Tag: Motley Fool

  • Here are 3 ASX retail shares moving up to 19% on half-year results today

    A young man in a retail shop pays for his purchases using a card

    A young man in a retail shop pays for his purchases using a card

    There has been a good amount of results released from the retail sector on Thursday.

    Some have gone down well with investors, others have not.

    Three ASX retail shares making big moves are listed below. Here’s what they reported:

    Reject Shop Ltd ASX: TRS)

    The Reject Shop share price crashed as much as 19% to $4.34 following the release of the discount retailer’s half-year results. The company posted a 4.2% lift in sales to $458.3 million but a 12.5% decline in net profit after tax to $14.3 million. Management notes that its profits were “below the Company’s expectations, with higher than anticipated shrinkage and product mix shift being the key negative impacts on gross margin.”

    Management also decided not to provide profit guidance for the full year and warned that the “first half performance should not be used as an indicator for the second half of the financial year as the Company typically generates a higher proportion of sales in the first half.”

    Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL)

    The Super Retail share price is down 6% to $15.75. This follows the release of the retail conglomerate’s half-year results which revealed a 3% lift in sales to $2 billion but a 6% decline in normalised net profit after tax to $145 million.

    Super Retail revealed that its cost of doing business (CODB) as a percentage of sales increased by 90 basis points to 35.3% due to the impact of inflation on wages, rent, and electricity.

    Also weighing on sentiment was its trading update, which revealed that like for like sales are down 3% during the first seven weeks of the second half.

    Universal Store Holdings Ltd (ASX: UNI)

    The Universal Store share price is up 14% to $4.65. Investors have been buying the youth fashion retailer’s shares following the release of a strong half-year update.

    The company defied consumer spending weakness to deliver an 8.5% increase in sales to $158 million and 16.7% jump in net profit after tax to $20.7 million. This allowed the company’s board to boost its interim dividend by almost 18% to 16.5 cents per share.

    Management also revealed that the second half has started positively.

    The post Here are 3 ASX retail shares moving up to 19% on half-year results today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Universal Store. 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 Super Retail Group. 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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  • Medibank share price slumps 5% despite surging earnings

    Man in a wheelchair at a desk, checking his computer.Man in a wheelchair at a desk, checking his computer.

    The Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) share price is under pressure after releasing its latest results this morning.

    At the time of writing, shares in the health insurer are down 5.3% to $3.66. The downward move makes it the worst-performing company in the financials sector on Thursday.

    Medibank share price scrapes its knee on ‘competitive market’

    • Group revenue up 3.3% to $4,024 million
    • Net investment income up 49.6% to $83.6 million
    • Net profit after tax (NPAT) up 104.8% to $491.9 million
    • Underlying NPAT up 16.3% to $262.5 million
    • Interim fully franked dividend of 7.2 cents per share, up 14.3% from 6.3 cents

    Importantly, the doubling of statutory NPAT is heavily influenced by a change in accounting standards. The adoption of AASB 17 means first-half profits were boosted by $80.7 million due to how COVID-19 claim savings and givebacks had to be recognised.

    What happened in the first half?

    In the six months ending 31 December 2023, Medibank’s resident health insurance segment remained resilient. The company marginally grew its resident policyholders by 3,400 or 0.2% during the half. This was restrained by a competitive market, leading to a ‘modest increase’ in customers switching funds.

    The non-residents (overseas visitors and students) segment fared much better in the half. Medibank achieved a net increase in non-resident policyholders of 33,800 or 12.3%.

    On the investment side of the business, it is clear Medibank is benefitting from the hoisted interest rates. Income sourced from the company’s investments jumped 49.6% versus the prior corresponding period to $83.6 million.

    Medibank expensed $17.6 million in non-recurring cybercrime costs during the half. Management anticipates an additional $30 million to $35 million will be spent in FY24 to improve its IT security further and cover regulatory/litigation costs associated with the hack in October 2022.

    The Medibank share price is up approximately 5% since the cyber incident was originally disclosed, as shown below.

    What did management say?

