• Amarin, Apotex Settle Vascepa Dispute; Analyst Stays Sidelined

    Amarin, Apotex Settle Vascepa Dispute; Analyst Stays SidelinedAmarin (AMRN) has announced a settlement agreement with Apotex Inc. that resolves a patent litigation over Apotex’s abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) seeking US approval of a generic form of Vascepa capsules. Shares in Amarin rose 5% in Tuesday’s after-market trading.Amarin’s lead product Vascepa was initially launched in the US in 2013 as an adjunct therapy to diet to reduce triglyceride levels in adult patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia. A new, cardiovascular risk indication for the fish-oil derivative was approved by the FDA in December 2019 based on the results of the landmark Reduce-It trial.The company is currently appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals a March 2020 patent invalidity ruling in favor of generic companies, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc. Because Apotex is not a party to that litigation, it is not directly subject to related rulings.As part of the new settlement agreement, Apotex can not sell a generic Vascepa in the US until August 9, 2029 (the same date as Amarin’s 2018 settlement agreement with Teva (TEVA)) or earlier under certain customary circumstances.  These circumstances include if Amarin is not successful in its pending appeal of the March 2020 Nevada district court decision.The agreement also substantially resolves future litigation with Apotex that relating to the December 2019 cardiovascular risk reduction indication of Vascepa, says Amarin.“This settlement involves no financial payment from Amarin to Apotex and allows Amarin to avoid incremental litigation expense and distraction associated with Apotex’s participation in patent litigation related to the MARINE and REDUCE-IT indications,” said John F. Thero, Amarin CEO.Year-to-date shares in Amarin have plunged 68%, but analysts retain a cautiously optimistic Moderate Buy outlook on the stock. This breaks down into 7 recent buy ratings vs 5 hold ratings. Meanwhile the average analyst price target of $18 translates into 155% upside potential. (See Amarin stock analysis on TipRanks)Stifel Nicolaus analyst Derek Archila reiterated his Amarin Hold rating following the settlement announcement. “While this is a slight positive, we don’t see this a major stock moving catalyst” he wrote, adding that he expects AMRN shares to remain range bound until it gets closer to the critical appeal hearing later this year.Related News: Too Much Uncertainty Keeps This 5-Star Analyst Watching Amarin Stock From the Sidelines Jazz Pharma Scores Surprise Early Approval For Lung Cancer Treatment Merck’s Gardasil Receives FDA Nod For Expanded Cancer Indications More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Fulgent Pops 18% In After-Market On FDA Nod For Covid-19 Home Test * Groupon Rises After-Hours Despite Revenue Plunging 35% Y/Y * Google and Carrefour Roll Out Voice-Based Shopping Service In France * Facebook Unveils Tighter Political Ad Measures Ahead of US Elections

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  • Fund managers have been buying these ASX shares

    ASX buy

    I like to keep an eye on substantial shareholder notices. This is because these notices give you an idea of which shares large investors, asset managers, and investment funds are buying or selling.

    Two notices that have caught my eye today are summarised below. Here’s what these fund managers have been buying:

    Computershare Limited (ASX: CPU)

    A notice of change of interests of substantial holder shows that AustralianSuper has taken advantage of Computershare’s share price weakness to increase its stake. According to the notice, the super fund has picked up approximately 8 million of this share registry company’s shares over the last four months. This has lifted its holding to a total of ~41.1 million shares, which represents a 7.59% stake in the company.

    The Computershare share price is down 27% from its 52-week high. Judging by its purchases, this has left its shares trading at a level that AustralianSuper thinks is attractive. One broker that would agree with this is Morgans. Last month the broker put an add rating and $13.90 price target on the company’s shares.

    Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL)

    A notice of initial substantial holder reveals that Perpetual Limited (ASX: PPT) has been building a position in this private health insurer over the last few months. Perpetual started buying in February when Medibank’s shares were trading at $3.06. It then continued to purchase shares in March when they fell to ~$2.60 and has consistently added to its holding since then. Its last recorded purchase came on 11 June for $3.01. In total Perpetual now owns 140,759,820 shares, which represents a 5.11% stake in the company.

