Eyes have turned to the Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price which surged 16.95% on Tuesday after announcing a solid set of quarterly results. The results not only highlight the company’s continued momentum across key growth regions but also shed light on its plans for greater international exposure. 

While it might have been off to the races with the Zip share price yesterday, what are big brokers thinking? 

Citi rates the Zip share price as a buy 

Citi was the most bullish broker today, upgrading its rating from neutral to buy. The broker said that the key highlight from the third-quarter update was stronger than expected volume growth. 

Zip’s strong quarterly result was driven by QuadPay’s 234% increase in transaction volume. This equated to $762 million, which was 31% higher than Citi’s forecast. With QuadPay’s performance exceeding expectations, the broker upgraded its rating from neutral to buy. 

Despite the upgrade, Citi was reserved with its share price target, lowering it from $11.35 to $11.30. 

Morgans cautiously optimistic 

Morgans ‘add’ rating was unchanged and its target price was lowered from $12.10 to $10.92.

The broker highlighted another strong quarterly performance across all key metrics that increased 10% to 20% on the second quarter. QuadPay was again the standout for the business. Driving a quarter-on-quarter growth of 16%, 7%, and 19% for revenue, transaction volume, and customers. 

Morgans reduced earnings per share forecasts for FY21 and FY22 by 2% and 4% on minor adjustments to sales and profit margin forecasts.

UBS is always bearish 

UBS has been calling ASX buy now pay later (BNPL) shares as a sell since 2019. Today, the broker reiterated its sell rating while nudging its target price from $6.40 to $6.50. 

UBS says that the BNPL sector has benefited from economic stimulus and is wary of its short-term outlook as policy measures are wound back.

Despite QuadPay transaction growth coming out slightly ahead of forecasts, UBS continues to believe that investors should get out of Zip shares. 

More reading

• ASX 200 up 0.6%: Zip rises, Resolute rockets, tech shares storm higher
• Could this help the Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price catch up to Afterpay?
• ASX 200 rises, Zip (ASX:Z1P) flies, bank ratings upgraded
• What’s lifting the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price today?
• Afterpay and Zip were among the most traded ASX shares last week

Kerry Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. 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.

The post Are brokers bullish on the Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price after quarterly results? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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At lunch on Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on form and has broken through the 7,000 points mark. The benchmark index is currently up 0.6% to 7,019.4 points.

Here’s what is happening on the market today:

Brokers love Zip update

The third quarter update from Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) on Tuesday has gone down well with brokers today. One of the most positive brokers was Citi. This morning its analysts upgraded the buy now pay later provider’s shares to a buy rating with a price target of $11.30. Elsewhere, Morgans has an add rating and $10.92 price target and Ord Minnett has an accumulate rating and $11.50 price target. This compares to the current Zip share price of $9.88.

Resolute share price rockets

The Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) share price is rocketing higher today after revealing that the Ghanaian government has restored the mining licence for the Bibiani Gold Mine. However, the government has only agreed to do this if Resolute cancels the sale of the operation to Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining. Resolute has agreed to do this and will now look at its options for the mine.

Tech shares storm higher

Playing a key role in the market’s positive form today has been the tech sector. Tech shares including Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) are storming higher, driving the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) a sizeable 1.8% higher. This has been driven largely by a positive night of trade on the Nasdaq index. The tech-heavy index outperformed overnight, recording a solid 1% gain.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers

The best performer on the ASX 200 by some distance has been the Resolute share price with a 15% gain following its update. The worst performer has been the Credit Corp Group Limited (ASX: CCP) share price with a decline of almost 3% on the back of no news.

