I spend much of my professional life trying to do one simple thing: encourage our members and readers to delay gratification.

To eschew the short term for the long term.

To pass on the sugar fix, in the interests of better nutrition.

Yes, essentially my job is to get you to eat your financial broccoli.

Which kinda underscores the challenge, right?

It’s not a thankless task — many people tell me how we’ve helped them afford a more comfortable retirement, or that we’ve shown them a better way to achieve that goal in future.

But some days I do feel like Sisyphus, pushing a stone up a hill only to have it roll back overnight.

I think that’s because the struggle is against our human instincts; we’re just not built — we haven’t evolved — to think long term, or in compound terms.

A bird in the hand, we’re told, is worth two in the bush. Which isn’t wrong, per se, but is the sort of thinking that stops us building for the future.

We just can’t help but take the easy win now, and let ‘future us’ worry about paying the price, later.

That evolution is my Sisyphean stone.

The obvious one is saving for the future.

A dollar, today, for a newborn, would be worth $500 by retirement, if it earned 10% per annum – the approximate return of the developed world’s stock markets — over that time.

We can’t all start at birth, but the value of compounding is often simply not understood, or too hard for people to do. Or both.

Despite the overwhelming maths.

The same sort of short-termism infects policy decisions (and, in all probability, elections).

Exhibit A is the inability or unwillingness of political parties to see past the next election.

But a less obvious version of the same influence is that, to some extent, the pollies do it because that’s the way the electorate thinks, too.

We want the short-term fix. The sugar hit. The here-and-now.

It infects our tax policy, for example.

Given the choice between a small reduction in tax rates, or a policy that would create a stronger long-term economy (presumably with more jobs, higher wages, and higher standard of living), we routinely vote for the former.

(And just this morning, a Nine Newspapers survey reported that most of us want to hit Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050, but also don’t want a carbon price. If you can square that circle, you’re better than me.)

The latest is some companies that are planning to dock employees’ take home pay to meet their increased Super Guarantee obligations when the rate moves from 9.5% to 10% of salary at the beginning of next month.

I wrote about this issue on the weekend. It is, to my mind, unconscionable.

More mind-bogglingly, the federal government minister in charge of Superannuation, Senator Jane Hume, doesn’t seem to care. A news.com.au article over the weekend begins:

“Superannuation Minister Jane Hume has delivered a blunt message to unions complaining that some bosses will force workers to pay for their own super rises on July 1.

“Explaining why she doesn’t plan to do anything about the practice, Senator Hume has told news.com.au that it’s a simple fact that there was a trade off between wage increases and super rises.”

Schadenfreude? Disinterest? “You deserve it”? I’m not sure.

But it is mind-boggling from the Minister in charge of this important portfolio.

(There apparently is no trade-off for negative gearing and house prices. Or JobKeeper paid to companies that subsequently delivered record profits. But I digress. A little.)

My point isn’t political, though. It’s economic. And financial.

The government should want a sustainable retirement savings system, and to remove pressure from the future federal budget. She should want robust take-home pay, to help continue the economic recovery. The RBA itself is calling for wages growth. The government seems to be singing from a different hymn sheet.

But my focus today is on those companies taking the opportunity to slip through that particular loophole, helpfully kept open by the government.

Companies who, we assume, want to be employers of choice.

Companies who, we assume, spend a small fortune each year on employee morale and hiring.

Companies who, we assume, want to be seen by customers and suppliers as ‘good corporate citizens’.

And yet…

And yet, the ABC reports this morning that some of our largest companies are taking the opportunity to make some of their employees fund this increase from their own take-home pay.

The national broadcaster lists Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ASX: ANZ) and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) as companies who are going to do so.

(To be clear, I haven’t independently contacted these organisations for confirmation, but I have no reason to believe the ABC’s report is incorrect and I trust their processes.)

Further, it includes this paragraph:

“Research firm Mercer recently surveyed 145 organisations. It found almost two-thirds of organisations with a “total package” approach – where their super is bundled in with their salary — were passing on at least some of the cost to employees.”

Frankly, I think it’s unconscionable.

But, that aside, how do these companies think it will impact employee morale and ‘discretionary effort’?

For the sake of cribbing half of one per cent of some salaries back from those employees?

Don’t you think they’ll feel just a little ripped off? Demotivated? Unappreciated.

Let’s invert it: don’t you think most employers would happily pay another 0.5% to fix a dissatisfied, demotivated, unhappy workforce?

