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When it comes to choosing ASX dividend shares for income, investors are spoilt for choice. Almost every share in the ASX 200 pays a dividend, after all. As such, sometimes it can be helpful to hear the opinions of some expert investors on this most important of matters.

So, here are 2 ASX dividend shares rated as ‘buys’ today by ASX brokers.

2 ASX dividend shares brokers rate as buys

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

Since its spin off from Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) a few years ago, Coles has amassed a reputation as a strong dividend-paying share. Coles managed to grow its dividend payouts over 2020 – a rare feat on the ASX 200 considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Coles has kept the growth train on the tracks, giving investors 61 cents per share (fully franked, of course) worth of dividends, a nice increase on 2020’s 57.5 cents.

One broker who is bullish on coles is Morgans. As my Fool colleague James covered last week, Morgans currently rates Coles shares as an add, with a 12-month share price target of $19.80. That implies a future potential upside of roughly 15% on recent pricing.

Morgans likes Coles’ valuation relative to its arch-rival Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), as well as its strong dividend payouts. At recent Coles share pricing, this gives the company a dividend yield of 3.55%.

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Telstra is another ASX dividend share to check out today. Like Coles, Telstra already has a strong reputation as an ASX dividend heavyweight. Although some investors still might not have forgiven this telco for its infamous dividend cut back in 2017, Telstra has managed to keep its payouts very steady since then.

It paid out 16 cents in dividends over 2020 and 2021, and looks set to continue this pattern next year. Though the Telstra share price has rallied by close to 30% in 2021 so far, these raw dividend payouts still give Telstra shares a yield of 4.19% on recent pricing.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs is exceptionally bullish on Telstra shares. Goldman currently rates Telstra as a buy, with a 12-month share price target of $4.40. That implies a future potential upside of ~15% on recent pricing. Goldman likes what Telstra’s recent acquisition of the Pacific-based telco Digicel will do for its returns, with relatively low risk.

It also reckons Telstra will continue to reward shareholders with healthy dividends as well as potential share buybacks.

The post Brokers rate these 2 ASX dividend shares as top buys today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 COLESGROUP DEF SET and 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 Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS) might be one of the leading ways to passively invest on the ASX.

If readers haven’t heard of this one before, it’s an exchange-traded fund (ETF) provided by Vanguard – one of the world’s leading asset managers. Vanguard aims to make its investment products as cheap as possible.

This particular ETF is providing exposure to the global share market from the developed world.

Here are three reasons to consider this investment:

Diversification

Having an investment that is diversified means that investment poses less risks to investors when it comes to geographic, industry or specific business risk.

This ETF has characteristics that may tick those boxes nicely.

Geographically, it’s invested in many countries. Whilst the US makes up around 69% of the portfolio, these other places make up at least 0.3% of the portfolio as well: Japan, the UK, Canada, France, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hong Kong, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Singapore, Finland and Belgium.

Looking at the sector allocation, there is a healthy mix between industries, with IT getting the biggest weighting at 22.9% of the portfolio. Arguably, IT may offer the most growth for investors over time. Other sectors with a position of at least 5% includes: financials, health care, consumer discretionary, industrials, communication services and consumer staples.

In terms of the specific company risk, the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF has a total of just over 1,500 holdings, give it three times as many holdings as iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV) and five times as many holdings as Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS).

Portfolio is regularly changing

There has been a global share market for many decades, but the names in the biggest 100 positions have regularly changed over that time. Some businesses can fall by the wayside, so it can be useful to update a portfolio as the years go by.

However, an ETF like this one periodically and systematically changes its positions so that it matches the global benchmark index.

There is a much lower risk that this ETF will become outdated, because the newer and growing businesses are taking the places of the ones losing ground.

Now there are names at the top like Apple, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon.com, Facebook, Tesla, Nvidia and Visa. The list of the biggest names used to be names like Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Walmart and Intel.

Cheap management fee

A key factor for how much an investment portfolio can grow over time is how much is lost to fees, expenses and taxes. The less that is subtracted from the portfolio value, the more that it can be compounded over time.

Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF has an annual management fee of just 0.18% per annum.

