Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (ASX: CLQ) shares have risen by 6% in early morning trading, after the company announced it has secured two new additional water purification contracts in Queensland and Oman. At the time of writing, the Clean TeQ share price is trading up by 1.5 cents to 26.5 cents.

Queensland contract

The Clean TeQ share price is surging higher today after the company reported it has won a competitive tender. In its announcement, Clean TeQ advised it has been awarded a contract valued at over $2 million by the Mackay Regional Council for the upgrade of a bore water treatment plant at Koumala.

In this agreement, Clean TeQ will design, supply, and install an ion exchange treatment to remove hardness and lower the salinity of an existing bore water supply.

This is done in order to reduce the scaling of pipes, and improve taste for use in the potable water supply of Koumala.

Clean TeQ will manage the full design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the plant including subcontracting of civil works.

The program of works is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2021, and run through to the end of the year.

Oman contract

In late 2019, Clean TeQ was was engaged by Multotec, the company’s sales and delivery partner in Africa, to deliver a waste water treatment system at an antimony processing facility in Oman.

The company’s DESLAX technology was used in this project to remove a range of deleterious elements from up to 200 tonnes of waste water per day.

By treating the waste, the customer is able to recycle a significant proportion of the water for re-use in its processing plant, rather than disposing of it.

This provides a valuable cost saving for the customer in a geographic location where water is relatively scarce.

In today’s announcement, Clean TeQ advised it has been awarded a contract to undertake the detailed design for an upgrade of this water treatment plant.

The upgrade will focus on neutralising the waste liquors, and precipitating contaminants for easier recovery.

Management reaction

Clean TeQ Managing Director and CEO Sam Riggall was pleased with the contract wins, saying:

Our water business continues to build on the successes achieved over the past year. Having demonstrated our capability in designing, constructing and commissioning our highly effective proprietary water purification systems in a range of different applications, our focus is now shifting towards revenue growth.

More about Clean TeQ

Based in Melbourne, Clean TeQ Holdings provides services in metals recovery and industrial water treatment. The company applies its proprietary continuous ion exchange technology via its wholly owned subsidiary, Clean TeQ Water.

Clean TeQ also owns 100% of the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project in New South Wales. The company counts this among the largest cobalt deposits outside of Africa. It also has some of the largest and highest-grade accumulations of scandium on the planet.

About the Clean TeQ share price

The Clean TeQ share price has risen by around 20% over the past year. Clean TeQ shares dipped by as much as 45% in March 2020, before recovering to their current levels.

Based on the current Clean TeQ share price, the company commands a market capitalisation of $202 million.

More reading

• Why the DroneShield (ASX:DRO) share price is surging higher
• Here’s why the InvoCare (ASX:IVC) share price is on the rise today
• Why the Link (ASX:LNK) share price is dropping 11% lower today
• Tesla’s Q4 deliveries soar
• The Kogan (ASX:KGN) share price is up 160% in 12 months

Motley Fool contributor Eddy Sunarto 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 DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) share price is running hot today following the company’s record quarterly results.

At the time of writing, the defence contractors’ shares are up 5.8% to 18 cents. In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 0.1% to 6,856 points.

Quick take on DroneShield

DroneShield is a global leader in drone security technology. The company designs and develops detection systems that use specialised technology to protect people, organisations and critical infrastructure.

Its multi-layered products are centred around on detection and disruption from unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

What did DroneShield announce?

In this morning’s ASX release, DroneShield advised that it has achieved a record fourth quarter in cash receipts.

For the three months ending 31 December, the company collected around $2.1 million from purchases in relation to its counter-UAS technology. In addition, DroneShield was awarded $250,000 in grants during the period, bringing the total to $2.4 million received.

The company will release further information about its quarterly results before the end of the month.

DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik welcomed the results, saying:

The record quarterly receipts consisted of a wide geographic range of customers, including the Five Eyes countries and a number of others.

Our global model continues to ramp up as defence customers increase their spending, despite the COVID environment. The quarterly receipts also include both first time and repeat orders. Importantly, both our near-term pipeline and the manufacturing order book are at an all-time high.

