• Is Octopus Deploy listed on the ASX share market?

    cybersecurity shares represented by octopus reaching out of computer screen towards woman

    Is Octopus Deploy listed on the ASX? What’s its ticker code?

    Unfortunately, the answers to those questions might disappoint would-be investors out there. Octopus Deploy is a Brisbane-based tech company that has been making news lately. The company specialises in automation, specifically surrounding the creation, release and management of documents.

    Its software can help companies to manage and automate releases, deployments and runbooks. Octopus Deploy has worked with clients ranging from Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) to Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) and even the US space agency NASA.

    Bad sadly, no, Octopus Deploy is not listed on the ASX, and as such, does not have a ticker code.

    So why is it in the news?

    Someone’s buying shares in Octopus Deploy

    Well, according to a report in yesterday’s Australian Financial Review (AFR), one investor who is eligible to invest in Octopus Deploy has. And with gusto too. The AFR report states that the New York venture capital (VC) fund Insight Partners has just made a $221 million investment. It’s the second-largest VC investment into an Australian company ever.

    Octopus Deploy founders Sonia and Paul Stovell had reportedly been contacted by a “number of Australian VC funds”, but chose to go with Insight Partners “due to its strong record of growth with US software investments, and its ability to write a big enough cheque”.

    This, the AFR report points out, is both a warning sign and a “wakeup call” for the Aussie tech industry. The report also quotes Dean Dorrell of Carthona Capital on this matter, who said that his fund, among other ‘institutional grade’ VCs, had been watching the company for a while.

    But Mr Dorrell said that “there’s no local fund with the ability to write that size cheque yet, and the real competition is between overseas funds, hedge funds and the listed markets, with IPOs and SPACs”.

    So will we ever see Octopus Deploy on the ASX with its own ticker code? Well, we can’t know for sure just yet.

    There appears to be more than enough interest in the company coming from the private sector for now, so it definitely doesn’t need to tap the public markets. But never say never. We only recently saw the ASX IPO of Airtasker Ltd (ASX: ART).

    Airtasker survived and thrived as an unlisted, private company since 2012 before its ASX listing this year. So perhaps Octopus Deploy will follow Airtaker’s lead and debut on the ASX one day. But we’ll have to cross that bridge when Octopus Deploy gets to it.

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    Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Microsoft and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Walt Disney. 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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  • Why the Eagle Mountain (ASX:EM2) share price is surging 19% higher again today

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

    The Eagle Mountain Mining Ltd (ASX: EM2) share price has been a strong performer on Thursday.

    In afternoon trade, the copper and gold explorer’s shares are up 13% to $1.11.

    Though, at one stage today, the Eagle Mountain share price was up as much as 19% to a record high of $1.17.

    When its shares reached that level, it meant they were up an impressive 150% since the start of the year.

    Why is the Eagle Mountain share price on fire today?

    The Eagle Mountain share price was given a boost today by an update on drilling activities at its Oracle Ridge Project in Arizona, United States.

    According to the release, the company is planning to accelerate exploration drilling at the project. This follows multiple strong assay and drilling results and an increasing pipeline of high priority targets within a few kilometres of the existing underground mine portals.

    The company has engaged drilling contractor Boart Longyear Ltd (ASX: BLY) to supply a second drill rig, which is planned to mobilise to site by 10 May 2021.

    Management commentary

    Eagle Mountain’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Mason, commented: “Our recent drilling and exploration results at Oracle Ridge indicate the very strong potential for Oracle Ridge to host increased levels of mineralisation.”

    “We have recently completed extensive earthworks to improve access and establish suitable drill pads in preparation for our accelerated drilling program. Since commencing drilling in September 2020, more than 90% of the holes assayed outside the existing JORC Resource have intersected mineralisation above our cut-off grade.”

    Mr Mason also spoke about its pipeline of targets.

    He explained: “We are also building a strong pipeline of targets including the recently announced high-grade copper mineralisation outcropping at the OREX prospect along a four-kilometre contact. These results give us confidence to accelerate our drilling with the aim of increasing our existing JORC Resource and evaluating the extraordinary potential of the near-mine area.“

    Judging by the Eagle Mountain share price performance today, some investors appear to be expecting strong results from these activities.

