• IBM beats estimates; sees gains as customers accelerate shift to cloud

    IBM beats estimates; sees gains as customers accelerate shift to cloudIBM has jettisoned some of its legacy business to focus on the high-margin cloud computing business, an area that has seen a lot of action in recent years as companies ramp up their digital shift to boost efficiency. Revenue from the cloud business, previously headed by Krishna, rose 30% to $6.3 billion in the second quarter.

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  • How to buy US FAANG stocks on the ASX

    dice on top of piles of coins spelling the word nasdaq

    FAANG stocks. They’re hot property right now and leading United States shares on a bullish run in 2020.

    But it’s not easy for us Aussies to invest overseas. Not without a specialised broker and/or significant tax and currency headaches.

    However, all that is starting to change thanks to a new exchange-traded fund (ETF). Which one? The ETFS FANG+ ETF (ASX: FANG).

    What is ‘FAANG’?

    FAANG is the acronym used for some of the biggest US tech stocks right now.

    The members of FAANG are Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL)Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) which is Google’s parent company.

    For what it’s worth, Australia has created its own hot tech acronym. The ‘WAAAX’ tech shares include WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC), Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) and Xero Limited (ASX: XRO).

    But enough with the acronyms, how do you actually buy FAANG stocks through the ASX?

    How to invest in FAANG stocks on the ASX

    The bad news is that you can’t technically buy the individual FAANG stocks through the ASX.

    The good news is that you can get diversified exposure to the whole group and more in the one ETF.

    The ETFS FANG+ ETF started trading on the ASX on 27 February this year. The fund seeks to track the NYSE®FANG+™ Index by investing in a portfolio of FAANG stocks and more.

    It’s worth noting that the fund is not currency-hedged, which means you are exposed to currency risk through movements in the US-Australian dollar. The FANG+ ETF is rebalanced quarterly and has a management fee of 0.35%.

    I’ve included a chart below of the fund’s top holdings by percentage weighting as at yesterday’s close.

    Source: Author, ETF Securities reports

    As you can see, all the big FAANG stocks (and more) have significant weightings in the fund.

    The ETF has climbed 31.5% higher since 2 March compared to a 4.8% decline in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

    That means if you’re looking for an easy way to get exposure to these shares in 2020, this ETFS FANG+ ETF could be for you.

    What about the alternative ways to invest?

    If this ETF doesn’t cut it, there are other ways to invest in US FAANG stocks. One is direct investment but you would need to find a broker that allows offshore investments.

    You could also buy a diversified US ETF like iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV). The FAANG stocks make up a significant portion of the S&P 500 by market capitalisation.

    This iShares ETF has a management fee of just 0.04% compared to 0.35% for the ETFS FANG+ ETF. That could make it a good reason to buy for the long term and generate strong after-tax returns.

    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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    John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Ken Hall 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 Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Netflix. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Altium and Xero and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon and short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO, Appen Ltd, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Netflix. 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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  • Warren Buffett’s advice for managing uncertainty

    Share market uncertainty

    Warren Buffett is the world’s most famous investor. At 89 years old, he’s weathered the GFC, the dot.com bubble, the early 1990s oil price shock, and stock market crashes in the 1970s and 1980s. He has faced uncertainty head on and turned it into a $72 billion fortune.

    Uncertainty abounds right now as the struggle against coronavirus wears on the world economy. To help guide you through these uncertain times, we take a look at Warren Buffett’s advice for managing uncertainty. 

    “If you aren’t thinking about owning a stock for 10 years, don’t even think about owning it for 10 minutes”

    Current events will pass, but in the long term, quality businesses tend to survive. When you’re investing in the share market, you need to have a long-term time horizon. Share prices can fluctuate from day to day and month to month. Over the long term, companies that are able to deliver consistent and growing profits will tend to perform well. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be setbacks and hurdles to overcome. 

    “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get”

    Buffett is emphasising that price and value are not always the same thing. Usually they are linked, but sometimes price does not accurately reflect value. This can be the case when share markets are volatile – share prices may over or underestimate the value of the underlying business. Value investors like Buffett look for shares that are trading below their intrinsic value in the belief that the price will eventually revert to accurately reflect value. 

