• 2 highly-rated ASX dividend shares named as buys

    Woman holding some cash

    Are you looking for some top ASX dividend shares to add to your income portfolio next week?

    If you are, you might want to look at the ones listed below. Here’s what you need to know about these highly rated dividend shares:

    Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

    The first ASX dividend share to look at is Accent. It is a retail group with a collection of popular footwear-focused store brands. These include stores such as HYPEDC, Platypus, and The Athlete’s Foot.

    Accent certainly was on form in FY 2021. For the 12 months ended 30 June, the company reported a 19.9% increase in sales to $1.14 billion and a 38.6% jump in net profit after tax to $76.9 million.

    Thanks to this strong form, the Accent Board was able to increase its full year dividend by 21.6% to 11.25 cents in FY 2021.

    This went down well with the team at Bell Potter. In response to its results, the broker retained its buy rating but trimmed its price target to $2.90. The latter was due to its expectation that FY 2022’s result will be softer due to lockdowns.

    Nevertheless, the broker remains positive on the future. Its team have pencilled in dividends per share of 9 cents in FY 2022 and 13 cents in FY 2023.

    Based on the latest Accent share price of $2.19, this represents yields of 4.1% and 5.9%, respectively.

    Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL)

    Another ASX dividend share to look at is Sonic Healthcare. It is a leading medical diagnostics company with operations across the world.

    Over the last 30+ years Sonic has earned a reputation for excellence in pathology, diagnostic imaging, and primary care medical services. This is across operations spanning the ANZ, European and North American markets.

    Sonic was also a very strong performer in FY 2021. Last month it delivered a 28% increase in revenue to $8.8 billion and a 149% lift in net profit to $1.3 billion. This was driven largely by strong demand for COVID-19 testing services.

    Morgans is positive on the company and has an add rating and $45.98 price target on its shares. It is also forecasting dividends per share of 95 cents in FY 2022 and 99 cents in FY 2023. Based on the latest Sonic share price of $43.75, this will mean partially franked yields of 2.2% and 2.3%, respectively.

    The post 2 highly-rated ASX dividend shares named as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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

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  • 2 excellent tech ETFs for ASX investors

    businessman holding world globe in one hand, representing asx etfs

    If you’re wanting to invest in the tech sector but aren’t sure which shares to buy, then you might want to consider exchange traded funds (ETFs).

    There are a number of ETFs out there that allow investors to buy a slice of some of the world’s biggest and brightest tech companies. Two such ETFs that will allow you to achieve this are listed below:

    BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

    The first ETF to consider is the BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. As its name implies, this ETF gives investors exposure to some of the largest tech companies in the Asian market.

    BetaShares believes this is a good place to invest, noting that technological adoption in Asia is surpassing the West. And while there are regulatory risks to consider in China, overall, the risk appears to be skewed to the upside given the strong growth potential of the shares included in the fund.

    Speaking of which, at present there are a total of 50 companies included in the fund. Among its holdings you’ll find Alibaba, Infosys, JD.com, Kakao, Meituan, Pinduoduo, Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Tencent.

    In respect to Tencent, it is a multinational technology conglomerate and one of the world’s largest companies. It is best known for its communication and social platforms, Weixin (WeChat) and QQ, which connect over a billion users with each other.

    BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

    Another ASX ETF to look at is the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF. This popular ETF gives investors exposure to the leading companies in the global cybersecurity sector.

    The cybersecurity sector has been growing rapidly in recent years. And due to increasing demand for cybersecurity services because of the growing threat of cyber attacks and the shift to the cloud, it has been tipped to continue doing so in the years to come.

    Included in the fund are both global cybersecurity giants and emerging players from a range of global locations. Among the companies you’ll be buying a piece of are Accenture, Cisco, Cloudflare, Crowdstrike, Okta, and Splunk.

    In respect to CrowdStrike, it provides the increasingly popular Falcon platform. This platform delivers incident response and forensic analysis services that are designed to help businesses understand whether a breach has occurred. It then allows the user to respond and recover from a breach with speed and precision to remediate the threat.

    The post 2 excellent tech ETFs for ASX investors appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended BETA CYBER ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BETA CYBER 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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  • If you invested $1,000 in Qantas (ASX:QAN) shares a decade ago, here’s what they would be worth now

    Paper plane made of money in different currencies flies through the sky

    The Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price has travelled higher over the past decade, up around 70%. However, this figure could have been much higher if not for COVID-19.