More reading

• Here’s why the Resolute Mining (ASX:RSG) share price is surging 20% higher today
• Could this help the Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price catch up to Afterpay?
• AMP (ASX:AMP) share price hits new 52-week low
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• ASX 200 rises, Zip (ASX:Z1P) flies, bank ratings upgraded

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 ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post ASX 200 up 0.6%: Zip rises, Resolute rockets, tech shares storm higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool Australia’s Chief Investment Officer Scott Phillips joined SBS’ Ricardo Goncalves to discuss the ‘going nowhere’ market, the start of US earnings season (and its potential impact on our companies) as well as the ‘rotation’ between growth and value stocks… and where the opportunities might be.

More reading

• ASX 200 up 0.6%: Zip rises, Resolute rockets, tech shares storm higher
• What’s going on with the Galilee Energy (ASX:GLL) share price?
• Why the Wisr (ASX:WZR) share price is on the move
• Here’s why the Resolute Mining (ASX:RSG) share price is surging 20% higher today
• Why is the Aerometrex (ASX:AMX) share price soaring 15% today?

Scott Phillips 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 owns shares of Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post A flat market, earnings season to start in the US, and what’s the story with growth and value? Motley Fool CIO Scott Phillips on SBS appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The Galilee Energy Ltd. (ASX: GLL) share price is edging lower in late morning trade, down 0.6%. Galilee is currently trading for 74 cents per share.

Below we take a look at the ASX energy share’s latest operations update.

What update did Galilee report?

The Galilee Energy share price is edging lower after the company released an operations update for its 100% owned Glenaras gas pilot program in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.

That’s a different market reaction from the last time the company provide an update at its Glenaras gas project on 26 March, when shares soared more than 50% during intraday trading.

The program involves upgrades – including larger, higher horsepower pumps – to all 6 of the vertical wells, intended to speed the process towards commercial gas production at Glenaras.

In today’s update on its pump enhancement program (PEP), Galilee reported that the program was running on schedule despite the recent rainfall. Three out of the 6 vertical well upgrades are now complete and those wells are back on production. The company intends to increase the water production rates from the new pumps over the next weeks.

There were no sediment or fill issues encountered, negating the need for additional clean-out activities. Galilee said this “augurs well for longer term pump reliability”.

The new, larger pumps required power generation upgrades. Galilee reported that all these upgrades have been completed. It also reported that “progress on a second pivot irrigation system to process increased water rates is well underway”. It expects commissioning to occur by end of April.

With rig related works continuing until mid-May, the company advised that several wells will be shut during that time. Pumps will progressively come back online throughout the program.

Galilee Energy share price snapshot

The Galilee Energy share price is up 14% over the past 12 months. That trails the 31% gains posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

So far in 2021, Galilee Energy shares have gained 9%.

More reading

• Why Galilee Energy, Hansen, Polynovo, & TPG shares are tumbling lower

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.

The post What’s going on with the Galilee Energy (ASX:GLL) share price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The Wisr Ltd (ASX: WZR) share price is one to watch today. Shares in the Aussie financials group are climbing higher after posting a 19th consecutive quarter of growth. At the time of writing, the Wisr share price is trading for 23 cents, up 2.22%. 

Why is the Wisr share price climbing?

Wisr this morning provided a quarterly update for the quarter ended 31 March 2021 (Q3 2021). The Aussie non-bank lender reported a record loan origination growth of $97.8 million. This represents a 17% increase on last quarter and 151% increase on Q3 2021.

Total loan originations came in at $488.3 million as at 31 March 2021. Wisr reported that secured vehicle loan products were delivering strong results in limited channels. That product line contributed 22% or $21.9 million of the $97.8 million in new loans.

The Wisr share price has jumped 2.2% higher to start the day following the strong trading update. Wisr also upsized its warehouse facility to $350 million during the quarter with further expansion plans slated for Q4 2021.

Further underlying the strong quarter, Wisr reported a record Q3 2021 average credit score of 771 in Q3 2021. Today’s result means Wisr has now recorded 19 consecutive quarters of back-to-back growth in an impressive run for the Aussie non-bank lender.

The Wisr share price jumped more than 2 per cent in early trade with Wisr now boasting a market capitalisation of $252.2 million at the time of writing.

