Anyone who has been watching the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over the past year or so (which is most of us, I’d wager) might have noticed the performance fo the CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price. Or lack of performance as one might more accurately describe it. Since reaching a new all-time high of over $336 back in February 2020, the CSL share price has fallen around 25%. Today (at the time of writing), CSL shares are sitting at $250.24 a share. That’s a similar level to what you could have bought at back in October 2019.

That’s something of a fall from grace for one of the ASX’s largest companies. Up until February 2020, it seemed as though CSL shares could go nowhere but up. In 2017, the company rose by roughly 40%. In 2018, it was a rough 32%. 2019 saw another ~50% piled on. And between New Year’s Day 2020 and 21 February 2020, another ~18%. That saw CSL ascend to the throw of the ASX 200’s most valuable company for a few months as well. But now Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) has usurped this title back.

We won’t get into the nitty-gritty of CSL’s fall, although we can probably blame a stretched valuation in a nutshell.

Instead, let’s discuss CSL’s exposure as an ASX dividend growth star.

CSL: An unexpected dividend star

CSL’s stellar history as a dividend growth share has been hidden in plain sight for a while now. The rocking CSL share price has historically kept its dividend yield extremely low by ASX 200 standards. Even now with the 25% fall from all-time highs, CSL shares only yield around 1.05% on current prices.

But the fact is that CSL has been growing its dividend at a healthy rate for years now. Here’s a graph of the annual dividends CSL has paid out to its shareholders since 2013:

Yes, CSL has grown its dividend from US$1.02 in 2013 to US$2.02 in 2020. It’s also worth mentioning that I excluded the interim dividend of US$1.04 a share that CSL will pay out on 1 April, which is it’s highest ever interim payment and a 9.47% increase on 2020’s corresponding dividend.

The growth in dividends from 2013 to 2020 represents a healthy compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.25% per annum. Caveating this though has been the rise of the Australian dollar over the past year or so. CSL’s dividends were worth a lot more to Aussie investors when our dollar was buying 65 US cents, as opposed to the exchange rate today of roughly 77 US cents. That’s probably another reason why CSL shares have been selling off over the same period.

Even so, the CSL dividend growth streak is impressive, and rare for an ASX 20 company. Investors will no doubt be hoping it continues for at least another 7 years.

More reading

• Aristocrat (ASX:ALL) share price surges as it finds a sweet spot
• ASX 200 up 1.6%: Appen rebounds, ALS acquires Investiga, Woolworths upgraded
• Why the Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price is climbing today
• Here’s why Biden’s stimulus is pushing the ASX 200 higher today
• Why the Santos (ASX:STO) share price is down this morning

Sebastian Bowen 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.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to start the week with a solid gain. In early afternoon trade the benchmark index is up 1.55% to 6,814.7 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are tumbling lower:

Audio Pixels Holdings Ltd (ASX: AKP)

The Audio Pixels share price is down 2% to $28.21 after providing an update on its digital speaker development. According to the release, due to logistical complications, the delivery of chips for its speakers has been delayed until this week. They were previously expected by the end of February. For the last 15 years, Audio Pixels has been developing a new generation of speakers that it believes will exceed the performance specifications and design demands of the world’s top consumer electronics manufacturers.

Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK)

The Nick Scali share price has fallen 5.5% to $9.62. The majority of this decline is attributable to the furniture retailer’s shares trading ex-dividend this morning for its interim dividend. Nick Scali shareholders can now look forward to receiving the 40 cents per share fully franked dividend in their nominated accounts on 30 March.

Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ)

The Smartgroup share price us down 5% to $6.38. As with Nick Scali, Smartgroup’s decline is attributable to the company’s shares trading ex-dividend this morning. The salary packaging and fleet management company’s shareholders will be paid its final fully franked dividend of 32 cents per share in a couple of weeks on 23 March.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

The Zip share price has dropped 4% to $9.20. This is despite many tech shares rebounding today following a positive end to the week on the tech-heavy Nasdaq index. Today’s decline could be a delayed reaction to a note out of Macquarie on Friday. According to the note, its analysts have put a sell rating and $5.70 price target on Zip’s shares. They have concerns that increasing competition could weigh heavily on its QuadPay margins.

More reading

• Aristocrat (ASX:ALL) share price surges as it finds a sweet spot
• ASX 200 up 1.6%: Appen rebounds, ALS acquires Investiga, Woolworths upgraded
• The Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price is down 34% in less than a month
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX finishes higher, despite tech selloff
• 2 fantastic ASX growth shares to buy this week

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 SMARTGROUP DEF SET. 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 Noxopharm Ltd (ASX: NOX) share price is raced higher on the open this morning. However, the Noxopharm share price has since settled down. The movement comes as a result of the clinical drug developer provided an update on its NOXCOVID trial.