    During late December 2019, the Qantas share price was hovering above the $7.30 mark, before freefalling thereafter. While the airline’s shares have somewhat recovered, they are still a long way off those previous levels.

    Nonetheless, we wind the clock back and see how much an investor would have made if they had invested $1,000 in Qantas shares a decade ago.

    How much would your initial investment be worth now?

    If you spent $1,000 on Qantas shares exactly 10 years ago, you would have picked them up for $1.615 apiece. The purchase would deliver approximately 619 shares without reinvesting the dividends.

    Looking at yesterday’s closing price, the Qantas share price finished at $5.34. This means those 619 shares would be worth $3,305.46 (619 shares x $5.34).

    In percentage terms, the initial investment implies a gain of around 230.54% or a yearly average return of 12.70%. Comparing that to the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), the index has given back 5.84% over a 10-year period.

    And the dividends?

    Over the course of the last decade, Qantas has made a total of 8 bi-annual dividend payments from 2015 to 2019. Its most recent dividend distributions have been suspended due to the pandemic severely affecting its operations and bottom line.

    Adding those 8 dividends payments gives us an amount of 86 cents per share. Calculating the number of shares owned against the total dividend payment gives us a figure of $532.34 (619 shares x 0.86).

    When putting both the initial investment gains and dividend distribution, an investor would have made roughly $3,837.80.

    Qantas share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, the Qantas share price has moved 30% higher and is up around 10% year to date.

    Qantas presides a market capitalisation of roughly $10 billion, with more than 1.8 billion shares on its registry.

    The post If you invested $1,000 in Qantas (ASX:QAN) shares a decade ago, here’s what they would be worth now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider Qantas, 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 Qantas wasn’t one of them.

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor 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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  • How to turn $20,000 into $475,000 in 10 years with ASX shares

    I’m a big fan of buy and hold investing and believe it is the best way for investors to grow their wealth.

    To demonstrate how successful it can be, I like to pick out a number of popular ASX shares to see how much a single $20,000 investment 10 years ago would be worth today.

    This time around I have picked out the three ASX shares that are listed below:

    Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)

    This pizza chain operator has been a fantastic place to invest over the last decade. During this time the company has delivered consistently strong sales and earnings growth thanks to the popularity of its offering and its growing footprint. In respect to the latter, back in FY 2011 the company had 866 stores. Whereas last month it released its FY 2021 results and revealed that it opened 285 new stores during the year, bringing its total to 2,949 stores. Pleasingly, management believes it can grow this to 6,650 stores in existing markets by 2033. Over the last 10 years, the company’s shares have generated an average total return of 37.2% per annum. This would have turned a $20,000 investment into ~$473,000.

    REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

    The REA Group share price has also been a very strong performer over the last 10 years. This has been driven by strong earnings growth that has been underpinned by the structural shift to online property listings, the dominance of its realestate.com.au website, and its growing international operations. This has ultimately led to the company’s shares providing investors with an average 29.3% per annum total return. This means that a $20,000 investment in REA Group’s shares in 2011 would now be worth ~$261,000.

    ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

    Finally, the ResMed share price has beaten the market by some distance over the last decade. This has been driven by its consistently solid sales and earnings growth over the period. ResMed’s growth reflects its industry-leading solutions and the growing awareness and prevalence of sleep disorders. Over the last 10 years, ResMed’s shares have provided investors with an average total return of 30.3% per annum. This means that an investment of $20,000 into its shares in 2011 would have grown to be worth ~$282,000 this year.

    The post How to turn $20,000 into $475,000 in 10 years with ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Domino’s right now?

    Before you consider Domino’s, 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 Domino’s wasn’t one of them.

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Dominos Pizza Enterprises Limited, REA Group Limited, and ResMed Inc. 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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  • These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week

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

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form again last week. The benchmark index rose 34.6 points or 0.5% over the five days to end the week at 7,522.9 points.

    While a good number of shares pushed higher with the market, some climbed more than most. Here’s why these were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week:

    Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC)

    The Alumina share price was the strongest performer on the ASX 200 last week with a gain of 19.1%. This appears to have been driven by news that New Day Aluminum curtailed alumina production at its facility in the United States due to Hurricane Ida. Any supply disruptions are likely to support prices, which had already been improving in recent weeks prior to the hurricane.

    Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

    The Whitehaven Coal share price wasn’t far behind with a gain of 18.3% over the five days. Investors were buying the coal miner’s shares for a couple of reasons. One was an increase in coal prices last week, the other was a bullish broker note out of Ord Minnett. In respect to the latter, on Thursday the broker retained its buy rating and lifted its price target to $4.00. This is materially higher than the current Whitehaven Coal share price of $2.84.

    Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CUV)

    The Clinuvel share price was among the best performers on the ASX 200 for a second week in a row with a gain of 17.3%. Investors have been buying the biopharmaceutical company’s shares since a leading broker responded positively to its full year results. In FY 2021, Clinuvel reported a 43% increase in revenue to $48.5 million and a 63.5% jump in net profit after tax to $24.7 million. This led to Jefferies upgrading the company’s shares to a buy rating with a $36.80 price target. The Clinuvel share price has now breached this and hit a record high of $40.96 on Friday.

    South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)

    The South32 share price was on form and stormed 13.1% higher last week. Investors were fighting to get hold of the mining giant’s shares last week after aluminium prices hit their highest levels in 10 years. This was driven by concerns over shortages in China, which is the largest producer of aluminium in the world. Aluminium prices hit a high of US$2,727 a tonne on the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday according to the Financial Times.

    The post These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    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. 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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  • The Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price has dropped 17% in one month. Is it a buy?

    Woman in yellow hard hat and gloves puts both thumbs down

    Is the Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price worth looking at after dropping 17% over the last month?

    It has been a rough time in recent weeks for businesses that operate in the iron ore industry like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG).

    The iron ore price has been sinking with lower demand from China. The Chinese are the key customer of Australian iron ore. So, China has a very important role to play in the supply and demand relationship with iron ore.

    But the Rio Tinto dividend has also gone ex-dividend, meaning new investors after the ex dividend date aren’t entitled to the FY21 interim dividend.

    Rio Tinto’s big dividends

    The mining giant declared an ordinary dividend of US$3.76 per share for the first six months of FY21 – that was an increase of 143% compared to the first half of FY20.

    But the resources company generated so much profit, it decided to declare a special dividend of US$1.85 per share as well.

    That meant the total dividend per share for the first six months was US$5.61, representing an increase of 262%.

    Rio Tinto generated US$7.52 of underlying earnings per share (EPS) in the first half of FY21, so is still retaining some of that profit generated.

    There were high growth numbers across the board, as Rio Tinto benefited from the profitability improvement from very high commodity prices.

    FY21 half-year operating cashflow jumped 143% to US$13.66 billion. Underlying earnings increased 156% to US$12.17 billion and free cashflow soared 262% higher to US$10.2 billion.

    The company’s balance sheet also improved significantly, going from US$664 million of net debt at 31 December 2020 to $3.14 billion of net cash at 30 June 2021.

    Lithium expansion

    One of the main headlines out of Rio Tinto recently is that it has committed $2.4 billion of funding for the Jadar lithium-borates project in Serbia, subject to receiving all relevant approvals, permits and licences.

    It’s targeting first saleable production in 2026 and ramp up to full annual production of around 58,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate in 2029.

    Rio Tinto says that this positions it as the largest source of lithium supply in Europe. Jadar could supply enough lithium to power over one million electric vehicles per year.

    Is the Rio Tinto share price a buy?

    It depends on who you ask.

    The broker UBS thinks Rio Tinto is actually a sell, with a price target of $102. It was expecting the iron ore price to fall substantially – and it already has fallen a lot. UBS believes that higher supply will lead to an even lower iron ore price over the coming months.

    But then there are still buy ratings out there, such as Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) which has a price target of $153 on the Rio Tinto share price. The resumption of operations at Richards Bay Minerals in South Africa is a positive for the broker, after stabilisation of the security situation around the mine, supported by the local government.

    The post The Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price has dropped 17% in one month. Is it a buy? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of Fortescue Metals Group 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 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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  • Top broker says Collins Foods (ASX:CKF) share price is a buy

    Man holding phone celebrating share price rise

    The Collins Foods Ltd (ASX: CKF) share price has been a strong performer in 2021.

    It hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride, but the quick service restaurant operator’s shares have thoroughly smashed the market during this year.

