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A poor finish to the week led to the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) posting a disappointing decline over the four days. The benchmark index dropped 0.7% to 7,473.3 points.

While a good number of shares dropped with the market, some fell more than most. Here’s why these were the worst performers on the ASX 200 last week:

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

The Megaport share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week by some distance with a 28.1% decline. Investors were selling off the network as a service provider’s shares after its third quarter update disappointed. For the three months ended 31 March, Megaport reported modest quarter on quarter revenue growth of 5% to $27.9 million. This was well short of the market’s expectations and led to consensus estimate downgrades.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

The Paladin Energy share price was the next worst performer with a decline of 11.7%. A good portion of this decline was made on Friday during the market selloff. Given that the uranium miner’s shares have more than doubled in value over the last 12 months, it appears that some investors decided to take a bit of profit off the table.

OZ Minerals (ASX: OZL)

The OZ Minerals share price was a poor performer and dropped 11.5% over the period. Investors were selling this copper producer’s shares after its quarterly update disappointed. OZ Minerals revealed that its gold and copper production was down 6% and 16%, respectively, over the previous quarter. OZ Minerals also reported an increase in its all-in sustaining costs for the period.

Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL)

The Regis Resources share price wasn’t far behind with an 11.2% decline over the four days. A number of gold miners were sold off last week amid rising bond yields and a softening gold price. This was caused by comments out of the US Federal Reserve, which appears to indicate that interest rates will increase even quicker than expected.

The post These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Own Westpac shares? Here’s why the bank has just copped a further $100m in fines
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• The Megaport share price just tumbled another 10%. Is it now a super bargain?
• How much were Fortescue shares when they first listed on the ASX?

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. owns and has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. 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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This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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

Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) recently became two of the market’s most talked-about tech stocks.

Twitter’s stock went on a wild ride after Elon Musk launched a hostile takeover bid for the company on April 14. The $43 billion bid, which values Twitter at $54.60 per share, came after Musk already bought 9.2% of the company but declined to take a seat on its board of directors.

Netflix’s stock sank to its lowest levels in over four years after the company released its dismal first-quarter earnings report on April 19. The streaming media giant lost 200,000 subscribers, marking its first sequential decline since 2011, and predicted it would lose another two million subscribers in the second quarter.

Should investors who can stomach the near-term volatility consider buying either of these divisive stocks right now? 

What happened to Twitter?

Despite being widely used by news outlets, public figures, and brands, Twitter’s active user base remains small relative to its cultural influence. Its monetizable daily active users (mDAUs) rose 13% to 217 million in 2021, but it’s still smaller than Snap‘s Snapchat, which ended last year with 319 million DAUs.

Last February, Twitter claimed it could reach 315 million mDAUs by the end of 2023, which implies its year-over-year growth will accelerate to more than 20% over the following two years. It also claimed it would more than double its annual revenue from $3.7 billion in 2020 to $7.5 billion in 2023 by gaining new users, selling higher-value ads, and launching new products.

But a mere nine months after setting those ambitious goals, then CEO Jack Dorsey resigned and was succeeded by controversial CTO Parag Agrawal, who previously declared Twitter should “focus less on thinking about free speech” in a 2018 interview. Under Agrawal, Twitter quickly banned more controversial accounts and ramped up its spending on new features.

Analysts expect Twitter’s revenue to rise 18% this year, but for its earnings to remain in the red as it increases its headcount by 20%. Twitter’s messy outlook, its mediocre long-term returns, and Agrawal’s views likely all brought Musk — a vocal critic of Twitter’s censorship policies — to the table.

Twitter recently adopted a poison pill plan to fend off the takeover bid, but Musk could still team up with other investors or launch a tender offer to directly buy more shares from its existing investors. It’s unclear how this ongoing drama will end, but Twitter’s current price of $46 suggests the market isn’t too optimistic about Musk closing the deal at $54.60 a share.

What happened to Netflix?