Shares in the non-bank lender are trading at $0.23 per share, still shy of the company’s $0.28 52-week high.

Foolish takeaway

The Wisr share price is on the move in early trade after yet another strong quarterly update from the non-bank lender. That update was highlighted by record quarterly loan origination and an upsized warehouse funding facility during Q3 2021.

The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has jumped 0.37% higher to 7,257.80 points at the time of writing.

Wisr shares are now up 64.3% in the last 12 months and 228.6% in the last 5 years in a strong run for the company’s shareholders.

More reading

• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX sees 7,000 points once more
• Why the Fatfish (ASX:FFG) share price is soaring today
• What’s happening with the Musgrave Minerals (ASX:MGV) share price?
• Why the McGrath (ASX:MEA) share price is climbing today
• House prices flying, fixing your home loan, and where to find a job

Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall 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 Why the Wisr (ASX:WZR) share price is on the move appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) share price has been an exceptionally strong performer on Wednesday.

In morning trade, the gold miner’s shares rocketed as much as 20% higher to 56.5 cents.

At the time of writing, the Resolute share price has eased back a touch, but remains up 16% to 54.5 cents.

Why is the Resolute share price rocketing higher?

Investors have been buying Resolute’s shares on Wednesday following the release of an update on its Bibiani Gold Mine operation in Ghana.

Last month investors were heading to the exits in their droves after the Ghanaian government cancelled its mining lease, forcing the immediate termination of activities.

This was a big blow given that the asset was due to be sold to Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining in the very near future.

What’s the latest?

The good news for shareholders is that this morning the company revealed that the mining lease for the Bibiani Gold Mine has been restored by the Ghanaian Honourable Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A Jinapor, MP.

The release explains that the Minister made the decision to maintain investor confidence globally and in particular maintain Ghana’s reputation as the preferred destination for mining investment in Africa.

However, the reinstatement isn’t as straightforward as it might first seem. Resolute advised that the Ghanaian Government does not recognise the purported sale or transfer of the Bibiani Gold Mine to Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining. It will also only allow a sale to proceed to a company with the express prior approval of the Government.

Resolute advised that it intends to comply with the conditions imposed by the Minister in relation to the restoration of the Mining Lease. This brings to an end the sale process.

Resolute’s Interim CEO, Stuart Gale, commented: “We are very pleased to have come to a quick and amicable resolution which provides clarity and confirmation of MGBL’s Mining Lease at the Bibiani Gold Mine. I would like to thank the Minister for his leadership and cooperation on this matter and we look forward to working with him and the Minerals Commission to identify a development option at Bibiani which sees the mine resuming production as quickly as possible for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

“I would also like to thank Chifeng for their patience during this process and we look forward to continuing the working relationship which has been developed since announcing the sale in December. We remain committed to the development of Bibiani and will consider all options available to achieve this.”

More reading

• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX
• Why Aurelia Metals, Brickworks, Greenland Minerals, & Resolute are tumbling lower
• ASX 200 up 1%: Big four banks and miners take ASX 200 above 7,000 points
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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 Here’s why the Resolute Mining (ASX:RSG) share price is surging 20% higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The Aerometrex Ltd (ASX: AMX) share price has taken off this morning after the company shared news of a major revenue increase.

This morning, the Aerometrex share price opened 10% higher than yesterday’s close. It has since risen to 98 cents, which represents a 14.62% gain.

Let’s take a closer look at today’s news from the aerial imagery company.

Aerometrex revenue rises by 398% in a year

The Aerometrex share price is on a tear this morning after the company announced its recurring revenue has risen another 28% since last quarter. This quarter, its recurring revenue reached $4.26 million, 398% higher than it was as at the third quarter of the 2020 financial year.

In other news boosting Aerometrex shares, the company also reported that it has continued to receive new enterprise subscriptions to its aerial imagery service MetroMap.

