The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a strong start to the week but faded as it went on. This led to the benchmark index falling by 2.8 points over the five days to finish the week at 7,060.7 points.

A number of shares on the index acted as major drags on proceedings during the week. Here’s why these were the worst performers on the ASX 200:

Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF)

The Challenger share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week with a disappointing decline of 23.8%. Investors were selling the annuities company’s shares following the release of a disappointing third quarter update. Although Challenger recorded solid growth in its assets under management, its margins have been impacted by a sharp decline in credit spreads over the year. This means it only expects to hit the low end of its guidance range. And while the company intends to lift prices significantly to combat this, there are concerns that this will weigh on sales.

Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

The Kogan share price wasn’t far behind with a sizeable 19.7% decline over the five days. The catalyst for this was the release of the ecommerce company’s third quarter update. Although Kogan reported a 47% increase in gross sales and a 54% jump in gross profit, its operating earnings actually declined by 24%. This was predominantly due to the core Kogan business, which reported a 42% decline in adjusted operating earnings due to a significant increase in operating costs.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

The Pilbara Minerals share price was out of form and sank 11.9% last week. Investors were selling the lithium producer’s shares following the release of its third quarter update and a broker note out of Citi. According to the note, the broker has downgraded its shares to a sell rating with a $1.10 price target. Citi made the move largely on valuation grounds following a strong gain over the last couple of months. In addition to this, it notes that the company fell short of shipment expectations during the March quarter and its costs were higher than expected.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

The Whitehaven Coal share price was a poor performer and dropped 11.4% during the period. Last week analysts at Morgans gave their opinion on the coal miner. Although they have retained their add rating, they cut their price target by 8% to $2.05. The broker was disappointed with production issues at its Narrabi operation.

More reading

• Growing pains, or something worse, for Kogan?
• ASX 200 finishes flat, Kogan drops, Accent jumps
• History is on the side of the battered AMP (ASX:AMP) share price as it plans its demerger
• Why a2 Milk, Centaurus Metals, Kogan, & Youfoodz are sinking today
• The Youfoodz (ASX:YFZ) share price is down 15% today. Here’s why

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Challenger Limited and Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3tHJibn

The Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME) share price is still a buy according to fund manager Ben Griffiths from the funds management business Eley Griffiths Group.

Why Eley Griffiths is worth listening to

Eley Griffiths runs two funds, The Small Companies Fund and The Emerging Companies Funds.

The Small Companies Fund targets businesses outside of the S&P/ASX 100 Index (ASX: XTO). After fees, it has outperformed the S&P/ASX Small Ord Accumulation Index by an average of 4.2% per annum since inception in September 2003.

What’s Pro Medicus?

It’s a business that is a health imaging technology provider, predominately in the radiology software and services space for hospitals, imaging centres and health care groups worldwide. It offers an end-to-end offering with its Visage technology.

Fund manager Ben Griffiths explained on Livewire Markets that radiologists and other medical imaging professionals use Visage to interpret images created by medical imaging equipment such as X-Ray, Ultrasound, CT and MRI Scanners.

Why does Eley Griffiths think that the Pro Medicus share price is an opportunity?

The fund manager said that its research shows that Pro Medicus is significantly ahead of its peers when it comes to viewer speed and efficiency for clinics.

One of the highlights for Mr Griffiths is that the healthcare ASX share has been winning contracts worth $155 million in the financial year to date. This has been much stronger than FY19 and FY20 where the wins amounted to around $50 million per annum in those years.

Since 31 December, Pro Medicus has won some very big contracts. One is a 7-year, $40 million contract with US-based Intermountain Healthcare, which operates in the mountain states of Utah, Idaho and Nevada. It also won a 7-year, $31 million contract with a leading Californian academic health system.

The valuation of Pro Medicus is high, according to Eley Griffiths.

However, it’s expected to have 20% compound revenue growth over the next five years. Mr Griffiths noted that Pro Medicus could have earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins of around 60% – he said it’s in “rarefied air”.

One of the other things that the fund manager noted was that Pro Medius has a very high return on invested capital (ROIC) compared to most other ASX shares.

Eley Griffiths is particularly excited by the fact Pro Medicus has plenty of ways that it can invest its capital whilst it wins more market share and attract more customers with an even stronger software offering.

More reading

• The ASX healthcare shares Goldman Sachs rates as a buy
• Why this ASX share bull market could run for longer
• Why the Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) share price could be in the buy zone
• 2 excellent ASX shares to buy in April
• 3 great reasons to own Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) shares

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

The post Fundie reveals why the Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) share price is still a buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3xma5fp

The Australian share market is home to a number of quality companies with solid growth prospects.

