• Viva Leisure (ASX:VVA) share price tanks 9% on impending lawsuit

    Two people jump in the air in a fighting stance, indicating a battle between rival ASX shares

    The Viva Leisure Ltd (ASX: VVA) share price is deep in the red today. The falling price comes after the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported a consortium of franchise owners are planning to sue the company over “unconscionable and unfair conduct”.

    At the market close, shares in the health and leisure company were trading at $1.91 – down 9.05%.

    Let’s take a closer look at today’s news and what it means for the Viva share price.

    Why the Viva Leisure share price is sinking

    According to the AFR report, 53 franchise owners representing 64 outlets have sent a letter and draft statement of claim to Viva Leisure. These documents outline many concerns between the franchise owners and the ASX-listed company. Chief among those is a deteriorating relationship between the parties.

    Representing about 33% of all Plus Fitness branded gym franchises, the complainants have delivered Viva Leisure a 28-day ultimatum to resolve their grievances before legal proceedings commence. 

    In a response to the AFR article, Viva Leisure said this morning it was dealing with franchise owners “appropriately and in accordance with the law”.

    The company revealed it has held confidential talks with some franchise owners. However, it did not disclose what those discussions related to or even if the allegations aired in the article were relevant to those discussions.

    Key areas of dispute

    The franchisees identified the following key areas of dispute:

    • Cannibalising membership. Franchise owners allege Viva Leisure is harming their businesses with a clause in its contract that allows the company to open competing, corporate-owned outlets in close proximity to franchises. A franchise owner quoted by the AFR said franchisees were being “significantly financially impacted by the franchisor unfairly competing against them”.
    • A breach of good faith. A second but related claim against Viva Leisure is a breach of good faith by the corporation to its franchisees. Owners allege they did not agree to buy gyms that would then be competed against by their own franchisor. One source told the AFR that Viva Leisure’s access to franchise owners’ financial and business information gave it an unfair advantage.

    Viva Leisure share price snapshot

    The Viva share price is down 7.73% over the past 12 months, and its shares have fallen in value by 34.8% since the beginning of the year. In December, shares in the company were trading for a record $3.66.

    At its current valuation, Viva Leisure has a market capitalisation of $157.4 million.

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    Motley Fool contributor Marc Sidarous 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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  • Nearmap (ASX:NEA) share price hit by broker downgrade

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    The Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA) share price was out of form on Monday despite a decent recovery in the tech sector.

    The aerial imagery technology and location data company’s shares ended the day 3% lower at $1.69. This compares to a 0.4% gain by the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX).

    This latest decline means the Nearmap share price is now down almost 50% from its high.

    Why did the Nearmap share price tumble?

    As well as being forced to explain the disclosure of its US legal battle by the Australian share market regulator (you can read that here), a broker note also appears to have been weighing on its shares.

    This morning analysts at Citi responded to the aforementioned legal battle and made a change to their recommendation.

    According to the note, the broker has downgraded the company’s shares to a neutral (high risk) rating and cut the price target on them by 37% to $2.00.

    Based on the current Nearmap share price, this implies potential upside of 18% over the next 12 months. While this is a solid potential return, it is still notably lower than where its shares were trading immediately prior to the litigation announcement.

    What did Citi say?

    Citi has concerns that the litigation could negatively impact demand in the United States, which could in turn weigh on the Nearmap share price.

    Citi commented: “While Nearmap is confident that it can successfully defend against Eagleview’s allegations of patent infringement and in our view, Nearmap can still be successful in the US even if it were to lose the lawsuit, we downgrade to Neutral/High Risk as we expect the legal proceedings will likely have a negative impact on demand in the US and this uncertainty could weigh on the share price. New target price is $2.00 (-37%).”

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    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 Nearmap Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nearmap 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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  • 3 ASX 200 gold mining shares that shone today

    Hand holding gold nugget ASX stocks buy

    It’s been a great day’s trade for ASX 200 gold miners. Gold itself is sitting at its highest price since February, while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has gained 0.13% today.

    Right now, an ounce of gold will cost a buyer US$1,853.40 after today’s 0.83% gain.  

    These 3 ASX 200 gold mining shares are glowing from today’s good news.

    The ASX 200’s golden children

    De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG)

    The De Grey Mining share price shot up by 8.73% today to close at $1.43 per share. De Grey shares are up 28% year to date, and up a whopping 256% over the last 12 months.

    Currently, De Grey Mining’s focus is on its Mallina Gold Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. 

    De Grey has a market capitalisation of around $1.6 billion, with approximately 1.2 billion shares outstanding.  

    Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)

    Despite not being the biggest mover out of the ASX 200 gold miners, the Northern Star share price put in a solid performance today.

    It closed 6.55% higher than its previous closing price, swapping hands for $11.22.

