• Laybuy (ASX:LBY) share price climbs on March trading update

    A young woman smiling and looking happy, indicating a positive share price movement on the ASX market

    The Laybuy Holdings Ltd (ASX: LBY) share price is climbing in early-afternoon trade following the release of a trading update. At the time of writing, the buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider’s shares are trading at 93 cents, up 1%.

    Trading update

    Investors are pushing Laybuy shares higher after the company delivered a robust performance for the month of March.

    For the month ending 31 March 2021, Laybuy reported annualised (multiplied by 12) gross merchandise value (GMV) of NZ$704 million. In addition, 479 active merchants and 23,000 active customers signed on to Laybuy’s platform.

    Predominately, the United Kingdom market is the company’s largest revenue source, achieving NZ$296 million in annualised GMV for FY21. It’s worth noting that this market has significantly grown 504% over the prior corresponding year. The company said its UK merchants, along with strategic partnerships, are driving the rapid growth.

    The Australia New Zealand region closely follows with NZ$293 million in annualised GMV for the current financial year.

    In total, this reflects an increase of 159% on FY21 GMV to NZ$589 million, slightly above previous forecasts.

    Active merchants stood at 9,126 at the end of the period, representing a 75% increase from 31 March 2020. Furthermore, active customers came to 756,000, a surge of 87% over the same time frame.

    Laybuy stated that it has funding options and a capital efficient business model to facilitate future growth. The UK retail market has an addressable opportunity of NZ$757 billion, highlighting an attractive pathway.

    In addition, the company said that it was well-placed to respond to any regulatory changes in the BNPL sector.

    Laybuy share price review

    Over the past 12 months, the Laybuy share price has fallen more than 50%, with close to 30% down year-to-date. The company’s shares have been trending lower ever since its listing in early September 2020.

    Based on the current share price, Laybuy presides a market capitalisation of roughly $163.1 million, with 174.4 million shares outstanding.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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 Laybuy (ASX:LBY) share price climbs on March trading update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

  • Why Codan, Flight Centre, Magellan, & Woolworths are sinking

    Fall in ASX share price represented by white arrow pointing down

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has run out of steam and is dropping lower on Friday. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 0.35% to 6,974.5 points.

    Four ASX shares that are falling more than most are listed below. Here’s why they are sinking:

    Codan Limited (ASX: CDA)

    The Codan share price is down 2.5% to $17.08. This decline appears to have been driven by profit taking by investors after some very strong gains. In fact, the Codan share price reached a record high of $17.79 earlier this. A strong performance in the first half of FY 2021, new acquisitions, and its inclusion in the ASX 200 have helped drive its shares higher.

    Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)

    The Flight Centre share price has fallen 2.5% to $18.50. Investors have been selling travel shares on Friday amid concerns over the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines across Australia. This follows the Government’s announcement that under 50s would not be receiving the Astra Zeneca vaccine due to blood clotting worries.

    Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG)

    The Magellan share price is down over 2% to $47.87 following the release of its funds under management update for March. In March, Magellan experienced net inflows of $206 million. This comprises net retail outflows of $15 million and net institutional inflows of $221 million. The retail outflows may have caught the eye of investors.

    Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)

    The Woolworths share price has fallen 2% to $41.00. This decline may have been triggered by speculation that a price war is brewing in the supermarket industry. This follows a decision by Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) to heavily discount a number of items. The market appears to believe this is being done in an effort to win back market share from its rivals. Price wars are never good news for margins.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET and Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    The post Why Codan, Flight Centre, Magellan, & Woolworths are sinking appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

  • Renascor (ASX:RNU) share price flat despite strong gold results

    A woman lying face down on the couch, indicating a flat ASX share price

    The Renascor Resources Limited (ASX: RNU) share price remains flat today despite the company confirming and extending gold mineralisation at its Soyuz Prospect.

    The Renascor share price is sitting at 11 cents per share at the time of writing.

    Renascor is engaged in exploring graphite, copper, gold, uranium and other minerals in Australia. Its projects include the Siviour Graphite Project, which recently expanded capacity, and the Carnding project in South Australia, home to its Soyuz prospect.

