• The Singular Health (ASX:SHG) share price launched 27% higher today

    Two children and a dog get set to launch one rocketing higher, indicating a new company about to IPO in the ASX share market

    The Singular Health Group Ltd (ASX: SHG) share price took flight today, increasing by 27.2% to 51.5 cents a share. However, the recently listed medical imaging technology company had no news out today.

    Singular Health has gained a spot on plenty of watchlists over the last couple of weeks. It might be worth recapping what all the fuss is about.

    What does Singular Health offer?

    The proprietary technology developed by Singular Health enables the viewing of a 3D image, which is compiled of 2D medical images. More specifically, this technology is the company’s volumetric rendering platform.

    Singular Health notes that this technology provides immersive viewing across a range of medical applications. Such applications include orthodontics, maxilla-facial surgery, oncology, general surgery, and orthopedics.

    In addition to this, MedVR is Singular Health’s product which allows the viewing of scans through an interactive virtual reality experience.

    The company derives its revenue from both initial hardware sales and subscription payments on an on-going basis for the use of software, commonly referred to a software-as-a-service (SaaS).

    Recent Singular Health developments affecting the share price

    With Singular Health being a small and upcoming player in a fairly competitive space, shareholders would be looking for progress. On Monday, shareholders got exactly that. The company announced that it had received a purchase order totalling $170,000 for development of GeoVR software.

    The order was received from FlowCentric Technologies, with which Singular Health is also in the process of finalising a joint venture. The purchase order will enable FlowCentric to conduct a pilot program using Singular Health’s GeoVR software.

    You might be thinking, well this a world away from medical imaging. And you’d be correct. But the volumetric rendering technology developed by Singular Health spans multiple use cases. In this instance, it will be used to develop a commercially viable product that utilises imaging and predictive technologies for mining and exploration.

    FlowCentric currently services over 350,000 users with its business process management software. These include a number of global resource companies.

    For further progress on the medical imaging front, shareholders will have to wait a little longer to see that play out.

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  • What on earth happened with the Payright (ASX:PYR) share price today?

    Man thinking and scratching his beard as if asking whether the altium share price is a good buy

    The Payright Ltd (ASX: PYR) share price certainly had a rather strange day today. Payright shares opened at 97 cents this morning after closing at 96 cents a share yesterday.

    But soon after open, investors lit a rocket under the Payright share price, pushing it up to a high of $1.06 (a 10.43% rise). However, the share price subsequently cooled off, but still ended the day at $1.02 a share. That’s a rise of 5.73%.

    Since we’re in the middle of the ASX earnings season, you might assume that this sharp bump might be due to Payright reporting its financial results. But you’d be wrong. 

    The company last gave a market update on its business back on 15 January. And that was a quarterly business update. Indeed, there has been no major news out of this company since 3 February. That was when Payright detailed a loan facility that the company has entered into.

    So what’s going on?

    Well, it’s not exactly clear. Payright is an ASX buy now, pay later (BNPL) company. It provides higher-value BNPL services on the more expensive products that the ‘mainstream’ BNPL providers like Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) don’t cover.

    It’s been growing at a healthy pace to be sure. Back in that quarterly update in January, Payright told investors that its gross merchandise value came in at $20.6 million, which was up 28% on the prior quarter. It also grew its customer base by 13% over the same period.

    But the markets already knew that.

    Could today’s lift be put down to speculation? That wouldn’t be a new scene that Payright investors. Just last week, the company got a ‘speeding ticket’ from the ASX after its shares raced 32% higher in one day, for no apparent reason at all. We saw a similar phenomenon occur in other ASX fintech and BNPL companies. That included Zip Co, as well as Novatti Group Ltd (ASX: NOV) and Douugh Ltd (ASX: DOU).

    About the Payright share price

    At today’s close, the Payright share price gives the company a market capitalisation of $90.44 million. Although the shares have given investors a lot of substantial gains over the past week or so, the current share price is actually the same as the price that Payright IPOed at back in December.

