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The Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd. (ASX: DMP) share price could come under investor scrutiny as its major competitor has announced growth plans.

Domino’s is one of Australia’s biggest fast food businesses. But key rival Pizza Hut has plans to muscle in.

Pizza Hut wants a bigger slice of the market

According to reporting by the Australian Financial Review, Pizza Hut Australia wants to double the size of its business within four years.

Its plan is to increase the number of Pizza Huts by more than 100% to over 500 within four years.

Pizza Hut, according to its management, has already lifted its market share from 7% to 9% since the onset of COVID-19.

A key way that the pizza peer wants to expand is with growth of delivery thanks to the utilisation of technology. Management boast that it has managed to reduce average delivery time from 49 minutes to 31 minutes.

According to the reporting, Pizza Hut is on track to achieve sales growth of 26% in the 2021 calendar year to $240 million (up from $190 million in the 2020 calendar year). The challenger is thinking it’s going to add 45 outlets in 2022 and has plans for 100 new stores in the works.

In the longer-term, Pizza Hut believes that it can reach 750 outlets beyond that 4-year period, perhaps as much as 800.

The business had been growing even before COVID-19 came along, but the pandemic has acted as an “accelerant”. Same store sales had increased by 13.7% for the 12 months to 31 October 2021 according to the reporting by the AFR.

One of the final insights from Pizza Hut was that it isn’t facing inflation pressures thanks to long-term contracts with its parent for the next two and a half years – management say that’s locked in.

Where does this leave Domino’s and the share price?

Domino’s is a much bigger business and also has plans to grow. In FY21, Domino’s Australia saw almost $1.3 billion of network sales. At the latest count, Domino’s Australia had grown its outlet count to 722.

In FY22, the overall Domino’s business had seen network sales growth of 8% (on top of 14.9% growth in FY21), with same store sales growth of 4.3%.

Domino’s continues to add store organically and geographically. The ASX share had a total of 3,167 outlets at the last count after opening 64 more stores and acquiring a network of 156 in Taiwan.

There are now eight markets where Domino’s has more than 100 outlets in a countries: Japan (842), Australia (722), France (454), Germany (377), the Netherlands (329), Taiwan (156), New Zealand (141) and Belgium (123).

Domino’s expects to more than double its business over the decade ahead with continued growth beyond that. It continues to look for opportunities in additional markets.

When the company released its FY21 result, it was expecting new store openings to be an increase of between 9% to 12% for its 3-year to 5-year outlook. By the end of 2023 it’s aiming to reach 4,000 stores and by 2033 it is aiming to hit 6,650 Domino’s stores.

Domino’s share price snapshot

Today, the Domino’s share price climbed around 4% after the volatility of last week relating to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The post Own Domino’s (ASX:DMP) shares? Here’s how Pizza Hut is coming for a bigger slice of the pie appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Domino’s, Healius, Kogan, and Vulcan shares are pushing higher
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Omicron hits Flight Centre, Domino’s jumps
• 3 strong ASX growth shares for investors to buy in December
• 2 top ASX shares to buy and hold for a decade
• 2 excellent ASX growth shares to buy

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 Dominos Pizza Enterprises 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 Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR) share price failed to take off today despite the company’s positive announcement.

At market close on Monday, the lithium developer’s shares finished down 0.27% to $1.85.

What did Liontown update the ASX with?

It appears Liontown shares are taking a breather after zooming upwards 9.14% in the past week.

According to its release, Liontown advised that it has successfully completed a large-scale spodumene concentrate production program. Bulk samples were collected from the wholly-owned Kathleen Valley Project in Western Australia’s north-eastern Goldfields region.

The pilot program produced a large volume of 6% spodumene (Li2O) concentrate and a quantity of tantalum concentrate. Around 5 tonne of mineralised pegmatite from the company’s core inventory had been fed into the grinding mill.

The miner expects the successful operation to support both off-take negotiations and the planned lithium hydroxide downstream pre-feasibility study. Liontown is seeking to develop a leading second-generation lithium-tantalum mining and processing operation at Kathleen Valley.

Liontown managing director and CEO Tony Ottaviano commented:

The bulk sample testwork program is a key component of our thorough and exhaustive metallurgical testwork program for Kathleen Valley which continues to demonstrate Liontown’s commitment to evidence-based design.

