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If you’re a fan of growth shares then you’ll be pleased to know there are plenty of quality options to choose from on the Australian share market.

Three high quality options that have recently been given buy ratings are listed below. Here’s why these ASX growth shares are rated highly right now:

Adore Beauty Group Limited (ASX: ABY)

Adore Beauty could be an ASX growth share to buy. It is a leading online retailer in the $11.2 billion Australian beauty and personal care market. Adore Beauty has been growing strongly over the last few years thanks to its highly successful business model. Its integrated model combines online retail with education and entertainment, making its website a destination for consumers even when they’re not purchasing items. During the first quarter of FY 2022, Adore Beauty reported revenue of $63.8 million, up 25% on the prior corresponding period. This is still only a small slice of its addressable market. UBS is positive on Adore Beauty. It currently has a buy rating and $6.00 price target.

PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)

PointsBet is another ASX growth share to look closely at. It is a sports betting operator and iGaming provider offering innovative sports and racing betting products and services via a scalable cloud-based platform. PointsBet has been growing at a rapid rate over the last few years thanks to its growing customer base in both the ANZ and US markets. Looking ahead, the team at Goldman Sachs expect this positive form to continue and is forecasting very strong growth over the coming years as its US expansion continues. This will be supported by its game-changing deal with leading US sports broadcaster NBCUniversal. Goldman currently has a buy rating and $12.79 price target on the company’s shares.

Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

A final ASX growth share to look at is Xero. It is a provider of a cloud-based business and accounting solution to small and medium sized businesses. Xero has been growing strongly over the last few years and looks well-positioned to continue the trend in the years to come. This is thanks to its international expansion, acquisitions, the transition to the cloud, and its burgeoning app ecosystem. The latter has significant monetisation potential. Goldman Sachs is also very positive on Xero. It has a buy rating and $158.00 price target on its shares. Its analysts believe Xero is capable of delivering strong revenue growth over multiple decades.

The post 3 ASX growth shares could be strong buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 2 ASX 50 shares to buy in 2022
• Xero (ASX:XRO) share price dips amid acquisition news
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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. owns and has recommended Pointsbet Holdings Ltd and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Adore Beauty Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Adore Beauty Group Limited and Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. 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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Once a week I like to look at ASIC’s short position report to find out which shares are being targeted by short sellers.

This is because I believe it is well worth keeping a close eye on short interest levels as high levels can sometimes be a sign that something isn’t quite right with a company.

With that in mind, here are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX this week according to ASIC:

• Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) continues to be the most shorted ASX share after its short interest remained flat at 14.6%. Fears that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is derailing the travel market recovery continue to weigh on sentiment.
• Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) has seen its short interest ease again to 10.6%. Short sellers have been targeting this ecommerce company due to its very disappointing performance over the last 12 months and expectations that it will continue in FY 2022.
• Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL) has short interest of 9.9%, which is down week on week. Redbubble is another ecommerce company that has been underperforming in FY 2022. Short sellers don’t appear to believe its performance will improve quickly.
• Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB) has short interest of 9.2%, which is up week on week. Earlier this month Novartis terminated an agreement that could have been worth US$1.25 billion to Mesoblast.
• Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) has seen its short interest rise to 9.1%. Zip’s shares have come under pressure this month amid reports that US regulators are looking into the BNPL market.
• Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) has short interest of 8.8%, which is down week on week. The emergence of the Omicron variant has spooked investors and demonstrated that the travel market is not out of the COVID woods just yet.
• BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) has short interest of 8.3%, which is up week on week. Short sellers may have concerns about iron ore demand in China amid the Evergrande crisis.
• Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) has seen its short interest rise to 7.5%. Short sellers have increased their positions despite the medical device company releasing a much-improved sales update this month.
• Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) has entered the top ten with short interest of 7.2%. This appears to have been driven by concerns over structural changes that are reportedly seeing some tech companies bypass artificial intelligence data services providers and taking things in-house.
• AMA Group Ltd (ASX: AMA) is in the top ten with short interest of 7.1%. This crash repair company’s shares have come under pressure this year amid concerns over its precarious balance sheet.

