The Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) share price was a very strong performer on Wednesday.

The pizza chain operator’s shares finished the day 7.5% higher at $105.00.

This means the Domino’s share price is now up 83% over the last 12 months.

Why did the Domino’s share price surge higher?

Investors were fighting to get hold of Domino’s shares yesterday following the release of a strong half year result.

For the six months ended 31 December, Domino’s delivered a 16.5% increase in total global food sales to $1.84 billion. This strong top line growth was driven by same store sales growth of 8.5% and the opening of 131 organic new stores.

Thanks to operating leverage, Domino’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) grew 32.3% to $153 million and its underlying net profit after tax increased 32.8% to $96.2 million.

While this was ahead of the market’s expectations, arguably what got investors most excited was management’s outlook commentary.

Domino’s CEO and Managing Director, Don Meij, advised that the company intends “to significantly outperform this strong result in the Second Half.”

Is it too late to buy Domino’s shares?

Although the Domino’s share price has rallied strongly over the last 12 months, analysts at Goldman Sachs believe it can still go higher.

According to a note out of the investment bank, this morning the broker retained its conviction buy rating and lifted its price target to $112.60. This compares to its previous price target of $88.00.

Goldman Sachs commented: “Although short term performance has been positively impacted by the pandemic, DMP is in an increasingly strong position as it builds on recent momentum and takes advantage of opportunities in the market. We forecast both Japan and Europe to deliver significant store and earnings growth over the next three years, amounting to 24% and 23% EBITDA CAGR to FY23.”

More reading

• ASX 200 down 0.5%: Domino’s delivers, Westpac impresses, Coles sinks
• Why Domino’s, EML Payments, Redbubble, & Westpac shares are storming higher
• Domino’s (ASX:DMP) share price higher after delivering strong first half growth
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• Why CIMIC, Crown, Domino’s, & Praemium shares are tumbling lower today

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

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In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) on Thursday morning blocked Australian users from sharing or viewing news articles.

The social media giant, along with Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL), has been locked in a public argument with the Australian government about a proposed new media code.

The code is the first attempt in the world to try to force the platforms to share the revenue they earn from content produced by media companies.

As other nations are watching closely at the precedent the Australian deal might set, both tech companies had threatened to cut off their services during negotiations.

But Facebook’s move on Thursday is the first shut down actually implemented.

Facebook ANZ managing director William Easton said the proposed law “fundamentally misunderstands the relationship” between it and news publishers.

“It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia,” he wrote on a company blog.

“With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter.”

Facebook says it’s different to Google 

Easton objected to Facebook and Google being treated in the same way through the proposed laws.

“Our platforms have fundamentally different relationships with news. Google Search is inextricably intertwined with news and publishers do not voluntarily provide their content,” he said.

“On the other hand, publishers willingly choose to post news on Facebook, as it allows them to sell more subscriptions, grow their audiences and increase advertising revenue.”

Facebook had been in discussions with the Australian government for 3 years to reach a settlement reflective of this difference, according to Easton.

“Unfortunately this legislation does not do that. Instead it seeks to penalise Facebook for content it didn’t take or ask for.”

Easton added the “value exchange” between the social media platform and news publishers is well in favour of the latter.

“Last year Facebook generated approximately 5.1 billion free referrals to Australian publishers worth an estimated AU$407 million.” 

Facebook: we’re taking our money elsewhere

The social media platform had been preparing to launch Facebook News in Australia, but those plans have now been shelved.

“We were only prepared to do this with the right rules in place,” said Easton.

“We will now prioritise investments to other countries, as part of our plans to invest in new licensing news programs and experiences.”

The news ban now means Australian users will not be able to view or share any local or international news content.

Australian news publishers will not be able to post or share content, and overseas media companies will not have their articles viewed by Australians. Overseas users will not be able to view or share content produced by Australian news organisations.

“For Facebook, the business gain from news is minimal,” Easton said.

“News makes up less than 4% of the content people see in their News Feed.”

Facebook shares were down 0.15% overnight, while Alphabet shot up 0.38%.

