• ASX 200 midday update: James Hardie hits record high, Pilbara Minerals rockets

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    At lunch on Tuesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has given back the majority of its morning gains and is just a fraction higher at 7,541.4 points.

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

    Challenger results disappoint

    The Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) share price is trading lower today following the release of its full year results. The annuities company reported a normalised net profit after tax of $279 million. This was down 19% year on year. In addition, the company announced the retirement of its CEO.

    James Hardie Q1 update impresses

    The James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) share price jumped to a record high this morning. This follows the release of a strong first quarter result which revealed a 35% increase in sales over the prior corresponding period to US$843.3 million. And thanks to margin expansion, the company’s net income was up 50% to US$134.2 million. This strong start to the year led to management upgrading full year net income guidance.

    Megaport shares rise on results and acquisition

    The Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) share price is pushing higher today following the release of its full year results and the announcement of an acquisition. In respect to the former, the network as a service (NaaS) solutions provider reported a 35% year on year increase in revenue to $78.28 million. This was driven by a 32% jump in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) to $7.5 million, which annualises to $90 million. Megaport also announced the US$15 million acquisition of InnovoEdge. It is an AI-powered multi-cloud and edge application orchestration company.

    Best and worst ASX 200 performers

    The best performer on the ASX 200 on Tuesday has been the Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price. It is up 8% following a strong rally by lithium shares today. The worst performer on the ASX 200 has been the Ramelius Resources Limited (ASX: RMS) share price with a 5% decline. A number of gold miners are being sold off today after further weakness in the price of the precious metal.

    The post ASX 200 midday update: James Hardie hits record high, Pilbara Minerals rockets 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 May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Challenger Limited. 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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  • 3 high conviction ASX 200 shares that could be buys this August

    ASX shares Business man marking buy on board and underlining it

    Now that we are a fair way into August, and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is at fresh new all-time highs, it might be a good time to have a think about which ASX 200 shares you might want to invest in going forward.

    A market at all-time highs is definitely worth celebrating. But we all know that it can be a dangerous time to invest as well. Most share market crashes usually come pretty close on the heels of record-breaking bull markets, after all. As such, any new shares an investor wants to add to their portfolios this August may benefit from a high-conviction investment thesis.

    So here are 3 ASX shares that offer such a thesis today:

    3 high conviction ASX 200 shares that could be August buys

    Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

    Although Telstra did hit a new 52-week high of $3.83 yesterday, the Telstra share price is still relatively low by historical standards. Remember, this ASX 200 telco is a company that once had an ‘8’ at the front of its share price. Still, Telstra shares have been a great investment in more recent history. The company is now up almost 27% in 2021 so far on yesterday’s closing share price.

    There is one investor who thinks Telstra can climb further though. Investment bank and broker Goldman Sachs currently rates Telstra as a ‘buy’, with a 12-month share price target of $4.20 a share. That implies a potential upside of almost 10% on yesterday’s closing price. Goldman thinks Telstra will continue to benefit from the completion of the nbn rollout, as well as demand for its generous dividend payments.

    Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM)

    Newcrest is another ASX 200 share that may be a worthy high-conviction ASX share idea for investors today. That might be a hard pill to swallow today, considering Newcrest shares took quite a nasty tumble yesterday, shedding 2.7% to close at $25.39 a share. Falling gold prices seem to be behind this most recent dip.

    However, Newcrest is another one of Goldman Sachs’ high conviction ASX shares. Goldman currently rates Newcrest as a ‘buy’ as well, with a 12-month share price target of $35 a share. That’s a potential upside of close to 38% on yesterday’s closing share price. In this case, Goldman is bullish on Newcrest due to its perceived cheap valuation compared to other ASX gold miners, as well as the company’s growth pipeline.

    Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

    ASX 200 supermarket giant Coles is the final ASX share to consider today. Coles shares have had a lacklustre 2021 so far – the company is currently down 2.76% year to date. At yesterday’s closing share price of $17.99, it’s also a fair ways away from its all-time high of $19.26 a share.

    Saying that, Coles is another company that Goldman Sachs is currently bullish on with conviction. Goldman rates Coels shares as a ‘buy’ with a 12-month share price target of $19.40, implying a potential upside of 7.8% over the next year.