And yet, they’re risking exactly that outcome, for a measly fraction of one percent of their total employment costs for those employees.

It boggles the mind.

And it brings to mind the warning not to be ‘penny wise, but pound foolish’.

Telstra and Macquarie are active recommendations in different Motley Fool services. Were they to ask, I would recommend they pay the extra Super, and celebrate that fact with their staff.

It would be a very cheap employee benefit, and a way to show those companies as employee-friendly and genuinely caring about their staff.

In a tightening employment market, the decision seems — to me, at least — a no-brainer.

A modern business should want the best staff, giving their best.

The best businesses will get exactly that.

The companies that embody Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve? Not so much.

As an investor, I’m looking for companies that employees want to join, and don’t want to leave.

I want to know their teams are pulling, hard, in the same direction, because they want to.

I don’t have access to Mercer’s list. But if I was a betting man, my $2 says the group of companies that reduce take-home pay underperforms the group of those who pay the higher Super contribution without making its employees fund it.

Not because of karma. Or because I want it to be true.

But because having the best staff, who are motivated and energised, is a competitive advantage. The best companies realise that and act accordingly.

Fool on!

The post A Super-bad idea appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Scott Phillips owns shares of Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited 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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The bullish performance of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far in 2021 has given these household ASX 200 dividend shares an extra kick in capital gains.

Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP)

The Stockland share price continues to rise, closing in on its pre-COVID high. The company’s shares are currently up almost 16% year to date to $4.85. They need another ~13% to top their 21 February 2020 high of $5.47.

According to Stockland’s third-quarter update, the property development company has undergone a strategic reallocation of capital. It has done this through a revamped logistics business, the disposal of non-core retail and retirement village assets, restocking of high-quality residential projects, and remixing its retail portfolio.

The update advised a forecasted funds from operations (FFO) per share between 32.5 cents and 33.1 cents for FY21. This is in line with prior guidance. The company also intends to pay 75% to 85% of its FFO in dividends.

The lower end of its FFO guidance and payout ratio would represent a dividend yield of about 5.1% at today’s prices.

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

The Transurban share price is up by around 6.8% in 2021 to trade at $14.59. This is just shy of its year-to-date high of $14.66 reached in intraday trading yesterday.

The toll road operator previously advised a 1.1% increase in its March quarter average daily traffic figures compared to 2020. This is still down 3.8% compared to 2019. It has observed that traffic has recovered to pre-COVID levels in markets where restrictions have lifted, including Sydney and Brisbane.

Transurban previously paid an interim dividend of 15 cents per share on 16 February, with its full year distribution to be “in line with free cash, excluding capital releases”.

While the company has not provided a dollar figure on its FY21 dividend, a recent broker forecast for Transurban dividends can be found here.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

The Wesfarmers share price has lifted to more than just year-to-date highs. Last Wednesday, it reached an all-time high. Wesfarmers shares are currently fetching $57.19 after hitting an intraday high of $57.57. The current price brings the company’s year-to-date gains to 13.21%.

Wesfarmers has delivered strong financial and operational performance across its retail portfolio including Bunnings, Officeworks, Kmart and Target. The company’s strong results are underpinned by its investment to accelerate its data and digital capabilities.

Wesfarmers most recently paid a fully franked interim dividend of 88 cents per share on 31 March this year.

Like Transurban, the company has not provided a guidance range for full year dividends. However, a broker forecast update from Tuesday can be found here.

The post 3 ASX 200 dividend shares making year-to-date highs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Kerry Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.  The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Transurban Group 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 Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH) share price is trading lower today on the day of its annual general meeting.

In afternoon trade, weakness in the tech sector has led to the donation and engagement platform provider’s shares falling 2.5% to $1.62.

What happened at the annual general meeting?

While there wasn’t anything deemed market sensitive inside its annual general meeting presentation, there were a few takeaways that investors might want to know about.

Pushpay’s CEO, Molly Matthews, spoke about the company’s performance in FY 2021 and her expectations for FY 2022 and the future.

FY 2021 performance

In FY 2021, Pushpay processed a total of 35.2 million transactions, with an average transaction value of over US$199. This was underpinned by a total of 2.5 million unique donors across the platform.

This ultimately led to the company reporting a 39% or US$1.9 billion increase in total processing volume over the year to US$6.9 billion and a 39% increase in total revenue to US$181.1 million.

Things were even better for its earnings, with operating earnings coming in at US$58.9 million, which was an increase of 133% on FY 2020’s result.

