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The Hipages Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: HPG) share price soared today amid the company’s revenue leaping in the fourth quarter of FY22.

The Hipages share price surged 13.6% to finish the session at $1.295. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) jumped 0.61% today.

So what did Hipages report today?

Hipages share price lifts amid 9% revenue boost

It was onwards and upwards for the Hipages share price today following the release of the company’s Q4 FY22 activities report. Highlights included:

• Total revenue leapt 9% on the prior corresponding period (pcp) to $15.8 million
• Average annual revenue per unit (ARPU) surged 10% to $1,806
• Hipages Australia ARPU soared 16% to $1,904
• Subscription tradies leapt 11% on the pcp to 34,600
• $13.2 million cash and funds on deposit, no debt

What else did Hipages report?

Hipages is an online tradie marketplace and software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider that connects homeowners and companies with tradies.

Tradie registrations are rising and job numbers and churn are normalising following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Hipages.

The company delivered free cash flow of $0.3 million in the fourth quarter, compared to an outflow of $2.5 million in the previous quarter.

Hipages highlighted its efficient business model is underpinning favourable free cash flow and balance sheet strength.

Management commentary

Commenting on the results that boosted the Hipages share price today, CEO and co-founder Roby Sharon-Zipser said:

For Hipages Group to continue to grow in such a challenging environment, while generating positive free cash flow and closely managing our expenses, highlights the power and resilience of our business model.

We will continue to invest in our products and technology and develop new expansionary services to enhance the customer experience and expand our addressable market.

Looking ahead

Hipages is expecting rising inflation and interest rates to bring “balance to marketplace”. With this in mind, Hipages predicts tradies will be more reliant on the company’s platform to source jobs.

On 25 August, Hipages will release its FY22 full-year results and update the market further on its outlook for FY23.

Hipages share price snapshot

The Hipages share price has dived 59% in the past year and more than 66% year to date.

However, in the past month, the company’s share price has lifted almost 28%.

Hipages has a market capitalisation of about $169 million based on the current share price.

The post ‘Power and resilience’: Hipages share price leaps 14% on revenue boost appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Analysts name 3 exciting small cap ASX shares with major upside potential
• Analysts say these small cap ASX shares have huge potential

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 Hipages Group Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Hipages Group Holdings 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 market landscape has shifted unanimously to a more risk-off environment in FY22. Indeed, the macro-thematic now includes inflation, central bank tightening and prospects of a recession.

The distribution of possible outcomes for the global economy is even wider. Alas, managers running client money reckon it’s time to add resiliency into portfolios for H1 FY23.

One way to diversify within singular asset classes like the equities, such as in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), is to concentrate on various sectors that are sensitive or not to the business cycle.

‘Defensives’ as they are known, often provide a layer of resiliency and downside protection in choppy markets, especially on a forward looking basis.

ASX 200 Healthcare shares to dominate

The healthcare sector will retain its position on the mantlepiece as the top performing sector in FY23, according to Tribeca Investment Partners portfolio manger Jun Bei Liu.

Liu said this posture stems from 3 factors, “stabilising interest rate expectation, the opportunity for outsized near term growth and its structural growth prospects,” according to Livewire.

COVID-19 was also a major anomaly for the defensive sector, causing a huge backlog and pent-up demand.

“Many healthcare companies will see a significant return to growth from the next half,” Liu added.

“[B]ut it could take as long as 18 months to two years to clear the enormous backlog that has been built up over the past two years.“

Moreover, with the prospect of economic downturn threatening consumer spending and aggregate demand, healthcare companies are largely agnostic to these challenges.

In fact, healthcare is considered a defensive sector that is largely insensitive to the business cycle.

It therefore comes as little surprise to see Liu advocate for the sector in the forward looking regime.

The sector has already caught a bid in FY23, with the S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) climbing nearly 6% higher over the past month. This contrasts with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)’s return of 2.6%.

It has now clawed back losses incurred this year to date, as seen below.