    2021 has been tough for Northern Star shares, which have lost 15% of their value since the year began. They’ve also dropped 23% since this time last year.

    Northern Star has a splattering of gold-producing assets across Western Australia and one in Alaska.

    On current prices, the miner has a market capitalisation of around $12.2 billion, with approximately 1.1 billion shares outstanding.

    Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN)

    Evolution Mining was also vying for the top spot amongst the ASX 200 gold miners today, closing the day up 5.35% at $5.12 per share.

    Evolution has a number of gold projects across Australia and one in Canada.

    The Evolution Mining share price has fallen 2.8% since the start of the year. It’s also down 15.6% over the last 12 months.

    Evolution has a market capitalisation of around $8.3 billion, with approximately 1.7 billion shares outstanding.  

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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  • Why the Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price is down almost 25% this month?

    illustration of laptop with down arrow and the word zip representing falling zip share price

    Its been a turbulent month for the Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price, shedding close to 25% in just a month. This comes despite the company reporting a strong result for Q3 FY21 while surging ahead with its expansion strategy.

    At the time of writing, the buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) company’s shares are fetching for $7.03, up 2.9% for the day.

    What’s happened to the Zip share price?

    It’s been a hard pill to swallow for investors, seeing their Zip holdings plummet in value.

    The company reported outstanding figures across its global operating markets for the third quarter. However, as is the yearly tradition in May, an ASX market slump has continued the Zip share price onslaught.

    Interestingly, just before the company’s shares fell further, Zip co-founders, Larry Diamond and Peter Gray sold some of their holdings. The news did not appease investors concerns, with 1.5 million and 500,000 shares sold by the co-founders on 15 April, respectively. The off-market trade price that sold of those shares, went for $9.18 a pop, a far cry from its current share price.

    In further news, just 2 weeks after, both co-founders were issued almost 40,000 shares between each other for a price of $8.32. While it may be insignificant in the scheme of things, the allocation was ill-timed, with inventors dumping Zip shares from that day forward.

    With no new news out of the company in the past 30 days, investors will no doubt be keeping a close eye on any updates.

    Zip is projected to release their preliminary final report for FY21 in late August.

    Foolish takeaway

    Adding on today’s gain, the Zip share price has accelerated close to 130% when looking at the past 12 months. The company’s shares reached an all-time high of $14.53 after reporting its half-year results. However, severe profit taking swopped in dragging Zip shares lower over the following month.

    Based on today’s prices, Zip commands a market capitalisation of around $3.9 billion, with approximately 554 million shares outstanding.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of ZIPCOLTD FPO. 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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  • Here’s why the Macquarie (ASX:MQG) share price sank 5% today

    Scared, wide-eyed man in pink t-shirt with hands covering mouth

    The Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) share price was well and truly out of form on Monday.

    The investment bank’s shares tumbled lower and ended the day with a 5% decline to $150.59.

    Why did the Macquarie share price tumble on Monday?

    There have been a couple of potential catalysts for the weakness in the Macquarie share price on Monday.

    The first is the investigative report undertaken by the Fairfax press relating to analytics company Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL).

    Nuix is regarded by some as Macquarie’s greatest investment. However, with the Nuix share price hitting a record low today, for many investors it will be among their worst.

    As we explained here earlier, the report revealed the close ties between Macquarie’s Dan Phillips and David Standen and Nuix founder Dr Anthony Dante Castagna. The latter was jailed for tax fraud and money laundering while running Nuix before being acquitted.

    The report also claims that Castagna left Nuix’s board the day that its ASX float prospectus was launched, meaning that few retail investors would have been aware that he was involved with the company.

    Given how Nuix has fallen well short of its prospectus forecasts, this has raised eyebrows. Though, this morning Nuix hit back at the report, stating that it has robust processes in place to measure forward indicators of performance. It is also committed to the highest standards of corporate governance.

    What else is weighing on its shares?

    Also weighing on the Macquarie share price today was the fact that its shares were trading ex-dividend for its partially franked final dividend.

    This $3.35 per share dividend will now be paid to eligible shareholders on 2 July.

    With the Macquarie share price dropping $7.75 today, this dividend accounts for just over 40% of today’s decline or approximately 2.1% in real terms.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Nuix Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. 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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  • These 3 ASX ETFs are some of the cheapest on the market

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    Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are an extremely popular investment vehicle these days. 2020 saw record fund inflows for the ETF sector, continuing a trend that has been building for years. But these days, there is an ETF for everything and more. So how does one decide which ones are the best? Well, one factor that is highly influential on overall returns is the fee that an ETF charges. A difference of 0.5% for a fee can sound trivial. But that can make a dramatic difference to your returns over a number of years.

