Tag: Motley Fool

The Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ) share price is underperforming its peers on Monday despite no news coming from the bank today.

Indeed, it’s currently the worst performing S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank share on Monday, slipping 1.73%.

The Bank of Queensland share price is currently trading at $7.39.

For context, the ASX 200 is up 0.69% while the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) has gained 0.03%.

Let’s take a look at what might be weighing on the Queensland bank’s stock today.

Bank of Queensland stock fails to gain traction

Bank of Queensland is suffering on the ASX on Monday amid news the stock’s been downgraded by a top broker.

Goldman Sachs has downgraded the bank’s shares to a ‘neutral’ rating with an $8.16 price target, as reported by the Australian Financial Review.

It comes after my Fool colleague James reported Citi is tipping brighter skies for the Bank of Queensland share price. The broker thinks the stock is a ‘buy’, stamping it with a price target of $8.75.

But the regional bank isn’t alone in the red. In fact, aside from Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) and Westpac Bank Corp (ASX: WBC), all the majors are sliding lower today.

Shares in Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), and National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), have fallen 0.84%, 0.7%, and 0.29% respectively. Meantime, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) has edged 0.2% higher at the time of writing after spending most of the day in the red.

Meanwhile, Bendigo Bank and Westpac are posting gains of 1.6% and 0.56%.

Bank of Queensland share price snapshot

2022 is proving to be a hard slog for the Bank of Queensland share price.

The stock has plunged 9% since the start of the year. That’s a worse performance than the 8% year-to-date loss recorded by the ASX 200.

It has also slumped 18% since this time last year compared to the index’s 7% fall.

The post Why is the Bank of Queensland share price getting a caning on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why did the AFIC share price have such a top run in July?
• Why has the Lake Resources share price rocketed 16% today?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• ASX shares are back, baby!
• Have Woolworths shares been a market-beating investment over the past 5 years?

Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. 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 positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group Limited and Westpac Banking Corporation. 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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In some much-needed relief for investors, July ended up being a stellar month for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). Over the first month of FY2023, the ASX 200 rose by a healthy 5.7%, partly giving back some of the 8.9% the ASX 200 lost over June. So how did the Australian Foundation Investment Co Ltd (ASX: AFI), or AFIC, share price do?

AFIC is one of the oldest ASX shares on the share market, having first opened its doors in 1928. This ASX share is a listed investment company (LIC). This means it functions more like a managed fund than a traditional ASX company, investing in a portfolio of other ASX shares on behalf of its own shareholders.

So let’s check out how AFIC fared over the month just gone. The LIC started July at $7.51 a share. Last week, AFIC closed at a flat $8. That puts AFIC’s gains over July at a healthy 6.52%, happily outperforming the ASX 200.

How did the AFIC share price beat the ASX 200 over July?

So how did AFIC deliver this outperformance? Well, here are two factors to consider. The first is the company’s Net Tangible Asset (NTA) backing. All LICs can either trade at a discount, or at a premium, to the value of their underlying share portfolio.

As of 30 June, AFIC’s NTA backing came to $6.63 per share. That’s the latest figure that has been publically released, so we don’t know exactly how AFIC’s NTA stands today.

However, at the time, this was substantially lower than AFIC’s share price, meaning the LIC was trading at a premium to its NTA value. Over July, it’s possible this premium widened even further which could, in itself, be a source of outperformance.

But we must also consider AFIC’s own share portfolio. Unlike an index fund, AFIC does not blindly mirror the holdings of the ASX 200.

As of June 30, it had more exposure to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX CBA), Transurban Group (ASX: TCL), and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) share prices, amongst others, than an ASX 200 index fund.

In contrast, it gave less room to the other big four bank shares, BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS), amongst others.

Since AFIC’s share portfolio differs from that of the ASX 200, there is an inherent potential for a difference in performance between the two. So this could also have played a role in AFIC’s outperformance of the ASX 200 over July.

Either way, it was certainly a pleasing month for AFIC shares.

At the current Australian Foundation Investment Co share price, this ASX LIC has a market capitalisation of $9.84 billion, with a dividend yield of 2.99%.