Three that have been tipped to grow at stronger than average rates over the coming years are listed below. Here’s why analysts think investors should be buying their shares this month:

Adore Beauty Group Ltd (ASX: ABY)

Adore Beauty is Australia’s leading online beauty retailer. At the last count, the company had almost 800,000 active customers on its platform.

While the company has been growing very strongly during the pandemic, it still has a very long runway for growth. Especially given the relatively low penetration of online beauty sales relative to other Western markets. This puts it in a great position to continue growing strongly in a post-pandemic world.

Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating and $8.75 price target on its shares.

Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)

Kitchen appliances might not seem like the most exciting thing to invest in, but try telling that to its shareholders. Over the last decade the Breville share price has absolutely smashed the market with incredible returns.

The good news is that due to acquisitions, favourable consumer trends, and its global expansion, Breville appears well-placed to continue this positive form over the next decade.

One broker that thinks highly of Breville is Morgans. It currently has an add rating and $33.90 price target on its shares.

ELMO Software Ltd (ASX: ELO)

Another company that has been growing quickly is ELMO. It is a HR and payroll platform provider that allows businesses to simplify and streamline a wide range of tasks.

This has underpinned strong recurring revenue growth over the last few years. And thanks to acquisitions and its large addressable market, more of the same is expected in the coming years.

Earlier this week analysts at Shaw & Partners initiated coverage on the company with a buy rating and and $9.00 price target.

More reading

• Why retailers are stepping up as top performing ASX shares this week
• 3 fantastic ASX shares to buy this month
• 2 ASX growth shares that could generate huge returns for investors
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now
• 2 rapidly growing ASX shares to buy

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 recommends Elmo Software. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Adore Beauty Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Elmo Software. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post 3 outstanding ASX growth shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3sM2Zxr

I write about the psychology of investing a lot.

That’s because I think it’s the area of investing most likely to help you succeed – and most likely to be responsible for failure.

Sure, it’s possible that you get your analysis wrong on a given company, or even a whole sector.

But that error is unlikely to cost you all that much, in the overall scheme of things… if you get the psychology of investing right.

See, the basics are straightforward:

– Diversify.

– Invest small amounts, regularly

– Don’t speculate

– Don’t overtrade

We can add more, of course, but that’s the basics.

And, if you’ve done those things, the occasional temporary loss – or permanent mistake – on a given company just isn’t going to hurt you that much.

How do I know?

Because I own Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) shares.

Those shares are down 12% today, at the time of writing.

Yep, it sucks.

The good news is that I’ve taken my own advice on those rules, above.

I own shares in more than 20 companies and ETFs

I invest when I have enough saved to make the brokerage cost small enough to bear (under 2%, and ideally under 1% of the trade value).

I own shares in businesses and ETFs whose long term opportunity I believe in, and whose share prices are reasonable.

I buy regularly (see above), but rarely sell.

The result? 

Kogan’s 12% fall (plus other increases and decreases) pushed my Australian portfolio down about 1.8% this morning. My US portfolio was down about 1.2% last night.

Is it welcome?

No.

Though, to be honest, if it wasn’t already a sizeable portion of my portfolio, I’d probably be a buyer today. (Actually, The Motley Fool’s trading rules don’t let me trade a company two days either side of writing about it, so this very article would mean I wasn’t allowed to, either, but you get my gist!)

Yep, a 12% fall stings.

So, how do I feel?

First, poorer.

No-one likes losing money.

But we’ve been here before.

We’ll be here again.

The market fell 38% in a month and four days, around this time last year.

Falls are unwelcome, but, going back to my opening lines, you’ve just gotta make your peace with them.

I’m not perfect, and I’ve been doing this for a long time, but I’ve made my peace with share price falls. 

Second, it makes me feel tentative.

“Have I made a mistake?”

“Am I wrong?”

These are very normal and reasonable questions to ask when your company’s shares fall by a big margin.

And here’s the uncomfortable reality:

I might be.

No, I don’t think I am.

But – more importantly – I could be wrong about any single company in my portfolio.

Statistically speaking, I’m probably wrong about somewhere between 30%-40% of the companies I own.

That’s why I’m diversified.

These are the rules of the game we’re playing.

If you want perfection, you’d better make your peace with earning 0.05% interest on cash in the bank.

