Tag: Motley Fool Australia

  • Flight Centre share price and other ASX 200 travel shares look set to continue rising

    plane flying across share markey graph, asx 200 travel shares, qantas share price

    The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) and other travel-related shares have soared in recent weeks. Many investors may think these shares have raced past fair value given current travel restrictions and recession woes. I believe the forward-looking nature of the markets, combined with the unprecedented stimulus, could see the Flight Centre share price and other S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and All Ordinaries (ASX: XAO) travel shares push higher. 

    Lean and cashed-up businesses 

    The likes of Flight Centre, Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) and Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) reacted quickly to COVID-19. The companies promptly scaled-back capital expenditure, reduced headcount and raised capital to keep business alive. 

    Corporate Travel Management has a very capital-light model. Over 70% of its costs are people-related and 50% of the remaining costs are variable. It has a small physical footprint and has the flexibility to hibernate its business. Its pre-COVID-19 business conditions also saw domestic travel account for approximately 60% of group revenues. This may allow the business to benefit from reopening domestic borders. 

    Webjet has implemented a broad range of interim business initiatives. These have included the deferral of its $12.2 million dividend payment for 1H20, over 440 redundancies and 4-day working weeks for the majority of its remaining staff. It recently raised a total of $275 million from an institutional placement and entitlement offer. This lifts the company’s cash and cash equivalents position from $58 million to $333 million. 

    Likewise, Flight Centre opted to raise $700 million, a significant amount relative to its ~$1.5 billion market capitalisation back in April. But instead of the share price continuing to slump post-capital raise, Flight Centre is not far off doubling from its March lows and it’s up more than 28% in June alone. 

    A slow recovery on the cards 

    Webjet commented on China’s early signs of normalisation with hotel bookings leading into March surging 40% from the previous week. Peak daily bookings for domestic flights also soared 230% from the lowest level recorded in February. 

    The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) “is preparing to scale up its domestic flying from its current 5 per cent of pre-pandemic levels to 40 per cent by the end of July, pending the reopening of state borders.”

    Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce has also suggested there is pent-up demand for travel and the airline had already experienced a surge in intrastate bookings. 

    This all spells good news for the Flight Centre share price and travel-related cohorts. I believe the market has largely priced-in the negative economic impact of the coronavirus. The travel industry recovery is imminent and consumers are eager for more than just crowded shopping centres and long queues. 

    Investors would be in an excellent position had they bought the lows of the travel industry. Rather than sitting on ‘should of’ and ‘could of’, check out our free report for likely double-down opportunities.

    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 Lina Lim has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited and Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel 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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  • CSL share price drops lower despite announcing a new acquisition

    M&A Letters

    The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price has continued its poor form and has been unable to climb higher with the market on Tuesday.

    This is even after the release of a promising announcement this morning.

    At the time of writing the biotherapeutics company’s shares are down 2.5% to $277.99.

    What did CSL announce?

    This morning CSL announced that it has agreed to exercise its right to acquire clinical-stage biotechnology company Vitaeris.

    Vitaeris is currently focused on the phase 3 development of a treatment for rejection in solid organ kidney transplant patients.

    Both companies entered into a strategic partnership in 2017 to speed up the development of this program. This partnership included the option for CSL to acquire Vitaeris in full at a later date.

    It has now exercised this option, which means Vitaeris’ research assets will now join CSL842 and CSL964 as part of CSL’s portfolio of products in late-stage development to address significant unmet needs in the transplant community.

    What is Vitaeris’ treatment?

    According to the release, Vitaeris’ lead phase 3 program is investigating the role that a monoclonal antibody called clazakizumab has in treating a naturally occurring inflammatory gene (interleukin6 or IL-6).

    This inflammatory gene is the leading cause of long-term rejection in kidney transplant recipients.

    CSL’s Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development, Bill Mezzanotte, spoke positively about the acquisition.

    He said: “Clazakizumab has been a promising monoclonal antibody in the Transplant therapeutic area since we started working with Vitaeris several years ago.”

    “Acquiring Vitaeris and their associate expertise helps us to continue to grow our strategic scientific platform of recombinant proteins and antibodies. We look forward to continuing to advance this treatment candidate as a potential option for people experiencing rejection, an area where current treatment options for transplant recipients are limited, at best,” he added.

    What now?

    CSL notes that the cost of acquisition is modest and does not materially change its profit expectation for FY 2020.

    The terms of agreement include sales-based milestones and the company will incur additional research and development expenses. These are associated with the completion of the phase 3 clinical trial.

    In FY 2021, these additional expenses are estimated to be between US$30 million to US$50 million. While this might seem like a large expense, it isn’t in comparison to its overall research and development spend.

