If you’re fed up with low interest rates, you’re not alone. But don’t worry, because the Australian share market is here to save the day with its countless dividend options.

Two ASX dividend shares that can help you beat low interest rates are listed below:

Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT (ASX: CQE)

The first ASX dividend share to consider is the Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT. It is a high quality real estate investment trust with a focus on properties with specialist use, limited competition, and low substitution risk.

Among its portfolio you will find bus depots, police and justice services facilities, and childcare centres. In respect to the latter, the Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT is actually the largest owner of early learning centres in Australia. At the last count, it actively partnered with 35 high quality childcare operators.

The Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT has been in strong form this year, reporting a 14.1% increase in operating earnings to $29.1 million during the first half. This allowed management to upgrade its FY 2021 distribution guidance to 15.7 cents per unit.

Based on the current Charter Hall Social Infrastructure share price, this represents a 4.6% yield.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

Another dividend share to look at is Westpac. Australia’s oldest bank has had a tough few years, but looks well-placed for growth again. This is thanks to improving trading conditions, a booming housing market, cost cutting, and the relaxing of responsible lending rules.

It was thanks to these factors that the banking giant smashed expectations during the first half of FY 2021. For the six months ended 31 March, Westpac reported cash earnings of $3,537 million. This was a 256% increase over the prior corresponding period and a 119% lift over the second half of FY 2020.

Analysts at Citi are positive on Westpac and have recently retained their buy rating and $29.50 price target on the company’s shares. The broker is also forecasting fully franked dividends per share of $1.16 and $1.18 over the next two years.

Based on the latest Westpac share price of $26.50, this will mean yields of 4.5% and 4.7%, respectively.

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On Thursday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form again and charged to a new record high. The benchmark index rose 0.6% to 7,260.1 points.

Will the market be able to build on this on Friday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to edge higher

The Australian share market looks set to end the week on a subdued note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 3 points higher this morning. This is despite it being a poor night of trade on Wall Street, which saw the Dow Jones fall 0.1%, the S&P 500 drop 0.35%, and the Nasdaq tumble 1% lower.

Oil prices rise

Energy producers including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) will be on watch after oil prices edged higher. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.1% to US$68.88 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up slightly to US$71.36 a barrel. A mixed US inventory report held back oil prices.

Tech shares on watch

Australian tech shares such as Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) could come under pressure today after their US counterparts were sold off overnight. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index fell 1% after investors rotated into cyclical stocks. As the local tech sector has a tendency to follow the Nasdaq’s lead, it doesn’t bode well for Friday’s trade.

Wesfarmers given buy rating

The Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) share price is in the buy zone according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. In response to its strategy update on Thursday, the broker has retained its buy rating and $59.70 price target. Goldman notes that key priorities have been aligned towards developing a market leading data and digital ecosystem, investing in platforms, and accelerating the pace of continuous improvement.

Gold price sinks

Gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) and St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) could end the week in the red after the gold price sank. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 1.9% to US$1,873.20 an ounce. A strong US dollar put pressure on the safe haven asset.

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The Australian Clinical Labs Ltd (ASX: ACL) share price climbed to a new high of $3.88 during trading today. This follows the pathology service provider’s announcement that it has upgraded its earnings forecast for the 2021 financial year.

At close of trading, the company’s shares had lowered slightly to $3.74, but were still up 5.35%.

What did Australian Clinical Labs announce?

Investors drove up the Australian Clinical Labs share price after the company provided an improved performance outlook.

In a statement to the ASX, the company stated it had exceeded its original projections in the prospectus released in late April.

The revised FY21 guidance is forecasting total revenue of between $657.7 million and $663.3 million. This is up to 3% higher than the $647 million projected in the prospectus.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) is also expected to surge by between $217.4 million and $222.3 million. The adjusted result reflects a lift of up to 7% on the $207.7 million assumed in April.

And lastly, net profit after tax (NPAT) is predicted to jump by between $82 million and $85.4 million. In comparison to the $74.5 million stated in the prospectus, this is an increase of up to 15%.

Australian Clinical Labs noted the boost in numbers was driven by revenue growth, with costs kept in line or below the prospectus forecasts. In addition, the prospectus contained just 7 months of actual result, with the 5 remaining months based on company projections.

Australian Clinical Labs CEO and executive director Melinda McGrath commented:

We are pleased with the positive momentum across the business despite the continued uncertainties arising from COVID-19. It is anticipated that the FY21 pro-forma NPAT will be 10% to 15% higher than the FY21 forecast disclosed in the prospectus.

