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It was another disappointing week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). The benchmark index recorded its fourth consecutive weekly decline after falling 0.5% over the period to 7,241.2 points.

While a good number of ASX 200 shares fell with the market, some fell more than most. Here’s why these were the worst performing shares on the index over the period:

Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL)

The Regis Resources share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week with a 12.7% decline. Investors were selling its shares following a pullback in the gold price after the US Federal Reserve continued with its hawkish rhetoric despite the Omicron threat. For the same reasons, a host of other gold miners including Perseus Mining Limited (ASX: PRU) and Ramelius Resources Limited (ASX: RMS) fell heavily.

Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)

The Afterpay share price was out of form and tumbled 10% over the five days. This was driven by weakness in the Square share price, which the Afterpay share price is intrinsically linked to due to its takeover. Last week Afterpay advised that it would be delaying the shareholder vote on the takeover until early next year. It explained that this was due to regulatory delays.

IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL)

The IDP Education share price wasn’t far behind with an 8.9% decline last week. Investors were selling this language testing and student placement company’s shares following the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Investors appear concerned that IDP Education’s performance could be negatively impacted by this latest development.

GUD Holdings Limited (ASX: GUD)

The GUD share price was out of form and dropped 8.6% over the period. This diversified products company’s shares tumbled lower after raising funds to acquire Auto Pacific Group for approximately $744.6 million. GUD raised gross proceeds of approximately $290 million through an institutional placement and institutional entitlement offer at $10.40 per new share. This represented a 13.5% discount to its last close price.

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

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Friday
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: BHP higher on unification plans, TPG tumbles
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

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 AFTERPAY T FPO and Idp Education Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T 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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The COVID-19 pandemic triggered some lifestyle changes that will stick with us permanently.

One of these revolutions is working from home. 

Already many companies have indicated they would adhere to a “hybrid” model going forward — come into the office one or two days a week and telecommute the rest.

It’s no wonder that residential internet connections have become even more critical than they already were before the coronavirus first arrived.

Wilson Asset Management equity analyst Sam Koch certainly thinks there’s huge growth potential in the telecommunications industry.

“The sector’s been on a tear recently,” he said in a Wilson video.

“We believe that investors are attracted to the organic and inorganic within the sector at the moment.”

Koch said there are 3 ways that ASX telco companies are growing, and named 5 shares that fit the bill for his team:

3 ways ASX telecommunications companies are growing

The first way telcos are growing is through “rapid organic expansion into new markets”.

Koch named Tuas Ltd (ASX: TUA) and MNF Group (now known as Symbio Holdings Ltd (ASX: SYM)) as two businesses exhibiting this growth.

Tuas is going gangbusters, with its stock price soaring 16.49% higher on Friday. The shares have now gained a stunning 201% for the year so far.

Symbio shares aren’t going so badly either, returning 60% for the year so far.

The second growth strategy is through mergers and acquisitions, according to Koch.

“These are companies that are rolling up a fragmented space, which is Swoop Holdings Ltd (ASX: SWP) and Aussie Broadband Ltd (ASX: ABB).”

Aussie Broadband has been one of the darlings of the ASX in 2021, returning around 150% since the start of the year.

It dropped 3.65% on Friday to close at $5.02, which could present a buying opportunity, according to Shaw and Partners portfolio manager James Gerrish.

“We think that’s a clear, outstanding ‘buy’ around that $5.20 mark,” he said in a Market Matters video.

“It’s certainly a stock that we like in the portfolio.”

The third way the Wilson team is investing in the telco sector is betting on turnaround stories like Superloop Ltd (ASX: SLC).

“Superloop is an interesting one. It’s backed by Bevan Slattery, who is a doyen in the telco sector,” said Koch.

“They’ve sold 2 of their underperforming assets in Hong Kong and Singapore at a 30% premium to the book value.”

He added the proceeds from that sale will be re-invested in a way that’ll be beneficial for investors, by way of “capital management or accretive acquisitions”.

Superloop shares have gained 20% for the year to date.