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  • NEXTDC (ASX:NXT) share price on watch after strong half and guidance upgrade

    nextdc share price

    All eyes will be on the NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) share price on Thursday.

    This afternoon the data centre operator released its half year results following the market close.

    How did NEXTDC perform in the first half?

    NEXTDC was a very strong performer during the first half thanks to the accelerating shift to the cloud. This has led to a sharp increase in demand for capacity at its data centres.

    For the six months ended 31 December, NEXTDC reported a 27% increase in data centre services revenue to a record $121.6 million.

    This was underpinned by a 33% lift in contracted utilisation to 71MW, a 16% lift in customers, and a 16% rise in interconnections.

    In respect to earnings, NEXTDC delivered a 29% increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to $65.7 million.

    Also growing very strongly was its operating cash flow, which increased 219% over the prior corresponding period to $64.1 million.

    This left NEXTDC with liquidity of $1.8 billion at the end of the period.

    Management commentary

    NEXTDC’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Craig Scroggie, was very pleased with the half.

    He commented: “We are pleased to deliver another record result in 1H21, against a more difficult economic backdrop due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Despite lockdowns and travel restrictions the Company delivered its largest historical contracted build capacity for customers in 1H21.”

    “Whilst COVID-19 has presented headwinds for many globally, it continues to be a positive catalyst for digital services and technology providers supported by our data centre platform.”

    Guidance upgrade

    This strong first half and the favourable trading conditions has led to NEXTDC upgrading its guidance for FY 2021. This could be a big positive for the NEXTDC share price tomorrow.

    Based on current billing and contracted utilisation levels, as well as expected new customer contracts, the company now expects full year data centre services revenue in the range of $246 million to $251 million. This compares to previous guidance of $242 million to $250 million.

    Whereas underlying EBITDA is now forecast to be in the range of $130 million to $133 million. This is an increase from its previous guidance of $125 million to $130 million. It will also be a 19.5% to 24.3% increase on FY 2020’s underlying EBITDA.

    NEXTDC’s capital expenditure guidance remains unchanged at $380 million to $400 million.

    Mr Scroggie concluded: “During 1H21 we delivered our largest construction and development backlog of sold capacity to customers on time, on budget, giving us a high degree of confidence for a full year revenue and EBITDA upgrade. Second half sales in FY21 have already exceeded our expectations and we expect further strong demand for our premium data centre services into FY22.“

    The NEXTDC share price is up 46% over the last 12 months. Shareholders will be hoping this strong result drives it even higher tomorrow.

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  • Why the Autosports (ASX:ASG) share price tumbled 7% today

    Carsales

    The Autosports Group Ltd (ASX: ASG) share price finished 7.3% down for the day at the closing bell. Early in trade, the automotive dealership owner provided its half-year results to the market.

    It appears expectations were higher than what was delivered. The Autosports share price declined throughout the day, closing at $1.90.

    What was moving the Autosports share price today?

    It’s good, but concerns linger

    Following a crippling crunch during the peak of COVID-19 shutdowns, Autosports had regathered itself with new-found demand. Due to the implications of the pandemic, people were concerned about public transparent, and others developed a desire to travel locally. These catalysts help lift the car market overall.

    According to Vfacts data, December 2020 witnessed a growth of 13.5% in new car sales compared to December 2019.

    All of these indicators point towards a great tailwind for Autosports, and so the share price ran to multi-year highs. Yesterday marked a new 52-week high for the share price, at $2.05. Hence, all this exuberance came with high expectations.

    So, the results are in – total revenue grew by 7.8% to $903.7 million. This is despite a $48 million impact due to lockdowns in Victoria. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) pleasantly increased by 50.4% to $56.2 million. New vehicle sales outperformed used vehicle sales, with an increase of 22.3% compared to a decrease of 7%.

    Flowing through to a bottom-line net profit after tax (NPAT) of $16 million. Autosports NPAT was a significant improvement on the $49.9 million loss in the prior period.

    As a result of the profit, Autosports declared a dividend of 2 cents per share payable to shareholders.

