• Here’s why the 8Common (ASX:8CO) share price is rising today

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    The 8common Ltd (ASX: 8CO) share price is in the green territory after announcing to investors that it has secured a contract extension. At the time of writing, the software solutions provider’s shares are up 4.5% to 23 cents.

    Let’s take a closer look and see what 8Common updated the ASX with.

    Contract extension

    Investors are driving the 8Common shares higher after digesting the company’s latest news.

    According to its release, 8Common advised it has won a contract extension with the NSW Department of Education (NSW DoE).

    Under the renewed agreement, 8common will continue to provide the Expense8 platform to the NSW DoE until March 2023. Consequently, this follows the original deal that was executed in March 2016. The original deal comprised an initial 5-year term with an attached 2-year extendable option.

    Additionally, 8Common highlighted that the renewal was a result of its strong product delivery, exceptional customer service, and solid relationships with the NSW DoE.

    Expense8 provides travel and expense management, and card services for over 150 entities for federal NSW and Northern Territory governments. The platform has more than 132,000 active users within state and federal departments. In the NSW DoE, 22,000 active users and 14,000 credit cards are managed.

    Furthermore, the additional take up of Expense8 is expected to generate $960,000 in revenue for 8Common. Notably, in FY21 alone, the company has won over $2.5 million in contracts.

    What did the CEO say?

    8common CEO Andrew Bond welcomed the deal, saying:

    We are exceptionally pleased to continue our relationship with the NSW Department of Education. Our ongoing relationship reflects the product delivery and user benefits of our Expense8 solution. Our ability to continue to support existing customers, execute new products and onboard new customers is a testament to our product quality as well as our robust development, R&D and operational capabilities.

    We continue to see a strong pipeline of growth in 2021 and we look forward to expanding our presence with the State and Federal Government sector as well as large enterprise businesses.

    About the 8Common share price

    The 8common share price has jumped more than 350% over the past 12 months, with year-to-date performance sitting above 50%. The company’s shares hit a multi-year high today of 23.5 cents.

    On valuation grounds, 8Common has a market capitalisation of $45 million, with roughly 200 million shares on issue.

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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.

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  • Treasury (ASX:TWE) and Afterpay (ASX:APT) share prices on watch

    Motley Fool CIO Scott Phillips joined Peter Stefanovic on Sky News this morning to talk about the Brisbane lockdown, the Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price’s three-month low and the extension of tariffs on Australian wine.

    https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/2wbqqfc9nn.jsonphttps://fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js

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    Motley Fool contributor Scott Phillips owns shares of Treasury Wine Estates Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Treasury Wine Estates Limited. 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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  • Is the Amaysim (ASX:AYS) share price really tumbling 70% today?

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    The Amaysim Australia Ltd (ASX: AYS) share price looks to have been plummeting today, but things aren’t always what they seem. The drop comes after yesterday’s close, which saw an end to the final day shareholders were entitled to receive a major distribution.

    Amaysim is set to delist at the close of trade tomorrow, having previously sold off the majority of its business and then been taken over by WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM).

    At the time of writing, the Amaysim share price has dropped by 69.18% and is trading at 24.5 cents.

    Let’s look closer at what’s happening with the Amaysim share price today. 

    Last hurrah for Amaysim shares 

    The Amaysim share price seems to have dropped momentously as those shareholders awaiting the company’s ex-dividend date cut and run. But the reason for the large fall is that a significant part of Amaysim shares’ remaining value was made up of the juicy dividends resulting from the company’s sale and takeover.

    Those who held shares in Amaysim at the close of trade yesterday will receive a fully franked dividend of 26 cents and a return of capital of 24 cents in late April.

    They will also receive a minor distribution of approximately 10 cents in around May, as well as a final distribution of between 7 and 13 cents around October.

    As a result, the Amaysim share price has fallen by 55 cents – a similar amount to what investors were guaranteed to receive. Given the value of these distributions was already priced into the Amaysim share price, it is now trading minus the approximate value of these payments.  