    As with AustralianSuper and Computershare, it appears as though the fund manager sees value in Medibank’s shares after they fell 18% from their high. Affordability issues have been weighing heavily on the company over the last 12 months, but AustralianSuper doesn’t appear concerned.

    And here are more quality shares which I think fund managers could be buying…

    5 ASX stocks under $5

    One trick to potentially generating life-changing wealth from the stock market is to buy early-stage growth companies when their share prices still look dirt cheap.

    Motley Fool’s resident tech stock expert Dr. Anirban Mahanti has identified 5 stocks he thinks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 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. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • 5 ASX shares that would’ve made you a fortune in 5 years

    Wealthy man with money raining down, cheap stocks

    Finding ASX shares that can make you a fortune in just 5 years is every investor’s dream. Investing in that one knockout winner can make a life-changing impact on your portfolio and your personal wealth. Of course, the ASX boards are littered with the broken dreams of those investors who’ve made the wrong bets. We can’t all find the next Amazon.com.

    But we can take a look at some past ASX winners that made their investors very rich over the past 5 years.

    CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

    CSL is one of those rare shares that has made an absolute motza for its investors over the past 5 years, despite its size and blue chip status. Five years ago, CSL shares were trading at $87.40 each. Fast forward to today and CSL shares will set you back $286.22 (at the time of writing). That’s a 227% gain in 5 years.

    Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

    Xero has been another ASX fortune maker over the past 5 years. This cloud-based accounting software provider was a slow burner in its infancy but has really stepped on the gas over the past few years, as its scalable business model works its magic. Five years ago, Xero shares were asking just $17.06. Today, those same shares will set you back $88.39. That’s more than 400% in gains that investors have enjoyed since 2015.

    Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)

    It’s not often that ASX gold miners are cited as favoured money makers, but ask any Northern Star shareholder for their opinion on the matter. This mid-cap miner’s shares have spent the past 5 years rocketing from $2.28 in 2015 to $13.20 today. If you go back another 5 years to 2010, Northern Star was just 6 cents per share. Who said that gold doesn’t glitter! Any lucky shareholder that acquired Northern Star ownership in 2015 would be looking at nearly a 480% gain today. And for anyone who got in back in 2010? Hello 22,000%.

    Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)

    Afterpay’s phenomenal success would probably be familiar to every ASX investor by now. After all, this buy now, pay later pioneer is a share that is up more than 35% in just the last month alone. But what of those long-term investors in Afterpay? Well, back in 2015, you could have picked up Afterpay shares for just $2.95. Fast forward to today and Afterpay is making yet more record highs, going for $57.34 at the time of writing. That’s a 1,844% return since 2015. Talk about a fortune maker!

    Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG)

    Much like CSL, this ASX blue chip iron miner doesn’t immediately come to mind as a ‘multi-bagger‘ share. Yet this company’s numbers tell a different story. Back in 2015, you could have picked up some Fortescue shares for just $2.16. Today, those same shares will set you back $14.61 – netting any lucky buyer in 2015 a 576% increase in their fortune. Not bad for a red dirt digger.

    For some potential multi-baggers of tomorrow, make sure you check out the shares named below.

    3 “Double Down” stocks to ride the bull market higher

    Motley Fool resident tech stock expert Dr. Anirban Mahanti has identified three stocks he thinks can ride the bull market even higher, potentially supercharging your wealth in 2020 and beyond.

    Doc Mahanti likes them so much he has issued “double down” buy alerts on all three stocks to members of his Motley Fool Extreme Opportunities stock picking service.

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

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    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. and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Why I think Bellevue shares are ‘gold’ for your portfolio

    Hand holding solid gold bar in front of neutral background

    Warren Buffett’s famous No.1 rule is “never lose money”. Clearly this is sage advice, however, I have always tempered this rule with “focus on things that will make you money”. I think Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) shares are one of the ASX companies likely to make you money.

    And I’m happy to have a small stake in the company. 

    I think Bellevue shares are a great growth opportunity in the gold mining sector as well as one of the best opportunities in mining shares.

