• Kogan share price rockets higher after delivering impressive Q4 growth

    Miniature shopping trolley filled with parcels next to laptop computer

    The Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) share price is rocketing higher following an update on its fourth quarter performance.

    In morning trade the ecommerce company’s shares are up 7.5% to a new record high of $18.65.

    How did Kogan perform in the fourth quarter?

    For the three months ending 30 June 2020, Kogan delivered further strong sales and profit growth compared to the prior corresponding period.

    According to the release, gross sales grew by more than 95% and gross profit increased by over 115%.

    Things were even better for its adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA). Kogan’s adjusted EBITDA increased by more than 149% during the fourth quarter. This took its adjusted EBITDA growth to over 57% for the full year.

    Pleasingly, although retail stores are now open largely as normal, this hasn’t slowed Kogan’s growth.

    In the final month of the fourth quarter, Kogan reported gross sales of more than $94 million, gross profit of more than $17 million, and adjusted EBITDA of more than $7.9 million.

    As a comparison, during the first two months of the fourth quarter, Kogan’s average run-rate of adjusted EBITDA was $7 million per month.

    At the end of the financial year Kogan’s cash balance stood at $147 million. This includes the $100 million raised from its institutional placement, but not the $20 million from its share purchase plan.

    Total inventories were $113.1 million at the end of the period, with $80.6 million in its warehouse and $32.5 million in transit.

    What were the drivers of this growth?

    The shift to online shopping and another solid increase in customer numbers helped drive this strong quarterly result.

    Kogan’s active customers grew to 2,183,000 at the end of June, with net 109,000 active customers added during the month.

    Founder and CEO of Kogan, Ruslan Kogan, commented: “In early July we celebrated four years since listing the Company on the ASX, and we are now proud to have delivered four consecutive years of significant growth in sales and earnings. Our business is booming as more customers than ever choose Kogan.com.”

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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 Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Kogan.com 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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  • 5 Coronavirus Stock Valuations Surging During The Pandemic

    5 Coronavirus Stock Valuations Surging During The PandemicThe COVID-19 pandemic has translated into staggering gains for some biotech stocksthis year, rendering valuations unattractive even after the positive financial impact of the viral outbreak is taken into consideration. Valuation Bubble In Play: It's a no-brainer that some biotechs that are working on coronavirus vaccines or treatments are making heady gains.Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVAX), Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: INO) are among the COVID-19-levered biotechs that are riding the wave of pandemic news. Other stocks like Zoom Video Communications Inc (NASDAQ: ZM) and Teladoc Health Inc (NYSE: TDOC) are capitalizing on the restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the virus. Data Source: Yahoo Finance and YChartsNovavax Gets Fresh Lease of Life: Novavax on the brink early in 2019 after its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine candidate flunked a late-stage study.The company effected a 1-for-20 reverse split in May 2019 to give a decent look to the stock, which had entered penny stock territory in the wake of the adverse readout.After ending 2019 at $3.98, the stock has run up strongly and is now trading around $140.From a $128.76-million market cap at the end of 2019, the stock's valuation has catapulted to $8.245 billion, based on Friday's closing price. This represents an increase of over 6,300%.Ironically, while some of the other contenders have reported preliminary early- and mid-stage readouts, Novavax has yet to report any kind of clinical data.It is expected to issue an interim Phase 1/2 readout later this month.The company has also managed to line up funding for its vaccine program from the likes of CEPI and the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, reflecting confidence in its vaccine program coming to fruition.See also: BofA On 3 Coronavirus Vaccine Frontrunners, TheModerna Goes From Obscurity To Spotlight: Moderna's rise to prominence in the coronavirus vaccine race comes as a surprise to some.This Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech was the first among the U.S. companies to enter the clinic with an unproven vaccine technology and is on the cusp of starting a Phase 3 trial.Moderna was also part of the initial list of five vaccine makers endorsed by Operation Warp Speed. Despite the stretched valuation, the sell-side is upbeat on Moderna. Following publication of detailed Phase 1 data in the New England Journal of Medicine, Needham analyst Alan Carr said he expects revenue to flow in from Moderna's coronavirus vaccine — mRNA-1273 — from 2021 onward."We acknowledge the stock has performed well lately, but believe there is still upside opportunity for investors with a long-term perspective," he said in a note.Wild Card Inovio: Inovio has polarized experts and Wall Street analysts alike with its claims of developing a DNA vaccine construct in three hours.After a positive start, the company has fallen behind and has had distractions including litigation with its South Korean CDMO.Notwithstanding the skepticism and controversies, Inovio has seen its market cap rise by over 12 times compared to over five times for Moderna.Teledoc Capitalizes On Remote Health Care: Telehealth has been a big beneficiary of social distancing, and the interest in this avenue is evident from CMS and endorsements from private providers. Teledoc, being the leader in telehealth services, has cashed in on this opportunity.Zoom's COVID-19 Windfall: Zoom has become the go-to-app that enables remote working. The company has executed well, working on security issues that cropped up earlier this year.The valuation, which has more than trebled, seems justified, given the strong growth in subscriber numbers and revenues.Related Links: Zoom Video Continues Huge Run After Beat-And-Qaise Q1; User Base Swells Amid Pandemic See more from Benzinga * The Week Ahead In Biotech: Jazz Awaits FDA Nod For Sleep Disorder Drug, Earnings Trickle In, ACell IPO * The Daily Biotech Pulse: Mallinckrodt Gets FDA Panel Backing, Regulatory Setback For Tricida, Relay Therapeutics IPO(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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  • Saracen share price on watch as production guidance exceeded