At the time of writing, the share price is 2.9% higher, trading at 70 cents a share.

Drug trial advances moving the Noxopharm share price

Today’s announcement from Noxopharm specified that its Veyonda drug has been approved to move to its final stage of the NOXCOVID-1 clinical trial.

The thumbs up for proceeding to the second and final stage comes after the company completed Part 1. This process involved 26 patients with moderate COVID-19 disease. As a part of the trial, Noxopharm assessed daily Veyonda doses of 400, 600, 800, 1200, and 1800 mg. It has been deemed that the 1,800 mg dosage was the most optimal. The high dosage exhibits evidence of the safety of using the developed drug.

CEO commentary

Noxopharm’s CEO, Dr. Graham Kelly commented on the findings:

The high potency of Veyonda in blocking cytokine release from damaged tissue in the laboratory meant we were obliged to adopt a very cautious and methodical approach when being used for the first time in patients with poor lung function. We can now be confident that Veyonda, despite its potency, is well tolerated at a dosage we believe will be therapeutic.

The progression to Part 2 moves it closer to being an effective and safe treatment for septic shock. The company is excited about its potential, as septic shock is not only experienced by COVID-19 patients but is also one of the most common causes of human deaths in the event of infection and severe trauma.

What’s next for Noxopharm?

From here, Part 2 of the trial will involve 10 to 15 patients with moderate to severe lung dysfunction.

The recruited patients will then be treated with the selected 1,800 mg dosage of Veyonda each day over 14 days.

Lastly, the company also noted:

Part 1 patient blood (Cohorts 1-4) currently is being analysed for 60 pro-inflammatory (cytokines, chemokines) factors in what the Company believes will be one of the most comprehensive analyses of its kind in COVID-19 disease.

The Noxopharm share price is now up 327% in the last 12 months. In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 9.8% over the same period of time.

 

More reading

• Noxopharm (ASX:NOX) share price closes 21% higher after clinical milestone

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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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The Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL) share price has been sliding the last couple of months, although this morning it opened higher and is trading at $31.51 at the time of writing.

Why has the Sonic Healthcare share price been losing ground?

The Sonic Healthcare share price has lost ground recently — down 9% in the past month and 0.57% lower than this time 6 months ago.

However, according to the Australian Financial Review, record volumes are still being traded in Europe and the US.

Sonic is a business that benefitted greatly from the coronavirus pandemic. The world’s third-largest medical laboratory company reported a 166% increase in profits during its last earnings report. Sonic’s first half FY 2021 net profit totalled $678 million.

With COVID testing an obvious driver of Sonic’s latest results, some investors are wondering if the business will be able to maintain the momentum going forward.

Will the coronavirus keep Sonic afloat?

As COVID-19 continues to be wrangled around the world, Sonic believes that there will be ongoing opportunities.

According to the AFR piece, Sonic CEO Colin Goldschmidt advised investors that he believes the market for serology testing will increase as a product of COVID. He also thinks a surge in testing demand is on the horizon as the vaccination distribution continues to grow.

However, one analyst commented that he feels that the need for testing is going to drop. Dr Saul Hadassin of UBS is neutral on the stock and has a target price for the Sonic share price set at $35.30.

He said (as quoted by AFR): “I did not move to a ‘buy’ as we felt the benefits they are accruing related to COVID testing would last about 18 to 24 months.”

Foolish takeaway

The Sonic Healthcare share price has gained 6% on this time last year. The company has a market capitalisation of $15 billion with 477.8 million shares outstanding.

More reading

• Is Sonic Healthcare (ASX:SHL) a dividend aristocrat?
• 2 high quality ASX dividend shares to buy to beat low rates
• Top ASX shares to buy in March 2021
• 2 ASX 200 shares to buy for growth
• Sonic (ASX:SHL) share price in the spotlight as it posts a 166% profit surge

Motley Fool contributor Gretchen Kennedy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sonic Healthcare 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 Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG) share price was amongst the worst-performing ASX 200 shares last week. Its underperformance was largely driven by going ex-dividend, paying out a market-leading $1.470 per share dividend. However, the iron ore spot price has remained relatively stable, around the US$170 per tonne level. At the time of writing, the shares are trading at $22.76, up 3.03%.

