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The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price is slipping today amid a company leadership restructure.

The travel company’s shares are currently swapping hands at $19.20 apiece, a 1.03% fall. The Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB) share price is also down 0.53% at the time of writing while Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) is trading flat.

Let’s take a look at what is happening at Flight Centre.

Leadership changes

Flight Centre has made changes to the company’s global leadership structure. The travel company’s leisure and supply CEO Melanie Waters-Ryan will now be responsible for supply only. Flight Centre said this is due to the “post-pandemic travel rebound” gaining momentum.

Meanwhile, James Kavanagh will take on the role of global leisure CEO. Chris Galanty will stay on as the global corporate CEO.

Commenting on the changes, CEO and managing director Graham Turner said:

This is an important step in our business’s evolution and means we will now have dedicated CEOs responsible for each of our three business divisions – corporate travel, leisure travel and supply.

Having three senior executives focussed solely on these key areas will help ensure we successfully execute our growth strategies and capitalise on opportunities across all areas of the business during the post-pandemic recovery, which is now well and truly underway.

Flight Centre remains within the top 10 shorted shares on the ASX this week, with a short interest of 17.6%. My Foolish colleague James reported short-sellers appear to think the market is too optimistic about the travel market recovery.

Flight Centre share price snapshot

The Flight Centre share price has jumped nearly 4% in the last year but has surged more than 9% year to date.

For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) index has returned 9% over the past year.

In the past month, Flight Centre shares have jumped nearly 6% while they have climbed almost 2% in the past week.

The company has a market capitalisation of about $3.8 billion based on the current share price.

The post Flight Centre share price edges lower despite ‘important step’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Why is the Flight Centre share price soaring today?
• Own Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) shares? Here’s the company’s outlook on corporate travel
• 2 founders have been selling Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) shares. Here’s what you need to know
• The Flight Centre share has tumbled 23% in less than 6 months. Is it now cheap?

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 Flight Centre Travel Group 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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For as long as Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) has been an ASX share, investors have expected big things out of it in the dividend department. After all, when Telstra was progressively privatised in the late 1990s, investors were promised a mature, monopolistic business with strong cash flows and an unassailable market position. 

But over the past decade, the game has changed for Telstra. The rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) punched a hole in Telstra’s dominance. As has the move away from landline phones to mobile. This has had direct consequences for dividend investors. Longer-term shareholders would acutely remember the infamous ‘night of the long knives’ dividend cuts that the telco delivered back in 2017. 

Until that point, Telstra investors had gotten used to receiving a generous and fully franked 31 cents per share in annual dividends from Telstra. But between 2017 and 2019, this fell to 16 cents per share, a period which also saw steep falls in the Telstra share price. And that is the level of dividends we have seen ever since.

So now that it’s dividend paying season on the ASX, what might Telstra hold in store for investors this time around? 

What dividend do Telstra shares have up their sleeve? 

Well, the ASX 200 telco reported its half-year earnings on 17 February. This included a slight fall in revenues, but a rise in underlying earnings. It also included a dividend announcement.

Telstra’s interim dividend for FY2022 will be… 8 cents per share, fully franked. That’s exactly the same interim dividend as Telstra has paid out every year since 2019.

If Telstra follows this up with another 8 cents per share for its final dividend later this year, it will come to another year of 16 cents per share dividends for the telco. One can’t fault the company for consistency. 

So investors will receive this interim dividend on 1 April (April Fool’s Day). Its ex-dividend date was 2 March, meaning that anyone who bought Telstra shares on or after that date will miss out this time.

At the current Telstra share price of $3.89, those dividends work out to give Telstra a yield of 4.11%, or 5.87% grossed-up with full franking. 

The post How much is the next Telstra dividend? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Own Telstra shares? Here’s how the telco plans to use drones to create carbon credits
• Is the Telstra share price a buying opportunity after sliding 7% in 2022?
• 2 high-yield ASX dividend shares that brokers love
• 2 ASX 200 dividend shares analysts are urging income investors to buy
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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Telstra Corporation 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 ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX) share price is in the red today, down 0.57%.

