• Warrego Energy (ASX:WGO) share price rises despite losses increasing

    Energy shares higher

    The Warrego Energy Ltd (ASX: WGO) share price is higher today after the company released its half-year report for FY21.

    At the time of writing, shares in the company were swapping hands for 24 cents – up 4.35% on yesterday’s close. In comparison, the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 0.25%.

    Let’s take a closer look at what the company announced.

    Warrego’s half-year report

    For the 6 months ending 31 December 2020, Warrego declared a net loss of $3.3 million. That’s up 31.9% on the prior corresponding period (pcp). The company did not make any operational income for the period. This was also the case in the pcp.

    While wages were down 63.7% to total $483,000, professional service fees were up 276.7% to total $966,000. Similarly, the company introduced share-based payments for the period, which totalled $630,000. Finance expenses fell 80.7% on the pcp to equal $26,400.

    Earnings per share (EPS) came in at a 0.09 cent loss – greater than the 0.07 cent loss of the pcp.

    In good news, cash on hand more than doubled to $33.7 million. Net assets swelled 90.7%, totalling $64.9 million. The positive cash flow came as a result of a capital-raising initiative.

    The West Erregulla gas field

    Warrego claims the gas field, located off the coast of Western Australia, is its “primary near-term goal.” It is a 50/50 venture with Strike Energy Ltd (ASX: STX) and is estimated to contain 1.6 trillion cubic feet of gas.

    Speaking about the project, Warrego Managing Director and CEO Dennis Donald said:

    West Erregulla is a world-class asset, and we are working hard to ensure we achieve the optimal long-term outcome for our shareholders and customers.

    We have assembled a first-rate team in Perth, who have done a lot of the heavy lifting in the past 6-12 months under the direction of our Australian CEO David Biggs, and we will continue to build out our technical and commercial capabilities.

    Our successful ‘ground up’ strategy is centred on creating sustainable, long-term value in a market that is likely to be short of gas over the medium term, and we remain committed to progressing West Erregulla in a focused and logical manner to ensure the project is positioned as a supplier of choice in the WA domestic gas market.

    The company also announced it held 100% of the rights to explore 2.2 million more acres in the Perth Basin.

    Warrego share price snapshot

    This time last year, the Warrego share price was at 11.5 cents. At today’s price, shares have increased in value by 104.35%. Warrego reached the 52-week low of 7.5 cents at the height of COVID-19. Shares ascended to the 52-week high of 27.5 cents at the end of September last year.

    Warrego has a market capitalisation of $232.2 million.

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  • Eclipx (ASX:ECX) share price rises on positive business update

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    Eclipx Group Ltd (ASX: ECX) shares are edging higher today after the fleet management company provided investors with a business update. At the time of writing, the Eclipx share price has inched 0.79% higher to $1.915.

    How has Eclipx been performing?

    Investors appear moderately pleased with the company’s latest progress, sending the Eclipx share price into positive territory today.

    In its announcement, Eclipx advised that for the first five months of FY21, it continues to perform to expectations. Recently at its annual general meeting (AGM), the group provided investors with a business update on Q1 FY21.

    It said that net operating income (NOI) and net operating profit after tax (NPATA) before end of lease (EOL) were in line with estimates. To date, the company has sustained this performance through to the end of February.

    In further news bolstering the Eclipx share price, the company noted that EOL income has significantly increased over the period with robust trading conditions recorded from the used car market. A limited supply of new vehicles to market in Australia and New Zealand primarily drove the surge. As a result, Eclipx revealed that EOL income stood at $26.4 million, or $5,766 per unit at the end of February. This reflects a jump of 70% when compared to the first half of 2020, which saw EOL income at $15.5 million, or $2,468 per unit.

    The company stated that the higher EOL income is temporary and will fall back to normal levels. According to independent third parties, ‘the global shortage for new cars could be restored from as early as June 2021’.

    Eclipx is scheduled to report its half-year results sometime in the middle of May 2021.

    About the Eclipx share price

    The Eclipx share price has rallied by nearly 58% since this time last year. After hitting a low of 36.5 cents last March, Eclipx shares have steadily moved in an upward trend.