The post Fundie reveals best ASX 200 sector to ‘generate defensive growth and help future proof portfolios’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Pilbara Minerals share price lifts amid 50% quarterly production boost
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• ASX 200 midday update: Rio Tinto drops, tech shares jump, Macquarie impresses
• Sandfire share price rallies as miner beats production guidance

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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It was a pleasing day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) on Thursday. The ASX 200 closed at 6,889.7 points, up a healthy 0.97% for the day. But it was an even better day for the Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price.

ASX lithium stock Pilbara ended up finishing this Thursday’s trading at $2.73 a share, up a robust 6.23%. That came after this lithium flagship closed at $2.57 a share yesterday and opened at $2.63 this morning.

What was interesting about Pilbara’s day was the release of the company’s June quarterly activities report. The report, covering the three months to 30 June 2022, was released at 2.56 pm. So it’s fair to say that it didn’t have much of an impact on Pilbara’s stellar day.

It may have been responsible for ticking the company’s share price up from $2.70 to $2.73 (which occurred after the release of the report). But Pilbara had clearly banked much of its daily gains before this time, so go figure.

What did Pilbara Minerals report today?

Even so, it was objectively a pleasing report for the company. Pilbara reported that it had produced 127,236 dry metric tonnes of lithium spodumene concentrate over the June quarter.

That was a substantial 56% increase from the 81,431 tonnes the company reported for the preceding quarter covering the three months to 31 March 2022.

This production included the first concentrate from the company’s Ngungaju Plant.

This has enabled Pilbara to book a total of 377,902 dry metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate for the full 2022 financial year. That was again a 35% increase over the 58,383 tonnes the company recorded for FY 2021.

Spodumene shipments also rose over the quarter, increasing 127% from the 58,383 tonnes for the March quarter to the 132,424 tonnes recorded for the quarter ending 30 June.

Pilbara recorded an average sales price of US$4,267 per dry metric tonne over the June quarter, another rise over the previous quarter, in which Pilbara was only able to achieve an average of US$2,650 per tonne.

In terms of outlook, Pilbara had this to say:

Market demand for battery raw materials remained strong, with Chinese lithium prices stabilising close to all-time highs…

During the June Quarter 2022… Pilbara Minerals… continued to progress work programs and activities to increase spodumene concentrate production at the Pilgangoora Project, in response to surging global demand for lithium raw materials…

So we can’t say that this report was behind the stellar performance of the Pilbara Minerals share price this Thursday. But it certainly didn’t hurt.

At the last Pilbara share price, this ASX 200 lithium stock had a market capitalisation of $7.65 billion.

The post Pilbara Minerals share price lifts amid 50% quarterly production boost appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• ASX 200 midday update: Rio Tinto drops, tech shares jump, Macquarie impresses
• Sandfire share price rallies as miner beats production guidance
• ASX 200 shares marching higher on successive US Fed interest rate hike

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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The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price underperformed on Thursday after investors gave the miner’s half-year results a lukewarm response.

And while the mining giant’s shares finished the day 0.75% higher at $97.70, its peers recorded much stronger gains.

For example, the S&P/ASX 200 Resources index charged 2.35% higher during the session.

Is the Rio Tinto share price still a buy?

According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, its analysts have retained their buy rating with a slightly trimmed price target of $122.90.

Based on the current Rio Tinto share price, this implies potential upside of almost 26% for investors over the next 12 months.

What did the broker say?

Goldman acknowledges that Rio Tinto disappointed on a number of items such as consensus EBITDA and dividend estimates during the first half.

Commenting on the dividend, the broker said:

The interim dividend of US$2.67/sh was lower than expected (50% payout vs. GSe 75% payout) with RIO painting a cautious outlook for global commodity demand, although the company believes China can introduce more easing measures in 2H.

Nevertheless, its analysts have seen enough to remain bullish. Particularly given its very attractive valuation.

Despite a weakening near term outlook for iron ore and base metals in 2H22, and concerns over future growth (Pilbara heritage and replacement mines, Simandou, Oyu Tolgoi, Resolution) and uncertainty over decarbonisation capex, we rate RIO a Buy.