Share price snapshot

Australian Clinical Labs is a leading provider of pathology services in Australia. The company has 86 laboratories accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities and performs a comprehensive range of services for doctors, patients and corporate clients. 

Since listing on the ASX in mid-May at a price of $4 apiece, Australian Clinical Labs shares are slightly down.

Australian Clinical Labs has a market capitalisation of roughly $760 million, with more than 201 million shares outstanding.

The post Why the Australian Clinical Labs (ASX:ACL) share price soared 5% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The tech sector has been underperforming in recent months. While this is disappointing, it has potentially created a buying opportunity for patient and long term focused investors.

Two ASX tech shares that are trading notably lower than their 52-week highs are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Adore Beauty Group Limited (ASX: ABY)

The Adore Beauty share price is down 44% from its 52-week high. This could make it worth considering an investment in Australia’s leading online beauty retailer according to analysts at Morgan Stanley.

Late last month, the broker retained its overweight rating and $5.00 price target on its shares.

While Morgan Stanley suspects that Adore Beauty’s growth may slow materially in the near term as it cycles heightened sales during the pandemic, it remains positive on the long term. This is due to Adore Beauty being the leader in a structural growth market.

The Adore Beauty share price is currently trading at $4.14.

Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

Another beaten down ASX tech share to look at is Appen. The artificial intelligence (AI) data annotation products and solutions provider’s shares are down 70% from their 52-week high.

This has been driven partly by concerns over demand for its services from some of its largest customers (due to COVID-19 headwinds) and its ability to achieve guidance in FY 2021.

While the near term could be tough, its long term outlook appears positive due to its leadership position in a growing market. Appen also has a strong position in the government sector thanks to its acquisition of Figure Eight. This is a big positive as governments across the world are investing billions into AI.

Late last month, analysts at Ord Minnett put a buy rating and $24.75 price target on the company’s shares. This compares to the latest Appen share price of $13.06.

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Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA) could be one of the most interesting exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to think about right now.

It’s an ETF that’s offered by Betashares, one of the largest providers in Australia. As the name might suggest, it is focused on Asian technology businesses.

Here are a number of factors why it could be a useful consideration:

Asian exposure

As Betashares points out, this ETF gives exposure to 50 leading technology businesses in Asia. Technology is under-represented in Australia compared to other global share markets.

The ETF can be used to provide a complement for investors that already have an existing allocation to US-listed technology businesses.

This investment gets ASX investors access to different areas such as e-commerce, telecommunications, IT, software, data processing and computer communications industries in Asia, excluding Japan.

According to BetaShares, Asia has a younger and more tech-savvy population which means that its population is leading the way in terms of technological adoption. That’s why the Asian tech sector is expected to remain a growth sector.

China is expected to have over 1.1 billion internet users by 2025.

Strong businesses

The businesses in Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF’s portfolio are some of the strongest in the world at what they do.

Looking at the holdings of this ETF, its biggest 10 positions are: Tencent, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Alibaba, Samsung Electronics, Meituan, Pinduoduo, JD.com, Sea, Infosys and Netease.

Alibaba is the world’s largest retailer, its online sales and profits reportedly surpassed all US retailers combined in 2015. Tencent is the owner of Wechat, the most popular social app in China. Samsung is one of the world’s biggest smartphone manufacturers. Baidu, another holding, is the number one search engine in China with a 55% market share. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturer is the world’s largest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry with customers like Nvidia and Qualcomm.

Historical returns

Past performance is not an indicator of future performance. But it can show the type of growth and investor excitement that an investment has seen over a given timeframe.

Since inception in September 2018 to 30 April 2021, the Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF had delivered a net return of 30.5% per annum. That’s including the annual management fee of 0.67% per annum.

The index that the ETF tracks has been around for longer than three years – over the last five years that index has returned an average of 27.2% per annum.

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Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) shares finished up today despite the Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA) releasing its findings on the company’s Scarborough project.

By today’s market close, the Woodside share price was trading at $23.85 – up by 3.11% for the day.

Scarborough is a joint project between Woodside Petroleum and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP). It’s set to target a liquified natural gas (LNG) resource off the coast of Western Australia. Woodside Petroleum is seeking a final investment decision on the project in the second half of 2021.

The CCWA states the project will have major impacts on WA’s environment and World Heritage sites. It has begun WA Supreme Court action to overturn the approvals given to the companies to build the project.

Let’s look at the CCWA’s report into the project’s impacts.

The Scarborough project’s potential impacts

According to the CCWA, the Scarborough project will produce as much greenhouse gas as 15 new coal fired power stations. It will also increase WA’s carbon emissions by almost 5%.