    For Coles, Golman is looking at the company’s upcoming earnings report, and is expecting Coles to shine in its Liquor and Coles Express divisions in particular. It also expects the company’s share price earnings multiple to continue to narrow against its rival Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) going forward.

    The post 3 high conviction ASX 200 shares that could be buys this August 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 May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Newcrest Mining Limited and 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 COLESGROUP DEF SET and 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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  • VAS share price history: What caused the biggest ups and downs?

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    The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) has a rather special place in the eyes of Australian investors, if the data is anything to go by. As we’ve covered on the Fool before, VAS is the ASX exchange-traded fund (ETF) that is the most popular amongst Australian investors.

    As it stands today, this ETF has approximately $8.8 billion in funds under management (FUM), more than any other ASX ETF.

    If you didn’t know, VAS is an index fund. It covers the largest 300 companies on the ASX by market capitalisation, tracking the S&P/ASX 300 Index (INDEXASX: XKO).

    This includes everything from Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) to Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)JB Hi-F Ltd (ASX: JBH) and Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD).

    But what is the share price history of VAS? What have been its biggest ebbs and flows over the past decade? Well, to answer that question, let’s first go through this ETF’s performance figures.

    What is the VAS ETF’s past performance like?

    So over the past 12 months (as of 31 July), VAS has returned a very healthy 29.11%. Over the past 3 years on average, VAS has returned 9.7% per annum.

    It’s very similar over the past 5 and 20 years, where VAS has returned an average of 10.08% per annum and 9.75% per annum respectively. These numbers include the impact of dividend returns as well which, considering VAS is a market-wide ASX ETF, are substantial.

    But let’s put this all in some visual context. Here is a graph of this ETF’s performance over the past 10 years:

    As you can see, there have been a few bumps and bruises over the past 10 years, but overall it has been a story of appreciation.

    The largest dip occurred last year, during the coronavirus-induced share market crash which hit global markets in February and March 2020. Peak to trough, VAS lost approximately 32% of its value between 20 February and 20 March 2020.

    But we all know how that ended up playing out. From late March onwards, the Australian share market staged a remarkable recovery, which of course was also captured by this ETF. Between March 2020 and today, VAS has appreciated by roughly 57%.

    Before 2020, we saw some far more minor bumps and dips. The malaise that the markets went through back in 2015 is plain to see here, as is the short-but-sharp dip the markets experienced in late 2018.

    Perhaps what is most evident though is how the more one zooms out, the less these dips seem to matter.

    The post VAS share price history: What caused the biggest ups and downs? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider VAS, 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 VAS 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 May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO and 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 the PointsBet share price is up 6% on Tuesday

    Man holding up betting slip and cheering along with two friends in front of TV

    The PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) share price is making a strong comeback after sliding to 9-month lows last week.

    At the time of writing, shares in the betting company are up 6.26% to $10.77.

    What’s driving the PointsBet share price higher on Tuesday?

    The PointsBet share price might be moving higher in response to broader market gains, with the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) lifting 0.44% to a record high of 7,591.9 on Tuesday.

    Many notable ASX 200 growth shares are pushing higher in today’s session. These include Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS), Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) lifting 8.1%, 2.91% and 2.51% respectively.

    The strong sentiment behind leading ASX 200 growth shares could be a factor propping up the PointsBet share price.

    In addition, sports betting peers including BetMakers Technology Group Ltd (ASX: BET) and BlueBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: BBT) are also making headway. They are up 1.72% and 7.61% respectively.

    Both betting peers are finding success in the United States.

    On Tuesday, BlueBet revealed a second US sports betting agreement in an attempt to land itself a licence to operate in Arizona.

    BetMakers revealed a major landmark achievement following the legalisation of fixed odds wagering in the state of New Jersey.

    BetMakers said New Jersey now becomes the first state in the United States to offer fixed odds betting on horse racing, and “setting precedent legal framework that is relevant for our discussions with other states in the US”.

    This move spells good news for the PointsBet share price. The company previously landed an agreement with BetMakers to operate fixed odds betting in New Jersey.

    What about PointsBet’s capital raising?

    It was an ugly day for PointsBet shareholders following the completion of its institutional placement and entitlement offer earlier this month. The PointsBet share price fell sharply on the news.

    The capital raising would issue new shares at an 11.4% discount to its last closing price of $11.91 on Wednesday 28 July.