Netflix is still the largest paid streaming video platform in the world with 221.6 million paid subscribers. But over the past few years, well-funded competitors like Disney, Amazon, Apple, and Warner Bros. Discovery carved up the market. 

Newer ad-supported challengers like the Roku Channel and Comcast‘s Peacock also provide free alternatives to Netflix and other premium platforms. The saturation of this market throttled Netflix’s growth.

Netflix was initially dismissive of these threats, but it started to cite competition as a major headwind over the past two quarters. Co-CEO Reed Hastings also said Netflix would finally develop a new tier for “ad-tolerant” viewers during its latest conference call, which reversed his previous opposition to adding any advertisements to the platform. That change of heart suggests that Netflix is running out of ways to gain new viewers.

Netflix also blamed its slowdown on users sharing their passwords to an additional 100 million households worldwide. COO Gregory Peters said Netflix would start asking members to “pay a bit more to share the service with folks outside their home” to monetize those viewers — but that jarring change could also alienate its core audience. 

Netflix’s abrupt slowdown and seemingly desperate changes prompted Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman, who took a $1.1 billion stake in Netflix after its previous post-earnings plunge in late January, to liquidate his firm’s entire position for a loss of more than $400 million.

Analysts expect Netflix’s revenue to rise 9% this year as its rising content costs reduce its net income by 3%. Its business isn’t doomed yet, but its high-growth days certainly seem to be over.

Is either stock worth buying?

Twitter trades at more than 50 times its adjusted earnings estimate for 2022, which excludes its big stock-based compensation expenses. For reference, Meta Platforms trades at just 16 times forward earnings following its massive pullback over the past several months.

Netflix trades at 20 times forward earnings, but that’s still not a low valuation for a company with slowing growth and rising costs. If Netflix traded at multiples similar to those of more diversified media companies like WBD or Paramount, its stock could still be cut in half.

I’m not a fan of either stock right now. But if I had to pick one over the other, I’d stick with Twitter because it’s merely treading water instead of sinking. The recent takeover interest in the company, while chaotic, also indicates it has more near-term upside potential than Netflix in this challenging market. 

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

The post Better buy: Netflix vs. Twitter appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Is Elon Musk really going to buy Twitter?
• Netflix looks to 100 million existing viewers to boost revenue
• Why Netflix stock flopped again today
• Is Netflix Stock a buy after its spectacular fall from grace?
• Why Netflix stock crashed and burned Wednesday

Leo Sun owns Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., Walt Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., Netflix, Roku, Twitter, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Comcast and has recommended the following options: long January 2024 $145 calls on Walt Disney, long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple, short January 2024 $155 calls on Walt Disney, and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., Netflix, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson. 

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

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It wasn’t a great day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Friday, to say the least. The ASX 200 ended up closing the day down a nasty 1.57% at 7,473.3 points. That was its largest one-day fall in months. As you might expect, the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price didn’t do too much better. Westpac shares ended up finishing down by 1.22% at $24.21.

This comes amid news that the ASX 200 big four banking giant is in line to pay another corporate fine. Westpac already holds the dubious distinction of being on the hook for Australia’s largest-ever corporate fine. That was a whopping $1.3 billion penalty that the bank had to pay back in 2020. This was in response to contraventions of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.

Well, today, Westpac has been issued with another fine. Albeit one not quite as large. According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Westpac has been ordered by the Federal Court to pay a $113 million penalty. According to the watchdog, this was for “widespread compliance failures across multiple businesses, including Westpac’s banking, superannuation, wealth management and insurance brands”.

Westpac fined for multiple offences

Here’s some of what ASIC deputy chair Sarah Court had to say on this announcement:

The breaches found by the Court in these six cases demonstrate a profound failure by Westpac over many years and across many areas of its business to implement appropriate systems and processes to ensure its customers were treated fairly. Westpac, like all licensees, has an obligation to be honest and fair in its provision of financial services. Despite this, Westpac failed to prioritise and fund the systems upgrades necessary to help fulfil this obligation…

Over the course of 13 years, more than 70,000 customers have been affected by these failures, either by being incorrectly charged or given the wrong information. The sheer scale of this impact suggests that, at the time, Westpac had a culture that did not prioritise compliance.