    In late February, Amaysim announced the remainder of its business was being taken over by WAM Capital. This came following Amaysim having previously sold its energy business to AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) and its mobile business to Optus Mobile

    Previously, WAM Capital offered 70 cents in cash for each Amaysim share. That was a 15.6% premium to the one-month volume-weighted average price after the end of October.

    After today, any investor still holding Amaysim shares will only be able to have their investment transferred to WAM Capital shares.

    Shareholders will automatically receive one WAM Capital share for every 2.675 Amaysim shares they hold at the time of delisting.

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  • BlueScope (ASX: BSL) share price could get cut of Biden’s US$3tn boost

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    The BlueScope Steel Limited (ASX: BSL) share price could get a boost later this week thanks to US President Joe Biden’s US$3 trillion ($3.9 trillion) recovery plan.

    Biden is expected to announce the first part of his new stimulus plan on Thursday our time, according to Forbes. The new plan is called Build Back Better and is a follow up to the US$1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

    It is expected that the first instalment of Build Back Better will focus on infrastructure, which includes rebuilding railways and bridges.

    BlueScope’s Build Back Better share price boost

    That requires a lot of steel and that’s good news for BlueScope as it has a significant presence in the US through its $1 billion acquisition of North Star.

    The BlueScope share price may not be the only beneficiary. Other ASX building material companies with exposure to that market include the James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) share price and Boral Limited (ASX: BLD) share price.

    The Biden administration has been tight-lipped on details of the Build Back Better plan so far. It’s believed that the second part of the plan will be unveiled sometime next month.

    What is part two of Build Back Better?

    Part two of the ambitious stimulus will focus on healthcare and childcare, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

    “We’re not quite in the legislative strategy yet, but I will say that I don’t think Republicans and the country think we should be 13th in the world as it relates to infrastructure, roads and railways,” Psaki was quoted by Forbes.

    “That’s a lot of what the President will talk about this Wednesday; then he will have… another proposal that he will put forward in just a couple of weeks that will address a lot of issues that American people are struggling with–childcare and the cost of healthcare.”

    Other ASX shares that may benefit from Biden’s stimulus

    While it’s too early to say what the healthcare component will be, there is a chance that some other ASX shares can benefit too.

    This include the CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price and Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL) share price. Both have a material presence in the US.

    But it isn’t all good news under Biden’s big spending plan.

    The downside to big spending stimulus

    Big tax hikes could be on the cards as he has made no secret about his desire to get companies and wealthy taxpayers to fund his programs.

    There’s speculation that US corporate tax could jump from 21% to as much as 28%. If that comes to pass, it could trigger a long-awaited sharp drop in the US share market.

    That will surely drag the S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) lower in its wake.

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  • Why Blackmores, Cleanspace, PointsBet, & Treasury Wine shares are sinking

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    After a strong start to the day, in afternoon trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has faded and is now deep in the red. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 0.55% to 6,761.7 points.

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

    Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL)

    The Blackmores share price is down 6% to $78.39. This is despite there being no news out of the health supplements company today. However, last week analysts at Citi put a sell rating and $59.20 price target on its shares. They have concerns over its valuation, particularly given the prospect of increasing competition in the local market and weakness in the daigou channel.

    Cleanspace Holdings Ltd (ASX: CSX)

    The Cleanspace share price has crashed 55% to $2.01 following the release of a trading update. That update revealed that the respiratory protection equipment manufacturer has experienced a major slowdown in sales. According to the release, third quarter sales are expected to be $7 million. This compares to first half sales of $39.7 million, which average out to $19.35 million per quarter.

    PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)

    The PointsBet share price has sunk 10% to $12.17. This appears to be due to concerns over online sports betting legalisation in New York. Deutsche Bank stated: “Comments from NY politicians, as reported by affiliate media, appear far more pessimistic than those of several weeks ago around the prospects of NY legalising online sports betting in this session.” This would be a big blow, as the market is expected to be worth US$1.35 billion by 2023.

    Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE)

    The Treasury Wine share price has continued its slide and is down 2.5% to $10.37. Investors have been selling the wine company’s shares this week after Chinese authorities confirmed that tariffs would be placed on Australian wine for at least the next five years. In respect to Treasury Wine, its portfolio has been hit with a 175.6% duty. Management previously warned that demand for its portfolio in China would be extremely limited while these measures are in place.

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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 owns shares of and has recommended Blackmores Limited and Treasury Wine Estates Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CleanSpace Holdings Limited and Pointsbet Holdings 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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  • The Air New Zealand (ASX:AIZ) share price is slipping today. Here’s why

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    The Air New Zealand Limited (ASX: AIZ) share price is falling today after the company released its February investor report.

    At the time of writing, the Air New Zealand share price is down 1.74%, trading at $1.69.

    Let’s take a look at the Kiwi airline’s latest results.

    What’s in the report?

    In February, Air New Zealand carried just 621,000 passengers, a drop of more than 50% on the 1,363,000 passengers recorded in February 2020.

    Its revenue per passenger kilometre (a transportation industry metric that shows the number of kilometres travelled by paying passengers) fell 83% from $3,015 million in February 2020 to just $379 million this February.

    Meanwhile, its available seat kilometres have fallen 82% from the corresponding period last year. This February the airline has filled just 53% of its seats on planes, compared to 79% in February 2020.

    Air New Zealand’s market update for March will give investors a better comparison on the early impacts of COVID-19 last year.

    This report does, however, show an improvement on its January metrics, with 40,000 more passengers and a $1 million increase in revenue per kilometre. The large concern remains its ability to fill its seat capacity, which has fallen from January by 7%. 

    Air New Zealand share price on a wild ride

    From 17 January to 2 April last year, the Air New Zealand share price plummeted from $2.90 cents to just 80 cents, a staggering drop that has since recovered to its current price of around $1.50.

    The last four months have been no less volatile, however. From a high of $170 in December, the price dropped to $1.40 in February, only to rebound back into the $1.70 region in mid-March before again falling to its current price.

    Its actually risen 7% this month and is up a strong 57% against its industrials sector over the past year, also up 34% against the S&P/ASX 200 Index.

    Trans-Tasman bubble a waiting game

    Many investors will be awaiting the New Zealand government’s call on a timeline to restore flights between Australia and New Zealand, which is scheduled for April 6.

    Inflating the Trans-Tasman bubble Air New Zealand would naturally increase Air New Zealand’s revenue, but the airline hasn’t been simply waiting on the news.

    Air New Zealand announced it will run non-stop flights between Auckland and Hobart last week, Tasmania’s first regular international flight schedule in 23 years. Its also gearing up for flying to Australian overseas territories Norfolk Island and the Cook Islands.

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  • Should you be concerned about the PointsBet (ASX:PBH) share price?

    Falling ASX share price represented by scared male investor holding hand to head

    The PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) share price is facing heavy selling pressure today. At the time of writing, shares in the company are down 9.32% to $12.26. 

    We take a closer look at what might be driving down the PointsBet share price today. 

    Why is the PointsBet share price being sold off?

    A research note from Deutsche Bank said online sports betting legalisation in New York was “hanging by a thread”. On the issue, Deutsche Bank also stated that:

    Comments from NY politicians, as reported by affiliate media, appear far more pessimistic than those of several weeks ago around the prospects of NY legalising online sports betting in this session.

    The decision will be settled in the coming weeks. However, what was once an almost-certain outcome has now turned into a coin-flip. 

    The uncertainty saw US gaming and sports betting shares including fall. This includes Draftkings Inc (NASDAQ: DKNG) and Penn National Gaming Inc (NASDAQ PENN) who finished overnight down 8.50% and 7.85%. 

    In PointsBet’s half-year results presentation, the company hinted at a number of growth opportunities including expanding into New York and Canada. 

    Why is New York so important?  

    New York is seen as the cash cow for sports betting in the United States. While the state has legalised retail sports betting, online sports betting, more broadly speaking, has surged during COVID-19

    PointsBet has not commented on the size of New York for quite some time. Additionally, an investor presentation from October 2019 still adds valuable perspective for the significant revenue opportunity in New York. 