Catholic initiative

CEO, Molly Matthews spoke about the company’s expansion into the catholic church market.

She said: “I would also like to take a moment to highlight our Catholic initiative, something that I am very excited about as it represents a big step forward as we continue our growth journey. During the current financial year, our investment into the Catholic segment is expected to be within the range of US$6.0 million to US$8.0 million.”

Matthews believes there is a sizeable opportunity for Pushpay at this side of the market.

“We expect to increase product design and development headcount over the current financial year as we continue to further develop the functionality of our suite of solutions to serve the Catholic segment. In the long-term, we are targeting to acquire more than 25% market share in the Catholic segment by number of parishes,” she added.

Guidance for FY 2022

Management is confident on the year ahead and has reaffirmed its guidance for FY 2022 at its annual general meeting.

Chairman Graham Shaw commented: “To close, Pushpay continues to expect strong revenue growth, as we continue to execute on our strategy to gain further market share through continued innovation of our products, mergers and acquisitions, and expanding into the Catholic market. We believe this strategy is the best way to maximise shareholder value in both the short and long term. I am confident about the future of this Company, as Pushpay continues to help Customers and their communities stay connected through digital solutions, which in these times is more important than ever.”

Matthews added: “Pushpay is expecting to achieve EBITDAFI for the year ending 31 March 2022 of between US$64.0 million and US$69.0 million, although uncertainties and impacts surrounding COVID-19 and the broader US economic environment remain.”

“I am personally excited about the year ahead as we continue to support our Customers and their communities with our innovative technology solutions. Adding additional features and functionalities to our products, enables our Customers and future customers to have greater impact on communities around the world,” she concluded.

The post Key takeaways from the Pushpay (ASX:PPH) AGM appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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James Mickleboro does not own any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. 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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ASX shares are now in a position not seen for 3 decades, and portfolios must adjust.

This is according to SG Hiscock portfolio manager Hamish Tadgell, who reckons earnings are still growing faster than valuation multiples.

“Strong synchronised [global] growth, surging commodity prices and rising inflation expectations… That confluence of events has not been in train for 30 years,” he told a company webinar.

Despite the current re-emergence of inflation, Tadgell presented a graph of the 10-year US treasury bond yield that showed the long-term trend is still deflationary.

“The big question now is: Will that deflationary trend be broken or not?”

Growth vs value is irrelevant now

While Tadgell still believes the market is in the “growth” phase, with earnings growing faster than valuations, this chapter is almost at an end.

“The cycle is maturing and the rate of growth is going to start fading… and we need to think about inflation risks.”

Therefore he warned punters that the old ‘value or growth’ debate is an irrelevant distraction right now.

“Stock selection, rather than that focus on growth vs value, is really what investors should be focusing on.”

4 ways Tadgell is screening for ASX shares

According to Tadgell, his SGH20 high-conviction fund is using 4 criteria to filter for the right shares in the unusual circumstances the world is currently in:

• Quality companies with pricing power
• Quality cyclicals leveraged to economic recovery
• Structural growth winners discounted on higher inflation expectations
• Longer-duration assets with margin of safety or clear catalyst

Among cyclicals, Tadgell revealed “energy is a clear overweight bet” for his fund currently, taking Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) as an example.

He presented CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) and NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) as demonstrative of discounted structural growth winners.

“Healthcare and a lot of the infrastructure stocks have been de-rated or underperformed significantly,” said Tadgell.

“We have been adding to CSL and NextDC, which are 2 stocks that… have very long-term growth, are great businesses, have high barriers to entry and strong competitive advantages.”

Two quality companies with “pricing power” that the SGH20 fund has bought up are Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) and Uniti Group Ltd (ASX: UWL).

Among the ASX shares that meet the “long duration assets” criteria, Tadgell took logistics company Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) as an example.

“We’re still conscious of those inflation risks, so we’re only doing it where there’s compelling valuation or there’s a clear catalyst,” he said.

“Qube Logistics is a company which we added a little while ago. We think it’s very strongly leveraged to an increase in container volumes as markets reopen.”

The post First time in 30 years! 6 ASX shares for crazy times: analyst appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Tony Yoo owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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If you’re not familiar with Michael Burry the man, you might know of his likeness — played by Christian Bale — in the (rather good) 2015 film ‘The Big Short’.

Mr Burry is a US hedge fund manager who shot to fame in the global financial crisis of a decade-and-a-half ago. Burry was one of the only fund managers in the US who saw the canaries in the coal mine of the ill-fated US housing market back in 2006 and 2007.