MetroMap is a data-as-a-service (DAAS) aerial imagery subscription. It provides subscribers with an archive of aerial imagery, updated four times per year for capital cities and annually for major regional and rural centres.

New subscribers to MetroMap in 2021 have included Melbourne Water, Victoria’s North East Water, Victorian Department of Transport, Future Generation Joint Venture (Snowy 2.0 Engineering Project), SA Water and SA Power Networks.

Commentary from management

Aerometrex managing director Mark Deuter commented on the company’s significant revenue increase. He said:

MetroMap has been our primary sales focus for the past 18 months and we are delighted to be rapidly gaining market share across such a wide variety of enterprise customers, from energy and water utilities, to Government agencies, insurance and major engineering clients. Many of these customers are new to Aerometrex and have been attracted to MetroMap’s outstanding quality and utility to support their operations. In addition to the substantial growth in large corporations and government departments now subscribing to MetroMap, we are also seeing strong growth in [small to medium enterprise] business subscriptions.

Aerometrex share price snapshot

Today’s boost to the Aerometrex share price will come as welcome news to shareholders who have seen the value of their investment in the company fall by 21.6% year to date. Aerometrex shares have also fallen by nearly 29% over the last 12 months.

Aerometrex has a market capitalisation of around $80 million, with approximately 94 million shares outstanding.

More reading

• Here’s why the Aerometrex (ASX:AMX) share price is up 5% today

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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 Why is the Aerometrex (ASX:AMX) share price soaring 15% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

Despite its stock value having climbed more than 65% over the past year, online retail and tech titan Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) still has a gigantic growth spurt coming, one major analyst claims. Brent Thil, an analyst with Jefferies Financial Group, said in a research note today Amazon is likely to see a 70% rise over the next three years, and he sees a “pathway to $5,700” for the company, The Fly reports.

The official Jefferies price target for Amazon remains $4,000, a much more modest 17% rise from current share value. Thil’s speculative valuation, $1,700 higher than this point, doesn’t depend on any one facet of Amazon’s operations or situation, but is based on a “sum of its parts” view. He did, however, single out Amazon Web Services, or AWS, saying it is Amazon’s “most valuable business and is positioned for continued strength.”

Benzinga reports CNBC’s Jim Cramer provided some additional commentary on Thil’s $5,700 prediction. Cramer, pointing to Jefferies’ $1.25 trillion valuation of AWS, described the cloud platform as “an undervalued asset buried within this company.” He remarked Prime Video and Amazon’s advertising are two other sources of strength, and summed up Amazon by saying “I think it is going to prove to be an excellent long-term value.”

Notably, a previous bullish Amazon forecast from Jefferies came true. In April 2019, Brent Thil predicted the company’s shares would reach $3,000 in two years, a roughly 65% upside compared to the $1,828 stock price at the time. Amazon’s current value of $3,400 vindicates Thil’s optimism and the company’s possible telehealth expansion shows it’s still working to keep up the momentum. 

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

More reading

• The stock that I’d hold for the next 5 years: fundie
• Tesla and Palantir were some of the most popular US shares last week
• Better buy: Amazon vs. GameStop
• Better buy: Amazon vs. Kroger
• 2 investing approaches to help get you started on the ASX

Rhian Hunt has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Amazon and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon and short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post Analyst: Amazon still has a 70% upside potential over three years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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The Universal Biosensors, Inc (ASX: UBI) share price is rising today, after good news from the company. It has entered into a distribution agreement with Chilean quality diagnostics, control and research company Singularity SpA.

The agreement will see Universal Biosensors’ wine testing platform device distributed in Chile for the first time.

Today’s news may herald another big day for the Universal Biosensors share price. It launched 9.6% higher yesterday following news the company made deals with Deakin University and the Swinburne University of Technology.

At the time of writing, the Universal Biosensors share price is 73 cents, up 6.6% from yesterday’s closing price.