More reading

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• 4 most trusted ASX companies (and the 4 least trusted)
• Facebook declares war on Apple
• Powered by Android: Ford Motor Company’s future cars will have Google on board

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Tony Yoo owns shares of Alphabet (A shares). The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares) and Facebook. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet (A shares) and Facebook. 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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All eyes will be on the CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price on Thursday.

This morning the biotech giant released its highly anticipated half year results.

How did CSL perform in the first half?

CSL was a very strong performer during the first half of FY 2021 and delivered a significant jump in profit.

For the six months ended 31 December, the company reported revenue of US$5,739 million, up 16.9% on the prior corresponding period. This was driven by a 9% increase in CSL Behring revenue and a 38% jump in Seqirus revenue. The latter was the result of a 44% increase in seasonal influenza vaccine sales.

On the bottom line, margin expansion led to the company delivering a 45% jump in reported net profit after tax to US$1,810 million.

Management advised that this reflects solid growth in its core immunoglobulin portfolio, the successful transition to its own distribution model in China, strong growth HAEGARDA sales, and an exceptionally strong performance by its Seqirus business.

In light of this, the CSL board has elected to increase its interim dividend by 9% to US$1.04 per share. Though, due to the strengthening of Australian dollar over the last 12 months, this is actually down 9% to A$1.34 in local currency.

CSL’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Paul Perreault, was pleased with the strong half year result.

He said: “I am pleased to report a strong result in an unprecedented time of uncertainty during the most severe pandemic of our lifetime. Guided by our values, our 27,000 dedicated employees remained focused on delivering on our promise to patients and public health. Our people and business model both demonstrated tremendous agility and resiliency in this most challenging of environments.”

What were the drivers of CSL’s growth?

The CSL Behring business delivered a 9% increase in total revenue to US$4,315 million and a 24% lift in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to US$1,665 million.

This was driven largely by a 7% increase in immunoglobulins sales and a massive 93% jump in albumin sales. The latter was thanks to its new distribution model in China. This was supported by a 1% increase in haemophilia sales and a 3% lift in speciality sales.

The Seqirus business was arguably the star of the show with a 40% increase in revenue to US$1,340 million and a 112% jump in EBIT to US$693 million.

This was driven by significant growth in seasonal influenza vaccines. Management notes that a record of over 100 million doses of NH 20/21 were given during the half.

Plasma collection headwinds

One thing that has been weighing heavily on the CSL share price this year has been concerns over plasma collection headwinds.

Mr. Perreault addressed this, saying: “Our plasma collections have been adversely affected during the pandemic. To combat this, we have implemented a number of initiatives to increase plasma collections and introduced a customer fulfilment process to ensure the equitable distribution of medicines to patients.”

“We remain the industry leader in opening new plasma collection centres and investing in future innovation – positioning CSL to emerge strongly when the COVID-19 crisis recedes,” he added.

However, the company has acknowledged that additional collection costs have been incurred, though it hasn’t quantified this.

Outlook

Mr Perreault is positive on the future, stating that: “Demand for CSL’s core plasma, and influenza vaccine products remains robust.”

Though, he has warned that the additional work it has been doing on COVID-19 vaccines in Australia has resulted in significant opportunity costs to its standard business and manufacturing operations.

As a result, there will be an increase in operations and research and development spend in the second half as its restarts projects and builds them back to scale.

In addition, given how its vaccines are seasonal, the Seqirus business is expected to make its customary loss in the second half.

In light of this, the company is forecasting a full year net profit after tax of US$2,170 million to US$2,265 million at constant currency. This is in line with previous guidance and represents year on year growth of 3% to 8%.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• 3 fantastic ASX shares to buy for strong returns
• AstraZeneca vaccine approved for use in Australia, CSL (ASX:CSL) share price up
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX cools on earnings reality check
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 next week

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 CSL 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.

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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.

The Nasdaq Composite (INDEX: .IXIC) has led the broader stock market higher for nearly a full year since the coronavirus bear market. On Wednesday, the Nasdaq led the broader market lower, falling almost 1% as of 1:30 p.m. EST even as other stock benchmarks were mixed.

