• The Pointsbet (ASX:PBH) share price is up 10% this year

    gaming asx share price represented by 2 people excitedly holding smart phones

    The Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) share price has finally made some headway. At the time of writing, PointsBet shares are trading hands for $12.98 per share, putting them up almost 10% this year and teasing their previous record closing price of $13.28 on 2 September 2020. 

    Much of these year-to-date gains occurred yesterday, after Pointsbet announced it had entered into a multi-year partnership to be the official gaming partner of the Detroit Red Wings (hockey) and Little Caesars Arena. The strategic deal includes a brand new Pointsbet sports bar coming to Little Caesars and signage during Detroit Red Wings’ games this upcoming season.

    Pointsbet share price finally going somewhere 

    Before yesterday’s announcement, the Pointsbet share price has seemingly gone nowhere since its game-changing deal with NBCUniversal was announced last August. The deal almost doubled the Pointsbet share price in a single day from $7 to $13. 

    The partnership will push the Pointsbet brand and products in front of the largest sports audience of any US media with exclusive television and digital sports betting integrations. 

    From a cost perspective, Pointsbet has committed a total marketing spend of US$393 million in progressively increasing amounts over the 5-year media partnership, together with incentives payable to NBC for customer referrals. NBC will also take a 4.9% ownership stake in the Pointsbet company. 

    Competing US bookmakers reporting strong results 

    Elsewhere, William Hill plc reported significant growth in the US in its trading statement for the unaudited 52 weeks ended 29 December 2020. William Hill US went live in five states and launched mobile in five states, leading to 121% net revenue growth in the fourth quarter. Its sports betting apps and sports book odds are also featured in both ESPN and CBS Sports, two of America’s leading sports media brands. 

    Pointsbet’s major US competitor, DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ: DKNG) has also rallied strongly in 2021, with year-to-date returns sitting at 17%. 

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

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    Lina Lim has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pointsbet Holdings 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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  • Why Galan Lithium (ASX:GLN) and Lithium Australia (ASX:LIT) shares are storming higher today

    Cut outs of cogs and machinery with chemical symbol for lithium

    It has been a very positive day of trade for lithium miners Galan Lithium Ltd (ASX: GLN) and Lithium Australia NL (ASX: LIT) on Thursday.

    In morning trade, the Galan Lithium share price is up 16% to 44 cents and the Lithium Australia share price is up 9.5% to 8.1 cents.

    Why are these lithium miners storming higher today?

    This morning Lithium Australia announced that it has entered into an acquisition and joint venture agreement with Galan Lithium.

    This agreement with see Galan Lithium purchase an 80% interest in the Greenbushes South Lithium Project from Lithium Australia.

    The Greenbushes South Lithium Project is located 200 km south of Perth and just 3 km south of the world-class Greenbushes Lithium Mine.

    The latter is owned and operated by Talison Lithium and is one of the world’s largest hard-rock spodumene deposits with very high grades. IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) recently bought a 25% stake in the operation to much fanfare.

    According to the release, Galan Lithium will issue Lithium Australia 1,221,000 fully paid ordinary shares in exchange for the 80% stake in the Greenbushes South Lithium Project. The two companies will then form an unincorporated joint venture, which will be solely funded by Galan Lithium until the completion of a preliminary feasibility study.

    After which, both parties will contribute on a pro-rata basis or withdraw and retain a 2% net smelter royalty.

    Management commentary.

    Galan Lithium’s Managing Director, Juan Pablo Vargas de la Vega, commented: “We are delighted to acquire a significant majority stake in a highly prospective lithium project in a world-renowned lithium district and increase our existing lithium exploration ground at Greenbushes in Western Australia.”

    “We have secured an outstanding exploration opportunity in Western Australia to add to our existing portfolio of assets in Argentina that have a potential production profile. We will proceed to exploring this tenure in a methodological step-by-step manner and progress tenement applications to grant. We are pleased to joint venture with Lithium Australia NL and look forward to updating the market with our developments in due course,” he added.

