• The Anteris (ASX:AVR) share price is down today but has soared 150% in 3 months

    Dollar signs arrows pointing higher

    The Anteris Technologies Ltd (ASX: AVR) share price has exploded approximately 150% higher over the past three months. At the time of writing, however, Anteris shares are trading 8% lower at $10.83.

    Less than two weeks ago, the Anteris share price zoomed up 23% following the release of its latest investor presentation. The stock has been on the rise since the release of its most recent earnings, despite not being particularly impressive. However, the company did announce a number of capital raising exercises.

    Here’s a closer look at the latest we’ve learned about Anteris.

    Anteris share price climbs off weak results

    Anteris reported a 58% revenue fall for the period ended 31 December 2020 (FY20). Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) tumbled to a loss of $13.7 million.

    The company’s year-end cash balance was $4.4 million.

    The business posted an FY20 net loss after tax of $15.3 million. Anteris advised that the loss is associated with expenses relating to the development of its DurAVRTM aortic replacement valve.

    Funding grants and new FDA approval

    Anteris was granted $2.3 million in government grants during FY20. The business further notes that it secured a funding package of up to $20 million with New York investment fund Mercer Street Global Opportunity Fund, LLC.

    In December 2020, Anteris raised $1.1 million in a private placement to sophisticated investors as part of a broader funding package.

    Additionally, Anteris believes that its obtainment of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) product in younger patients will lead to growth.

    ASX queries Anteris

    Intraday trading volumes were double the five-day average yesterday as the Anteris share price pumped. Total volume finished the day at 77.9K.

    This resulted in an ASX query to which the company responded today. The ASX letter also asked about the jump in share price from $6.64 on 25 February 2021 to yesterday’s high of $11.95.

    Anteris replied that it is not aware of anything that would be moving the market. The company also confirmed its compliance with all of the ASX listing rules.

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    Motley Fool contributor Gretchen Kennedy 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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  • Insiders have been buying Sydney Airport (ASX:SYD) and this ASX share

    Financial Technology

    Every so often, I like to take a look to see which shares have experienced meaningful insider buying. This is because insider buying is often regarded as a bullish indicator, as few people know a company and its intrinsic value better than its own directors.

    A number of shares have reported meaningful insider buying this month. Here are a couple which have caught my eye:

    Medical Developments International Ltd (ASX: MVP)

    According to a change of director’s interest notice, one of this medical device company’s directors has been buying shares this week.

    The notice reveals that its new non-executive director, Mary Sontrop, bought a total of 18,630 shares through an on-market trade on Monday. Ms Sontrop paid an average of $5.3706 per share, which equates to a total consideration of ~$100,000.

    Ms Sontrop has moved quickly to align her interests with shareholders. She was only appointed as a Non-Executive Director last week. The new director has extensive international experience in the biopharmaceutical sector across manufacturing operations, quality, and business integration. During her 28 years with CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), she was an integral part of CSL’s globalisation through a series of major acquisitions.

    Interestingly, this is just the latest in a number of former CSL executive to join the company. Late last year ex-CSL execs Brent MacGregor and Gordon Naylor joined as CEO and Chairman, respectively.

    Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD)

    A change of director’s interest notice reveals that one of this airport operator’s directors almost doubled their holding last week. According to the notice, non-executive director Abigail Cleland picked up 17,070 shares through an on-market trade on Thursday of last week.

    The release reveals that Cleland paid an average of $5.83 per share, which equates to a total consideration of ~$99,500. This lifted her holding to a total of 34,983 shares.

    With the Sydney Airport share price still down 21% from its 52-week high, it appears as though this director sees value in its shares.

    Once broker that would agree is Goldman Sachs. It currently has a buy rating and $6.73 price target on Sydney Airport’s shares.

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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 Medical Developments International Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Medical Developments International 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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  • Can ASX bank shares keep rallying after hitting 52-week highs?

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    ASX bank shares are hitting one-year or more highs but their rally may not yet be over.

    The Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) share price jumped 2.2% to $29.34 – its highest since August 2018.

    Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price, Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price and National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) share price jumped to a one-year high.

    Can ASX bank share keep outperforming?

    Some may be wondering if their golden run is over as banks aren’t trading at a discount to book value as they once did.