DroneShield share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the DroneShield share price has faulted, sending shareholders returns to a loss of 37%. The company’s shares hit an all-time low of 8.4 cents in March last year from COVID-19 impacts.

Since then, the DroneShield share price has moved higher, but is still a long way off its 52-week high of 30 cents.

More reading

• Here are the best All Ordinaries performers of 2020
• How does fiscal stimulus impact ASX share prices?
• Why the New Energy Solar (ASX:NEW) share price is climbing higher today
• As we bid farewell to 2020, don’t miss this lesson…
• Why the DroneShield (ASX:DRO) share price is jumping 6% today

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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The InvoCare Limited (ASX: IVC) share price is on the move on Monday following the release of an announcement.

In morning trade the funeral company’s shares are up 1% to $11.56.

What did InvoCare announce?

This morning InvoCare provided an update on the appointment of its new Chief Executive Officer, Olivier Chretien.

According to the release, Mr Chretien has now been formally appointed to the board of InvoCare effective 4 January 2021.

This follows the resignation of former Chief Executive Officer, Martin Earp, as a director of InvoCare this morning as planned.

Mr Earp will continue to work with the board and Mr Chretien up to the end of March 2021. The company expects this to deliver a smooth and seamless handover of leadership.

Who is the company’s new CEO?

Olivier Chretien was named the company’s new CEO just before Christmas following a six-month search for a replacement for the outgoing Martin Earp. The latter revealed in June that he would not be staying on when his six-year contract ends in March 2021.

Mr Chretien is an experienced executive and has previously worked for private hospital operator Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC) and conglomerate Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES). His most recent role was Group Chief Strategy Officer at Ramsay Health Care.

Prior to joining Ramsay, he served in a range of senior executive and managing director roles at Wesfarmers between 2006 and 2017.

Commenting on the appointment, InvoCare’s Chair, Bart Vogel, said: “Olivier has a proven record with successful P&L management, value creation, strategy design and execution in those roles over many years. Olivier’s record demonstrates strategic execution and financial acumen, combined with successful management of operational transformation and a clear grasp of trends driving business disruption across all sectors, particularly in digital and data.”

“This combination of strategic and management execution to create value, together with strong people skills is critical to InvoCare’s investment program and operations as we address changing customer expectations and further diversify earnings into adjacencies,” he added.

Mr Chretien appears to be up for the challenge of leading the company.

He commented: “I am inspired by the Company’s mission and values and the critical role it plays in celebrating life and memories for its client families, through dedicated team members who bring uniquely empathetic skills to work every day.”

“I am committed to develop with the team an even more resilient and innovative business to ultimately deliver solid and sustainable returns to our shareholders by leveraging the foundations built over the past few years,” he concluded.

More reading

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• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended InvoCare Limited and Ramsay Health Care 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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This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

When Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) first started 2020, the electric car company told investors it expected to deliver 500,000 vehicles or more this year. Of course, this guidance came before Tesla knew a global pandemic would hit — one that would lead to a pause in production at its factories and weakened demand around the world for new cars. As Tesla faced these challenging times earlier this year, management pulled its forecast for half a million deliveries.

Yet here we are at the end of 2020, and Tesla is announcing that it basically achieved its initial pre-pandemic target. The company delivered 499,550 vehicles in 2020, up from about 368,000 in 2019.

Staggering growth

Tesla’s record fourth quarter deliveries highlight an impressive growth trajectory for the automaker. Full-year 2020 deliveries rose 36% year over year. Even more, fourth quarter deliveries were up 61% year over year and 29% sequentially. 

While Tesla did eventually reinstate its target for 500,000 deliveries after a strong second quarter, management made it clear at the time that achieving this goal wasn’t in the bag. Even in Tesla’s third quarter shareholder letter, management was still saying that hitting its target would be “difficult.” It would depend “primarily on quarter over quarter increases in Model Y and Shanghai production, as well as further improvements in logistics and delivery efficiency at higher volume levels.”

While Tesla’s 499,550 vehicle deliveries technically fall just shy of its 500,000 target, they are close enough to highlight Tesla’s staggering growth and to suggest that the electric car maker was able to achieve some of the improvements in logistics and delivery efficiency at higher volumes that it was aiming for.