    CSL traditionally spends in the region of 11% to 12% of sales on research and development activities. This led to the company pumping US$832 million into these activities in FY 2019.

    Looking for more exciting shares to invest in like CSL? Then check out the recommendation below which look like future market beaters…

    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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    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 CSL 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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  • Are the Rio Tinto, Fortescue and BHP share prices a buy right now?

    dice labelled buy and sell rolling on a sharemarket chart

    The iron ore spot price continues to go from strength to strength, topping US$100 per tonne for the first time this year. China’s iron ore futures market opened more than 6% higher on Monday after top miner Vale SA was ordered to shut operations at a site that accounts for approximately 10% of its output.

    Could supply woes make the Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO), Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share prices a buy?

    Vale SA to close multiple sites 

    The Australian Financial Review (AFR) reports that a Brazilian labor court judge ordered Vale SA to close multiple sites after a COVID-19 outbreak among workers.

    Investors may remember Vale’s tailings dam collapse in late January 2019. This tragic incident killed 237, left 33 missing and nearly 1,000 displaced. The closure of this mine site resulted in significant supply woes for the global iron ore market. This supply imbalance caused the iron ore spot price to soar from ~US$70 to more than US$120 per tonne in July 2019. This also saw the Rio Tinto, Fortescue and BHP share prices hit record highs or price levels not seen since the GFC.  

    Australia is the largest iron ore producing country in the world and is also fortunate enough to have largely tackled the spread of the coronavirus. However, other producers that play a vital role in the iron ore supply chain such as Brazil, Russia and India are still at various stages of the curve and ranked 2nd, 4th and 5th, respectively, for active cases globally. This is likely to see an impact on various parts of their economies, including mining. 

    Aussie miners to benefit 

    The Rio Tinto, Fortescue and BHP share prices are likely to continue to push higher following strong spot prices. Elevated iron ore prices will continue to support the market-leading dividends paid by Aussie miners. At the time of writing, Rio Tinto currently pays a dividend yield of 5.77%, BHP pays 5.87% and Fortescue pays 6.88%.

    From a risk/reward perspective, it may be challenging for investors to buy Fortescue at its current record all-time high prices. Alternatively, I believe it is feasible for the Rio Tinto and BHP share prices to revisit their previous highs. This can be further supported by the swift recovery of other commodities such as copper, coal and oil that make up a small proportion of the ASX 200 miners’ materials portfolios.

    Iron ore miners are one of few businesses that have been able to maintain their dividends amidst the coronavirus pandemic. For another top dividend share, don’t miss the free report below.

    NEW: Expert names top dividend stock for 2020 (free report)

    When our resident dividend expert Edward Vesely has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, he’s the investing genius that runs Motley Fool Dividend Investor, the newsletter service that has picked huge winners like Dicker Data (+92%), SDI Limited (+53%) and National Storage (+35%).*

    Edward has just named what he believes is the number one ASX dividend stock to buy for 2020.

    This fully franked “under the radar” company is currently trading more than 24% below its all-time high and paying a 6.7% grossed-up dividend.

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    See the top dividend stock for 2020

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    Motley Fool contributor Lina Lim 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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  • Brainchip share price rockets 42% after signing agreement with tier 1 automotive supplier

    Graphic image of a circuit board with an AI technology symbol

    The Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) share price is charging higher today after the small-cap ASX tech share announced a joint development agreement with a tier 1 automotive supplier.

    About Brainchip

    Brainchip produces a neuromorphic processor that brings artificial intelligence to the edge in a way it believes is beyond the capabilities of other products. 

    By mimicking brain processing, BrainChip has been able to pioneer a spiking neural network called Akida, which is both scalable and flexible to address the requirements in edge devices. Simply put, an edge device is any piece of hardware that controls data flow at the boundary between two networks, such as a router or a smartphone. 

    Akida has been designed to provide a complete ultra-low power and fast AI Edge Network for vision, audio, olfactory and smart transducer applications. The reduction in system latency provides faster response and a more power-efficient system that can reduce the large carbon footprint of data centres.

    Why is the Brainchip share price spiking?

    This morning, the company announced it has signed a joint development agreement with Valeo Corporation that utilises Brainchip’s Akida neuromorphic System-on-Chip (SoC).

    Valeo Corporation is a tier 1 European automotive supplier of sensors and systems for autonomous vehicles (AV) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

    The agreement will see the two companies collaborate on the development of neural network processing solutions for AV and ADAS.

    Brainchip believes the validation of its Akida device by a tier 1 supplier of this nature is a significant development.