Or, if you want higher returns, you’re going to have to accept volatility.

See, even the best-performing companies can be very volatile.

Speaking of e-commerce – and volatility – I also own Amazon.com Inc.

Those shares have suffered many, many large percentage falls on their journey to their current 1000-fold gains since listing.

Sometimes, it was on the back of unflattering results. Sometimes, just because the market changed its (collective) mind.

If you’re going to invest, you need to expect these things.

Even Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (yep, I own shares of it, too) has fallen 50%, top-to-bottom, three times in its market-crushing history.

And – get this – Buffett was there the whole time.

Yet investors got such cold feet, even with the world’s best investor at the helm, that shares more than halved.

Thrice.

As Kipling nicely put it

“And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’”

I don’t love days like today. 

(Especially when I can’t buy!)

But I’m used to them.

I expect them.

I’ve made my peace with them.

I refuse to let the market dictate my emotions or my actions.

I won’t trade recklessly, out of fear, impatience, intolerance or unhappiness.

See, I’m not the smartest investor I know.

I’m not the most educated.

I’m not the nerdiest spreadsheet jockey.

I’m not the one with the best contacts.

But I have two key advantages:

I’m pretty good at pattern recognition (I tend to notice similarities between past successes and failures, and today’s businesses).

And I have a very good hold over my emotions.

Remember, I was – and we at The Motley Fool were – telling you to buy when others were heading for the hills during the COVID crash.

Want the uncomfortable truth?

I have no idea if I’m right or wrong about Kogan.

… or any other company in my portfolio.

I have an informed opinion. More often than not, over the past almost-10 years running Motley Fool Share Advisor, I’ve been right.

And that ‘right-ness’ has delivered significant market out-performance for our members.

Yep, I’ve made mistakes.

We’ve lived through times when stocks like Kogan and Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)(yep, another one I own) were hated by the market.

And as the legal eagles (rightly) insist I say, past performance is no guarantee.

I don’t expect you to love market falls.

I don’t expect you to even like them.

(Though don’t forget, if you have money to invest, they can be wonderful opportunities!)

But what I do need you to do is learn – with our help – to master your emotions.

I can’t help you if you don’t diversify.

I can’t help you if you won’t sit quietly, while the crowd outside is telling you to trade.

I can’t help you if you are going to freak out and sell when the going gets tough.

I can’t help you if you expect perfection.

And I can’t help you if you’re expecting returns in a week, a month, or even a year.

But I think I can help you – we can help you – if you’re prepared to invest the way we do.

Patiently.

Carefully.

Confidently.

Thoughtfully.

(Notice I didn’t say ‘smartly’? You don’t need a stratospheric IQ to invest. In fact, those who missed the April 2020 share market rally were disproportionately the ‘smarties’.)

If you learn to control your emotions, you’ll be better off than maybe 75% of investors. Perhaps more.

As Buffett said:

If you’ve got 160 IQ, sell 30 points to somebody else because you won’t need it in investing. What you do need is the right temperament. You need to be able to detach yourself from the views of others or the opinions of others.

You need to be able to look at the facts about a business, about an industry, and evaluate a business unaffected by what other people think. That is very difficult for most people.

Most people have, sometimes, a herd mentality which can, under certain circumstances, develop into delusional behaviour.

Oh sure, you can invest like that random bloke on that internet forum tells you to.

But we’re going to do our best to invest like Buffett.

I’m sure you can tell which approach we hope you’ll follow.

Fool on!

More reading

• ASX 200 finishes flat, Kogan drops, Accent jumps
• Why a2 Milk, Centaurus Metals, Kogan, & Youfoodz are sinking today
• The Youfoodz (ASX:YFZ) share price is down 15% today. Here’s why
• Kogan (ASX:KGN) share price crashes 13% on Q3 update
• ASX 200 down 0.1%: Kogan crashes, AMP’s demerger plans, Telstra strengthens 5G network

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Scott Phillips owns shares of Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Corporate Travel Management Limited, and Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway (B shares) and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon, short June 2021 $240 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2023 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon, and long January 2023 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited and Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post Growing pains, or something worse, for Kogan? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/2QT23db

Shares in Baby Bunting Group Ltd (ASX: BBN) have continued their trend upwards today to set yet another all-time high. Australia’s largest specialty retailer of baby goods has enjoyed a 165% rise in its share price over the last year.

At the end of Friday’s session, the Baby Bunting share price was $6.58, up 3.8%.