    “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful”

    Buffett made some of his best investments during market downturns. Using his value investing philosophy, he pounced on opportunities when markets were in the red. With this quote, Buffett is warning against being caught up when markets are peaking, but to ensure your eyes are open to opportunity when markets fall. This makes good sense. After all, an investor who bought $10,000 worth of Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) shares at their March low of $8.90 would be sitting on $83,000 now. 

    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 Kate O’Brien has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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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  • The worst performing ASX 200 oil stock is finally catching a break today

    The Oil Search Limited (ASX: OSH) share price is outperforming today even as it suffered a big drop in quarterly revenue.

    The Oil Search share price jumped 1.8% to $3.06 in morning trade when the S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) gained 1.1%.

    The rally in Oil Search puts it well ahead of its peers as well. The Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) share price fell 0.9%, the Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price added 0.8% and the Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) share price improved 1%.

    Every dog gets its day

    Oil Search’s stronger run today stands in contrast to its poor performance. The stock is the worst performer in the group as it crashed 54% over the past year. Shares in Santos and Beach shed around 23% while Woodside lost 40% over the same period.

    The big slump in the crude oil price during the COVID-19 market turmoil is dragging on the energy sector, but Oil Search is hit harder due to governance and political challenges relating to its PNG project.

    But these issues are brushed aside when Oil Search released its quarterly production update on Tuesday.

    Strong production run

    The group’s latest quarterly operated oil production jumped 14% over the previous quarter to its highest since the PNG earthquake in 2018.

    While total production in the June quarter dipped 1% compared to the March quarter, the half-year figure of 14.66 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe) is 4% above 1HCY19.

    However, while production is up, revenue in the three months to end June tumbled 26% to US$266.2 million compared to the first quarter of calendar year 2020.

    On track to hit target

    But the drop in revenue was expected given the well documented plunge in oil and gas prices, while the production figures were probably ahead of what many had feared.

    “Despite the challenging COVID operating conditions and restrictions on personnel movement, our safety record for the quarter was excellent across all areas and our PNG oilfield operations performed above expectations,” said Oil Search’s managing director Keiran Wulff.

    “Combined with continued strong production from the ExxonMobil-operated PNG LNG Project, Oil Search is on track to achieve its production targets in 2020.”

    Other positives for Oil Search

    The group also successfully completed its two-well Alaskan exploration program with new oil discoveries conveniently close to existing and proposed infrastructure.

    Oil Search also looks well placed to survive the unpredictable trading environment as it raised around US$700 million in capital in May.

    Is Oil Search share price a buy?

    While the positive quarterly update gives the embattled energy company much needed relief, I don’t think it will be enough to trigger a re-rating in the stock.

    There are still too many unanswered questions relating to Oil Search’s alleged role in a bribery scandal in PNG.

    This means Oil Search will likely continue to trade at a discount to its peers until the governance issues are resolved.

    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 Brendon Lau 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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  • What the latest economic data could mean for ASX 200 shares

    asx brokers

    Data. That’s what many experienced investors are focused on amid all the noise on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this week.

    There are a lot of updates that are set to be released by the Australian Government in coming days. That kicks off today, with the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)’s meeting minutes. Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe will give a speech, while the government will give an update on JobKeeper and JobSeeker.

    Investors are also eyeing a fiscal and economic update due on Thursday, which will give a more detailed look at those programs and a budget update.

    So, what do all these different announcements and datasets mean for ASX 200 shares in 2020? Here’s a closer look at 3 major ASX sectors and how they could be impacted.

    ASX 200 retail shares

    I think a big one here is the JobKeeper updates today and Thursday. According to news reports, the payment programs will be extended beyond September, but with a change in eligibility.

    Aussie retailers have been struggling in 2020 with coronavirus restrictions reducing in-store sales. I think extended government support would be good news for retailers. More government support means more money in the economy and higher employment. Another helpful impact could be more spending money in the pockets of everyday Aussies.