The final product from the program will enable Liontown’s potential customers to test and pre-qualify our high-quality spodumene for operating in their refinery or toll-treaters. The product will also be used to support future detailed design engineering of our both our tantalum circuit and downstream lithium hydroxide refinery.

About the Liontown share price

It has been an outstanding 12 months for the Liontown share price, rising by more than 672% for the period. When looking at year to date, its gains are just as impressive, up around 513%.

The company’s shares reached an all-time high of $1.995 earlier this month, before settling back.

Based on today’s price, Liontown commands a market capitalisation of roughly $3.54 billion, with approximately 1.91 billion shares on issue.

The post Liontown (ASX:LTR) share price struggles despite premium lithium update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• ASX 200 lithium shares in focus amid China supply shortage
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• Why Greenland Minerals, Liontown, Nearmap, and Pushpay shares are tumbling lower
• Why Liontown, Nearmap, Ramsay, and Xero shares are sinking today

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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The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) started the day poorly and bottomed soon after the open. It has since reclaimed some territory and is now trading 0.14% in the red at 7,589 points on last check.

Amidst the weakness, these 3 All Ordinaries shares are behind the pack today and kneeled to their 52-week lows during the session.

Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

Shares in ecommerce company Kogan bottomed directly from the open today and posted a new 52-week low at $7.71. Kogan has since levelled back up above the All Ord’s and is now trading 3% in the green at $8.26.

Investors have responded poorly to Kogan’s trading update last week, where the market was expecting more out of the company.

Its adjusted EBITDA was down 61% this year to date, translating to just $1.8 million in growth over the prior year. This occurred as operating expenses increased by 9% on the first quarter to $15 million.

Shareholders also voted down Kogan’s board remuneration report at its annual general meeting (AGM). Luckily for the board, shareholders opted to retain its structure and voted against spilling over.

Kogan shareholders have been swimming in sea of red this year. Shares are well down off a high of $21.67 back in January and have given away another 17% in the past month.

Beston Global Food Co Ltd (ASX: BFC)

The Beston Global share price started well today, before collapsing, re-attempting to take off, and then falling to its intraday lows. At the time of writing, shares in the dairy and meat distributor are trading down 1.3% at 7.4 cents apiece.

Beston updated the market on its business activity last week, outlining several investment highlights. In it, the company says it wants to increase milk supply by FY23 to drive growth in base earnings and maximise capacity utilisation, targeting 170–180 million litres per annum.

However, it also explained that prices realised for uncontracted mozarella have been slightly below expectations due to Covid-19 lockdowns, whereas sales growth in its meat division has “lagged internal targets”.

The company also estimates a 6% growth in milk sales for FY22, and anticipates a 350% increase in lactoferrin production. Amid other estimates, this calls for group sales growth of 54% year on year.

However, the company also didn’t provide any specific profit or EBITDA guidance, instead stating the change is expected to be “large”, next to a green arrow.

Investors have punished Beston Global these past 3 months, with shares coming down in sawtooth-like fashion from a high of 9.3 cents back in September.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN)

Shares in the Australian bank were rangebound from the open and hit a 52-week low of $8.43 early in the session. They have since recovered somewhat and are inching higher at $8.62 apiece on last check.

Investors are showing a mixed reaction to Bendigo’s “digital transformation roadmap” presentation released last Friday.

In the report Bendigo covered several ‘digital initiatives’ it has already completed in FY20/21, alongside what’s in store for FY22/23.

For example it now accepts digital the full uploading of documents, and has partnered with Tyro Payments thereby reducing merchant systems by 85%.

Looking beyond F21, it wants to launch its new product and pricing engine, whereas in FY24, Bendigo wants its Rural Bank and Adelaide Bank integration completed.

Jefferies jumped in and re-rated Bendigo Bank to a buy with a $10 price target following the news, however investors aren’t enticed just yet. Aside from that, both Citi and JP Morgan are neutral on Bendigo Bank’s share price at the moment.

In the past 12 months, the Bendigo Bank share price has slipped over 5% in the red, after posting a loss of 7.5% this year to date.