    Why Bellevue shares?

    The company recently announced it has intersected high-grade gold 7.4km north of its Bellevue Gold Project in WA. This is in addition to the already estimated 2.2 Moz gold resources at an average grade of 11.3 grams per tonne. The mine is a proven, gold-rich resource that has been mined for over 100 years.

    While 11 grams in a tonne may sound small, it is very large in relation to the grade of many mining sites. It also has existing infrastructure and has reserves at lower depths than comparable gold operations in Australia. All of these factors point to a rich operation with very low operating costs.

    A combination of factors that make it likely to earn you money.

    Over the past decade, I profited from investing in Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) as it doubled its share price again and again. I have been most impressed that Bellevue has attracted significant talent from Northern Star -people who have already taken a small gold mining company into a major gold company at a global level. 

    These include former Northern Star Mine Manager, Mr Craig Jones as the COO of Bellevue. As well as Mr Luke Gleeson as Head of Corporate Development.

    Why Gold

    Good gold mining companies regularly return good capital growth to their investors. This happens when the gold price is up, down, or flat. Right now the gold price is at historically high levels. When equities are falling or flat the shares in gold miners tend to rise. 

    Added to this is the impact of infinite quantitative easing, in particular, in the US  but also in Australia to a lesser extent. In summary, this injects large amounts of liquidity into the markets. The combination of higher amounts of cash, low-interest rates and escalating uncertainty is likely to hold gold prices high.

    Foolish takeaway

    Bellevue is one of the country’s richest gold resources at a high grade and I think it has a strong chance to make you money. A combination of factors is likely to make this a low-cost operation at a time when the gold price is high. Even if the gold price falls this deposit is still very profitable. 

    Want to discover more shares that could make you money? Read on…

    5 ASX stocks under $5

    One trick to potentially generating life-changing wealth from the stock market is to buy early-stage growth companies when their share prices still look dirt cheap.

    Motley Fool’s resident tech stock expert Dr. Anirban Mahanti has identified 5 stocks he thinks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

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    Motley Fool contributor Daryl Mather owns shares of Bellevue Gold Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Why I’m watching the Super Retail share price

    Pile of sporting equipment against a white background

    The Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) share price has seen solid gains over the past 2 days after the company successfully completed its equity raising.  

    After returning from its trading halt yesterday morning, the Super Retail share price jumped around 8% higher, and today has continued its upwards trend. At the time of writing, the Super Retail share price is up by another 1.98% to $8.75 per share.

    Although the retail sector is struggling, Super Retail has managed to effectively navigate the coronavirus pandemic and could emerge stronger as consumer demand changes.

    A closer look at Super Retail

    Despite the underwhelming performance of most retailers during the coronavirus pandemic, there have been some bucking the trend. Super Retail serves as an example of a traditional retailer that has found renewed hope during Australia’s lockdown period.

    The group – which owns prominent retail outlets such as Supercheap Auto, BCF and Rebel – recently completed a $203 million equity raising to fuel its strategy and growth initiatives. The fresh capital is intended to finance the company’s omni-channel business strategy.

    Super Retail’s strategy is focused on growing its core brands and services to match changing consumer demand. Part of this includes investing in online and e-commerce programs, while also simplifying the company’s business model.  

    Despite reporting a 26.2% decline in group sales for April, Super Retail reported a strong rebound in May with group sales increasing 26.5% on the prior corresponding period. In addition, the company saw a strong shift to e-commerce, with online sales increasing 126.2% during April and May in comparison to the prior corresponding period.

    How is consumer behaviour changing?

    Super Retail is also poised to benefit from a range of changing consumer behaviours following the coronavirus lockdown. With elite and community sports returning, the group’s sporting outlets like Rebel Sport could see renewed demand. This segment already experienced a surge in demand during the lockdown period as the shutdown of gyms drove consumers to stock up on home fitness gear.

    In addition, with overseas holidays effectively cancelled in the short term, families and travellers could focus on more local activities. As a result, recreational activities like boating, camping and fishing pursuits could see renewed interest. The shift to online and digital commerce could also benefit Super Retail as the company looks to improve its click-and-collect services.  