    That has helped ASX retail shares like JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH) and Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) climb higher in 2020. Online sales channels have been the key as demand for particular items has soared. 

    There’s also preliminary retail sales data for June that will be released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday. That will give investors a good gauge of how sales are tracking and what to expect from the August earnings season.

    ASX bank shares

    Governor Philip Lowe’s speech is set to focus on COVID-19, the labour market and the government’s balance sheet.

    I think ASX bank share investors will be watching the speech and RBA meeting minutes closely.

    Major banks like Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) are a key part of the government’s COVID-19 response plan. The banks are such a crucial part of the Aussie economy that I think we will see strong share price moves this week.

    Support for employment would surely be welcomed by the Aussie banks and the economy as a whole. Any extension of JobKeeper would also reassure investors that the risk of mass defaults in September/October is low.

    Fiscal and monetary stimulus is currently propping up the economy. An extension of that, and the form that extension takes, will impact on the banks’ ability to lend with confidence and maintain asset quality in 2020.

    ASX REITs

    I think the preliminary retail sales data on Wednesday will be the big one for retail REITs like Scentre Group (ASX: SCG). The JobKeeper and JobSeeker update today and Thursday will also be worth watching.

    Looking further ahead, we’re also expecting an update on building permits from the ABS next Thursday. That is one to watch for investors in ASX 200 diversified REITs like Mirvac Group (ASX: MGR). The new data could provide an indication of new industry activity, competition and potential trends for pricing and supply in the short to medium-term.

    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

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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 and has recommended Super Retail Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Scentre Group. 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 Afterpay, Ecofibre, Mesoblast, & Zip Co shares are racing higher

    asx growth shares

    In early afternoon trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a very strong gain. At the time of writing the benchmark index is up a sizeable 1.35% to 6,082.2 points. This is thanks largely to strong gains in the tech sector.

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

    The Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price is up almost 8% to $74.89. Investors have been buying Afterpay and other tech shares on Tuesday after their U.S. counterparts stormed higher on the technology-focused Nasdaq index overnight. At the time of writing the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology index is up an impressive 5.5%.

    The Ecofibre Ltd (ASX: EOF) share price has jumped 10% to $2.49. Investors have been buying the hemp products company’s shares after the release of its profit guidance on Monday. Ecofibre is expecting to report a net profit after tax of ~$12.5 million in FY 2020. This will be more than double what it achieved in FY 2019. Its strong position in the U.S. market has driven the impressive profit growth.

    The Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB) share price has climbed almost 8% higher to $3.61. This follows the announcement of a review date for its remestemcel-L treatment by the U.S. FDA. The review will assess data supporting Mesoblast’s application for approval for remestemcel-L in the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease in children.

    The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price is up almost 9% to $6.57. As well as getting a lift from the rampant buying in the tech sector, Zip’s shares were given a boost from a broker note out of Ord Minnett this morning. Its analysts have put an accumulate rating and $6.45 price target on the buy now pay later provider’s shares.

    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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    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 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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  • ASX 200 jumps 1.15%: BHP Q4 update, tech shares rocket higher

    Graphic representation of a bull climbing a stock chart

    At lunch on Tuesday S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a very strong gain. The benchmark index is currently up 1.15% to 6,071.1 points.

    Here’s what has been happening on the market today:

    Big four banks push higher.

    The big four banks are all pushing higher on Tuesday. The best performer in the group is the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price with a gain of 1.5%. Investors have been buying the banking giant’s shares despite analysts at Goldman Sachs rating them as a sell this morning.

    Tech shares storm higher.

    It has been a fantastic day for Australia’s leading tech shares. The likes of Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) and Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA) are storming notably higher. This has driven the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology index 5.5% higher at lunch. The catalyst for this was a very positive night of trade on Wall Street’s technology-focused Nasdaq index. It jumped 2.5% thanks to strong gains by the likes of Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Google parent, Alphabet. Amazon was the star of the show with a gain of almost 8%.