    Medibank CEO David Kockzkar emphasised the company’s pursuit of a health-first transition, stating:

    The health transition is underway. From overnight stays in expensive acute care hospitals to virtual, short stay and home care. From treatment to prevention and from general care to personalised health.

    We have been at the forefront of this transition by making targeted investments in growing health markets to better support our customers and improve the way healthcare is delivered in Australia.

    Our new partnership with healthcare technology group Amwell will enable us to deliver virtual prevention programs at scale.

    The Amwell partnership hit the grapevine earlier this week. As part of the coalition, Medibank will implement Amwell’s technology to promote wellness and prevent chronic disease.

    What’s next for Medibank Private?

    No specifics were provided about revenue or profits in today’s release. However, shareholders were supplied with some guidance on policyholder growth and resident claims, as follows:

    • 1.2% to 1.5% resident policyholder growth expected in FY24
    • 2.2% to 2.4% expected claims per policy unit growth (down from 2.6%)

    Furthermore, organic and inorganic growth for Medibank Health and Health Insurance segments were named ‘areas of focus’.

    Medibank share price snapshot

    Shares in Medibank have performed solidly over the last year, beating out many of its S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) included peers, rallying 21.4%. The rise in value gives the 48-year-old insurance company a market capitalisation of $10.2 billion.

    Medibank trades on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of roughly 20 times earnings. This is on par with its ASX-listed peer NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF). However, it does suggest that Medibank’s share price trades at a premium to the global insurance industry (12 times earnings).

    The post Medibank share price slumps 5% despite surging earnings appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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 NIB Holdings. 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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  • Fortescue share price rises on huge 41% profit growth in FY24 half-year result

    Female miner smiling in front of a mining vehicle as the Pilbara Minerals share price risesFemale miner smiling in front of a mining vehicle as the Pilbara Minerals share price rises

    The Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) share price is up by 1% after the ASX mining share reported its FY24 first-half result.

    Fortescue share price rises on strong result

    Fortescue’s profitability soared after the average revenue it achieved rose by 24% to US$108.19 per dry metric tonne (dmt). The production (C1) costs only rose by 2% to US17.77 per wet metric tonne. It sold 95.2mt of ore, which was a 2% reduction compared to the prior corresponding period.

    The ASX iron ore share said it has had a strong focus on productivity and efficiency

    What else happened in the FY24 first half?

    Iron Bridge, a high-grade project that Fortescue had been working on for a long time, achieved its first shipment of high-grade magnetite concentrate in September 2023.

    The Fortescue share price could be heavily influenced by the success (or failure) of the green energy division which is looking to produce green hydrogen. In the last several months, the company has announced a final investment decision on the Phoenix hydrogen hub in the US, the Gladstone PEM50 project in the US and a green iron trial commercial plant in the Pilbara. The EU awarded Fortescue’s Holmanset project a grant of €204 million.

    The company also launched Fortescue Capital, which is a green energy investment accelerator, headquartered in New York City.

    What did Fortescue management say?

    The Fortescue Metals CEO Dino Otranto said:

    Fortescue’s performance in the first half of FY24 has been excellent, with the team achieving our second highest first half shipments while maintaining our strong focus on safety and keeping our costs low.

    Whether it’s through our first green energy projects, our diversification into the high grade segment of the iron ore market through Iron Bridge, or expansion of our global footprint with the Belinga Iron Ore Project in Gabon, we remain committed to creating value for all our stakeholders.

    What’s next for Fortescue?

    The company is making ongoing decarbonisation progress, including ongoing construction of a 100MW solar farm and testing of the first battery electric haul truck prototype in the Pilbara.

    Work is underway at Iron Bridge to replace the high-pressure section (65km) of the Canning Basin raw water pipeline to de-risk and improve the performance. The installation is scheduled to be completed by mid-2025 and isn’t expected to impact Iron Bridge’s ramp-up. This comes with an estimated cost for Fortescue of US$100 million, with most of that cost coming in FY25.