    It also has interests in projects including Munglinup, Eastern Eyre, Farina, Gairdner, Olary, and others. Renascor has a market capitalisation of $183.24 million.

    Renascor gold mineralisation at Soyuz

    The company advised that 13 out of 14 holes drilled intersected gold mineralisation, with significant gold intervals recorded proximate to previous high-grade gold intercepts. These intercepts included 11 metres at 0.9 g/t and 4 metres at 2.0 g/t.

    Renascor says the results confirm the presence of a broad gold zone defined by a stacked system of gold mineralisation along the granite margin, with potential for further shallow high-grade gold shoots.

    The company says it will still need to delineate the size and continuity of gold mineralisation and potential for economic gold deposits. Its next steps are more infill soil sampling and further evaluation of its priority targets in Soyuz.

    Renascor has also yet to test for gold in soil geochemical anomalies along the granite boundary to the southwest. 

    Renascor share price snapshot

    The Renascor share price hit an all-time-high on 25 March of 18.5 cents before settling at 16 cents and has fallen over the past few weeks to its current price.

    The initial investor excitement was created by Renascor signing a non-binding MOU with Hanwa CoLtd (Hanwa) to supply purified spherical graphite. Hanwa is one of the largest traders of battery chemicals in the Asian region.

    Since that flux, the Renascor share price quickly returned to 15 March levels, where it remains now. However, it’s still up 1,471% this year, beating the basic materials sector by 1,522%.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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 Renascor (ASX:RNU) share price flat despite strong gold results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3dS3AIF

  • Fund managers have been buying Webjet (ASX:WEB) and this ASX share

    A share market investment manager monitors share price movements on his mobile phone and laptop

    I like to keep an eye on substantial shareholder notices. This is because these notices give you an idea of which shares large investors, asset managers, and investment funds are buying or selling.

    Two notices that have caught my eye are summarised below. Here’s what these fund managers have been buying:

    Catapult Group International Ltd (ASX: CAT)

    A notice of change of interests of substantial holder reveals that ICE Investors has been buying more of this sports analytics and wearables company’s shares. According to the notice, the Melbourne based fund manager has increased its holding by approximately 3.9 million shares following a series of purchases between 28 January and 1 April.

    Its most recent purchase came on the latter date when it picked up 1.9 million shares for a total of ~$3.68 million. This equates to an average of ~~$1.94 per share, which compares to the current Catapult share price of $2.12. These purchases have increased ICE Investors’ stake from 5.03% to 6.77%.

    ICE Investors aims to invest in ASX listed franchise companies with a sustainable competitive edge. Judging by its investment, Catapult appears to tick a lot of boxes for it.

    Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB)

    Another notice of change of interests of substantial holder reveals that Ausbil has been increasing its stake in this online travel agent. According to the notice, the leading boutique fund manager has added almost 7 million shares to its position since 23 February.

    This means the fund manager now has a total of ~29.2 million shares, which equates to an 8.6% interest in the company. This is up from 6.6% previously.

    Ausbill was buying shares as recently as 1 April when the Webjet share price was fetching $5.28. So, with its shares trading only a fraction higher than this level today, it may not be too late to follow this fund manager’s lead.

    One broker that would support this is Ord Minnett. Its analysts currently have a buy rating and $5.85 price target on Webjet’s shares.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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 Catapult Group International Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Catapult Group International Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    The post Fund managers have been buying Webjet (ASX:WEB) and this ASX share appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3mxN7wT

  • Why the Greenland Minerals (ASX:GGG) share price is rocketing 17% today

    rising asx share price represented by boy dressed in business suit with rocket wings

    The Greenland Minerals Ltd (ASX: GGG) share price is rocketing today, up 17% in afternoon trading after earlier posting gains of more than 30%.

    This comes after the ASX rare earths share crashed 45% yesterday before entering a trading halt pending today’s announcement.

    We look at that announcement, and what’s been driving Greenland Mineral’s wild share price swings, below.

    What did Greenland Minerals announce today?

    Greenland Minerals’ shares are soaring after the company released an announcement to calm investor fears about the recent election in Greenland.

    For a spot of background, the ASX listed resource share has been operating in Greenland since 2007. The company’s predominant focus is developing its Kvanefjeld rare earth project in that nation.