    BHP Q4 update

    The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price is trading sideways on Tuesday following the release of its fourth quarter and full year update. BHP had a solid 12 months with production guidance met for iron ore, metallurgical coal, and operated copper and energy coal assets. Iron ore production was the highlight of FY 2020 with 248 Mt produced. BHP commanded an average realised price of US$77.36 a tonne for the steel making ingredient. This was up 16% year on year.

    Best and worst ASX 200 shares.

    The best performer on the ASX 200 on Tuesday has been the Nearmap share price with an impressive 10% gain. This follows strong buying in the tech sector today. The worst performer has been the Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC) share price with a 4% decline. This may be down to profit taking after some very strong gains last 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.

    *Returns as of June 30th

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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 Altium and Nearmap Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nearmap Ltd. 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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  • Mesoblast share price climbs 9% on FDA meeting

    man's hand grabbing onto red ladder that is pointed towards sky

    The Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB) share price has jumped 8.9% this morning after the healthcare company announced a review date for its remestemcel-L treatment has been granted by the FDA. The review will assess data supporting Mesoblast’s application for approval for remestemcel-L in the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease (SR-aGVHD) in children. 

    SR-aGVHD is a potentially life threatening complication from bone marrow transplants for blood cancer. There are currently no FDA approved treatments in the United States for children under the age of 12 with SR-aGVHD. An advisory committee will review the data on 13 August and make a recommendation regarding approval to the FDA. 

    What is remestemcel-L?

    Remestemcel-L is a therapy utilising mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow. It is administered via a series of intravenous infusions. The treatment is believed to counteract inflammatory processes and enable recruitment of naturally occurring anti-inflammatory cells to involved tissues. Remestemcel-L has gained significant publicity recently due to its use in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. 

    Remestemcel-L is currently undergoing phase 3 trials to assess its use in treating adult COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The product is also available in the US for compassionate use for child COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular and other complications of multisystem inflammatory syndrome. 

    How is the Mesoblast share price performing? 

    During the nine months to 31 March 2020, Mesoblast reported revenues of US$31.5 million. This was a 113% increase on the prior corresponding period when US$14.8 million in revenue was reported. Loss after tax reduced to US$45.3 million for the first nine months of FY20, compared to a loss of US$69.1 million for the first nine months of FY19. 

    The Mesoblast share price has gained 146% over the last year and 233% from its March low. Encouraging results from clinical trials of remestemcel-L have pushed the Mesoblast share price higher, as has its use in the treatment of coronavirus. Mesoblast’s increased share price saw it join the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) in the most recent quarterly rebalance. 

    What’s next for Mesoblast?

    Mesoblast had cash on hand of $60.1 million at 31 March 2020. An additional $138 million of capital was raised in May which will be used to scale up manufacturing of remestemcel-L for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The company is now well positioned to pursue this new imperative with clinical trials underway. 

    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

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    Motley Fool contributor Kate O’Brien 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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  • WAM Global grows FY20 dividend by 250%, share price up

    ASX

    The WAM Global Limited (ASX: WGB) share price is up around 3% after announcing a larger-than expected FY20 final dividend for investors.

    Overview of WAM Global

    WAM Global is a listed investment company (LIC). It’s operated by Wilson Asset Management. The job of a LIC is to invest in other shares on your behalf. As the name may suggest, WAM Global invests in global shares. It’s meant to be the international version of WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM). It provides geographic and currency diversification compared to the domestic WAM LICs.

    One of the benefits of LICs is that they can make investment returns from capital gains as well as receiving investment income from shares. LICs can then pay out some of those investment returns as steady dividends or retain the profit for more growth.

    WAM Global looks for international shares where there’s a catalyst that would cause the share price to rise. It’s particularly looking for what it describes as ‘undervalued international growth companies’.

    For shareholders it wants to provide a stream of fully franked dividends, provide capital growth over the medium-to-long term and preserve capital. As WAM Global’s investments grow in value, hopefully the WAM Global share price will rise as well.

    FY20 dividend

    The board of WAM Global decided to declare a fully franked final dividend of 4 cents per share, bringing the FY20 final dividend to 7 cents per share. This is a 250% increase on FY19’s total dividend and a 100% increase on the final FY19 dividend.