While the Fortescue share price might be taking a breather, big brokers think it could retest its old highs. 

Big brokers rate the Fortescue share price as a buy

On 4th March, UBS had a Fortescue share price target of $25 with a buy rating. The broker notes that the Fortescue share price has yet to reflect the 10% year-to-date increase of the iron ore spot price. 

UBS believes that recent announcements such as the resignations of its COO Greg Lilleyman and other key personnel, and issues at Iron Bridge as factors dragging the Fortescue share price. 

Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) is also bullish on Fortescue shares with a $25.50 price target and outperform rating on 5th March. The broker thinks the near-term outlook for the iron ore market has improved from both a demand and supply perspective. 

Macquarie notes that given the buoyant iron price, Fortescue could set new record earnings and dividends in 2H21. 

Iron ore prices remain high 

China’s week-long Lunar New Year break briefly put buoyant iron ore prices on hold late-February. The end of the holiday period lifted iron ore prices back to the US$170 range as Chinese steel mills restarted production and restock inventories. 

A near term risk for iron ore prices could be the world’s largest iron ore miner, Vale, regaining its previous iron ore output. Vale has faced significant production challenges including a dam collapse in 2018 and ongoing COVID-related challenges in Brazil. The company said in Q4 it partially resumed all iron ore fines operations halted in 2019. 

Potentially offsetting an increase in iron ore supply is China’s continued investments into infrastructure and technology. China’s total fixed-asset investment rose to 51.9 trillion yuan (US$8 trillion) in 2020, a 2.9% increase from the previous year. 

More reading

• The worst performing ASX 200 shares last week
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX finishes higher, despite tech selloff
• Morgan Stanley reveals some investment trends to watch in 2021
• How to turn $20,000 into $300,000 in 10 years with ASX shares
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

Motley Fool contributor Kerry Sun 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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The Anson Resources (ASX: ASN) share price is soaring today after it announced its lithium materials received successful performance reviews.

Tests on the company’s lithium products found it matched or exceeded the quality of those currently used in high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

At the time of writing, Anson Resources’ share price is 89 cents, up from Friday’s closing price of 69 cents.

More about today’s announcement

This morning’s announcement from Anson proclaimed the commercial viability of its raw battery materials.

Both the company’s lithium hydroxide and its lithium carbonate returned favourable market comparisons.

The results from Anson’s lithium carbonate were most favourable. It was found to have 99.9% purity – exceeding that of current commercial battery grade lithium-ion.

The company’s lithium hydroxide was shown to demonstrate similar performance to existing commercial products.

The products involved in the tests were extracted from Anson’s flagship Paradox Brine Project, located in a unique salt brine resource in Utah.

The tests were conducted by battery testing equipment makers Novonix Limited (ASX: NVT). Novonix states it provides the world’s most accurate battery testing services. Its customers include Honda, Dyson, Panasonic, and Bosch.

The positive findings have encouraged further testing. Novonix is set to continue tests with larger bulk samples, including conducting hundreds of charge and discharge cycles. Final results are expected to be available in the second quarter of 2021.

Commentary from management

Anson’s Executive Chairman and CEO Bruce Richardson said the results are “truly exciting” for the company.

This ongoing test work with Novonix is an important step in the commercial development of the Paradox Project, and will provide battery makers and potential off-take partners with considerable confidence in our ability to produce a high purity product. I look forward to providing further updates on test work and other importance work streams underway at Paradox in due course.

Anson Resources share price snapshot

The Anson share price is currently trading 200% higher than this time last year and is up 131% year to date.

The company has a market capitalisation of over $59 million with approximately 893 million shares outstanding.

More reading

• Aristocrat (ASX:ALL) share price surges as it finds a sweet spot
• Here’s why the IOUpay (ASX:IOU) share price is pushing higher
• Why the Jupiter Mines (ASX:JMS) share price tanked over 7% today
• ASX 200 up 1.6%: Appen rebounds, ALS acquires Investiga, Woolworths upgraded
• What’s with the Laybuy (ASX:LBY) share price today?

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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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The Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) share price is outperforming the market today as it finds a sweet spot between value and growth.

Such ASX shares aren’t easy to find in the current market with value shares outperforming growth shares.

The Aristocrat share price jumped 4.2% to $32.56 during lunch time trade – making it one of the top performing stocks on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO).

ASX growth vs. value battle rages

Growth shares used to be the market darlings in a near zero interest rate environment. You only need to look at how the Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price and Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price performed in the last year to see what I mean.

But the tables are turning as the market focuses on rising bond yields and the prospect of higher rates.