    Gold mining shares

    The Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited (ASX: SAR) share price is on watch this morning after the miner announced gold production above guidance. Saracen released its June quarterly activities report which revealed FY20 production of 520,414 ounces of gold, ahead of FY20 guidance of +500,000 ounces. 

    What does Saracen Mineral Holdings do? 

    Saracen is an Australian gold miner with 3 mines on the doorstep of Kalgoorlie. The company mines from the Carosue Dam and Thunderbox operations, and has a half share in the Super Pit, the biggest open pit gold mine in Australia.

    The Saracen share price is up 41% over the past year and 102% from its March low. The rise in the share price has been assisted by the rising price of gold, which has increased from around $2,200 an ounce at the start of 2020 to closer to $2,600 an ounce currently. 

    What did Saracen Mineral Holdings announce? 

    Saracen released its June quarterly activities report, which showed quarterly production of 145,830 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,152 an ounce. Over the full year, Saracen produced 520,414 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,101 an ounce. This was ahead of FY20 guidance of +500,000 ounces. 

    Saracen sold 148,011 ounces of gold during the June quarter at an average price of $2,280 an ounce, generating sales receipts of $338 million. The company had cash and bullion of $369 million at 30 June, up from $339 million at 31 March. Debt was $321 million at the end of the June quarter, giving net cash of $48 million up from net debt of $21 million at 31 March 2020. 

    What is the outlook for Saracen Mineral Holdings? 

    Saracen has announced unaudited FY20 sales revenue of $1,072 million, with unaudited statutory net profit after tax of $190 million to $200 million. In FY21, Saracen has forecast production of +600,000 ounces of gold. The company has large ore stockpiles of 1.7 million ounces, which will help insulate the business should mining be restricted due to COVID-19 or other impacts. 

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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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  • 2 ASX shares for growth and dividends

    blocks trending up

    ASX shares are a great option for both growth and dividend income.

    Businesses have the ability to make good profit and pay out some of it in the form a dividend whilst keeping the rest of the profit to re-invest for more growth in the future. 

    It’s hard to find businesses with the right mix of income and growth. There are some businesses like Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) that pay out a large proportion of their earnings, but the earnings and share price aren’t growing.

    Others have great growth potential but don’t pay a dividend like A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) and Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH).