    Atop of rare earth elements – including neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium – the company also had plans to recover uranium during its rare earths production at the project. And that plan may have largely been responsible for yesterday’s 45% share price retreat.

    That’s because Greenland’s newly elected government, the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, won 37% of votes. And the environmentally friendly party has pledged to stop the Kvanefjeld project amid concerns from locals about radioactive waste polluting the nearby farmland.

    In response, this morning Greenland Minerals stated:

    Greenland Minerals Ltd has operated its 100%‐owned Kvanefjeld rare earth project effectively under all successive Greenland governments since commencing operations in 2007. The company looks forward to engaging with the new government once it has been established.

    The company said it has operated in strict accordance with Greenland’s Minerals Act and that the project was “shaped by extensive Greenland stakeholder engagement at a community and government level”.

    Greenland Minerals noted that the Inuit Ataqatigiit party had “expressed an anti‐uranium position” during the campaign and maintains that position after its election win.

    It highlighted that uranium “is not of great economic significance to the Kvanefjeld Project, however revenues along with those from other by‐products would serve to reduce rare earth production costs”.

    Greenland Minerals share price snapshot

    Still struggling to regain yesterday’s massive selloff, Greenland Minerals shares remain down 4.5% over the past 12 months. But comparison the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 33% since this time last year.

    So far in 2021 the Greenland Minerals’ share price is down 63%.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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 Why the Greenland Minerals (ASX:GGG) share price is rocketing 17% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

  • How would Warren Buffett invest in the share market today?

    Warren Buffett chair and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) is well-known for being one of, if not the, best investors in the world. As such, his investing habits are closely scrutinised. Even so, there’s only one real way of knowing Buffett’s moves. And that’s through the US 13F filings. These are quarterly notices that tell investors exactly what Berkshire has been doing with its money. The only problem is that they come out over 3 months, and we only get to know what Buffett has done after he’s done it. 

    For instance, Buffett’s last 13F filing came out in February. But that covered the 3 months to 31 December 2020. We probably won’t get to see what Buffett has been doing in the 3 months to 31 March until next month. In the 3 months to December last year, Buffett did more selling than buying. So what would he think of the market today?

    Well, one of Buffett’s most famous and memorable quotes is “be greedy when others are fearful, and be fearful when others are greedy”.

    Right now, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is at a 14-month high, despite today’s pullback. Yesterday, we saw the ASX 200 reach the 7,000 point level for the first time since the coronavirus hit. 

    Over in Buffett’s native United States, the flagship S&P 500 Index (INDEXSP: .INX) is sitting at all-time highs (not post-COVID highs), having recently crossed 4,000 points for the first time in history.

    A Buffett of greed?

     What’s more, there is real evidence that ‘fear’ is at the lowest levels we have seen for months. Over in the States, market volatility (a proxy for fear) is measured on an index known as the Vix. The Vix is currently at its lowest level since mid-February 2020 after some recent small spikes probably caused by the Suez Canal blockage and rising bond yields. That tells us that investors are certainly not fearful right now. So are they greedy? Should we be fearful instead, like Buffett preaches?

    Well, that’s a harder question to answer. It’s possible the markets are treading a path between these two emotions right now. But shares are being pushed to record highs. One could easily make the case that this indicates a greedy market. Judging by the February 13F filing, Buffett is trimming positions here and there, but otherwise doing a whole lot of not much. There are certainly worse investors to take a cue from.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    Sebastian Bowen 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 Berkshire Hathaway (B shares) and recommends the following options: short June 2021 $240 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2023 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and long January 2023 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool Australia has recommended 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 How would Warren Buffett invest in the share market today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3fVRxg0

  • Fears of new supermarket war could hit Coles (ASX:COL) and Woolworths (ASX:WOW)

    Coles Woolworths supermarket warA man and a woman line up to race through a supermaket, indicating rivalry between the mangorsupermarket shares

    The threat of a new round of a price war between the major supermarkets could haunt the Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) share price and Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price.

    Coles dropped prices on 250 products and it’s not done yet, reported the Australian Financial Review.