    Should you buy Super Retail shares?

    Despite being one of the most shorted shares on the ASX, the Super Retail share price has surged more than 170% from its mid-March lows. Analysts from lead broker Morgans recently upgraded Super Retail to an ‘add’ rating. Analysts cited the group’s resilience during the coronavirus pandemic and changing consumer themes that could benefit the company. As a result, the broker slapped a $9.25 share price target for Super Retail.

    Although analysts paint an optimistic outlook for Super Retail, the company is by no means out of the woods as yet. I think a prudent strategy would be to keep Super Retail on a watchlist to see if the company’s strategy plays out.  

    Here are 5 more shares to keep an eye on.

    5 stocks under $5

    We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Altium or Afterpay when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true.

    And while Altium and Afterpay have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

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    Motley Fool contributor Nikhil Gangaram has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Super Retail Group Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Zenith Minerals share price rockets 40% after intersecting high-grade gold

    share price higher

    The Zenith Minerals Ltd (ASX: ZNC) share price was a standout performer on the market today after the company revealed strong drilling results at its Red Mountain gold project.

    Zenith Minerals shares closed 40.24% higher at 11.5 cents after rallying as much as 58.54% in early trade.

    Zenith Minerals is a micro-cap ASX miner focused on advancing its portfolio of lithium, gold and base metals projects. Including today’s gains, Zenith has a market capitalisation of around $28 million.

    Why the Zenith Minerals share price surged today

    This morning, Zenith reported results from the maiden 10-hole reverse circulation drill program completed at its wholly-owned Red Mountain project. The project is located in Queensland, within 100 kilometres of operating gold mines at Cracow and Mount Rawdon.

    The maiden drill program at Red Mountain is part of the company’s strategy to focus on its wholly-owned projects in Australia. The program was designed to test several different geological units and induced polarisation geophysical responses.

    According to today’s release, the program has returned “highly encouraging near surface high-grade gold results”, including:

    • 14 metres at 5.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold including 6 metres at 12.3 g/t gold from surface;
    • 5 metres at 3.5 g/t gold including 2 metres at 8.0 g/t gold from 64 metres; and
    • 12 metres at 1.0 g/t gold from 42 metres including 4 metres at 2.1 g/t gold from 50 metres.

    Zenith views the initial drill program a success, with encouraging gold results returned from only a portion of a larger target area. The drilling completed to date tests around 250 metres of strike of a 1,200-metre-long, high-order gold surface anomaly.

    Following these strong results, the company noted it has a follow-up drill campaign planned for July.

    Commenting on today’s update, managing director Michael Clifford said:

    “We are delighted to announce that high-grade near surface gold mineralisation has been intersected in the maiden drill program at Red Mountain.”

    “The target generated by Zenith’s exploration team is panning out to have the hallmarks of a significant mineralised system and we are very excited about the project’s upside,” he added.

    5 ASX stocks under $5

    One trick to potentially generating life-changing wealth from the stock market is to buy early-stage growth companies when their share prices still look dirt cheap.

    Motley Fool’s resident tech stock expert Dr. Anirban Mahanti has identified 5 stocks he thinks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Cathryn Goh has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • I don’t normally buy ETFs, but I would buy these 2

    ETF

    Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can be a great way to grow your wealth by investing in shares without thinking about it too much.

    But which ETFs would be good to invest in the current market? COVID-19 has made it very difficult to invest. How long will ultra-low interest rates stay this low? The RBA has already cut Australia’s interest rate to 0.25% and said it’s likely to stay like this for a few years. Japan’s interest rate has been low for a very long time. Is Australia headed for the same fate?

    I think exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could be a way to invest across a broad group of businesses. This can limit risk with any particular holding. Diversification may be the best defence to get through this difficult period.

    I don’t normally invest in ETFs, but I would buy these two for my portfolio:

    BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

    I think Asia is a region that more Aussie investors could look to benefit from. When people invest outside of Australia they typically go for US shares. But Asia also has plenty of quality businesses to consider.

    BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF gives exposure to the 50 largest technology and online retail shares in Asia outside of Japan.