This buy rating is based partly on its “compelling valuation.” Goldman highlights:

Trading at c. 0.75x NAV (A$126.4/sh), c. 4.0x 2023E EBITDA at GSe base case, c. 4.2x at spot. Pricing in flat Fe of ~US$55/t (NAV = share price) or US$60-65/t at spot commodities to achieve the 25yr EV/EBITDA average of ~6.5x over the next few years.

The broker also highlights that the current Rio Tinto share price suggests potential for big dividends in the near term. It is forecasting a “FCF/dividend yield in 2022E (c. 10%/8% yield) & 2023E (c. 11%/8% yield).”

The post Broker tips 26% upside for Rio Tinto share price post-results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ASX 200 midday update: Rio Tinto drops, tech shares jump, Macquarie impresses
• Did the Rio Tinto interim dividend really just tumble 52%?
• Why is the Rio Tinto share price underperforming today?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Rio Tinto share price on watch after half-year earnings miss

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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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It was a day of celebration for ASX online retail shares, with some of them seeing share price gains that have delivered big outperformance.

Let’s have a look at the state of play for some of the leading names.

The Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) share price soared 50.16%.

The Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL) share price ended 22.75% higher.

The Cettire Ltd (ASX: CTT) share price jumped 23.36%.

The Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) finished up 13.50%.

Despite these large gains, they are still heavily in the red for 2022, but things could be looking up for them individually and as a sector. Company quarterly updates have been flowing thick and fast today.

Why could things be better than expected?

Normally there’s a reason for such exuberance in a particular sector.

While only today’s buyers of each of these shares can truly say why they were happy to pay a much higher price today than yesterday, there could be a few different reasons.

For starters, Kogan’s update for FY22 may have included some promising signs for the sector. Sometimes investors like to take positive signs from an update from one business and then think that it’s applicable to other businesses.

Kogan showed that in FY22, gross sales increased by 0.1% compared to FY21. The e-commerce business noted that it had returned to positive quarterly adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) after a “successful ongoing recalibration of operating costs.”

Inflation picks up

For the three months to 30 June 2022, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that consumer price index (CPI) inflation rose by 1.8%.

Over the 12 months to June 2022, CPI inflation increased to 6.1%.

The ABS noted that the most significant price rises were new dwelling purchases by owner occupiers (up 5.6%), automotive fuel (up 4.2%) and furniture (up 7%).

Looking at the broader furnishings, household equipment and services segment, annual inflation was 6.3%. Food and non-alcoholic beverages saw inflation of 5.9%.

The ABS stated that goods accounted for 79% of the rise in the CPI in the latest quarter, reflecting “high freight costs, supply constraints and prolonged strong demand.”

Online retailers could benefit from the inflation environment

There are a couple of factors that could mean online retailers are able to deal with the current situation better than their bricks and mortar peers.

One example is that ASX online retail shares may not have the same exposure to the increase in costs. For example, online retailers don’t have store networks. Stores come with costs like wages, electricity and rent. Employee costs and electricity costs are rising. Online retailers don’t have the sales staff to pay more wages to.

Another possibility is the fact that online retail businesses collectively may be able to attract customers looking for the cheapest prices amid the inflation damage to household budgets. Discounted online sales could be particularly attractive during this period.

The founder of Kogan, Ruslan Kogan, made comments today that highlighted the potential changing customer behaviour:

Times are changing. In uncertain times, people don’t want to alter their lifestyle but they are happy to shift the way they shop. We know that in an environment where great value becomes even more important, Kogan.com serves an important need.

What’s next?

There isn’t a crystal ball to say what happens next with inflation.

But, August will reveal a lot of results and trading updates to tell investors how things are going. Outlook statements and guidance could be particularly interesting.