The post 5 ASX telco shares this expert loves right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s why the Tuas (ASX:TUA) share price is leaping 10% to a record high on Friday
• 3 bargain ASX tech shares to buy right now: expert
• Aussie Broadband (ASX:ABB) share price slumps as it closes in on OTW
• Tuas (ASX:TUA) share price surges again, up almost 30% this week. Here’s why
• Why Bellevue Gold, South32, Starpharma, and Tuas shares are pushing higher

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns shares of Aussie Broadband Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Aussie Broadband Limited and SUPERLOOP FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Aussie Broadband 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 Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price is in the red in December 2021 so far.

Despite COVID-19 being a global issue for almost two years, it continues to feature heavily in investor thoughts about ASX travel shares.

Not only is the Webjet share price in the red this month to date, but it has dropped 18% since 8 November 2021.

Recent improvements for Webjet

One of the biggest difficulties for ASX travel shares over the last couple of years is that travellers have been blocked from travelling either regionally or even internationally. In the last few months, restrictions were finally easing.

Australia’s international borders were starting to open up, as was international travel between places like Europe and the US.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that Webjet released its FY22 first half result.

With that report, Webjet said that the business was turning around as global travel markets reopened, with positive working capital delivering $3.5 million per month of cash surplus.

Webjet revealed that WebBeds had been profitable since July, with costs down 31% compared to before COVID-19 times and on track to be 20% more cost efficient at scale. The Webjet online travel agency (OTA) business returned to profitability in October 2021.

The ASX travel share said that FY22 third quarter trading was ahead of the FY22 second quarter. November 2021 total transaction value (TTV) was 63% of pre-COVID volumes with many “key markets” yet to open.

Webjet said that based on its current trajectory, it said it was expecting to be back at pre-COVID booking volumes by the end of the second half of FY23, being October 2022 to March 2023.

Omicron-shaped spanner in the works?

A new COVID-19 variant called Omicron may be impacting investor thoughts about the Webjet share price.

The BBC has reported that the World Health Organization’s regional director for the western Pacific, Dr Takeshi Kasai, said the geographic distribution of the new Omicron variant is “likely already wider than currently reported”. The WHO also said that all countries must prepare for potential new surges from Omicron.

Certain travel rules are coming back. For example, from next week, all international arrivals into the USA must get a COVID test in the 24 hours before they depart.

There has been difficulties for other ASX travel shares in recent weeks.

Since 9 November 2021, the Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) share price has fallen more than 12%, the Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price has declined over 17% and the Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price has dropped 15%.

Time will tell how dangerous the Omicron variant is and how effective vaccines are against it.

Is the Webjet share price good value?

Morgans thinks so, with a buy rating and price target of $6.60 – this suggests a potential upside of more than 20% if the broker is right.

Citi has a pretty similar price target of $6.46, though the current rating is only ‘neutral’. The broker is expecting a return to profitability for Webjet in FY23, with its numbers suggesting that the Webjet share price is valued at 30x FY23’s estimated earnings.

The post Why has the Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price had such a lousy start to December? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Winning shares for 2022: the companies experts are backing revealed at Sohn
• Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price falls again amid Sohn short pick
• Is the Qantas (ASX:QAN) share price at risk of a capital raise?
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• Here’s what happened to the Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price in November and what could come next

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 Corporate Travel Management Limited, 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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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) edged higher to finish the week slightly below where it started at the beginning of the week. At the closing bell, the benchmark index finished 0.22% higher at 7,241.2 points.

The majority of shares in the Aussie index finished higher today. However, an underwhelming performance from some of the market’s bigger companies prevented a better day more broadly. Leading the market higher were energy shares following a rise in oil prices overnight. At the other end of the ASX were healthcare shares, including a 2.5% fall in CSL Limited (ASX: CSL).

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, Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the imaging software company rose 3.79% despite there being no announcements. Accounting for today’s gain, Pro Medicus shares are still down 2% this past month. Find out more about Pro Medicus here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Washinton H Soul Pattinson & Company Ltd (ASX: SOL). The diversified investment house witnessed a 3.34% uptick in its share price today. This might have been due in part to its exposure to energy investments. Uncover the latest Soul Patts details here.