    Shareholders might remain concerned about the 4 dealerships and 2 collision repair sites generating 14% of ASG’s revenues being impacted. Lockdowns have resulted in a 30% reduction in revenues in Victoria compared to the prior period.

    Supply and demand rebalancing?

    The growth in revenue has largely been a story of supply and demand for many car dealerships. Demand had lifted due to the circumstances, and supply had been capped due to logistics being impacted.

    Shareholders may be asking the question then, what happens when the demand returns to historical averages and supply chains get back on track. It’s a warranted question considering the vaccine rollouts and the promise of a ‘normal’ to return once more.

    For now, Autosports has advised that January trading has been above expectations. However, revenue growth will be constrained by new vehicle supply.

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  • Allegra (ASX:AMT) share price lifts 6% after reporting loss

    healthcare asx share price rise represented by happy doctor

    The Allegra Orthopaedics Ltd (ASX: AMT) share price lifted 6.45% today, finishing the trading session at 33 cents a share.

    Allegra researches, develops and manufactures medical devices including prosthetic implant tools.

    Here’s a summary of the half-year results that led to today’s gain.

    Allegra reports loss and share price goes up

    In the results, the company advised that revenues from ordinary activities fell 1.6% to $2.3 million during the first half of FY21.

    Allegra attributed this loss to travel restrictions and a higher appointment cancellation rate brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

    That said, commissions revenue was up for 1H FY21 coming in at $97,378 compared to the 1H FY20 earnings of $45,487. That’s a 114% jump.

    Revenue from the sale of goods was 4% lower at $2.2 million.

    Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) zoomed up 122%, landing at $129,499 for the period. This compares to a loss of $582,293 for the previous corresponding period. 

    The company’s basic earnings per share (EPS) was negative 11 cents per share for the 1H FY21 period. EPS was negative 82 cents a share for 1H FY20.

    At the end of 1H FY21, Allegra held $273,767 in cash and cash equivalents. This isn’t far off the $287,878 held at the end of 1H FY20.

    Device update

    The company also advised today that the revised design of its Sr-HT-Gahnite spinal cage device had been well received. Results from an accredited US testing facility put the new cage design “above the 95th percentile for published data on FDA approved cages”.

    The revised design also successfully passed testing that involved dynamic torsion and dynamic compression shear tests applied to the spinal cage. The company believes these results confirmed the effectiveness of the new design.

    Allegra continues to progress toward US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to conduct a large animal study applying its updated technology.

    Snapshot of the Allegra share price

    The Allegra share price has soared 200% higher over the past year. However, year-to-date, it has dropped 11.4%.

    The company’s market capitalisation is $32.4 million and there are presently 104.5 million shares outstanding.

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  • Catapult (ASX:CAT) share price in focus following half year results

    catapult share price

    The Catapult Group International Ltd (ASX: CAT) share price was out of form on Wednesday and tumbled lower.

    The sports analytics and wearables company’s shares fell 4.5% to end the day at $1.70.

    Investors will be hoping for better from the Catapult share price tomorrow following the release of its half year result after the market close.

    How did Catapult perform in the first half?

    For the six months ended 31 December, Catapult reported a 4% reduction in revenue to US$33.3 million. This decline was driven by challenges in closing new business due to COVID-19 and its decision to prioritise high-margin subscription sales over capital sales.

    In respect to the latter, Catapult’s subscription revenue business model was resilient, declining just 1.5%. It now accounts for 78.5% of total revenue. Management notes that the small decline was attributable to the fall in demand for content licensing due to COVID-19, and two one-time deals recorded last year.

    Positively, recurring subscription revenue across the company actually rose during the half. At the end of the period, the company’s annualised contract value (ACV) metric had grown 8.3% to US$44.5 million. This was driven by an increase in ACV across short-, medium-, and long-term customers. Catapult also reported a reduction in ACV churn to 4.5%. This was despite the severe COVID-19 challenges

    Pleasingly, the company’s free cash flow was positive at US$8.8 million. This left it with a cash balance of US$$24.6 million and no debt.