The Scarborough project has received approvals from both the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Woodside Petroleum has previously stated LNG has an important role in minimising Australia’s future greenhouse gas emissions. The company has also set up a carbon offset project which it says has already created more than 850,000 tonnes of carbon offsets.

The CCWA found these offsets only target a portion of the project’s future carbon emissions and aren’t as effective as the company had hoped.

Additionally, the CCWA stated WA’s LNG industry is producing damaging acids within the globally significant Indigenous heritage site, the petroglyphs of Murujuga on the Burrup Peninsula.

Through freedom of information, the CCWA retrieved Department of Environment and Energy notes stating the department recognised that noxious emissions from LNG production may impact the petroglyphs by speeding up their weathering.

But according to the Woodside Petroleum website, there is no peer-reviewed evidence finding LNG production has any effect on rock art on the Burrup Peninsula.

Finally, the CCWA reported the Scarborough project’s dredging needs, dumping operations, and shipping channels will negatively impact WA’s marine diversity.

Woodside Petroleum is yet to respond to the CCWA’s report.

Woodside Petroleum share price snapshot

Today’s gains have helped boost the year-to-date gains for the Woodside share price. Currently, the company’s shares are trading 4.88% higher than they were at the start of 2021. They’ve also gained 1.49% since this time last year.

The company has a market capitalisation of around $23 billion, with approximately 963 million shares outstanding.

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The Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA) share price has closed higher today after the company provided an update on its legal proceedings with US food and beverage giant Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ: KHC).

The dairy and food manufacturer’s share price finished the day up by 0.86% at $5.85.

Going nuts over labelling

It’s been a long road for Bega but it appears to be the end of Kraft’s tantrum. It all began when ASX-listed Bega Cheese acquired the peanut butter business from Mondelez Australia in 2017.

While the acquisition itself posed no issues, the labelling of the peanut butter jars did – well, Kraft Heinz thought so. See, branding is everything and the iconic yellow label and lid of Kraft looked very similar to what Bega acquired.

Four years seems to have been enough for Kraft to concede. Judgements handed down during the past twelve months have all ruled in Bega’s favour. These judgements confirmed the Aussie company had the right to use the current packaging for its smooth and crunchy peanut butter.

However, today’s announcement says Kraft has entered a confidential settlement regarding the issues of monetary relief and legal costs payable in respect of the proceedings. As part of the settlement, the US giant will pay $9.25 million.

Furthermore, all legal proceedings will be discontinued once Bega receives the payment. Kraft shouldn’t have any problems with coughing up $9.25 million. Over the last 12 months, the company has made US$541 million in earnings.

How has the Bega share price been doing?

Unfortunately for Bega shareholders, the cheesemaker has underperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) in the last year. While the benchmark returned a mighty 22.2%, Bega climbed 16.17%. Still, that’s not a bad return, especially when dividends are factored in — taking it to around 18%.

However, the dairy food producer has had a rough couple of months. The Bega share price is down more than 10% since 21 April 2021. That’s when the company disclosed that an agreement had been terminated, removing access to a spray dryer and finishing plant it had sold in 2017.

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Utter the word Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) and most people think of the Model S or X electric car, or even the futuristic (and not yet available) Cybertruck. They might also picture Tesla’s eccentric CEO Elon Musk, who loves keeping us on our toes with his antics, including his now-famous spruiking of Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) on Saturday Night Live. 

So, that’s why today’s Tesla news is both out of the blue and just another Elon moment at the same time.

According to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) today, Musk has filed applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office to use Tesla logos and branding in the food industry. Yes, the food industry, of all things. A surprising new frontier indeed.

Electric restaurants for Tesla?

The AFR reports that the 3 patent applications are for “restaurant services, pop-up restaurant services, self-service restaurant services, take-out restaurant services”.

Musk has reportedly been floating the idea for years. The article stated that Musk tweeted in 2018 that he was going to put an “old-school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA”.

As recently as April, he also tweeted: “Major new Supercharger station coming to Santa Monica soon! Hoping to have 50’s diner & 100 best movie clips playing too. Thanks Santa Monica city!”

It’s not Tesla’s first foray into the world of food and drinks. As we covered last November, Tesla launched a self-branded tequila called Tesla Tequila (or ‘Teslaquila’). Priced at US$250, it came in a lightning-shaped bottle and sold out within hours of its launch. That was despite it only being available in a few US states and a 2-bottle limit per customer.