    But there are some businesses that offer a good mix of both growth and dividend income:

    Share 1: WCM Global Growth Ltd (ASX: WQG)

    This is a listed investment company (LIC) which invests in global shares, not ASX shares. The name ‘WCM’ refers to WCM Asset Management, a manager based in California which was founded in 1976.

    WCM looks for two key attributes for companies to make it into its global growth portfolio. The first is an improving competitive advantage, or in other words an expanding ‘economic moat’. The second attribute is a corporate culture that supports the expansion of this moat. WCM believes that the direction of a company’s economic moat is of more importance than its absolute width or size.

    The fund manager looks for companies with a rising return on invested capital (ROIC), rather than businesses with a large but static or declining moat. The corporate culture is a key factor for a business’ ability to achieve a constantly growing moat.

    So what are some shares that make it into WCM’s portfolio? The ASX share has positions in: Shopify, West Parmaceuticals, MercadoLibre, Visa, Stryker, Tencent, Lululemon Athletica, Taiwan Semiconductor, Crown Castle International and Ecolab.

    As you may have noticed, there’s a focus on technology and healthcare businesses. These two sectors offer investors growth and (usually) fairly defensive earnings.

    The investment returns have been strong to June 2020. The ASX share said that its portfolio has returned 20.15% per annum after management fees over the past three years – don’t forget this includes the COVID-19 market selloff a few months ago.

    The dividend income part comes in with the biannual dividend that the LIC pays to shareholders. At the moment it’s committed to paying a 2 cents per share dividend as its final FY20 dividend, partially franked to 50%. That means the grossed-up dividend yield is currently 3.8%. At the current WCM Global Growth share price, the ASX share is trading at a 14% discount to its pre-tax net tangible assets (NTA) at 17 July 2020.

    I believe it looks like a compelling buy today.

    Share 2: Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

    I think Brickworks is one of the most promising non-technology ASX shares for growth.

    There are three sections to Brickworks, each of them look like they have good growth prospects.

    One section is its industrial property trust which it owns half of along with Goodman Group (ASX: GMG). The trust has built industrial properties on excess land that Brickworks used to own. Just like other quality real estate investment trusts (REITs), this property trust is generating reliable rental profit each year. Over the next few years the trust will see two large distribution warehouses completed and leased to Amazon and Coles Group Limited (ASX: COL). The completion of these assets should see a pleasing uptick in rental income and valuation uplift for the property trust.

    Another section is Brickworks’ large shareholding of investment conglomerate ASX share Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL). The investment house has been a strong dividend share for a long time and it’s steadily building its asset base with diversified businesses like TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), Clover Corporation Limited (ASX: CLV) and Palla Pharma Ltd (ASX: PAL). Soul Patts has been delivering solid total shareholder returns for decades, so Brickworks should be able to keep benefiting here.

    The last section may be the most important one. Brickworks owns building product businesses in both Australia and the US. COVID-19 has made it harder for construction businesses in the short-term, but Brickworks has set the foundations for good growth in the future when construction rebounds in both countries. I really like the company’s long-term growth plan in the US to make the operations there more efficient and profitable. I think the best time to buy a somewhat cyclical business is during the downturn. 

    At the current Brickworks share price it has a grossed-up dividend yield of 5%. It hasn’t cut its dividend for over four decades.

    Foolish takeaway

    I think both of these ASX shares are trading at good value, have good growth potential and have decent starting dividend yields. I’d be happy to buy both of them for my portfolio at the current share prices.

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    Tristan Harrison owns shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited and WCM Global Growth Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Clover Limited and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks, Telstra Limited, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. 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 to expect from the Commonwealth Bank FY 2020 result

    Commonwealth bank

    With earnings season just around the corner, I thought now would be a good time to look at what the market is expecting from Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) next month.

    Australia’s largest bank is scheduled to release its full year results on 12 August 2020. Here’s what to look for:

    Cash earnings.

    According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, it is expecting Commonwealth Bank’s FY 2020 cash earnings from continued operations (pre-one-offs) to come in at $7,815 million. This will be an 8% decline on the prior corresponding period.