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

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME)	$57.78	3.79%
Washington Soul Pattinson & Company Ltd (ASX: SOL)	$32.16	3.34%
Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)	$22.36	3.09%
Zimplats Holdings Ltd (ASX: ZIM)	$22.20	3.02%
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)	$2.44	2.95%
ALS Ltd (ASX: ALQ)	$12.65	2.85%
Premier Investments Ltd (ASX: PMV)	$30.81	2.77%
QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)	$12.01	2.74%
Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH)	$3.94	2.60%
Bluescope Steel Ltd (ASX: BSL)	$20.47	2.45%

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

• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Friday
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: BHP higher on unification plans, TPG tumbles
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Why is the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX:VAS) the most successful Aussie ETF?

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended CSL Ltd. and Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Pro Medicus Ltd. and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited and Premier Investments 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 Envirosuite Ltd (ASX: EVS) share price finished in the red today after returning from its trading halt on Friday morning.

At the close of trading for the week, Envirosuite shares were down 2.22%, swapping hands at 22 cents a piece.

Trading was paused while the environmental management solutions company conducted a capital raise to drive growth in its water treatment technology segment.

What’s happening with Envirosuite?

The catalyst for the Envirosuite share price drop today may have been the capital raise, which dilutes the value of each share. A total of 52.3 million new shares were placed on the market at 20 cents a piece.

The shares were offered at a 15% discount on a share price high of 23.5 cents on 25 November.

As a result, Envirosuite achieved its goal of raising $10.5 million and hailed the capital raise a success.

Furthermore, the company will use proceeds of the capital raise to invest in growing the direct sales in its EVS Water product. This includes growing the sales team and forming new partnerships to achieve sales success.

EVS Water is a 3-product platform that links artificial intelligence with leading water modelling approaches. It helps companies reduce their operational risk and expenses while remaining compliant.

Management commentary

Envirosuite chief executive officer Jason Cooper said:

This capital raising is about growth. That we have been able to raise capital in a highly sought-after placement at a materially superior price than the previous tranche of growth funding is indicative of the trajectory of the business and investors’ appreciation of the opportunity that lies before us.

Envirosuite share price snapshot

Envirosuite shares have grown around 17% in the past 12 months. To put this in perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has climbed around 9% in that time. The Envirosuite share price is down 6.4% over the past month.

The post Here’s why the Envirosuite (ASX:EVS) share price fell today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Halt! Why is the Envirosuite (ASX:EVS) share price paused?
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• This deal just caused the Envirosuite (ASX:EVS) share price to pop

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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Another annual Sohn Hearts & Minds Investment Conference has come to pass today. Charlie Munger warned of bubbly valuations reminiscent of the dot-com era, a few ASX-listed shares received a shoutout, and attendees walked away with a lot of ideas to ponder.

While ASX investors only had a few Australian stock picks, the raft of ideas for international opportunities was extensive. Investing experts laid down investment opportunities situated in Hong Kong to London and everywhere in between.

What shares are the experts betting on?

Investors will be busy tonight trawling through annual reports and doing research after being bombarded with investment opportunities today. Although, out of the 13 speakers, only three mentioned ASX-listed shares as their highest conviction pick — and out of those three, one was a tip to short shares.

Shares in Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) finished flat today despite Regal Funds chief investing officer Philip King placing a target on the company’s back. At the conference, King made his belief known that the company’s shares are overpriced considering the trouble it might have ahead of it still. Namely, the pressure it could face by more competitive online travel offerings.

On the other hand, both Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) and Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI) copped rave reviews by Eleanor Swanson and David Allingham respectively. Notably, Swanson named Megaport as “the most exciting tech adventure of this decade”. The shares in both ASX-listed companies finished the day higher.

Beyond these top picks for 2022, the industry experts delivered a long list of companies that local investors might not have heard of before. However, as we found out, these obscure investment opportunities might be more familiar than originally thought.

For instance, Qiao Ma’s pick of Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. (HKG: 0669) is the seller of numerous power tool brands including Milwaukee and Ryobi.