The ASX share market is at an inflection point as experts debate if now is the time to switch from growth to value.

Aristocrat share price gets best of both worlds

This tussle puts the Aristocrat share price in an advantageous position with Morgan Stanley initiating coverage on the gaming machine market with an “overweight” recommendation.

The broker’s bullish view on the Aristocrat share price is driven by the group’s strong growth potential and very reasonable valuation.

It fits nicely into the “GARP” (growth at a reasonable price) category, in my view. And I believe GARP stocks are among the best placed to outperform the broader market over the next 12-months.

Growth drivers for the Aristocrat share price

The fact that Aristocrat’s balance sheet is stronger than its rivals bodes well for its ability to grow and invest in innovative games.

“This leaves ALL best placed to continue to outperform peers and gain market share in participation gaming, and strengthen its competitive position and the durability (and hence value) of its earnings, in our view,” said Morgan Stanley.

Another growth driver for the group is its digital gaming division. Aristocrat developed a number of apps for mobile phones that have proven to be a hit with consumers.

“We think ALL’s Digital business deserves a 18x FY22 EV/EBIT multiple, at the top end of mobile gaming peers,” added the broker.

“Post COVID-19 we expect ALL to emerge in a net cash position in FY23 with ~A$1.9bn of debt capacity to deploy by FY22.”

This means Aristocrat has a significant war chest to invest in its businesses and/or make bolt-on acquisitions.

What is Aristocrat share price worth?

Morgan Stanley believes the Aristocrat share price is too cheap and isn’t reflective of its growth potential. The ASX share is trading on an expected circa 20 times price-earnings (based on FY22 forecasts).

That puts the Aristocrat share price at around a 20% plus discount to the ASX 200.

The broker’s price target on the stock is $38.

More reading

• ASX 200 up 1.6%: Appen rebounds, ALS acquires Investiga, Woolworths upgraded
• Why the Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price is climbing today
• Why Afterpay, Alkane, ALS, & Woodside shares are storming higher
• Here’s why Biden’s stimulus is pushing the ASX 200 higher today
• Why this new app has brokers excited for the Afterpay (ASX: APT) share price

Brendon Lau owns shares of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. Connect with me on Twitter @brenlau.

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and ZIPCOLTD 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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The IOUpay Ltd (ASX: IOU) share price is on course to start the week with a small gain.

In afternoon trade, the Malaysia-based buy now pay later provider’s shares are up 1% to 51.5 cents.

Why is the IOUpay share price pushing higher?

As well as getting a boost from improving investor sentiment in the tech sector, the IOUpay share price was given a lift by a positive announcement this morning.

According to the release, the company has expanded its leadership team with a couple of key new appointments.

Who has IOUpay appointed?

The release explains that Eddie Lee has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Calvin Yeap has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

In respect to its new CCO, the company advised that Mr Lee brings 20 years of business development, country management, and corporate leadership across the online payments, online data management, and advertising industries.

He will be responsible for the commercial development for IOUpay’s business across the South East Asian region. The company notes Mr Lee has a proven track record of territory expansion and successfully building revenues through developing large big brand corporate relationships and merchant distribution channels.

The CCO has previously held positions as Country Manager for Malaysian listed online publishing and advertising corporate Innity Corporation Berhard. Prior to this, he was President of iPay88 Philippines, where he successfully grew the online payments business to service over 5,000 merchants.

Last week IOUpay announced an agreement with iPay88. You can read about that here.

As for its new CMO, the release advises that Mr Yeap has 15 years of experience specialising in digital marketing, corporate communication, and stakeholder engagement to build brands and revenues across South East Asia.

He has held positions as Head of Operations and Marketing for global travel technology leader Amadeus’ Malaysian operations for five years. He was also Head of Marketing for iPay88 and Head of Corporate Marketing for the Global Payments and Services Division of iPay88’s parent NTT Data Corporation.

The company notes that during his four years with iPay88, Mr Yeap successfully led iPay88 to be a household name in Malaysia. He also successfully launched iPay88 in Cambodia, Thailand and Bangladesh, as well as significantly increasing NTT data’s footprint and brand presence regionally across South East Asia.

Shareholders will no doubt be hoping these new executives bring similar successes to IOUpay.

More reading

• These small cap ASX shares surged more than 100% in February
• Why Afterpay, IOUpay, Liontown Resources, & Redbubble are racing higher
• Why the IOUpay (ASX:IOU) share price is charging 13% higher today
• The IOUpay (ASX:IOU) share price is skyrocketing 30% today
• Why the IOUpay (ASX:IOU) share price crashed 13% lower today

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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Jupiter Mines Ltd (ASX: JMS) share price was down a whopping 7% today before recovering. The negative movement came after the company announced it would indefinitely delay its announced demerger.