    Lithium Australia’s Managing Director, Adrian Griffin, added: “The Company’s divestment of a majority interest in the Greenbushes South Lithium Project to Galan is consistent with our ongoing strategy, to advance proprietary, downstream lithium and battery technologies and to deliver an ethical and sustainable supply of energy metals for batteries through innovative minerals processing and battery recycling techniques, thus creating an energy-metals loop.”

    “Lithium Australia is pleased to partner with Galan, a dedicated explorer that will drive the Greenbushes South Lithium Project forward. This transaction means that the Company reduces its financial commitment and exploration risk yet retains significant lithium commodity exposure by way of both Galan shares and 20% Project equity,” Griffin concluded.

    This Tiny ASX Stock Could Be the Next Afterpay

    One little-known Australian IPO has doubled in value since January, and renowned Australian Moonshot stock picker Anirban Mahanti sees a potential millionaire-maker in waiting…

    Because ‘Doc’ Mahanti believes this fast-growing company has all the hallmarks of genuine Moonshot potential, forget ‘buy now pay later’, this stock could be the next hot stock on the ASX.

    Doc and his team have published a detailed report on this tiny ASX stock. Find out how you can access what could be the NEXT Afterpay today!

    Returns as of 6th October 2020

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    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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  • Are ASX 200 shares set to climb 15% higher in 2021?

    asx share price rebound represented by wooden blocks spelling rebound with coins on top

    ASX 200 shares have been up and down in the past year. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) plummeted lower in the March 2020 bear market before finishing with a near-record December quarter performance.

    According to an article in the Australian Financial Review (AFR), one market strategist is tipping up to 15 per cent gains for Aussie shares in 2021.

    Where are ASX 200 shares headed in 2021?

    Market strategist UBS is tipping the benchmark Aussie index could climb to 7,600 points, up 15.4% on current levels.

    A strong public health response to the coronavirus pandemic has laid the platform for more gains. That, alongside a rotation towards value shares, could help boost ASX 200 shares higher this year.

    JP Morgan’s Jason Steed was also bullish on equities for 2021. Mr Steed cited high levels of monetary and fiscal support, alongside vaccine deployment, are likely to support earnings.

    Key macro drivers include robust growth from China and a revised outlook for government stimulus in the US.

    UBS is tipping 15 per cent growth in forward earnings per share (EPS) to bring that back to pre-pandemic levels. MST Marquee strategist Hasan Tevfik told the AFR that 2021 was going to be more of an “earnings-driven market”. 

    Rising bond yields could mean higher discount rates and therefore lower share valuations. Credit Suisse’s Damien Boey suggested higher yields could mean fewer people rolling into equities thinking that they have no other alternative in a low-rate environment.

    Foolish takeaway

    2020 was a volatile year for ASX 200 shares with the benchmark index down 4.0% in the last 12 months. Stand out performers like Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) helped to push the index higher.

    It remains to be seen which top shares are set to propel Aussie share values higher this year. Technology and Resources shares have been hot in recent months with all eyes on market movements in January.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

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    Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Why the Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) share price is racing 7% higher today

    Chalk-drawn rocket shown blasting off into space

    The Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) share price has been a strong performer on Thursday.

    In morning trade the leading health imaging company’s shares are up 7% to $34.00.

    Why is the Pro Medicus share price racing higher?

    Investors have been buying the company’s shares this morning after it announced another major new contract win.

    According to the release, Pro Medicus has signed a seven-year contract with Salt Lake City based Intermountain Healthcare.

    Intermountain is the largest health system in the State of Utah and also provides medical services in the states of Idaho and Nevada. This makes it the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West region.

    The contract, which is based on a transactional licensing model and estimated to be worth $40 million over the seven years, will see the company’s Visage 7 Viewer and Visage 7 Open Archive products implemented across all of Intermountain’s radiology and subspecialty imaging departments.

    The implementation will be fully deployed on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), leveraging Visage’s native, cloud-engineered enterprise imaging technology. Planning for the rollout is to begin in the third quarter of FY 2021, with data migration commencing immediately by Visage’s engineering team. The first sites will be scheduled to go-live shortly after.

    A very important deal.