Investors have seen extraordinarily good returns from individual Nasdaq stocks. Two of the biggest standouts have been electric vehicle giant Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) and connected fitness equipment manufacturer Peloton Interactive Inc (NASDAQ: PTON), but today, the two high-flying growth stocks were headed lower. Below, we’ll take a closer look at what was sending Tesla and Peloton into the red on Wednesday.

Driving lower

Shares of Tesla were down about 2% on Wednesday afternoon, but that reflected a partial recovery from its worst levels of the day. Earlier in the morning, Tesla has been off more than 4% and falling to prices it hadn’t seen since the beginning of January.

The move came despite several recent pieces of positive news. Tesla is expected to open a manufacturing facility in India, according to a Tuesday Reuters report, which will open up a huge potential market for the electric-car maker. In addition, ARK Invest CEO and Chief Investment Officer Cathie Wood is continuing to add to positions in her lineup of actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs), speculating that Tesla could add a ride-hailing service to its list of aspirations.

Meanwhile, another Elon Musk-led company grabbed headlines on Wednesday. Privately held SpaceX reportedly completed a funding round at just under $420 per share, raising $850 million and establishing a value of $72 billion on the space exploration company. Although some have argued that Tesla could eventually join forces with other Musk-led businesses, others fear that the Tesla CEO could lose focus if he divides his time too much among his various interests.

Even a more extensive decline would still leave Tesla shareholders with plenty of gains over the past year. Nevertheless, with such staunch supporters for the stock, bargain hunters shouldn’t count on being able to pick up Tesla stock on the cheap.

Losing the race

Elsewhere, shares of Peloton Interactive were down more than 7%. The move came amid a broader move lower for stay-at-home stocks, driven in part by falling COVID-19 case counts and the possibility of a return to more normal conditions in the coming year.

Yet Wall Street analysts still have hopes that Peloton will remain a successful stock. Analysts at Argus kept their buy recommendation on Peloton, boosting their share price by $40 per share to a new level of $180. As Argus sees it, the stationary bike maker is still seeing unprecedented demand, and even as the vaccine rollout progresses, gyms could still be among the last places that open up fully and return to pre-pandemic conditions.

Today, though, investors seem to be thinking twice about sky-high valuations. Even Argus expects that Peloton will make just 90 cents per share in fiscal 2022. That puts the stock at 150 times forward earnings even after today’s drop.

Peloton has had the ride of a lifetime, but some investors want to see what happens down the road. If the fitness equipment company can fulfil orders more effectively and keep capturing rising demand, then its stock could bounce back from Wednesday’s setback.

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

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• These 3 ASX shares invested in Bitcoin before Tesla (NASDAQ:TSL)

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer. Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Nasdaq. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Peloton Interactive 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 Why Tesla and Peloton Interactive led the Nasdaq lower Wednesday 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 Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) share price will be one to watch on Thursday.

This follows the release of the banking giant’s first quarter update this morning.

How did ANZ perform in the first quarter?

For the three months ended 31 December, the banking giant reported an unaudited statutory profit after tax of $1,624 million. This was a 59% increase on the average profit it achieved during the final two quarters of FY 2020.

It was a similarly positive story for its unaudited cash earnings from continuing operations, which came in at $1,810 million. This is a 54% jump on the average of the last two quarters of FY 2020.

Another positive is that the bank has followed the lead of Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) by reversing some of its COVID-19 related provisions. This could go down well with the market and support the ANZ share price today.

According to the release, the total provision result in the December quarter was a net release of $150 million. This comprises an individually assessed provision charge of $23 million and a collective provision release of $173 million.

Management advised that the collective provision release is the equivalent of ~10% of the $1,700 million set aside during FY 2020. It feels this release is prudent when balancing the improvement in the economic outlook at the end of the December quarter with the level of ongoing uncertainty.

At the end of the period, the company had a pro forma CET1 ratio of ~11.8%. This is comfortably ahead of APRA’s unquestionably strong benchmark.