    Is Coles about to start a supermarket price war?

    The move is an attempt by Coles to claw back lost market share, particularly from archrival Woolies. Coles is also believed to have lost share to Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS) during the COVID-19 lockdown.

    This triggers painful memories of the last bruising supermarket wars when the leading chains slashed prices as discount grocer Aldi entered the market.

    Price cuts put pressure on supermarket margins

    Coles reportedly lowered its prices on hundreds of private label and branded products by between 5% and 35%. These items include breakfast cereals, pasta, tinned tuna, convenience foods, healthcare, pet food – just to name a few.

    The supermarket will be dropping prices on more products next week and the week after, according to the AFR.

    Why Coles is falling behind

    Coles has been losing ground to its rivals due in part to its larger store exposure to Victoria. This is the state with the worst track record in controlling the pandemic.

    The supermarket is also squeezed on two other fronts. It failed to benefit as much from the shift to local shopping during the lockdown as Metcash did, while its online shopping system is inferior to Woolworths.

    Some believe that the only lever Coles has to stem the slide is to cut prices, which will almost definitely illicit a response from rivals.

    Coles-Woolworths supermarket war isn’t a done deal

    But not all experts are convinced that another supermarket price war is looming. The AFR reported that JPMorgan’s analyst Shaun Cousins is one such optimist. He believes that Woolworths will simply price match Coles instead of going harder.

    Woolworths will not want this to turn into a race to the bottom as it doesn’t need to. It has the upper hand and its best placed to capitalise on the structural shift to online grocery shopping.

    Fortunately for Woolworths and Coles, Aldi is not moving into the online space – at least not yet.

    What’s also notable is that Cole’s price cutting program comes at a time when the risk of inflation is growing.

    Disruptions to supply chains from COVID and rising soft commodity prices are putting upward pressure on prices.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET and 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 Fears of new supermarket war could hit Coles (ASX:COL) and Woolworths (ASX:WOW) appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

  • With the Bitcoin price up overnight your crypto Tesla just got cheaper

    orange yellow bitcoin logo with a man at the end

    The Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price is up 3.5% over the past 24 hours. One Bitcoin is currently worth US$58,279 (AU$75,687).

    Bitcoin is now less than 6% off its record highs reached on 14 February this year, according to data from CoinDesk.

    Should you take Elon Musk up on his Bitcoin offer?

    In March, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) founder Elon Musk made global news (again) when he announced the company would accept Bitcoin in payment for its electric vehicles. Commencing in the United States, that offer is expected to go global later in 2021.

    At the current Bitcoin price, you’ll need just under 2 Bitcoin to purchase a base Tesla Model S Down Under.

    But should you?

    For that answer, we turn to Mena Theodorou, co-founder of the digital currency trading platform Coinstash.

    He told the Motley Fool, “More investors are starting to realise that there is real potential for crypto assets adoption as both a store of value as well as functional currencies among retail customers.”

    Theodorou continued:

    As we move into a true digital revolution, it [buying a Tesla with Bitcoin] actually makes sense. I would recommend starting to get used to the idea of digital currencies as the future of money. It’s only a matter of time until people start to realise how easy and convenient it is to assign utility to crypto assets in their day-to-day lives.

    An intelligent investor could even get a loan for a Tesla in a cryptocurrency and pay the instalments with the interest they earn on crypto assets sitting in their crypto wallet as the interest rate on these products are generally relatively high since they’re not regulated by a central bank.

    Earning interest on crypto currencies

    If you’re not familiar with the concept of earning interest on your stored Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, you’re not alone.

    But digital tokens don’t need to sit idly in your digital wallet.

    According to Theodorou:

    At Coinstash, we are working on tools that will allow bitcoin holders to put their “stored” crypto assets back to work by earning interest or serving as collateral for loans. This is why assets like stablecoins and altcoins have a lot of potential to function as alternative currencies to Bitcoin.

    Where to next for the Bitcoin price?