    Pro Medicus’ CEO, Dr Sam Hupert, was very pleased with the contract win.

    He commented: “This is a very important deal for us, not only because of its size and scope, it will provide us with a material footprint in Intermountain West, previously an untapped region for us.”

    “It also validates our decision to engineer Visage 7 from the ground up to be natively cloud capable, with Intermountain deploying both the Visage 7 Viewer and Visage 7 Open Archive as part of our Visage in the Cloud offering, making this one of the largest cloud-based PACS implementations in the world.”

    Dr Hupert notes that this is the fifth major contract win that the company has announced during the last six months.

    He concluded: “This is our fifth major contract win in six months. We believe this validates our belief that we have unique, market leading technology which, coupled with our expanded product portfolio and native cloud capability, has significantly increased our total addressable market in our key jurisdictions of North America, Europe and Australia.”

    This Tiny ASX Stock Could Be the Next Afterpay

    One little-known Australian IPO has doubled in value since January, and renowned Australian Moonshot stock picker Anirban Mahanti sees a potential millionaire-maker in waiting…

    Because ‘Doc’ Mahanti believes this fast-growing company has all the hallmarks of genuine Moonshot potential, forget ‘buy now pay later’, this stock could be the next hot stock on the ASX.

    Doc and his team have published a detailed report on this tiny ASX stock. Find out how you can access what could be the NEXT Afterpay today!

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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 and recommends Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pro Medicus 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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  • Here’s why the Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC) share price is charging 5% higher

    A miner holds two hands full of coal, indicating share price movement for coal and energy companies

    The Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) share price is on the move on Thursday following the release of its quarterly update.

    At the time of writing, the coal miner’s shares are up 5% to $1.84.

    How did Whitehaven Coal perform?

    For the three months ended 31 December, Whitehaven Coal achieved managed run-of-mine (ROM) production of 5.1Mt. This was up an impressive 64% on the prior corresponding period.

    From this, total quarterly managed coal sales came in at 4.5Mt, which was in line with the same period last year. Management noted that the outage of one of Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group’s (NCIG) two ship loaders has resulted in 550kt of equity sales slipping from December 2020 into January 2021.

    Whitehaven realised an average price of US$62 per tonne for its thermal coal in the quarter. While this was 8% lower than the quarterly globalCoal Newcastle Index average, the company notes that its prices lag the average when rapid changes occur.

    Pleasingly, the globalCoal Newcastle Index coal price averaged US$67 per tonne for the quarter before finishing it above US$80 per tonne. The improved pricing environment reflects increased seaborne thermal coal demand, which is being driven largely by an Asian economic recovery accelerating post the initial impact of COVID-19.

    The company’s CEO, Paul Flynn, commented: “During the latter part of the December quarter there was a strong rebound in pricing and we are increasingly optimistic that underlying market dynamics are supportive of continued improvement in this area.”

    Looking ahead, management has tightened its guidance range for FY 2021. Whitehaven now expects FY 2021 managed coal sales (excluding purchased coal) to be 19Mt to 20Mt, up from 18.5Mt to 20Mt.

    It made the move after “seeing much more consistent and better performance across production and overburden management.”

    This Tiny ASX Stock Could Be the Next Afterpay

    One little-known Australian IPO has doubled in value since January, and renowned Australian Moonshot stock picker Anirban Mahanti sees a potential millionaire-maker in waiting…

    Because ‘Doc’ Mahanti believes this fast-growing company has all the hallmarks of genuine Moonshot potential, forget ‘buy now pay later’, this stock could be the next hot stock on the ASX.

    Doc and his team have published a detailed report on this tiny ASX stock. Find out how you can access what could be the NEXT Afterpay today!

    Returns as of 6th October 2020

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    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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  • Why ASX energy shares are under pressure right now

    ASX energy shares have been under a lot of pressure in recent months. The AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) share price slumped to a new 52-week low on Wednesday morning and remains down 41.1% in the last 12 months.

    And AGL is far from alone. Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) shares have slumped 40.2% lower in the past year. So, what’s putting ASX energy shares under pressure and what’s ahead for 2021?

