• Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price up 10% in March but could go even higher

    rising asx share price represented by woman jumping in the air happily

    The Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price is pushing higher again on Wednesday.

    In afternoon trade, the telco giant’s shares are up 1% to $3.46.

    This means that the Telstra share price is now up almost 10% since the start of the month.

    Why is the Telstra share price pushing higher?

    Investors have been buying Telstra’s shares since the release of an update on its proposed legal restructure, which it expects to be completed by December.

    In case you missed it, the restructure will see Telstra split up as follows:

    InfraCo Fixed – it would own and operate Telstra’s passive or physical infrastructure assets. These are the ducts, fibre, data centres, and exchanges that underpin Telstra’s fixed telecommunications network. Management notes that this will provide important optionality to create additional value from these assets in the future.

    InfraCo Towers – this business would own and operate Telstra’s passive or physical mobile tower assets. Telstra is looking to monetise these assets given the strong demand and compelling valuations for this type of high-quality infrastructure.

    ServeCo – it would continue to focus on creating innovative products and services, supporting customers and delivering the best possible customer experience. ServeCo would own the active parts of the network, including the radio access network and spectrum assets. This is to ensure Telstra continues to maintain its industry leading mobile coverage and network superiority.

    What does the market think of the plan?

    Unlike AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) and its plan to spilt into two, the market has responded very positively to Telstra’s proposal. As have a large number of brokers.

    One of those is Morgan Stanley. Earlier this week, the broker upgraded Telstra’s shares to an overweight rating and lifted its price target from $3.00 up to $4.00.

    Based on the current Telstra share price, this price target implies potential upside of 15.5% over the next 12 months.

    In addition to this, Morgan Stanley now believes Telstra’s dividend is sustainable at 16 cents per share and has upgraded its estimates to reflect this.

    So, with the Telstra share price fetching $3.46, this will mean a fully franked 4.6% dividend yield over the next 12 months. This lifts its potential total return to an attractive ~20%.

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    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 has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

    IAG share price broker upgrade buy

    Many of Australia’s top brokers have been busy adjusting their financial models again, leading to the release of a large number of broker notes this week.

    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 on this gaming technology company’s shares. The broker notes that management spoke positively during its investor briefing. This has given it even more confidence that the company will emerge from the pandemic in a stronger position. It also notes changing behaviours from operators in relation to leasing equipment over buying it. Morgan Stanley believes Aristocrat is well-placed to benefit from this trend. It also sees opportunities for it to accelerate its growth inorganically thanks to its strong balance sheet. The Aristocrat Leisure share price is fetching $34.82 today.

    Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)

    Analysts at UBS have retained their buy rating and lifted their price target on this energy producer’s shares to $8.35. This follows the company’s decision to push ahead with its US$3.6 billion Barossa project offshore in the Northern Territory. Outside this, UBS continues to believe that Santos is the best option in the energy sector. Particularly given its valuation and near term growth catalysts. The Santos share price is trading at $7.22 this afternoon.

    Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL)

    Another note out of Morgan Stanley reveals that its analysts have retained their overweight rating and lifted their price target on this healthcare company’s shares to $39.80. According to the note, the broker has lifted its earnings estimates to reflect ongoing COVID-19 testing demand. In addition to this, it believes the market is overlooking the strength of its balance sheet and feels its valuation is attractive in comparison to many of its peers. The Sonic share price is trading at $35.87 on Wednesday.

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  • The Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price is a “top pick” in the travel sector

    plane flying across share markey graph, asx 200 travel shares, qantas share price

    Bell Potter believes that there could be a “step change” for travel demand in a post-COVID world. Furthermore, it retains the Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price as its top pick in the travel sector. Its research report on 30 March retained a buy recommendation with a 12-month target price of $21.50. 

    A recovery in the global travel industry remains in its early days.  In particular, the recovery is dependent on a successful roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination in key markets.

    Corporate business to drive earnings recovery 

    The report is upbeat about Flight Centre’s corporate segment. In particular, the commentary also highlights that it “maintains a compelling customer value proposition driven by its global network, personalised service offering and technology suite”. 

    According to the report, this value proposition has underpinned the company’s long history of strong organic growth. Additionally, its total transaction value (TTV) is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~15% since FY11. 