This as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) notches up another day of gains, up 0.5% at the time of writing.

ASX shares closed on Friday at $80.49 and are currently trading for $80.03.

Here’s the update that looks to be dragging on the listed exchange group today.

What update was announced?

The ASX share price has come under some selling pressure after the company reported a delay in the rollout of its CHESS replacement project.

The ASX has been working on a blockchain-based clearing and settlement system to replace its CHESS platform.

If you’re not familiar, CHESS stands for Clearing House Electronic Subregister System. While that’s a mouthful, it’s just a computer system the ASX employs to settle transactions in shares and record shareholdings.

The ASX pointed to the timing of the next software release as causing the delay.

The company opened its first fully-integrated industry test environment (ITE1) in November. It said accreditation can begin once this software is available, which will now be in July instead of late April.

The ASX noted, “there is a strong likelihood of delay to the go-live date. We will engage with our software provider and stakeholders to assess the impact, and will update the market on this process.”

Tim Hogben, group executive of ASX’s securities and payments business, said:

We now have 25 software providers – including all vendors – working through functional testing and we have built and successfully system tested almost all mandatory features and over 90% of optional features of the new systems’ functionality with software providers in ITE1.

Looking ahead to the rollout of the replacement system, Hogben added:

CHESS replacement is an ongoing process with the industry, and industry engagement will be even more important as we move into the CHESS user testing environment and operational readiness activities, and as we agree an approach that ensures utmost confidence in a safe, secure and performant system at go-live.

ASX share price snapshot

The ASX share price has been under pressure in 2022, down 13% since the opening bell on 4 January.

By comparison, the ASX 200 is down 1.9% year to date.

The post Game of chess? Here’s what’s dragging the ASX Ltd (ASX:ASX) share price lower today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The ASX share price has slumped 13% this year. Is it still overpriced?
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• No sale? What you need to know about the most recent ASX outage
• Why ASX, Coronado, Graincorp, and Integral Diagnostics shares are dropping today
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today

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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The Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) share price is starting the week in the red.

In afternoon trade, the conglomerate’s shares are down 0.7% to $50.00.

Why is the Wesfarmers share price falling?

The weakness in the Wesfarmers share price on Monday appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Goldman Sachs this morning.

According to the note, the broker has initiated coverage on the company with a sell rating and $38.60 price target.

Based on the current Wesfarmers share price, this implies potential downside of almost 23% for investors over the next 12 months.

Goldman notes that this compares unfavourably to an average “14.5% total return for our Buy-rated stocks.”

Why is Goldman bearish on Wesfarmers?

Goldman highlights that the Wesfarmers share price is trading at a premium to its average historical forward price-to-earnings ratio despite slowing growth and compressing returns. In light of this, it feels that its shares are overvalued at the current level.

In respect to its slowing growth, Goldman believes the market is too bullish on the company’s outlook. It commented:

“After a period of elevated growth, we expect Bunnings revenue growth to moderate to 3.4% CAGR over 2022-2024E vs 9.3% 2019-2022E during COVID. This is due to slowing housing transactions/completions as well as rising inflation, resulting in softening of volumes as spending shifts back to staples consumption.

Similarly, we also see Kmart Group growth softening from 4.0% during COVID (2019-2022E) to 2.2% post COVID (2022-2025E) especially with recent (and potential future) China lock-downs impacting supply chains where Kmart has material sourcing exposure.

While Target is showing early signs of turnaround after the conversion of underperforming stores to Kmart, we are cautious on ramp-up post conversion to Kmart, and we think the Catch acquisition is not yet performing in line with management expectations, most notably the slow growth in active customer acquisition and ARPU dilution in 1H22.”

In addition, the broker isn’t confident that recent acquisitions of API, Catch, and Kidman Resources will bolster its growth and believes the company will new growth options. If not, Goldman sees a “devaluation risk on slowing growth and compressing returns.”

