Tag: Motley Fool

The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index is rising 1.75% today, but one ASX uranium share is soaring far higher.

The Bannerman Energy Ltd (ASX: BMN) share price is soaring 24% today and is currently trading at $2.415.

Let’s take a look at what is going on with the Bannerman share price.

ASX Uranium shares lift

The Bannerman share price may be lifting today, but it is not alone among ASX uranium shares. The Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) share price is rising 6%, while Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL) is soaring 14%. Meanwhile, Alligator Energy Ltd (ASX: AGE) shares are rising 18%.

This follows global uranium shares rocketing ahead overnight. The Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE: UEC) share price soared 14%, while Centrus Energy Corp (NYSE: LEU) lifted 17% and Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSE: UEC) surged 12.4%.

Uranium shares are lifting amid multiple European countries pushing back plans to close nuclear reactors.

Belgium is planning to keep two of its nuclear reactors open for a further 11 years, while Germany is also reconsidering a plan to shut down all nuclear reactors by 2022.

As my Foolish colleague Bernd reported last week, Japan is also looking to boost nuclear power generation. Japan is planning to restart seven more nuclear reactors. Japanese Prime minister Fumio Kishida said:

Nuclear power and renewables are essential to proceed with a green transformation. Russia’s invasion changed the global energy situation

Elon Musk has also recently weighed in on the nuclear energy debate. In a recent tweet, he said “countries should be increasing nuclear power generation”.

Countries should be increasing nuclear power generation! It is insane from a national security standpoint & bad for the environment to shut them down.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Meanwhile, small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) designer NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR) has told The Australian that small nuclear reactors could power nearly 700,000 homes in Australia by 2027. The first SMR recently received approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. However, Australia currently has a ban on nuclear energy.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan today called for an “end” to the nuclear ban in Australia. He said on Sky News:

We’re the only developed country, only G20 country in the world that actually bans nuclear energy.

Bannerman Energy share price snapshot

The Bannerman Energy share price has soared 51% in the past year, while it has fallen nearly 11% year to date.

In the past week alone, Bannerman Energy shares have soared 41%.

This ASX uranium share has a market capitalisation of about $361 million based on the current share price.

The post Bannerman share price explodes 24% as ASX uranium explorers soar appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Could this tiny development add even more fuel to ASX uranium shares?
• Why are ASX uranium shares going gangbusters on Thursday?
• The ASX shares with 30% to 50% upside: fundie

Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended NuScale Power Corporation. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/zVwrOlb

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

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

There’s little question the iPhone remains both the flagship product and the chief money maker for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). The device accounted for roughly 52% of the tech giant’s sales over the past 12 months, just as it did during the prior-year period. The popularity of the iPhone makes it difficult for any other product or service to move the needle for the company.

That said, Apple has an under-the-radar service that has quietly, and without much fanfare, become one of the company’s fastest-growing revenue streams.

How do you want to pay for that?

Most investors don’t even give Apple Pay a second thought, yet the iPhone’s digital payment method has risen from relative obscurity when it was introduced in late 2014 to being indispensable for a large and growing number of iPhone users.

Consider this: About 10% of iPhone users had activated Apple Pay by 2016, according to research provided by venture capital firm Loup Ventures. That percentage doubled in 2017 and again in 2018. By 2020, activations had risen to 50%. The need for touch-free payment methods during the pandemic drove a surge of use, pushing activations to 75%. It’s worth noting that just because Apple Pay is activated doesn’t necessarily mean it’s being used, but the trend is undeniable.

Apple Pay is also much more widely accepted now than it was in the early days. When it was introduced, only about 3% of retailers had the technology necessary to accept contactless payments. Now roughly 90% of merchants in the U.S. accept Apple Pay. 

Perhaps more importantly, Apple Pay is the leading payment app among teens, outpacing even PayPal‘s Venmo, according to Piper Sandler‘s semiannual Taking Stock With Teens survey. This suggests that Apple Pay could become even bigger as members of Generation Z — the largest demographic yet — become the primary breadwinners. 