    The broker acknowledges that the corporate travel market is likely to face medium-term structural headwinds. However, the broker believes that its historic growth record and value proposition will “more than offset these headwinds and underwrite a strong recovery”. 

    Leisure could swing the Flight Centre share price 

    Bell Potter approaches the leisure segment with a cautionary tone, acknowledging potential execution risk. Its report highlights the leisure segment generating 58% of TTV in FY19. However, this is only translated to a disproportionate 32% of pre-tax profit. This was driven by the bricks and mortar nature of the leisure business. This carries a high fixed cost-base and increasing competition. 

    The report hones in on two key issues. These issues could allow the leisure segment to drive the Flight Centre share price. Firstly, the company’s ability to maintain market share and generate volume, and secondly, the sustainability of its cost-out program. 

    There is near-term uncertainty for both business and global travel. However, Bell Potter expects a strong earnings recovery to be underpinned by higher margins. The Flight Centre share price is currently 3.80% higher to $18.30 at the time of writing. This means the $21.50 target price would represent an upside of 17.75%. 

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  • Why it’s turning into a bad week for Airtasker (ASX:ART) shares

    asx share price falling lower represented by investor wearing paper bag on head with sad face

    The Airtasker Ltd (ASX: ART) share price is having a terrible day today. Airtasker shares are, at the time of writing, down a hefty 10.23% to $1.19 a share. That’s still a good 15% above the price the company hit the ASX boards at last Tuesday. And it’s also well above the listing price of 65 cents a share that the shares were offered up at.

    But it’s also 39% below where Airtasker hit last Wednesday when investors sent the company up to $1.96 a share in the company’s second day of trading.

    So is there any good reason why Airtasker is falling today?

    Putting the Air in Airtasker shares

    Well, the short answer is not really. There is no official news or announcements out of Airtasker today. In fact, its last announcement was a holding notice from investment bank Credit Suisse two days ago. While it’s nice to know that Credit Suisse has enough shares to warrant 5.5% of the company’s voting power, that was actually effective 24 March, and thus unlikely to be affecting the Airtasker share price this week.

    No, it’s more likely that we are seeing a classic ‘IPO (Initial Public Offering) deflation’ going on. IPOs often generate a lot of investor buzz, which the companies themselves like to encourage. Fair enough too, it’s not every day a new company joins the ASX. Especially a hot new tech company like Airtasker. But investors usually have a very short attention span when it comes to these IPOs. As such, it is not at all uncommon to see a frenzy of trading when a company joins the ASX, followed by a gradual drop in trading activity when investors realise they now have until Judgement Day to invest in Airtasker, so what’s the rush.

    We see evidence of this in ASX trading data for Airtasker shares. The ASX tells us that 4.4 million Airtasker shares changed hands yesterday. That’s a steep drop from the 55.7 million shares that were traded last Thursday.

    As we pointed out last week, we have seen extreme volatility followed by deflating interest in most of the ASX’s big IPOs over the past year or two. Airtasker is no different, it seems.

    On the current Airtasker share price, the company has a market capitalisation of $518.6 million.

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  • GameStop appoints former Amazon and Chewy Execs in turnaround bid

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

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

    GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) made several announcements Tuesday that gave investors additional hope concerning the beleaguered company’s ongoing turnaround. The video game and accessories retailer announced the appointment of Elliott Wilke as chief growth officer, effective April 5. 

    Wilke is a former Amazon executive, holding a variety of roles at the e-commerce giant over the past seven years. This follows the hiring earlier this month of another former Amazon exec, Jenna Owens, as GameStop’s chief operating officer. 

    Most recently, Wilke was in charge of the Amazon Fresh stores, after heading Prime pantry and global technology, and worldwide private brands, among others, since joining the company in 2013. 

    In a press release, the company laid out Wilke’s responsibilities: “At GameStop, Mr. Wilke will oversee growth strategies and marketing, with a focus on increasing customer loyalty and growing the reach of Power Up Rewards and Game Informer. He will also work with other leaders on initiatives that include expanding the company’s use of customer insights and metrics to optimize channel marketing.”