The post These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• The stories that rocked the ASX 200 in 2021 revisited
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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. owns and has recommended Appen Ltd, Kogan.com ltd, POLYNOVO FPO, and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Appen Ltd and Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Webjet Ltd. 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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Could the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price be a buy with its high dividend yield?

As one of the big four ASX banks, being ANZ, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), ANZ is one of the biggest businesses in Australia.

The big four banks typically have lower price/earnings (p/e) ratios and higher dividend payout ratios compared to plenty of other industries. This combination of factors leads to banks usually having quite a high grossed-up dividend yield, which includes the franking credits.

What is the dividend yield expected to be?

Every analyst has different thoughts for what dividends ANZ is going to pay over the next year or two.

For example, in FY22 the broker Morgans thinks that the big bank is going to have a grossed-up dividend yield of 7.6%. Then, in FY23, that dividend yield is expected to grow to 8.5%.

But the brokers at Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) don’t think the dividend is going to be quite as big. Analysts there think that ANZ is going to pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 7.5% in FY22 and then 7.6% in FY23.

Other brokers have different estimates too.

How do those estimates compare against the ANZ dividend yield for the last 12 months?

In the past year, ANZ has paid shareholders a grossed-up dividend yield of 7.4%.

Both brokers are expecting the big four bank to grow its dividend in FY22 and also in the following year in FY23.

What is the ANZ share price valuation?

As mentioned, banks typically trade on quite low price/earnings ratios.

According to Macquarie, ANZ shares are valued at 14x FY22’s estimated earnings.

Morgans’ profit forecast puts the ANZ share price at 12x FY22’s estimated earnings.

ANZ suffered a large profit hit during FY20 as the full impact of COVID-19 effects were felt on the business.

However, FY21 was a year of rebuilding the headline profit.

FY21 continuing operations cash profit increased by 65% to $6.2 billion. However, profit before credit impairments and tax was flat at $8.4 billion. Excluding large/notable items on top of that, profit actually dropped 6% to $9.5 billion in FY21.

However, the bank’s leadership recently admitted that the bank has been too slow in processing mortgage applications which led to ANZ losing market share.

The big four bank said that it took urgent action to fix those processing issues by materially increasing its assessment capacity as well as simplifying and automating processes.

Whilst it’s still “early days” with these changes and there is much to do, ANZ said it is seeing improvements in its processing times and a modest return to balance sheet growth.

Is the ANZ share price a buy?

The two brokers mentioned above – Morgans and Macquarie – both think that ANZ is a buy, with price targets that are approximately 10% higher than where it is today.

However, there are quite a few other analysts out there – such as the ones at Credit Suisse and Citi – that think that ANZ is only a hold/neutral at this stage.

The post Is the ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price a buy with its 8% dividend yield? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Macquarie 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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There are some ASX dividend shares that have income yields of more than 5%.

Not every business that pays a dividend has large yield.

But some options have impressive yields that can boost investor income quite noticeably:

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

This real estate investment trust (REIT) owns a diversified portfolio of property assets across a number of sectors including: office buildings, retail, agri-logistics, telecommunication exchanges, service stations, distribution centres and Bunnings properties.

Whilst the portfolio is diversified, there is one thing that links them altogether – they have long rental agreements, providing income visibility and security for investors.

Its biggest four tenants are: government, Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), BP and Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV).

As noted by the REIT itself, all of its leases have annual rent increased, providing attractive income growth. Around 39% of leases have income growth linked to CPI inflation, with the remaining 61% have fixed annual increases that average 3.1%, providing in-built growth across the portfolio.

At the AGM it said that the ASX dividend share’s portfolio of 550 properties had an occupancy rate of 98.4% with a weighted average lease expiry (WALE) of 12.6 years, with 99% of properties being located in metropolitan locations.

Management said that it has a highly resilient tenant customer base, with 100% of rent received during COVID.

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT recently announced an increase in valuation of $529 million, representing an 8.1% uplift on prior book values to around $7 billion at 31 December 2021. That increased the estimated per forma net tangible assets (NTA) per security to $5.85 – a 14% increase.

It also aims for a 100% payout of rental profit each year.