How Tesla got to half a million deliveries

Tesla’s achievement of nearly half a million vehicle deliveries in 2020 was fueled primarily by continued growth in sales of its lower-priced models. Combined Model 3 and Y deliveries in 2020 were 442,511, or about 85% of total deliveries. The remaining deliveries were Model S and X vehicles — the company’s flagship sedan and SUV.

For the fourth quarter specifically, combined Model 3 and Y deliveries were 161,650, or about 90% of deliveries. Combined Model S and X deliveries were 18,920.

Though Tesla doesn’t break down its Model 3 and Y deliveries by model, Model Y likely played an integral role in the company’s growth this year. Tesla has been very optimistic about the new vehicle, with management implying that the small SUV’s production and delivery volumes have the potential to ramp up enough to exceed Tesla’s best-selling car: Model 3.

Tesla is certainly investing heavily in Model Y production. As of Tesla’s third quarter shareholder letter, the company had a Model Y production line at its factory in Fremont, California, and it had more production lines for the vehicle under construction at three other factories.

In 2021, investors are likely expecting another year of sharp growth in vehicle deliveries from Tesla. The company has been aggressively expanding its vehicle production capacity, setting up the auto manufacturer well for continued robust growth throughout the year.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

More reading

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Daniel Sparks 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 Tesla. 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 article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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The Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX: LNK) share price is under pressure on Monday after providing an update on its takeover approach.

At the time of writing, the administration services company’s shares are down 11% to $4.91.

What did Link announce?

This morning Link provided the market with an update on the conditional, non-binding indicative proposal from SS&C Technology Holdings that it received on 7 December.

The NASDAQ listed global provider of investment and financial software enabled services and software had made an offer of $5.65 per share to acquire 100% of Link.

This was subject to SS&C Technology receiving confirmatory due diligence, debt financing on acceptable terms, the negotiation and execution of transaction documentation, and necessary corporate and regulatory approvals.

While the Link board did not believe the proposal represented compelling value for shareholders, it considered it appropriate to provide SS&C Technology with due diligence information on a non-exclusive basis. This was so that it could develop a proposal that may be capable of being recommended to shareholders.

However, this morning the company revealed that it has received a letter from SS&C Technology stating that it has withdrawn its proposal. No reason was given for the withdrawal.

Management advised that shareholders do not need to take any action in relation to this or any proposal. Furthermore, if there are material developments in the future, it intends to inform shareholders as required under its continuous disclosure obligations.

What now?

The Link board has advised that it will continue to consider all alternatives to maximise value for shareholders.

As it has previously announced, this includes a potential separation by way of demerger of its interest in the PEXA business. Link will also explore a trade sale of its interest from 18 January 2021.

More reading

• Here’s how the S&P/ASX All Technology Index fared in 2020
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX 200 hits a 6! Thank iron ore
• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• ASX 200 drops on Thursday
• Link (ASX:LNK) share price in focus after takeover update

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 Link Administration Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Link Administration 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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Online retailer Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) has been among the best ASX shares to own over the last 12 months, with its share price soaring almost 160% higher. Valued at just $7.34 a year ago, the Kogan share price has skyrocketed to $19 as at the time of writing, and even briefly touched an all-time high price of $25.57 back in mid-October.

What’s been driving the Kogan share price?

Arguably Australia’s answer to United States internet giant Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Kogan saw its revenues soar in 2020. This occurred as lockdown measures imposed by governments to curb the spread of coronavirus encouraged more consumers to shop online from home.

As far back as April, around the time COVID-19 panic-selling was wreaking havoc on global markets, Kogan was already reassuring shareholders that it was seeing no ill-effects from the virus. In fact, most of the impact on Kogan’s business stemming from lockdowns had been positive, helping to propel the Kogan share price higher. 

In a market update issued at the time, Kogan revealed that March had been a record month for the company, with the largest monthly increase in active customer numbers since the company listed on the ASX. March gross sales, which included sales made by third parties through Kogan’s online marketplace, and gross profit both increased by a whopping 50% year on year.

This positive momentum continued throughout the second half of the financial year. Kogan’s total revenues surged over 13% year on year to $497.9 million, while net profit after tax jumped almost 56% to $26.8 million.