    It’s common for shares to tumble following a capital raising, driven lower by factors such as the discount and share dilution.

    It looks like the PointsBet share price has been able to digest the capital raising relatively quickly, and is closing in on where it left off.

    The post Why the PointsBet share price is up 6% on Tuesday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider PointsBet, 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 PointsBet 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 May 24th 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. owns shares of and has recommended Betmakers Technology Group Ltd and Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Betmakers Technology Group Ltd and Pointsbet 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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  • Nuix (ASX:NXL) share price up 5% following update on ASIC investigation

    share price up

    The Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL) share price is gaining this morning after the company released an update on the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) investigation into its listing.

    Nuis has updated the market on ASIC’s investigation into alleged breaches of the Corporations Act. The company first announced it was aware of the investigation on 30 June.

    Right now, the Nuix share price is $2.74 apiece, 4.58% more than its closing price yesterday.

    Let’s take a closer look at today’s news from the tech company.

    The latest on ASIC’s investigation into Nuix

    The Nuix share price is up following the company announcing that it now has a better idea of the exact issues ASIC is most interested in, in its investigation into Nuix.

    As The Motley Fool Australia has previously reported, ASIC is investigating the company due to concerns Nuix’s prospectus contained false information. Namely, whether its financial forecasts were inflated.

    Nuix stated its aware that ASIC is mostly interested in 3 periods of reporting. Those are:

    • Financial statements from Nuix issued between 30 June 2018 and 30 June 2019
    • Nuix’s prospectus
    • Nuix’s market disclosures for the period between 4 December 2020 and 31 May 2021

    Between 4 December – the date of Nuix’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) – and 31 May 2021, Nuix released 2 revenue downgrades to the market. In that same time frame, the Nuix share price fell 65%.

    Today’s release from Nuix stated:

    Nuix has not received any formal notification of an investigation from ASIC and remains confident that it has complied with its accounting and disclosure obligations.

    Macquarie Group, Nuix’s largest shareholder and backer of its IPO, recently said its own review into Nuix’s listing found nothing sinister.

    ASIC is also investigating the company’s former CFO and their family on allegations of insider trading.

    Nuix share price snapshot

    It likely comes as no surprise the Nuix share price hasn’t been doing well lately.

    It has fallen 65% since it first listed on the ASX late last year.

    The company has a market capitalisation of around $831 million, with approximately 317 million shares outstanding.

    The post Nuix (ASX:NXL) share price up 5% following update on ASIC investigation appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider Nuix, 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 Nuix 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 May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Nuix Pty Ltd. 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 the Laybuy (ASX:LBY) share price is rocketing 5%

    Three happy women shopping with shopping bags at mall

    The Laybuy Holdings Ltd (ASX: LBY) share price is shooting for the stars. That’s after the buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider announced a new merchant partnership with “the UK’s largest independent fragrance retailer”.

    Shares shot up 5% amid the news to 59.5 cents but, at the time of writing, Laybuy’s share price has settled at 57 cents – up 2.7%.

    Let’s take a closer look at today’s news.

    The Laybuy share price is rising

    In a statement to the ASX, Laybuy Holdings announced it will enter a merchant partnership with ‘The Fragrance Shop’, the largest independent fragrance retailer in the UK.

    Laybuy, which launched in New Zealand and listed on the ASX in September 2020, now claims to be one of the top 3 providers of BNPL in the British Isles.

    The company says gross merchandise value (GMV) has “more than doubled” in the last quarter to a value of NZ $398 million (around A$379 million). A further 222 merchants in the UK have signed partnership deals in July.

    As well, more merchants in Australia and New Zealand have signed up with the service. These include some well-known brands include Sanity, Collette, Culture Kings, and EB Games. The company has over 10,000 merchant partnerships worldwide.

    Investors are clearly loving this news, judging by the surging Laybuy share price.

    Finally, the company will hold a webinar on 11 August at 9:00am AEST.

    Management commentary

    Laybuy Managing Director Gary Rohloff said:

    The agreement is an important step towards the Company’s goal of having Laybuy available almost everywhere consumers shop in the UK, whenever they shop.

    We are delighted to be partnering with The Fragrance Shop, which is a cosmetics and beauty giant with 200 stores across the UK offering over 6,000 products both online and instore.