    Fortescue share price snapshot

    In the past six months, the Fortescue share price has risen by 34%, compared to a rise of just 7% for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

    The post Fortescue share price rises on huge 41% profit growth in FY24 half-year result appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Fortescue. 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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  • Pilbara Minerals shares lower on disappointing half-year earnings miss

    Worker in hard hat looks puzzled with one hand on chin

    Worker in hard hat looks puzzled with one hand on chinPilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares are edging lower on Thursday.

    At the time of writing, the lithium miner’s shares are down 0.25% to $3.65.

    This follows the company’s half-year results release this morning, which revealed a huge profit decline.

    What happened?

    As we covered here earlier, Pilbara Minerals reported a 65% decline in revenue to $757 million, a 77% decline in EBITDA to $415 million, and a 78% drop in underlying profit after tax to $273 million.

    Management revealed that this was driven by falling lithium prices. Its average realised price was down 67% year on year from US$4,993 per tonne to US$1,645 per tonne.

    In light of this profit decline, the Pilbara Minerals board unsurprisingly elected not to declare an interim dividend for FY 2024.

    Some good news is that the company is still generating bucketloads of cash. It reported a positive cash margin from operations of $536 million for the half. This left it with a cash balance of $2.1 billion at the end of December despite some major investments. Management explains:

    Operating cash margin decreased 71% to $536M, with the lower average realised price partly offset by increased sales volume and operational efficiencies. This enabled an increase in capital investment in Plant Property and Equipment of $398M for expansion programs and operating efficiency including8 $211M on the P680 and P1000 expansion projects, $78M on capitalised mine waste development, $47M on new projects and enhancements, and $40M on sustaining capital expenditure.

    How does this compare to expectations?

    Goldman Sachs was forecasting revenue of $774 million and underlying EBITDA of $469 million, whereas the consensus estimate was for $926 million and $597 million, respectively.

    The company has missed on both sets of estimates, which may explain why some investors are selling Pilbara Minerals shares today.

    The post Pilbara Minerals shares lower on disappointing half-year earnings miss appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    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 positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group. 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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  • Qantas share price takes off following $1.2b half-year profit

    Three friends walking together at a train station.

    Three friends walking together at a train station.

    The Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price is having a strong session on Thursday morning.

    At the time of writing, the airline operator’s shares are up 4% to $5.80.

    This follows the release of the company’s half-year results.

    Qantas share price charges higher on results

    • Revenue up 12.3% to $11,127 million
    • Underlying profit before tax down 12.8% to $1,245 million
    • Statutory profit after tax down 13.2% to $869 million
    • No interim dividend but $400 million on-market share buyback
    • Net debt of $4 billion

    What happened during the half?

    For the six months ended 31 December, Qantas reported a 12.3% increase in revenue to $11,127 million.

    This was driven by growth across the business compared to the prior corresponding period.

    Qantas Domestic delivered a 3.4% increase in revenue to $3,758 million, Qantas International posted a 14.2% lift in revenue to $4,340 million, Jetstar revenue was up 18.6% to $2,486 million, and Qantas Loyalty revenue jumped 24.8% to $1,271 million.

    The company’s earnings didn’t grow over the prior corresponding period. Its underlying profit before tax was down 12.8% to $1,245 million for the half.

    Management notes that this reflects fares and capacity continuing to normalise. Lower fares contributed to reduced revenue per available seat kilometre, which had around a $600 million impact on profit, while freight yields fell by $146 million.

    This was partially offset by increased flying of $485 million and unwinding of transition costs from the post-COVID restart of $179 million. Unit cost (excluding fuel) fell by 5.2% year-on-year.

    Management commentary

    Qantas’ new CEO, Vanessa Hudson, acknowledged the company’s failings last year but was pleased with recent progress. She commented:

    We know that millions of Australians rely on us and we’ve heard their feedback loud and clear. There’s a lot of work happening to lift our service levels and the early signs are really positive. Our customer satisfaction scores have bounced back strongly since December and we have more service and product improvements in the pipeline.