He lost millions of dollars (and many of his investors) betting against the housing market, only to make billions when the housing sector collapsed and sparked the global financial crisis.

As such, he’s now one of the most respected money managers on Wall Street. That’s despite taking an investing hiatus for a few years after making his ‘big short’.

But now, Burry is back (baby), heading the hedge fund Scion Capital. He’s also back on Twitter. Here’s a tweet Burry made early this morning:

People always ask me what is going on in the markets. It is simple. Greatest Speculative Bubble of All Time in All Things. By two orders of magnitude. #FlyingPigs360

— Cassandra (@michaeljburry) June 15, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Wow, the “greatest speculative bubble of all time in all things”? Twice over? That’s quite a bold statement, to say the least.

Burry bubble, toil and trouble?

Burry has come out before and decried the rise of a number of different trends and assets. These include Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), electric batteries and vehicles, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and so-called ‘meme stocks‘.

Meme stocks is a term that’s emerged to describe companies with share prices that have been caught up in social media-fuelled buying frenzies. It typically encompasses shares like GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE: AMC) and BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE: BB).

But that’s not to say Burry hasn’t benefitted from this ‘bubble’. According to Markets Insider, Burry was actually a significant holder of GameStop shares before the Reddit-fuelled rampage the company’s shares went on a few months ago. He used the opportunity to cash out, no doubt banking a large profit.

Still, this warning will no doubt cause some concern for any investor who follows Burry or accepts his investing prowess.

On a final note, you might notice Burry’s Twitter display name is ‘Cassandra’. After some quick research, this writer found that Cassandra was a figure in Greek mythology – a Trojan princess who was cursed with the ability to see the truth, but never to be believed.

Another big statement from Mr Burry!

The post ‘Big Shorter’ Michael Burry calls biggest share market bubble of all time appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Bitcoin, Tesla, and Twitter. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended BlackBerry. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BlackBerry. 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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ASX energy shares are largely moving higher today.

While many factors impact each individual company’s share price, ASX energy shares are undoubtedly enjoying a continuing surge in oil prices.

Currently at US$74.49 (AU$96.75) per barrel, Brent crude is trading at its highest levels in more than 2 years.

Indeed, as recently as 30 October, Brent was selling for a mere US$37.46 per barrel. Or roughly half what it’s fetching today.

Little wonder then that we see most ASX energy shares benefiting.

What’s ahead for oil?

Oil prices have been soaring on the back of demand and supply imbalances.

Demand has been resurgent as the world emerges from pandemic lockdowns. Supply has been reduced due to successful efforts by OPEC+ (which includes Russia) to cut output, along with far less shale oil coming out of the US since COVID struck.

Mike Muller is Vitol Group’s head of Asia. Vitol, if you’re unfamiliar, is the world’s biggest independent oil trader.

According to Muller (as reported by Bloomberg), with US output down OPEC+ is in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing prices. “There’s a perception in the market that control is with OPEC+. It will take a long time for US oil to come back,” Muller said.

Muller expects China’s economic growth will also drive further demand for oil and bring down crude stockpiles.

Now, even for the experts, forecasting the price of oil is contingent on many factors. Should US supply unexpectedly ramp up, or should global energy demand falter in the face of renewed virus lockdowns, the oil price would almost surely retrace.

4 ASX energy shares trading higher today

There’s a rather lengthy list of ASX energy shares, big and small, trading higher today.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll look at 4 of the bigger, leading players.

First up, Santos Ltd (ASX: STO). The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) listed energy share has a market cap of $16.2 billion and is currently trading for $7.79 per share. The Santos share price is up 1.5% in intraday trading and has gained 24.2% so far in 2021.

Next, we have Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL). Woodside is another ASX 200 energy share, with a market cap of $23.5 billion. The Woodside share price is up 2.9% in early afternoon trade and up 7.3% year-to-date.

On the smaller end of this pack is Senex Energy Ltd (ASX: SXY), with a market cap of $656 million. The Senex share price is up 4.23% today and has gained 41.8% so far in 2021.

Finally, we leave off with ASX energy share Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH). Also an ASX 200 company, Oil Search has a market cap of $8.7 billion. The Oil search share price is up 2% in intraday trading and up 13% year-to-date.

