Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can be an effective way to get diversification and exposure to a particular theme.

Some of them look to largely track an entire stock market such as Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) and iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV).

These two options have produced strong returns and offer diversification:

VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

The purpose of this ETF is to give investors exposure to a diversified portfolio of attractively priced US companies with sustainable competitive advantages according to Morningstar’s equity research team.

Targets companies have to be trading at attractive prices relative to Morningstar’s estimate of fair value. There is a focus on quality U.S. companies Morningstar believes possess sustainable competitive advantages, or “wide economic moats”.

At the end of December 2020 VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF had 50 holdings. The largest positions were: John Wiley & Sons, Charles Schwab, Corteva, US Bancorp, Wells Fargo, Constellation Brands, Bank of America, Boeing, Yum! Brands, Cheniere Energy, Zimmer Biomet, Raytheon Technologies, Medtronic, Berkshire Hathaway, Compass Minerals International, Aspen Technology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Philip Morris, Amazon and Intel.

As the name suggests, all of the businesses in this ETF are listed in the US. However, the underlying earnings are generated from many different countries. For example, Amazon has a huge presence in Europe and it’s growing in Australia too.

In terms of sector diversification, there are five industries that have a weighting of more than 10%: information technology (22.2%), healthcare (18.2%), financials (17.1%), industrials (11.3%) and consumer staples (10.1%).

VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF has annual management costs of 0.49% per annum. It has made average net returns of 16% per annum over the last five years, outperforming the return of the S&P 500. The ETF isn’t that old, so looking at the returns of the index that the ETF tracks, the index has returned an average of 19.3% per annum over the last 10 years.

Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

This ETF is about providing investors access to 100 of the largest businesses on the NASDAQ, which has a heavy tech influence.

Indeed, many of the western world’s biggest technology businesses are listed on the NASDAQ.

You may recognise all of Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF’s largest 10 holdings: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Tesla, Facebook, Nvidia, PayPal, Adobe and Netflix.

There are plenty of quality technology names in the ETF like Intel, Broadcom, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices, Intuit, Intuitive Surgical, Zoom and so on.

However, this isn’t purely a ‘tech’ ETF, it’s just the largest businesses on the NASDAQ, so there are some quality non-tech names within such as Costco, Mondelez International and Gilead Sciences. However, almost half of the ETF is officially classified as IT and others within it are largely tech but not classified as IT (for example Alphabet, which includes Google, is classified as ‘communication services’).

Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF has an annual management fee of 0.48% per annum. The returns of this ETF over the shorter-term and long-term have outperformed the ASX. Over the past year its net return has been 34.4%, over the past three years it has delivered average returns per annum of 26.2% and since inception in May 2015 the ETF has returned an average of 21.7% per annum.

BetaShares says that with its strong focus on technology, Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF provides diversified exposure to a high-growth potential sector that is under-represented in the Australian share market.

More reading

• Got money to invest? Here are 3 ASX shares to buy
• 2 fantastic ETFs to buy in 2021
• 2 fantastic ETFs for ASX investors to buy
• 2 outstanding ETFs for ASX investors to buy
• Got cash to invest? Here are 3 ASX shares to buy

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 BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. 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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I tend to believe that no one knows the inner workings of a company better than the people who are in it. For that reason, it is interesting to take note from time to time of which ASX shares are being bought, and sold for that matter, by company insiders.

Insider buying can be perceived as a vote of confidence in the company. It doesn’t, however, mean that the shares are an obvious buy: The future is unpredictable, no matter who you are. A company outlook can be bright one day and gloomy the next. But insider buying and selling information can be used in conjunction with other resources to build your own notion about a particular company.

On that note, here are some ASX shares that have seen insider buying over the last few months.

3 ASX shares being bought by insiders

Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK)

The furniture retailer shows a purchase of shares on 2 November by non-executive director William Koeck. Based on the available information, Mr Koeck acquired 5,900 shares at a price of $8.36, totaling $49,324.

As it turned out, the Nick Scali share price dipped to $7.97 on 10 November, before rallying to the current price of $10.51 at the time of writing.

Nick Scali shares have returned 54.12% over the last 12 months.

Tassal Group Limited (ASX: TGR)

The Tasmanian salmon and prawn producer released several ‘change of directors’ interest’ notices during December. These pertained to three instances where the non-executive director, John Watson, purchased shares in the group.

Mr Watson purchased 30,000 Tassal shares, for a combined considered value of $103,171, across the three transactions. The price paid for these shares ranged between $3.32 and $3.51. Shares in Tassal Group are $3.39 at the time of writing.