    That wasn’t the only announcement today. The company also hired two more former Chewy executives for top roles. Andrea Wolfe will be the company’s vice president of brand development, after previously serving Chewy as VP of marketing. Tom Petersen will be the VP of merchandising, reprising a role he held at Chewy.

    GameStop previously tapped former Chewy CEO Ryan Cohen to lead the company’s shift away from brick-and-mortar retail to focus on e-commerce. Cohen continues to raid the executive ranks at Chewy to fill top jobs at GameStop. This is part of a broader restructuring at the company, as evidenced by the recent departure of Frank Hamlin, GameStop’s chief customer officer and the retirement of Jim Bell, the company’s CFO. 

    John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Danny Vena owns shares of Amazon. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool recommends Chewy, Inc. and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1920.0 calls on Amazon and short January 2022 $1940.0 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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

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  • Why is the Renergen (ASX:RLT) share price up today?

    The Renergen CDI (ASX: RLT) share price is up this morning after the company published two releases this morning. First up, the helium and LNG producer made a trading statement this morning. The announcement acknowledges an expected reduction in loss per share for the current financial year.  Secondly, the company also published its quarterly activities and cashflow reports. This report included an update on its new vaccine transportation product.

    The Renergen share price reached a high of $2.65 this morning, up 5% from its closing price yesterday. It has since dropped to $2.62 — still a 4% gain.

    Let’s look closer at this morning’s news from Renergen.

    Shareholder’s delight

    The company announced this morning that this financial year’s loss per share and headline loss per share is expected to be significantly less than last financial year’s.

    Additionally, Renergen stated the loss per share and headline loss per share for the current financial year is expected to be between 27.89 cents and 37.47 cents. This represents a decrease in loss of between 21.8% and 41.8%.

    The loss per share and headline loss per share for the half-year ending on 28 February 2020 was 47.92 cents.

    Renergen said the previous financial year’s loss per share and headline loss per share included one-off costs from debt and equity funding for the company’s IPO on the ASX. 

    Cryo-Vacc 

    Renergen also began its quarterly activities report by declaring its Cryo-Vacc is currently awaiting clinical validation, with results due in a matter of days.

    Cryo-Vacc enables vaccines to be transported at extremely low temperatures for up to 30 days without any power supply. Powered by hydrogen, it’s lightweight and can transport 100 vaccine doses at temperatures of between -70°C and -150°C.  

    Cryo-Vacc was only conceptualised in December 2020. Renergen is hoping to receive clinical validation will be granted and the product will be ready when South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination tender is announced.

    The company has partnered with DPD Laser locally, which is using Cryo-Vacc to support its customers participating in the tender.

    Renergen Quarterly activities and cashflow report

    The company also published its quarterly activities report, within which it spoke of its successful helium mining activities.

    Many of the company’s mining activities have achieved their expected results or performed better than anticipated. Though, some of the company’s activities have been affected by logics delays caused by COVID-19 lockdowns.

    Renergen share price snapshot

    The Renergen share price is having a fantastic year on the ASX. Currently, it is up by 138.5% year to date. It’s also up by 142.9% over the last 12 months.

    The company has a market capitalisation of around  $43.5 million, with approximately 117 million shares outstanding.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    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.

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  • Here are the US shares ASX investors have been buying

    A US flag behind a graph, indicating investment in US shares

    The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) CommSec brokering platform tells us the ASX and international shares (almost always just US shares) that are the most popular with its Australian customers most weeks.

    CommSec is one of the most popular share trading platforms for ASX investors. As a result, the data it gives us can be an interesting insight into the investing habits of the typical Aussie investor.

    Yesterday, we looked at the most popular ASX shares last week. So here are the top 10 international shares CommSec users were buying last week. This week’s data covers 22-26 March. 

    GameStop shares among most traded US shares on the ASX

    1. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) – representing 5.6% of total trades with an 85%/15% buy-to-sell ratio.
    2. GameStop Corp (NYSE: GME) – representing 4% of total trades with a 79%/21% buy-to-sell ratio.
    3. Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) – representing 2.5% of total trades with an 77%/23% buy-to-sell ratio.
    4. Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) – representing 2.5% of total trades with a 74%/26% buy-to-sell ratio.
    5. Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE: PLTR) – representing 2.2% of total trades with an 88%/12% buy-to-sell ratio
    6. AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE: AMC)
    7. ARK Innovation ETF (NYSE: ARKK)
    8. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)
    9. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA)
    10. Churchill Capital Corp IV (NYSE: CCIV)

    What can we learn from these trades?