    In AV and ADAS applications, real-time processing of data is critical for the safety and reliability of autonomous systems. Suppliers and manufacturers in the automotive industry have reportedly recognised that the Akida SoC is ideally suited to process data at the “Edge” for their advanced system solutions.

    According to Brainchip, by combining the Akida neural network processor with sensors, the resulting system can achieve ultra-low power, minimum latency, maximum reliability, and incremental learning.

    “The Akida neural processor’s game-changing high performance and ultra-low power consumption, enables smart sensor integration by solving power and footprint challenges for a variety of sensor technologies,” the announcement read. 

    Brainchip was a little light on details but stated the agreement provides for specific performance milestones and payments that are expected to cover the company’s expenses. The term of the agreement is defined by the achievement of performance milestones and the availability of the Akida device.

    At the time of writing, the Brainchip share price has surged 42.04% higher to 12.5 cents per share. This takes the company’s current market capitalisation to around $183 million.

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    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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  • The ANZ share price has soared 37% in 2 weeks. Here’s why.

    city building with banking share prices, anz share price

    The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ASX: ANZ) share price has risen over 37% in the period since close of trading on Friday 22 May. This is the largest rise of all the four major banks. The larger National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) follows closely behind with a rise of just over 33% for the same period. 

    Why are bank shares rising?

    Across the world, it’s starting to look like the economic fallout from COVID-19 could be less significant than originally anticipated. This is particularly the case in Australia. On 26 May, UBS analyst Jonathan Mott, a known market bear, raised his expectations of the banking sector. Jonathan pointed out the current underperformance of bank shares given the better than expected outlook. 

    Many economic factors point to a recovery in bank performance. Not least of which was the $60 billion saving in JobKeeper due largely to clerical errors. An additional $10.6 billion in household spending power after early superannuation withdrawals and improvements in card and retail data are also contributing to optimism surrounding the sector. 

    It remains to be seen what will happen in September when the government assistance comes to an end. Still, the share prices of all major banks have all been relatively slow to rise since the March low point. 

    On 27 May, National Australia Bank announced it was increasing its capital raising to $4.25 billion, including an additional $1.25 billion for retail investors. This announcement appeared to carry the NAB share price higher along with the other major banks. 

    Tier 1 capital fueling the ANZ share price rise

    On 2 June, ANZ announced it had sold its New Zealand business UDC Finance for 1.2x tangible asset value. This will provide an additional ~$439 million of Tier 1 capital, or available cash from retained earnings, in this case. This saw the ANZ share price rise even further. 

    In the ANZ chairman’s report on 28 May, we learned that statutory profit after tax was down 51% for the first half of 2020. Accordingly, the board agreed to defer the decision on dividend payments. While this does not close the door on a dividend payment, it definitely reduces the certainty around whether it will eventuate. The chairman, David Gonski, acknowledged the value shareholders place on the regular payment of bank dividends and promised further information in August. 

    Foolish takeaway

    It appears that the bank share prices are starting to level up to pre-pandemic levels. However, the ANZ share price is still down 14.9% year to date. Based on its current price of $20.97 at the time of writing, it would still require an increase of nearly 30% to reach the levels we saw in February prior to the crash. I’m not sure how long it will take, but I am confident the ANZ share price will return to these former levels. 

    Furthermore, ANZ’s twelve month trailing dividend yield is 8.09%. This is a very healthy dividend payout. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen when or even if the banks will recommence dividend payouts at or near pre-pandemic levels. Though, I believe this is likely. 

    In my view, it is the size and stability of the dividend payment that attracts fund managers and retail investors. 

    For some more ASX shares you might want to check out today, take a look at the report below!

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    One is a diversified conglomerate trading over 30% off it’s all-time high, all while offering a fully franked dividend yield of over 3%…

    Another is a former stock market darling that is one of Australia’s most popular and iconic businesses. Trading at a significant discount to its 52-week high, not only does this stock offer massive upside potential, but it also trades on an attractive fully franked dividend yield of almost 4%.

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    As of 2/6/2020

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    Motley Fool contributor Daryl Mather 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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  • Will ASX 200 shares hit a record high in June?

    man drawing upward curve on 2020 graph, asx share price growth

    ASX 200 shares soared higher last week as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) continued its strong rebound.

    It was a similar story overseas with the S&P 500 Index closing the week at 3,194 points – just 5.7% off its all-time high.

    If coronavirus restrictions continue to ease and the economy hums back to life, could we see a new record high in June?

    Will ASX 200 shares hit new record highs in June?

    There have been a number of Aussie shares climbing higher in the last couple of months. The recent bear market seems like a distant memory as companies like Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) have roared back to life.