    Highlighting the US market opportunity and size, PointsBet notes that New York has an estimated market size in CY23 of US$1,350 million. The second down the list is Illinois at US$784 million and Ohio at US$599 million. 

    What’s next for the PointsBet share price? 

    PointsBet represents a richly valued, loss-making, growth company. Despite its market capitalisation of $2.2 billion, the company recorded a loss of almost $86 million for the half-year ended 31 December. 

    The expectations are sky-high for the company to deliver outstanding growth in the near-term. For the most part, the company has been able to meet expectations with strong half-year results, recently securing market access in Pennsylvania and Mississippi, and a game-changing marketing deal with NBCUniversal

    New York will vote to take place in the coming weeks. However, the PointsBet share price might have to brace for increased volatility. 

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    Kerry Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pointsbet Holdings 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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  • Why the Starpharma (ASX:SPL) share price is tumbling lower today

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    The Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX: SPL) share price has come under pressure on Tuesday despite the release of a positive announcement.

    In afternoon trade, the dendrimer products developer’s shares are down 4.5% to $1.99.

    What did Starpharma announce?

    This morning Starpharma announced that its Viraleze antiviral nasal spray has now been launched in the UK by LloydsPharmacy.

    Viraleze is a broad spectrum antiviral nasal spray that contains astodrimer sodium (SPL7013), which is virucidal and irreversibly inactivates >99.9% of the virus that causes COVID-19 within one minute.

    The company also notes that SPL7013 has been shown to be highly active against multiple strains of COVID-19, as well as a broad spectrum of other viruses. These include influenza, RSV, SARS, MERS, and HIV.

    What now?

    According to the release, Viraleze is now available for purchase in the UK online at LloydsPharmacy and will soon be launched instore.

    At present, LloydsPharmacy plans to rollout Viraleze to their 1,400 UK pharmacies in April. It will also be made available through McKesson’s AAH wholesale division, which services a total of 14,000 independent pharmacies in the UK.

    But the company won’t be stopping there. Starpharma also plans to roll the product out across Europe, and will seek registration for the product in other regions, including Australia.

    Commenting on the deal with LloydsPharmacy and McKesson last week, Starpharma’s CEO, Dr Jackie Fairley, revealed that the company was very excited with the launch.

    She said: “We are excited that VIRALEZE will be available from next week in the second largest pharmacy chain in the UK. The LloydsPharmacy/McKesson team shares Starpharma’s enthusiasm and commitment to bring VIRALEZE antiviral nasal spray to UK consumers as they emerge from their latest lockdown. LloydsPharmacy represents an ideal partner for this product.”

    Why is the Starpharma share price tumbling lower?

    While the above is a big positive, it was already largely factored in by the market following its previous announcement.

    In light of this, investors may be taking a bit of profit off the table today after a strong gain by the Starpharma share price this year.

    In fact, even after today’s decline, the Starpharma share price is up 30% since the start of the year.

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  • Wiluna (ASX:WMX) share price at a standstill despite ‘outstanding progress’

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    The Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd (ASX: WMX) share price is flat today despite positive updates on its flotation plant construction, mineral drilling project and renewable power studies.

    The Perth-based gold mining company controls more than 1,600sq km of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of Western Australia. 

    After dropping slightly this morning, the Wiluna share price has returned to where it started today and is trading at 99 cents at the time of writing. 

    Let’s take a closer look at what’s driving the Wiluna share price today.

    What did Wiluna announce?

    In its latest development update, the company revealed its stage 1, 750 kilotonne-per-annum flotation plant construction and mine development was on schedule, with the mineral resource drilling for its stage 2 feasibility study also on track.

    Wiluna’s renewable power studies to supplement gas power generation are in progress, in line with the growing trend across the basic materials sector to diversify into renewable energy.

    The company says its stage 2 feasibility study into a metallurgical test work program is also underway for additional design data and variability testing.

    In addition, Wiluna has signed an agreement to enter a five-year alliance with Byrnecut Australia Pty Limited for the construction and operation of an underground mine.