Management commentary

ANZ’s Chief Executive, Shayne Elliott, commented: “This is a strong performance in volatile trading conditions that again highlights the benefits of disciplined execution of our strategy as well as maintaining a simpler and well balanced portfolio of businesses.”

“We’re pleased to have achieved these results for shareholders while also helping customers in difficulty and providing the vital lending needed to support the economic recovery. All our major businesses performed well through the quarter with market share gains in our key home loan market in Australia as well as record home loan volumes in New Zealand.”

Mr Elliott revealed that its Institutional business also performed well during the quarter.

He explained: “Our diversified portfolio in Institutional delivered again for shareholders with a strong contribution from our international network. Markets had another solid quarter although revenue was down relative to the historic highs we experienced at the end of last year.”

Another positive is that ANZ’s margins have been improving.

The Chief Executive said: “Margins were up across the group due to higher volume growth in targeted segments and a disciplined and active approach to risk and pricing. The combination drove Group revenue up 4% for the quarter when excluding the impact of our Markets business.”

Outlook

Mr Elliott appears optimistic on the future, which could bode well for the ANZ share price today.

He commented: “ANZ is well positioned heading into the remainder of 2021 with good momentum in our core activities. The work done to simplify and de-risk the business over the past five years set us up well and we have the capital, liquidity and operational capacity to continue to support our customers and the broader economy through what remains a volatile period.”

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price on watch as it delivers $2bn quarterly profit result
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX cools on earnings reality check
• 2 high quality ASX dividend shares with generous yields
• How big will the ASX bank dividends be in 2021 and beyond?

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

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The Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) share price has been a strong performer in 2021.

Since the start of the year, the health imaging company’s shares have rallied an impressive 27% higher.

This means the Pro Medicus share price has now doubled in value over the last 12 months.

Is it too late to buy Pro Medicus shares?

The good news for investors is that it may not be too late to buy Pro Medicus shares.

According to a note out of Goldman Sachs this morning, the broker has upgraded its shares to a buy rating with a $53.80 price target.

This price target implies potential upside of approximately 20% over the next 12 months.

Why is Goldman Sachs bullish on Pro Medicus?

Goldman has been impressed with the way the company continues to win large contracts in a difficult operating environment.

It explained: “Whilst many healthcare IT projects continue to face uncertainties associated with Covid-19, the demand for PME’s Visage 7 PACS technology has been robust, speaking to the strength of the solution, as well as the growing importance of an IT system that can improve efficiencies whilst healthcare imaging data continues to grow exponentially.”

“Through a highly challenging period, the cadence of PME’s contract wins has actually increased, whilst the quality/breadth of the customer base has also strengthened. In the last 8 months alone, PME has signed 6 new contracts at an average minimum size of $24m, including a further 3 of the Top 10 hospitals in the country (against a trailing 3-year average of 5 and $15m respectively),” it added.

The broker believes this provides strong validation of its technology advantage over the competition.

What is Goldman forecasting?

Although Pro Medicus shares clearly trade at a premium to the market average, Goldman believes its growth profile justifies this.

It explained: “Whilst not cheap in absolute terms, our new estimates imply a +42% EBITDA CAGR (FY20-23E). In the context of ASX Healthcare, which trades at a ‘multiple to growth’ ratio of 2.9x, we do not see PME’s ratio of 1.4x as demanding, particularly given its position as a technology leader in a market we believe is set for further technology upgrades, and a recurrent revenue model with inherent upside. We upgrade to Buy.”

All eyes will be on the Pro Medicus share price at the open.

More reading

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• Why Coles, Netwealth, Pro Medicus, & Zip shares are sinking
• Why the Evolution (ASX:EVN) share price crashed despite record results
• Why the Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) share price is getting thumped today
• What’s with the Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) share price today?

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 Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Are you looking to add a growth share or two to your portfolio? Then take a look at the two ASX shares listed below.