Move the needle? Not bloody likely.

So what does this mean for Apple in terms of revenue? The truth is that given the massive size of its iPhone business — which generated more than $200 billion in sales over the last 12 months — it’s unlikely that any other single business will move the needle for Apple, but the numbers are compelling nonetheless. Apple Pay generates billions of dollars in revenue for the iPhone maker. 

Apple’s total revenue amounted to more than $387 billion over the trailing 12-month period. The company doesn’t provide specific details regarding Apple Pay’s contribution, but estimates suggest it accounts for roughly 1% of the total, or $3.88 billion, according to Loup Ventures. 

That’s not all. While the U.S. has long lagged other developed nations in contactless payments, its overall adoption has reached a tipping point. This is thanks in part to pandemic-related safety protocols and greater acceptance of touchless payments by consumers.

A bigger piece of a growing pie

In its first-quarter earnings call, Visa (NYSE: V) revealed that it is “nearing 20% tap-to-pay penetration with key metro cities showing even stronger growth.” The company said that a host of large cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, and Seattle, all exceeded 25% penetration. San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland had surpassed 30%, and New York topped the list at 45%. This suggests that the overall adoption of touch-free payments is growing and Apple is well-positioned to reap the rewards.

Apple’s influence isn’t limited to the U.S. Early last year, the company reported it had a base of more than 1 billion active iPhones worldwide, a number that has no doubt increased in the year and a half since. Furthermore, Apple Pay is supported in 73 countries and regions around the world, a list that grows larger each year.

The iPhone will remain Apple’s primary breadwinner for the foreseeable future. That said, Apple Pay is just one piece of a large and growing puzzle that should help drive Apple stock higher for years to come.

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

The post This under-the-radar Apple business is growing by leaps and bounds appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() { function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) { if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) { var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0]; button.style[property] = defaultValue; } } setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’); setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’); setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’); })()

More reading

• Why the shine was off Apple stock on Monday
• 3 top things to look at before buying Bitcoin
• Apple sees this business reaching $10 billion soon
• 3 top US tech stocks that could help make you rich by retirement
• 1 emerging catalyst that Apple investors may have missed

Danny Vena has positions in Apple and PayPal Holdings and has the following options: long January 2024 $95 calls on PayPal Holdings. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Apple, PayPal Holdings, and Visa. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple and PayPal Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/iCVA1PF

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is bouncing back after yesterday’s disastrous 2% tumble, and energy shares are in the lead.

The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) is up 1.85% right now, beating the broader market’s 0.47% gain.

And three ASX 200 energy shares are making the most of the sector’s day in the green, leaping to their highest prices in years.

3 ASX 200 energy shares rocketing to long-forgotten heights

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS)

ASX 200 energy giant Woodside saw its shares surge to a high of $36.68 earlier today – the highest it’s traded in more than three years.

The company also posted its earnings for the first half of 2022 this morning, in which it declared a whopper dividend. It’s US$1.09 interim dividend is more than three times what it offered investors this time last year.

The company also reported a 417% increase in after-tax profits, coming in at US$4.16 billion.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

Speaking of earnings, it’s still less than a week since Whitehaven Coal dropped its results for financial year 2022. The ASX 200 energy share leapt to $8.17 earlier today, marking a new all-time high.

Like its ASX 200 peer, the coal producer posted a huge jump in profits in its latest earnings, bringing in $1.9 billion after-tax in financial year 2022.

It’s trading in the green today despite coal futures slipping 1% to US$422.75 a tonne overnight. Though, that’s not far from the commodity’s record high.

New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC)

The final ASX 200 energy share posting a multi-year high on Tuesday is coal giant New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC). It surged to trade at $5.18 earlier today – the highest it’s been since 2012.

The last time the market heard from the company was on last Monday when it dropped its latest quarterly earnings, detailing a 29% boost in production.