    Management commentary

    Despite the Wiluna share price nearing 10-year lows, executive chair Milan Jerkovic was bullish regarding its progress.

    Outstanding progress has been made by our projects and operations teams and key contractors as we prepare to ramp up underground operations to supply sulphide ore feed to the new flotation concentrator currently under construction at Wiluna.

    Ensuring the success of these two activities through 2021 is the primary focus of our business as our people work to deliver upon our promise to transform the Wiluna Mining Centre into a significant producer of gold doré and gold in concentrate.

    At the same time, we are drilling to expand our resources and reserves for inclusion in the Stage 2 Feasibility Study due to be completed by the end of this year. We continue to explore ways to mine and process more efficiently, sustainably and profitably for the benefit of our shareholders and stakeholders.

    Mr Jerkovic emphasised the importance of partnerships with leading industry players. He welcomed the support of GR Engineering Services for process engineering, plant design and construction, and Byrnecut Australia to construct and operate the mine and offtake partners Polymetal and Trafigura. 

    About the Wiluna share price

    Last week, the gold miner received investor commitments for $21.5m as part of an $80m funding package for a new West Australian gold mine.

    Its ongoing drilling campaigns have also seen a 142 per cent increase in the contained gold within the company’s mineable underground ore reserves. There has also been no negative press about the company for some time now.

    But it hasn’t been a great six months for the miner, with shares falling from a high of $2.18 on 23 September 2020 to their current level of 99 cents. The Wiluna share price is down 8.76% this week, 15.02% this month and 28.78% this year to date.

    It’s also down 42.06% against the basic materials sector – a sector that has boomed thanks to strong iron ore prices.

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  • AGL Energy (ASX:AGL) share price slides after latest announcement

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    The AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) share price dropped after the Victorian government announced it will prevent the company from constructing a gas import terminal and pipeline at Western Point.

    At the time of writing, shares in the energy producer are trading for $9.91, down 2.56%. However, the share price was up in morning trade on news the company would split, opening at $10.43.

    For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index is down 0.3%.

    Let’s take a closer look at the Victorian government’s decision and AGL’s response.

    Victoria prevents Crib Point Project — cites the environmental impact

    The AGL share price is responding badly to today’s news. In a statement this morning, the Victoria’s Labor government announced it would not allow the Crib Point gas terminal and pipeline to Pakenham to proceed.

    The state’s planning minister, Richard Wynne, said the project would have unacceptable environmental impacts.

    It’s very clear to me that this project would cause unacceptable impacts on the Western Port environment and the Ramsar wetlands – it’s important that these areas are protected.

    Ramsar wetlands are internationally important wetlands that are “representative, rare, or unique”, according to the Commonwealth government.

    In October 2018, the planning minister held an inquiry into the project to examine its potential environmental impacts. At the time, the minister cited the potential for significant environmental effects for the inquiry.

    “This has been an exhaustive, open and transparent process and this is the right outcome for the local community, the environment and Victoria as a whole,” Mr. Wynne said of the process.

    AGL responded to the decision in a statement to the ASX. In it, AGL says it is “reviewing and considering its position in relation to the Minister’s determination.”

    Additionally, the company estimates it has spent $130 million to date on the now presumably abandoned project.

    AGL to split

    As stated earlier, AGL announced this morning it intends to split its business in 2. Thus, “New AGL” will focus on energy retailing. “PrimeCo” on the other hand, will be an electricity generator. The news was initially a boon for the AGL share price.

    In a statement, the company CEO and Managing Director, Brett Redman, said:

    The proposed structural separation would give each business the freedom, focus and clarity to execute their own respective strategies and growth agendas, while playing an equally important, but different, role in Australia’s energy transition.

    AGL share price snapshot

    The AGL share price has dropped 40.22% since this time last year. It is one of a few companies that continue to struggle because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    AGL has a market capitalisation of $6.3 billion.

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    Motley Fool contributor Marc Sidarous 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 AGL Energy (ASX:AGL) share price slides after latest announcement appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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