    He added:

    The UK is our growth engine. In the past quarter alone, we have added 743 new merchants in the UK as well as 53,800 new active customers to reach more than half-a-million active customers, an increase of 143% year-on-year.

    We remain a market leader in New Zealand and have a growing presence in Australia. Our active merchants in Australia and New Zealand (“ANZ”) increased 55% year-on-year, while active customers are up 20% in this more mature market.

    Laybuy share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, the Laybuy share price has decreased 71.5%. Year-to-date, it is down 55.3%.

    Laybuy has a market capitalisation of around $141 million.

    The post Why the Laybuy (ASX:LBY) share price is rocketing 5% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider Laybuy, 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 Laybuy 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 May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Marc Sidarous 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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  • Bank dividends to rise, and Climate Change in focus. Scott Phillips on Sky News First Edition

    Motley Fool Chife Investment Officer Scott Phillips on Sky news

    Motley Fool Australia Chief Investment Officer Scott Phillips joined Sky News First Edition on Tuesday morning to discuss Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN)’s profit and dividend surge, the likelihood of the same for other banks, plus the impact for investors from yesterday’s IPCC climate change report.

    The post Bank dividends to rise, and Climate Change in focus. Scott Phillips on Sky News First Edition 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 May 24th 2021

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

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  • Why the Core Lithium (ASX:CXO) share price remains frozen today

    Person covered in snow and freezing

    The Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) share price remains frozen today after the shares entered a trading halt on Monday. This follows two new market announcements from the lithium producer after market close yesterday.

    At Friday’s market close, Core Lithium shares were swapping hands for 36 cents apiece.

    Core Lithium announces placement, inks Chinese deal

    According to yesterday’s releases, Core Lithium has undertaken a fully underwritten institutional placement. The offer is seeking to raise $91 million through the issuance of 293 million new ordinary shares.

    Under the placement, Core Lithium will price each of the shares at 31 cents apiece. This represents a 13.9% discount on the closing price on 6 August 2021, and a 2.4% discount on the 5-day volume-weighted average price.

    Core Lithium stated it has also executed a binding offtake agreement with leading Chinese lithium supplier, Ganfeng Lithium. The company is considered one of the world’s largest lithium producers by capacity.

    The deal will see Ganfeng Lithium buy 75,000 tonnes per annum of spodumene concentrate from the Finniss Lithium Project in the Northern Territory. The agreement is valid for 4 years.

    Furthermore, Ganfeng Lithium will make an equity investment of $34 million to contribute towards the Finniss stage 1 development costs.

    Core Lithium will issue approximately 100.5 million shares at 33.8 cents each for Ganfeng Lithium. However, the offtake agreement is subject to Chinese regulatory approvals, as well as approval from Core Lithium shareholders, by 31 October 2021.

    In addition, the company will launch a share purchase plan (SPP) for retail shareholders at the same issue price. The company is hoping to raise an extra $15 million through the SPP. Shareholders can apply for up to $30,000 worth of Core Lithium shares when the offer opens on 13 August 2021.

    What will the funds be used for?

    The monies raised from the placement will be used to fund an array of initiatives. They include the following:

    • Upfront capital expenses at Finniss such as plant construction costs;
    • Environmental bond payments to the Northern Territory state government;
    • Drilling to accelerate reserve and resource growth; and
    • Working capital.

    Core Lithium managing director Stephen Biggins commented:

    The equity raising, including the offtake and equity investment by Ganfeng, represents a transformational moment for Core. We now have immediate certainty over Finniss Project funding and we remain on track to commence construction activities within the 2021 calendar year, ahead of anticipated first production in late 2022.

    Core Lithium share price review

    It has been an interesting year for Core Lithium shares. They have moved in circles for most of 2021 until recently shooting higher. The Core Lithium share price reached an 8-month high of 36.5 cents before it was halted yesterday.

    Based on today’s price, Core Lithium has a market capitalisation of roughly $422.6 million, with over 1.1 billion shares outstanding.

    The post Why the Core Lithium (ASX:CXO) share price remains frozen today 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 May 24th 2021

    More reading

    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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  • ELMO (ASX:ELO) share price tipped to jump 54% higher from here

    A hipster dude leaps in the air with glee, seeing positive news on his tablet.

    The ELMO Software Ltd (ASX: ELO) share price is recovering on Tuesday morning following a sizeable pullback on Monday after the release of its full year results.