What did the bank do?

The alleged offences that Westpac has been fined for include:

• ‘Fees for no service’ charged to deceased customers
• Issuing duplicate insurance policies
• Inadequate fee disclosures for financial advice
• Allowing accounts of deregistered companies to remain open and active
• Onselling consumer credit card and flexi-loan debt with incorrect interest rates
• Including banned commission payments in superannuation insurance premium charges.

According to the release, Westpac has “admitted to the allegations in each of the proceedings and will remediate more than $80 million to customers”.

The post Own Westpac shares? Here’s why the bank has just copped a further $100m in fines appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• How much were Fortescue shares when they first listed on the ASX?
• The future looks bright: Here’s why this investment firm is doubling down on ASX shares in April
• Why is the Wesfarmers share price having such a rough trot in April?

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 recommended Westpac Banking Corporation. 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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Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC) sure is harvesting some big ASX investor support of late. Its shares hit an all-time record price of $10.17 today before retracing to finish the session at $10.10, up 1.1%.

Why is the Graincorp share price reaching new heights?

Earlier this month, the agribusiness excited the market with an FY22 earnings guidance upgrade and trading update on 8 April.

Here’s what managing director and CEO Robert Spurway told the market:

… We are seeing high global demand for Australian grain and oilseeds and strong supply chain margins for grain exports. This has been driven by two consecutive bumper crops in east coast Australia (ECA), coupled with supply shortages in the northern hemisphere.

The conflict in Ukraine and resulting trade disruptions in the Black Sea region have created uncertainty in global grain markets, with buyers looking for alternate sources of supply. This has further increased both the demand for Australian grain and oilseeds and export supply chain margins.

Spurway added that the current La Nina weather cycle is benefitting the company, too.

Recent weather patterns and continued La Nina conditions have provided excellent planting conditions for the 2022 winter crop to date, building confidence in grain supplies from ECA and further supporting export sales and supply chain margins.

So what will all that do for earnings?

In short, really good things. Graincorp is now expecting underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $590 million to $670 million — up from previous guidance of $480 million to $540 million. They reckon that will convert to net profit after tax (NPAT) of $310 million to $370 million — up from $235 million to $280 million.

ASX investors loved that and sent the Graincorp share price hurtling about 9% higher on the day.

Then came the broker upgrade. As my Fool colleague Brooke reported last week, Wilsons has increased its earnings expectations. According to the Australian Financial Review, the broker said:

While global demand is unlikely to diminish quickly, new crop grain price spreads will depend on the size of the Australian winter crop and exporters’ ability to secure supply chain access.

The outcome of this dynamic will likely have a significant impact on [financial year 2023] earnings. While we continue to assume volumes and margins normalise, GrainCorp’s balance sheet will benefit from the significant cash flow, with core net cash forecast at $333 million in [financial year 2023].

Could the Graincorp dividend really triple?

Wilsons anticipates $1.52 in earnings per share (EPS) and 62 cents per share in dividends.

Hold up, what was that?

Yes, indeed. The broker reckons all this additional income could add up to triple the annual dividend that was paid out in 2021. That was 18 cents, by the way. You do the math — 62 cents is actually more than triple!

Graincorp pays its dividends in July and December. According to the company’s website, Graincorp will release its HY22 earnings results on 11 May.

Wilsons has a $7.80 price target on Graincorp. Based on that price, 62 cents in dividends would represent a 7.95% dividend yield.

Based on today’s closing price of $10.10, the yield is lower at 6.2%. But wait, there’s more. Graincorp dividends usually have 100% franking on top. That equates to a grossed-up total yield of 8.85%.

The post Can the Graincorp dividend really triple in 2022? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Could these ASX shares be the new FAANG stocks on the block?
• Why is the GrainCorp share price leaping 6% today?
• 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares rocking new all-time highs today
• Why Boss Energy, GrainCorp, Pro Medicus, and Select Harvests are pushing higher
• ASX 200 lunch update: GrainCorp jumps on earnings upgrade, Pro Medicus signs $32m deal

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 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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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) put a swift end to its five-day green streak with its worst performance in two months. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 1.57% lower at 7,473.3 points.