The post Here’s why these 3 All Ordinaries shares just hit 52-week lows appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• It’s a buy: Why did Jefferies just upgrade the Bendigo Bank (ASX:BEN) share price?
• Why Domino’s, Healius, Kogan, and Vulcan shares are pushing higher
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• The Kogan (ASX:KGN) share price just hit another 52-week low, its fourth this week. Can it fall any further?
• Kogan (ASX:KGN) share price falls amid remuneration second strike

The author Zach Bristow 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 Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited and 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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has shrugged off the steep falls we saw this morning, but is still starting the trading week off on the wrong foot so far this Monday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is currently down by 0.36% at 7,253 points.

But let’s not get too caught up in all that, and instead check out the ASX 200 shares that are currently topping the trading volume charts today, according to investing.com.

3 most active ASX 200 shares by volume on Monday

Vicinity Centres (ASX: VCX)

ASX real estate investment trust (REIT) Vicinity Centres is our first ASX 200 share today. Vicinity has seen a hefty 16.9 million units change hands so far today.

With no news or announcements out of this REIT today, we can probably assume this high volume is the result of the depressing fall this company has endured so far. Vicinity units are currently down by a nasty 5.06% at $1.69 each. It’s this steep selloff that has probably prompted this high volume we are seeing today.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Our next ASX 200 share today is lithium producer Pilbara Minerals. Pilbara has seen a whopping 24.6 million of its shares bought and sold on the markets so far this Monday.

Unlike the other two companies on this list, Pilbara is actually in the green today, up 0.4% at $2.49 a share. But soon after open, it was a different story, with Pilbara collapsing down to $2.28 a share (down almost 4.5%). It’s this volatility that is probably behind this company’s place on this list today.

Telstra Corpoation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Our final and most traded ASX 200 share on Monday so far is telco Telstra. This blue chip giant has witnessed a sizable 24.74 million of its shares find a new home today. Again, there is nothing major out with this company today, so we can probably also blame a share price slide for Telstra’s elevated trading volume.

The telco is currently down 1.23% at a flat $4 per share. Since Telstra is a massive company with a relatively low share price, even moves like this can often put a rocket under the company’s trading volumes.

The post These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How does the Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price usually perform leading up to Christmas?
• Here’s why the BetaShares Crude Oil Index ETF (ASX:OOO) is sliding 5% today
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Omicron hits Flight Centre, Domino’s jumps
• This sector could be a $50 trillion investment opportunity: expert
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of 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 shares of 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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Shares in oil and gas development company Strike Energy Ltd (ASX: STX) are trading up 3% in the green on Monday and are now swapping hands at 16.5 cents apiece.

Strike Energy shares started the session poorly and traded as low as 15 cents before reversing course and landing in the green in afternoon trade.

However, Strike Energy shares have been on the downward slope these past 2 months. They first wiped 34% off the slate back in October after the company’s maiden Perth Basin Gas Reserve came in well behind consensus estimates.

The trend has continued ever since. Today, investors are again responding poorly to a company update and have pushed the Strike Energy share price to 52-week lows.

Let’s take a closer look.

What did Strike Energy announce?

Strike Energy provided an update on the appraisal drilling operations at Walyering-5 (W5) in the Perth Basin on behalf of the EP447 joint venture (JV). Strike Energy is the operator and holder of a 55% interest in the JV, whereas Talon Energy (ASX: TPD) owns the other 45% stake.

The W5 well was designed to test the “updip potential of the Walyering wet-gas discovery, and on success recommence the development of the field, which stalled under previous ownership”.

Gas discovery at the site was made in the Jurassic Cattamarra Coal Measures, according to the company. Since acquiring the asset, Strike has expanded its surface area and carried out 90km2 of 3D seismic over the historical Walyering wells.

Today, Strike Energy advised that drilling is now complete at the 8.5 inch production hole section of W5 down to 3,435 metres measured depth (MD).

According to the release, the well reached total depth in only 13 days – 8 days ahead of schedule. During the drilling of the production hole, Strike Energy intersected the primary targets in the Cattamarra Coal Measures (CCM).

Positive indications of the presence of gas and conventional quality reservoir were observed whilst drilling targets in the CCM.

These were encountered close to estimates at depths of 3,098 metres and 3,176 metres MD respectively. Strike Energy observed, “elevated mud gas levels, low weight on bit penetration and well sorted, coarse grained sands in the cuttings when drilling through the A Sand, before encountering similar conditions in the B Sand”.