The post Why did the AFIC share price have such a top run in July? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why has the Lake Resources share price rocketed 16% today?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• ASX shares are back, baby!
• Have Woolworths shares been a market-beating investment over the past 5 years?
• Why this ASX 200 giant ‘looks attractive’ right now: expert

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Telstra Corporation Limited. 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 positions in and has recommended Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. 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 Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price underperformed last month despite no news from the company.

After ending June trading at $5.34, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) travel giant closed last month at $5.15 – representing a 3.56% fall.

For comparison, the ASX 200 lifted 5.7% in July while the company’s home sector, the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ), lifted 8.2%.

So, what might have weighed on the online travel agency’s shares last month? Let’s take a look.

What drove the Webjet share price in July?

While there wasn’t any price-sensitive news from Webjet to explain its share price’s poor performance in July, there were plenty of happenings impacting the travel sector.

Firstly, Australia scrapped COVID-19 vaccine mandates for international arrivals. The news coincided with an intensely busy period for the nation’s airports. Some – like Brisbane Airport – even experienced their busiest days since the pandemic’s onset.

However, cancellations and delays plagued the industry as the spread of COVID-19 and severe weather took their toll. On top of that, Australia faced calls to close its border with Bali to avoid an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Finally, both good and bad results from international airlines might have impacted ASX 200 travel stocks last month.

The Webjet share price’s slump also came despite the stock’s falling short interest.

After remaining a staple of The Motley Fool Australia’s weekly rundown of the ASX’s most shorted shares for many months, the stock fell off the list in mid-July.

Only 6.84% of Webjet’s shares were in the hands of short sellers as of the most recent data. That’s down from 8.02% at the end of June.

Looking to the future, the market isn’t expecting to hear any news from Webjet until the end of the month. Then, the company is set to hold its annual general meeting.

After that, the market might turn its attention to the company’s half year results, expected to be released in November.

The post Why did the Webjet share price trail the ASX 200 in July? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Webjet share price having such a great start to the week?
• Why are ASX 200 travel shares having such a stellar session?
• What’s in store for the Webjet share price in FY23?
• Why Accent, Humm, IAG, and Webjet shares are dropping
• Why are Flight Centre, Webjet, and other ASX travel shares sinking today?

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 recommended Webjet Ltd. 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 Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price is heading north on Monday.

This comes after the Australian lithium-tantalum producer announced a senior leadership appointment.

At the time of writing, Pilbara Minerals shares are exchanging hands at $2.84, up 2.35%.

Let’s take a look at the details.

New leadership at Pilbara Minerals

According to its release, Pilbara Minerals advised it has appointed Dale Henderson as its new managing director and CEO.

Having served as the company’s chief operations officer from September 2017 to June 2022, Henderson will take over the reins from Ken Brinsden.

The latter formally retired from the top role on 30 July 2022, but will remain in a special role advising Pilbara Minerals.

Furthermore, Brinsden will remain as the nominated director of the POSCO joint venture company until a replacement is found. This is expected to occur sometime later this year.

Touching on his time as Pilbara Minerals CEO over the last six years, Brinsden commented:

I am incredibly proud of what the team has achieved since 2015. From the initial Pilgangoora project delivery to what it is today, a global lithium producer with plenty more growth to come, it has been an incredible journey! With many highs and testing a few lows, but throughout what sticks most in my mind is the incredible people and partners that I have had the privilege of working with.

Investors may want to keep an eye out this Wednesday. This is when Henderson will provide an update about Pilbara Minerals’ operations and growth strategies at the 2022 Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum.

Pilbara Minerals share price summary

Over the last 12 months, the Pilbara Minerals share price has accelerated by 60%.

However, this has not been the case when looking year to date, with the miner’s shares down 11.4%.

Based on today’s price, Pilbara Minerals commands a market capitalisation of around $8.2 billion.

The post Pilbara Minerals share price lifts as new CEO takes reins appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why has the Lake Resources share price rocketed 16% today?
• Is the Pilbara Minerals value-add lithium strategy worth its salt?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Pilbara Minerals share price lifts amid 50% quarterly production boost
• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has positions in Pilbara Minerals Limited. 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.

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Are Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) shares an inflation-beating investment right now?

2022 has certainly brought some new concerns to investors’ doors that they were not really thinking about until this year. Chief among those is the concern over inflation. 2022 thus far has seen inflation spike in many advanced economies of the world to levels not seen in decades.