At the time of writing, the mining companies share price is at 34 cents – down from yesterday’s close of 35 cents a share.

This drop is a distinct contrast to the 1.7% rise in the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index.

How today’s news is affecting Jupiter Mines share price?

In an announcement to the ASX Jupiter Mines advised it was delaying the spinoff of proposed company Juno.

Juno, which was to be an iron ore focused company, was overwhelmingly approved by shareholders at its AGM. The proposed company would have taken ownership of Jupiter’s Central Yilgarn Iron Projects. Juno was slated to commence trading on 17 March 2021.

Stitching Pensioefonds ABP (ABP), which has a near 15% stake, is the company’s second-largest shareholder. The company confirmed they did not want to meet the regulatory requirements of the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). Meeting FIRB requirements is a condition of the Juno initial public offering (IPO) and Jupiter capital reduction.

Jupiter’s CEO, Priyank Thapliyal, commented:

The IPO and the potential uplift that would have occurred with the construction of Mount Mason in the near term in this robust iron ore price market was the optimal structure to release substantial value for Jupiter shareholders. Needless to say, this has been usurped for all the shareholders by the decision of one shareholder, ABP.

What are the FIRB requirements?

According to the FIRB, a foreign investor must notify the federal Treasurer and seek approval before acquiring any interest in an Australian mine or mining entity above a certain monetary threshold.

There are fees and waiting periods with the approval process.

Jupiter Mines share price snapshot

Despite today’s plunge, Jupiter Mines share price is trending upwards. Only 2 weeks ago the company hit its 52-week high of 38 cents a share. In fact, this time last year, shares in the miner were selling at only 23 cents. At today’s price, that’s a 39.6% uplift. Yet, the Jupiter Mines share price is lower than its 2018 IPO price of 42 cents a share.

Jupiter Mines has a market capitalisation of $670 million.

More reading

• ASX 200 up 1.6%: Appen rebounds, ALS acquires Investiga, Woolworths upgraded
• What’s with the Laybuy (ASX:LBY) share price today?
• Why the Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price is climbing today
• Why Afterpay, Alkane, ALS, & Woodside shares are storming higher
• Here’s why Biden’s stimulus is pushing the ASX 200 higher today

Motley Fool contributor Marc Sidarous has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post Why the Jupiter Mines (ASX:JMS) share price tanked over 7% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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At lunch on Monday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to start the week with a very strong gain. The benchmark index is currently up 1.6% to 6,816.4 points.

Here’s what is happening on the market today:

Tech shares climb higher

The Australian tech sector is rebounding after a strong night of trade on the Nasdaq index on Friday. The likes of Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Appen Limited (ASX: APX) are recording solid gains and are helping drive the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) higher. The technology index is up 1.6% at the time of writing.

ALS announces acquisition

The ALS Ltd (ASX: ALQ) share price is charging higher today after announcing a new acquisition. According to the release, the testing services company has acquired Investiga for an undisclosed fee. Investiga is a pharmaceutical testing business with operations in Brazil and the east coast of the United States. It specialises in the cosmetic and personal care market, providing services to a portfolio of major global clients. Investiga generated A$20 million of revenue in FY 2020.

Woolworths upgraded

The Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price is outperforming today. This has been driven by a broker note out of Goldman Sachs this morning. According to the note, the broker has upgraded the retail giant’s shares to a buy rating with a $43.60 price target. Goldman notes that Woolworths’ shares were trading at a 7% discount to the Industrials ex. Financials index. This compares to a longer term average premium of +12%.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers

The best performer on the ASX 200 on Monday has been the Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) share price with a 7% gain. This appears to have been driven by speculation the wine company could be takeover target. Going the other way, the Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ) share price is the worst performer on the index with a decline of 4%. This has been driven by its shares trading ex-dividend this morning for its 32 cents per share fully franked final dividend.

More reading

• Why the Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price is climbing today
• Why Afterpay, Alkane, ALS, & Woodside shares are storming higher
• Here’s why Biden’s stimulus is pushing the ASX 200 higher today
• Why this new app has brokers excited for the Afterpay (ASX: APT) share price
• Why the Santos (ASX:STO) share price is down this morning

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 AFTERPAY T FPO and Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Treasury Wine Estates Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended SMARTGROUP DEF SET. 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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