Let’s look closer at today’s release from the company.

Cheers for Chilean wine testing

The distribution agreement with Singularity for Universal Biosensors’ wine testing platform device, Sentia, is for a 3-year term.

It will make Sentia available in Chile, the world’s 8^th largest wine-producing country.

The Sentia analyzer is a handheld device that can measure the free sulphur dioxide in post-fermentation red and white wine in under a minute.

Universal Biosensors is working towards making more wine analysis tests available on the device.

Commentary from management

Universal Biosensors CEO John Sharman welcomed the agreement, saying:

The launch of Sentia into Chile is another positive step in the commercialisation of Sentia globally. Chile is the 8th largest wine producing country in the world and Singularity is part of a leading group with diverse expertise in point-of-use devices with connections across Chile’s 200,000 hectares of vineyards.

The deal includes an initial commitment to purchase Sentia devices and strips which will be delivered over the course of the next few weeks.

Mr Sharman said the possibility of Sentia’s future testing capability for glucose, fructose, malic acid and others would “add significant value” to the winemaking industry.

We are negotiating terms with a number of key industry players around the world and look forward to reporting additional distribution partnerships in due course.

Universal Biosensors share price snapshot

The Universal Biosensors share price has performed well on the ASX lately, with today’s news bringing the latest boost.

It is currently up 51% year to date and has increased by a mammoth 294% over the past 12 months.

Universal Biosensors has a market capitalisation of around $120 million, with approximately 177 million shares outstanding.  

More reading

• Here’s why the Universal Biosensors (ASX:UBI) share price is soaring 10%
• Why the Universal Biosensors (ASX:UBI) share price is shooting 36% higher today
• Universal Biosensors (ASX:UBI) share price is lifting today. Here’s why

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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 Why the Universal Biosensors (ASX:UBI) share price is up 6% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Capral Limited (ASX: CAA) shares are rocketing higher in early trade after the company confirmed it has received a non-binding, indicative proposal from a private equity firm. At the time of writing, the Capral share price is trading 20.52% higher at $7.40.

Let’s take a closer look at the Aussie aluminium products manufacturer’s news.  

Why is the Capral share price surging today?

In a pre-market update, Capral confirmed an approach from Allegro Funds Pty Ltd (Allegro) to acquire 100% of its shares. Allegro is proposing to pay $7.00 cash per share, which represents a significant premium to yesterday’s closing price of $6.14.

According to today’s release, the Allegro offer would be a 16.5% premium to the 1-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of $6.01 on 13 April 2021. It also represents a 17.6% premium to the adjusted 6-month VWAP of $5.95 on 13 April 2021.

That means shareholders will be keeping a close eye on the proposed takeover developments. The Capral share price has rocketed higher on the news, particularly given the board’s comments today.

The board believes the proposal “has the potential to provide shareholders with a liquidity event and the opportunity to realise a meaningful premium to the recent market value of their shares”.

It’s worth noting that the proposal remains non-binding and subject to several conditions. These include satisfactory completion of due diligence by Allegro, Allegro securing appropriate debt finance and both parties entering a binding scheme implementation.

However, the Capral share price has surged higher today in anticipation. The board has concluded that it is in the best interests of shareholders for Allegro to proceed with due diligence. That means the board will be engaging further with Allegro to progress this proposal.

Foolish takeaway

The Capral share price has leapt more than 20% higher at the open following the potential takeover news. The $7.00 per share cash offer represents a significant premium to yesterday’s closing price and would provide certainty to shareholders compared to a scrip consideration deal.

More reading

• Why the Dubber (ASX:DUB) share price is breaking out into record highs
• Why the Paradigm (ASX:PAR) share price is charging higher today
• Why the Empire Energy (ASX:EEG) share price is on watch today
• Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price tumbles on broker downgrade
• The Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine halt: here’s what investors need to know

Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall 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 Why the Capral (ASX:CAA) share price is leaping 20% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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