Just last week, we found out that inflation in the Australian economy has hit an annualised rate of 6.1%. That’s the highest rate many investors have ever seen.

So in these uncertain times, is the Coles share price really ASX investors’ best bet to counter inflation?

Are Coles shares inflation-proof?

After all, Coles is a major consumer staples company on the ASX. Together with arch-rival Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), Coles is one of the major supermarket chains providing food, drinks and other household essentials to Australian customers.

Since we all ‘need’ these products, this arguably makes Coles and Woolworths inherently resistant to the corrosive effects of inflation.

Well, that’s certainly the view of analysts at ASX broker Citi. According to reporting in The Australian today, Citi has just reaffirmed its buy rating on Coles shares. That came with a 12-month share price target of $21.

Part of the reason for Citi’s optimism over the ASX grocer is indeed the company’s perceived ability to weather inflationary pressures:

Mid to high single-digit inflation, expected to persist for at least the next 6 to 12 months, will drive sales growth for supermarket majors Coles and Woolworths.

But Citi isn’t the only ASX broker that likes the look of Coles in our new inflationary world. As reported on Livewire today, broker Morgans has also named Coles shares as one of “several all-weather companies we think are capable of resisting cost inflation”.

As my Fool colleague covered last week, Morgans has a 12-month share price target of $20.65 on Coles shares right now. This broker is also predicting that Coles will be able to raise its dividend to 61 cents per share for FY2022. And then to 64 cents for FY2023.

So two ASX brokers agree that Coles is well positioned to weather the inflationary pressures currently facing the Australian economy. No doubt shareholders will welcome that news.

At the current Coles share price, this ASX 200 grocer has a market capitalisation of $25.19 billion. That’s with a dividend yield of 3.24% as well.

The post Are Coles shares an inflation-beating investment right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here’s the Coles dividend forecast through to 2024
• Analysts name 2 ASX dividend shares with good yields to buy
• Why I think Coles shares are a compelling buy today
• Here are 2 ASX 200 dividend shares to buy according to experts
• Can the Coles share price beat the ASX 200 again in FY23?

Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 positions in and has recommended COLESGROUP DEF SET. 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 Ioneer Ltd (ASX: INR) share price has forged into the green on Monday amid the company announcing a new supply agreement.

At the time of writing, Ioneer shares are up 0.36% at 56.2 cents apiece, after earlier hitting an intraday high of 59.5 cents a share. That was a 6.25% jump on Friday’s closing price.

What did Ioneer announce?

The company advised it has signed a lithium offtake supply agreement with the Prime Planet Energy & Solutions (PPES) joint venture (JV).

PPES is a battery production company comprised of a JV between automotive manufacturing giant Toyota and battery manufacturer Panasonic.

Under the agreement, Ioneer will supply PPES with 4,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per annum for five years from its Rhyolite Ridge project in Nevada, US.

PPES will use the lithium supply to make batteries for US electric vehicles, Ioneer says.

Ioneer executive chairman James Calaway said the company was “grateful” and that the deal marked “another key milestone” for the company. He said:

PPES is a world-class organisation and we look forward to being their trusted partner.

This and the previously announced Ford and EcoPro agreements solidify Ioneer’s focus on the US Electric Vehicle supply chain infrastructure.

We look forward to providing lithium materials to PPES and all our offtake partners for their growth in the EV global market.

The latest agreement marks the completion of pre-production of Ioneer’s lithium supply commitments at Rhyolite Ridge, following the signing of two previous offtake agreements.

Over the past 12 months, the Ioneer share price is up more than 37%.

The post Ioneer share price gains 6% on 4,000 tonne lithium deal appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why Brickworks, Ioneer, Telix, and Zip shares are charging higher
• Ioneer share price leaps 8% on Ford supply agreement

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 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.

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In case you were wondering, it is the Kazia Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: KZA) share price that’s crashing heavily today.

After opening at 35 cents for the day, shares in the oncology-focused drug development company are continuing to freefall.

At the time of writing, Kazia shares are fetching a multi-year low of 26 cents, down 49.02%.

Let’s take a look at what could be causing this downfall.

What did Kazia update the ASX with?

Investors are heading for the exits following the company’s latest progress update on its GBM Agile pivotal study.