Ending what was an eventful short week of trade, Aussie equities retreated as the reality of rate rises in the near future weighed on the market. Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) highlighted the high probability of a near-term rate increase sharing its expectations today of a 40 basis point rise in June. In response, miners and tech shares took a sharp turn to the downside.

However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the hospitality and liquor group inched 1.71% in an otherwise tough market as investors flocked to staples. Find out more about Endeavour Group here.

Hot on the heels of Endeavour was Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC), still basking in the excitement surrounding its potential takeover. The private hospital operator lifted 1.66% leading the best performing sector higher today. Uncover the latest Ramsay Health Care details here.

Today’s top 10 biggest gains were made in these ASX shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV)	$7.74	1.71%
Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC)	$84.37	1.66%
CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)	$270.86	1.45%
Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG)	$3.56	1.43%
Shopping Centres Australasia Property Group (ASX: SCP)	$3.10	1.31%
JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH)	$51.83	1.15%
Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)	$23.62	1.07%
Charter Hall Retail REIT (ASX: CQR)	$4.41	0.92%
Magellan Global Fund (ASX: MGOC)	$2.47	0.82%
Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)	$18.83	0.80%

Our top 10 ASX shares today 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 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Despite today’s sell-off, these 3 ASX 300 shares are topping all-time highs
• How much were Fortescue shares when they first listed on the ASX?
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Why Bellevue Gold, CSL, Endeavour, and Serko shares are pushing higher today

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. owns and has recommended CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended COLESGROUP DEF SET and Shopping Centres Australasia Property Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Ramsay Health Care Limited. 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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The Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) share price finished Friday’s session in the red, down 5.2% to $7.11.

This comes after a significant share price gain on Thursday following the release of the company’s latest quarterly results. ASX investors appeared very enthused by the numbers and bid the Challenger share price up by 9.49% to $7.50.

But today, broker UBS said it found the share market’s reaction “surprising”.

Challenger reported a 10% increase in life insurance sales, worth $2.7 billion, for the third quarter of FY22. As well, it reported life book growth of $500 million, up 2.8% for the quarter.

The financial services company also reiterated its FY22 guidance of normalised net profit before tax towards the upper end of the $430 million to $480 million range.

In response to the quarterly report, UBS raised its price target for Challenger shares from $6.40 to $7.30. However, it noted that analyst consensus was already at the upper end of the range at $470 million — so maybe investors got a little carried away on Thursday?

What did UBS say?

According to reporting in The Australian, UBS sent its clients a note saying: “While the tightening profit range ‘de-risks’ FY22 earnings into the August result and ‘removes perceived risk of a management reset’ under new chief executive Nick Hamilton, consensus net profit was already at the upper-end of the range ($470m). So we find the strong stock price reaction surprising.”

UBS said net outflows of $1.7 billion, excluding the impact of the Whitehelm sale, were well behind its forecast and “represents sequential quarter-on-quarter decline even after adjusting for lumpy mandates”.

Further, UBS reportedly said: “We expect fixed income outflows will persist, with global equities flows likely to perform better than domestic equities going forward.”

Yesterday, Hamilton commented on the quarterly results: “As we look to the future, we are well placed to continue our growth trajectory, meet the needs of more customers, and deliver on our purpose to provide financial security for a better retirement.”

The post Challenger share price slides as top broker calls Thursday’s gains ‘surprising’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Why Betmakers, Brambles, Challenger, and Stockland shares are charging higher
• 3 ASX 200 stocks smashing 52-week highs today
• ASX 200 midday update: BHP, Megaport, and Zip release Q3 updates
• ‘Exciting opportunity’: Why the Challenger share price just leapt 8%

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 Challenger Limited. 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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The Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) share price charged ahead on Friday afternoon to finish in the green.