It’s this low fee that has helped the ETF deliver an average net return per annum of 15.3% over the last five years. However, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

The post Here’s why Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX:VGS) could be a top passive investment idea 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. owns shares of and has recommended Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF and iShares Trust – iShares Core S&P 500 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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The weekend can be a good time to evaluate quality ASX shares when there isn’t all the ‘noise’ of the daily market action.

Some businesses are growing at an attractive rate and this could lead to satisfying compounding results over time.

Here are two that might be contenders:

ELMO Software Ltd (ASX: ELO)

ELMO is one of the globally, fast-growing software businesses on the ASX. It provides a number of different modules relating to HR, payroll and people.

The company is reporting double digit growth each quarter. In the first quarter of FY22, annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew 61% to $88.5 million, with organic ARR growth of 35%. Actual revenue increased 52% to $20.7 million for the quarter and cash receipts grew 78% to $27.7 million.

Whilst ELMO’s core mid-market software continues to grow well and it’s returning to pre-COVID growth, the small business market product from the acquired Breathe UK business is also growing well. Breathe saw growth of 55% year on year.

During the last quarter, the ELMO mid-market solution was launched into the UK and Breathe was launched into Australia. The ASX share has three pillars to its expansion strategy: segment expansion, module expansion and geographic expansion.

ELMO says that it has strong momentum entering the second quarter with a positive macroeconomic backdrop and with small and medium businesses adopting cloud-based solutions to manage a flexible workforce.

In FY22, the business is expecting ARR to end at $105 million to $111 million, revenue to grow to between $90.5 million to $95.5 million and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of between $1 million to $6 million.

Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8)

Audinate is a business that is trying to improve the AV sector with its Dante audio over IP networking solution which it says is the world leader and used extensively in the professional live sound, commercial installation, broadcast, public address and recording industries. It replaces analogue cables with a single ethernet cable.

The ASX share recently gave a trading update for the first quarter of FY22, which showed a record amount of revenue. The revenue generated was US$7.6 million, an increase of 46.1% year on year. This record was achieved during a period when factory closures in both Malaysia and China limited further revenue growth.

Audinate is benefiting from record demand, with the backlog of orders for chips, cards and modules amounting to US$14.8 million at the end of the quarter.

Management explained that this growth from a pre-COVID backlog levels of around US$2.5 million reflects original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers placing orders further into the future and strong underlying growth in demand.

However, the component shortage is expected to impact the second half of FY21. It’s panning to bring forward the next generation Booklyn product by the fourth quarter of FY22, with customers expected to be able to incorporate it into their products with little or no re-design. It will use a next generation chip which is not dependent on the capacity constrained chip foundry from its supplier.

The ASX share is focusing on accelerating its product transitions to platforms with improved supply outlook and alternative part availability.

It’s still expecting FY22 US dollar revenue growth, though not in the pre-COVID historical range.

The post 2 quality ASX shares to research this weekend 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. owns shares of and has recommended AUDINATEGL FPO and Elmo Software. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AUDINATEGL FPO and Elmo Software. 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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Compelling ASX dividend shares might be worth looking at during November 2021.

Interest rates are still expected to stay low for years, which could make the investment income from these businesses attractive to think about.

Not every business that pays a dividend has a history of consistency, but these two do:

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)

Soul Patts is the ASX dividend share with the longest dividend growth record on the ASX. The investment conglomerate has increased its dividend every year since 2000.

It has a diversified portfolio, which helps it lower exposure risk to any particular industry or investment. Some of sectors that it’s invested in includes telecommunications, building products, resources, property, agriculture, financial services and listed investment companies (LICs).

In terms of actual businesses it is invested in, they include: TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW), Ampcontrol, Pengana Capital Group Ltd (ASX: PCG), Pengana International Equities Ltd (ASX: PIA), Bki Investment Co Ltd (ASX: BKI) and Round Oak.

The business receives investment income each year from its portfolio. This allows Soul Patts to pay out that steadily-growing dividend whilst re-investing for more opportunities.