A brain-penetrant inhibitor, paxalisib is under development to treat glioblastoma which is a common and very aggressive brain cancer.

According to the release the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR), the sponsor of the study, advised Kazia that the treatment arm did not meet pre-defined criteria for continuing to a second stage.

This comes despite the first stage of the paxalisib arm completing recruitment.

While no reason was given, the patients enrolled in the first stage will continue with their treatment as per protocol.

Kazia anticipates it will receive the final analysis of study results in the second half of the next calendar year.

Following the outcome, the study will not open to the paxalisib arm in Germany or China.

Although, Kazia stated it will work with its licensing partner to determine the way forward in China.

Management commentary

Kazia CEO Dr James Garner said:

GBM AGILE was designed as an adaptive study, with the potential to follow a range of different paths to completion.

Today’s news defines the remaining trajectory of the study, with modestly positive implications for both costs and timelines, and with some specific consequences for regulatory strategy in China. It does not allow us to draw any meaningful inferences about the outcomes of the study, and indeed it is critical for regulatory purposes that we remain blinded to the evolving data.

We look forward to reporting final results in 2H CY2023, as currently planned.

Garner went on to add:

In the meantime, we are excited by some of the emerging data in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and brain metastases, which have become increasingly important areas of focus for the company and look forward to sharing more detail on those activities in due course.

Kazia share price snapshot

While nobody likes their stock falling, it’s been a difficult 12 months for Kazia shareholders.

After reaching a 52-week high of $1.65 towards the back end of last year, it has been all downhill ever since.

Kazia shares have lost more than 75% of their value in 2022.

The post This ASX healthcare share just crashed 49%, here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Ioneer share price gains 6% on 4,000 tonne lithium deal
• Why has the Lake Resources share price rocketed 16% today?
• Guess which ASX tech share is exploding 76% on a new deal with McDonalds
• United Malt share price plunges 13% on earnings downgrade
• Guess which tiny ASX mining share just rocketed 74% on an ‘outstanding’ new copper find

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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 Bruce Jackson.

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It’s been a great start to the trading week for ASX shares this Monday. At the time of writing, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has gained a healthy 0.34% and is now closing back in on 7,000 points. But it’s been even better for the Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE) share price.

Lake Resources shares closed at 81 cents each last week. But the ASX 200 lithium stock opened at 84 cents this morning and is now up to 88 cents a share, a gain worth a pleasing 8.64%. Earlier today, the company rose as high as 94 cents, a whopping 16% gain at the time.

So what’s going on here to elicit such a decisive share price gain for Lake Resources?

Well, it’s not clear. Lake Resources has not come out with any fresh news or announcements today. So perhaps this move is just a continuation of the trend we have seen emerge with Lake shares in recent weeks.

Why are Lake Resources shares shooting the moon on Monday?

After a rough couple of months, the past fortnight has been incredibly kind to the Lake Resources share price. It was only as recently as 15 July that this company traded at 61 cents per share. That means that Lake shares have risen an incredible 45% or so over the past two weeks. That includes a gain worth around 30% over the past five trading days alone.

Many other ASX lithium shares have been experiencing similar moves. The Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price is up almost 18% since 15 July. The Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR) has also put on around 40% over the same period, while Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) shares have gained more than 31%.

But we also had an update from Lake shares last week that could boost sentiment. Last Friday, Lake released its quarterly results covering the three months to 30 June 2022.

As we covered then, this report contained several updates for Lake investors. These included details about the company’s discussions with Ford Motor Company, a second drilling rig at Lake’s lithium brine projects, and a declaration that production at Lake’s Kachi Project aims to commence in 2024.

Upon the release of this report, investors reacted positively, sending Lake shares up almost 4% last Friday.

So the stellar performance of the Lake share price today is likely a continuation of the trend we have seen recently, perhaps helped by the quarterly update last week.

No doubt investors will be pleased with what they are seeing today.

At the current Lake Resources share price, this ASX 200 lithium stock has a market capitalisation of $1.23 billion.

The post Why has the Lake Resources share price rocketed 16% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Core Lithium share price surges 4% on ‘exceptional’ drill results
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• ASX shares are back, baby!
• Have Woolworths shares been a market-beating investment over the past 5 years?

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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.

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ASX tech shares are broadly edging lower today, as witnessed by the 0.2% decline in S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) at the time of writing.