    ASX bank shares have been another clear winner with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price surging 32% higher since 23 March.

    Australia has so far beaten many of its own ‘best case’ scenarios regarding the pandemic. That means we’re seeing businesses re-open, Aussie workers regain employment and the economic burden on the Federal Government start to ease.

    Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do. I think there is more volatility for ASX 200 shares to come in the next few months but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good time to buy.

    There’s a lot of cheap money flying around in the economy right now. Central banks have lowered interest rates and pumped money into the global economy.

    CommBank and Afterpay haven’t been the only ones to cash in on the recent run. 

    The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price closed at $17.62 per share on Friday. I think the ASX 200 dairy share could charge towards its record high of $19.23 per share by the end of June.

    Supermarket sales are strong and international sales could pick up again in the coming weeks. 

    Foolish takeaway

    There are a number of ASX 200 shares that are pushing higher in June. If the economy continues to pick up then we could see record highs before the end of the month.

    Here are a few more ASX shares with strong growth potential to check out this month!

    NEW! 5 Cheap Stocks With Massive Upside Potential

    Our experts at The Motley Fool have just released a FREE report detailing 5 shares you can buy now to take advantage of the much cheaper share prices on offer.

    One is a diversified conglomerate trading over 30% off it’s all-time high, all while offering a fully franked dividend yield of over 3%…

    Another is a former stock market darling that is one of Australia’s most popular and iconic businesses. Trading at a significant discount to its 52-week high, not only does this stock offer massive upside potential, but it also trades on an attractive fully franked dividend yield of almost 4%.

    Plus, this free report highlights 3 more cheap bets that could position you to profit in 2020 and beyond.

    Simply click here to scoop up your FREE copy and discover the names of all 5 cheap shares.

    But you will have to hurry because the cheap share prices on offer today might not last for long.

    As of 2/6/2020

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    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 AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk. 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 2.5%: Big four banks surge higher, CSL announces an acquisition

    Bull Market invest

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned from the long weekend in fantastic form. At lunch the benchmark index is up 2.5% to 6,146.6 points.

    Here’s what is happening on the market today:

    Big four banks surge higher.

    The big four banks have been very strong performers on Tuesday and are helping to drive the ASX 200 index notably higher. At lunch all four banks are up no less than 5%. The best performer in the group has been the Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) share price with an impressive gain of 6%.

    CSL acquisition.

    The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price is trading lower today despite announcing a new acquisition. According to the release, the biotherapeutics company has agreed to exercise its right to acquire Vitaeris. It is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the phase 3 development of a treatment for rejection in solid organ kidney transplant patients.

    G8 Education rockets higher despite childcare changes.

    The G8 Education Ltd (ASX: GEM) share price is rocketing higher on Tuesday. This is even after the Federal Government revealed plans to end its free childcare scheme and stop JobKeeper payments to childcare workers in July. This morning G8 Education revealed that it won’t be impacted negatively because of the way the government is structuring other support packages. Management notes that these support packages will put it in no worse a position relative to the prior support measures. This is even if occupancy levels were to deteriorate.

    Best and worst performers.

    The best performer on the ASX 200 on Tuesday has been the Credit Corp Group Limited (ASX: CCP) share price with a 15% gain. Investors may believe the debt collector’s shares were oversold during the pandemic. The worst performer has been the Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR) share price with a 6.5% decline. This follows a pullback in the gold price over the last couple of trading days.

    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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    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 CSL 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 Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, BWP, G8 Education, & Westpac are zooming higher

    share price higher

    In late morning 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 2.7% to 6,158.9 points.

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

    The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) share price has jumped 8% to $7.91. Investors have been buying the regional bank’s shares thanks to improving investor sentiment and a positive broker note. In respect to the latter, this morning Ord Minnett upgraded Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s shares to an accumulate rating with an improved price target of $8.10.

    The BWP Trust (ASX: BWP) share price is up 3% to $3.88. This gain also appears to have been driven largely by a broker note out of Ord Minnett. This morning the broker upgraded its shares to a buy rating with a $4.40 price target. It believes that BWP is undervalued based on its long weighted average lease expiry.

    The G8 Education Ltd (ASX: GEM) share price has jumped 12% higher to $1.16. This morning the childcare centre operator revealed that the end of the free childcare scheme would not necessarily be a bad thing. The company notes that the revised government support packages are structured in a way that means G8 expects to be in no worse a position relative to the prior support measures. This is even if occupancy levels were to deteriorate.

    The Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price has stormed a further 6% higher to $19.97. Investors have continued to pile into the banking sector again on Tuesday on the belief that they have been oversold. All the big four banks are trading notably higher at the time of writing and are helping drive the ASX 200 higher.