After the recent merger with Milton, there are a number of areas that the ASX dividend share is looking for more opportunities: global shares, health and ageing, the energy transition, agriculture, financial services and education. The Milton merger will give it more than $2 billion of additional liquidity as well as additional debt capacity at a low cost.

At the current Soul Patts share price, it has a grossed-up dividend yield of 2.7%

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

This is one of the larger real estate investment trusts (REITs) on the ASX with a market capitalisation of around $3 billion according to the ASX.

It owns a portfolio of different properties across different sectors. The one thing that all the properties have in common is that the REIT aims to have a long rental tenancy with them.

Some of the sectors it’s invested in includes social infrastructure, office, industrial, diversified long weighted average lease expiry (WALE), convenience retail, hospitality and agri-logistics.

After its latest transaction, this business is expected to have a WALE of 12.6 years with a weighted average rent review (WARR) of 2.9%.

It has many high-quality tenants including Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV), various federal and state government entities, Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), BP, Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING), Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL), David Jones and Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS).

The ASX dividend share’s property portfolio has an occupancy rate of 98.4%. Combined with the long WALE, this business has a high level of income visibility.

It aims to pay investors a distribution payout ratio of 100%, which results in a relatively high yield.

At the moment, Charter Hall Long WALE REIT is rated as a buy by the broker Morgan Stanley, with a price target of $5.51.

Based on Morgan Stanley’s projections, the REIT will pay a yield of 6.3% for FY22.

The post 2 ASX dividend shares that could be buys in November 2021 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why has the Soul Patts (ASX:SOL) share price tumbled 16% in a month?
• Soul Pattinson (ASX:SOL) share price wobbles as company touts track record
• Can the Brickworks (ASX:BKW) share price hit $30 by Christmas?
• 2 ASX dividend shares with large yields and consistent payouts
• Own Brickworks (ASX:BKW) shares? Here’s what you’re invested in

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of Pengana International Equities Limited and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks, COLESGROUP DEF SET, Telstra Corporation Limited, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended TPG Telecom 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 tech sector is home to a number of companies growing at a quick rate.

Three that have been standout performers recently are listed below. Here’s why they could be in the buy zone:

Adore Beauty Group Limited (ASX: ABY)

The first tech share to consider is Australia’s leading online beauty retailer – Adore Beauty. It has been growing at a strong rate in recent years thanks to the strength of its brand and the shift online. Pleasingly, after delivering a 48% increase in revenue to $179.3 million in FY 2021, the company has started the new financial year in a positive fashion. Earlier this month, Adore Beauty reported first quarter revenue of $63.8 million, up 25% on the prior corresponding period. Even if you annualise this, it is still only a fraction of the Australian beauty and personal care (BPC) market, which is estimated to be worth $11.2 billion. This gives it a long runway for growth over the next decade.

UBS is a fan of the company. It recently reaffirmed its buy rating and $6.00 price target.

NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

Another tech share to look at is NEXTDC. It is one of the Asia-Pacific region’s leading data centre operators. NEXTDC has been growing at a consistently strong rate for years thanks to the structural shift to the cloud. This has led to increasing demand for capacity in its growing network of world class data centres across Australia. FY 2022 will be no exception, with management guiding to full year EBITDA growth of 19% to 22%.

Citi currently has a buy rating and $15.40 price target on the company’s shares.

Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

A final ASX tech share to consider is Xero. As with the others, this leading provider of a cloud-based business and accounting solution to small and medium sized businesses has been growing at a strong rate in recent years. Gone are the days of spreadsheets and notebooks, accounting is moving rapidly to the cloud and Xero is reaping the rewards thanks to its high quality platform. In addition to its core offering, Xero has an app store offering countless third party apps that make running a business easier. Xero clips the ticket on purchases through the app store, much like Apple does with its own store for iOS devices.

Goldman Sachs believes the app store could be a key driver of growth in the future, along with its ongoing global expansion. In light of this, it is very bullish and has a buy rating and $165.00 price target on its shares.