At today’s close, the emerging lithium producer’s shares were swapping hands at 36 cents apiece, up 2.86%.

In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) closed down 1.57% to 7,473.3 points.

What’s powering Sayona today?

Investors rallied up the Sayona share price following an announcement by fellow mining company, Morella Corporation Ltd (ASX: 1MC).

The latter owns a 51% interest in Sayona’s lithium development portfolio in Western Australia via an earn-in agreement.

In its release, Morella provided an update on exploration activities being undertaken in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Management advised that the reverse circulation (RC) drill contractor mobilised in the second week of April. After completion of site and safety protocols, drilling commenced at the Mallina Lithium Project on 18 April.

The drilling program consists of three collars, around 150 metres each, in preparation for diamond core tails to 470 metres. This is expected to be completed within the next week.

In addition, a second drilling contractor arrived on site and began inductions in preparation for the commencement of diamond core drilling. The core program consists of 1,020 metres of drilling and is expected to be completed in four to five weeks.

Commenting on the update that appears to be boosting the Sayona share price today, Morella CEO Alex Cheeseman said:

…Given the current environment for labour and exploration resources, the fact that we have two rigs on site and progressing through our program is testament to the Company’s drive and focus to advance our projects.

Furthermore, Morella also began early-stage exploration and fieldwork at the Mt Edon Lithium Project in Western Australia.

During late March, the company undertook field investigations to map and sample pegmatite outcrops within the project area 

Currently, the team is waiting for the final report and results from the fieldwork program.

However, it was noted that the “observed pegmatites were deeply weathered with decomposed feldspar leading to friable surface outcrop”.

Management believes the heavy weathering may result in depleted grades for lithium at surface.

About the Sayona share price

Since this time last year, the Sayona share price has gained more than 740% in value.

In 2022, the company’s shares have continued their impressive trajectory, up 170%.

Based on valuation grounds, Sayona Mining has a market capitalisation of roughly $2.54 billion.

The post Here’s why the Sayona share price outperformed today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares defying today’s falls to surge higher
• What are the 10 biggest ASX shares in the lithium space
• Why is the Sayona share price leaping 9% on Wednesday?
• How is the Sayona share price still soaring, even on a down day for the ASX?
• Why A2 Milk, IGO, Lynas, and Sayona shares are dropping

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

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If you’re a fan of growth shares, then you may want to look closely at the two shares listed below.

Here’s why these could be growth shares to buy:

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

The first growth share for investors to look at is Altium. It is the electronic design software provider behind the Altium 365 and Altium Designer platforms.

Altium also owns the complementary Nexus collaboration platform and the Octopart search engine for electronic parts. The latter has been performing particularly positively given supply chain disruptions, which have made parts hard to source.

All of Altium’s businesses have exposure to the printed circuit board (PCB) market. This is a market that is growing strongly thanks to favourable industry trends such as Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence which are underpinning an enormous increase in electronic devices globally.

The team at Bell Potter is bullish on Altium and is forecasting strong growth in the coming years. It currently has a buy rating and $41.25 price target on the company’s shares.

Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)

Another ASX growth share that could be in the buy zone is Breville. It is a leading Australian appliance manufacturer with global aspirations.

Although the company is best known for its eponymous Breville brand, it is also responsible for brands such as Baratza, Kambrook, and Sage.

Thanks to the company’s ongoing investment in product development, these brands have been resonating well with consumers for years and are now found in kitchens all over the world.

But management isn’t resting on its laurels. It continues to both invest in R&D and expand the company’s global footprint.

This has the team at Morgans forecasting double-digit sales growth over the next few years.

In light of this, Morgans is bullish on the company and has an add rating and $32.00 price target on its shares.

The post Here are 2 fantastic ASX growth shares analysts rate as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Altium share price: Is it an ASX buy or a falling knife?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• 2 stellar ASX growth shares brokers say have huge upside potential
• Why are ASX 200 tech shares having such a dire day?
• ASX 200 midday update: Magellan jumps, tech shares tumble

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. owns and has recommended Altium. 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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The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is down more than 2.5%. It’s actually the worst performer out of the big four S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) banks.