Results recap

The last lot of metrics to come out of the company were back in February. With the Baby Bunting share price surging since then, it might be worth taking a look again.

For the first half of FY21, the retailer achieved sales growth of 16.6% compared to the prior corresponding period (pcp) to $217.3 million. While earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) grew to $18.5 million – an increase of 29.7%.

Operating in what Baby Bunting describes as “a less discretionary category”, the company grew through a challenging period. During the first half, the company added 3 new stores and didn’t receive any JobKeeper payments.

Most notably, after a thorough assessment, Baby Bunting made the decision to expand to New Zealand. It now expects to open its first store in FY22, with plans of over 10 stores across the region.

It’s all good news, which explains the Baby Bunting share price rally. However, there is one potential ‘teething issue’ that could slow momentum.

Will fewer ‘customers’ affect Baby Bunting share price?

Australia’s birth rate has been in decline for several years. The natural increase in population was 3.8% lower than the previous year for the 12 months to September 2020.

Typically, Australia relies on immigration for its population growth. But with international borders remaining closed due to COVID-19, immigration inflows are non-existent.

Actual birth statistics are always lagging due to the arduous collection of data. As a result, we likely won’t know the full extent of birth rate impacts in Australia until the end of the year. Though, the longer border restrictions are in place, the bigger the birth deficit in Australia.

For now, the Baby Bunting share price and its shareholders are unfazed.

More reading

• 3 ASX retail shares at record highs
• 2 quality ASX shares rated as top buys by brokers
• Brokers think these 2 top ASX shares are buys in April 2021
• These top 2 ASX shares should be on your watchlist
• 2 ASX shares that may be hit by Australia’s declining birth rate

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

The post Baby Bunting (ASX:BBN) share price: all-time highs and potential teething issues appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3dK0wPP

One of the ways that legendary investor Warren Buffett has generated wealth over decades of investing is by buying and holding the shares of quality companies. This investment strategy is highly successful due to the power of compounding.

Compounding is interest on top of interest, or returns on top of returns for investments. It explains how an investment earning a 10% per annum return will double in value in a little over seven years.

With that in mind, listed below are two ASX shares that could be quality candidates for a buy and hold investment. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

Altium is an award-winning printed circuit board (PCB) design software provider. PCBs are the circuit boards you find in almost all electronic devices. 

Given the proliferation of electronic devices globally and their complex designs, demand for its software has been growing very strongly over the last few years.

And while COVID-19 is hampering Altium’s growth and recently led to discounting, demand is expected to pick up again once the pandemic passes. 

Looking ahead, management continues to target subscriptions of 100,000 and revenue of US$500 million by FY 2025/26. This will be a big increase on FY 2020’s ~51,000 subscriptions and revenue of US$189.1 million.

Citi is positive on the company. It recently retained its buy rating and $33.50 price target on Altium’s shares.

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)

Another quality candidate for a buy and hold investment could be Domino’s.

This is due to its talented management team and their long-term thinking. Domino’s may be smashing expectations in FY 2021 with some very impressive sales and profit growth, but that doesn’t distract it from thinking about the next decade.

Domino’s finished the first half of FY 2021 with a network of 2,800 stores. It is now aiming to double this by 2023 in its existing markets. Management is also looking for acquisitions and could expand into new territories in the future. This would give it an even longer runway for growth.

Morgans is very positive on the company’s future. The broker currently has an add rating and $119.00 price target on its shares.

More reading

• Why Zip (ASX:Z1P) and this ASX growth share are rated highly
• Altium (ASX:ALU) share price tumbles on broker downgrade
• Aussie dollar shoots higher! Here are some ASX winners
• Why Altium, Challenger, Lynas, & Sydney Airport shares are sinking
• Why the Altium (ASX:ALU) share price is sinking today but could rebound strongly

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Altium. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Altium. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Dominos Pizza Enterprises Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post How to invest like Warren Buffett with ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3v5giL0

Goldman Sachs hosted its 4th small/mid-cap healthcare forum this week. This included 13 Australian and New Zealand healthcare companies across a diverse range of specialties. Here are the ASX healthcare shares that Goldman picked as a buy. 

Goldman’s ASX healthcare shares to buy

Opthea Ltd (ASX: OPT) 

Opthea is developing a complementary medicine to be used with existing inhibitors for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). 

Goldman believes there is multi-billion dollar potential in Opthea’s treatment. The broker observes that existing treatments only inhibit up to two of the factors responsible for retinal disease, with over half of patients not achieving significant vision gains and a quarter experiencing continued vision loss. 