Musk has also previously sold flamethrowers. That was through another one of his companies called The Boring Company, which is not publicly listed.

So, there is evidently a lot of demand for the Tesla brand out there. We’ll have to keep an eye on this space, and see if Tesla does indeed launch a 1950s diner in the future.

The Tesla share price finished trading on the US NASDAQ down 3.01% to $605.12 yesterday. 

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Looking for growth shares to buy? Then you might want to consider adding the two listed below to your portfolio.

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

PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)

The first ASX growth share to look at is PointsBet. It is one of the world’s leading sports betting companies with operations in the ANZ and US markets.

PointsBet has been growing at an explosive rate over the last couple of years thanks to the growing popularity of mobile sports betting and innovative products like same game multis.

Pleasingly, the company’s growth is showing no signs of slowing. For example, during the third quarter, the company reported a 236% increase in turnover to $905.2 million. This comprises Australian turnover of $423.2 million (up 137%) and US turnover of $482 million (up 431%). 

Even better, though, was that its net win metric is growing at an even quicker rate. During the quarter, PointsBet’s net win lifted 246% to $64.9 million. This was driven by a 147% increase in Australian net win to $38.2 million and a 716% jump in US net win to $26.7 million.

And with the company only scratching at the surface of its massive US market opportunity, it looks well-placed to continue its growth in the coming years. Especially given recent partnerships with sports teams and broadcasters and the easing of gambling restrictions across the US.

Goldman Sachs is very positive on the company. It currently has a buy rating and $17.20 price target on its shares.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

Another ASX growth share to look at is this buy now pay later (BNPL) provider.

Like PointsBet, Zip has been growing at a rapid rate in recent years. This has also been driven largely by growth in Australia and the United States. For example, during the third quarter, Zip’s US based QuadPay’ business reported transaction volume growth of 234% to $762 million, revenue growth of 188% to $54.4 million, and customer growth of 674,000 or 153% to 3.8 million.

The good news is that this is still only a tiny fraction of a $5 trillion market opportunity in the United States, which gives Zip plenty of room for growth in the future.

In addition to this, the company has just extended its total addressable market by expanding into mainland Europe and the Middle East via acquisitions. If these acquisitions are half as successful as the QuadPay purchase, then the company’s growth could be given a huge boost.

Morgans is a fan of Zip. Its analysts currently have an add rating and $10.39 price target on its shares.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) hit another record today, it ended the day 0.6% higher to 7,260 points.

Here are some of the highlights from the ASX:

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

The diversified ASX 200 business held an investor day and outlined its various business strategies as well as giving an insight into how trading is going in a presentation.

Wesfarmers’ share price dropped over 2% seemingly in response to what the company said regarding trading conditions.

The company said that its retail businesses are now beginning to cycle against the impacts of COVID-19 in the prior year from mid-March, leading to significant volatility in monthly sales growth results.

On a two-year basis, all of the retail businesses have continued to achieve strong sales growth, according to Wesfarmers. Management said this reflected the company’s ability to provide safe and trusted environments while delivering greater value, quality and convenience for customers.

Customer demand has remained resilient, but year on year growth has “generally moderated” and some businesses have seen sales decline in some months due to the strong sales a year ago.

Online sales growth has also slowed as customers return to stores. The online percentage of sales has reduced compared to total sales, but remains above pre-COVID levels.

However, one positive from the ASX 200 share was that the industrial businesses are seeing “good operating performances and pleasing trading”.

Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL)

The Sezzle share price jumped more than 22% after announcing it had entered into a three-year agreement with Target Corporation (the US-listed business).

Sezzle has concluded its proof of concept with Target. Under the agreement, Sezzle’s product will be used in-store and across Target’s digital platforms, providing guests access to interest-free payment plans.

Target is one of the biggest retailers in North America with close to 2,000 stores in the US.

Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB)

The Mesoblast share price fell around 3% after giving an update about its performance in the quarter ending 31 March 2021.

Mesoblast CEO Silviu Itescu said:

We are pleased with the recent clinical outcomes regarding our lead product candidate remestemcel-L and continue to progress our regulatory discussions with the aim of achieving approval. Our focus and top priority remains on successfully bringing remestemcel-L to children with the devastating complication of steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease and adults fighting COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Looking at the financial highlights, TEMCELL royalties for the quarter were US$1.9 million.

It also successfully completed a US$110 million placement, ending the period with a cash balance of US$158.3 million. The private placement was led by US investor SurgCenter Development, one of the largest private operators of ambulatory surgical centres in the US specializing in spine, orthopaedic and total joint replacement.

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