Here’s why they could be growth shares to buy right now:

ELMO Software Ltd (ASX: ELO)

The first ASX growth share to look at is ELMO. It is a cloud-based human resources and payroll software company that provides businesses with a unified platform to streamline a wide range of processes.

ELMO has been a strong performer during the pandemic and looks well-placed to continue this trend over the next decade. This is thanks to strong demand for its platform and recent acquisitions. The latter has bolstered its offering and expanded its addressable market.

Earlier this week Morgan Stanley put an overweight rating and $9.70 price target on its shares. This was in response to the release of its half year results on Tuesday. Those results revealed a 42.8% increase in Annualised Recurring Revenue (ARR) to a record $74.2 million.

Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA)

Another ASX growth share to look at is Nearmap. It is a leading aerial imagery technology and location data company. Its platform provides businesses in the ANZ and North American markets with instant access to high resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D datasets, and integrated geospatial tools.

Nearmap appears well-placed for growth thanks to its recent capital raising, new growth initiatives, geographic expansion, and the launch of its latest AI product. So much so, management is targeting annualised contract value (ACV) growth of 20% to 40% per annum over the long term, with underlying churn of less than 10%.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs are positive on the company and were pleased with its half year results this week. In response to them, the broker put a buy rating and $2.95 price target on Nearmap’s shares. 

More reading

• Here’s why the Nearmap (ASX:NEA) share price jumped 7% higher today
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Where next for the Nearmap (ASX:NEA) share price?
• Here’s why the ELMO (ASX:ELO) share price is surging 6% higher today
• ASX 200 rises, JB Hi-Fi profit soars, Altium drops

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

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High-performing fund manager Wilson Asset Management (WAM) has revealed two ASX shares that it rates as buys within the WAM Research Limited (ASX: WAX) portfolio.

WAM operates several listed investment companies (LICs). Two of those LICs are WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM) and WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE).

One of the LICs is called WAM Research, which looks at smaller businesses on the ASX.

WAM describes WAM Research as a LIC that invests in the most compelling undervalued growth opportunities in the Australian market.

The WAM Research portfolio has delivered gross returns (that’s before fees, expenses and taxes) of 15.7% per annum since the strategy changed in July 2010, which is superior to the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Accumulation Index return of 8.9% per annum.

These are the two ASX shares that WAM outlined in its most recent monthly update:

Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING)

The focus of WAM Research this month was two food businesses. The first one, Inghams, is the largest chicken business in Australia and also in New Zealand. It supplies major retailers, food service distributors and wholesalers with chicken, turkey, stock feed and dairy feed.

WAM explained that the volume of demand for chicken and poultry products has remained high across Australia. The fund manager said that the price of chicken is more affordable compared to other protein sources like seafood and red meat.

One of the biggest costs for Inghams is the chicken feed, so the recent record crop in Australia is leading to higher grain volumes and could lower costs for the ASX share over the medium-term.

In November 2020, the company gave a trading update that said trading volumes in the first quarter of FY21 were up 6.3% year on year and up 7.5% quarter on quarter. There was growth in both Australia and New Zealand.

Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA)

Bega Cheese is the other business covered by WAM Research in the update.

WAM said that Bega is Australia’s leading dairy and food company, producing 236,000 tonnes of dairy products each year.

The fund manager is attracted to Bega’s shift of its production and volume to higher up the dairy value chain, which reduces the risks associated with commodity markets.

The acquisition of Lion Dairy & Drinks will double Bega’s annual revenue to $3 billion, strengthening the ASX share’s market position in the dairy market. It will also lead to a big increase of the Bega distribution network.

Lion Dairy & Drinks manufactures and sells many household brands in Australia including Dare, Farmers Union, Big M, Dairy Farmers, Yoplait and Pura. In the twelve months prior to September 2020, Lion Dairy & Drinks generated normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $56 million, excluding synergies.

Bega is expecting to be able to find at least $41 million of synergies per annum, primarily from milk network optimisation, indirect procurement and a corporate reorganisation. It’s expecting double digit earnings per share (EPS) accretion in FY22.