Looking at the performance of the others in the major banking sector, the National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) share price is down 1.4%, the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price is down 1% and the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price is down 1.4%.

The ASX 200 is also down, showing a decline of 1.6%. Therefore, CBA has fallen more than the ASX 200 as well.

What’s going on with the CBA share price?

The bank hasn’t released a profitability update for a couple of months. It was the FY22 half-year result that investors last saw, which was during reporting season in February 2022.

The last operational market sensitive announcement from the ASX’s biggest bank was the announcement of the sale of its 10% shareholding in the Bank of Hangzhou. Total gross proceeds expected to be received are approximately $1.8 billion.

However, one thing that may be catching investor attention today for the CBA share price was what the US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said overnight regarding inflation and interest rates.

According to CNBC reporting, Mr Powell said:

It is appropriate in my view to be moving a little more quickly. I also think there is something to be said for front-end loading any accommodation one thinks is appropriate…I would say 50 basis points will be on the table for the May meeting.

It’s absolutely essential to restore price stability. Economies don’t work without price stability.

It may be that the actual [inflation] peak was in March, but we don’t know that, so we’re not going to count on it.

We’re really going to be raising rates and getting expeditiously to levels that are more neutral and then that are actually tight…if that turns out to be appropriate once we get there.

While CBA may be able to raise the interest rate for borrowers, the funding for its loans comes with a cost as well. CBA said in its HY22 presentation that it expects higher wholesale funding costs in the medium-term to be a negative for its overall net interest margin (NIM). Investors may be keeping this in mind when thinking about the CBA share price.

Interest rate impact on asset prices

A rising interest rate can also have an impact on asset prices. How? Famous investor Warren Buffett once said at a Berkshire Hathaway meeting:

The value of every business, the value of a farm, the value of an apartment house, the value of any economic asset, is 100% sensitive to interest rates because all you are doing in investing is transferring some money to somebody now in exchange for what you expect the stream of money to be, to come in over a period of time, and the higher interest rates are the less that present value is going to be. So every business by its nature…its intrinsic valuation is 100% sensitive to interest rates.

The post CBA share price slumps, racking up greatest losses of the ASX 200 banks appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Analysts name 3 ASX 200 shares to buy now
• Why is the CBA dividend so low compared to the other ASX 200 banks?
• Westpac share price lifts despite $12 million ASIC fine
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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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Westpac Banking Corporation. 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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) looks set to end the week on a sour note after pushing towards its all-time high yesterday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has gone backwards, losing a nasty 1.51% so far today and falling to just under 7,480 points. 

But rather than letting that ruin our long weekend, let’s instead have a look at the companies currently topping the ASX 200’s share volume charts, according to investing.com.

The 3 most-traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Friday

South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)

ASX resources shares seem to be leading the ASX 200’s losses today, and South32 is emblematic of this. So far this Friday, a sizeable 18.48 million South32 shares have been bought and sold. This is almost certainly a result of the depressing share price selloff we are currently witnessing with this miner, seeing as there are no official developments out of the company itself. As it currently stands, the South32 share price is down by 4.72% at $4.86 a share.

Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC)

ASX 200 aluminium producer Alumina is next up today. This resources company is another one that has witnessed a nasty share price fall. In this case, Alumina shares are down by 5.1% at $1.77 each. Again, there is no other news or announcements out from the company today, so we can conclude that the notable 23.8 million Alumina shares that have already traded on the ASX today are a result of this steep share price drop.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

Our final and most traded ASX company of the day goes to ASX 200 uranium share Paladin Energy. So far this Friday, a whopping 41.39 million Paladin shares have found a new home. Most unfortunately for investors, the pattern holds with this company too. With no news or announcements out, we can assume that this high trading volume is the direct result of the substantial 8.33% drop Paladin shares have endured so far today. The company is now asking 83 cents per share at the time of writing. 

 

The post Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Bruce Jackson.

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