    Shares like Tencent, Alibaba, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung and JD.com have plenty of growth potential. Technology is an exciting industry in Asia just like it is in Australia and the US.

    China alone has a population of well over 1 billion, that’s a lot of potential customers or users. Asia is a very big addressable market for businesses that have a good service or product. 

    Looking at the sector allocation, there are three sectors that have an allocation of more than 20% according to BetaShares. They are: ‘internet and direct marketing retail’, ‘interactive media and services’ and ‘semiconductors’.

    Some of the other sectors include ‘technology hardware, storage and peripherals’, ‘interactive home entertainment’, ‘IT consulting and other services’, ‘electronic manufacturing services’ and other allocations that are smaller than 1%.

    There is obviously a big exposure to China with this ETF, which may be a positive or a negative depending on your preferences. China makes up 52.8% of the portfolio, Taiwan is allocated the 21.9%, South Korea has an 18.3% allocation, India is allocated 6.5%, Hong Kong has a 0.3% weighting and ‘other’ is 0.2%.

    BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF has performed well after fees. Since inception in September 2018 it has returned 17.6% per annum. I think the fees are reasonable at 0.67% per annum.

    At the end of May 2020 it had an underlying price/earnings ratio of under 22x. Not bad for how much potential growth there is. 

    Betashares FTSE 100 ETF (ASX: F100)

    I believe the UK share market is another place that Aussie investors could look at. Despite the rivalries, I think there are a lot of similarities between our two countries and the listed businesses. That makes me more comfortable about investing indirectly in UK shares with Betashares FTSE 100 ETF.

    Within this ETF’s top holdings are shares that most readers would be aware of. Even if you don’t know the name of the holding company you probably know the brand or products they sell. Some of the largest holdings are: Astrazeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, HSBC, British American Tobacco, Diageo, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Rio Tinto, Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, BHP, Vodafone, National Grid and the London Stock Exchange Group.

    It has been a tough time for UK shares over the past four years with Brexit, trade wars and now the COVID-19 pandemic. But I think UK shares now represent compelling value.

    At the end of May 2020 the ETF had an underlying price/earnings ratio of under 19x and a trailing dividend yield of 5.8%.

    The current operating costs of this ETF is 0.45% per annum, which isn’t bad for the global exposure offered from many of the big UK shares.

    Currency fluctuations between the Australian dollar and UK pound could have short-term effects on returns. But in UK pound terms, I think UK shares could perform quite strongly from here once the worst of the COVID-19 impacts has passed.

    Foolish takeaway

    I like both of these ETFs for the international diversification they offer and the potential growth. I’d prefer to invest in the Asian technology ETF because of the advantages that software businesses bring, but there are Chinese risks that could become problematic. The UK share market would probably be a safer bet – the big dividend yield is an attractive bonus.

    These ETFs aren’t the only investments I’d be willing to buy, I also like these top shares…

    5 ASX stocks under $5

    One trick to potentially generating life-changing wealth from the stock market is to buy early-stage growth companies when their share prices still look dirt cheap.

    Motley Fool’s resident tech stock expert Dr. Anirban Mahanti has identified 5 stocks he thinks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Tesla Model S becomes first EV to hit 400 mile range

    Tesla Model S becomes first EV to hit 400 mile rangeYahoo Finance’s Rick Newman joined The Final Round to discuss Tesla slashing the price of its Model S by $5,000 and the news of the Model S becoming the first electric vehicle to get over 400 miles on a single charge.

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  • The latest ASX 200 shares to be downgraded by leading brokers

    shares lower

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) is clawing back from earlier losses but there are some ASX stocks that are underperforming after getting slugged with a broker downgrade.

    The top 200 stock benchmark jumped 0.5% in the last hour of trade after dipping into the red earlier this afternoon.

    But not all shares are keeping their head above water.

    Potential earnings disappointer

    The Iluka Resources Limited (ASX: ILU) share price tumbled 3% to $8.56 at the time of writing after JP Morgan cut its recommendation on the mineral sands miner to “neutral” from “overweight”.