The post 3 ASX 200 energy shares smashing multi-year highs on Tuesday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Woodside dividend tripled: Here’s everything you need to know
• What’s the outlook for the oil price in September?
• Woodside share price lifts on 400% profit surge
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Woodside share price slumps ahead of tomorrow’s earnings update

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/NOTbGur

The Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ) share price could have some additional upside potential, according to a broker note posted this morning.

Shares of the Queensland bank currently trade for $6.96 each, up 0.71%, after closing yesterday at $6.91 a share.

Let’s look into why these shares could be undervalued.

Regional banks could be undervalued compared to major banks

UBS analyst John Storey said regional banks, such as Bank of Queensland, are currently undervalued due to their positive fundamentals and the selloff in their share prices, as originally reported by The Australian.

Storey gave Bank of Queensland a price target of $22 per share — that’s a 216% upside at the time of writing.

The rationale behind his analysis was that regional banks could see a 50-100 basis points increase in their return on equity (ROE) forecasts from higher leveraged balance sheets. ROE is a key ratio of how effectively companies generate profits from their existing assets, such as capital.

The Bank of Queensland share price has lost 13% over the last six months, taking a particularly steep fall in June when it crashed 11% in a single month. This makes it potentially undervalued relative to its previous trading levels, assuming there have been no changes in its fundamentals.

Bank of Queensland share price snapshot

Shares in Bank of Queensland are currently down 16% year to date. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down around 8% over the same period.

The company’s current market capitalisation is around $4.5 billion.

The post Is the Bank of Queensland share price undervalued compared to other ASX banks? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Why did the Bank of Queensland share price lag the other ASX 200 banks today?
• Experts name 2 ASX dividend shares to buy next week
• Is the Bank of Queensland share price a smart ASX 200 bank buy?
• How to play ASX bank shares for dividends this reporting season: expert
• Why is the Bank of Queensland share price getting a caning on Monday?

Motley Fool contributor Matthew Farley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/mNZVvf4

The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is in the green so far today. At the time of writing, it’s 0.52% higher at 7,231 points.

Earnings season has been a busy one with plenty of mixed results. Here are three ASX All Ordinaries standouts that are lifting on their earnings today.

Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO)

Shares of Helloworld are up 5.67% to $2.05 apiece at the time of writing.

Investors have rallied the share price higher following a robust set of FY22 results that saw the company return to operational profitability.

This translated to a full-year EBITDA loss from continuing operations of $10.6 million compared to $24.5 million in FY21.

Despite this, the momentum towards the back end of FY22 gave Helloworld confidence in providing FY23 guidance.

It expects a FY23 EBITDA profit of $22-$26 million.

Helloworld shares are up 20% in the past 12 months of trade.

Wisr Ltd (ASX: WZR)

Shares of Wisr were on the move in early trade and have since levelled back to trade in-line with yesterday’s closing price.

The non-bank lending company delivered a 118% year-on-year gain in operating revenue with total new loan originations increasing 67% to $611 million.

This saw loan book growth of 103% for the 12 months to $780 million.

As a result, cash EBITDA saw an improvement of 30% to a loss of $7 million, ahead of last year’s loss of $10 million.

Zooming out, Wisr shares are down 74% in the past 12 months.

Alcidion Group Ltd (ASX: ALC)

Shares of Alcidion are also cruising along in afternoon trade today, currently up 3.33% to 15.5 cents apiece.

Following its FY22 results, the company that specialises in digital software for healthcare providers has caught a bid as investors evaluate the company’s growth trends.

Full year revenue was up 33% year on year to $34 million with total contract value (TCV) of $57.7 million.

This momentum sees Alcidion enter FY23 with more than $28 million in contracted revenue, an 87% gain on the same time last year.

Alicidion shares are down more than 55% for the year to date.

The post 3 ASX All Ords shares lifting on full-year results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Could this tiny development add even more fuel to ASX uranium shares?
• Here are 3 ASX 200 shares trading ex-dividend today
• Guess which ASX 200 CEO has sold $1.5m worth of shares in his company in the past week
• 1 cryptocurrency to buy and hold forever
• Openpay share price bounces despite losses amplifying in FY22

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alcidion Group Ltd and Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alcidion Group Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/kNPF0dr

ASX uranium shares are booming today.