    However, Morgan Stanley believes that ASX bank stocks can keep outperforming thanks to economic growth and central bank action.

    You might think that growth and loose monetary policies are good for all shares, particularly high-growth ASX names like tech shares. But these factors are more supportive of ASX shares that are trading on lower valuations.

    Why ASX bank shares are in a sweet spot

    One reason is because, unlike the more volatile 2020 environment when growth was scarce, investors don’t have to cough up a big premium for shares with earnings growth potential.

    There is another reason and it’s to do with rising bond yields, particularly longer-dated bonds. Yields have been rising due to the improved economic outlook and rising inflation expectations.

    “While central banks have remained resolute in fixing low short-end yields, the messaging around long-end rates has been one of managing the pace rather than the level of yields – particularly as driven by expectation of fiscal stimulus,” said Morgan Stanley.

    “This has put some pressure on valuations, with the market [12-month forward price/earnings] multiple derating from 19.6x to 18.3x through February.”

    Don’t fear the market de-rating

    But the switch to value shares will cause a further de-rating in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO). This happens when the average price-earnings (P/E) multiple for the market falls as expensive stocks are sold off.

    “In our view a market derating is to be expected given the strong level of earnings recovery (and extent to which this was anticipated) – and does not signal a wholesale shift in risk appetite,” said Morgan Stanley.

    “Rotation remains the more important theme – with earnings recovering we want to be exposed to those companies that are participating in the uplift.

    “And with growth less scarce those with a valuation premium are likely to be less in demand.”

    Two ASX sectors to be overweight on for 2021

    The two key sectors that Morgan Stanley is encouraging investors to be “biased” towards are ASX banks and ASX resources shares.

    These two sectors have good earnings growth potential in 2021 and are still trading on reasonable valuations despite their recent run-up.

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    Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Limited, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank Limited, and Westpac Banking. Connect with me on Twitter @brenlau.

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  • The Nexion (ASX:NNG) share price is down today despite good news

    asx share price changes represented by investor and dollar sign on a seesaw

    The Nexion Group Ltd (ASX: NNG) share price plummeted this morning despite good news announced by the tech company.

    The global cloud and technology company announced it has partnered with Aryaka Networks, a California-based cloud technology service provider, to build its OneCloud node internationally for the first time.

    Despite the news of its overseas expansion, the Nexion share price is down 4% at the time of writing after recovering from an 8% drop this morning. Its share price is currently 24 cents.

    Nexion’s overseas expansion

    Nexion Group’s subsidiary Nexion Networks Pty Ltd and Aryaka are to build a software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) point of presence (PoP) in Auckland, New Zealand.

    A OneCloud node consists of processing and storage capacity, which can be rented by customers to integrate their corporate operations into public cloud services.

    The new nodes will allow Nexion to provide its clients in Auckland with access to high-speed, low latency international bandwidth to more than 40 locations on the Aryaka network.

    The first of the company’s network nodes to make it over the ditch will be its third partnership with Aryaka. It has another two nodes positioned at Aryaka PoPs in Australia, located in Perth and Sydney. Nexion also has nodes in Melbourne and Adelaide.

    Nexion’s business model

    Nexion says that each OneCloud node and Aryaka PoP it builds will increase its capacity to generate long-term, high-value recurring revenue from hybrid cloud hosting and high-speed data connectivity services.

    The company says it’s in a “sweet spot” of a swing towards pay-as-you-go cloud data storage. Nexion believes the swing to be one of the fastest-growing segments of the IT industry, as corporations move away from owner-operated computer resources.

    Currently, Nexion is aiming its OneCloud and Public Cloud services to corporations in need of flexible cloud infrastructure. The company hopes that its new location will aid it in negating clients’ reliance on traditional telco services.  

    Nexion share price snapshot

    Nexion was listed on the ASX in February 2021. Since then, the Nexion share price has dropped 4% from its opening price of 25 cents.

    It has a market capitalisation of $15.91 million and approximately 111 million shares outstanding.

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  • Race Oncology (ASX: RAC) share price higher on preclinical breast cancer results

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    The Race Oncology Ltd (ASX: RAC) share price is 9.4% higher at the time of writing following preclinical breast cancer results. 