The company’s lead candidate, OPT-302 is intended to complement existing treatments to produce an improved outcome for patients. 

Opthea successfully completed a A$169 million initial public offering on the US NASDAQ market in September 2020, improving its cash position to A$203 million in 1H21. Goldman believes this secures the company’s funding for the completion of two pivotal Phase 3 trials. 

Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) 

Within the context of medical imaging, Goldman believes that “globally, there is rapidly growing demand for solutions that can process, transfer and store this data efficiently, particularly given that speed and accuracy is intrinsically linked to treatment outcomes and commercial incentives”.

Pro Medicus shares have been chugging along and up 33% year-to-date to a near all-time record high of $47.22.

Goldman has observed that its 3Q21 transaction volumes are tracking above pre-COVID levels with a strong backlog/deferral stream to provide growth for months to come.

Goldman has modelled “an average of 5 contract wins per year, at an average minimum size of A$15m pa, reflecting recent order momentum and our expectation of heightened interest in this technology through the coming periods “.

Integral Diagnostics Ltd (ASX: IDX) 

Integral Diagnostics is one of the largest diagnostic imaging companies in Australia.

Goldman observes that the company’s 1H21 growth of 6.5% was softer than the 8.3% improvement from Medicare.

This was largely driven by Integral’s geographical weighting in Victoria which was impacted by regional lockdowns. Looking ahead, the company has commented that volumes in the second half are growing in line with expectations. 

The growth drivers highlighted by Goldman and Integral include a “steady positive mix shift towards high-acuity imaging” and “Medicare reimbursement re-indexation from July-20 at c.+1.5% pa”.

More reading

• Why this ASX share bull market could run for longer
• 2 small cap ASX dividend shares to buy
• Why the Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) share price could be in the buy zone
• 2 excellent ASX shares to buy in April
• 3 great reasons to own Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) shares

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

The post The ASX healthcare shares Goldman Sachs rates as a buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/2QKnRrz

Retailers have stepped up their game to emerge as some of the top-performing ASX shares this week. 

Many of the top performers have not announced any market sensitive news or updates. This could reflect broader strength and investor interest coming into the seemingly overlooked retailers. 

The strong performance has also come about after many months of trading in a sideways fashion. These ASX shares have finally managed to break out spectacularly, many of which have hit new record highs. 

Here are the seemingly overlooked retailers that have topped the market.  

Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH) 

The Adairs share price has cruised 10% higher this week to a record high of $4.90. The company has not released any market sensitive news besides an inclusion into the ASX300 on 12 March and half-year results on 16 February. 

Its shares have been consolidating between the $4.20 and $3.80 level since October 2020. But during this time, the ASX200 has managed to gain 15% from 6,150 to 7,055. Adairs finally managed to push above its trading range this week and just a fraction off $5.00. 

Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) 

ASX automotive shares have received several broker upgrades following tailwinds, such as changing attitudes towards public transport and a potential increase in domestic travel via vehicles. 

Eagers Automotive shares climbed 8.60% this week to a record high of $16.80. Morgan Stanley, Morgans and UBS were all buy-rated on Eagers shares with an average target price of $17.10. 

Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) 

Automotive and outdoor retailer Super Retail Group has also captured the tailwinds behind ASX automotive shares.

Super Retail shares are up 5.30% this week to $12.72 and about 7% shy of their previous high of $13.90 set in November 2013. In a similar fashion as Adairs, Super Retail Group has not announced any market sensitive news since its strong half-year results on 17 February. Its shares were chopping back and forth between $11.00 and $12.00 before a breakout this week. 

Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK)

Nick Scali shares added 4% this week to close at $11.02 today. Surprisingly, its share price resembles the tech sector’s timeline, experiencing a selloff during late February, hitting a near-term low in March before making a recovery in April. 

The company follows the theme so far with no market sensitive announcements besides a JobKeeper update on 8 February and half-year results on 4 February. 

Dusk Group Ltd (ASX: DSK)

The Dusk share price is up 5.2% this week to $3.63.

The company made its ASX debut on 2 November 2020 at an offer price of just $2.00 or a 70% return for those that participated in the initial public offering.

Surprisingly, a candle selling retail business has managed to outperform seemingly more exciting IPOs from last year, such as Adore Beauty Group Ltd (ASX: ABY), Laybuy Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: LBY) and MyDeal.com.au Ltd (ASX: MYD).