The Tassal share price has fallen 19.86% over the last 12 months.

Superloop Ltd (ASX: SLC)

Telecommunications infrastructure small-cap Superloop updated the market on 21 October regarding an insider transaction. The founder and former CEO, now non-executive chairman, Bevan Slattery acquired a further 308,385 shares at 89 cents per share. The current Superloop share price now sits at $1.07.

The recent transaction takes Mr Slattery’s stake in the company to 17.58% of shares on offer.

Superloop shares have returned 16.3% over the last 12 months.

More reading

• ASX 200 falls on Tuesday
• Investors caught in crossfire as ASX retailers battle ASX property stocks in 2021
• Why BHP, Cann, Nick Scali, & Ramelius shares are pushing higher
• Why the Nick Scali (ASX:NCK) share price just hit a new, all-time high
• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX

Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Tassal Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of SUPERLOOP FPO. 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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It looks set to be a great day of trade for Australian energy producers such as Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT), Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH), Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) after oil prices surged higher overnight.

This follows the release of a surprise announcement by the world’s second largest oil producer, Saudi Arabia.

What happened?

Oil prices surged higher overnight after Saudi Arabia unexpectedly announced that it would cut its production by approximately 1 million barrels a day.

According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 5.1% to US$50.06 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has stormed 5.1% higher to US$53.70 a barrel. This is the first time that the WTI crude oil price has been above US$50 a barrel since February 2020.

On Tuesday, OPEC and its oil-producing allies, known as OPEC+, agreed to hold their output largely steady in February. Just Russia and Kazakhstan revealed plans to add a combined 75,000 barrels per day to the market in both February and March.

However, according to CNBC, after the meeting, Saudi Arabia held a press conference and announced its surprise production cut for February and March.

Again Capital’s John Kilduff believes that lockdowns may have spooked OPEC and Saudi Arabia, leading to this action.

He said: “WTI oil prices have climbed above $50, for a time, today, on an increasingly likely surprise move by OPEC+ to cut production next month, rather than raising it. The renewed lockdowns in the U.K. Europe has spooked the group.”

Though, not everyone is seeing this production cut news as a positive. CIBC Private Wealth’s senior energy trader, Rebecca Babin, suspects that Saudi Arabia stepped in after failing to get an agreement with the rest of OPEC+. She fears this unwillingness to work together may ultimately be seen as a negative and cause oil prices to pullback.

Babin told CNBC: “I view this type of an ‘agreement’ as an indication that it is getting harder to get OPEC+ members in line and keep production constrained while demand looks threatened by ongoing lockdowns and slow vaccination roll out. WTI traded briefly above $50 following the headlines, but I suspect a more negative interpretation of today’s meeting may cause crude to fail at $50.”

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Why the Santos (ASX:STO) share price is dropping lower
• Why ASX energy stocks are set to be among the worst performers on the ASX today
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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 interest rates at record lows and likely to remain at these levels for some time, it is very difficult for income investors to earn a sufficient income from traditional interest-bearing assets.

The good news is that the Australian share market has come to the rescue with a large number of dividend shares offering attractive yields.

Two ASX dividend shares that are popular with investors are listed below:

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

Accent is a leading footwear-focused retailer which owns a number of very popular retail store brands. It also has a thriving online business that has been performing exceptionally well during the pandemic.

A recent trading update reveals that its like for like sales were up 15.7% during the first 20 weeks of FY 2021 (excluding its Auckland and Victorian stores). The company also revealed that its online sales were up 129% over the period.

Accent isn’t resting on its laurels and appears to be wanting to dominate the local market. So much so, it has just launched two new store brands, Australian Stylerunner and Pivot. This is part of its store expansion plan which is aiming to add approximately 80 new stores in FY 2021.

Analysts at Citi are forecasting a 7.5 cents per share dividend from Accent in FY 2021. Based on the current Accent share price, this represents a 3.2% dividend yield.

BWP Trust (ASX: BWP)

The second dividend share to look at today is BWP Trust. It is the owner of 68 Bunnings Warehouse sites across Australia.

Thanks to the strength of the hardware giant’s business, BWP was able to collect its rent largely as normal during the pandemic. Combined with an increase in the fair value of its assets, this led to the company reporting an impressive 24.4% increase in full year profit to $210.6 million in FY 2020.