The post 4 ASX energy shares trading higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Santos (ASX:STO) boss says investors and banks are ditching fossil fuels
• Why ASX energy shares could outperform this morning
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX edges even higher, led by tech rebound
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Bernd Struben 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 Firefly Resources Ltd (ASX: FFR) share price just leapt 20% to 12 cents per share.

Firefly Resources’ share price closed at 10 cents per share on Thursday. That’s when the ASX gold explorer entered a trading halt pending today’s joint announcement with Gascoyne Resources Ltd (ASX: GCY).

Gascoyne also just exited a trading halt enacted on Friday, with its shares currently down 1%, having earlier posted gains of 8% shortly after the announcement.

What did Gascoyne and Firefly announce?

The Firefly Resources share price shot higher after the 2 ASX gold miners announced that they’ve agreed to merge.

Under the agreement, Gascoyne will acquire 100% of Firefly Resources’ shares held at the Scheme record date in exchange for 0.34 Gascoyne shares. According to the release that represents an implied offer price of 14.5 cents per share, based on Gascoyne’s 5-day volume weighted average price (VWAP).

The companies said the merger will create a “leading regional gold production and development business” in the Murchison Region of Western Australia. The merger is unanimously supported by Firefly’s board.

Firefly and Gascoyne also unveiled their plans to demerge their copper-gold and lithium projects. These assets will come under the control of a new resource explorer, which will be called Firetail Resources Limited. Firetail will then apply to be listed on the ASX.

Commenting on the merger agreement, Richard Hay, Gascoyne’s CEO said:

The merger with Firefly will consolidate approximately 1,200 square kilometres of the Yalgoo and Dalgaranga greenstone belts under single ownership, significantly enhancing the exploration upside potential with over 100 high quality targets. Any discoveries can quickly be brought into production at Gascoyne’s high quality, low cost Dalgaranga processing plant.

Firefly’s CEO Simon Lawson added:

Firefly shareholders will hold approximately 32% of the merged entity, with the transaction providing an opportunity for immediate value realisation at an attractive premium. Through their holdings in the enlarged Gascoyne, Firefly shareholders will stand to benefit from the re-rating that we would expect to flow from the creation of a larger gold company with an increased mine life and enhanced production profile.

Following the merger, Firefly estimates the combined company will have a pro forma market cap of $159 million. It will continue to trade as Gascoyne Resources, with the ticker GCY.

Lawson will join the Board of Gascoyne as a non-executive-director while Hay will continue in his role as CEO.

Firefly Resources share price snapshot

Up 20% following the merger announcement, Firefly Resources’ share price remains down 37% year-to-date.

Over the past 12 months, however, the Firefly Resources share price is up an impressive 300%.

The post Why the Firefly Resources (ASX:FFR) share price just leapt 20% higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ‘Big Shorter’ Michael Burry calls biggest share market bubble of all time
• 4 ASX energy shares trading higher today
• Shaver Shop (ASX:SSG) share price dives 8% after FY21 trading update
• Why Appen, Orocobre, Sandfire, & Whitehaven Coal shares are sinking
• Nuix (ASX:NXL) share price wobble after company upheaval

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Bernd Struben 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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Shaver Shop Group Ltd (ASX: SSG) shares dived by nearly 14% in early morning trade today. They have since rallied back to $1 at the time of writing, down 8.26% from yesterday’s close.

It appears the Shaver Shop share price is reacting to the company’s FY21 outlook announcement released this morning. Here’s what the company expects to deliver by 30 June 2021.

Outlook

Shaver Shop shares are in the red after the company advised it expects to deliver total sales of between $211 million and $213 million in FY21. This represents an 8.2% to 9.3% increase against FY20 sales of $194.9 million.

Worth noting is the company’s accelerated growth during COVID-19. Shaver Shop’s FY20 total sales increased 16.4% compared to the prior corresponding period.

Additionally, the company expects FY21 net profit after tax to be within the range of $16.75 million to $17.5 million. The forecast net profit figures represent a 58% to 65% increase compared to FY20 net profit of $10.6 million.

There has been a recent trend of ASX retail shares cycling through a tough period of comparables, during which COVID-19 arguably supercharged sales. And judging by today’s Shaver Shop share price performance, the fact the company’s sales growth has slowed may be disappointing some investors.

Another factor that may be concerning some investors is the company’s cash position. Shaver Shop advised it expects to hold $6 million to $8 million in net cash with no debt by the end of 30 June 2021.

This represents a significant decline from the company’s half-year results, in which Shaver Shop reported $41.1 million in cash with no debt.