    As a comparison, the consensus analyst estimate is for cash earnings of $7,620 million in FY 2020.

    Net interest margin.

    Goldman is expecting the bank to report a net interest margin of 2.1%.

    Its analysts commented: “While CBA’s 3Q20 NIM was lower than its 1H20 average, we think the operating environment on the margin front will have been supportive for CBA and the sector more broadly in 4Q20.”

    It notes favourable deposit pricing trends, supportive funding spreads, and the introduction of the Term Funding Facility by the RBA.

    Final dividend.

    One of the hottest topics in investment communities right now is what (if any) dividend Commonwealth Bank will pay for the second half.

    Goldman Sachs is forecasting a 100 cents per share fully franked final dividend. This will be a 56.7% reduction on last year’s final dividend. The consensus analyst estimate is for a slightly higher dividend of 119 cents per share.

    Commenting on the final dividend, Goldman Sachs said: “We think CBA remains well-placed to pay a final ordinary DPS of A100¢, implying a c. 50% 2H20 payout, with a 1.5% discounted 2H20E DRP.”

    This is thanks to its superior capital position, strong levels of provisioning, and its healthy level of pre-provision profitability.

    However, the broker warned: “We expect the market to focus heavily on CBA’s dividend and any capital management commentary at the upcoming result and concede there is a wide range of potential outcomes with respect to both the size of the dividend and level of the DRP.”

    Looking ahead, the broker is forecasting a dividend of 303 cents per share in FY 2021. This represents a fully franked forward 4.2% dividend yield.

    Should you invest?

    While Goldman Sachs has retained its sell rating and $65.00 price target on Commonwealth Bank’s shares, I still see value in them and would be a buyer at the current level.

    Its shares may not be as cheap as Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) and the rest of the big four, but I think it deserves to trade at a premium due to the quality of its business.

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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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  • The Clean TeQ share price is on a rollercoaster ride right now

    The Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (ASX: CLQ) share price has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past few days of trading.

    Yesterday, Clean TeQ shares rose 19% despite no news coming out of the company on Monday. However, last Friday the company announced its activities and cash flow report for the quarter ending June 2020, which saw its share price jump 13% that day.

    Today, however, the Clean TeQ share price opened early trade down 6.25% to 15 cents per share, before pushing up slightly to be trading flat at the time of writing.

    What does Clean TeQ do?

    Clean TeQ is involved in metals recovery and industrial water treatment through its ‘Clean-iX’ continuous ion exchange technology. The company aims to help reduce the world’s environmental burden and become a leading supplier of clean energy solutions.

    Project updates

    On Friday, the company released an update regarding its current projects, which drove the Clean TeQ share price higher on Friday and across yesterday’s trade.

    Clean TeQ reported it has made strong progress towards the formal completion of the Fosterville Gold Mine water treatment plant, which is located in Victoria. Since the end of June, the operation of the plant has been handed over to the customer and is running on waste water continuously.

    Clean TeQ confirmed it also continued to advance the development of the Sunrise Battery Materials Complex in New South Wales. The Sunrise Project is one of the world’s largest and most cobalt-rich laterite deposits and is tipped to be a significant producer of nickel sulphate and cobalt sulphate – key materials for the electric vehicle battery market.

    The company has been progressing the project in conjunction with the Fluor global engineering group, which is headquartered in Texas. While the project was originally slated to be completed in the second quarter of FY20, it has been announced that the project’s completion date has been pushed later to Q3 FY20. The company cited Covid-19 as the reason for the delay.

    What now for Clean TeQ

    As at the end of June, Clean TeQ’s cash balance was $40.1 million. The company announced that it had received a cash rebate of approximately $4.4 million after being eligible for the government’s research and development tax incentive for FY19. Clean TeQ was also granted a large new exploration licence for base and precious metals near Dubbo and Narromine.

    The Clean TeQ share price is down 26%, year to date, and 60% since this time last year. Despite its recent rally, the current Clean TeQ share price represents a sharp drop on its highs of $1.65 in late 2017. 