Citi currently rates it as a buy, with a price target of $5.59. It’s expecting the business to pay a distribution yield of 6% in FY22 and 6.2% in FY23.

Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS)

Metcash is a business that generates earnings from its hardware businesses of Mitre 10, Home Timber & Hardware and Total Tools. It also makes money by supplying various supermarket and liquor businesses including Cellarbrations, The Bottle-O, IGA Liquor, Duncans, Thirsty Camel, Big Bargain, IGA and Foodland.

The business is now targeting a dividend payout ratio of around 70% of underlying profit. This led to Metcash increasing its interim dividend by 31% to 10.5 cents per share.

The ASX dividend share continues to see sales growth, as well as working on initiatives to improve margins.

In the first five weeks of the second half of FY22, food sales were up 2.3% year on year, liquor sales were up 7.6% and total hardware sales were up another 20.1%.

It’s currently rated as a buy by Credit Suisse, with a price target of $4.55. The broker is expecting Metcash to pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 7% in FY22.

The post 2 ASX dividend shares that could be buys with yields above 5% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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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As my colleague discussed here recently, exchange traded funds (ETFs) continue to grow in popularity.

And it isn’t hard to see why. ETFs give investors easy access to a large and diverse number of different shares that they wouldn’t ordinarily have access to. This can be a great way to invest diversely on a limited budget or bolster an already sizeable portfolio.

With that in mind, listed below are three ETFs that could be worth looking at in 2022:

iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF (ASX: IXI)

The first ETF to look at is the iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF. This fund provides investors with access to a large number of global consumer staples companies that produce essential products such as food, tobacco, and household items. Because demand for these types of products is relatively consistent whatever happens in the global economy, this ETF could be suitable for investors that are looking for low risk options. Among its largest holdings are giants such as Coca-Cola, Nestle, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Walmart.

iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV)

Another ETF for investors to consider is the iShares S&P 500 ETF. This ETF gives investors exposure to the top 500 U.S. stocks. The ETF manager, BlackRock, believes this can be useful for investors seeking to diversify internationally. The fund manager also notes that it offers long-term growth opportunities for a portfolio. Among the companies included in the fund are Amazon, Apple, Disney, Facebook, JP Morgan, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Tesla, and Visa.

Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

Finally, there’s the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. It is one of the most popular ETFs on the Australian share market and it isn’t surprising that this is the case. This ETF provides investors with exposure to over 1,500 of the world’s largest listed companies. This means through a single investment you’ll be owning a slice of companies such as Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, and Visa.

The post Here are 3 top ETFs for ASX investors in 2022 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. owns shares of and has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. 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 shares listed below.

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

Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)

The first ASX growth share to look at is Breville. It is one of the world’s leading appliance manufacturers and has been growing at a consistently solid rate for the last decade.

The good news is that Breville has been tipped to continue this positive form in the future. This is thanks to the popularity of its brands, its international expansion, acquisitions, favourable consumer trends, and its continued investment in R&D.

The team at Morgans is positive on Breville. And while it notes that its shares trade at a premium to the market average, it feels this is justified.

Its analysts explained: “We see this premium as justified given the prospect for multi-year, globally-derived organic revenue growth at or above 10%. This prospect is only likely to be solidified by the increased investment in product development and marketing, coupled with margin expansion.”

Morgans has an add rating and $34.00 price target on its shares. This compares to the latest Breville share price of $30.88.

Hipages Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: HPG)

Another ASX growth share to look at is Hipages. It is a leading Australian-based online platform and software as a service (SaaS) provider connecting consumers with trusted tradies. At the last count, there were over 30,000 tradies using the platform, which is underpinning strong growth across all its key metrics.

And while it is generating meaningful revenue at present, it is still only scratching at the surface of its huge market opportunity. This provides Hipages with a very long runway for growth according to the team at Goldman Sachs.

It said: “We see meaningful growth opportunity from here: HPG currently captures only 2.4% of industry GMV; of the GMV it does service, the take rate is low compared to other vertical marketplaces. We forecast a 24% revenue CAGR and a 38% EBITDA CAGR from FY21-FY24E and despite near term reinvestment, we expect solid operating leverage over the long term with our terminal year (FY31E) EBITDA margin reaching 44%.”