It concludes: “We forecast that Catch will post only mid-single digit ROIC given (in our view) a lack of clear strategy and increasing competition, and that Kidman’s and API’s ROIC will both reach mid-teens but find it difficult to match the strength of Bunnings and Kmart in the short term. On the back of this slowing growth and with lower returns, we expect current elevated valuation multiples to compress.”

The post Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) share price falls after top broker calls Bunnings owner a sell appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Analysts name 2 ASX 200 dividend shares to buy right now
• 3 high-yield ASX dividend shares trading near 52-week lows
• If you were smart enough to buy $10,000 of Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) shares a decade ago, here’s how much you’d have now
• Broker: The Coles (ASX:COL) dividend will keep rising
• Today is the last hurrah for API. What does this mean for Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) shares?

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 owns and has recommended Wesfarmers 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 Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) share price is driving ahead today and now trades 2.63% higher at $49.97.

The gain marks an 11% increase in the company’s share price over the last month, as commodities extend a three-month rally that shows no sign of slowing down.

Mineral Resources shares bounced off a low of $43.72 in late February before retesting that level again in a double-bottom during March. They have since spiked to their current levels.

Why is the Mineral Resources share price rallying?

Mineral Resources has a portfolio of mining operations across lithium, manganese, and iron ore.

According to the company’s website, it has a large footprint providing mining services to clients throughout Western Australia and the Northern Territory, operating mine sites in the Pilbara and Goldfields regions.

Each of these markets have strengthened over the past few months to now trade well in the green as of 2022.

Iron ore, for instance, has snaked its way 73% higher since November whereas lithium carbonate continues to set new all-time highs at 497,500 Chinese yuan per tonne on last check.

Given Mineral Resources’ exposure to these resources on the mining level, it is considered a price taker which means its share price fluctuates with volatility in these commodities.

As markets for iron ore and lithium, in particular, have climbed since February so too has the Mineral Resources share price.

Mineral Resources also released an update on its Lockyer Deep-1 conventional gas exploration well today. The well is located in the northern Perth Basin in Western Australia.

The release wasn’t price-sensitive but covered news of testing results.

The company advised of findings from a recent well testing at the site, saying it had achieved “an instantaneous maximum gas flow rate of 117 mmscf/d; excellent conventional reservoir quality and well deliverability encountered in the Kingia Sandstone; Gas characterised by low impurities of CO2 less than 4% and H2S less than 3 ppm; [and] Condensate recovered to surface with a preliminary condensate gas ratio (CGR) of 5-6 bbl/mmscf”.

Speaking on the results, Mineral Resources Managing Director Chris Ellison said:

The Lockyer Deep-1 test results have confirmed our expectations regarding well deliverability, reservoir quality and gas composition. We will now undertake additional drilling as part of the ongoing evaluation of the resource. If developed, Lockyer Deep will provide low-cost energy security for Mineral Resources, our Joint Venture partners and our Tier 1 clients enabling the transition from diesel to cleaner natural gas as we work towards Net Zero Emissions by 2050

The Mineral Resources share price has jumped 34% in the past 12 months but has slipped 11% this year to date.

The post Why is the Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) share price having such a top run this month? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ravaged ASX shares that will rise again: expert
• Why are ASX 200 mining shares having such a dire day?
• 3 under-the-radar commodity prices soaring since the Ukraine crisis
• Why Argosy Minerals, Block, Core Lithium, and Mineral Resources are storming higher
• What’s the difference between lithium hydroxide and spodumene and which ASX shares are involved with each one?

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 Bruce Jackson.

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The Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) share price is in the red on news that the company’s CEO is stepping down after damning evidence of the casino’s conduct was tabled as part of an ongoing inquiry.

The boss’ resignation follows last week’s hearings conducted by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority of New South Wales. The regulator is working to decide if Star is fit to hold its Sydney casino licence.

At the time of writing, the Star share price is $3.21, 0.62% lower than its previous close.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s weighing on the casino operator’s stock today.