    Why ASX energy shares are slumping lower

    The coronavirus pandemic hit energy producers hard in 2020. Key industries like manufacturing effectively shut down which caused demand for energy to plummet.

    Other key industries such as office real estate also had reduced energy needs in 2020.

    A reliance on coal-fired power stations, which are struggling to turn a profit at current electricity prices, is also impacting on profits.

    The flow on effects have been felt by shareholders with ASX energy shares falling lower in the past year.

    While AGL shares hit a 52-week low in yesterday’s trade, both AGL and Origin ended the day in the black.

    That’s despite an article in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) discussing potential overinvestment in Aussie energy.

    Snowy Hydro is pushing ahead with a 750 megawatt (MW) gas power plant despite a number of large-scale projects on the horizon. 

    Origin has also confirmed a 4-hour 700 MW battery at its Eraring power station on the NSW Central Coast.

    The Federal Government is hoping further NSW dispatchable capacity will support any private sector shortfall.

    But the Grattan Institute is suggesting that the case for further investment may not stack up. Grattan Institute energy program director Tony Wood said the case for building 1000MW of capacity has “never been substantiated”.

    Foolish takeaway

    All of this sets up an interesting period for ASX energy shares to start the year with a race to increase energy generation and storage capacity.

    This Tiny ASX Stock Could Be the Next Afterpay

    One little-known Australian IPO has doubled in value since January, and renowned Australian Moonshot stock picker Anirban Mahanti sees a potential millionaire-maker in waiting…

    Because ‘Doc’ Mahanti believes this fast-growing company has all the hallmarks of genuine Moonshot potential, forget ‘buy now pay later’, this stock could be the next hot stock on the ASX.

    Doc and his team have published a detailed report on this tiny ASX stock. Find out how you can access what could be the NEXT Afterpay today!

    Returns as of 6th October 2020

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    Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall 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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  • Here’s what this leading broker thinks about the Altium (ASX:ALU) share price

    watch broker buy

    The Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) share price has been out of form this week due to the release of a disappointing trading update.

    Week to date, the electronic design software company’s shares have fallen over 9%.

    What was Altium’s update?

    On Tuesday, Altium revealed that it expects to report a 3% decline in first half revenue to US$89.6 million. This soft half was driven by extreme COVID conditions in the US and Europe and challenging conditions in China for licence compliance activities.

    One positive, though, is that an improvement in trading conditions in the second quarter has led to the company retaining its FY 2021 guidance.

    This is for revenue of US$200 million to US$212 million (6% to 12% growth) and EBITDA of US$76 million to US$89 million (38% to 42% growth), less the contribution from its TASKING business which is being sold.

    Though, judging by the performance of the Altium share price since the update, it doesn’t appear as though the market is overly convinced it will achieve this guidance.

    Will Altium achieve its guidance?

    Goldman Sachs has been looking closely at Altium and has given its verdict on its FY 2021 prospects.

    Goldman commented: “To achieve the bottom end of FY21 guidance ALU would require revenue growth of +15% in 2H21E (on 2H20). While we anticipate the macro environment for ALU will improve through 2021 based on well above consensus GS macro forecasts, there remain risks to the achievement of this.”

    However, it believes weakness in China could be a stumbling block in the company achieving this guidance.

    “Given our global forecasts for a strong macro recovery through 2021, it is possible that ALU’s recent downgrade cycle may be nearing an end. However, the 1H21 decline of 15% yoy in revenues from China is a concern as it is not clear if this is a temporary issue or indicative of emerging headwinds in this geography noting it contributed 30% of Altium Designer perpetual licence sales volumes and 11% of its subscription licence sales volumes in FY20.”

    In light of this, and even though its price target of $34.30 implies a potential return of 21%, the broker has decided to retain its neutral rating.

    Goldman plans to sit tight until a more detailed disclosure is available at its half year results in February.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

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  • Here’s why the Pilbara (ASX:PLS) share price is on watch today

    Man with binoculars standing on edge of building looking into distance

    The Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price will be on watch today following an update on the company’s retail entitlement offer.

    After hitting a multi-year high yesterday, it will be interesting to see if the Pilbara share price can top that performance today following the latest announcement.