    Having the financial strength to keep investing is key, and that makes the strong performance that all business units had in the first half so important. We understand the need for affordable air travel and fares have fallen more than 10 per cent since peaking in late 2022. At the same time, we’ve seen a cost benefit from fewer cancellations and delays, and scale benefits as more international flying returns.

    Outlook

    Management advised that it is seeing strong travel demand across the company’s portfolio.

    Unit revenue is expected to remain stable for domestic and continue to normalise for international as market capacity returns.

    The post Qantas share price takes off following $1.2b half-year profit appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    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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  • Mineral Resources share price drops on earnings decline and dividend crunch

    a mine worker holds his phone in one hand and a tablet in the other as he stands in front of heavy machinery at a mine site.

    a mine worker holds his phone in one hand and a tablet in the other as he stands in front of heavy machinery at a mine site.

    The Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) share price is tumbling on Thursday morning.

    At the time of writing, the mining and mining services company’s shares are down 2.5% to $57.65.

    This follows the release of the company’s half-year results.

    Mineral Resources share price tumbles on half-year results

    Here’s how the company performed during the six months ended 31 December:

    • Revenue up 7% to $2,514.7 million
    • Underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) down 28.1% to $674.9 million
    • Statutory net profit after tax up 32.8% to $518 million
    • Interim dividend down 83.3% to 20 cents per share
    • Net debt of $3,546.7 million

    What happened during the half?

    During the first half of FY 2024, Mineral Resources reported a 7% lift in revenue to $2,514.7 million but a 28.1% decline in underlying EBITDA to $674.9 million.

    Iron Ore was the company’s star performer during the half, as stronger prices and solid volumes drove up revenue 37% to $1,329.4 million.

    In addition, Mineral Resources’ managing director, Chris Ellison, advised that this result reflects the company’s diversified business model. He said:

    MinRes’ diversified business model ensured a solid set of financial results despite weaker lithium prices, with revenue for the first half up 7 per cent to $2,514.7M. Underlying EBITDA of $674.9M was evenly split between lithium ($271.4M), iron ore ($266.2M) and mining services ($253.7M), with statutory net profit after tax of $518.0M.

    Management notes that its Wodgina lithium operation reported underlying EBITDA of $134.1 million, down from $177.2 million a year earlier. It was impacted by lower lithium prices, partially offset by higher volumes sold and lower spodumene costs.

    Mineral Resources’ statutory profit includes a $279.8 million pre-tax net gain plus a net tax benefit of $79.5 million. Excluding these, its net profit would have been substantially down on the prior corresponding period.

    This explains why the company slashed its interim dividend by a sizeable 83% to 20 cents per share. This represents a yield of only 0.35%. Not quite the big yields investors may have become accustomed to in recent times.

    Outlook

    Ellison notes that the company is on track to achieve its guidance in FY 2024. He said:

    A focus on delivery has our lithium, iron ore and mining services divisions on track to guidance this year and the transformational Onslow Iron project on time and on budget.

    The post Mineral Resources share price drops on earnings decline and dividend crunch appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    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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  • Lovisa share price soars after opening 74 new stores in first half

    High fashion look. glamor closeup portrait of beautiful sexy stylish Caucasian young woman model with bright makeup, with red lips, with perfect clean skin.High fashion look. glamor closeup portrait of beautiful sexy stylish Caucasian young woman model with bright makeup, with red lips, with perfect clean skin.

    The Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) share price has rocketed in early trade on Thursday after the company reported its half-year results.

    The stock for the jewellery retailer is up 9.5% in the first few minutes after market open.

    What did the company report?

    • Revenue up 18.2% to $373 million
    • Comparable store sales down 4.4% from 1H23
    • Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) up 16.3% to $81.6 million
    • Net profit after tax (NPAT) up 12% to $53.5 million
    • Interim dividend 50 cents per share, 30% franked (38 cents in 1H23)

    What else happened in the first half?

    The big activity for Lovisa was the continued expansion of its store network. The company reported Thursday that 74 outlets had opened during the half-year, to take the total to 854 by the end of December.