Inquiry into Star’s Sydney licence sees CEO step down

The Star share price is slipping today after the company announced its long-term CEO and managing director Matt Bekier has handed in his resignation and stepped down from its board.

According to the company, Bekier said “the right thing to do” was for him to take responsibility for the company’s “processes, policies, people, and culture” amid the ongoing review.

Last week, the NSW gaming regulator’s inquiry heard Bekier express hostility when presented with a report by KPMG into weaknesses in the company’s anti-money laundering processes.

According to transcripts, the company’s former chief risk officer Paul McWilliams told the inquiry Bekier “was in … a sulk” when presented with the report.

McWilliams also said the CEO appeared to believe KPMG didn’t know what they were talking about.

Additionally, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported the inquiry heard Star allowed SunCity to continue gambling in a secret room despite Bekier publicly claiming it had ended its relationship with the junket.

The publication also stated the company was said to have deliberately misled regulators about the private room’s existence.

Those findings follow previously heard evidence claiming Star covered up $900 million of Chinese debit gambling transactions.

As The Motley Fool Australia’s Zach Bristow reported, the company alledgedly disguised the gambling spend as hotel expenses.  

Bekier will step down from the Star board immediately but will retain the top job for the time being.

For now, he will work with the board towards an orderly transition of the CEO and managing director role.

Star Entertainment share price snapshot

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Star share price has been suffering through 2022 so far.

Right now, it is 15.3% lower than it was at the start of this year. Of that slip, 4.1% occurred over the last month.

The company’s stock has also fallen 15.9% since this time last year.

The post Star Entertainment (ASX:SGR) share price slips after CEO steps down appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Star Entertainment (ASX:SGR) share price slumping to fresh 52-week lows?

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

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The AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL) share price has had a stellar week, so what is going on?

AGL shares have jumped more than 5% since 21 March. They are currently trading at $7.65, a 0.92% gain so far today.

In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has climbed 2% over the past week and is up 0.45% at the time of writing.

AGL’s share price performance is mirrored by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) which has also leapt 5% since 21 March.

Let’s take a look at what has been happening at AGL.

New battery deal

AGL will build a large battery at Broken Hill in New South Wales. The project is worth $41 million and includes a $14.84 million grant from the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The battery will include advanced inverter technology to improve system strength in weak parts of the grid.

Fluence and consortium partner Valmec will supply the 50 megawatt (MW), 50 megawatt hour (MWh) battery for the project.

Commenting on the project, AGL chief operating officer Markus Brokhof said:

Broken Hill’s unique edge-of-grid environment provides an ideal location for this advanced inverter technology to demonstrate how it can facilitate further penetration of renewable energy generation and add to the stability of the wider electricity network.

As Australia moves forward with its energy transition, we know that firming technologies like batteries play an important role in energy storage and supporting renewable energy supply.

The battery will be located about 6 km northwest of the Broken Hill airport. Construction completion is earmarked for early 2023. The project will provide up to 50 jobs for engineers, tradies, and contractors.

Commenting on the Federal Government grant, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said:

This is the 35th ARENA project we’ve invested in across New South Wales since January 2020. This battery will help stabilise the system, which is particularly important for areas such as Broken Hill that are at the edge of the electricity grid.

In other news, my Foolish colleague Zach recently reported broker sentiment is mixed on the AGL share price. JP Morgan and Credit Suisse rate AGL as a buy, while Barrenjoey Markets has placed a neutral rating on the share. The consensus price target for the share is $8.22.

AGL has also recently announced a plan for 200 EV smart chargers, my Foolish colleague Bernd reported.

Meanwhile, AGL is forging ahead with plans to demerge the company into two separate entities in June this year.

On 30 March, AGL will pay a dividend of 16 cents per share. This is a 60% cut on the previous interim dividend.

AGL share price snapshot

The AGL share price is up almost 25% year to date but has slid 26% lower in the past year.

In the past month, AGL shares are up nearly 2% boosted by their performance over the past week

For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned around 9% in the past year.