    To pay future dividends WAM Global needs a profit reserve to pay from. WAM Global said that it had a profit reserve of 24 cents per share as at 30 June 220, which is 3.4 years of dividend coverage. WAM Global said it wants to pay a growing stream of fully franked dividends.

    FY20 investment performance

    The WAM Global share price and dividends are influenced by the investment performance of the LIC.

    Before fees, expenses and taxes, the WAM Global investment portfolio increased by 3.1% during FY20, it outperformed the MSCI World SMID (small/mid) Cap Index in Australian dollar terms by 5%. However, it unperformed the MSCI World Index (AUD) which rose by 4.8%, it was driven by large cap tech companies which performed strongly during COVID-19 such as Amazon.

    What shares does WAM Global own?

    WAM Global revealed some of shares it owned at the end of June 2020.

    Its biggest 10 positions included: Nomad Foods, Tencent, Lowe’s, Dollar General, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Kobe Bussan, Microsoft, Aon, AutoZone and Hasbro.

    The next biggest 10 holdings were: Intuit, CME, Intercontinental Exchange, CDW, HelloFresh, Logitech, Edwards Lifesciences, Electronic Arts, Fidelity National Information Services and Arista Networks.

    This is a diversified group of shares that should be able to perform well regardless of what the global economy does in regards to COVID-19.

    Is the WAM Global share price a buy?

    At the current WAM Global share price it’s trading at a 14% discount to the net tangible asset (NTA) despite today’s rise. I think that’s an attractive discount. The LIC that is well managed and has the potential to keep outperforming the MSCI small and medium cap index.

    With the bigger than expected final FY20 dividend, WAM Global now offers an impressive dividend yield. Using an annual dividend payment of 7 cents per share, it offers a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.1%. If WAM Global pays another 4 cents per share dividend in six months then the forward grossed-up dividend yield could be 5.8%.

    The management fees are certainly a drag on the net performance of the LIC, but if your focus is dividend income then I think this is a good time to buy WAM Global shares at an attractive NTA discount with a growing dividend.

    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

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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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  • 2 top ASX tech shares to buy right now

    ASX tech shares

    The ASX is home to a dynamic and fast growing tech market. Here we look at 2 ASX tech shares that I believe could be worthy additions to your share portfolio: Bravura Solutions Ltd (ASX: BVS) and Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1).

    Bravura

    Bravura is a locally based fintech company. It provides mission-critical enterprise software solutions to both the wealth management and funds administration industry. Since it was founded in 2015, Bravura has seen impressive revenue growth. In FY19, Bravura’s overall revenue increased strongly by 16% to $257.7. million and its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation were up by 27%. 

    The Bravura share price was hit hard during the early phase of the coronavirus pandemic. It has seen a partial recovery since then, and has been trading in the $4–$5 zone since late April. Over the next few months, I see potential for further share price gains from pre-COVID 19 levels as Bravura has not reported any major decline in demand during the pandemic.

    Over the longer term, I believe Bravura is well positioned for continued strong revenue and profitability growth, driven by a growing product set and increased demand for wealth management software solutions globally.

    Megaport

    Megaport provides a ‘network as a service’ offering to enterprises. It is also commonly referred to as an elastic interconnection service. This enables enterprises to increase or decrease their fixed broadband bandwidth. The service is enabled via a network of cloud providers, data centre operators, and network service providers.

    Megaport continues to grow its customer base across Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. This ASX tech share reported a whopping 70% increase in revenue to $25.9 million in the first half of FY 2020.

    The Megaport share price has also performed strongly recently, increasing by more than 100% over the past year.

    I believe that Megaport is well placed to continue its growth story over the next few years, driven by the continued rise of cloud computing and the need for rapid connectivity. 

    Foolish takeaway

    Both Bravura and Megaport are 2 of my top ASX tech share picks right now. Both have strong entrenched market positions in their respective tech niches. Both tech companies also continue to grow their international presence, which in my opinion is likely to lead to strong revenue growth in the years to come.

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    Phil Harpur owns shares of MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Bravura Solutions Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT 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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