    Based on the current share price, Eclipx commands a market capitalisation of roughly $618 million.

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  • Retirement village operator Summerset Group’s (ASX:SNZ) share price stagnant on property update

    healthcare worker overseeing group of aged care residents at table

    The Summerset Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: SNZ) share price will be watched closely today following an update from the retirement village operator.

    In the announcement made before open, Summerset disclosed the purchase of its third property in Victoria. The property in Chirnside Park, northeast Melbourne, is planned to be a part of its NZD$170 million retirement village in the area.

    Chirnside Park retirement village

    Summerset’s newest retirement village in the works will deliver over 200 retirement units, ranging from one to three-bedroom variants. These options will also include independent and supported living arrangements.

    Summerset Group CEO, Julian Cook, commented on the development:

    The over-75 population in Chirnside Park is forecast to grow by 60% over the next decade. Our retirement villages include supported living and a residential care centre, making it easy for residents to move when their needs change.

    Centrally located, the Chirnside Park village will be close to Maroondah Golf Park and Chirnside Park shopping centre, with bus and train stations close by.

    Summerset recent results

    Summerset also reported its 2020 full-year results a couple of weeks ago. Despite a challenging year with immense pressure on aged-care throughout COVID-19, the company managed to deliver a strong result.

    Total revenue from operations increased by 12% to NZ$172.4 million. Meanwhile, on the bottom line, net profit after tax soared 32% to NZ$230.8 million. During the lockdown period, Summerset completed the construction of 356 units over 9 different locations. The village operator recorded 32 villages now completed or in development by the end of 2020. The expansion in property came with an increase in residents, from 5,500 to 6,200. 

    The strong result facilitated the company’s final dividend of 7 cents per share.

    Summerset Group share price recap

    It likely comes as no surprise that Summerset Group’s share price has performed strongly over recent months. The company’s ability to grow profits during the pandemic obviously made investors happy. The Summerset Group share price reflects this with a 75% increase in the past year.

    Although the share price has increased considerably, its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is still relatively low at 13 times. For comparison, the New Zealand healthcare industry, on average, trades at a 23 times multiple.

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  • Centuria Capital (ASX:CNI) reports $57 million healthcare asset purchases

    changing asx share price from acqusition represented by man reaching out to touch acquisition sign

    The Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI) share price is flat in morning trade, down 0.21%.

    This comes after the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) listed company reported it had acquired 3 private healthcare assets for $57.3 million for its unlisted open-ended Centuria Healthcare Property Fund (CHPF).

    What healthcare real estate did Centuria Capital acquire?

    Centuria reported it had acquired the 3,400 square metre Coffs Harbour Specialist Centre in New South Wales for $23 million. It said the asset is strategically located next to the regional public hospital.

    Centuria also acquired the 2,470 square metre Cairns Day Surgery in Queensland for $21.6 million. The day surgery is also situated close to 2 major hospitals in Cairns, the public Cairns Hospital and Cairns Private Hospital.

    The third healthcare property Centuria acquired is the Murrumba Village Medical Centre, also in Queensland, for $12.7 million. The company said this centre will “provide allied and ancillary health services” once the building is complete in March 2022.

    Commenting on the new acquisitions, Andrew Hemming, Centuria Healthcare’s managing director, said:

    Since we launched CHPF in late August 2020, investor appetite has been strong. The Fund is continuing to expand its portfolio, which is aligned with our strategy to secure modern, purpose-built assets that lend themselves to efficient and effective models of care.

    These new transactions align to our strategy, enabling us to deliver monthly income returns to our investors. Our last capital raise before Christmas saw the fund substantially oversubscribed. Needless to say, our focus remains on meeting investment demand for high-quality healthcare assets.

    With the new transactions, CHPF’s assets under management are now worth $219.9 million across 10 healthcare assets.

    Centuria Healthcare’s total portfolio across Australia stands at $1.0 billion.

    Centuria Capital share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months Centuria Capital’s shares are down 3%. By comparison the ASX 200 is up 14% in that same time.

    Year-to-date the Centuria Capital share price is down 10%.