It has since pulled out of the hole and commenced “wireline logging operations over the open hole section” in order to determine the significance of these observations.

Moving forward, the company says that it will acquire a “full suite of wireline logs over the target reservoirs before running the 5.5 inch” casing and cementing in place.

Investors were chasing more substance from the news and have consequently been dormant on Strike Energy shares in today’s session.

Strike Energy share price snapshot

The Strike Energy share price has been swimming in a sea of red these past 12 months. In that time, it has posted a loss of almost 39%, after sliding another 42% this year to date.

In the last month, it is also down 3% and has fallen around 6% in this past week. Each of these returns is behind the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)’s return of around 10% in the last year.

The post Why is the Strike Energy (ASX:STX) share price climbing today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s how Bitcoin and this top altcoin are responding to the Omicron variant
• Is Altium (ASX:ALU) still a takeover target at the current share price?
• Suncorp (ASX:SUN) share price slips despite launch of BNPL offering
• How does the Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price usually perform leading up to Christmas?
• Is the Adairs (ASX:ADH) share price a buy following the company’s latest acquisition?

The author Zach Bristow has no positions 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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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and the world’s number 2 crypto, Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), have come roaring back over the past 5 hours after posting heavy losses on Friday.

Bitcoin is currently trading for US$57,401 (AU$80,842), up 5.6% in 24 hours. But as previously said, most all of those gains have come inside the past 5 hours. The token was unable to begin to recoup Friday’s losses until very recently, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

The same story is playing out with Ethereum. One Ether is currently worth US$4,318. That’s up 6.6% since this time yesterday, with the big bounce also kicking off some 5 hours ago.

So what’s happening with the world’s top 2 cryptos?

Omicron knocks the virtual stuffing out of Bitcoin and Ethereum

By now, we’re sure you’ve heard of Omicron. No, not the 15th letter in the Greek alphabet. But the newest unwanted COVID variant.

In a nutshell, the variant was identified late last week in South Africa. It’s since been confirmed to have spread across much of the world. Here in Australia, authorities believe as many as 4 travellers who recently arrived from Africa may be carrying the variant.

The medical jury is out – and will remain out for at least several more weeks – about just how concerning the new mutation is.

Initial reports that it may be far more infections and potentially have a higher mortality rate than Delta, sent global share markets spiralling lower on Friday.

And in a blow to crypto enthusiasts who spruik Bitcoin and Ethereum as safe havens in times of market uncertainty, akin to gold, neither crypto lived up to this billing.

Gold edged higher on the global fears, gaining 0.8% to trade for US$1,803 per ounce.

Bitcoin went the other way. Fast.

In roughly 1 hour Bitcoin fell from US$59,427 to US$53,625. That’s a loss of 9.8%. In 1 hour.

During that same hour Ethereum plummeted from US$4,550 to US$3,960, down 13%.

Why are these cryptos gaining now?

Bitcoin and Ethereum’s rapid turnaround earlier today are broadly in line with an improvement in the bearish sentiment in global share markets. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), for example, has pared its early morning losses of 1.2% to currently be trading down only 0.3%.

That’s likely due to some calming words coming out of South Africa. According to South African medical authorities,  patients presenting with the Omicron variant don’t have severe symptoms to date.

While that looks to have soothed investors’ initial panic, the World Health Organization has cautioned it’s early days yet. The WHO that the patients presenting in South Africa with Omicron so far have been young, an age group that generally has milder symptoms with Delta and the original strain as well.

What the experts are saying on the haven status of Bitcoin

Investors who bought Bitcoin as a haven to hedge their portfolios during times of share market turbulence will have been disappointed by Friday’s performance. And indeed the correlated bounce back today.

However, those moves didn’t come as any surprise to Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda Corp. According to Erlam (quoted by Bloomberg):

I never bought into Bitcoin as a haven. You learn what’s a safe haven when markets turn sour, and today Bitcoin plummeted. What we saw today is it’s a risk asset and it behaves as such.

Some analysts say it’s still too soon to determine whether Bitcoin, Ethereum and other leading altcoins can serve as an effective hedge, like gold.

Ross Mayfield, investment strategist analyst at Baird, said, “The evolving debate on what kind of asset crypto and Bitcoin will prove to be, whether it’s an inflation hedge and volatility hedge, or whether it’s just like a high beta risk asset are still in flux.”