This positive form meant that BWP was one of the only companies in the real estate sector to grow its dividend in FY 2020. It paid an 18.29 cents per unit distribution to shareholders and advised that a similar distribution is expected this year. Based on the current BWP share price, this represents a 4.1% yield for investors.

More reading

• 2 quality ASX dividend shares to buy next week
• 2 ASX dividend shares with 4%+ yields
• Smash term deposits with these ASX dividend shares
• Why did the Accent (ASX:AX1) share price defy the odds in 2020?
• ASX 200 down 0.8%: Big four banks and tech shares drag the market lower

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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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On Tuesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) recovered from some early weakness to finish the day mostly flat. The benchmark index fell 2.3 points to 6,681.9 points.

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

ASX 200 expected to edge higher.

The Australian share market looks set to edge higher on Wednesday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to open the day 3 points higher this morning. This follows a better night of trade on Wall Street. In late trade the Dow Jones is up 0.7%, the S&P 500 is up 0.7%, and the Nasdaq has risen 0.8%.

Oil prices jump.

It looks set to be a great day for energy producers such as Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) after oil prices jumped higher. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 5.1% to US$50.06 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has stormed 5.1% higher to US$53.70 a barrel. This follows news that Saudi Arabia will cut production by 1 million barrels a day.

Zip AsiaPay partnership.

The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price will be on watch after it signed a partnership with AsiaPay in the Australian market. AsiaPay is the leading digital payment service and technology player in Asia. The deal will see AsiaPay offer merchants in Australia the ability to accept digital mobile wallet payment via Zip, with a simple, secure, and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient.

Gold price rises again.

Gold miners such as Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) could be on the rise again after the gold price pushed higher again. According to CNBC, the spot gold price has risen 0.35% to US$1,953.70 an ounce. A weaker US dollar helped drive the precious metal higher.

Australian dollar jumps.

The Australian dollar is jumping higher again after the US dollar weakened further overnight. At the time of writing, the Australian dollar is up 1.3% to 77.7 U.S. cents. This could be good news for importers, but a headwind for companies that generate a lot of revenue in US dollars. The latter includes Appen Limited (ASX: APX) and Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE).

More reading

• 2 ASX tech shares to buy in January
• ASX 200 falls on Tuesday
• Citi sees bigger takeover offer coming for Coca-Cola Amatil (ASX:CCL) share price
• Investors caught in crossfire as ASX retailers battle ASX property stocks in 2021
• Why Dacian Gold, Lovisa, MyFiziq, & Zip shares are dropping lower

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 Appen Ltd and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Treasury Wine Estates 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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The Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) share price has had a solid run in the last 6 months, rising by 35%. This comes after the investment manager lost almost a third of its value in March, when the Challenger share price fell by as much as 65%.

Let’s take a look at the company’s prospects and the challenges it may face this year.

First, what’s been driving the Challenger share price?

Challenger has two main businesses – the annuities business through Challenger Life, and funds management business consisting of Fidante Partners and Challenger Investment Partners.

Challenger Life’s sales amount to roughly 90% of yearly annuity sales in Australia, while its investment fund products are represented on platforms used by more than 70% of Australia’s financial advisors.

The Challenger share price has staged a significant comeback in the second-half of 2020, since plummeting to its 52-week low of $2.82 in March.

In its update for the quarter ending September 2020, the company revealed that assets under management (AUM) for its annuity business increased 4% for the quarter to $89 billion.

In the latest earnings update announced last week, the company also reported that it expected normalised net profit after tax (NPAT) to be within its guidance range of $390 million to $440 million.

Challenges and tailwinds in 2021

The company is still recovering from the disruption to its financial advisor distribution channel due to the Financial Services Royal Commission, historic low interest rates, as well as COVID-19 impacts.

The annuity business in particular, has seen massive pressure from low interest rates, which are likely to stay low for the foreseeable future. Low interest rates normally discourage investors from buying into annuities.

It also faces continuing market risk management challenges in the annuity business. The annuities portfolio has an inherent mismatch risk in that its liabilities are fixed, while its investments are subject to volatile market movements such as the one we saw in 2020. This could impair its obligations to pay to annuitants, considering returns are guaranteed.

However, a strong tailwind might be coming its way in the form a regulatory change. 

The Australian Government is in the process of formulating the comprehensive income product for retirement (CIPR) laws, which will require super fund trustees to develop a retirement product with a stable and regular income stream. This will come into law on 1 July 2022, and will bode well for Challenger’s annuities business.

The company has also said that its focus in 2021 is to capture an increasing portion of the $70 billion in funds shifting into the Australian post-retirement segment each year.