    We see a very familiar pattern with these shares. Once again, it’s Elon Musk’s company Tesla that takes out the top spot for last week. Tesla shares have had a very rocky start to 2021 and remain down 12.9% year to date, including down 11.5% over the past month. Yet many ASX investors are clearly seeing this weakness as a buying opportunity, given 85% of trades were buys. Tesla’s China-based rival Nio is also proving stubbornly popular, despite Nio shares falling more than 40% since 9 February.

    The ultimate speculative company in GameStop is also continuing to prove its endurance. This company continues to show wild volatility that ASX investors are clearly trying to cash in on. GME shares are up 61.6% since 24 March, including a 7.4% bump last night.

    Data company Palantir continues to be a presence in the top 5. Palantir has been hit hard in the tech sell off over in the US in recent months. This company’s share price is also down around 42% since early February, but 88% of Palantir’s traders are clearly viewing this as a buying opportunity.

    We also see blue-chip tech companies like Apple, Microsoft and China’s Alibaba continuing to attract Aussie attention, despite being far more stable in price than most of the other shares on this list.

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    Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Apple, Microsoft, NIO Inc., and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Palantir Technologies Inc and recommends the following options: short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple and long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Why Aristocrat Leisure, Opthea, PointsBet, & Spirit are storming higher:

    Red rocket and arrow boosting up a share price chart

    In early afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a strong gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 1.6% to 6,845.9 points.

    Four ASX shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are storming higher:

    Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

    The Aristocrat Leisure share price is up 4% to $34.97. This appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Credit Suisse this morning. In response to its virtual investor round table event, the broker has retained its outperform rating and lifted its price target by 10% to $38.00. Credit Suisse was pleased with the updates provided for both its land-based and digital businesses.

    Opthea Ltd (ASX: OPT)

    The Opthea share price has surged 12% higher to $1.60. This follows news that the biotech company has received an initial Pediatric Study Plan (iPSP) waiver from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for OPT-302. The iPSP waver means Opthea will not have to conduct an additional study in the paediatric population.

    PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)

    The PointsBet share price has stormed 4.5% higher to $12.81. This follows the release of a positive broker note out of Goldman Sachs this morning. According to the note, the broker has initiated coverage on the sports betting company with a buy rating and $17.50 price target. Goldman believes the company is well-placed to benefit from a US sports betting market which is expected grow by a compound annual growth rate of 40% through to 2033.

    Spirit Technology Solutions Ltd (ASX: ST1)

    The Spirit share price has jumped 8.5% to 38 cents. The catalyst for this gain was news that Spirit has acquired Nexgen for up to $50 million. This will be paid 70% in case and 30% in shares. According to the release, the acquisition of the data, security and voice products provider is expected to add over five thousand new B2B clients and generate $36 million in revenue. Approximately 80% of this is recurring. To fund the deal, Spirit has undertaken a $23.8 million institutional placement and increased its debt facility.

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    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 Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of SPIRIT TC FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pointsbet Holdings Ltd and SPIRIT TC FPO. 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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  • Zip Co (ASX:Z1P) share price up after announcing new partnership

    surging asx share price represented by piggy bank with rocket attached to it

    The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price is up today after the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider announced a new partnership with JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH).

    At the time of writing, the Zip share price has retreated slightly, trading at $7.37, up 0.41%. JB Hi-Fi is also up 1.12%, trading at $52.33.

    For comparative purposes, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), is up 1.03% while BNPL competitor Afterpay Ltd is up 0.1%.

    Let’s take a closer look at today’s announcement.

    JB Hi-Fi stores to accept Zip payments

    The Zip share price is responding well to today’s news. In a statement to the ASX, Zip Co announced it will enter into a partnership with JB Hi-Fi.

    Both JB Hi-Fi branded stores and The Good Guy stores will accept Zip payments from customers. Payments can be made both online and in-store.