    The broker believes there’s a real risk management could disappoint when it hands in its full year profit report card in August.

    “With no company update since it withdrew guidance and reduced zircon production settings from 280kt to 170kt, there remains plenty of risk around the outlook for ILU, in our view,” said JP Morgan.

    “Our recent call with minerals sands experts, TZMI, confirmed the weakness in pigment, TiO2 feedstock and zircon markets is likely to keep prices under pressure until late CY21.”

    The broker’s 12-month price target on Iluka is $8.90 a share.

    More work needed

    Another stock to be hit with a downgrade is the Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) share price. Shares in the medical services group fell 0.8% to $3.08 as Morgans downgraded its rating on the stock to “hold” from “add”.

    The move stands in contrast with Credit Suisse’s decision to upgrade the stock to “outperform” yesterday following the group’s announcement that it was selling its medical centres for $500 million.

    The deal sounds fair to Morgans and the broker noted that the outlook for Healius’ remaining pathology and diagnostic services divisions is getting better.

    “While the operating environment is improving, we believe the transition to a specialist diagnostic and day hospital operator is far from complete, with areas of risk including: GP referrals (c25% of revenue for Pathology and Imaging); cost base optimisation; roll off of government funding; and growth initiatives with supportive capex/opex requirements,” said Morgans.

    “We believe there is more work to be done before the platform provides significant clinical, operational and financial benefits to support future growth.”

    Morgans price target on Healius is $2.96 a share.

    3 “Double Down” Stocks To Ride The Bull Market

    Motley Fool resident tech stock expert Dr. Anirban Mahanti has stumbled upon three under-the-radar stock picks he believes could be some of the greatest discoveries of his investing career.

    He’s so confident in their future prospects that he has issued “double down” buy alerts on each of these three stocks to members of his Motley Fool Extreme Opportunities stock picking service.

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Iluka Resources Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Why I think Xero shares are a great long-term buy

    Computer technology

    The Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price, like basically all other ASX shares, was hit during the early phase of the coronavirus pandemic. However, unlike some other Australian tech shares such WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) and Altium Limited (ASX: ALU), it has since regained nearly all of those share price losses.

    Over the past 12 months, the Xero share price has risen from $59.09 to now be trading $88.36. The upward trajectory in the Xero share price began in early 2017 when it was below $20. Since then Xero shares have really taken off.

    Xero delivered strong recent financial results for the FY 2020 financial year. However, it did warn of uncertainty regarding the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

    So, are Xero shares an attractive buy right now?

    Strong recent financial performance

    Xero managed to deliver another very strong set of numbers for the 12 months ending 31 March 2020. Revenue increased by 30% to NZ$718.2 million, driven by a 2% increase in average revenue per user. Overall subscribers also grew strongly. They increased by 26% to reach 2.285 million.

    Equally important was that Xero’s gross margin market continues to increase. It expanded by 1.6% to a very appealing 85.2%.

    Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew strongly by 52% to reach NZ$139.17 million. Xero also managed to achieve a full-year net profit for the first time in its history.

    All regions grew strongly. This includes its main Australian, UK, North American operations as well as other regions including Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa.

    Xero is also fast gaining industry recognition. For example, it was recently recognized as a leader in technology research by IDC’s Vendor Assessment study for 2020. The study covered vendors in the worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Small Business Finance and Accounting applications markets for 2020.

    Are Xero shares a good long-term buy?

    The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Xero up to the end of March seemed modest. However, Xero is yet to update the market on its more recent performance. While there is likely to be some recent impact, more favourable market conditions are looking more likely in the months ahead. Business confidence in Australia and New Zealand is now improving. This should see Xero’s growth getting back to more normal levels.

    Despite its share price no longer being ‘technically’ cheap, I believe that Xero still has a significant potential to grow further over the next decade. I, therefore, think it is worthy of adding to your share portfolio. In particular, Xero is moving beyond just being a cloud accounting platform. Small businesses are now turning towards Xero to manage their entire business, not just their finances.

    For more shares with long-term buy potential, take a look at the below Fool report.

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    Phil Harpur owns shares of Altium, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Altium, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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