It’s a decent day for the markets overall, with the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) posting a nice rebound following yesterday’s sell-off, up 0.5% as we head into the lunch hour.

ASX energy shares are doing even better, as witnessed by the 1.6% intraday gain on the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ).

But ASX uranium shares are leaving those gains far behind.

Here’s how some of the top stocks in the sector are tracking at the time of writing:

• Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) shares are up 6.7%
• Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) shares are up 7.8%
• Bannerman Energy Ltd (ASX: BMN) shares are up 23.1%
• Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL) shares are up 14.7%
• Alligator Energy Ltd (ASX: AGE) shares are up 21.1%

What’s driving investor interest in ASX uranium shares?

Investors have been considering the likely growth in demand for uranium, following decades when the radioactive energy source was out of favour.

With the world looking to rapidly slash carbon emissions – and coming to the realisation that renewables are unlikely to fully fill the void left by coal, gas and oil – nations across the globe are turning their attention back to a nuclear-powered future.

Last week, Japan’s government announced its intention to ramp up the nation’s nuclear power generation. Japan plans to reopen seven currently shuttered plants and is looking to develop new generation nuclear power plants. That news saw ASX uranium shares charging higher.

But it’s not just Japan.

While the nuclear conversation is ongoing in Australia, Belgium and Germany are both looking at extending the lives of their nuclear plants amid a crushing energy shortage exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, France revealed it intends to build 14 new nuclear plants later this decade. And India is also looking at expanding its nuclear power capacity. Nuclear energy is currently the fifth largest source of electricity in the world’s second most populous nation.

And when it comes to driving interest in ASX uranium shares, let’s not forget Elon Musk.

On Saturday the world’s richest man tweeted, “Countries should be increasing nuclear power generation! It is insane from a national security standpoint & bad for the environment to shut them down.”

Could this tiny development offer further tailwinds?

With plenty of tailwinds already behind them, ASX uranium shares could be getting an extra boost from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

On 29 July the NRC gave the green light (with a few formalities pending) to a tiny modular nuclear reactor designed by Oregon based NuScale.

As Popular Mechanics reports, this is only the seventh reactor design to ever be approved within the US and the first modular one. The reactor is about the size of two city buses, tiny compared to conventional plants.

According to Diane Hughes, vice president of marketing and communications for NuScale:

Especially while the global community is suffering from crises like volatile energy prices and climate-driven extreme weather events, the need for carbon-free energy solutions like NuScale’s small modular reactors has never been greater…

Potential customers from numerous countries have expressed interest in our technology, and we currently have 18 signed and active memorandums of understanding with customers in 11 countries interested in, and considering, a deployment of a NuScale power plant.

With that kind of growth in interest, ASX uranium shares could see a sustained, long-term boost in the demand for their product.

How have these ASX uranium shares been tracking?

We looked at today’s price action above.

Here’s how these top ASX uranium shares have performed over the past 12 months compared to the 7% loss posted by the All Ordinaries.

• Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) shares gained 1,365%*
• Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) shares gained 60%
• Bannerman Energy Ltd (ASX: BMN) shares gained 48%
• Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL) shares gained 47%
• Alligator Energy Ltd (ASX: AGE) shares gained 123%

(*Note, ASX uranium share Boss Energy underwent a share consolidation on 29 November. This saw the number of shares reduced by a factor of eight. The actual share price increase for Boss Energy is 85% over 12 months.)

The post Could this tiny development add even more fuel to ASX uranium shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• ASX 200 reporting season weekly wrap: Top risers and fallers
• Paladin share price slips despite 57% revenue boost
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Why is the Paladin Energy share price rocketing 13% today?

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/ptUS37Z

Yesterday, we previewed a trio of S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares going ex-dividend today. 

But there are three more ASX 200 shares trading for the first time without their respective FY22 final dividend entitlements. Let’s check them out.

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)

Domino’s shares are trading without a partially franked final dividend today.