The post Could ASX online retail shares be getting a boost out of inflation? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 3 ASX 300 retail shares majorly cashing in on Thursday
• Why is the Temple & Webster share price flaming 16% higher?
• Why is the Kogan share price rocketing 32% higher today?
• Take a seat: What inflation data might mean for ASX retail shares
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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 Cettire Limited, Kogan.com ltd, REDBUBBLE FPO, and Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cettire Limited and Temple & Webster Group 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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Materials shares led the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) on Thursday, driving it to its highest point in nearly seven weeks. The index was up 0.97% to 6,889.70 at the market’s close.

The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) jumped 2.43% today amid slight increases in major metals. Iron ore futures lifted 0.1% to US$106.47 a tonne, while gold futures also rose 0.1% to US$1,719.10 an ounce.

Most energy shares also posted a strong performance, helped along by rising oil prices. The Brent crude oil price lifted 2.1% to US$106.62 a barrel, while the US Nymex crude price gained 2.4% to trade at US$97.26 per barrel.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) rose 0.71% following a strong session on Wall Street overnight.

But not all ASX shares were invited to today’s party. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) slumped 1.81%.

As of the market’s close, nine of the ASX 200’s 11 sectors were trading higher.

So, which shares posted the largest gains on Thursday? Let’s take a look.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

A last-minute race to the finish saw the Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) share price besting the rest for a third consecutive session today. Find out what the BNPL favourite has been up to lately here.

Today’s biggest gains were made by these ASX 200 shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)	$1.52	22.58%
Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)	$3.57	20.61%
Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)	$2.76	13.58%
St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)	$1.025	10.22%
Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)	$9.32	9.26%
Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN)	$53.21	9.04%
Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR)	$1.34	8.5%
Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN)	$4.73	8.24%
OZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: OZL)	$18.45	7.08%
IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)	$10.68	7.01%

Our top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Why did the Novonix share price just soar 13%?
• ASX 200 midday update: Rio Tinto drops, tech shares jump, Macquarie impresses
• Zip share price rockets again and is now up 225% in four weeks
• Sandfire share price rallies as miner beats production guidance

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 MEGAPORT FPO, Pointsbet Holdings Ltd, and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO and Pointsbet Holdings 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 Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) share price has rallied from six-month lows of $7.54 on 12 July to now trade at $8.75 per share.

Despite the near-term upside, the price of key rare earths metals has taken a backward step in 2022.

For example, after soaring to record highs of A$320,264 per tonne in February this year, neodymium has given back all of this year’s gains.

It now trades 28% down at $230,123 per tonne, amid a cooling off in industrial metals markets.

What does this mean for the Lynas share price?

Up until around two weeks ago, the downward pressure in spot neodymium appeared to be weighing in negatively on the Lynas share price.

The ASX rare earths miner had drifted to six-month lows, with the price of neodymium consolidating a relief rally in late June.

Lynas then released its Q4 FY22 earnings report on 12 July and that’s when the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) share found a bottom and began to curl back upward.

In the report, Lynas showed it grew cash receipts by 34% year on year to a record $351 million, underpinned by strong demand for rare earths.

It also printed sales revenue of $294.5 million, the second-highest quarterly result ever recorded by the company.

Broker estimates haven’t swayed on the share either, with 66% of analysts covering the company saying it’s a buy right now, per Refinitiv Eikon data.

The consensus price target from this list is $10.26 per share, around 18% return potential should the brokers have it right.

The Lynas share price is currently up 3% today, taking its gains for the past 12 months to around 25%. However, it is down 14% so far in 2022, and 5% over the past month.

The post Rare earths are now in the red for 2022. What does this mean for the Lynas share price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• What’s the outlook for the Lynas share price in FY23?
• Here’s why Macquarie thinks these 2 ASX 200 shares can outperform
• Lynas share price higher following record Q4 sales
• Odd one out: Lynas share price inches ahead while miners drill down
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

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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The Straker Translations Ltd (ASX: STG) share price is down 6.73% in late afternoon trading.

It appears ASX shares investors are not impressed with the company’s June quarterly activities report released today. It reported “strong and profitable Q1 FY23 revenue growth” but significant cash outflows.

Straker shares opened at $1.03, well down on their previous closing price of $1.115. They slid to a 52-week low of 96 cents before recovering to $1.04 at the time of writing.