To achieve this, the company said it will focus on expanding its distribution channels that were less scathed by the Royal Commission; such as independent advisors, specialty platforms, as well as expanding overseas.

As an example, it has partnered with MS Primary to sell AUD-denominated and USD-denominated annuities into Japan.

About the Challenger share price

As mentioned, the Challenger share price has gained 35% over the last 6 months, but is down 25% for the year. 

The direction of its share price heading into 2021 may depend on how well it can manage its portfolio through the volatile market. And whether it can execute its expansion platform to reach more investors.

The Challenger share price was down 2.93% at $6.29 at close of trade today.

More reading

• These were the best performers on the ASX 200 last week
• ASX 200 ends 0.7% higher
• Why the Challenger (ASX:CGF) share price is one to watch today
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• How to protect your super fund when you’re approaching retirement

Motley Fool contributor Eddy Sunarto has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Challenger 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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It is worth remembering that all companies start somewhere and don’t become blue chips overnight.

Two ASX shares that are at the start of their journeys and growing fast are listed below. Here’s what has investors watching them closely:

Damstra Holdings Ltd (ASX: DTC)

Damstra is a growing integrated workplace management solutions provider. Its cloud-based workplace management platform is used by businesses across numerous industries to track, manage, and protect their workers and assets.

The company also offers solutions which are proving very appropriate in the current COVID climate such as fever detection and mobility tracking. Management isn’t resting on its laurels, though. It recently strengthened its product portfolio with the acquisition of Vault Intelligence. It provides solutions which combine health, safety, compliance, and risk management. 

Demand for Damstra’s offering has been growing strongly in FY 2021. This led to the company reporting first quarter revenue of $5.2 million, up 34% on the prior corresponding period. Its cash receipts grew even quicker and were up 61% on the prior corresponding period to $7.1 million.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley were pleased with its first quarter performance and reiterated their overweight rating and $2.00 price target.

Whispir (ASX: WSP)

Another growing small cap share is Whispir. It is a software-as-a-service communications workflow platform provider which automates communications between businesses and their workers and customers.

It was a very strong performer in FY 2020. For the 12 months ended 30 June 2020, it posted a 25.5% increase in revenue to $39.1 million and annualised recurring revenue (ARR) growth of 34% to $42.2 million. Pleasingly, its positive form has continued in FY 2021, with the company’s ARR lifting to $43.7 million at the end of September.

The good news for the company and its shareholders is that Whispir still has a significant runway for growth over the next decade.

Management currently estimates that the Workflow Communications platform as a Service market will be worth US$8 billion per year by 2024. This means it currently only has a ~0.5% slice of this market.

More reading

• 2 exciting ASX mid cap tech shares to buy in 2021
• 3 ASX shares to buy for 2021 and beyond
• 3 small cap ASX shares that could have a big 2021
• 5 exciting small cap ASX shares to watch in 2021
• 2 exciting small cap ASX tech shares to buy

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 Damstra Holdings Ltd and Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Damstra Holdings Ltd and Whispir 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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Douugh Ltd (ASX: DOU) is reportedly set to announce it will acquire Australian ethical investing app Goodments.

The fintech, which listed on the ASX in October, returned 467% to be crowned the best-performing initial public offer stock of 2020.

The shares sold for 3 cents during the IPO but last traded for 17 cents, after flying as high as 49 cents.

However, the rollercoaster ride for investors came to an abrupt pause on 21 December when the company put a trading halt on its shares. It has since extended the suspension 3 times, making everyone a bit nervous.

The trading halt, Douugh had stated, was regarding the acquisition of an undisclosed company and an enquiry from the ASX.

Now with the shares still suspended, the Australian Financial Review has revealed startup Goodments is Douugh’s acquisition target.

Goodments is a share trading app that allows users to only invest in ethical companies aligned with the user’s personal priorities.

A share trading app for the new generation

The app’s co-founder Tom Culver told the author back in 2017 that the despair he felt about the Tony Abbott federal government convinced him there was a need for such a platform.

“I realised that governments don’t see themselves accountable for the future of our planet and actually it’s corporations who are the most incentivised to behave more sustainably,” he told Business Insider.

The startup then went through the famous H2 Ventures accelerator program, targeting millennials.

Douugh has had a controversial 3 months on the ASX. While its soaring share price has made IPO investors very happy, the uncertainty of its long-term business has seen the value violently fluctuate.