All 13 investment opportunities for 2022 revealed

Every stock pick from the Sohn Hearts & Minds Investment Conference is listed below:

Share pick	Share price	Market Capitalisation	Speaker
Bengo4.com Inc (TYO: 6027)	$6,030	A$1.68 billion	Jay Kahn
Techtronic Industries Co Ltd (HKG: 0669)	$172.80	A$57.51 billion	Qiao Ma
Avalara Inc (NYSE: AVLR)	$132.99	A$16.34 billion	Babak Poushanchi
Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)	$20.99	A$3.31 billion	Eleanor Swanson
Spotify Technology (NYSE: SPOT)	$228.54	A$61.87 billion	Hamish Corlett
Delivery Hero (ETR: DHER)	$107.40	A$43.92 billion	Beeneet Kothari
GitLab Inc (NASDAQ: GTLB)	$91.23	A$18.39 billion	Yen Liow
Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)	$17.24	A$3.44 billion	Phil King
ON Semiconductor Corp (NASDAQ: ON)	$62.54	A$38.07 billion	Nick Griffin
Wise PLC (LON: WISE)	$738.25	A$13.78 billion	Markus Bihler
Beauty Health Co (NASDAQ: SKIN)	$23.81	A$5.03 billion	Joyce Meng
Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ: COIN)	$284.71	A$86.58 billion	Gavin Baker
Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI)	$15.82	A$3.15 billion	David Allingham

Despite the enthusiasm from these stock pickers, a cloud of scepticism was cast by Berkshire Hathaway‘s Charlie Munger. The renowned longtime investor put some doubt on current market valuations with his commentary, saying:

Some of the valuations we saw in the dot-com era were higher. But overall I consider this even crazier than the dot.com era.

In addition, Munger handed down his grilling critique of cryptocurrency. Warren Buffett’s right-hand man said, “I wish they’d never been invented.”

All in all, it was an incredibly eventful day. But now, investors have a bigger bank of potential share ideas for the year ahead.

The post Winning shares for 2022: the companies experts are backing revealed at Sohn appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This fundie is picking GitLab shares as the next potential 10x opportunity
• Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price falls again amid Sohn short pick
• Why this fundie thinks Megaport (ASX:MP1) shares are ‘the most exciting tech adventure of this decade’
• Is the Qantas (ASX:QAN) share price at risk of a capital raise?
• 3 ASX travel shares to buy while Omicron scares everyone

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Spotify Technology. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended MEGAPORT FPO and PINNACLE FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended PINNACLE FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, and 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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The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price held the fort during November and finished just over 2% in the green for the month.

While it finished relatively flat, the biotech giant’s share price nudged past its previous 52-week highs. It closed as high as $318 and traded as low as $300 per share.

CSL outperforms broad sector in November

The CSL share price outpaced the S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) which traded in an almost synchronised fashion to the Aussie biotech’s share price over the last month.

Near month’s end, the company advised its Seqirus business was granted approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to formulate a multi-dose vial (MDV) version of its Audenz label.  

The particular MDV is described as a cell-based influenza vaccine designed to help protect individuals in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Seqirus has a partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) where it will be positioned to deliver up to 150 million influenza vaccine doses to the US to combat an influenza pandemic within six months. The CSL share price gained on the back of the news.

CSL vs S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index: November returns in percentages

Source: Google Finance. Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google LLC, used with permission

CSL also recently advised it had secured financing to develop an incubator and wet space lab to support clinical-stage biotechnology startups. The Victorian government is also set to chip in.

In the company’s words, incubators break down cost barriers and other barriers to entry for start-ups. Incubators offer a ‘one-stop shop’ by minimising cost-prohibitive expenditures that otherwise price small biotechs out of the market.

However, the CSL share price struggled on the day the news was announced.

Several investment firms weighed in with their opinion on CSL’s outlook during the month as well. Morgan Stanley notes competitor Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE)’s recent earnings update where it lowered its plasma collection guidance moving forwards.

The firm reckons this could be a challenge to CSL’s earnings, particularly with the ever-looming threat of another COVID-19 outbreak that would further diminish plasma donation volumes. Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) is more constructive on CSL and values the company at $338 per share.