More reading

• 3 under the radar ASX small cap shares to watch closely
• Brokers name 2 quality ASX dividend shares to buy
• Why ASX 200 retail shares like Super Retail (ASX:SUL) are worth watching
• Brokers think these shares can outperform the ASX 200
• Laybuy (ASX:LBY) share price slides on Q4 trading update

Kerry Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends ADAIRS FPO and Adore Beauty Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Super Retail Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended ADAIRS FPO. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post Why retailers are stepping up as top performing ASX shares this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3ayrQyw

The Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: CHM) share price edged higher in the final hour, before falling flat today. This comes despite the company releasing its quarterly update to the ASX towards the latter part of the afternoon.

At the end of today’s market wrap, the biotechnology company’s shares finished the day flat at 28.5 cents.

How did Chimeric perform?

Investors led Chimeric shares to close the day unchanged despite the company recapping its achievements and providing a financial update.

In the release, Chimeric reported a number of highlights, signalling why its shares have surged since listing on the ASX.

Chimeric declared $23.6 million in cash at the end of the March quarter. This is a significant increase from the $65,000 achieved at 31 December 2020. The company noted the funds will be used to progress its clinical trials of CLTX CAR T and begin the development of a cell therapy pipeline.

The net cash used in operating activities stood at $5.4 million, predominately due to the one-off fee paid to the City of Hope. This compares to the $1.9 million recorded in the prior quarter. Most of the fees were allocated towards change of control fee, administrative and corporate costs.

Net cash used in investing activities totalled $2.6 million, which was relatively in line with the December quarter. The payment relates to the second instalment to the City of Hope licence agreement.

The company re-touched on its CLTX CAR T clinical trials, with the second patient cohort now commencing a higher dosing level.

In addition, Chimeric reverted back to its significant management appointments in which several distinguished experts joined the board.

Chimeric share price summary

While the company is still relatively new on the ASX boards, the Chimeric share price moved between the 28 cents and 44 cents range. The company’s shares hit its all-time in the same week of its listing.

On valuation metrics, Chimeric presides a market capitalisation of roughly $56.3 million, with 196.5 million shares on issue.

More reading

• Chimeric (ASX:CHM) share price edges lower despite positive update

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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.

The post Chimeric (ASX:CHM) share price finishes flat on quarterly update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3gBPsWK

It’s TGIF time once again, and investors with shares in a select 3 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) companies have something to celebrate this weekend.

Here are the 3 ASX 200 shares that outperformed all others this week.

Monadelphous Group Limited (ASX: MND) – up 9.44%

The best ASX 200 performer of the week was Monadelphous, which recorded a 9.44% share price gain. Its shares are now trading for $12.41.

The company released no new news this week, although it was on our radar last Friday after it settled a lawsuit with Rio Tinto outside of court. Perhaps, that’s been driving its share price this week.

Rio Tinto launched proceedings against Monadelphous in August last year, claiming $493 million in damages. The charges related to a fire that began at Rio Tinto’s iron ore processing plant in Cape Lambert during maintenance procedures managed by Monadelphous.

Luckily for Monadelphous, the charges were dropped, and its share price seems to be rejoicing.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) – up 9.48%

The Megaport share price enjoyed a positive week, up 9.48% to close today at $13.51.

Most of the software-defined network service provider’s share gains came after it released its quarterly report. The report showed consistent growth across all of Megaport’s metrics, including its monthly reoccurring revenue, which increased by 8% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ). 

Within its results, Megaport announced it gained 74 new corporate customers in the quarter ending March 31.

Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) – up 7.8%

Finally, the third-best performing share price in the ASX 200 this week is Hub24. Its gains also seem to have been brought about by its quarterly results. Currently, the Hub24 share price trading at $25.50, up 7.8%.

Hub24 announced a 41% increase to its cash flow in the quarter just been, with the company raking in $1.9 billion. During the 2021 financial year, its average monthly net inflows were $556 million, up 35% from last financial year’s monthly average.

It also announced it now owns 33% of Easton Investments Ltd (ASX: EAS) shares.

More reading

• ASX 200 recovers, Redbubble sinks, Megaport jumps
• Why Megaport, Pointerra, Regis Resources, & Zip are charging higher
• ASX 200 up 0.2%: AMP sinks, Redbubble crashes, Megaport jumps
• Megaport (ASX:MP1) share price in spotlight following Q3 update
• 2 highly rated ASX growth shares

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. owns shares of and recommends MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Hub24 Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24 Ltd and MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post Which ASX 200 shares were the best performers this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3gyoOOs