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  • These are the latest ASX shares to be downgraded by brokers today

    broker downgrade ASX shares A woman holds her face and recoils in horror, indicating a share price drop

    Our market may have bouncing from yesterday’s sell-off, but there are some ASX shares that are left behind after getting downgraded by leading brokers.

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) jumped 0.5% in after lunch trade with most sectors apart from Energy gaining ground.

    But the optimism failed to reach the A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price after Morgans cut its rating on its shares.

    Left on the shelf

    The broker did a channel check and doesn’t believe the milk products company’s sales have improved materially.

    “E-commerce platform pricing in China doesn’t appear to be materially improving,” said Morgans.

    “And in Australia we have noticed that the retailers and pharmacies are discounting stock to clear aging inventory.”

    No use crying over spilt milk

    The company’s other nutritional products that traditionally have strong appeal to Chinese consumers are also being discounted.

    Worsening relations between Australia and China after the federal government revoked Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement with the Asian giant is fanning the flames of animosity.

    Such tensions will only hurt ASX shares like A2 Milk who have an overdependence on the Chinese consumer.

    Another profit downgrade could be on the cards

    “We can’t rule out the possibility of a fourth downgrade from A2M,” added Morgans.

    “To us, the fact that stock is being discounted, is slow to sell and is aging, would suggest that A2M has potentially a larger inventory issue than it has previously estimated.”

    The broker downgraded the A2 Milk share price to “hold” from “add” with a 12-month price target of $8.34 a share.

    The A2 Milk share price fell 1.2% to $7.62 at the time of writing.

    Broker downgraded due to lack of upside

    Another ASX share that lost favour with investors today is the Amcor CDI (ASX: AMC) share price.

    The analysts at Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) cut their recommendation on the packaging giant to “neutral” from “outperform” ahead of its quarterly result on 5 May.

    “Raw materials are a key focus and have continued to push higher,” said the broker.

    “AMC has baked some raw mat inflation into FY21 guidance, however costs have increased further, exacerbated by the US freeze in Feb.”

    When good isn’t good enough

    The good news is that rising costs shouldn’t be enough to stop Amcor from achieving its 10% to 14% earnings per share growth guidance.

    However, Macquarie noted that inflation removes any chance of the group achieving a better-than-expected result.

    No post-COVID kick

    What’s more, the COVID-19 recovery trade isn’t expected to have any positive impact on the Amcor share price either.

    Macquarie prefers backing stocks with greater cyclical recovery prospects.

    The Amcor share price fell 0.4% to $15.18 in the last hour of trade. The broker’s 12-month price target on Amcor is $16.09 a share.

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    Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Amcor CDI  and Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended A2 Milk, Amcor Limited, and 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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  • Is the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price fully valued?

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    The Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price is back on form on Thursday and pushing higher.

    In afternoon trade, the payments company’s shares are up almost 2% to $123.95.

    Can the Afterpay share price go higher?

    According to one leading broker, the Afterpay share price may have peaked for the time being.

    A note out of Morgans reveals that its analysts have retained their hold rating and cut the price target on its shares to $121.00.

    What did Morgans say?

    Morgans notes that there was a lot to like from Afterpay’s third quarter update this week.

    It was pleased to see its North American underlying sales continue to grow strongly. The broker notes that sales increased 167% on the prior corresponding period or 211% in constant currency.

    Morgans also points out that its in-store momentum in the region appears to be accelerating, with March sales annualised implying a run-rate over $225 million. This compares to $180 million during the first half.

    Its analysts were also pleased to see revenue margins holding firm and gross loss rates remaining below historical levels.

    Another positive in the broker’s eyes was its transaction frequency. It notes that the top 10% of customers globally (by value) are now transacting an average of 33 times per year.

    Morgans was also pleased to see that Clearpay is on track to launch in Germany during the first half of FY 2022, along with Afterpay Money in the Australian market.

    What didn’t it like?

    One thing that appears to have caught the eye of Morgans is that its sales momentum slowed during the third quarter.

    In fact, it points out that sales in the US and UK were flat quarter on quarter and down quarter on quarter in the ANZ market.

    As a result of this, the broker has lowered its earnings forecasts to reflect lower sales growth assumptions.

    Morgans concluded: “APT is a quality business, in our view, but we retain our Hold recommendation on valuation grounds.”