But one ASX tech share is leaving the sliding benchmark index in the dust.

Plexure Group Ltd (ASX: PX1), which enables retailers to engage with consumers in real time using connected devices and sensors, is up a whopping 76.4% after earlier posting gains of 90%.

This comes after the company updated the market on its contract with McDonald’s Corp (NYSE: MCD) as well as updating its earnings guidance.

ASX tech share extends contract with McDonald’s

The big share price moving news out from Plexure is the announcement that it’s entered into new agreements with McDonald’s for its digital customer engagement platform.

Plexure and McDonald’s, the ASX tech share’s largest customer, have inked a new five-year contract term, which can be further extended if both parties agree.

The company will continue to provide its platform to McDonald’s and forecasts positive annual cash flow, compared to previous losses from its Plexure division. It expects to reduce its cost base while delivering operational improvements.

The ASX tech share’s digital customer engagement platform supports 147 million daily customer interactions for McDonald’s.

Commenting on the contract extension, Plexure CEO, Dan Houden said:

We are excited about our continued partnership with McDonald’s and look forward to working collaboratively toward our mutual goal of delivering excellent experiences for McDonald’s customers through our world-leading customer engagement platform.

The renegotiated commercial terms with McDonald’s represent the culmination of a major transformation of the Plexure division underway since the merger with TASK.

Houden added that with the transformation complete, Plexure can “focus on driving profitable growth by leveraging its combined technology stack to provide an end-to-end cloud engagement and transaction platform at scale for the global QSR and hospitality sector”.

The ASX tech share also is likely getting a lift today from its earnings guidance.

Plexure forecasts total revenue for the year ending 31 March 2023 of approximately NZ$56 million, up from NZ$32.6 million reported in the previous financial year.

Plexure Group share price snapshot

With today’s big boost factored in, the ASX tech share remains down 40% in 2020. That compares to a year-to-date loss of 28% posted by the All Tech Index.

The post Guess which ASX tech share is exploding 76% on a new deal with McDonalds appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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.

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The United Malt Group Ltd (ASX: UMG) share price is tumbling after the company downgraded its earnings guidance for the year ending 30 September 2022 (FY22).

It now expects to post around $100 million to $108 million of underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) before software-as-a-service (SaaS) costs. That marks a 22% drop on the top end of its previous guidance.

At the time of writing, the United Malt share price is $3.18, 13.35% lower than its previous close.

Let’s take a closer look at the latest from the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) commercial maltster.

United Malt share price falls on earnings downgrade

The United Malt share price is suffering on Monday following the company’s latest trading update.

Despite an expected improvement, the company’s processing segment continued to be hit with the deterioration of the North American barley crop, supply chain issues, and high energy costs in the June quarter.

The segment’s underlying EBITDA (before SaaS costs) for FY22 is now expected to be between $62 million and $66 million.

There’s better news about the company’s warehouse and distribution segment. Its underlying EBITDA guidance remains at $46 million to $50 million.

The segment is benefiting from the reopening of major markets and renewed demand for craft brewing, as well as business optimisation initiatives.

Meanwhile, the company’s corporate costs guidance has been dropped to $8 million.

It also noted its debt to EBITDA ratio will exceed its targeted range of 2 to 2.5 times in FY22. Though, it doesn’t expect to have to raise capital to reach its targeted range in FY23.

Speaking of the company’s FY23, it anticipates a “material increase” in earnings for the period.

Its underlying EBITDA (before SaaS costs) for FY23 is expected to be between approximately $140 million and $160 million.

The improvement is expected to be driven by better North American barley crops and improved pricing and commercial terms. The competition of the company’s Scottish expansion project and the implementation of its technology platform will also play a part.

What did management say?

United Malt chair Graham Bradley commented on the news dragging on the company’s share price today, saying:

The board is disappointed with the company’s current year performance and outlook. While external conditions have deteriorated dramatically during FY22 … the pace of change in the business needs a material reset to ensure we meet the expectations of our customers and of our shareholders.

Higher energy prices and supply chain issues are likely to remain challenging for the foreseeable future as will the impacts of climate … We are building a more resilient global malting business to better navigate these challenges.

The post United Malt share price plunges 13% on earnings downgrade appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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.

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