    Race Oncology share price on the move after compelling results 

    Race Oncology is developing a cancer-fighting drug called Bisantrene. Today, the company announced the final results of its collaborative preclinical research program that aimed to identify combinations of existing breast cancer drugs that, when paired with Bisantrene, could show equivalent or better efficacy than existing treatment options. 

    It was announced on 24 November 2020 that Bisantrene can kill some breast cancer cells resistant to existing drugs. Also, it showed near identical additive benefit when used in combination with existing breast cancer drugs. 

    Today’s announcement highlights Bisantrene’s ability to kill breast cancer cells resistant to a wide range of various breast cancer drugs. It also reinforced previous claims that Bisantrene acts very similarly to existing breast cancer drugs doxorubicin and epirubicin, when used in combination with cyclophosphamide, a medication used as chemotherapy to suppress the immune system. 

    Next steps 

    The results are highly supportive of the company’s plans for progressing Bisantrene as a safer alternative to current treatment options used in breast cancer treatment. 

    Further studies are currently planned to explain the clinical significance of fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) protein. The over-expression of FTO, otherwise explained as when the body creates too many proteins, has been shown to be a genetic driver of a diverse range of cancers. The company also intends to further expand the range of clinically usable Bisantrene drug combinations. 

    Race Oncology share price is on a tear 

    The market is clearly anticipating big things from Race Oncology as its share price has run over 1,000% in the last 12-months. Race notes that it is pursuing ‘outsized commercial returns’ for its shareholders via its three pillar strategy for the clinical development of Bisantrene. 

    The company now boasts a market capitalisation of $487.3 million with $5.57 million in cash and cash equivalents on 31 December 2020. 

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  • Australia’s unemployment just hit 13%: Roy Morgan

    Worried unemployed woman sits on white chair waiting for job interview

    The unemployment rate in Australia surged to 13.2% last month, according to research firm Roy Morgan.

    The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ official figure for January was 6.4%. 

    So Roy Morgan’s rate just one month later is a shocking escalation that dampens the post-COVID recovery and pro-inflation mood that the ASX has been enjoying recently.

    Roy Morgan chief Michele Levine attributed the hike to people joining the workforce as JobKeeper terminates and JobSeeker payments wind down to a lower level.

    “Overall employment increased by 28,000 to over 12.7 million Australians – the highest for a year since early March 2020. However, unemployment increased by 250,000 to 1.93 million – the highest since August 2020,” she said.

    “Results for February show a growing workforce that is unable to find jobs for all the new workers in the market for a job.”

    More Australians looking for work means more competition for jobs and reduces the chance that wages would go up.

    That means the prospect of inflation — and therefore interest rates — heading up is remote. 

    “So while the number of jobs has almost returned to the level immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic struck Australia, there are now over 900,000 more people in the market looking for a new job than a year ago,” said Levine.

    As the state that kept its borders open as much as possible, NSW enjoyed the lowest unemployment rate, with 11.5% in February.

    The two states most criticised for restrictive border rules, Western Australia and Queensland, are suffering from the highest unemployment, with 14.5% and 15.9% respectively.

    Post-COVID economy ruthless on which sectors win and lose

    The withdrawal of government stimulus is causing an upheaval among different sectors.

    The JobKeeper scheme will end at the end of March. JobSeeker will only see a small rise to the pre-COVID level, which was widely criticised as inadequate.

    “The structure of the economy is significantly different now than it was a year ago with industries such as wholesale, mining, construction, property and business services and parts of the retail industry ‘booming’,” said Levine.

    “Whereas industries such as accommodation & food services, hospitality, travel & tourism and education are facing tough times with the end of JobKeeper in a few weeks.”

    This assessment gives share investors some clues as to which industries might benefit the most from the post-pandemic recovery.

    “While some businesses are busy hiring and planning investments for the year ahead other businesses are cutting back on employees who are no longer affordable with the end of the wage subsidy fast approaching.”

    The official ABS unemployment numbers for February will be released on 18 March.

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  • 4 top reasons why the Pushpay (ASX:PPH) share price could be a buy

    pushpay, mobile banking, charity, payment,

    There are a quite a few compelling reasons why the Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH) share price could be worth thinking about right now.

    What is Pushpay?