    After yesterday’s closing bell, the Pilbara share price finished the day off at $1.15.

    Completion of retail entitlement offer

    According to this morning’s release, Pilbara advised that it has successfully completed its retail entitlement offer.

    Underwritten for a 1-for-7.6 pro-rata basis, roughly 125 million new shares were issued to participating retail shareholders. Offered at 36 cents per share, the rights issue raised $60.6 million for the company.

    Pilbara said that the remaining 43.2 million shares that were not taken up in the offer were allocated to sub-underwriters, AustralianSuper and RCF VII.

    In total, 168.2 million new shares will be issued and rank equally among ordinary full-paid Pilbara shares. The new lot is expected to be allocated to participating shareholders’ portfolios next Monday and will be available to trade.

    The retail entitlement offer follows the company’s institutional placement efforts to support its acquisition in Altura Lithium Operations Pty Ltd. Both proceeds raised $240.2 million to fund the takeover. Pilbara stated that it is on schedule to purchase all shares in Altura Lithium Operations and its Altura Project.

    What did management say?

    Pilbara managing director and CEO Mr Ken Brinsden welcomed the result, saying:

    We are delighted with the level of support we have received from retail shareholders and are pleased to now confirm the successful completion of the Entitlement Offer.

    … Together with the cornerstone placement announced on Monday, 14 December 2020, provides Pilbara Minerals with the funding necessary to complete the acquisition of the neighbouring Altura Project on an unencumbered basis, thereby realising the full value of synergies and benefits for Pilbara Minerals’ shareholders that arise from this unique opportunity.

    About the Pilbara share price

    The Pilbara share price has been storming higher over the past 12 months, reaching a multi-year high of $1.15 yesterday.

    Falling to as low as 13.5 cents in March when COVID-19 hit the world economy, Pilbara shares have been on a tear ever since. For those lucky investors who were brave enough to pick up some shares, you would be sitting on a gain of 751%.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

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    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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  • Top fund managers reveal 3 top ASX shares to buy for 2021

    asx shares to shine in 2021 represented by the numbers 2021 lit up against night sky

    Some of the country’s top fund managers have revealed some great ASX share picks for 2021.

    There was a huge amount of disruption in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    These businesses have been identified by fundies as among the best opportunities for 2021:

    Downer EDI Limited (ASX: DOW)

    Downer is the choice of fund manager Matthew Kidman from Centennial Asset Management.

    The ASX share boasts that it has a history dating back over 150 years. It designs, builds and sustains assets, infrastructure and facilities and it’s the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand.

    Downer is currently in the process of restructuring its business and it’s selling assets. A recent sale was a mining business. Mr Kidman said that it’s selling its lumpy, heavy capital intensive components, and going into a much more capital-light service-based business with a lot of long-term government contracts.

    The fund manager said that Downer is really unloved by the market but it’s making progress in fixing the business with a good balance sheet and its business divisions.

    Mr Kidman believes the company will get a re-rate by the market after it divests some of the lower-returning businesses and focuses on better-returning businesses. He thinks it can trade on a higher earnings multiple and the business can also increase its earnings. The fundie believes the share price could reach at least $7 in 2021 as the story unfolds.

    Mortgage Choice Limited (ASX: MOC)

    Mortgage Choice is the ASX share pick for 2021 of Matthew Booker, from Spheria Asset Management. Spheria is actually the largest shareholder of Mortgage Choice at the moment.

    Spheria believes the outlook for the mortgage broking industry looks “fantastic” for the next five or ten years. He said that the financial services royal commission was hell and at one point it looked like the industry may get shut down. But now, Mr Booker believes, the mortgage broker industry is actually going to proliferate.

    The fundie believes that mortgage brokers will gain increasing market share of the mortgages market, and he thinks that Mortgage Choice can achieve a rising market share of the broker industry.

    Tyro Payments Ltd (ASX: TYR)

    The ASX share choice of Ben Clark from TMS Capital is Tyro Payments. Mr Clark thinks that the business has got a really good long-term structural growth story.