The post Here’s how Bitcoin and this top altcoin are responding to the Omicron variant appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ‘Unstoppable’: Bitcoin will double in next 12 months, says expert
• 2 top cryptocurrencies to buy and hold forever
• Here are my top risk-averse cryptocurrencies
• Why Shiba Inu Coin sank 7% today
• My first crypto buy: Solana

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Bitcoin and Ethereum. 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 Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) share price has been a strong performer this month.

Since the start of November, the electronic design software company’s shares have risen 13%.

This compares favourably to a decline of almost 1% by the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

Why is the Altium share price rising?

There have been a couple of catalysts for the strong performance by the Altium share price this month.

The first has been the company’s annual general meeting update in the middle of the month. At the event, Altium’s CEO, Aram Mirkazemi, revealed that the company is back on form and on track to achieve its guidance of 16% to 20% revenue growth in FY 2022. This will mean revenue of US$209 million to US$217 million.

Mr Mirkazemi also spoke positively about the future, stating that the company is powering its “growth engines of CAD, Cloud and Digital Bridges to not only dominate but to transform the electronics industry.”

What else boosted its shares?

A broker note out of Bell Potter also appears to have given the Altium share price a boost this month.

At the beginning of the month, the broker upgraded Altium’s shares to a buy rating and lifted its price target on them from $32.50 to $42.50.

Bell Potter made the move on the belief that Autodesk will be back with another takeover target in the future.

Earlier this year, Autodesk tabled a $38.50 per share takeover offer and then made a $40.00 per share verbal offer. Both were rejected by the Altium board.

And while Autodesk walked away following the rejections, the broker believes it could come knocking on Altium’s door again. This is due to the broker’s belief that Autodesk needs Altium’s platform to complete its product offering.

Its analysts commented: “We have looked closely at Autodesk and what it is trying to achieve with its Fusion 360 platform and come to the conclusion that the ECAD functionality of the platform – provided by the recently integrated EAGLE – is probably not enough to deliver on the aim of the platform and effectively converge both the mechanical and electrical design processes.”

“For this reason we believe Altium is still a takeover target for Autodesk as its PCB design software – Altium Designer (AD) – is high powered enough to provide the required functionality and so would be key in enabling Fusion 360 become the platform of choice for converged processes. Given the size of the prize is so large and is effectively a race with other industry heavyweights like Dassault Systèmes and Siemens we figure Autodesk will likely be back with a revised bid at some stage,” the broker concluded.

The post Is Altium (ASX:ALU) still a takeover target at the current share price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• 2 strong ASX tech shares growing rapidly
• Why Altium, Evolution, Sonic, and Treasury Wine shares are storming higher
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Aristocrat falls on results, Evolution shares jump

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 Altium. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN) share price has been in the red all day after the banking and insurance company announced the launch of its buy-now, pay-later product today.

At the time of writing, Suncorp shares are trading 1.06% lower to $10.69 apiece. In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 0.18% at 7,266 points.

What did Suncorp announce?

According to its release, Suncorp has entered the BNPL market, launching its newest product to customers.

The BNPL solution, called PayLater comprises both a physical and digital Visa debit card. This can be used in-store and online at more than 70 million merchant locations worldwide.

Suncorp said eligible customers would receive a quick approval when applying online or through the Suncorp app. However, this will be primarily based on a credit check to assess the customer’s propensity to pay.

Once approved and when purchases are made, the payment plan will be split over four separate and equal interest-free instalments.

The card will have a limit of $1,000 per customer and can be used for purchases of $50 or more.

This comes just in time for the Christmas holiday season, with consumers traditionally spending over the period. The company’s research revealed TV’s, Christmas presents and clothes were considered the top three purchase categories in the BNPL space.

Management commentary

Suncorp CEO Clive van Horen touched on the bank’s newest product offering, saying:

Suncorp Bank PayLater comes with no extra costs to customers making payments, nor to businesses taking payments. This is a win for Australian businesses who are currently paying millions of dollars in traditional BNPL fees, on top of other cost pressures.

Eligible customers now have the option to head in-store with their physical PayLater Visa debit card or to use it online via their digital wallet.

Suncorp share price summary

Over the past 12 months, the Suncorp share price has gained almost 5%, with year-to-date up around 10%. The company’s share price reached a 52-week high of $13.26 in September, before treading lower in the following months.

