatives from world leading consumer electronic companies. These industry players have maintained relevant staffing in Israel and have expressed interest in the technology.

Furthermore, due to the unpredictable nature of COVID-19, the company has prioritised the development of its demonstration systems for third parties outside of Israel. It aims to have these components securely shipped for independent third-party assessments.

The announcement follows a previous update on 28 July, stating that Audio Pixels underwent extensive testing, optimization and fine-tuning on its demo systems.

Quick take on MEMS and transducers

MEMS refers to micro-electromechanical devices which comprise electronic, mechanical, and wireless communication components. This is used in commercial applications such as sensor-driven heating and cooling systems, tiny gyroscopes, barometers, accelerometers and microphones for mobile phones, and disposable pressure sensors for healthcare.

A transducer is a device that converts power from one form to another for purposes of measurement or control.

About the Audio Pixels share price

Over the past 12 months, Audio Pixels shares have gained almost 25% for investors, with year to date 14% higher. This is despite the company’s share price hitting a multi-year low of $18 in May 2021, before quickly rebounding.

Audio Pixels presides a market capitalisation of roughly $792.3 million, with approximately 28.7 million shares on hand.

The post Audio Pixels (ASX:AKP) share price storms 7% higher following progress update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Own A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) shares? Here’s what the company has planned for FY22
• FINEOS (ASX:FCL) share price jumps 15% on solid FY21 result
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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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