By comparison, the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is well into the green today, up 1.09%.

Straker Translations share price dips despite 66% revenue growth

Straker Translations provides language services and technology via subscriptions to its customers. 

Here are the key takeaways from its quarterly report:

• Q1 FY23 revenue of NZD$18.8 million, up 66% on Q1 FY22 and 8% on Q4 FY22
• Adjusted EBITDA of NZD$1.5 million (third consecutive quarter of growth)
• Operating cash outflow of NZD$2.3 million due to an increase in working capital and the timing of customer receipts. Straker expects a return to positive operating cash flow in Q2 FY23
• Total cash outflow of NZD$4.3 million, up from NZD$2.2 million in Q4 FY22 following $1.1 million in earn-out payments on IDEST Communications and NZTC and $700,000 in research and development (R&D) capitalisation
• Strong balance sheet with no debt
• NZD$11.4 million in cash, down from NZD$15.1 million in Q4 2022
• Robust sales pipeline driven by customers looking for technology-led global localisation solutions.

Straker said its revenue growth was “… underpinned by growing sales to multinational organisations and the contribution from the Belgium-based translation provider IDEST Communications, acquired in Q4 FY22”.

Also contributing to the revenue boost was “strong growth across the APAC and European operations (excluding IDEST) and the continuing success and expansion of Straker’s strategic translations service agreement with IBM”.

What else happened in FY22?

Straker says IDEST “continues to perform well and in line with expectations”. The company sees an opportunity for cross-selling Straker’s global language translation capabilities.

IBM translation volumes are in line with expectations and the system integration is mostly completed “with new partnership opportunities developing”.

Straker said eased COVID-19 travel restrictions were enabling sales staff to once again attend industry conferences and meet face-to-face with customers.

What did management say?

Straker’s CEO Grant Straker said he’s pleased with the company’s progress and confident it can realise its growth opportunities.

Straker commented:

We have a strong balance sheet, are well funded and are on track to deliver on the guidance issued at the end of May 2022 for profitable growth in revenue for the 12 months to the end of March 2023 of 20% and gross margins exceeding the 54% achieved in FY 2022.

This outlook is supported by the latent opportunities in recent acquisitions, including IDEST, a strong sales pipeline among global enterprise customers and governance organisations, the company’s technological leadership, and the strength of its reputation as a change maker in the global translations sector.

We also believe growth will be assisted by the easing of COVID-related travel restrictions …

What’s next?

In its statement, Straker said it wanted to increase its technology lead over its peers:

We are focusing part of our research and development team on a new innovation cycle aimed at
increasing our technology lead over the competition.

Based on some projects with major customers, we have seen how the world of localisation is evolving and how customers are looking for eco-system providers that are integrated into customer processes.

This cycle of innovation should also open up more SaaS revenue opportunities. We expect these efforts to start contributing to revenue in the second half of the year.

Straker Translations share price snapshot

The Straker Translations share price is down 35% in the year to date. The All Ords is down 10%.

Incorporating today’s losses, the micro-cap ASX share is up 1.96% over the past month.

The company has a market capitalisation of $75.59 million.

The post Straker Translations share price sinks 7% following mixed update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ‘On track’: Fineos share price climbs 6% on strong quarterly
• 3 ASX 300 retail shares majorly cashing in on Thursday
• The Bitcoin price is leaping 10% higher today. What’s going on?
• Why is the Bubs share price smashing the All Ordinaries today?
• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 Straker Translations. 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 Fineos Corporation Holdings PLC (ASX: FCL) share price is rising during late afternoon trade on Thursday.

This comes after the insurance software company announced its fourth quarter results to the market.

At the time of writing, Fineos shares are swapping hands at $1.715, up 6.52%.

What did Fineos report for Q4 FY22?

Here’s a brief recap of how the company performed for the 3 months that ended 30 June 2022.