    Since the start of the year, the Collins Foods share price is up over 31%. This is more than double the gain of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

    Can the Collins Foods share price keep climbing?

    The good news is that one leading broker still believes the Collins Foods share price has further to run.

    According to a note out of Canaccord Genuity, its analysts were pleased with the company’s full year results in June.

    In case you missed it, the KFC operator reported a 12.4% increase in revenue to $1.07 billion and an 18.2% lift in underlying net profit after tax to $56.9 million. This was driven largely by its KFC Australia business, which delivered same store sales growth of 12.9% during the 12 months.

    In response to the result, the team at Canaccord Genuity retained their buy rating and lifted their price target to $13.35 price target.

    Based on the latest Collins Foods share price of $12.55, this implies further upside of 6.5% over the next 12 months before dividends.

    And with Canaccord Genuity forecasting fully franked dividends per share of 26 cents in FY 2022, the potential return on offer stretches to approximately 8.5%.

    While the broker notes that Collins Foods will be cycling some very strong sales growth in FY 2022, it is still forecasting modest earnings and dividend growth for the year. This is largely due to the strength of its Australian KFC operations.

    All in all, Canaccord Genuity appears to believe this makes its shares good value at the current level.

    The post Top broker says Collins Foods (ASX:CKF) share price is a buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Collins Foods right now?

    Before you consider Collins Foods, 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 Collins Foods wasn’t one of them.

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

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

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  • Here’s a look at how ASX WAAAX shares compare on growth

    Woman standing in front of computerised images, ASX tech shares

    Now that the ASX August earnings season has drawn to a close, it’s a good time to run the ruler over the WAAAX shares.

    Armed with the FY21 full-year reports of all 5 ASX-listed technology shares, let’s assess how these companies compare to each other.

    Is there still growth in WAAAX shares?

    Firstly, a friendly reminder, WAAAX shares is an abbreviated term for five of the most recognisable tech companies on the ASX: WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC), Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT), Appen Ltd (ASX: APX), Altium Limited (ASX: ALU), and Xero Limited (ASX: XRO).

    While the notoriety of all these companies has been high in recent years, the performance of their respective share prices has been mixed. The fact is each of these companies operates in vastly different industries. For instance, logistics management software and payment solutions are like chalk and cheese.

    However, there are likely many investors out there grappling with which investment might provide the best returns in the future. For that reason, let’s compare the growth figures of each for FY21.

    How do the WAAAX shares compare?

    Revenue

    There are many ways to evaluate growth, but there are a few common ones. In this comparison, we’ll be focusing on revenue and earnings.

    Revenue tends to be a go-to metric for evaluating growth because often ‘growth’ companies prioritise this over profitability.

    Below is a table that summarises each of the five companies FY21 revenue growth:

    ASX-listed company FY21 revenue Growth year-over-year
    WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) $507.5 million 24%
    Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) $924.7 million 78%
    Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) US$180.2 million 6%
    Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) US$196.6 million -2%
    Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) NZ$848.8 million 18%

    As we can see, Afterpay delivered the highest rate of growth year-over-year (YoY) out of the WAAAX shares. This was underpinned by strong customer growth in North America and an increase in repeat use.

    At the other end of the scale, Appen failed to grow its revenue in FY21. Reportedly, this was the result of its project delivery being skewed to the second half of the year. In addition, Appen customers broadened their spending outside of digital advertising.

    Earnings

    It is reassuring when ASX shares are delivering double-digit revenue growth. However, that is only half the story when it comes to comparing growth figures.

    At some stage, investments need to grow profits to return value to shareholders. On that note, let’s take a look at how the WAAAX shares performed on an earnings basis in FY21.

    ASX-listed company FY21 profit/(loss) Growth year-over-year
    WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) $105.8 million 100%
    Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) ($159.4 million) -597%
    Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) US$35.3 million 79%
    Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) US$6.7 million -55%
    Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) NZ$19.8 million 493%

    Although Afterpay achieved the highest revenue growth, its bottom-line loss widened in FY21. Meanwhile, cloud-based accounting company, Xero, shot the lights out with a staggering 493% increase in profits.

    Additionally, WiseTech and Altium posted similarly impressive earnings growth. Based on this data, WiseTech has become the most profitable of the WAAAX shares, pumping out $105.8 million in net profits after tax.