    Zip, like most BNPL providers, offers consumers the option to pay for items over four instalments, interest-free. Consumers are only charged late fees if payments are not made on time. Merchants, however, are slugged with fees several times higher than standard debit or credit card fees. Merchants are prohibited from passing on the fees to customers – the RBA has discussed banning this practice.

    Today’s news comes just a day after Afterpay launched its latest tool for in-store purchases – Afterpay Card.

    The partnership will begin in April 2021.

    Management Commentary

    Zip co-founder and COO, Peter Gray, said the following about today’s announcement:

    We are delighted to partner with the JB HI-FI Group. We look forward to providing customers with choice at checkout, empowering them to own the way they pay at JB HIFI and The Good Guys. This strategic partnership provides Zip customers with access to even more of Australia’s favourite brands, further delivering on Zip’s mission to be the first payment choice everywhere and every day

    Half-year results

    Zip Co

    For the months ending 31 December 2020, Zip recorded a 141% increase in total transaction value to $2.32 billion on the prior corresponding period (pcp). Revenue increased by 130% to $160 million on the pcp. The Zip share price fell heavily on the results.

    Zip recorded a massive $455.9 million loss for the period.

    JB Hi-Fi

    During the FY21 half-year, JB Hi-Fi’s net profits increased by 86.2% on the pcp to total $317.7 million. Revenue was up by 23.3% for JB Hi-Fi Australia stores ($3.36 billion), 9.1% for JB Hi-Fi New Zealand (NZ $144.9 million), and 9.1% for The Good Guys ($1.45 billion).

    Zip share price snapshot

    Over 12 months, the Zip share price has increased 369.09%. A very tide return on investment for traders.

    However, since hitting its record high of $14.53 in February, the company’s share price has dropped a massive 49.21%.

    Zip Co has a market capitalisation of $4.1 billion.

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    Marc Sidarous 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. 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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  • Here’s why the Thomson (ASX:TMZ) share price is climbing today

    man holding hard hat and giving thumbs up representing rising mining asx share price

    The Thomson Resources Ltd (ASX: TMZ) share price is edging higher in late-morning trade. This comes after the company announced an update regarding its Webbs and Conrad silver projects. At the time of writing, the minerals mining company’s shares are fetching 11.75 cents, up 2.17%.

    What did Thomson announce?

    Investors are lifting the Thomson share price higher after the company provided the ASX with some positive news.

    According to its release, Thomson has formally completed the acquisition of the Webbs and Conrad silver projects. This follows the recent shareholder approval obtained in the company’s extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on 29 March 2021.

    As a result, Thomson issued the agreed 70 million ordinary shares with 50 million options to Silver Mines Limited (ASX: SVL). In addition, a payment of $800,000 was made, with another $269,000 as an equivalent to the cash bonds in place.

    Currently, Thomson is in discussions with leading minerals and energy exploration consultancy firm, Global Ore Discovery. Both companies are working together to develop an exploration strategy as well as improved geological models for the acquired projects. Using these models along with historical drilling data, Thomson will calculate a new Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) resource estimate.

    The exploration strategy will seek to identify possible targets within the known mineralised area. The company believes that the structural logging of existing core and surface geology will guide to new drill hole planning.

    Thomson noted that the Webbs and Conrad silver projects form an integral part of its ‘Fold Belt Hub & Spoke’ strategy.

    Thomson executive chair David Williams commented:

    It gives me great pleasure to formally announce the completion of the acquisition of the Webbs and Conrad Silver Projects following the approval gained from our valuable shareholders.

    With the transaction complete Thomson can now turn its attention to calculating new JORC 2012 resource estimates for these projects, and importantly the integration of the projects into the larger Hub and Spoke Strategy as the Company builds towards our target of 100Moz of silver equivalent within our centralised processing hub.

    Thomson share price summary

    The Thomson share price has jumped by more than 480% in the past 12 months. The company’s shares hit an all-time high of 25.5 cents at the start of February.

    Based on valuation grounds, Thomson commands a market capitalisation of around $40 million, with roughly 380.2 million shares outstanding.

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    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 Thomson (ASX:TMZ) share price is climbing today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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