The ASX 200 fast food company handed in its FY22 results last week, cutting its final dividend by 20% to 68.1 cents, 70% franked.

The payment date for this dividend has been pencilled in for 15 September.

At the time of writing, the Domino’s share price has tumbled by 2.6% or $1.66, a greater fall than the final dividend.

Across the financial year, Domino’s declared total dividends of $1.565. This put Domino’s shares on a trailing dividend yield of 2.4% when the market closed yesterday.

Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)

Netwealth is another ASX 200 share going ex-dividend today. 

Surprisingly, the Netwealth share price is bucking the trend. While shares typically drop when they turn ex-dividend, the Netwealth share price is currently climbing 1.7%.

The wealth management business recently reported its FY22 results, slightly lifting its final dividend to 10 cents, fully franked.

Investors who owned Netwealth shares by the closing bell yesterday should see this payment come through on 29 September.

Netwealth declared total dividends of 20 cents across FY22, putting shares on a trailing dividend yield of 1.6% as of yesterday’s close. With the benefit of franking credits, this dividend yield bumps up 2.3%.

Downer EDI Limited (ASX: DOW) 

Finally, shares in integrated services company Downer are trading today without an unfranked final dividend of 12 cents.

At the time of writing, the Downer share price has dropped by 2.1% or 11 cents.

Despite FY22 profit taking a backwards step, the company held its final dividend steady. The payment date for this dividend has been marked down for 28 September.

Downer’s total FY22 dividend payments come to 24 cents, in line with the prior year. This spun up a trailing dividend yield of 4.7% when the market closed yesterday.

The post Here are 3 ASX 200 shares trading ex-dividend today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Domino’s share price sinks 7%, giving back most of Wednesday’s gains
• These three ASX 200 shares rocketed higher on earnings updates today
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Everything you need to know about the latest Domino’s dividend

Motley Fool contributor Cathryn Goh has positions in Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Dominos Pizza Enterprises Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/Ygy6IaU

The JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH) share price is heading north on Tuesday.

This comes despite the specialty retailer announcing that its CEO has dumped a substantial amount of his shares.

At the time of writing, JB Hi-Fi shares are swapping hands at $41.36 apiece, up 2.1%.

JB Hi-Fi CEO offloads his holdings

Investors are shrugging off the company’s latest news, sending the JB Hi-Fi share price into positive territory.

According to the release, JB Hi-Fi CEO Terry Smart sold $1.46 million worth of his shares through an on-market trade.

In total, 35,000 JB Hi-Fi shares were disposed of on 29 August.

When calculating the amount received along with the number of shares offloaded, the average selling price is $41.67 per share.

Interestingly, JB Hi-Fi chief financial officer (CFO) Nick Wells also sold off a significant parcel of his shares.

Wells disposed of 32,549 shares and collected $1.36 million from the sale.

Unfortunately, no reason was given as to why both the CEO and CFO reduced their holdings.

Currently, Smart has 8,925 JB Hi-Fi shares in his own name along with 119,723 shares held in a couple of trusts.

On the other hand, Wells has 44,493 indirect JB Hi-Fi shares under his holdings.

A catalyst for JB Hi-Fi shares remaining afloat today despite the sell-down could be some recent broker notes.

According to ANZ Share Investing, the team at Citi raised its price target by 6.4% to $50.00 for JB Hi-Fi shares. Based on the current share price, this implies an upside of roughly 21%.

Furthermore, UBS also bumped up its price target by 4.8% to $44.00 per share.

JB Hi-Fi share price summary

Over the past 12 months, the JB Hi-Fi share price has posted a loss of 10%.

Extreme volatility in June impacted the company’s shares which led it to touch a 52-week low of $36.69 per share.

JB Hi-Fi commands a market capitalisation of approximately $4.43 billion, with 109.33 million shares on issue.