    Management commentary

    Catapult’s CEO, Will Lopes, was pleased with the half. He commented:

     “Our goals during this unprecedented period were to prioritise high-margin subscription sales over capital sales, drive multi-solutions adoption among our existing customers, keep churn low, generate cash, and continue to improve the position of Catapult for growth when this pandemic is behind us. We feel, despite this difficult climate, we delivered on these objectives very well.”

    “I am also very pleased to have seen how essential our solutions were to our customers. Despite the difficult period for our customers with slashed budgets and staff retrenchments, our ACV retention was the best we have ever seen. These results continue to demonstrate how resilient our business is and I am very bullish that we are well positioned to return to accelerating growth when this pandemic is behind us.”

    Outlook

    No guidance has been given for the remainder of the year. However, management appears positive on its prospects. It commented:

    “The Company believes, that with a vaccine being rolled out and the industry’s hard lessons learnt, the impact of the pandemic on global sport was at its worst during 1H21, and that Catapult has never been in a better position to capitalise on its strengths and industry-leadership position. The Company exited 1H21 with confidence and improved momentum against its key SaaS metrics.”

    The company also revealed that it is reviewing its portfolio of global brands, this includes approximately $4 million of acquired brands. It may consider rationalising some of them following the review.

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  • What did the Japara (ASX:JHC) share price do after a big HY21 profit plunge?

    Aged Care Worker

    The Japara Healthcare Ltd (ASX: JHC) share price was on watch today after the company reported its FY21 half-year result.

    Japara is one of the country’s largest aged care operators.

    What was in the Japara HY21 result?

    Japara reported that it managed to grow its total revenue by 3.6% to $220.3 million due to increased government revenue and additional places.

    The average occupancy for the period was 89.2%. The occupancy on 19 February 2021 was 87.3%. New places were added with the opening of the brownfield extension at Albury with 25 places.

    However, there were $7 million of non-recurring (ASX: JHC) share price was on watch today after the company reported its FY21 half-year result. Japara is one of the country’s largest aged care operators. What was in the Japara HY21 result? Japara reported that it managed to grow its total revenue by 3.6% to $220.3 million due to increased government revenue and additional places. The average occupancy for the period was 89.2%. The occupancy on 19 February 2021 was 87.3%. New places were added with the opening of the brownfield extension at Albury with 25 places. However, there were $7 million of non-recurring COVID-19 pandemic specific expenses incurred, partially offset with a $1.6 million recognised reimbursement through the government grant program. Applications have been lodged to be reimbursed for the full expense incurred. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped 67% to $8 million, impacted by COVID-19 costs. ‘Recurring EBITDA’ declined 29% to $15 million. The net cash from operating activities more than halved to $24.7 million, down from $59.7 million in the prior corresponding period. This includes net refundable accommodation deposit (RAD) and independent living inflows (ILU) of $2.4 million. It reported a statutory net loss after tax of $9.5 million. The prior corresponding result was a net profit of $5.4 million. Balance sheet Japara said that its net bank debt was $208 million at 31 December 2020, which includes $48 million of core net debt and $160 million of development debt. It still has $137 million of available liquidity, however it isn’t going to pay an interim dividend. FY21 outlook Japara said that progress continues to be made on the development program with an identified pipeline of 628 net new aged care places and three co-located seniors living development projects. Its latest developments, being Trugo place in Victoria with 120 places and Corymbia in NSW with 102 places are expected to open during the second half of FY21. Japara said that the revenue and cost implications of COVID-19 remain uncertain. The funding environment continues to be challenging, with occupancy lower than the company was hoping. Recently completed developments are expected to contribute to earnings. Decisions on future development commencements have been deferred until the COVID-19 pandemic and economic outlook become more certain. Japara’s management is focused on the government response to the upcoming final report of the royal commission into aged care quality and safety.”>COVID-19 pandemic specific expenses incurred, partially offset with a $1.6 million recognised reimbursement through the government grant program. Applications have been lodged to be reimbursed for the full expense incurred.

    Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped 67% to $8 million, impacted by COVID-19 costs. ‘Recurring EBITDA’ declined 29% to $15 million.

    The net cash from operating activities more than halved to $24.7 million, down from $59.7 million in the prior corresponding period. This includes net refundable accommodation deposit (RAD) and independent living inflows (ILU) of $2.4 million.

    It reported a statutory net loss after tax of $9.5 million. The prior corresponding result was a net profit of $5.4 million.

    Balance sheet

    Japara said that its net bank debt was $208 million at 31 December 2020, which includes $48 million of core net debt and $160 million of development debt.

    It still has $137 million of available liquidity, however it isn’t going to pay an interim dividend.

    Japara share price

    Despite such a large change in profit, the Japara share price was unmoved today. It’s down 18% over the last year, though it has recovered significantly since the news of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines late last year. 

    FY21 outlook

    Japara said that progress continues to be made on the development program with an identified pipeline of 628 net new aged care places and three co-located seniors living development projects.

    Its latest developments, being Trugo place in Victoria with 120 places and Corymbia in NSW with 102 places, are expected to open during the second half of FY21.

    Japara said that the revenue and cost implications of COVID-19 remain uncertain. The funding environment continues to be challenging, with occupancy lower than the company was hoping.

    Recently completed developments are expected to contribute to earnings.

    Decisions on future development commencements have been deferred until the COVID-19 pandemic and economic outlook become more certain.

    Japara’s management is focused on the government response to the upcoming final report of the royal commission into aged care quality and safety.

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  • Here’s why the Resapp (ASX:RAP) share price closed 5% lower

    falling asx share price represented by woman making sad face

    The Resapp Health Ltd (ASX: RAP) share price spent today in the red after the company’s 1HY21 results came out this morning.

    Apparently, investors weren’t impressed with the results and sent ResApp shares down 5.0% to close at 5.6 cents a share.

    The company develops and commercialises its ResApp technology to provide healthcare solutions for respiratory disease. Let’s review the results to decipher what pushed the ResApp share price down for the day.

    ResApp Health posts first-half loss

    For the period ended 31 December 2020, the healthcare solutions provider reported a net loss of $3.1 million compared to the $3.8 million loss posted for 1HY20.

    ResApp’s net asset position was $5.5 million.

    At the end of 1HY21, ResApp Health’s cash and cash equivalents totalled $4.2 million, a bump up from $3.9 million at the end of 1HY20.

    Revenue totalled $46K and the company received $345,300 in government grants and tax incentives.

    ResApp reported a 41 cent loss per share for 1HY21 compared to a 55 cent loss per share for 1HY20.

    The company spent $1.7 million during 1HY21 on research and development activities pertaining to its medical technology. During 1HY20, it spent $2.8 million.

    New appointment

    ResApp also today advised the market that Mike Connell has been appointed as vice president (VP), commercial.

    The company said Mr Connell brought extensive experience in sales, marketing and strategy across the industry. 

    In his new position, he will process the company’s growth strategy by pursuing a variety of international commercial activities. 

    The company believes that Mr Connell’s strong sector understanding and networks will present the business with new opportunities going forward.

    During his time with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK),  Mr Connell launched and led GSK’s European Established products business which delivered revenues totalling £3 billion during 2014.

    He joins ResApp following time spent as general manager, corporate portfolio with Medibank.

    About the ResApp share price

    The ResApp share price has had a challenging past 12 months, crashing 74.5% over the period.

    The company has a market capitalisation of $44.7 million and there are 758.1 million shares outstanding.

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  • Why is the Betmakers (ASX: BET) share price down 5.4%?

    Red arrow downward chart

    Gambling operator Betmakers Technology Group Ltd (ASX: BET) saw its share price tumble 5.41% on Wednesday.

    There was no meaningful official announcement from the company that could have directly swayed the stock price. However, a $75 million capital raise was executed on Wednesday, meaning some stock dilution did take place.

    Last week the stock soared on news that racing industry identity Matt Tripp has bought into the company with $25 million of newly created shares. Other institutional investors put in a further $50 million.