    Missed out on these gains? Then don’t miss out on the highly rated shares which are recommended below…

    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 James Mickleboro owns shares of Westpac Banking. 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 CSL, Elders, Evolution, & Xero shares are dropping lower

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned from the long weekend in fine form. In late morning trade the benchmark index is up over 2.5% to 6,150.9 points.

    Four shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping lower:

    The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price is down 2.5% to $277.77. This appears to be down to concerns that the company’s plasma collection network has been disrupted by the pandemic. This could have a knock-on effect on its FY 2021 performance. These concerns have offset an announcement that reveals that CSL has agreed to acquire biotech company Vitaeris this morning.

    The Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) share price has fallen over 3% to $9.22. This decline could be down to profit taking after a strong share price gain year to date. Prior to today, the agribusiness company’s shares were up over 47% since the start of the year. Investors have been buying agriculture shares due to improving trading conditions and their defensive qualities.

    The Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) share price is down 3% to $5.43. The catalyst for this decline was a sharp pullback in the gold price on Friday night. And although the precious metal rebounded last night, it wasn’t enough to stop the gold miners from being sold off today. Especially with investors switching to risk on assets en masse today. The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index is down 1.75% on Monday.

    The Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price has fallen almost 3% to $85.05. Investors may be taking profit off the table after some strong gains by the business and accounting platform provider’s shares in recent weeks. In fact, last week the Xero share price climbed to a record high of $91.49. When its shares hit that level, they were up 15% year to date.

    Need a lift after these declines? Then you won’t want to miss the recommendations below…

    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

    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 CSL Ltd. and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Elders 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.

    The post Why CSL, Elders, Evolution, & Xero shares are dropping lower appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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  • 2 ASX 200 biotech shares to consider buying today

    asx healthcare shares

    There are a couple of ASX 200 biotech shares that could be in the buy zone right now. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down -10.25% this year but many Aussie healthcare companies have surged in value.

    This is partly due to the nature of the coronavirus pandemic. Many healthcare services are in high demand even as the economy falls on hard times.

    While not all Aussie biotech companies are created equal, here are a couple of my top picks to buy today.

    2 ASX 200 biotech shares to buy today

    I like the look of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) right now. CSL is one of the largest companies by market capitalisation on the ASX and weighs in at $129.55 billion.

    The ASX 200 biotech share doesn’t always look like good value. However, CSL shares have dropped below the $300 per share mark and are trading at $276.45 at the time of writing.

    We’ve seen some strong investor support around the $270-280 per share mark in recent months. That could mean now is a good chance to buy CSL at a 16.75% discount to its all-time high.

    It’s not just the Aussie biotech giant that is in the buy zone. I also like the look of Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) shares right now.

    Polynovo designs develops and manufactures dermal regeneration solutions using its patented NovoSorb BTM biodegradable polymer technology.

    In plain English, the ASX 200 biotech share develops solutions for burns, skin grafts and similar medical issues.

    The Polynovo share price crashed hard in the recent bear market. In fact, shares in the company fell 56.29% from 25 February to 23 March. 

    However, Polynovo’s value has surged higher in recent months. The ASX 200 biotech share boasts a market capitalisation of $1.75 billion and has climbed 94.70% since that March 23 bottom.

    Foolish takeaway

    I think for buy and hold investors, both CSL and Polynovo could be good value buys.

    Both ASX 200 biotech shares have a track record of success and a solid growth outlook.

    I would say CSL is more of a tactical buy for $285.33 per share. In contrast, the Polynovo share price has already rebounded but I think it’s a potential ASX 50 share in the coming decade.

    For more ASX shares to buy for a good price, check out these cheap picks today!

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    Our experts at The Motley Fool have just released a FREE report detailing 5 shares you can buy now to take advantage of the much cheaper share prices on offer.

    One is a diversified conglomerate trading over 30% off it’s all-time high, all while offering a fully franked dividend yield of over 3%…

    Another is a former stock market darling that is one of Australia’s most popular and iconic businesses. Trading at a significant discount to its 52-week high, not only does this stock offer massive upside potential, but it also trades on an attractive fully franked dividend yield of almost 4%.

    Plus, this free report highlights 3 more cheap bets that could position you to profit in 2020 and beyond.

    Simply click here to scoop up your FREE copy and discover the names of all 5 cheap shares.

    But you will have to hurry because the cheap share prices on offer today might not last for long.

    As of 2/6/2020

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    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 CSL 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.

    The post 2 ASX 200 biotech shares to consider buying today appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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