Suncorp presides a market capitalisation of roughly $13.48 billion, making it currently the 38th largest company on the ASX.

The post Suncorp (ASX:SUN) share price slips despite launch of BNPL offering appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 high quality ASX 200 blue chip shares with major upside potential
• Broker sees 14% upside for the Suncorp (ASX:SUN) share price
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: NAB hits 52-week high, CSL upgraded
• Suncorp (ASX:SUN) share price higher on banking update
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

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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The Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price has been a surprise ASX 200 blue chip performer in recent times. Telstra shares have delivered a very pleasing year to date performance in 2021 so far, as well as a pleasing 12 month performance. This telco’s share price is up 33.4% and 30.8% over those periods respectively, despite today’s nasty share price slump. So far this Monday, Telstra is down 0.86% at $4.02 a share.

It was only last Tuesday that Telstra was hitting a new 52-week high of $4.09 a share though, its highest level since late 2017. So where to from here? Well, since we are approaching the end of the year, it might be a good time to ask how Telstra shares typically perform in the lead up to Christmas. Is there a pattern to watch out for here?

Well, let’s dig in.

Will the Telstra share price be naughty or nice?

So let’s first look at last year. Telstra began December 2020 at a share price of $3.07 (those were the days). By Christmas Eve, this ASX 200 telco had closed at $3.01 a share. That’s a Scrooge-like slide of 1.95%.

Before you execute a pre-December sell out of your Telstra position, let’s see if this pattern holds true for other years as well.

2019 had Telstra start the twelfth month at $3.86 a share, only to end up at $3.65 by Christmas Eve – a slide of 5.44%. Ok, not a great start. Let’s go back to 2018.

Telstra began December 2018 at a share price of $2.93. By 24 December, it had fallen to $2.78. The pattern continues.

2017?

Telstra kicked off December 2017 asking $3.39 a share. By Christmas Eve that year, it was up at $3.66 a share, a rise of almost 8%.

So what does this tell us? Not much in all likelihood. Yes, Telstra has had 3 bad runups to Christmas in a row. But sometimes if you flip a coin 3 times, it comes up with 3 heads in a row. No one knows how this Christmas period will go for the Telstra share price. But it’s probably not a good idea to try and make an investment decision on something so arbitrary anyway.

At the current Telstra share price, this ASX 200 telco has a market capitalisation of $47.75 billion, with a dividend yield of 3.98%.

The post How does the Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price usually perform leading up to Christmas? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts on Friday
• The Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price is having a good month. Here’s why these top brokers are expecting more of the same
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Thursday
• Here are the 3 heaviest traded ASX 200 shares this Tuesday so far
• Is the Telstra (ASX:TLS) dividend heading up for the first time in almost 10 years?

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of 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 shares of 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 Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH) share price has started the week in a positive fashion despite the market volatility.

In afternoon trade, the homewares retailer’s shares are up 1.5% to $3.70.

Why is the Adairs share price rising?

Today’s gain by the Adairs share price appears to have been driven by a bullish broker note out of Morgans in response to the company’s plan to make a new acquisition.

In case you missed it, last week Adairs announced an agreement to acquire Focus on Furniture for $80 million. Focus currently operates 23 stores across Australia and generated revenue greater than $150 million during FY 2021.

Management expects the deal to be immediately earnings per share accretive. In fact, it is forecasting pro forma double-digit earnings per share accretion during the first full year of ownership in FY 2023.

What did Morgans say?

According to the note, the team at Morgans is positive on the deal. It believes it will complement its core business and provide network expansion opportunities.

In response, the broker has retained its add rating and lifted its price target on the company’s shares to $4.80.

Based on the current Adairs share price, this implies potential upside of 30% for its shares. And with Morgans forecasting a 23 cents per share fully franked dividend in FY 2022, the total potential return stretches to a very attractive 36%.

Overall, the broker sees Adairs as a great option for investors and feels its shares are cheap at the current level, particularly given its attractive growth and dividend profile.

The Adairs share price is up 8% since the start of the year. This is broadly in line with the performance of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over the same period.

The post Is the Adairs (ASX:ADH) share price a buy following the company’s latest acquisition? 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 ADAIRS FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended ADAIRS 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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