While it’s been a difficult year to date for CSL, it held onto gains earned from the month earlier, where it bounced off a low of $286.19 in line with the broad sector.

The CSL share price is up around 1% in the past 12 months and around 5% this year to date. In the past month, the company’s share price has slipped just over 3% and it closed the week down 6%.

The post CSL (ASX:CSL) share price holds the line in November appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• What’s going on with the CSL (ASX:CSL) share price on Friday?
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: BHP higher on unification plans, TPG tumbles
• You want an ASX share to hold for 4 years? Here are 2!
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• CSL (ASX:CSL) share price dips amid $10b acquisition rumours

The author has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended CSL Ltd. 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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The Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) share price has dropped again today. It fell by close to 4% today.

But with Christmas coming up, could there be a recovery over the course of December?

2021 has not been kind to Kogan shareholders. In the past month Kogan has fallen 18%. Over the course of the while 2021 it has fallen 60%.

Whilst past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance, the last few Decembers have been positive. In December 2020, the Kogan share price went up by a mid-teen percentage. December 2019 was another positive month for Kogan shares. In December 2018, the Kogan share price increased by around 5%. December 2017 saw the Kogan share price jump around 60%.

What is the outlook for the Kogan share price?

No-one can truly know what a share price will do, but analysts and brokers can make profit forecasts, make a judgement about if it’s a buy and guess where the share price might be in 12 months from now (which is called a price target).

Some of the current price targets for Kogan shares are pretty optimistic. UBS has a price target on Kogan of $10 – almost 30% higher than where it is now. Credit Suisse’s price target is $13.88, which is almost 80% higher than today’s price. As a reminder, that’s where the analysts see the business going in a year from now.

UBS is cautious on the business as it’s not sure that Kogan can reach its $3 billion sales target and is also paying attention to the fact that Kogan is spending more on advertising which could hurt profitability.

However, whilst Credit Suisse noted weaker profitability at the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) level, the broker is seeing good levels of top line growth from Kogan.

Most recent trading update

Investors often pay close attention to the latest trading performance of a business, which can influence their thoughts on the Kogan share price.

In the first four months of FY22, Kogan’s total sales had risen by 19% against the same period in FY21. However, gross profit declined a little.

But the FY22 first quarter update showed a recovery compared to the three months to 30 June 2021 – the last quarter of FY21. Quarter on quarter, gross sales were up 23.2% to $330.5 million and gross profit was up 31.6% to $52.5 million.

Talking about the adjusted EBITDA of $9.5 million generated in the first four months, Kogan said that operating costs had been a key focus for the business, namely warehousing and marketing costs.

It has “right-sized” inventory levels since FY21 which has brought warehousing costs down. The business has also continued to “strategically invest” in marketing to expand the Kogan First paid membership base. Management are confident this will have long-term benefits for the company.

Kogan share price valuation

Looking at the estimates for FY23, UBS puts the Kogan share price at 27x estimated earnings and Credit Suisse’s projection puts it at 19x FY23’s estimated earnings.

The post Is there hope for the Kogan (ASX:KGN) share price in the lead up to Christmas? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 top ASX shares for December
• The Kogan (ASX:KGN) share price has suffered 4 52-week lows in the past week. Here’s why
• Here’s why these 3 All Ordinaries shares just hit 52-week lows
• Why Domino’s, Healius, Kogan, and Vulcan shares are pushing higher
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com 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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Wilson Asset Management (WAM) is one of the largest fund managers on the ASX. It has been growing its stable of Listed Investment Companies (LICs), which now number eight, for more than 20 years.

One of WAM’s newer ASX LICs is WAM Microcap Ltd (ASX: WMI). WAM Microcap is the only WAM LIC that offers the smaller end of the ASX, focusing on ASX shares with a market capitalisation of less than $300 million. Its management looks for undervalued companies in this space. They are selected to help this LIC’s goal of providing medium-to-long-term capital growth and a growing steam of fully franked dividends.