More reading

• The latest ASX shares upgraded by brokers to “buy” during the reporting season
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• Wilson Asset Management (WAM) thinks these 2 ASX shares are a buy
• Here are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX
• Here are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX

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

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With the Reserve Bank recently reiterating that it doesn’t believe conditions will allow for a rate increase until 2024 at the earliest, it appears likely that low interest rates are here to stay for some time to come.

But don’t worry, because there are plenty of ASX dividend shares that can help you overcome low rates. Two that are highly rated are listed below:

Aventus Group (ASX: AVN)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is Aventus. It is the largest fully-integrated owner, manager, and developer of large format retail centres in Australia. It has a portfolio of 20 centres and a diverse tenant base of 593 quality tenancies. From these, national retailers such as ALDI, Bunnings, and Officeworks represent ~87% of the total portfolio.

One broker that is a fan of the company is Goldman Sachs. It currently has a buy rating and $2.79 price target on its shares. It notes that almost two-thirds of its tenants are exposed to the household goods sector, which has been performing strongly during the pandemic. Goldman also believes its bulky goods homewares tenant base is a natural resistance to online sales penetration.

The broker estimates that it will pay a ~16.5 cents per share distribution this year. Based on the current Aventus share price, this represents a 6% yield.

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Another ASX dividend share to consider is Telstra. This telco giant has been tipped as a buy thanks to its improving outlook. This is being driven by its T22 strategy, the arrival of 5G internet, and its plan to split into three separate businesses.

The latter is expected to allow Telstra to take advantage of potential monetisation opportunities and unlock value for shareholders.

Goldman Sachs is also a fan of Telstra and recently reiterated its buy rating and lifted its price target to $4.00. The broker remains positive on its outlook and continues to forecast a 16 cents per share fully franked dividend for the foreseeable future. Based on the current Telstra share price, this will mean a 4.8% dividend yield.

More reading

• Telstra (ASX:TLS) full year dividend for 2021 expected to be 16 cents per share, fully franked
• Morgan Stanley: ASX earnings season is topping expectations
• 3 reasons the Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price is storming higher
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX cools on earnings reality check
• 2 high quality ASX dividend shares with generous yields

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended AVENTUS RE UNIT. 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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On Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was out of form and ended its winning streak. The benchmark index fell 0.45% to 6,885.2 points.

Will the market be able bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX futures pointing lower

It looks set to be another tough day for the Australian share market on Thursday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 23 points or 0.35% lower this morning. This follows another mixed night on Wall Street, which in late trade sees the Dow Jones up 0.2%, the S&P 500 down 0.2%, and the Nasdaq down 0.8%.

ANZ update

Hot on the heels of the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) update on Wednesday, today it is the turn of Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) to hand in its report card. Westpac impressed the market with its strong first quarter performance and the reversal of COVID-19 related bad debt charges. ANZ shareholders will be hoping for the same this morning.

Oil prices push higher

It could be a good day for energy producers such as Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) after oil prices pushed higher. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 1.4% to US$60.82 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 1.3% to US$64.13 a barrel. Oil prices are being supported by supply disruptions in Texas falling a winter snap.

Gold price sinks again

Gold miners Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) and Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) could come under pressure again today after the gold price dropped again. According to CNBC, the spot gold price fell 1.4% to US$1,773.40 an ounce. A stronger US dollar and rising US treasury yields are weighing on the safe haven asset.

CSL half year results

The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price will be on watch this morning when it releases its half year results. According to CommSec, the biotech giant is expected to report a net profit after tax of US$1.4 billion and declare an interim dividend of 97 U.S. cents. All eyes will be on its outlook and particularly its comments regarding challenging plasma collections. As these are a vital ingredient in many key therapies, there are concerns that input costs could rise and weigh on margins.

More reading

• ASX 200 dips, EML soars after reporting, Appen sinks
• 3 fantastic ASX shares to buy for strong returns
• 2 high-yielding ASX 200 shares
• Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price jumps after Q1 54% profit growth
• ASX 200 down 0.5%: Domino’s delivers, Westpac impresses, Coles sinks

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 CSL 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.

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