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  • The Hansen Technologies (ASX:HSN) share price is hitting a 52-week high

    An update from Hansen Technologies Limited (ASX: HSN) has propelled the company’s share price to a 52-week high today. At the time of writing, the billing software provider’s shares are trading 17.2% higher to $4.91. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has swung into the negative, down 0.1%.

    New contract, who this?

    After the market closed yesterday, Hansen Technologies snuck in an announcement that contained uplifting information for shareholders.

    As previously reported this morning, the company signed a significant agreement with German-based Telefonica. The agreement entails Telefonica using Hansen’s Cloud Native Communications product suite.

    Furthermore, the important details of the agreement are the 5-year fixed term, amounting to expected revenue of $25 million for Hansen.

    Factoring in the additional revenue, Hansen updated and upgraded its guidance for the FY21 full year.

    Hansen share price having a blast

    Since 2016, the Hansen share price has been trending downwards. Investors seemed to have fallen out of love with the company’s technology, as earnings appeared to stagnate.

    With the sudden influx of all the new fandangled instalment payment systems gaining more interest, the simple billing system had been forgotten.

    Yet, today’s large contract win has rejuvenated Hansen’s share price, with it now the highest it has been in roughly 4 years. 

    Hansen’s market capitalisation now stands at $834 million, making the billing system provider a small-cap stock.

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    Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Hansen Technologies. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hansen Technologies. 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 Aston Minerals (ASX:ASO) share price leapt 85% on open

    miniature rocket breaking out of golden egg representing rocketing share price

    Aston Minerals Ltd (ASX: ASO) shares are rocketing today, up 59% in midday trade. The Aston share price closed yesterday at 3.4 cents and opened this morning at 6.4 cents, leaping 85% higher before partially retracing.

    We take a look at the ASX gold explorer’s latest drill results below.

    What did the company report?

    The Aston Minerals share price is surging after the company reported the diamond drilling program at its Edleston Project in Ontario, Canada had intersected visible gold.

    This is Aston’s maiden drilling program at Edleston, and the visible gold was struck on its third drill hole from 362 metres. In total, Aston has so far drilled 1,320 metres across the three holes. The company said to date it has drill-tested roughly one kilometre of the total ten kilometres strike length at Edleston.

    Commenting on the drill results, Aston Minerals managing director Dale Ginn said:

    The early success of the program through hitting visible gold veinlets in the third hole, 200 metres along strike to the east of the main Edleston body of mineralisation, provides us with a high degree of confidence of both the scale of the mineralisation and the methodology of targeting.

    The mineralisation was directly targeted based on the IP chargeability anomalies. The effective strike length tested by drilling consists of only 1km out of a 10km of strike within the project.

    Ginn said the company would provide additional updates as new data from its drilling program comes in. New assay results are expected within the next few weeks.

    Aston Minerals share price snapshot

    With today’s intraday gains factored in, the Aston Minerals share price is up by more than 400% over the past 12 months. By comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up by around 17% for the full year.

    So far in 2021, Aston Minerals shares have leapt by around 28%.

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  • Why Accent, Fortescue, Western Areas, & Zip shares are tumbling lower

    In afternoon trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has given back its morning gains and is on course to end its winning streak. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down slightly to 6,768.3 points.

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

    Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

    The Accent share price is down 4% to $2.23. This decline is almost entirely attributable to the footwear focused retailer’s shares trading ex-dividend this morning. Eligible shareholders can now look forward to receiving Accent’s 8 cents per share fully franked dividend next week on 18 March.

    Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG)

    The Fortescue share price has fallen 6.5% to $20.74. Investors have been selling the mining giant’s shares today after a sharp pullback in the iron ore price overnight. According to CommSec, the spot iron ore price fell US$10.55 a tonne or 6.1% to US$163.60 a tonne. Traders were selling the steel-making ingredient after authorities in Tangshan, China imposed steel production restrictions to counter heavy air pollution.

    Western Areas Ltd (ASX: WSA)

    The Western Areas share price has plunged 10% to $2.11 following the completion of its institutional placement this morning. According to the release, the nickel producer has commitments to raise $75 million at an 8.1% discount of $2.15. It will now seek to raise a further $15 million via a share purchase plan. Proceeds will be used to complete the Odysseus development, advance organic growth projects at Forrestania and Cosmos, and continue exploration activities.

    Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

    The Zip share price is missing out on the tech rebound and is down 2.5% to $8.57. The catalyst for this appears to have been a broker note out of UBS this morning. According to the note, the broker has downgraded Zip’s shares to a sell rating with a $6.40 price target. UBS has concerns about Zip’s significant execution risks and mounting capital requirements.

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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 ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Accent Group. 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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  • Got cash to invest? Here are 2 ASX shares to buy

    Small sack with dollar sign on front, stack of coloured blocks representing share price chart, and hourglass timer

    The ASX share market continues to act with volatility, which could mean that some opportunities present themselves.

    Not every business is going to be a good performer. But some companies are generating good levels of profit growth, which may be able to lead to good shareholder returns.

    The below two businesses are ones that have been sold down recently, but are expecting more growth in the coming months:

    Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

    Kogan.com is an e-commerce ASX share that sells a variety of products and services. It has white label offerings for things like mobile plans, health insurance, superannuation, credit cards and travel insurance.

    The business also sells items like phones, TVs, fridges, office supplies, furniture, drones and gaming consoles.

    Kogan.com reported continuing high levels of growth in its FY21 half-year result. Net profit after tax (NPAT) rose by 164.2% to $23.6 million, gross sales jumped 97.4% to $638.2 million, gross profit increased 126.2% to $112.9 million, adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew 184.4% to $51.7 million.

    Exclusive brands saw revenue growth of 114.9% year on year, with gross profit growth of 174.9%, resulting in a contribution of 55.9% to overall gross profit. Kogan Marketplace also saw gross sales growth of 194.3%.

    The ASX share explained that there is still a strong pipeline of new sellers ready to be onboarded. Kogan.com is aiming to continually improve its marketplace platform, which allows the business to achieve ongoing growth without a corresponding investment in inventory. It also gives customers more choice.

    Kogan.com is also pleased with its Mighty Ape acquisition – a New Zealand-based e-commerce business. In December 2020, Mighty Ape had $20 million of revenue and $5.4 million of gross profit.

    The company continues to see increasing profit margins, which speaks of the economies of scale of Kogan.com. The overall EBITDA margin improved by 1.8 percentage points to 9.4% for the first half of FY21.

    Management are confident that it can do even more things to delight its customers. Growth has continued in January 2021, with gross sales rising by 45% year on year. Gross profit grew 102% year on year, with adjusted EBITDA going up 90%.

    According to Commsec, the Kogan.com share price is trading at 19x FY23’s estimated earnings, at the current price of $13.36.

    Bubs Australia Ltd (ASX: BUB)

    The Bubs share price is close to a 6-month low despite the goat milk infant formula business recently telling the market about a rebound in demand in the second quarter of FY21.

    The ASX share said in its FY21 half-year result release that it’s now the number one goat formula brand in Chemist Warehouse and number two in both Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL). Bubs organic infant formula is now the number two organic formula brand in the two biggest Australian grocery retailers and the country’s leading pharmacy.

    Bubs also said that there was “strong” consumer offtake sales for Bubs goat formula on Alibaba Tmall Global, up 121% over the prior corresponding period.

    China direct export gross revenue of Bubs goat infant formula increased by 36%. Export gross revenue outside of China increased 44% year on year. Management are expecting sales momentum to continue across south east Asian markets.

    Whilst there was a significant disruption to the daigou channel over the last 12 months, Bubs saw quarter on quarter growth of 36% between the first quarter and second quarter of FY21.

    Despite all of the COVID-19 disruption to the ASX share’s most profitable channel routes, Bubs’ goat formula product margin was consistent at 34%.

    Bubs executive Chair Dennis Lin said:

    We can say that we can expect to achieve modest half on half gross revenue growth in the second half of FY21. We are confident we are well placed with strong foundations, brand share growth and a robust balance sheet to go forward with a sustainable and profitable expansion strategy to emerge as lead challenger brand once the crisis subsides and market dynamics stabilise.