Shaver Shop shares slide into negative YTD territory

The Shaver Shop share price started the year off strong. A positive trading update lifted its year-to-date returns to about 18% on 11 January.

However, since February, the company’s shares have struggled to trend higher, stalling around the $1.00 to $1.10 level.

Despite the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) lifting 10% year to date, today’s harsh sell-off has sent the Shaver Shop share price in the opposite direction. Prior to today, the company’s shares were around 3% higher for the year and are now trading 5.7% lower in 2021.

The post Shaver Shop (ASX:SSG) share price dives 8% after FY21 trading update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Firefinch (ASX:FFX) share price soars 11% on lithium joint venture
• NAB and Zip were among the most traded ASX shares last week

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

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on form again and pushing higher. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.2% to 7,393.8 points.

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

Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

The Appen share price is down 4% to $13.43. This decline appears to be largely due to a pullback on the tech heavy Nasdaq index overnight. It isn’t just Appen that is under pressure. At the time of writing, the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) is trading 0.55% lower. In other news, Appen will be kicked out of the ASX 100 index next week. This could have added to the selling pressure today.

Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE)

The Orocobre share price has tumbled 5% to $5.95. This is despite there being no news out of the lithium producer. However, a number of lithium shares are sinking this week. This may be due to profit taking from investors after some stellar gains so far in 2021. Even after falling 11% in the space of a week, the Orocobre share price is still up 31% year to date.

Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR)

The Sandfire Resources share price is down 5% to $6.98. Although the copper producer released an announcement today, this decline doesn’t appear to be due to that. Instead, a 5% decline in copper prices for delivery in July overnight seems to be behind this weakness. The base metal came under pressure amid concerns that Chinese authorities were going to try to curb a recent rally in commodity prices.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

The Whitehaven Coal share price has fallen 3% to $2.04. This appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Citi this morning. According to the note, the broker has downgraded the coal miner’s shares to a neutral rating with a $2.20 price target. It made the move largely on valuation grounds.

The post Why Appen, Orocobre, Sandfire, & Whitehaven Coal shares are sinking appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 up 0.35%: SEEK upgraded, Afterpay lower
• Why the Sandfire (ASX:SFR) share price is tumbling today
• 4 ASX shares to gain exposure to international market growth: fund manager
• 4 buy-rated ASX shares for June
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX edges even higher, led by tech rebound

James Mickleboro does not own any shares 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. 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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Shares in Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL) spent this morning on the up, despite the company facing another major shakeup yesterday. Then, over the course of half an hour, the Nuix share price plummeted around 4% for no immediately obvious reason.

At the time of writing, the Nuix share price is 3.99% lower than yesterday’s close ­– shares in the company are swapping hands for $2.65 apiece.

Yesterday, the embattled software company announced two executives were leaving the company following nearly a month of media criticism.

Quick refresher

In mid-May, Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) media outlets including Australian Financial Review, The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald published a joint investigation series into Nuix. The series involved 5 daily articles that ran over the course of a week.

The articles included claims that Nuix had been poorly governed and had a history of bad financial disclosures.

They also reported on 2 class actions the company is purportedly facing, questioned its former chair’s ethics, and foreshadowed an Australian Federal Police investigation into a questionable Nuix options package.

The latest news on Nuix

Yesterday morning, Nuix announced its chief financial officer (CFO) Stephen Doyle had been “terminated by mutual agreement”. He will leave the company on 21 June.

Just half an hour later, Nuix chief executive officer (CEO) Rod Vawney notified the market of his retirement from the company. Vawney will continue as CEO until a replacement is found.

On the back of the news yesterday, the Nuix share price rallied 6% higher before falling 2.5% in the final hour of trade.

Former Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) CFO Chad Barton will step into the role of Nuix’s interim CFO next week.

Nuix share price snapshot

The Nuix share price has been battling through its first year on the ASX.

Currently, the Nuix share price is 66% lower than the day of its initial public offering (IPO) in December.

It’s also 77% lower than its 52-week high of $11.86.

The post Nuix (ASX:NXL) share price wobble after company upheaval appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 rises, Nuix jumps, REA buys stake of Simpology
• Nuix (ASX:NXL) share price charges higher after announcing CEO and CFO exits
• 3 unloved ASX shares set to take off: analysts
• BetMakers and Zip were among the most traded ASX shares last week
• Macquarie and Nuix face ASIC investigation: report

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 has recommended Nuix Pty 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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