The post 3 explosive ASX tech shares to buy in November appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• 3 reasons why the Adore Beauty (ASX:ABY) share price could be a buy
• 2 ASX shares that could be strong buys

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of NEXTDC Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Adore Beauty Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Adore Beauty 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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Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can be a great and easy way of increasing an ASX share portfolio’s diversification. Whilst there are many top companies on the ASX boards, the reality is that the world of investing is far more than just Australian companies. So with that in mind, here are 2 ASX ETFs that offer the opportunity for quality diversification for any ASX share portfolio today.

2 ASX ETFs for a diversified ASX share portfolio today

VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

This ETF from VanEck holds a concentrated portfolio of US shares that are picked by Morningstar for the quality of their ‘moat’. A moat is a concept first defined by the great Warren Buffett. It speaks to a company’s intrinsic competitive advantage. If a company possesses a significant and permanent competitive advantage over its competitors, it acts as a ‘moat’ around a castle, preventing enemies from plundering it.

At the present time, this ETF holds such companies as Google-owner Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL), Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Salesforce.com Inc (NYSE: CRM). Not the sort of companies available on the ASX.

This strategy of picking these ‘wide-moat companies’ seems to be working well for this ETF recently. Since its inception in 2015, MOAT has returned an average performance of 20.48% per annum. It charges a management fee of 0.49% per annum.

BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

Another ETF to look at today is this offering from provider BetaShares. NDQ tracks the world-famous Nasdaq 100 Index over in the United States. The Nasdaq tends to house the newer, ‘cooler’ companies on the ASX.

Amongst its largest holdings, you will find the tech giants like Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft, Alphabet and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB). You’ll also get shares like PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL), Adobe Inc (NASDAQ: ADBE) and Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX).

Again, the ASX 200 is very lightweight when it comes to these kinds of technology leaders. As such, this ETF could help fill that gap in an ASX-dominated share portfolio quite nicely. It’s also got some healthy performance history to back it up. Since its ASX inception in 2015, NDQ has averaged a return of 22.41% per annum. It charges a management fee of 0.48% per annum.

The post 2 ETFs worth considering for a diversified ASX share portfolio today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Alphabet (A shares), Facebook, Kellogg, and VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Apple, BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS, Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix, PayPal Holdings, and Salesforce.com. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Adobe Inc. and has recommended the following options: long January 2022 $75 calls on PayPal Holdings, long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple, and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Adobe Inc., Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Apple, Facebook, Netflix, PayPal Holdings, Salesforce.com, and VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat 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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Might the Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price be worth considering after falling by 44% in three months.

The iron ore mining giant recently revealed its FY22 first quarter to the market which included a number of updates.

After looking at those updates, brokers then had their say on the Fortescue share price.

Iron ore operations

Fortescue revealed that its first quarter iron ore shipments of 45.6 million tonnes (mt) were 3% higher than the first quarter of FY21, which was a record for a first quarter.

The business experienced average revenue of US$118 per dry metric tonne (dmt), representing a revenue realisation of 73% of the average Platts 62% CFR Index and contractual realisation of 77%.

Looking at the costs, the C1 cost was US$15.25 per wet metric tonne (wmt), which was in line with the previous quarter. However, it was 20% higher year on year due to a higher exchange rate, cost growth (including diesel and labour rates), integration of the new mining hub at Eliwana and mine plan driven cost escalation.

Its guidance for FY22 shipments, C1 cost and capital expenditure remained unchanged. As a reminder, the iron ore shipments are guided to be between 180mt to 185mt, C1 cost guidance is between US$15 per wmt to US$15.50 per wmt and capital expenditure is expected to be between US$2.8 billion to US$3.2 billion.

The Iron Bridge project is scheduled for first production for December 2022. The forecast capital investment is unchanged at US$3.3 billion to US$3.5 billion, with Fortescue’s share being between US$2.5 billion to US$2.7 billion.

Fortescue Future Industries (FFI)

The green arm of Fortescue is getting a lot of the headlines and attention at the moment. It has a goal of taking a global leadership position in the renewable energy and green products industry and has a vision to make green hydrogen the most globally traded seaborne commodity in the world. At the moment, brokers like Ord Minnett do not attach any value of FFI to the Fortescue share price.