    A significant milestone was achieved when the first stores in China and Vietnam were opened during the half, in Guangzhou and Ho Chi Minh City respectively.

    Despite this growth, the reduction in comparable store sales late last year triggered critics to question the size of chief executive Victor Herrero’s $30 million salary package. Short positions now reportedly make up around 4% of Lovisa shares.

    What did Lovisa’s management say?

    The company has continued to deliver solid sales and profit growth and invested in the structures to support our steady global expansion. This positions us strongly to move forward with growth in both existing and new markets.

    Lovisa chief Victor Herrero

    What’s next for Lovisa?

    The company emphasised that the first seven weeks of the second half showed comparable store sales had stabilised, up 0.3% year-on-year. Total sales are 19.6% up, and Lovisa has already opened nine new stores since the start of 2024, including its first in Ireland.

    “We continue to focus on opportunities for expanding both our physical and digital store network, with structures in place to drive this growth in existing and new markets and expect store rollout to continue,” stated the board’s report.

    “Our balance sheet remains strong with available cash and debt facilities supporting continued investment in growth.”

    Lovisa share price snapshot

    Before trade on Thursday, Lovisa shares had soared 37% since late November. The retail stock has returned an impressive 155% over the past five years.

    The post Lovisa share price soars after opening 74 new stores in first half appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

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    Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo has positions in Lovisa. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Lovisa. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Lovisa. 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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  • Sayona Mining share price crashes 19% after Piedmont Lithium says sayonara

    A bored woman looking at her computer, it's bad news.

    A bored woman looking at her computer, it's bad news.

    The Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) share price is under significant pressure on Thursday.

    In morning trade, the lithium miner’s shares are down 19% to 5.2 cents.

    Why is the Sayona Mining share price sinking?

    Investors have been hitting the sell button today after Piedmont Lithium Inc (ASX: PLL) revealed that it has offloaded its entire holding in the company.

    According to the release, Piedmont Lithium has agreed to sell 1,152.2 million Sayona Mining shares for 5.2 Australian cents per share through a secondary block sale via Canaccord Genuity. The sale will result in gross proceeds of approximately $59.9 million, or US$39.4 million.

    While its selling price represents a premium to the 20-day volume weighted average price (thanks to a recent rally), it is still a huge discount to where the Sayona Mining share price last traded.

    The lithium miner’s shares ended Wednesday’s session at 6.4 cents, which means the sale price is a whopping 18.75% discount.

    Following this transaction and some smaller recent public market share sales, Piedmont advised that it will no longer hold any shares of Sayona. But, importantly, the sale has no impact on Piedmont’s joint venture or offtake position with Sayona Quebec.

    Why is it selling?

    Management advised that the decision to divest its Sayona Mining shares aligns with its commitment to maintaining a prudent balance sheet while simultaneously minimising dilution of Piedmont’s shareholders.

    It believes this action strategically positions Piedmont for the long term. CEO Keith Phillips said:

    This transaction underscores our commitment to delivering long-term value for Piedmont shareholders. We acquired our initial Sayona shares as part of our strategic investment in the Sayona Quebec joint venture and will recognize a meaningful gain on the investment.

    We remain fully committed to our joint venture with Sayona, with a particular focus on the ongoing ramp up of North American Lithium, the largest lithium operation in North America. Our 25% joint venture interest and associated offtake agreement are core assets of Piedmont, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners at Sayona to supply IRA-qualified lithium resources critical to the U.S. electric vehicle supply chain.

    The post Sayona Mining share price crashes 19% after Piedmont Lithium says sayonara appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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  • Rio Tinto shares fall on FY23 earnings decline and dividend cut

    Miner and company person analysing results of a mining company.

    Miner and company person analysing results of a mining company.

    Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares are falling on Thursday morning after investors responded negatively to the miner’s full-year results.

    At the time of writing, the mining giant’s shares are down 2% to $123.08.

    Rio Tinto shares fall on results release

    For the 12 months ended 31 December, Rio Tinto reported a 3% decline in revenue to US$54,041 million and a 9% reduction in underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) to US$23,892 million.