    The post Here’s a look at how ASX WAAAX shares compare on growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Altium, Appen Ltd, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Altium, Appen Ltd, WiseTech Global, and Xero. 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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  • These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week

    share price plummeting down

    It was another positive week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). Over the five days, the benchmark index rose 34.6 points or 0.5% to end the period at 7,522.9 points.

    Unfortunately, not all shares were able to push higher with the market. Here’s why these were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week:

    Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB)

    The Mesoblast share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week with a decline of 13.4%. Investors were selling the biotech company’s shares after the release of its full year results. During the 12 months, Mesoblast burned through more cash in FY 2021, ending the period with a loss after tax of US$99 million. In addition, it revealed that it will have to run another COVID ARDS trial in the US before being considered for emergency use. Given the cost of the trial and the delay to potential monetisation, this has sparked that another capital raising will be required.

    Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

    The Altium share price was a little way behind as the next worst performer with a 7.8% decline. This was driven by the release of the electronic design software company’s full year results. Although Altium achieve its full year revenue guidance with a 1% lift to US$191.1 million, its earnings fell short of expectations. Looking ahead, the company has upgraded its outlook for FY 2022 and now expects revenue growth of 16% to 20%. However, it has pushed back its US$500 million aspirational revenue target by a year to FY 2026 due to COVID-19.

    Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

    The Wesfarmers share price was out of form last week and dropped 7.1%. Some of this decline is attributable to the conglomerate’s shares trading ex-dividend during the week for its final dividend. Last month Wesfarmers declared a fully franked final dividend of 90 cents per share. Eligible shareholders will be receiving this dividend on 7 October. The same month they will be invited to vote on a proposed $2.00 per share capital return to be paid in December.

    Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL)

    The Nuix share price wasn’t far behind with a 7% decline. This followed the release of the investigative analytics and intelligence software provider’s full year results for FY 2021. Nuix reported flat revenue of $176 million and a loss after tax of $1.6 million. The latter was down from a profit of $23.5 million a year earlier. Potentially weighing on the Nuix share price next week is after market news that it will be dumped from the ASX 200 at the next quarterly rebalance.

    The post These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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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. 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 Altium and Wesfarmers 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 CBA (ASX:CBA) share price has gained 20% in the last 6 months

    Cool woman in a bright yellow suit and sunglasses excited about the cash she's splashing, flicking notes all around her.

    It’s not much of a secret to say that the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has enjoyed a rather stellar six months. Not only has the ASX 200 hit a series of new all-time highs between March and the present, but it has also given us a rather successful earnings season on the whole over August too. In fact, between 3 March and today, the ASX 200 has managed a healthy gain of 10.3%. But one major ASX 200 constituent has done one better on the ASX 200. Almost doubled its returns in fact. That would be the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price.

    Yes, CBA, the largest ASX 200 company by market capitalisation (and therefore weighting) has had a truly stellar six months. Since 3 March, CBA shares have gone from roughly $85.40 a share to Friday’s closing share price of $101.88. That’s a gain of 19.3% – almost double that of the broader ASX 200.

    What has made the CBA share price a market-beating investment over the past 6 months?

    This period has also seen a series of new all-time highs for the CBA share price. The bank first broke above $100 a share for the first time ever back in early June, going on to hit $106 a share by the middle of the month. Then, CBA shares hit their current all-time high of $109.03 last month. The catalyst for that move was the bank’s FY21 earnings report.

    This earnings report has really been the event CBA shares were building up to all year. Even before Commonwealth Bank released its numbers, speculation was swirling that the ASX’s largest bank would be raining dividends and share buybacks on its investors. These rumours arguably helped to push CBA shares higher all year.

    Well, CBA didn’t disappoint on 11 August when its earnings finally arrived. The bank told investors that they would be receiving a $2 per share final dividend on 29 September. It also revealed the details of a $6 billion share buyback program, which will even give some existing investors a hefty tax break if they sell their shares back to CBA. 

    It was right after this announcement that CBA hit its new all-time high. In the weeks since, the CBA share price has cooled somewhat. It’s now down almost 7% from its high watermark. Even so, this ASX bank has proven to be a fantastic investment in 2021 so far.

    At the last CBA share price, this ASX bank has a market capitalisation of $179.84 billion, and a dividend yield of 3.44%.

    The post The CBA (ASX:CBA) share price has gained 20% in the last 6 months appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

    Before you consider CBA, 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 CBA wasn’t one of them.

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has 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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