    Pushpay is an ASX tech share. The software business has a donor management system, which includes donor tools, finance tools and a customer community app and a church management system to the ‘faith sector’, non-profit organisations and education providers located mostly in the US.

    The aim of Pushpay’s offerings is to make it easier for engagement, payments and administration. Pushpay says that its customers can increase participation and build stronger relationships with communities.

    Pushpay also has a subsidiary called Church Community Builder which provides a software as a service (SaaS) church management system, predominately in the US. It can do things like record members service history, track online giving and performance a range of administrative functions.

    What are some reasons why the Pushpay share price could be a buy?

    1: Gaining market share at a quick pace

    A business that is growing quickly may be able to generate good investment returns as well, particularly if the valuation doesn’t overshoot the growth rates the company is generating.

    In the FY21 half-year result Pushpay reported that its operating revenue grew by 53% to US$85.6 million. Total processing volume increased by 48% to US$3.2 billion.

    Pushpay expects continued growth in total processing volume driven by a larger proportion of new medium and large customers, further product development leading to higher adoption and usage, and increased adoption of digital giving.

    2: Operating leverage

    Pushpay is generating increased operating leverage as it gets bigger. In the FY21 half-year result, its gross profit margin went up from 65% to 68%.

    For the six month period to 30 September 2020, expenses only grew 16%. As a percentage of operating revenue, total operating expenses improved by 12 percentage points, from 50% to 38%.

    Pushpay said that it expects significant operating leverage to accrue as operating revenue continues to increase, while growth in total operating expenses remains low.

    In the half-year result, Pushpay increased its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and foreign currency (EBITDAF) by 177% to US$26.7 million.

    Pushpay recently increased its FY21 EBITDAF guidance to a range of between US$56 million to US$60 million and said it expects operating leverage to continue to accrue to the business over the remainder of FY21.

    3: Pushpay share price valuation

    The Pushpay share price has fallen by around 25% since 28 October 2020, despite Pushpay increasing its EBITDAF guidance materially since then.

    Earnings estimated on Commsec suggest strong profit growth between now and FY23. At the current Pushpay share price, it is valued at 22x FY23’s estimated earnings.

    In the FY21 half-year result it grew its net profit after tax (NPAT) by 107% to US$13.4 million, whilst operating cash flow went up by 203% to US$27 million.

    4: Long-term growth plans

    Pushpay has set its sights on other areas of growth.

    One area that it’s looking at is the Catholic segment of the US faith sector.

    Pushpay is looking at different geographies where it can expand including South East Asia and South America, which could lead to a bigger total addressable market and give it more earnings diversification.

    Adjacent donation areas could also become larger parts of the business including not-for-profits, education and tertiary.

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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 PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. 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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  • ASX 200 up 0.7%: Vocus jumps on takeover update, Afterpay crashes 9%

    ASX 200 shares

    At lunch on Tuesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on track to record another solid gain. The benchmark index is currently up 0.7% to 6,788 points.

    Here’s what is happening on the market today:

    Tech shares sink

    It has been a very disappointing day of trade for tech shares such as Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Zip Co Limited (ASX: Z1P). Following another poor night of trade on the tech-heavy Nasdaq index, local tech shares have been sold off on Tuesday. So much so, the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) is down a sizeable 3% at the time of writing. Rising bond yields are hitting investor sentiment in the sector.

    Vocus takeover offer accepted

    The Vocus Group Ltd (ASX: VOC) share price is storming higher today after it accepted a takeover offer. According to the release, the specialist fibre and network solutions provider has entered into a Scheme Implementation Deed with a consortium owned by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) and Aware Super. The consortium has tabled a $5.50 per share offer, which the Vocus board is recommending shareholders accept. This is of course in the absence of a superior offer and subject to the independent expert’s report.

    Gold miners tumble

    Gold miners including Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) are under pressure today after the spot gold price dropped again. According to CNBC, the spot gold price fell 1.1% to US$1,679.20 an ounce during overnight trade. This leaves the precious metal trading at a nine-month low. Rising bond yields and a stronger US dollar have been weighing on gold. The S&P/ASX All Ords Gold index is down 1.5% at lunch.