It is a key enabler of Fortescue’s decarbonisation strategy, including Fortescue’s recently announced target of achieving net zero scope 3 emissions by 2040. To reduce scope 3 emissions, FFI’s plan is to develop projects and technologies that reduce emissions during the process of iron and steel making, and work with current and prospective customers to use technology and supply green hydrogen and ammonia from FFI.

FFI also announced the construction of a global green energy manufacturing centre in Gladstone, Queensland. The first stage development is an electrolyser factory with an initial capacity of two gigawatts.

Fortescue Future Industries also made a partnership with Incitec Pivot Ltd (ASX: IPL) to conduct a feasibility study to convert the Gibson Island ammonia production facility in Queensland to run on green, renewable hydrogen.

Finally, it acquired a 60% equity interest in the Dutch-based High-yield Energy Technologies (HyET) Group.

Broker opinions on the Fortescue share price

There are some polar opposite opinions on Fortescue.

For example, Morgan Stanley thinks Fortescue is still a sell/’underweight’ despite the decline. The price target is $12.50. A core part of that estimate relates to the broker’s thoughts that Fortescue’s iron ore could be discounted compared to higher grade ore. The broker puts the Fortescue share price at 9x FY23’s estimated earnings.

Meanwhile, there’s a broker like Ord Minnett that has a price target of $22 on Fortescue, with a belief that China is going to recover from the current problems it’s having. Based on this broker’s projections, the Fortescue share price is valued at 8x FY23’s estimated earnings.

The post Is the Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price a buying opportunity? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price wobbles as crackdown hits iron ore prices
• Leading broker tips Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price to sink to $11
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: ANZ result impresses, Fortescue higher
• Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price rises on record Q1 shipments
• Is green hydrogen the future for Fortescue (ASX:FMG) shareholders?

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of Fortescue Metals Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has 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 Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price is looking good, at least according to some experts.

At the close of trade on Friday, shares in one of Australia’s ‘big 4’ banks were at $25.67 – down 2.14%. For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a monster of a day. It ended yesterday 1.44% lower.

Let’s take a closer look.

Why experts are seeing upside in the Westpac share price

Fairmont Equities managing director Michael Gable was previously reported by Motley Fool on how he believes the Westpac share price would be about to “break out”.

“What’s interesting is that we had a share price peak in June,” he told Finance News Network.

“As it tried to recover, instead of it being sold back down … it’s just managed to head sideways. This is a good sign.”

Gable believes once the recent $25.74 resistance level is breached, Westpac shares could gain momentum upwards. This has already occurred.

As well, analysts at Morgans think a Westpac share buyback is “likely”.

The bank is scheduled to release its full-year results on November 1 and Morgans is urging investors to buy.

“WBC is our preferred major bank,” said Morgans. “We expect WBC to announce a $5bn off-market share buyback on 1 November and we expect investors to increasingly warm up to WBC’s medium-term cost out story.”

The broker has an add rating on the Westpac share price with a price target of $29.50 a share.

What else has happened recently?

Westpac has also announced changes to its board.

In a statement to the ASX, Westpac announced Steve Harker’s retirement from the board. Harker joined the board in March 2019.

Westpac Chair John McFarlane said at the time:

On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Steve for his considerable contribution to Westpac, in what has been a challenging time for the company.

Early this year, Steve signalled he was considering retiring from the board as he requires a double lung transplant and wants to focus on his health. We commend Steve for his professionalism and commitment to shareholders throughout his tenure and wish him a fast recovery.

Westpac share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the Westpac share price has increased 43%. Year-to-date, shares in the company are 32.52% higher.

Its 52-week high is $27.12 and its 52-week low is $17.18.

Westpac Banking Corp has a market capitalisation of approximately $95 billion.

The post Could the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price be about to take off? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Westpac (ASX: WBC) share price rises as it announces changes to its board
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• What is the current Westpac (ASX:WBC) dividend payout ratio?
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Motley Fool contributor Marc Sidarous owns shares of 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 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gave back all its gains and more on Friday to end its weekly winning streak. The benchmark index lost 1.2% over the five days to end the period at 7,323.7 points.