The company capitalised on this strong business momentum so shore up its balance sheet through a series of capital raises. $100 million was raised via institutional investors, while a further $20 million came from retail investors.

More recent news

Kogan’s strong FY20 performance has carried over into FY21. At the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) held in November, Kogan CEO and founder Ruslan Kogan touched on a few aspects of the company’s year-to-date FY21 performance. As of October 2020, year-to-date gross sales were up almost 100% year on year, while gross profit had skyrocketed 132%.

Kogan was also ramping up its marketing spend in anticipation of the Christmas retail trading period. This included a series of record-breaking monthly marketing investments already made in FY21.

At the AGM, company chair Greg Ridder had flagged the potential for increased M&A activity. Then, in early December, Kogan announced it had acquired leading New Zealand online gaming and entertainment retailer Mighty Ape for $122.4 million. Kogan expected the acquisition to deliver significant revenue and cost synergies, as well as add immediate scale to Kogan’s New Zealand operations. The Kogan share price rallied almost 8% on the day the acquisition was announced.

Mighty Ape expected revenues for the 12 months ended 31 March 2021 to be $137.7 million, while gross profit was anticipated to be approximately $45.7 million. This is a significant addition to Kogan’s revenue pool and is before consideration of potential cross-selling opportunities and other synergies.

Foolish takeaway

Whilst the Kogan share price delivered a spectacular performance in 2020, it is still currently trading more than 25% below its all time high. With the economy continuing to open up, it will be interesting to see what 2021 has in store for Kogan shares. 

More reading

• These ASX shares are growing rapidly in FY 2021
• The 5 best performing ASX 200 shares of 2020
• 2020 ASX recap of the year we’ll never forget
• 3 ASX shares to buy for 2021
• Here’s how the S&P/ASX All Technology Index fared in 2020

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Rhys Brock owns shares of Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Kogan.com ltd and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon and short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon and Kogan.com 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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At the start of each week I like to look at ASIC’s short position report to find out which shares are being targeted by short sellers.

This is because I believe it is well worth keeping a close eye on short interest levels as high levels can sometimes be a sign that something isn’t quite right with a company.

With that in mind, here are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX this week according to ASIC:

• Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) continues to be the most shorted share on the ASX despite its short interest easing slightly to 14.9%. There are concerns that a recent outbreak of COVID-19 in New South Wales and Victoria and escalating cases across the world could delay the recovery of the travel market.
• Tassal Group Limited (ASX: TGR) has seen its short interest fall to 10.8%. Short sellers have been going after the salmon producer amid concerns that China could put tariffs on Australian salmon exports in the future.
• Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB) has seen its short interest ease to 9.3%. This biotech company’s shares have come under pressure recently after the release of a series of very disappointing updates.
• Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) has seen its short interest rise to 8.2%. As with Webjet, the recent COVID outbreak in New South Wales and Victoria appears to be weighing on sentiment in the travel sector.
• Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR) has seen its short interest fall to 8.2%. This department store operator has been hit hard this year after the pandemic accelerated the shift to online shopping. This could have a big impact on the company’s turnaround plans.
• Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING) has 8.1% of its shares held short, which is down week on week. The poultry producer was a very disappointing performer in FY 2020 and it appears as though short sellers don’t believe the worst is over.
• InvoCare Limited (ASX: IVC) has short interest of 8.1%, which is also down week on week. There are concerns that this funeral company is losing market share to rivals. This could weigh on its performance in FY 2021.
• Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) has seen its short interest increase to 7.8%. Short sellers may be going after Zip due to rising competition in the United States from the likes of Shopify and PayPal.
• Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS) is back in the top ten with short interest of 7.8%. Short sellers aren’t giving up on this one despite its very strong performance over the last few months. They may now believe its shares are overvalued.
• A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) has also returned to the top ten with short interest of 7.6%. This infant formula company’s shares have recovered strongly since crashing lower following a guidance downgrade. It appears as though short sellers aren’t convinced that its operational recovery will be as quick.

More reading

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• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last 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 owns shares of and has recommended A2 Milk and Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and InvoCare 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 Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price was the best performer on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) in 2020 by some distance.

In fact, the payments company’s shares recorded a gain of 303%, which was more than double that of the next best performer – the Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) share price with a 150% gain.