This it has been doing rather successfully. According to WAM, WAM Microcap has averaged a performance of 25.2% per annum (before fees and taxes) since its inception in mid-2017. At the present share price, its dividend yield (including its regular special dividends) is sitting at 6.32% (or 9.03% grossed-up with full franking).

What are WAM Microcap’s current ASX holdings?

So if you own WAM Microcap shares, which ASX shares are you invested in exactly? Well, WAM’s latest ASX monthly update gives us a look.

According to the fund’s October update, some of its top 20 holdings include Ardent Leisure Group Ltd (ASX: ALG), Praemium Ltd (ASX: PPS) and Janison Education Group Ltd (ASX: JAN). As well as McGrath Ltd (ASX: MEA), Superloop Ltd (ASX: SLC), Silk Logistics Holdings Ltd (ASX: SLH) and Tuas Ltd (ASX: TUA).

WAM tells us that some of its best ASX performers over October were Praemium and Superloop.

WAM Microcap noted Praemium’s recent September quarterly update, which had the company record a record inflow of $1.7 billion for the quarter. That was a 37% increase over the previous quarter. It also points to the proposed merger with Netwealth, which WAM reckons will “create substantial value for Praemium shareholders”.

With Superloop, WAM likes the company’s recently announced sale of its Hong Kong and Singaporean assets for $140 million. This, management estimates, will allow Superloop to “redeploy the proceeds derived from the sale into accretive acquisitions or capital management initiatives”.

WAM Microcap charges an annual management fee of 1% per annum, along with an ASX performance fee of 20%.

The post Own WAM Microcap (ASX:WMI) shares? Here’s what you’re invested in 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. owns shares of and has recommended Praemium Limited and SUPERLOOP FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Praemium 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 Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX: SPL) share price edged higher today following the launch of Viraleze in Vietnam this week.

Viraleze is an antiviral nasal spray that has been shown to deactivate a broad spectrum of respiratory/cold viruses in laboratory studies. This includes multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), influenza, RSV, SARS, and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

At the close of trading on Friday, shares in the dendrimer products developer were up 2.99% to $1.205. At one point, the share price hit an intraday high of $1.235 — up 5.5% on Starpharma’s previous close.

What did Starpharma announce?

In today’s release, Starpharma announced that Viraleze has been registered for sale in Vietnam.

Viraleze is being launched in the south-east Asian country this week, following the recently-signed initial supply contract. About 100,000 units will be supplied under distribution agreements with Australian-based Healthco, and Vietnam-based Truong Bao Land International Investment Company.

These arrangements are exclusive for retail, pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals in Vietnam. However, a portion of these orders will also be donated to hospitals and other healthcare organisations across the country.

Vietnam has a population of about 97 million. It is currently experiencing a significant Delta outbreak despite 50% of its population being fully vaccinated. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Covid-19 has taken 25,600 lives in Vietnam so far.

Starpharma CEO, Dr Jackie Fairley commented:

Starpharma is pleased to have achieved another registration for VIRALEZETM, and we are excited to see the product launched in Vietnam this week. This registration, the first in South East Asia, builds upon existing submissions as well as registrations already achieved in Europe, India and New Zealand, and we are expediting further regulatory submissions in multiple regions and countries.

Starpharma share price snapshot

At the start of 2021, Starpharma shares rocketed to an all-time high of $2.52 in mid-February. This followed a couple of positive market announcements.

First was the global expansion of AstraZeneca’s AZD0466 clinical development program, which is using Starpharma’s proprietary DEP technology, to develop a leukaemia treatment.

Starpharma also announced the signing of a research agreement with Merck & Co., Inc (MSD). Under the agreement, MSD will conduct a preclinical research evaluation of dendrimer-based Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) also using Starpharma’s DEP technology.

However, the sharp rise in the Starpharma share price didn’t last. It came crashing down in late February. Since then, the company’s shares have continued their downward trend and hit a 52-week low of $1 in November.

Starpharma is down by 7% in the past 12 months. It is 22% lower in 2021 alone.

The post Starpharma (ASX:SPL) share price climbs 3% on back of Vietnam launch appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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. owns shares of and has recommended Starpharma Holdings Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Starpharma Holdings 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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