    With that in mind, let’s check out 3 of the cheapest ASX ETFs available on the market today:

    iShares S&P 500 ETF AUD (ASX: IVV)

    This ETF from iShares covers the US S&P 500 (INDEXSP: .INX), which is an index covering the largest 500 companies over in the United States. That’s everything from Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL) to Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO) and American Express Company (NYSE: AXP). The S&P 500 is one of the most popular indexes in the world for ETFs and for good reason. It simply houses most of the world’s largest and best businesses.

    The IVV ETF that covers the S&P 500 charges a management fee of just 0.03%. That makes it one of the cheapest ASX ETFs on the market today, representing an annual cost of $3 for every $10,000 invested.

    BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200)

    There are many ETFs that cover the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). But this fund from BetaShares is the cheapest on the market today, with a management fee of 0.07%. That represents an annual cost of $7 a year for every $10,000 invested. As an ASX 200 fund, this ETF gives exposure to 200 of the largest public companies in Australia. That includes everything from Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) to Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH. A200 pays out dividend distributions quarterly as well. It currently has a trailing yield of 2.3%, which also comes with some franking credits.

    Vanguard US Total Market Shares Index ETF AUD (ASX: VTS)

    VTS is our final ETF to examine today. It is very similar to IVV in terms of coverage. But rather than tracking the S&P 500, this ETF instead follows the CRSP US Total Market Index, which covers more than 3,780 American companies. As such, you get exposure to a far larger and diverse portfolio of US businesses.

    VTS also charges a management fee of 0.03% per annum. This makes it, along with IVV, the cheapest ETF available on the ASX (to this writer’s knowledge, anyway).

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    Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Alphabet (A shares), American Express, Coca-Cola, and Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Apple. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and recommends the following options: short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple and long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Apple, and iShares Trust – iShares Core S&P 500 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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  • Is there more upside to the CBA (ASX:CBA) share price following its recent results?

    questioning asx share price represented by post it note questions pegged on a line

    The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price has gone from strength to strength following the company’s third-quarter update on 12 May.

    The bank’s shares are currently up another 1.53% today at $98.06 after setting another all-time record high of $98.40 in earlier trade. Many investors will be keenly wondering whether CBA shares can potentially break the $100 mark for the first time on record. 

    With the Commonwealth Bank share price outperforming its big four peers in recent weeks, will it plateau or continue to run? Here’s what analysts at Macquarie are thinking. 

    Where Macquarie thinks the CBA share price will go next 

    Macquarie believes the recent performance of CommBank sets it apart from peers, delivering superior revenue growth with improving margins and the ability to sustain balance sheet momentum. 

    Today’s broker note highlights the bank’s pro forma CET1 of 13.4%, which is approximately 60 to 100 basis points ahead of its peers. Macquarie believes that CommBank’s strong capital position combined with its franking credit balance could translate to a structured stock buyback in the first half of FY22. 

    Despite CBA coming out ahead of expectations, Macquarie retained a neutral rating and an $86.00 target price. 

    Why the CBA share price didn’t slump last week

    The other big four banks, National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) all went ex-dividend last week. A company’s share price typically falls on the ex-dividend date, to an amount that reflects the dividend paid. 

    CBA, on the other hand, had already gone ex-dividend on 16 February for an interim dividend of $1.50.  

    Foolish takeaway

    The CommBank share price is the only share price out of the big four banks to break above both pre-COVID levels and set new all-time record highs.

    In the case of Westpac, the bank would need to add another ~56% in value to contest its April 2015 highs of almost $40 per share. To a lessor extent, the ANZ share price needs another ~36% to match its April 2015 highs of $37. NAB needs to do the most legwork, with its previous record highs dating all the way back to late 2007 of $41 per share compared to the $26 its trading at now. 

    This could be a reason why Macquarie has retained a neutral stance on CommBank shares, given the fact that the bank has run well ahead of its peers by a significant margin. 

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor Kerry Sun 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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  • Bitcoin’s next step forward aims to address adoption hurdles

    financial plans represented by boy sitting at old computer with dollar note hanging in front of his head

    It has been a demoralising month and week for Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) investors. After topping out at an all-time high of $83,598.87 mid last month, the speculative digital asset has been struggling to find its feet.

    Previously a catalyst for upwards momentum following the announcement of buying and accepting Bitcoin, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is now being blamed for the accelerated selloff in the cryptocurrency over the last week.

    Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla will no longer accept Bitcoin amidst his own concerns of exorbitant energy usage per transaction. Now investors are wondering whether the electric vehicle company has dispensed the original crypto completely from its balance sheets.

    Despite these recent developments, the Bitcoin community continues to work towards improving the technology behind the now 12-year-old currency.

    Could Taproot lead to a better Bitcoin?