• Cash receipts from customers up 45% year-on-year to €32.9 million ($A48.04 million)
• Headcount up 1% to 1,075 since 30 June 2021
• High product consulting employee utilisation rate of 89% for FY22
• Cash payments from operating activities of €32.4 million (A$47.32 million), up 12% quarter on quarter
• Closing cash balance of €44.3 million ($A64.70 million) and no debt

What happened during the quarter?

For the final quarter of FY22, Fineos recorded customer cash receipts of €32.9 million ($A48.04 million). This reflected a 45% increase over the prior corresponding period, underpinned by strong revenue growth and the ongoing transition of customers to subscription agreements.

Subsequently, this reaffirms the company’s FY22 revenue guidance of between €125 million to €130 million (A$182.56 million to A$189.87 million) and subscription revenue growth of at least 30%.

Furthermore, headcount decreased by 0.5% to 1,075 for the quarter but lifted by 1% during FY22. This is expected to remain stable at the current level in FY23.

Capitalised R&D costs for the quarter were down 2% to €6.8 million (A$9.93 million) and up 3% to €25.8 million ($37.67 million) for FY22.

Uncapitalised R&D costs continued to increase in line with Fineos’ growth strategy and focus on product development.

What did management say?

Fineos founder & CEO, Michael Kelly commented on the company’s performance:

The fourth quarter saw the company continue to deliver on our growth strategy, with strong growth in customer cash receipts and subscription revenue underpinning the reaffirmation of previous guidance provided for FY22.

We finished the quarter with over €44 million in cash and no debt, providing a strong capital position that supports our organic growth plans. With the business continuing its growth trajectory and cash flows building, we are on track to achieve a positive free cash flow position in FY24.

Fineos share price review

Since the start of 2022, the Fineos share price has declined by more than 60%.

Strong volatility on the ASX and a gloomy economic outlook appears to have weighed down the company’s shares this year.

Based on today’s share price, Fineos presides a market capitalisation of around $530.18 million.

The post ‘On track’: Fineos share price climbs 6% on strong quarterly appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why did the Fineos share price roar 15% higher today?

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 recommended FINEOS Corporation Holdings plc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended FINEOS Corporation Holdings plc. 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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It’s a good day for many S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) retail shares, with some market favourites launching as high as 50%.

Their gains follow news Australian retail turnover reached another record high in June, lifting 0.2% – a sixth consecutive monthly increase. Though, it’s also the smallest increase of this year so far.

The Australian Bureau of Statistic’s Ben Dorber notes cost-of-living pressures – driven by rising inflation, which hit 6.1% last quarter – seem to be slowing spending growth. He said:

Given the increases in prices we’ve seen in the Consumer Price Index, it will also be important to look at changes in the volumes of retail goods in next week’s release of quarterly data.

But that doesn’t appear to have dampened sentiment for ASX 300 retail shares on Thursday.

These three favourites have rocketed higher. Let’s take a closer look at their outstanding performances.

These ASX All Ords retail shares are surging higher

Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

The Kogan share price is skyrocketing 54.31% on Thursday to trade at $4.84.

That’s despite a business update from the online retailer detailing falling profits.

However, it also recorded a return to positive earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) after ending in the red in the March quarter.   

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

Fellow ASX 300 retailer Temple & Webster is also in the green today. Its shares are currently up 16.13% to $4.65 despite the company’s silence.

Today’s gain sees the Temple & Webster share price 30% higher than it was at Tuesday’s close. Though, it’s still 45% below what it was at the start of 2022.

Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL)

The final ASX 300 retail share posting a whopper of a gain is Redbubble. The online marketplace’s stock has rocketed to $1.145 – a 21.16% gain.

Once more, there’s been no news from the company. Today’s gain sees it trading at a near-three-month high.

The post 3 ASX 300 retail shares majorly cashing in on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Temple & Webster share price flaming 16% higher?
• Why is the Kogan share price rocketing 32% higher today?
• Take a seat: What inflation data might mean for ASX retail shares
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Why did the Kogan share price rocket 20% this week?

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 Kogan.com ltd, REDBUBBLE FPO, and Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Temple & Webster Group 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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