    With Bitcoin up more than 100% in 2021 and Ether – the world’s second largest crypto by market cap – up 182%, we asked Theodorou what’s been driving the big resurgence in the dominant cryptos. He said:

    Most economists and anyone with a basic understanding of supply and demand would agree that printing money to cover national debt is a short-term solution that can lead to catastrophic market devaluation. The fact that most crypto assets are not tethered to fiat currencies (like the US dollar or Australian dollar) is perhaps one of the key reasons that crypto assets have taken off so well amongst the masses, especially over the past few months.

    So where to next for the Bitcoin price?

    According to Theodorou, “This is the million-dollar question. In the long term, I believe bitcoin has the potential to hit US$100,000.”

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    Bernd Struben 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 Bitcoin and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    The post With the Bitcoin price up overnight your crypto Tesla just got cheaper appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/39T0UcA

  • Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now

    ASX shares Hand writing Time to Buy concept clock with blue marker on transparent wipe board.

    Many of Australia’s top brokers have been busy once again adjusting their estimates and recommendations. This has led to the release of a number of broker notes.

    Three broker buy ratings that have caught my eye are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

    Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

    According to a note out of Morgan Stanley, its analysts have retained their overweight rating and $38.00 price target. The broker has been looking into the company’s digital business and estimates that it grew very strongly during the first half. This was thanks largely to its RAID and EverMerge games, which are generating significant recurring revenues for Aristocrat. In addition to this, following a briefing last week, the broker is confident the company will emerge from the pandemic in a stronger competitive position. The Aristocrat Leisure share price is fetching $36.58 on Friday.

    Hipages Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: HPG)

    Analysts at Goldman Sachs have retained their buy rating and $3.10 price target on this online tradie marketplace provider’s shares. According to the note, the broker believes Hipages is well-placed to benefit from strong consumer demand for tradies. This is being supported by the housing market boom and the working from home initiative. Outside this, it estimates that the company catches only 5% of tradie industry advertising spend at present. But sees scope for this to grow beyond 40% in the future. The Hipages share price is trading at $2.32 today.

    Western Areas Ltd (ASX: WSA)

    A note out of Ord Minnett reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating and $3.10 price target on this nickel producer’s shares. According to the note, the broker was pleased with Western Areas’ quarterly update, which delivered production ahead of its estimates. This was driven by an improved performance at the Forrestania project. Overall, it appears to see a lot of value in its shares at the current level and retains its buy recommendation. The Western Areas share price is fetching $2.23 today.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Hipages Group Holdings Ltd. 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 Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/2Qd1R8j

  • Here’s why the Perenti (ASX:PRN) share price is edging higher

    asx shares in infrastructure primred for take off represented by builder preparing to run

    The Perenti Global Ltd (ASX: PRN) share price is edging slightly higher in late-morning trade today. This comes after the company provided an update on its sale of the Yanfolila and Boungou assets.

    At the time of writing, the mining services company’s shares are swapping hands for $1.135, up 2.2%.

    Let’s take a look at what’s driving the Perenti share price up today.

    What did Perenti announce?

    In today’s release, Perenti advised it has received around $80 million from asset sale of the Yanfolila Mine in Mali, and the Boungou contract in Burkina Faso. The agreed early exit from these two projects was a result of the underperforming contracts announced in its half-year results.

    The sale comprises of roughly $55 million from the loss-making Yanfolila asset, and $25 million from the Boungou Mine asset. This includes the sale of in-country plant, property, and some of the equipment.

    The remaining in-country equipment, settlement of outstanding debtors and working capital balances is expected to be finalised in the coming months.

    Commenting on the sale, Perenti managing director and CEO Mark Norwell said:

    With the receipt of these funds, as outlined when we presented our 2021 half-year results, we will redeploy this capital across our business into our most value accretive opportunities as we seek to generate and maximise value for our shareholders.

    Perenti share price summary

    Established in 1987, Perenti is one of the world’s largest companies that provides surface and underground mining and support services. The group is headquartered in Australia, and has operations and offices across 11 countries.

    Over the past 12 months, the Perenti share price has shot up close to 50%, but has fallen 16% year-to-date. The company’s shares reached a 52-week high of $1.60 in June 2020 on the back of a positive business update.

    Perenti has a market capitalisation of roughly $802 million, with about 704.3 million shares on issue.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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 Here’s why the Perenti (ASX:PRN) share price is edging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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