    At the time of writing, the cloud-based human resources and payroll software company’s shares are up 2% to $5.07.

    How did ELMO perform in FY 2021?

    For the 12 months ended 30 June, ELMO reported annualised recurring revenue (ARR) of $83.8 million. This was up 52.1% on the prior corresponding period. This was driven by a combination of organic growth and the benefits of acquisitions.

    Also heading in the right direction was its underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). It came in at $0.4 million in FY 2021, compared to a $2.9 million loss in FY 2020.

    So why did the ELMO share price drop?

    The weakness in the ELMO share price on Monday was likely to have been driven by concerns over its churn levels.

    The company’s ARR churn was 11.6% for its ELMO business and 13.6% for its Breathe business. The former was up from 7.8% year on year.

    However, it is worth noting that this was driven by the impact of COVID-19 on its customers. This could mean a significant improvement next year if the COVID situation doesn’t escalate globally.

    Management chat

    I was fortunate enough to be in a position to have a chat with ELMO CEO Danny Lessem following the release of the result.

    Mr Lessem was deservedly pleased with the company’s performance during the year and optimistic on the year ahead. Particularly given how the company is well-placed to benefit from improving business confidence and the increase in remote based working. The latter is driving the adoption of cloud-based business tools.

    This is expected to support a return to pre-COVID growth levels and underpin further operating leverage.

    I asked the CEO about acquisitions, given that ELMO finished the period with a cash balance of $81.9 million. While ELMO continues to look for strategic acquisitions, Mr Lessem notes that M&A multiples are a lot higher now than when the company acquired Breathe and Webexpenses. As such, there are slim pickings in the space.

    Is the ELMO share price in the buy zone?

    According to a note out of Morgan Stanley, the broker sees a lot of value in the ELMO share price and has retained its overweight rating.

    And while the broker has cut its price target to $7.80, based on the latest ELMO share price, this still implies potential upside of ~54% over the next 12 months.

    The post ELMO (ASX:ELO) share price tipped to jump 54% higher from here appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider ELMO, 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 ELMO 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 May 24th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Elmo Software. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Elmo Software. 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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  • Megaport (ASX:MP1) share price lifts after acquisition update

    asx tech shares

    The Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) share price has jumped into the green in early trade today. Today’s climb comes as Megaport gave a key update to the market, amid other announcements.

    Let’s cover what the releases entail.

    Quick recap on Megaport

    Megaport’s tech service delivery models are touted as “Network as a Service (NaaS)” solutions, a derivative of the high-growth Software as a Service (SaaS) industry.

    The company reported FY21 results today and recognised a 35% year-on-year growth in revenue to $78 million. Baked into that figure is a 32% increase in monthly recurring revenue.

    For its efforts, Megaport has a market capitalisation of $2.7 billion at the time of writing.

    Megaport to acquire InnovoEdge

    Today Megaport confirmed it signed the dotted line to acquire “AI-powered multi-cloud and edge application orchestration company” InnovoEdge, Inc.

    Under the deal, the transaction includes a cash payment of US$7.5 million and “up to US$7.5 million worth of ordinary shares in Megaport”, as per the company.

    Moreover, the equity position will be “issued in three tranches” over the coming three years, subject to performance milestones. Investors can expect the deal to be finalised in mid-August.

    For its part, InnovoEdge believes the pair’s expertise “aligns perfectly” while Megaport is confident the acquisition will “drive functionality” across its NaaS platform.

    Speaking on the deal, Megaport CEO Vincent English said:

    The acquisition of InnovoEdge aligns well with that priority and will help us drive greater functionality across our leading Network as a Service platform. By integrating the InnovoStudio service with our portal and software defined network, we will provide customers and partners with greater visibility and control of networking, cloud, and service resources.

    In addition, investors have reacted favourably to the news today, pushing Megaport shares into the green from the market open.

    To illustrate, Megaport shares are now exchanging hands at $17.64 apiece, a 1.55% jump from the previous close.

    Megaport share price snapshot

    The Megaport share price has posted a year to date return of 25%, extending the previous 12 months’ gain of 31%.

    Both of these results have outpaced the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)’s climb of around 25% over the past year.

    The post Megaport (ASX:MP1) share price lifts after acquisition update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    The author Zach Bristow has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. 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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