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  • The ASX 200 shares brokers think you should watch out for

    watch

    Big brokers have run the ruler on which ASX 200 shares could beat the market. Here are the latest updates on ASX 200 shares that have a buy or buy equivalent rating. 

    ASX 200 shares that could go higher

    Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX: ALL) 

    The gambling machine manufacturer shares have steadily climbed 16% year-to-date to $36.58 and within 2% of its pre-COVID all-time record high. 

    Additionally, the reopening of casinos around the world and the strong performance of its digital games segment has helped the company emerge as a strong recovery stock. 

    Citi has observed a strong performance according to March surveys. With solid leasing and sales from its Class III premium gaming operations. While its dominant Class II business has seen performance moderate. 

    The broker retained its buy rating with a $40.60 target price. 

    Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) 

    Corporate Travel shares have caught the attention of Morgan Stanley and Morgans after announcing a positive trading update on Wednesday. The company revealed that it managed to break even for the month of March.

    This was following a strong uplift in travel demand. The two brokers were also quick to reiterate a respective overweight and add rating with an average target price of $21.65.

    Morgan Stanley observes that this achievement was driven by group domestic travel rising to approximately 60% of pre-COVID revenues. While ANZ bookings have increased to 85% of FY19.

    The broker notes that essential travel in the UK and EU should continue to support profitability. There are also positive signs emerging in the United States which may be accelerated by its vaccine rollouts. 

    Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL)

    The Regis share price is on the move after entering a conditional binding agreement for a stake in IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) Tropicana Gold Mine on Thursday. 

    But before this announcement, Regis provided an upbeat resource update which highlights an 11% increase in ore reserves to 4.0 million ounces and 5% in mineral resources to 8.1 million ounces. 

    Morgan Stanley believes the increase in reserves gives around seven years of visibility and should ease investor concerns around mine lives. The broker believes in potential resource conversion and mine life extensions in the near term. 

    An overweight rating was maintained with a $4.19 target price. Despite the positive rating, Regis shares are down 25% year-to-date to $2.79 and almost halved since August 2020. 

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  • Popeyes down under? Collins Foods’ (ASX:CKF) KFC may have a new competitor

    pieces of fried chicken

    Collins Foods Ltd (ASX: CKF) is not as much of a household name as the KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) restaurants that it runs. Collins Food has the license to own and operate KFC stores in Australia, as well as a few other countries. And it has done a pretty good job of carrying out the Colonel’s vision.

    Collins Foods shares are up 168% over the past 5 years (not including dividends). They are also up close to 75% over the past 12 months.

    The KFC franchise has likely benefitted from a lack of competition in Australia. Compared to the US, where there are dozens of fast food chains, only a few big names truly dominate the national Australian market. These include the famous golden arches in McDonald’s Corp (NYSE: MCD), as well as the Burger King affiliate Hungry Jacks and Dominos Pizza Enterprises Ltd. (ASX: DMP). But it’s relatively safe to say that KFC benefits from being one of the only chicken-focused chains out there. Other competitors in this space are the much-smaller Oporto and Red Rooster brands.

    But that could be about to change.

    Popeyes: another dirty bird down under?

    According to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) today, another US fast food giant with a focus on fried chicken might be about to launch down under. That would be Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. Popeyes is a US-based franchise owned by Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE: QSR). It was founded in 1972 in the Southern state of Louisiana, and specialises in fried chicken.

    According to the AFR report, Restaurant Brands International has “contacted Australian food services business and private equity firms to gauge their interest in bank-rolling the launch of Popeyes”.

    We could well end up seeing Collins Foods itself take charge of Popeyes. But, as the report notes, this is a long-shot given Collins’s already dominant chicken presence in the Australian market. The report states that ‘bankrollers’ could include Dominos Pizza, Pizza hut-owner Allegro Funds. Or Cravable Brands, which owns Red Rooster and Oporto in Australia.

    Either way, it will be an interesting shakeup to watch if Popeyes does enter the Australian fast food scene.

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  • NAB report finds the Australian economy on track to reach pre-COVID level

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    In good news for the Australian economy, Australia’s business activity is almost back to its pre-coronavirus level. That’s according to National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) findings in its latest Quarterly Business Survey today. 