    The fundie thinks Tyro is a recovery play because as the economy reopens and relaxation starts to come back in, Tyro could benefit from the amount of hospitality merchants it services and there could be “some pretty strong growth.”

    There are four catalysts that TMS Capital sees for the ASX share. First, the fund manager sees the volume of transactions accelerating through the network. Between 1 December and 11 December, Tyro saw 29% growth compared to the prior corresponding period.

    Second, Mr Clark thinks the ASX share will gain more of the market share and potentially enter into new verticals.

    Third, he’s excited by the launch of TyroConnect. This is the integration hub that Tyro has build around it point of sale (POS) system, which TMS thinks will create more customer loyalty.

    The final point was that the lending part of the business, which froze during the COVID-19 period, will rise again. It could turn into a good profit centre.

    However, Tyro recently announced that it has experienced terminal connectivity issues for some of its EFTPOS terminals. An issue caused some terminals to lose connectivity, so they couldn’t transact or be updated remotely.

    To fix this, Tyro has been collecting, repairing and returning impacted terminals to merchants as quickly as possible.

    On 13 January 2021, about 70% of merchants were unaffected, a further 11% of Tyro’s merchants have multiple terminals with at least one functioning unit allowing them to continue to process payments. It’s the remaining 29% that are fully impacted and are the focus of the recovery effort. Approximately 2,000 terminals a day are now being collected. Tyro expects the majority of impacted merchants to be back to normal operations by the end of the week, with the rest sorted in the following week.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

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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 Tyro Payments. 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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  • This key ASX stock pick in the building sector has multiple re-rating opportunities

    rising Boral share price asx share price represented by investor in hard had looking excitedly at mobile phone

    Many ASX building material stocks have been outperforming but one laggard has several opportunities to play catch up in 2021.

    The stock in question in the Boral Limited (ASX: BLD) share price, which is barely sitting on a 1% gain over the past year.

    In contrast, the James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) share price surged 26%, BlueScope Steel Limited (ASX: BSL) share price added 17% and CSR Limited (ASX: CSR) share price gained 8%.

    2021 outlook for ASX building material stocks

    Sentiment towards these stocks have been bolstered by stronger than expected housing construction approvals and starts in the US and Australia.

    The sector is likely to remain well supported despite fears that tailwinds will start to wane.

    “Looking into 2021, investors are asking when does the sector peak? November AUS detached housing approvals of ~138k are 2 standard deviations away from the long term average of 107k, which suggests we are near the peak,” said UBS.

    “However, prior peaks were defined by rate hikes. Unless we see a rate hike or credit lending restrictions tighten, housing likely has more upside this year.”

    Boral share price in the spotlight

    While this is good news for ASX building materials shares, it’s the Boral share price that investors will want to watch. UBS believes 2021 could be Boral’s year as it has multiple chances to play catch-up.

    In the first instance, Boral could be cum-consensus upgrade. The market is expecting Boral to post a FY21 earnings before interest and tax of $412 million. UBS reckons that’s too low and is forecasting EBIT of $460 million instead.

    Greater clarity on valuation

    Management could also quantify a cost-out target. This could spur excitement in the stock as many have been left guessing what the savings will be. UBS believes the number if $75 million.

    Thirdly, if rival Knauf sells its plasterboard assets, like UBS expects, investors will be able to value the USG Boral joint venture divesture more confidently.

    “We expect more US BMAT [building materials] sales, the late 2020 sale of Midland Bricks for A$250m or 8x EV/EBITDA (2021 UBSe) signalled the start of the US BMAT exit,” said UBS.

    “We think the market is not pricing in any of these four events.”

    ASX stocks to buy for 2021

    The broker is recommending the Boral share price as a “buy” with a 12-month price target of $5.60 a share.

    But Boral isn’t the only ASX stock in the sector that UBS likes. It’s also recommending investors buy the James Hardie share price, CSR share price and Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW) share price.

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    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of BlueScope Steel Limited and James Hardie Industries plc. Connect with me on Twitter @brenlau.

    The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    The post This key ASX stock pick in the building sector has multiple re-rating opportunities appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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