AGL has a market capitalisation of roughly $5 billion based on its current share price.

The post The AGL (ASX:AGL) share price has jumped 5% in a week. What’s been happening? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Down 8% since February, is the AGL (ASX:AGL) share price a buy?
• Own AGL shares? Here’s why the company has been making news this week
• Are AGL (ASX:AGL) shares worth buying prior to the planned demerger?
• 3 high-dividend ASX shares that are TRAPS: expert
• Why this broker says buy Origin (ASX:ORG) shares instead of AGL

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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The St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) share price is in negative territory today.

At the time of writing, the gold miner’s shares are trading for $1.49, down 1.97%.

What happened?

The St Barbara share price is being weighed down today as investors react to the company’s latest projections.

According to its release, St Barbara provided a FY22 guidance for its Simberi Operations in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Simberi is forecasted to produce between 25-30koz at an all-in sustaining cost (ASIC) of $3,200-$3,600 per ounce in FY22.

As such, the group’s FY22 production guidance is expected to come to 275-290koz and AISC of $1,750-1,870 per ounce. The guidance for its operations at Leonora and Atlantic remains unchanged.

Last month, St Barbara withdrew its guidance at Simberi following a severe outbreak of COVID-19 across the Tabar Island group. This affected operations as personnel were forced into isolation.

At the peak, 270 people of the 600 strong workforce were at home recovering.

With limited operators and maintainers available, this impacted the amount of material mined and hauled. As a result, production for the third quarter is now expected to be roughly 11koz.

While the number of cases has fallen to 12 employees in isolation, the situation is deemed to be under control.

Nonetheless, the company has determined that ramp-up rates will be slower than previously anticipated. Securing expatriate maintenance specialists and operations management continues to be challenging.

This is expected to impact Q4 FY22, however the new guidance range reflects the latest assessment.

Quick take on Simberi operations

Acquired in 2012, Simberi operations is an open cut mining operation, situated on the northernmost island in the Tabar group of islands of PNG. The company has a 100% indirect interest in the Simberi Gold Project, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Simberi Gold Company Ltd.

Recently the company announced its pre-feasibility study which highlighted that the project has potentially strong financial returns.

In addition, the mine life is expected to run for about 11 years.

About the St Barbara share price

Over the past 12 months, St Barbara shares have plummeted around 26%. Year to date, the shares are in the green, up 2%.

The company’s share price reached a 52-week low of $1.208 in January 2022 and has moved in circles since.

St Barbara has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 8.29 and commands a market capitalisation of roughly $1.06 billion.

The post Why the St Barbara (ASX:SBM) share price is slipping today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
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• Why CSL, Incitec Pivot, Lake Resources, and St Barbara are pushing higher

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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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.

You don’t have to be an investing genius to make a lot of money with stocks. Don’t take my word for it. Just listen to what Warren Buffett, one of the greatest investors of all time, says.

Buffett wrote to Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) shareholders last year about a way that any investor could amass significant gains. But the Oracle of Omaha didn’t stop there. Buffett thinks this investing strategy could even make a monkey rich. 

Monkey business

Buffett’s underlying premise is that “ownership of stocks is very much a ‘positive-sum’ game.” His reference was to a term used in game theory that describes a situation where the total of gains and losses will always be greater than zero. In other words, all players will be winners over the long run.

It’s important to remember that Buffett views buying stocks as buying a part of a business. That’s an accurate take. In fact, he wrote in his most recent letter to Berkshire shareholders that he and his longtime right-hand man Charlie Munger “are not stock-pickers; we are business-pickers.” 

So what is Buffett’s strategy that he thinks will make even a monkey rich? There are only three steps involved:

1. Throw 50 darts at a list of all of the stocks in the S&P 500 index. 
2. Buy the 50 stocks the darts land on.
3. Hold those stocks for the long term.

That’s it. Buffett did mention that the monkey should be “patient and level-headed.” In particular, he warned that the monkey shouldn’t be tempted to make changes along the way. The legendary investor stated, “All that’s required is the passage of time, an inner calm, ample diversification, and a minimization of transactions and fees.”