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    Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of BUBS AUST FPO and Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET and Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BUBS AUST FPO and Kogan.com 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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  • Could this be why the Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price lost all its gains today?

    falling asx share price represented by business man wearing box on his head with a sad, crying face on it

    Today was meant to herald a sigh of relief for the Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price after a sharp 12% decline this week.

    The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQ: .IXIC) finished 3.69% higher overnight and United States buy now pay later (BNPL) giant, Affirm Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: AFRM) also rebounded 7.20% higher. 

    Despite the Zip share price opening as much as 6% higher today, its shares are now down nearly 3% at the time of writing. This compares to the Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price which is still trading around 7% higher. A sell rating released by UBS today could be to blame. 

    UBS downgrades Zip share price from neutral to sell 

    UBS noted that Zip’s growth had surpassed Afterpay in the first half and remained positive about the company’s short-term growth potential. 

    Despite the positives, the broker was concerned about Zip’s significant execution risks and mounting capital requirements.

    The broker could be pointing to the fact that Zip had only launched in the United Kingdom in December 2020, some two years behind rival Afterpay. It could also be highlighting differences such as Afterpay’s pending regulatory approval to launch into Spain, France and Italy, compared to Zip’s two minority investments in BNPL players in Eastern Europe and the United Arab Emirates. 

    Zip currently finances its growth in customer receivables via its asset-backed securitisation program. The company is likely to require additional external funding to support receivables growth. 

    UBS highlighted that higher bond rates could also affect the cost of funding and the company’s valuation. In Zip’s half-year results, the company noted that the weighted average interest rate on loans outstanding at 31 December 2020 was 3.9% compared to 3.7% at 30 June 2020. Benchmark US bond yields were sitting at the 0.90% levels in December 2020 compared to the 0.70% levels in June 2020.

    PayPal to launch BNPL in Australia 

    In other news that could be dragging on the Zip share price, PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) has announced it will be bringing its successful ‘Pay in 4’ BNPL product to Australia in the coming months. This comes after its launch in the US late last year. 

    Some other ASX-listed BNPL shares have also given back gains today including Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL), Openpay Group Ltd (ASX: OPY) and Laybuy Holdings Ltd (ASX: LBY)

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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 ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Sezzle Inc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sezzle Inc. 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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  • Could the CSL (ASX:CSL) share price get back on track in 2021?

    Healthcare shares

    The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price has underperformed the market since the initial COVID-19 sell-off in March 2020. After such a prolonged period of underperformance, Citi thinks the CSL share price could get back on track. 

    Strong earnings but plasma collections weigh on CSL share price 

    CSL announced a strong half-year report for the six months ended 31 December with group revenue up 16.9% on the prior corresponding period to US$5,739 million. A strong uplift in margins drove its 45% surge in net profit after tax to US$1,810 million. 

    At face value, the company’s results appear very strong and above CSL’s historic mid-teens growth. However, the company did acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic had tempered CSL Behring’s performance whilst boosting the performance of Seqirus. 

    Plasma collections are an essential raw material used in the production of many of the company’s therapies. Plasma collection centres and manufacturing facilities are classified as an essential service and remained operational during the pandemic. Despite being open, the company noted in its half-year results that “our plasma collections have been adversely affected during the pandemic”. The company reported that collections volumes in December 2020 were ~80% of December 2019 volumes. 

    The company has taken several initiatives to improve plasma collections. This includes enhanced targeted marketing initiatives to increase collections, roll out of COVID-19 vaccine to increase social mobility and targeting an additional 12 new centres to be opened in 1H21. 

    Citi sees upside to the CSL share price

    Citi believes that the current decline in plasma collections is likely to stabilise after the US’s COVID vaccine rollout. 

    The US has also experienced a significant decline in new daily COVID cases. Its new daily cases surged from an average of 50,000 cases per day in October 2020 to a peak of more than 300,000 cases in January 2021. As of 8 March, the US reported 98,000 cases with a 7-day average of 64,700. 

    Citi left its CSL share price target unchanged at $310 with the assumption that plasma donations are back to normal by July 2020. CSL noted that as plasma volumes recover, the cost per litre of plasma reduces, leading to better margins. 

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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 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.

    The post Could the CSL (ASX:CSL) share price get back on track in 2021? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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