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

Codan Limited (ASX: CDA)

The Codan share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week with a 23.3% decline. Investors were selling the technology company’s shares following the release of its annual general meeting update. Investors appear to have been concerned with comments regarding its softer growth outlook. Particularly given how it won’t have the same COVID-19 tailwinds to boost its performance in FY 2022. Management suggested that those tailwinds may have contributed $15 million to $20 million of sales in FY 2021.

Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)

The PointsBet share price wasn’t far behind with a 22.3% decline over the five days. The catalyst for this was the sports betting company’s first quarter update. Although PointsBet’s turnover increased 42% year on year to $979.9 million, its growth fell short of expectations. Also concerning investors was its loss of market share in the United States. This was driven by competitors increasing their marketing spend materially ahead of the start of the NFL season.

IOOF Holdings Limited (ASX: IFL)

The IOOF share price was out of form and sank 10.5% last week. Investors were selling the financial services company’s shares following the release of its quarterly update. That update revealed significant fund outflows during the period. And while this was offset by favourable market movements, it wasn’t enough to stop some investors from hitting the sell button.

Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

The Kogan share price was a poor performer and tumbled 10.5% over the five days. Investors have been selling this ecommerce company’s shares since the release of its first quarter update a week earlier. Kogan reported a 21.1% year on year and 23.2% quarter on quarter increase in gross sales to $330.5 million. It also reported a meaningful reduction in its inventory. However, this hasn’t been enough to stop its shares from sliding. Nor has it stopped short sellers from continuing to target the company.

The post These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week 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 Kogan.com ltd and Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Kogan.com ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended 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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Some time has passed since the first Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) bid for Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API). What’s going on?

API recently announced its FY21 result for the 12 months to 31 August 2021. The business gave an update about the takeover offers on the table.

Timeline of events for API and Wesfarmers

In the middle of July 2021, API announced that it had received an unsolicited, conditional, non-binding and indicative offer from Wesfarmers at $1.38 cash per share. A couple of weeks later, API decided to reject that offer.

Then, in the middle of September 2021, API said that it had received a revised offer from Wesfarmers of $1.55 cash per share and that confirmatory due diligence would commence.

However, then another player decided to make it a takeover battle. API received an offer from Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) for API of 2.05 Sigma shares and $0.35 cash per API share.

Then, on 7 October, Wesfarmers announced it had exercised the option it had with Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL) to buy 19.3% of API.

What are the next steps?

The next phase of the takeover fight could have an important effect on the API share price and the Wesfarmers share price.

API said that it hadn’t received and agreed to a final offer from either Wesfarmers or Sigma.

However, it did confirm that due diligence has concluded and negotiations are continuing.

API noted that it would continue to tell the market about what’s happening.

FY21 result

API told the market that total revenue was $4 billion, being slightly down by 0.4%. Underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) was $27.8 million., up 15.3%. The underlying net profit rose 25% to $$39.3 million.

API said that prescription medicine sales grew 3.6%, reflecting the resilience its pharmacy business

However, COVID-19 lockdowns closed all of its non-pharmacy price. API also said that it continues to make progress on its NSW distribution centre.

Outlook from API

API said that both retail businesses have bounced back strongly after the lockdowns and the Priceline Pharmacy has done over 250,000 vaccinations.

The FY22 pipeline of potential Priceline Pharmacy franchisees is the strongest it has been for the past three years.

API outlined around $20 million of profit improvements over the next couple of years, thanks to recalibration of Priceline company stores, a new automated distribution centre, an exit of consumer brands manufacturing and a return of Pfizer to CSO wholesales.

The pharmacy company also said that it has mostly achieved acceptable rental outcomes with its CBD landlords.

In total, the company is expecting to open a minimum of 20 new Priceline Pharmacy stores in FY22.

Why does Wesfarmers want to buy API?

If Wesfarmers is successful, it sees opportunities to invest to strengthen the competitive position of API, improving supply chain capabilities and enhancing the online experience for customers.

The ASX share said that API would also form the basis of a new healthcare division of Wesfarmers and a platform from which to invest add develop capabilities in the growing health, wellbeing and beauty sector.

At the current Wesfarmers share price, it is valued at 29x FY22’s estimated earnings.

The post What’s going on with the Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) API takeover bid? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company 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 Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited and Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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