Why did the Afterpay share price quadruple in 2020?

Investors were buying Afterpay’s shares for a number of reasons in 2020.

One of those was the company’s exceptionally strong performance during the pandemic. There were fears that the crisis would cause a spike in bad debts and a collapse in sales. However, those fears couldn’t have been any more wrong.

Instead, Afterpay benefited greatly from the accelerating shift to online shopping, adjusted its business model slightly (first payment upfront), and continued to grow its sales at an explosive rate without compromising its bad debts.

The company also announced a number of expansion plans. This includes its first foray into mainland Europe, an expansion into Canada, and plans to test the waters in Asia.

What else helped drive the Afterpay share price higher?

Other factors supporting the Afterpay share price include its recent addition to the exclusive ASX 20 and ASX 50 indices and the announcement of new product launches in partnership with Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC).

This partnership will see Afterpay provide Westpac transaction and savings accounts and other cashflow management tools to its 3.3 million customers in Australia from the second quarter of 2021. The company expects the service to empower customers to have greater control over their budget, with an efficient and seamless digital user experience.

Furthermore, the company may not stop at Australia as it sees potential to take this offering globally in the future.

What’s next for Afterpay?

While the company could provide investors with an update on its performance during the holiday season in the coming weeks, the next scheduled update isn’t until February when it releases it half year results.

Given how far its shares have climbed over the last 12 months, expectations are high. But fortunately for shareholders, Afterpay has a habit of delivering on them and more.

More reading

• 3 exciting ASX payment shares to buy in January
• Disappointments from the ASX 200’s best ever December quarter
• Highlights from the ASX 200’s best ever December quarter
• ASX sector of the year: BNPL goes from strength to strength
• 2 important investment lessons from 2020

James Mickleboro owns shares of Westpac Banking. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Kogan.com 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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2020 was a memorable year.

Why? Because there were a flood of initial public offerings (IPOs)!

I kid — of course, COVID-19 will dominate the chapter when historians write about last year. But the pandemic actually played an important role in encouraging private companies to go public.

This is because after the February–March crash, we saw one of the fastest share market recoveries ever seen.

The market heated up because much of the money handed out from government support and near-zero interest rates headed to shares.

That’s probably not the result that governments and central banks wanted. They would rather the cash be spent on goods and services.

But with Australians feeling uneasy and uncertain about the future, they were saving and investing more than spending.

Anyway, all that money on the share markets meant private companies queued up to cash in. Here are some of the most memorable — the most anticipated IPOs and those with massive market capitalisations.

Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL)

The December float of this software company was remarkable for many reasons.

First, it had built up a massive market capitalisation over almost 2 decades as a private business. In fact, at $1.7 billion, it was a rare Australian unicorn.

Second, its work is shrouded in secrecy as it assists clients like law enforcement organisations and big government agencies in processing unstructured data. It even had a hand in helping investigative journalists wade through 11.5 million documents known as The Panama Papers.

Third, Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) was an early investor that was estimated to have made $1 billion out of the ASX listing.

Fourth, Nuix is currently involved in courtroom drama with its former chief executive Eddie Sheehy over his share holdings. The result of that could impact Nuix financially, as noted in the prospectus and in the media.

Fifth, professional investors absolutely love this company.

Both Tribeca Investment Partners’ Alpha Plus portfolio manager Jun Bei Liu and Prime Value portfolio manager Richard Ivers picked it as the headline IPO of 2020.

“We believe the company will have a long run way of sustained growth for many years to come,” Liu told The Motley Fool last week.

“This company has attracted long-term quality investors to its register and will underpin its outperformance.”

Ivers expected “strong revenue growth and margin expansion” to drive earnings upwards in the coming years.

“It’s in a high growth market, with quality customers that are very sticky,” he told The Motley Fool.

Nuix shares sold for $5.31 during the IPO, but went for $8.24 before markets opened on 31 December 2020. That’s a tidy 55% return in less than a month.

Playside Studios (ASX: PLY)

The electronic games developer, as a private company, had already produced titles in partnership with multinational brands like Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS), Warner Bros and Nickelodeon.

So its ASX listing was highly anticipated, and it didn’t disappoint after floating on 16 December.