    The survey reported most industries were experiencing above-average conditions, and companies were confident they would continue to grow. Profitability, trading and employment are all in expansionary territory.

    The NAB survey predicted the economy would continue to grow at a healthy rate, despite supports such as JobKeeper winding up. Let’s take a closer look at the survey’s results.

    Australian economy ‘improving quickly’

    The NAB Quarterly Business Survey found that Australia’s economic recovery from last year’s COVID-19-induced recession is nearing completion.

    Capital expenditure expectation strengthened to its highest level since the mid-90s. Capacity utilisation – the instances of businesses working to their maximum capacity – rose to 82.5% in the March quarter. This will most likely support hiring and investment activities.

    NAB Group’s chief economist Alan Oster said the findings were “consistent with our forecast that GDP will have fully recovered in [quarter 1]”.

    Back in business

    Business conditions have improved in all mainland states and territories except South Australia. Western Australia leads the pack, reaching its highest level of business conditions since 2008. 

    Business conditions improved in all industries except for a slight easing in retail in the last quarter. However, retail and wholesale reported the strongest conditions across all industries. The construction sector has once again reported the weakest conditions.

    Business confidence also improved in all industries except retail, suggesting retail businesses believe they may have already reached pinnacle gains.

    Said Oster:

    It is worth remembering that conditions provide a guide as to how fast activity is growing, but capacity utilisation provides an indication of the level of activity.

    In this quarter, we hit an important milestone; not only does it appear that activity continues to grow at a good pace, but the capacity utilisation index now suggests that the level of activity is back around its pre-COVID level.

    The survey also found labour conditions have recorded strong gains as the employment index continues to improve. Expected employment in 3- and 12-months’ time also gained, an encouraging finding in light of JobKeeper coming to an end last month.

    While a return to a pre-COVID level of activity would be an important milestone, it would not be a case of ‘mission accomplished’ as we would normally expect the economy to grow over time.

    That is why a very welcome aspect of the survey is the strength across all the leading indicators, which suggests that the recovery should continue at a relatively strong pace.

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  • Redbubble (ASX:RBL) share price crashes 20% on increased investments

    falling asx share price represented by toy rocket crashed into ground

    Shares in Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL) have continued to spiral downwards throughout the session after the ecommerce company released its third-quarter and year-to-date update. At the time of writing, the Redbubble share price has collapsed 20.51% to $4.38.

    Looking at the company’s growth alone doesn’t quite explain the dramatic fall. So, let’s take a look at what exactly could be pushing the Redbubble share price down.

    Aspirations don’t fill investors with confidence

    Redbubble delivered growth in its gross transaction value, marketplace revenue, and gross profit. That all looks well and good until investors have to stomach compressed margins.

    At the end of the day, long-term investing means profits. And ideally, those profits get bigger to deliver increased shareholder return. Well, the Redbubble share price has left its shareholders unsettled by its plans to sacrifice profit margins to deliver its ‘aspirational’ $1.25 billion revenue vision.

    “How much?” you might ask. The company expects to reduce its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) margin to mid-single digits. For comparison, Redbubble’s current margin is 9.5%.

    The next question, “For how long?” It’s going to be a rougher ride for the next few years.

    After that though, Redbubble expects its margin to range between 10% to 15%. However, that is an aspiration. The problem with aspirations is that shareholders don’t know whether they will come to fruition. But they certainly know returns will now be lower than originally expected in the near term.

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

    Redbubble share price trade-off

    There’s good and bad with today’s announcement. Obviously, the bad news is the Redbubble share price is bleeding out. The concern of increased competition and higher customer acquisition costs could be another.

    On the flip side, longer-term it could be a good move for shareholders. If management is able to deliver on their ‘aspirations’ additional shareholder value would be created.

    Redbubble indicated the investments will be focused on growing headcount, increasing marketing, and improving its marketplace technology.

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

    asx share price fall represented by lady in striped tshirt making sad face against orange background

    The Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: CHM) share price is sliding in mid-afternoon trade. This comes despite the company announcing the successful completion of its CLTX CAR T phase 1 trial.

    Established in 2020, Chimeric is developing a breakthrough cancer cell therapy drug for solid tumours. The company uses chlorotoxin, which comes from scorpion venom, to bind and direct T cells to target glioblastoma (GBM). Initial scientific research conducted at the City of Hope Cancer Centre in Los Angeles found promising anti-tumour activity from CAR T therapy.