Goldman Sachs has a buy rating and $5.15 price target on its shares. This compares to the latest Hipages share price of $3.87.

The post Why analysts are bullish on these ASX growth shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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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. owns and has recommended Hipages Group Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hipages Group Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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If you’re wanting to build a strong portfolio, then having a few blue chips in there could be a good starting point.

But which blue chip ASX 200 shares could be in the buy zone for 2022? Here are three to consider:

Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)

Times may be hard for the airline operator because of COVID-19, but a number of brokers remain very positive on the investment opportunity here. This is due largely to the belief that Qantas will come out the other side of the pandemic in an even stronger position. One of those is the team at UBS. It is very positive on the company and recently put a buy rating and $6.20 price target on its shares. This compares to the latest Qantas share price of $4.94.

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Another blue chip ASX 200 share to consider is Telstra. After a lengthy period of underperformance caused by the NBN rollout, the telco giant is now expecting to return to growth again in the coming years. In fact, Telstra’s new T25 strategy is targeting mid-single digit underlying EBITDA and high-teens underlying earnings per share (EPS) compound annual growth rates (CAGR) from FY 2021 to FY 2025. This has many analysts believing that Telstra will soon be able to increase its dividend for the first time in almost a decade. Goldman Sachs has a buy rating and $4.40 price target on its shares. This compares to the current Telstra share price of $4.15.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

A final blue chip ASX 200 share that could be in the buy zone is Westpac. Its shares have recently been sold off amid concerns over its margin outlook due largely to aggressive competition for home loans. While its outlook is undoubtedly softer than hoped, the team at Morgans believe the selloff has been an overreaction. In light of this, the broker feels its shares offer compelling value for investors at present. Morgans has an add rating and $29.50 price target on the company’s shares. The Westpac share price last traded at $21.20.

The post 3 excellent ASX 200 blue chip shares to buy in 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price hits yet another 52-week high. What’s going on?
• The ASX share market coverage that captivated readers in 2021
• Could 2022 be a good year for the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price?
• 3 ASX 200 dividend shares to buy for 2022 and beyond
• These ASX 200 dividend shares are rated as buys

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns Westpac Banking Corporation. 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 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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Fortunately for income investors in this low interest rate environment, there are plenty of ASX shares offering attractive dividend yields.

Two such dividend shares are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BWP Trust (ASX: BWP)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is BWP. It is a commercial property company with a focus on warehouses. The vast majority of these warehouses are leased to Bunnings Warehouse, making BWP the largest owner of the hardware giant’s properties.

Thanks largely to the strength of the Bunnings business, it has been a positive performer during the pandemic. Bunnings’ strong performance allowed BWP to collect rent largely as normal and led to the value of its properties increasing.

In FY 2021, BWP paid an 18.29 cents per unit distribution. It intends to pay a similar distribution in FY 2022. Based on the current BWP share price of $4.20, this will mean a 4.35% dividend yield.

National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR)

Another ASX dividend share to look at is National Storage. It is one of the ANZ region’s largest self-storage operators. National Storage currently operates over 200 centres and provides tailored storage solutions to almost 100,000 residential and commercial customers.

As with BWP, it was a positive performer in FY 2021 despite the pandemic. National Storage delivered a 28% increase in underlying earnings to $86.5 million. This was underpinned by both organic growth and acquisitions, and allowed the company to pay a full year distribution of 8.2 cents per share.

Looking ahead, management is confident on its outlook in FY 2022. It has guided to ~10% underlying earnings per share growth.

If it were to grow its distribution in line with its earnings, it would mean a distribution of 9.02 cents per share. Based on the current National Storage share price of $2.60, this would equate to a yield of 3.5%.

The post Here are 2 ASX dividend shares with attractive yields appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ASX dividend shares with 4% yields

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 Bruce Jackson.

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Last week saw a number of broker notes hitting the wires once again. Three buy ratings that investors might want to be aware of are summarised below.