    Musk has seemingly taken a negative stance towards Bitcoin, pointing towards the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, which currently estimates Bitcoin’s electricity consumption to be 147.41 TWh. For comparison, Australia’s total electricity consumption was 192.4 TWh in the 2019-2020 financial year.

    The latest update in the Bitcoin code is aimed at addressing some key matters. The latest proposed upgrade is known as Taproot. In the most significant update since 2017, Taproot is expected to:

    • Increase privacy for transaction type
    • Add more flexibility with a new type of signature
    • Decrease fees
    • Make the Lightning Network (a second layer solution) cheaper, more flexible, and more private

    These changes to Bitcoin will only come into effect if 90% or more of the processed blocks across two weeks receive a signal of support for Taproot from miners.

    Despite the improvements not specifically addressing energy usage, it demonstrates a continued effort from developers to enhance the technology.

    When could we see changes?

    The signalling process is taking place as you read this. At the time of writing, only 496 blocks of the 2016 blocks have been completed – 15.33% have approved the Taproot activation, while 9% have blocked the activation.

    If the activation is blocked, an additional two-week long signalling windows will occur until 11 August 2021. If Taproot is not approved by then, the update will go back into development.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Bitcoin and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Bitcoin and Tesla. 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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  • What inflation wary ASX investors need to know about TIPS

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    ASX investors are waking up to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, inflation won’t remain humbly muted for as long as the world’s central bankers are forecasting. A scenario that could see interest rates rising sooner than promised.

    Along with launching a massive quantitative easing (QE) program, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) joined the US Federal Reserve and other leading central banks in slashing interest rates to near zero in an effort to revive economies knocked down by the global pandemic.

    While that’s largely proven effective, a growing number of investors appear to doubt the central banks’ claims that resurgent inflation won’t force them to raise official interest rates before 2024.

    For some insight into just how much money is looking for protection against rising inflation, we turn to the TIPS market.

    Why inflation wary ASX investors should follow the TIPS

    If you’re not familiar with TIPS, it stands for Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, issued by the United States government.

    And the TIPS market is booming, reaching some US$1.6 trillion.

    As Bloomberg reports:

    Heightened fears about the risk of raging consumer-price gains as growth rebounds are driving investors of all stripes to search for cover in Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, a market that’s grown to $1.6 trillion.

    Last week the 5-year inflation outlook in the US reached 2.82%. That’s the highest level since 2005. As far as where inflation is really heading in the near term, that appears to be anyone’s guess.

    Gang Hu, at New York based hedge fund WinShore Capital Partners, is keeping a keen eye on this Thursday’s US$13 billion auction of the inflation-linked debt by the US government.

    According to Hu:

    Nobody actually has a very good handle on where near-term inflation prints will land, and it’s thrown everyone off their game. There’s a lot of noise in the recent prints and this is not over yet. There’s no way anyone can be very confident about what the next two or three prints will bring.

    ASX 200 slides on inflation fears

    Many analysts and economists remain confident that the inflation showing up in developed economies is transitory and likely to fade within 12 months. But that didn’t stop investors from hitting the sell button last week.

    After hitting an all-time closing high last Monday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week down 2.2%.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor 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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  • 2 buy-rated ASX growth shares for investors this week

    Monadelphous share price rio tinto A small rocket take off from a laptop, indicating a share price surge

    If you’re a growth investor, then you’re in luck. The local share market is home to a number of top companies that have the potential to grow strongly in the future.

    Two top ASX growth shares that have been tipped as buys are listed below. Here’s why they are highly rated:

    IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL)

    IDP Education is a provider of international student placement and English language testing services. While it has been hit hard by the pandemic, it has been tipped to come out of the crisis in an even stronger market position. This could make it a big winner when trading conditions return to normal. Particularly given its investment in software, which appears to have given it another edge over the competition.

    Last week analysts at Morgans put an add rating and $28.48 price target on the company’s shares. While the broker acknowledges that the awful COVID-19 outbreak in India is a headwind, it still believes the risk is to the upside for its earnings. This is due to pent-up demand and marger and acquisition opportunities.

    ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

    Another growth share to look at is ResMed. This sleep treatment-focused medical device company has been growing at a solid rate for a decade. And thanks to its industry-leading products, growing software business, and the increasing awareness of sleep disorders, it looks well-placed to continue this trend over the next 10 years.

    Particularly given its long runway for growth. Management estimates that there are ~1 billion people suffering from sleep apnoea worldwide, with only ~20% of these sufferers currently diagnosed. ResMed also appears well-placed to benefit from the shift to home healthcare thanks to its investments in the space.

    Credit Suisse is a fan of ResMed. It recently put an outperform rating and $29.00 price target on its shares.

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended ResMed Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    The post 2 buy-rated ASX growth shares for investors this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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