    Best and worst ASX 200 performers

    The best performer on the ASX 200 on Tuesday has been the Vocus share price with a gain of 8.5%. This follows the release of its takeover update this morning. The worst performer has been the Afterpay share price with a 9% decline. The payments company’s shares have been hit very hard by the tech selloff.

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  • Why the Digital Wine (ASX:DW8) share price is up an astonishing 18%

    ASX shares higher

    The Digital Wine Ventures Ltd (ASX: DW8) share price hit a 5-year high of 9.5 cents in morning trade. At the time of writing, shares in the online beverage distributor are selling at 9.1 cents, up 18% on yesterday’s close. This rise occurred after the company announced massive increases on one of its sales platforms.

    In comparison, the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index is up only 0.7% in morning trade.

    Let’s take a closer look at what’s sent the Digital Wine share price soaring today.

    What did Digital Wine announce today?

    In a statement to the ASX, Digital Wine announced a monumental 931% year-on-year rise in the number of wine cases shipped via its platform WINEDEPOT during February. The company confirmed that 20,864 cases of wine were shipped last month. The company also stated this was a 28% increase on January 2021.

    In further good news for investors, 9,494 orders were processed in February. That’s a 918% increase on February 2020 and a 32.4% increase on January 2021. The average amount of cases per order shipped is 2.2.

    As well, the announcement detailed that 26 new suppliers are signing deals with the WINEDEPOT platform.

    What is WINEDEPOT?

    Digital Wine’s WINEDEPOT aims to streamline wine and beverage distribution through technology. It is both a consumer-facing and business-to-business operation. Many of its customers are wine traders, as well as traditional retailers and consumers.

    The company generates revenue through a mixture of market trading fees, channel management fees, logistics fees, subscriptions, and liquidity fees.

    Digital Wine half-yearly report

    For the 6 months ending 31 December 2020, Digital Wine recorded a net loss of $2.4 million. In the prior corresponding period (pcp) it was an approx. $830,000 loss.

    A $14,000 gross profit in the pcp became a $60,000 loss. However, revenue was up 1041.8% on the pcp to total $991,000.

    Losses from administration expenses were up 76% to total $815,000. Advertising expenses were up 247.7% totalling $265,000 for the half year.  Significantly, salaries and wages went from $66,00 in the pcp to $948,000. This equates to a 1,336.4% rise.

    Digital Wine share price snapshot

    This time last year, shares in the venture were trading at half a cent each. If an investor bought back then, they would be sitting on a jaw-dropping 1,760% increase on their investment.

    Digital Wine has a current market capitalisation of $151.4 million.

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  • Why AVZ, Legend Mining, Nuix, & Vocus shares are surging higher

    hand on touch screen lit up by a share price chart moving higher

    In late morning trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record another solid gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.75% to 6,790.8 points.

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

    AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: AVZ)

    The AVZ share price is up 6% to 21.2 cents. Investors have been buying the lithium-focused mineral exploration company’s shares following the announcement of a second offtake agreement. According to the release, AVZ and Shenzhen Chengxin Lithium Group have signed a binding offtake agreement for the supply of up to 180,000 tonnes per annum of spodumene concentrate from the Manono Lithium and Tin Project.

    Legend Mining Limited (ASX: LEG)

    The Legend Mining share price is up 4% to 13 cents. The catalyst for this has been news that diamond drilling has commenced at its Mawson prospect within the Rockford project in Western Australia. Investors appear optimistic the nickel and copper focused mineral exploration company will unearth a lucrative resource.

    Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL)

    The Nuix share price has jumped 16% to $5.46. This appears to have been driven by bargain hunters swooping in to buy shares after they fell to a 52-week low on Monday. When the Nuix share price hit that level, it meant it was down a massive 61% from its 52-week high. A disappointing half year result has been weighing on its shares.

    Vocus Group Ltd (ASX: VOC)

    The Vocus share price has surged over 8% higher to $5.43. Investors have been buying the specialist fibre and network solutions provider’s shares after it entered into a Scheme Implementation Deed with a consortium owned by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) and Aware Super. The consortium has tabled a $5.50 per share offer, which the Vocus board is recommending shareholders accept.

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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. recommends Nuix Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nuix Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    The post Why AVZ, Legend Mining, Nuix, & Vocus shares are surging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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