Here’s why brokers think investors ought to buy them next week:

Carsales.Com Ltd (ASX: CAR)

According to a note out of UBS, its analysts have retained their buy rating and lifted their price target on this auto listings company’s shares to $27.00. UBS remains positive on Carsales’ outlook and believes it is well-placed for growth over the coming years. Especially if it can leverage its expertise to grow the recently acquired Trader Interactive business in the United States. The Carsales share price ended the week at $25.31.

Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR)

A note out of Macquarie reveals that its analysts have retained their outperform rating and lifted their price target on this lithium developer’s shares to $2.20. Macquarie made the move on the belief that the outlook for lithium remains very positive. So much so, it expects prices to be at record levels for the next four years. This means they should still be very strong when Liontown’s production commences in FY 2025. The Liontown share price was fetching $1.54 at Friday’s close.

Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO)

Analysts at Citi have retained their buy rating and $115.00 price target on this mining giant’s shares. According to the note, Citi is positive on the company’s plan to acquire the Rincon Lithium project in Argentina for US$825 million. The broker believes this confirms Rio Tinto’s ambition to be a serious player in lithium/battery materials. The Rincon Lithium project has the potential to be a low cost, low carbon footprint brine project of 50ktpa LCE. The Rio Tinto share price was trading at $99.10 at the end of the week.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: AMP shoots higher, travel shares rise
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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 recommended carsales.com 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned a respectable 11% since this year kicked off. However, the solid gain has come with its fair share of potholes and surprises along the way.

For some ASX 200 constituents, the year involved debacles that derailed their share price. On the other hand, other companies relished in positive updates. With this in mind, we delved into this year’s archives to find out which stories involving ASX 200 companies attracted the most interest among our readers.

Here are the stories involving some of the biggest companies on the ASX that gained attention this year.

Why the AGL Energy share price continues to sink lower

It looks like investors were searching for answers to why one of Australia’s largest energy retailers was suffering continued selling pressure in February. At the time, AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) was trading at $10.93 per share — setting a new 10-year low.

Our coverage highlighted AGL’s lacking profitability and negative outlook due to its coal-fired power plant operations. Unfortunately for shareholders, the AGL share price has gone on to fall a further 44% since then. At present, shares in the company are trading at $6.16 apiece.

Paying attention to this ASX 200 share after it slides lower

Another ASX 200 share attracting attention this year was A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M). The infant formula and liquid milk producer continued its downward trajectory in 2021 after already falling a significant amount in the previous year. This poor performance stemmed from the restrictions on international travel, which impacted the company’s daigou sales channel.

In January, our coverage of why investors might still consider A2 Milk a buy garnered plenty of attention. However, much like AGL, the A2 Milk share price went on to fall further through the year. Shares in the company are now trading at $5.53 apiece.

Rollercoaster Zip share price

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) providers were the flavour of the month in February 2021. One of those companies was ASX 200 constituent Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P). From the first trading session of the year to 16 February, the Zip share price skyrocketed 149%.

As a result, readers turned to our coverage when the BNPL company soared 13% to a record high of $12.39. This strong upwards move came amid rumours of a potential second list on the US market. Two days later, Zip tumbled 19% as sentiment for the BNPL sector waned. The Zip share price closed on Friday at $4.39.

Woolies takes a haircut

Flashing back to June this year and we witnessed the Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price plummet 15% in a single day. Understandably, market participants were searching for answers to this drastic move in one of the biggest companies in the ASX 200.

Fortunately, readers of our coverage came to realise that the fall in price was nothing concerning. Instead, it was a reflection of the de-merger of Endeavour Group Limited (ASX: EDV). The Woolworths share price is currently $37.71.

ASX 200 bank announces $6bn buyback

The last story on our list involves the biggest company included in the ASX 200 — Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA). Following the bank’s announcement of a $6 billion share buyback in its full-year results, investors wanted to know more.

Unlike some of the other market-shaking news on this list, CBA’s announcement was more of a pleasant surprise to shareholders. Our coverage described how the Commonwealth Bank’s buyback would be off-market via a tender offer. Likewise, the article covered what this process would entail for shareholders looking to participate in the program.

Shares in CBA are up 20% since the beginning of the year and are currently swapping hands for $100.63 apiece.

The post The stories that rocked the ASX 200 in 2021 revisited appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk. 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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