    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.*

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    Motley Fool contributor Daniel Ewing 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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  • Kogan share price rockets higher after delivering impressive Q4 growth

    Miniature shopping trolley filled with parcels next to laptop computer

    The Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) share price is rocketing higher following an update on its fourth quarter performance.

    In morning trade the ecommerce company’s shares are up 7.5% to a new record high of $18.65.

    How did Kogan perform in the fourth quarter?

    For the three months ending 30 June 2020, Kogan delivered further strong sales and profit growth compared to the prior corresponding period.

    According to the release, gross sales grew by more than 95% and gross profit increased by over 115%.

    Things were even better for its adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA). Kogan’s adjusted EBITDA increased by more than 149% during the fourth quarter. This took its adjusted EBITDA growth to over 57% for the full year.

    Pleasingly, although retail stores are now open largely as normal, this hasn’t slowed Kogan’s growth.

    In the final month of the fourth quarter, Kogan reported gross sales of more than $94 million, gross profit of more than $17 million, and adjusted EBITDA of more than $7.9 million.

    As a comparison, during the first two months of the fourth quarter, Kogan’s average run-rate of adjusted EBITDA was $7 million per month.

    At the end of the financial year Kogan’s cash balance stood at $147 million. This includes the $100 million raised from its institutional placement, but not the $20 million from its share purchase plan.

    Total inventories were $113.1 million at the end of the period, with $80.6 million in its warehouse and $32.5 million in transit.

    What were the drivers of this growth?

    The shift to online shopping and another solid increase in customer numbers helped drive this strong quarterly result.

    Kogan’s active customers grew to 2,183,000 at the end of June, with net 109,000 active customers added during the month.

    Founder and CEO of Kogan, Ruslan Kogan, commented: “In early July we celebrated four years since listing the Company on the ASX, and we are now proud to have delivered four consecutive years of significant growth in sales and earnings. Our business is booming as more customers than ever choose Kogan.com.”

    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!

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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 Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Kogan.com 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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  • Saracen share price on watch as production guidance exceeded

    Gold mining shares

    The Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited (ASX: SAR) share price is on watch this morning after the miner announced gold production above guidance. Saracen released its June quarterly activities report which revealed FY20 production of 520,414 ounces of gold, ahead of FY20 guidance of +500,000 ounces. 

    What does Saracen Mineral Holdings do? 

    Saracen is an Australian gold miner with 3 mines on the doorstep of Kalgoorlie. The company mines from the Carosue Dam and Thunderbox operations, and has a half share in the Super Pit, the biggest open pit gold mine in Australia.

    The Saracen share price is up 41% over the past year and 102% from its March low. The rise in the share price has been assisted by the rising price of gold, which has increased from around $2,200 an ounce at the start of 2020 to closer to $2,600 an ounce currently. 

    What did Saracen Mineral Holdings announce? 

    Saracen released its June quarterly activities report, which showed quarterly production of 145,830 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,152 an ounce. Over the full year, Saracen produced 520,414 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,101 an ounce. This was ahead of FY20 guidance of +500,000 ounces. 

    Saracen sold 148,011 ounces of gold during the June quarter at an average price of $2,280 an ounce, generating sales receipts of $338 million. The company had cash and bullion of $369 million at 30 June, up from $339 million at 31 March. Debt was $321 million at the end of the June quarter, giving net cash of $48 million up from net debt of $21 million at 31 March 2020. 

    What is the outlook for Saracen Mineral Holdings? 

    Saracen has announced unaudited FY20 sales revenue of $1,072 million, with unaudited statutory net profit after tax of $190 million to $200 million. In FY21, Saracen has forecast production of +600,000 ounces of gold. The company has large ore stockpiles of 1.7 million ounces, which will help insulate the business should mining be restricted due to COVID-19 or other impacts. 

    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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    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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  • 2 ASX shares for growth and dividends

    blocks trending up

    ASX shares are a great option for both growth and dividend income.