The post Guess which ASX 200 CEO has sold $1.5m worth of shares in his company in the past week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Why is the JB Hi-Fi share price slumping today?
• 3 ASX 200 shares going ex-dividend tomorrow
• Why are ASX 200 retail shares having such a stellar run today?
• 2 surprisingly ‘robust’ ASX shares to buy in current climate: expert
• JB Hi-Fi share price dips as full-year dividend jumps 43%

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/lHmDa3i

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

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

What was once just a market of one is now flooded with other options for cryptocurrency investors. The arrival of meme coins that seem to create millionaires overnight makes it easy to believe that cryptocurrency investments are meant only for the short term. But despite a crowded field, there is one cryptocurrency investors should count on never selling — Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH). 

Like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), Ethereum is a cryptocurrency that changed our thinking about finance in the digital age, but for different reasons. Ethereum is unique from Bitcoin in myriad ways. But one, in particular, is responsible for what is possibly the greatest innovation to result from blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies — decentralized finance, better known as DeFi.

The new age of finance

The traditional financial world relies on centralized authorities like banks, notaries, brokers, exchanges, and other middlemen who manage and process financial services. Traditional financial processes, such as applying for a loan or purchasing a stock, require some sort of intermediary to conduct the transaction. 

But because of Ethereum and its innovative smart-contract technology, these traditional financial processes are becoming increasingly obsolete. Smart contracts are the backbone of DeFi and are what make Ethereum so unique. Before its creation in 2014, no other cryptocurrency had smart-contract capabilities. The creation of smart contracts allows blockchain developers to customize conditions and criteria for executing particular actions. 

For example, smart contracts could oversee loan agreements and release collateral upon full repayment. Since smart contracts can integrate with other data, they could also regulate agricultural drought insurance policies by automatically paying out if agreed amounts of rainfall occur. 

In addition to their seemingly infinite customization and potential, smart contracts and DeFi could completely upend what we believe traditional institutions’ roles are in the financial world. 

One of the most appealing aspects of DeFi is its inclusivity. If you want to utilize a DeFi financial product, all you need is an internet connection. There are no credit bureaus, no brokers, and no loan officers. As long as a crypto wallet is set up, users can trade and move assets anytime and anywhere. 

In addition, all transactions are in real-time and completely transparent. There is no need for banks or brokers to process transactions since they occur near instantaneously on the blockchain. The other perk of the blockchain is that once a transaction is added, anyone with an internet connection can view activity on the network. It doesn’t hurt that just about any possibility of tampering or malfeasance is eliminated due to the blockchain’s high level of security.

Arguably, the greatest benefit of DeFi is that it is constantly evolving. Applications and projects built on Ethereum are all open-source. That means developers can integrate multiple DeFi apps to create financial products to meet new user demands as they arise. 

The first-mover advantage

Since Ethereum was the first blockchain to possess smart-contract functionality, it holds most of the market share that makes up the DeFi sector. Despite new competitors like Tron (CRYPTO: TRX), Binance Coin (CRYPTO: BNB), and Avalanche (CRYPTO: AVAX) arriving to grab some of the market, they face an uphill battle because Ethereum’s grasp on the DeFi economy is unbelievably disproportionate.

We can look at a statistic called Total Value Locked (TVL) to compare the collective value of a blockchain’s DeFi ecosystem. Think of it like the market cap of a company. 

Out of the $62.5 billion invested across DeFi as of this writing, nearly $36 billion is on Ethereum’s blockchain. The next-closest competitor is Tron, and this blockchain only supports about $9 billion of value. It’s not even close. 

The potential long-term value DeFi presents should be heavily weighed by investors, especially considering it’s only in its infancy. Those who are optimistic that DeFi can usurp traditional finance should count on Ethereum continuing to dominate for the foreseeable future. 

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

The post 1 cryptocurrency to buy and hold forever appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() { function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) { if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) { var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0]; button.style[property] = defaultValue; } } setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’); setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’); setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’); })()

More reading

• Here’s why the Bitcoin price just dipped back below US$20,000

RJ Fulton has positions in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Avalanche, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/DsPKnSC

The Openpay Group Ltd (ASX: OPY) share price is on the move today as investors digest the buy now, pay later (BNPL) company’s FY22 results.