    Tripp was also appointed strategic advisor for Betmakers. “I am delighted to invest into the company and take on a role to assist in growing the business at scale globally,” he said at the time. Adding that “BetMakers has cemented itself with a compelling proposition in the global racing wagering market. They have built a formidable team with a highly trusted brand and established a global footprint with a large customer base.”

    Betmakers investors cashing in profits?

    Betmakers shares have gone gangbusters in the past 4 months. At the start of November, it was trading at 40 cents. It spiked up to as high as $1.08 last week.

    The Betmakers share price has since deflated to 88 cents after just 4 trading days. This could’ve been the result of some profit-taking ahead of the company’s half-year results.

    In December, the Newcastle business pulled off the acquisition of multinational sports betting provider Sportech PLC for $56.2 million.

    Betmakers managing director, Todd Buckingham, said at the time the deal would “supercharge” its growth in the United States.

    The acquisition would give us a meaningful presence in the US, including in 36 of the states and across more than 200 venues, 25 digital outlets and 9,000 betting terminals. 

    It will also greatly expand our global customer base across the UK, Europe and Asia and provides us with an opportunity to expand our product offering at scale in these and other regions.

    Betmakers was founded in 2013. The company now has branches in Brisbane, Melbourne and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

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  • Here’s why the Clearview Wealth (ASX:CVW) share price rose 3% today

    man drawing rising line graph representing increasing apple stock

    The Clearview Wealth Ltd (ASX: CVW) share price has had a strong day today, rising 3.26% to close at 48 cents a share. That looks especially strong when you consider the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) actually fell 0.9% today, meaning Clearview outperformed the broader market by 4.16%.

    The catalyst for Clearview’s outperformance appears to be its earnings report for the first half of the 2021 financial year (1H21) that was released to the markets this morning before open. The period covers the 6 months to 31 December 2020.

    What did Clearview report this morning?

    Clearview reported that gross income came in at $155.9 million for the period. That was a 4% improvement on the $149.7 million from the prior corresponding period (1H20). Life insurance premiums were the biggest (and only) growth area in this category. Premiums revenue was reported at $133.3 million, up 7% from the $124.2 million from 1H20. Financial advice fees fell the most, down 19% to $7.1 million from 1H20’s $8.8 million.

    The company was pleased with the life insurance figures, as this represents a source of recurring revenue for the business.

    Meanwhile, operating earnings before tax were $18.6 million, up 47% from the $12.8 million in 1H20. That helped push underlying net profits after tax (NPAT) to $13 million, up 27% on 1H20’s number of $10.2 million.

    Reported NPAT however, came in at $9.7 million, a 1% drop from the previous period’s $9.8 million.

    In terms of Clearview’s wealth management business, the company reported that funds under management (FUM) rose to $3.02 million. That was up 5% from last year’s $2.89 million. This, Clearview states, is the result of both positive net inflows as well as underlying investment performance.

    Clearview is pleased with the results overall, stating that the business has “proven resilient to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 to date”. That was despite the fact that the “ultra-low interest rate environment continues to adversely impact earnings”.

    Pleasingly for dividend lovers, Clearview has told investors to expect a dividend reinstatement in FY2021, subject to the company’s performance in the second half of the financial year. Clearview hasn’t paid a dividend since September 2018.

    What did management have to say about these results?

    ClearView managing director, Simon Swanson, said the following on Clearview’s performance:

    While challenging market conditions persist, this result reflects the impact of initiatives to improve claims management outcomes, boost customer loyalty and strengthen our relationships with professional financial advisers.

    Fundamental demand for the quality products and services offered by ClearView has not changed. Australia’s complex tax and regulatory environment, ageing population and rising debt levels underpin the need for strategic advice and fit-for-purpose products to help people achieve their financial goals, manage risk and retire with confidence. COVID-19 has only heightened awareness of the need for sound financial advice and relevant products like life insurance.

    Going off of the Clearview share price movements today, it seems investors are pleased with this result.

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 Clearview Wealth (ASX:CVW) share price rose 3% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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