    The latter was a touch short of the consensus estimate of US$24,024 million.

    This appears to have overshadowed Rio Tinto’s underlying earnings of US$11.8 billion and US$2.58 per share final dividend, which were either in line or a touch better than expected.

    For the full year, Rio Tinto’s dividend came in at US$4.20 per share, which is down 12% year on year.

    Commenting on the result, Goldman Sachs said:

    RIO reported 2023 underlying EBITDA/NPAT of US$23.9bn/US$11.8bn, in-line with our estimates and Visible Alpha Cons. The company generated an average ROCE of 20% in the year and generated nearly US$8bn of FCF. While all divisions were broadly in-line, there was a decent reduction in Primary aluminium costs. The final dividend of US$2.58/sh (75% payout) was in-line with our US$2.59 estimate taking the FY payout to 60%, at the top end of the 40-60% policy. Net debt of US$4.2bn was above our US$2.9bn estimate due to differences in leases and other investments. Capex came in at US$7.1bn in-line with guidance.

    Should you invest?

    Goldman believes that the Rio Tinto share price is good value at the current level.

    Its analysts have retained their buy rating with a trimmed price target of $138.30. This implies potential upside of 12% based on where it trades today.

    In addition, the broker is forecasting a US$4.40 per share dividend in FY 2024. This represents an attractive fully franked 5% dividend yield, bringing the total potential return to 17%.

    The post Rio Tinto shares fall on FY23 earnings decline and dividend cut appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    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 positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group. 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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  • Nvidia stock pops 10% after-hours following ‘insane result’

    Two happy excited friends in euphoria mood after winning in a bet with a smartphone in hand.

    Two happy excited friends in euphoria mood after winning in a bet with a smartphone in hand.

    NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock looks set to have a very good session tonight on Wall Street.

    In response to the semiconductor company’s quarterly update, its shares have jumped 10% in after-hours trade.

    Nvidia stock jumps on quarterly update

    For the three months ended 31 December, Nvidia reported the following (in USD):

    • Revenue up 265% year on year to $22.1 billion
    • Data Centre revenue up 409% to a record of $18.4 billion
    • Gross margin up 12.7 percentage points to 76%
    • Net income up 769% to $12.3 billion
    • Earnings per share up 765% to $4.93

    The company also released its full-year results with this fourth quarter update. It reported:

    • Full-year revenue up 126% to a record of $60.9 billion
    • Gross margin up 15.8 percentage points to 72.7%
    • Net income up 581% to $29.76 billion
    • Earnings per share up 586% to $11.93

    What happened during the quarter?

    During the quarter, Nvidia reported explosive sales and earnings growth after AI hit a “tipping point.”

    Nvidia’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, explained:

    Accelerated computing and generative AI have hit the tipping point. Demand is surging worldwide across companies, industries and nations.

    Our Data Center platform is powered by increasingly diverse drivers — demand for data processing, training and inference from large cloud-service providers and GPU-specialized ones, as well as from enterprise software and consumer internet companies. Vertical industries — led by auto, financial services and healthcare — are now at a multibillion-dollar level.

    Looking ahead, management is guiding to first-quarter revenue of $24 billion (+/- 2%) with a gross margin in the range of 76.3% to 77%.

    How does this compare to expectations?

    The good news for owners of Nvidia stock is that both its result and guidance are comfortably ahead of the market’s expectations.

    In respect to its earnings for the quarter, the market was expecting earnings per share of $4.64. Whereas for its revenue, analysts were forecasting $21.9 billion for the quarter.

    ‘An insane result’

    Saxo Head of Equity Strategy, Peter Garnry, was blown away by the result. He said:

    This is just an insane result, and the guidance is strong. The wording ‘tipping point’ is the strongest forward-looking indication the company has provided so far since generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) took off. I have never seen anything like this in my career. However, it will be increasingly difficult for Nvidia to exceed expectations, and this could be the last insane quarter.

    The post Nvidia stock pops 10% after-hours following ‘insane result’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    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 positions in and has recommended Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nvidia. 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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