The Openpay share price raced out of the gates this morning, soaring 13.9% when the market opened.

But the ASX BNPL share has since run out of steam, printing a 2.8% gain at the time of writing.

Openpay share price rises on mixed full-year results 

Here are some of the key numbers from Openpay’s Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) operations in FY22:

• Record total transaction value (TTV) of $344 million, up 49% year on year (YOY)
• Revenue of $26.3 million, up 30% from $18.8 million in the prior year
• Active merchants of 4,100, up 9% YOY from 3,700
• Active customers of 321,000, up 35% YOY from 265,000
• 65% of active customers had multiple plans, up from 57% in the prior year 
• Active plans of 1.8 million, up 50% YOY from 1.2 million

Turning to unit economics, the company’s revenue margin continued its backwards trend, albeit at a decelerating rate, falling from 8.2% in FY21 to 7.7% in FY22. 

Openpay’s revenue margin is its revenue as a percentage of TTV. In other words, it represents how successfully the company can convert the transaction value that flows through its platform into revenue. 

For comparison, competitor Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) recently reported a revenue margin of 7.1% in FY22.

Despite the fall in revenue margin, Openpay managed to keep its net transaction margin stable at 2.9% as cost of sales grew at a slower rate than operating income.

Meanwhile, the company’s net bad debts marginally reduced to 1.6% of TTV.

On the bottom line, Openpay’s net loss ballooned from $63.1 million in FY21 to $82.5 million.

What else happened in FY22?

In January, Openpay announced a significant reduction in its UK operations. At the time, the company said it was instead turning its focus to ramping up its US presence and accelerating towards profitability in ANZ. Investors cheered this decision, sending the Openpay share price soaring.

In May, Openpay tapped the market for more capital, completing an $18.25 million placement.

Then, in July, the company announced it was pausing its existing US operations indefinitely and ceasing loan originations on its US platform.

Openpay had been on the hunt for potential investors in the US to provide the capital required to scale its early-stage US operations.

In the end, the company said the current macroeconomic and public market conditions led to a change in strategy.

Openpay will continue to look for commercialisation opportunities for both its UK and US platforms. But at this stage, it will not be using them for loan originations.

As a result, the company has simplified its operations, freeing up capital to support an even greater focus on its core ANZ market.

Across the year, Openpay reported a daunting $81.2 million in net operating cash outflows. This is far greater than the company’s cash balance of $10.3 million at the end of FY22. But it will receive a $17.5 million boost when the proceeds from its capital raising come through.

But in a sign of possible greener pastures, the company expects its simplified business will generate positive net operating cash flow by June 2023.

What did management say?

Commenting on the results, Openpay CEO Dion Appel said:

During and shortly after FY22, Openpay rapidly responded to changes in the equity market and macroeconomic environment and simplified its business model.

These decisions enabled laser beam focus on Australia, our most mature market, and the one closest to delivering cash profitability.

​​The simplification strategy has resulted in a leaner and more efficient business where cost synergies will continue to flow into 2023, alongside the momentum of stronger performance, industry leading margins and unit economics and improved bad debts and arrears.

What’s next?

Management refrained from issuing forward guidance and didn’t provide much commentary about the year ahead.

The outlook slide in today’s investor presentation simply stated it is committed to delivering cash EBITDA profitability in ANZ by June 2023.

This will be driven by TTV growth across the company’s key verticals, an enhancement in its product suite to support unit economics, and its simplified business structure.

Openpay share price snapshot

Despite making a resurging comeback in July, the Openpay share price has been battered and bruised this year.

The Openpay share price has nearly been cut in half over the last six months. And it’s suffered a steep 75% fall since the beginning of the year.

As a result, Openpay’s market capitalisation has shrunk to $43 million.

The post Openpay share price bounces despite losses amplifying in FY22 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• The Openpay share price has cratered 40% in 3 days. What’s going on?

Motley Fool contributor Cathryn Goh has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/bWeqpf9