    At the time of writing, the biotechnology company’s shares are going for 29 cents apiece, down 1.6%.

    What did Chimeric announce?

    Investors appear unfazed by the company’s latest update, sending Chimeric shares lower.

    According to its release, Chimeric advised it has passed the first checkpoint in the City of Hope’s phase 1 CLTX CAR T cell clinical trial. All patients in the first group that received the Chlorotoxin CAR T dose have exceeded the 28-day follow-up period without experiencing dose-limiting toxicities.

    The dose-escalation study is seeking to assess Chlorotoxin CAR T’s safety and maximum tolerance in participants suffering from recurrent or progressive GBM.

    While the first cohort received the minimum dosage limit, Chimeric will now move onto the second dosing level. Patients in this group will be administered via two methods – intratumoral (ICT) and intracranial intraventricular (ICV) at a total dose of 88 x 106 CAR T cells.

    Chimeric hopes to recruit between 18 to 36 people with MMP2+ recurrent or progressive GBM across 4 different dose levels. Once the appropriate dosing amount is established, the company will then move to phase 2 trials.

    Chimeric chief operating officer, Jennifer Chow commented on the achievement:

    We are very pleased to have reached this significant milestone with our CLTX CAR T cell therapy as it enables us to advance the development of this important therapy for patients with progressive or recurrent Glioblastoma.

    We look forward to further progressing the development of CLTX CAR T and to providing updates as we seek to bring the promise of cell therapy to life for more patients with cancer.

    About the Chimeric share price

    Since coming online to the ASX at the start of this year, the Chimeric share price has remained relatively flat. The company’s shares reached an all-time high of 44 cents in late January, before treading lower.

    Based on the current share price, Chimeric has a market capitalisation of roughly $57 million.

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  • Could this help drive the Sydney Airport (ASX:SYD) share price long term?

    A traveller dressed in colourful shirt and panama hat looking puzzled, indicating uncertainty in the travel share price

    Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD) shares are edging higher today. This comes as travellers continue rejoicing over the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble allowing travel between Australia and New Zealand for the first time in months.

    At the time of writing, the Sydney Airport share price is trading 0.16% higher at $6.08.

    Sydney Airport is Australia’s busiest airport, providing aeronautical, retail, property, car rental and parking and ground transport services.

    New research poses interesting opportunity for Aussie airports

    New research that may be of interest to investors in Sydney Airport shares suggests Australian airports have the potential to one day become national energy producers.

    An RMIT University study has found that if large-scale solar panels were installed across Australian airports, they could produce more electricity than is generated by solar panels on 17,000 residential homes.

    The paper focused on the solar energy potential of airport rooftop space but also highlighted the potential for ground-based solar panels.

    The research indicated that moving forward, governments couldn’t rely on small solar panels used for residential purposes to provide enough electricity to power the entire grid. It further highlighted that doing so — particularly considering in the past there were substantial rebates on home-owner solar panel installation — was potentially an ineffective use of resources.

    The research found installing solar panels at 21 airports would generate 10 times more electricity than solar panels installed at 17,000 residential homes while offsetting 151.6 kilotons of greenhouse gasses annually.

    What RMIT researchers said

    Geospatial scientist at RMIT’s School of Science Dr Chayn Sun said that airports’ large areas and lack of shade made them perfect for solar generation. She said:

    We can’t rely on small residential solar panels to get us to a zero-emission economy but installing large panels at locations like airports would get us a lot closer. We hope our results will help guide energy policy, while informing future research in solar deployment for large buildings.

    Australia is facing an energy crisis, yet our solar energy resources – such as airport rooftops – are being wasted. There’s so much potential to facilitate national economic development while contributing towards greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

    Sydney Airport share price snapshot

    The Sydney Airport share price is having a minor recovery today after slumping 2% yesterday on its latest passenger figures. Overall, the Sydney Airport share price is down by around 5% in 2021 so far, but it’s up by around 9% over the past 12 months.

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    Motley Fool contributor Lucas Radbourne-Pugh 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 Could this help drive the Sydney Airport (ASX:SYD) share price long term? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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