As of market open on 31 December 2020, Playside had more than doubled its IPO price of 20 cents per share.

“Given the massive growth in the global gaming industry and Playside’s established positioning and strong commercial ties with multinational media companies, we believe 2021 could be a huge year for the company,” Cyan Investment Management director Dean Fergie told The Motley Fool last week.

After the COVID-19 risk settles down, the Melbourne company is set to open an office in Los Angeles to manage its relationships with Hollywood studios.

“PlaySide has in the past few years proven its ability to make games that millions of people love to play while sustainably building a profitable business on a global stage,” said Playside chief executive Gerry Sakkas.

“Having now listed on the ASX, we believe we’ll be able to scale our skills, science and art to unlock significant value for PlaySide shareholders.”

Booktopia Group Limited (ASX: BKG)

The online bookseller often dubbed ‘Australia’s Amazon’ finally made it on the ASX in December.

Ironically it was that reputation that saw its first float attempt scuttled, back in 2016.

Soon after Booktopia announced its intentions to pull off an IPO, Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) revealed it would start an Australian arm.

With potential investors spooked, the Australian company had no choice to abandon its plans.

“People needed to see that they weren’t going to annihilate us,” Booktopia founder and chief Tony Nash told The Motley Fool.

“We’ve gone from $80 million to over $200 million [of revenue] during that time.”

Nash never considered Amazon a threat, as the US company had long ago moved away from bookselling.

“Books are not a priority for Amazon anymore,” he said.

“It’s less than 3% of their revenue now. Sure, it was 100% when they started out, and is a part of their DNA, but it’s not a priority for them.”

Booktopia’s IPO price was $2.30 per share, with it trading at $2.64 before market open on 31 December 2020.

More reading

• 2 exciting small cap ASX shares to watch in 2021
• 2 newly listed ASX shares to watch in 2021
• If you thought 2020’s tech share rally was impressive, hold on for 2021!
• The PlaySide Studios (ASX:PLY) share price is up 100% since its IPO
• Amazon makes bank from marketplace seller ads

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Tony Yoo owns shares of Amazon, Macquarie Group Limited, and Nuix Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Amazon and Walt Disney and recommends the following options: short January 2021 $135 calls on Walt Disney, long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon, long January 2021 $60 calls on Walt Disney, and short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon and Walt Disney. 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 good news for income investors right now is that the Australian share market is home to a large number of shares with generous dividend yields.

For example, two dividend shares that provide investors with yields that smash savings accounts and term deposits are listed below:

National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR)

The first dividend share to look at is National Storage. It is one of the ANZ region’s leading self-storage operators and has been growing at a solid rate over the last few years. This has been driven largely by its strong position in a fragmented market and its growth through acquisition strategy.

Pleasingly, its performance has remained solid this year despite the pandemic. At its annual general meeting, management revealed that it expects to report underlying earnings per share of 7.7 cents to 8.3 cents in FY 2021. It also advised that it intends to pay 90% to 100% of its earnings out to shareholders as distributions.

Based on the middle of both ranges and the current National Storage share price, this represents a 4% yield.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

The banking sector may have been on fire in the final quarter, but a number of brokers still see plenty of gains and generous dividends ahead. Especially now worst of the pandemic is behind us and responsible lending rules have been eased.

In addition to this, APRA’s recent decision to scrap its dividend restrictions is a win for shareholders and should see payout ratios increasing in the coming periods. It did this after stress testing the banking sector and finding it able to withstand even the most shocking economic downturn. 

Another positive is the housing market, which has been improving greatly in recent month. So much so, house prices have been tipped to hit record highs this year. This could give home loans a boost in 2021.

One broker that is positive on Westpac is UBS. It currently has a buy rating and $22.00 price target on its shares. It is also forecasting a 100 cents per share fully franked dividend in FY 2021. Based on the Westpac share price, this represents a 5.15% dividend yield.

More reading

• Disappointments from the ASX 200’s best ever December quarter
• Highlights from the ASX 200’s best ever December quarter
• 2 ASX dividend shares with 4%+ yields
• These ASX dividend shares offer investors attractive yields
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell next week

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of Westpac Banking. 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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