    Businesses have the ability to make good profit and pay out some of it in the form a dividend whilst keeping the rest of the profit to re-invest for more growth in the future. 

    It’s hard to find businesses with the right mix of income and growth. There are some businesses like Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) that pay out a large proportion of their earnings, but the earnings and share price aren’t growing.

    Others have great growth potential but don’t pay a dividend like A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) and Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH).

    But there are some businesses that offer a good mix of both growth and dividend income:

    Share 1: WCM Global Growth Ltd (ASX: WQG)

    This is a listed investment company (LIC) which invests in global shares, not ASX shares. The name ‘WCM’ refers to WCM Asset Management, a manager based in California which was founded in 1976.

    WCM looks for two key attributes for companies to make it into its global growth portfolio. The first is an improving competitive advantage, or in other words an expanding ‘economic moat’. The second attribute is a corporate culture that supports the expansion of this moat. WCM believes that the direction of a company’s economic moat is of more importance than its absolute width or size.

    The fund manager looks for companies with a rising return on invested capital (ROIC), rather than businesses with a large but static or declining moat. The corporate culture is a key factor for a business’ ability to achieve a constantly growing moat.

    So what are some shares that make it into WCM’s portfolio? The ASX share has positions in: Shopify, West Parmaceuticals, MercadoLibre, Visa, Stryker, Tencent, Lululemon Athletica, Taiwan Semiconductor, Crown Castle International and Ecolab.

    As you may have noticed, there’s a focus on technology and healthcare businesses. These two sectors offer investors growth and (usually) fairly defensive earnings.

    The investment returns have been strong to June 2020. The ASX share said that its portfolio has returned 20.15% per annum after management fees over the past three years – don’t forget this includes the COVID-19 market selloff a few months ago.

    The dividend income part comes in with the biannual dividend that the LIC pays to shareholders. At the moment it’s committed to paying a 2 cents per share dividend as its final FY20 dividend, partially franked to 50%. That means the grossed-up dividend yield is currently 3.8%. At the current WCM Global Growth share price, the ASX share is trading at a 14% discount to its pre-tax net tangible assets (NTA) at 17 July 2020.

    I believe it looks like a compelling buy today.

    Share 2: Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

    I think Brickworks is one of the most promising non-technology ASX shares for growth.

    There are three sections to Brickworks, each of them look like they have good growth prospects.

    One section is its industrial property trust which it owns half of along with Goodman Group (ASX: GMG). The trust has built industrial properties on excess land that Brickworks used to own. Just like other quality real estate investment trusts (REITs), this property trust is generating reliable rental profit each year. Over the next few years the trust will see two large distribution warehouses completed and leased to Amazon and Coles Group Limited (ASX: COL). The completion of these assets should see a pleasing uptick in rental income and valuation uplift for the property trust.

    Another section is Brickworks’ large shareholding of investment conglomerate ASX share Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL). The investment house has been a strong dividend share for a long time and it’s steadily building its asset base with diversified businesses like TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), Clover Corporation Limited (ASX: CLV) and Palla Pharma Ltd (ASX: PAL). Soul Patts has been delivering solid total shareholder returns for decades, so Brickworks should be able to keep benefiting here.

    The last section may be the most important one. Brickworks owns building product businesses in both Australia and the US. COVID-19 has made it harder for construction businesses in the short-term, but Brickworks has set the foundations for good growth in the future when construction rebounds in both countries. I really like the company’s long-term growth plan in the US to make the operations there more efficient and profitable. I think the best time to buy a somewhat cyclical business is during the downturn. 

    At the current Brickworks share price it has a grossed-up dividend yield of 5%. It hasn’t cut its dividend for over four decades.

    Foolish takeaway

    I think both of these ASX shares are trading at good value, have good growth potential and have decent starting dividend yields. I’d be happy to buy both of them for my portfolio at the current share prices.

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    Tristan Harrison owns shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited and WCM Global Growth Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Clover Limited and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks, Telstra Limited, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. 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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