Testing Buffett’s strategy

Just out of curiosity, I decided to test Buffett’s “monkey strategy.” I’ll admit that I deviated a little from his prescribed approach, though. My wife wouldn’t be happy with me throwing 50 darts in our house. (She doesn’t trust my aim that much.)

Instead, I closed my eyes and randomly pointed to 50 different stocks that were members of the S&P 500 two decades ago. Why go back 20 years? I figured that was a sufficient period to meet Buffett’s long-term hold criterion. 

The average total return (including stock appreciation and dividends) of the 50 stocks in my “monkey portfolio” during this period was 741%. An initial investment of $10,000 spread across those stocks would be worth around $84,100. 

In case you’re wondering, the biggest winner was Altria (NYSE: MO). The tobacco giant delivered a total return of 3,050%. Some investors think that Altria is still a smart stock to buy now. 

Fourteen other stocks that I chose randomly were at least 10-baggers. No stock delivered a negative return during the period. However, Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) came close with a total return of only 7%. Considering inflation, I’d chalk Lumen up as a loser.

An even easier approach

Granted, my single test of Buffett’s strategy doesn’t prove that it works. I suspect that a large enough number of tests to be statistically valid would deliver a smaller total return than what I obtained.

In fact, I’m confident that would be the case. Why? There’s an even easier investing approach that Buffett also really likes: Buying an S&P 500 fund. Following this strategy would have generated a total return of around 485% over the last 20 years.

Also, I didn’t include the costs associated with buying 50 different stocks. That makes investing in an S&P 500 fund even more attractive than Buffett’s monkey-and-darts approach.

However, I truly believe that Buffett is onto something. And I wish that I had a patient and level-headed monkey following his approach to help me invest years ago. 

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

The post Warren Buffett thinks this investing strategy could even make a monkey rich appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why the St Barbara (ASX:SBM) share price is slipping today?
• What is the current dividend yield on ANZ shares?
• Up 350% in a year, here’s why the Firefinch (ASX:FFX) share price is flying higher on Monday
• What’s the outlook for the Westpac share price in April?
• 5 questions to ask yourself in case the stock market keeps crashing

Keith Speights owns Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2023 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2023 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and short January 2023 $265 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). 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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As a major ASX banking share, Australia and New Zeland Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) has long had a reputation as one of the top dividend-paying shares on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). That more or less comes with the territory of being a member of the big four ASX banks. But as many investors would be unfortunately aware, the ANZ share price hasn’t had the best time of it lately.

ANZ shares remain down by 0.7% year to date, despite today’s modest gain. Over the past 12 months, ANZ is also slightly in the red, having lost 1.14% on current pricing. By contrast, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price has recorded a gain of close to 6% in 2022 so far, as well as a 12-month performance of almost 25%.

But ANZ’s laggardly share price performance has helped push the bank’s dividend yield rather high. ANZ is now the highest-yielding ASX big four bank on the ASX 200, beating out CBA as well as National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC).

Top of the ASX banking pile: ANZ dividend yielding north of 5%

So how much is the ANZ dividend worth right now? Let’s take a look.

Well, ANZ has paid out two dividends over the past 12 months, as is normal for most ASX blue-chip shares. Its last payment came in December last year – a final dividend worth 72 cents per share, fully franked. Before that, investors received ANZ’s interim dividend in July last year. That was worth 70 cents per share, also fully franked. That means ANZ has paid out a total of $1.42 in dividends per share over the past year.

At the time of writing, the ANZ share price is going for $27.82, up 0.76% for the day so far. At this share price, those two dividends give this ASX bank a trailing dividend yield of 5.12%. If we include the value of ANZ’s full franking, that grosses up to a healthy 7.31%.

At the current ANZ share price, this ASX 200 banking share has a market capitalisation of $78 billion.

The post What is the current dividend yield on ANZ shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns National Australia Bank Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has 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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