The company scored a major win back in November, revealing a partnership with Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM). But it also raised an unannounced $12 million soon after the IPO, which raised questions from the ASX.

The company has also so far refused to divulge customer numbers.

Douugh shares will remain in a trading halt until Friday, unless it is ready to reveal the news earlier.

More reading

• What is happening with the Douugh (ASX:DOU) share price?
• These were the best-performing ASX IPOs in 2020
• Here are 6 of the top performing ASX fintech shares of 2020
• Experts pick the best ASX IPO of 2020
• You might have missed these top performing ASX IPOs of 2020  

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Humm Group 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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The tech sector was on form again last year and outperformed the market average. Given the quality on offer in the sector, I don’t think this is surprising.

Whether or not this positive trend will continue in 2021, only time will tell. But two tech shares that have been tipped as potential market beaters are listed below. Here’s why they could be in the buy zone:

Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

The first tech share to look at is Appen. It is the global leader in the development of high-quality, human annotated datasets for machine learning and artificial intelligence. As these markets are growing rapidly in size and importance, demand for its services is expected to increase very strongly in the coming years. 

And while the pandemic is putting a dampener on things in FY 2021, management appears confident that demand will accelerate once the crisis passes and its strong form will resume.

According to a recent note out of Citi, its analysts have a buy rating and $32.60 price target on the company’s shares. This compares to the latest Appen share price of $24.91. The broker remains very positive on its long term growth prospects and appears to believe its recent share price weakness is a buying opportunity.

Jumbo Interactive (ASX: JIN)

Another tech share to consider is Jumbo Interactive. It is an online lottery ticket seller and best-known as the operator of the Oz Lotteries website.

While the Oz Lotteries website is easily the biggest contributor of revenue at present, this looks set to change in the future. This is due to the company’s Powered by Jumbo SaaS business, which is expected to be the key driver of growth over the 2020s.

Management notes that this business is in a strong position to benefit from the shift online of lotteries globally. It estimates that it has a US$303 billion global total addressable market, with just 7% of this market online at the moment.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs are positive on the company. The broker has an overweight rating and $14.50 price target on the company’s shares.

More reading

• ASX 200 up 0.8%: CBA storms higher, Link sinks, tech shares rise
• Fundie names 5 ASX shares with good growth prospects
• 4 of the best ASX shares to buy in 2021
• Here’s how the S&P/ASX All Technology Index fared in 2020
• 2 explosive ASX growth shares to buy for 2021

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 Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Jumbo Interactive Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Jumbo Interactive 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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The IMEXHS Ltd (ASX: IME) share price soared today following a positive sales update for its Aquila in the Cloud product.

At the time of writing, the company is trading 6.94% higher at $1.85 per share.

What did IMEXHS announce?

The IMEXHS share price is outperforming the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) today.

According to its release, IMEXHS advised that its standardised radiology solution, Aquila in the Cloud, has ended the year on a strong note.

For the period ending 31 December 2020, the company’s product saw a total of 41 contracts signed. This is expected to translate to more than $945,000 in annual recurring revenue (ARR) for the company.

Launched last May, Aquila in the Cloud is an affordable and accessible product that improves patient outcomes in imaging diagnosis and treatment.

Hosted within Microsoft Azure, healthcare providers pay a connection and establishment fee for the software service. This allows access to the advanced imaging tools on a fee per study basis, helping to reduce overall costs.

IMEXHS customers include small-to medium-sized customers across 11 markets including the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Columbia.

Management commentary

IMEXHS co-founder and CEO Dr German Arango commented on the result:

The strong demand we are experiencing in multiple markets for Aquila in the Cloud reflects the gap which exists for a low-cost radiology solution that meets the needs of small to mid-size operators. Our affordable product offering provides us with a unique opportunity to democratise access to medical imaging which is currently not available to around two-thirds of the world’s population. At IMEXHS, we firmly believe that Aquila in the Cloud represents an important step forward to improving the health outcomes of communities across the globe.

About the IMEXHS share price

The IMEXHS share price has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past 12 months. The company’s shares reached a high of $2.55 last January, before falling to a multi-year low of 75 cents in March.

Based on the current IMEXHS share price, the company commands a market capitalisation of around $51 million.

More reading

• Why the DroneShield (ASX:DRO) share price is surging higher
• Here are the best All Ordinaries performers of 2020
• How does fiscal stimulus impact ASX share prices?
• Why the New Energy Solar (ASX:NEW) share price is climbing higher today
• As we bid farewell to 2020, don’t miss this lesson…

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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