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There are a number of quality options for investors to choose from in the tech sector.

Two that are highly rated right now are listed below. Here’s why they have been tipped for big things:

Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8)

The first ASX tech share to look at is Audinate. It is a digital audio-visual networking technologies provider and the company behind the industry-leading Dante audio over IP networking solution. This solution is used widely across a number of industries and is currently dominating the competition.

Dante replaces traditional analogue audio cables by transmitting perfectly synchronised audio signals across large distances to multiple locations at once, using just an Ethernet cable.

In FY 2021, the number of Dante-enabled products increased to 3,255. This is now 19x the number of products of the next closest digital audio networking technology.

The team at Shaw and Partners were pleased with its performance in FY 2021. In response, the broker put a buy rating and $12.00 price target on the company’s shares.

Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)

Another ASX tech share to look at is San Francisco-based app maker Life360. It provides families with a market leading app which includes features such as real-time location sharing, notifications, crash detection, and roadside assistance.

The Life360 app has been growing in popularity over the last few years and has a staggering 32 million users globally. Management is now aiming to monetise this user base with upselling and cross-selling initiatives.

In fact, it was for this reason that Life360 acquired wearable location device provider Jiobit for US$37 million earlier this year. But it is unlikely to stop there. The team at Bell Potter see plenty of monetisation opportunities.

It commented: “Life360 has the potential to leverage its large and growing user base to enter new markets and disrupt the legacy incumbents. An example is roadside assistance where Life360 launched a subscription-based product called Driver Protect which disrupted the market and helped enable monetisation of its user base.”

In light of this, the broker has a buy rating and $10.75 price target on the company’s shares.

The post Analysts name 2 high quality ASX tech shares to buy in October appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• The most important catalyst for outperforming ASX shares: fund manager
• Here are 2 strong ASX growth shares analysts rate as buys
• 3 ASX shares with bags of potential
• Why the Audinate (ASX:AD8) share price is rated as a buy

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 AUDINATEGL FPO and Life360, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AUDINATEGL 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 BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price has fallen by approximately 30% over the last two months. But that’s the past. What is the outlook for the company?

What is happening to the BHP share price?

Resource businesses are dependent on their respective commodity prices to generate higher profit. When the resource price falls, it can lead to the prospective profit falling.

BHP is diversified compared to other large S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) resource businesses like Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG).

It’s operating across a number of different commodities including iron ore, petroleum (for now), copper, nickel and metallurgical (steelmaking) coal.

In FY21, the business generated an outsized level of profit from iron ore. Looking at the underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), the iron ore division generated US$24.3 billion of the total US$30.3 billion of underlying EBIT. Copper was the only other major contributor, with US$6.8 billion of underlying EBIT.

That means that iron ore generated around 80% of the business’ underlying EBIT, it plays a very important part.

However, the iron ore price has fallen significantly over the last few months. In May 2021, it was well above US$200 per tonne. It is now around US$118 per tonne.

That would suggest that BHP isn’t likely to earn as much profit from its iron ore division over the next 12 months as the last 12 months. The BHP share price can be affected by investor’s expectations for future profit.

BHP’s outlook

The resources business outlined a number of thoughts for its outlook in its FY21 report.

BHP said that it remains positive in its outlook for long-term global economic growth and commodity demand. It expects population growth, the infrastructure of decarbonisation and rising living standards will all drive demand for energy, metals and fertilisers for decades to come.

Regarding steel, BHP said it expects that Chinese production will grow by around 5% in the 2021 calendar year. It also said it anticipates a continuation of strong end-use demand conditions in China and an ongoing recovery in the rest of the world over FY22.

However, BHP did say in the medium-term that Chinese demand for iron ore is expected to be lower as crude steel production levels out and the scrap-to-steel ratio rises. In the long-term, prices are expected to be determined by high cost production from Australia and Brazil. Over time, the direction of the iron ore price could have an important impact on the BHP share price.

Copper prices have been strong, the rest of the world demand is recovering and BHP said the Chinese economy continues to perform well. Management believe the short-term outlook demand remains constructive. In the longer-term, both demand and supply factors indicate to the miner that copper is an attractive avenue for future growth.

Potash is a new focus for BHP. The resources giant notes that potash prices have increased sharply over the last 12 months, despite ongoing excess production capacity. Over the longer-term, the company believes that potash will benefit from a number of global trends including: rising population, changing diets and the need for sustainable intensification of agriculture. That’s why it has approved spending US$5.7 billion of capital on the Jansen Stage 1 potash project in Canada. This project is expected to produce approximately 4.35 million tonnes of potash per annum. First ore is targeted in 2027.

Broker thoughts on the BHP share price

One of the latest thoughts on BHP is from Morgans, which has a hold rating on the business, though the price target is $45.20. The broker is expecting continued weakness for iron, however the strength for coal can make up some of the difference.

According to Morgans, BHP could pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 9.2% in FY23.

The post What is the BHP (ASX:BHP) share price outlook? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Wednesday
• Technology shares lead the battle to lift the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: A2 Milk class action, tech shares rebound

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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Are you looking for some dividend shares to boost your income portfolio? If you are, then you might want to look at the ones listed below.

Here’s why these ASX dividend shares could be in the buy zone:

Scentre Group (ASX: SCG)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is this shopping centre operator.

Scentre owns and operates the pre-eminent living centre portfolio in the ANZ market with $50 billion of retail real estate assets under management. This comprises 42 Westfield living centres.

It certainly has been a tough 18 months for Scentre because of the pandemic. However, with Australia on the verge of reopening again, foot traffic through its centres looks set to rebound.

In addition, with inflation expectations at high levels, Scentre looks well-placed to benefit. This is because the company is positively leveraged to inflation with an estimated 70%+ of its base rental income subject to inflation-linked escalation.

It is largely for this reason that Goldman Sachs is so positive on Scentre. It currently has a buy rating and $3.32 price target on its shares.

As for dividends, the broker is forecasting a 16 cents per share dividend in FY 2022. Based on the latest Scentre share price of $2.99, this will mean a 5.3% yield.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

Goldman Sachs is also positive on Australia’s oldest bank. It likes Westpac due to its belief that the earnings risks are skewed to the upside thanks to its bold cost reduction plans. It notes that management is aiming to reduce its cost base down to $8 billion by FY 2024.

Although Westpac’s shares have stormed higher this year, the broker believes they can still go higher. It has a buy rating and $29.83 price target on its shares.

In addition, its analysts believe the bank’s shares will provide investors with a generous yield in FY 2022. Goldman has pencilled in a fully franked $1.28 per share dividend. Based on the current Westpac share price of $25.65, this will mean a 5% yield for investors.

The post 2 buy-rated ASX dividend shares with 5% yields appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 bank shares fall flat amid flurry of new regulations
• Own Westpac (ASX: WBC) shares? Here’s why the bank is making news
• Why the ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price has lagged the ASX 200
• How does the Westpac (ASX:WBC) dividend compare to the banking sector?
• These were the best performing ASX bank shares in September

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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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Is the National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) share price worth looking at right now? It’s currently at above $27.

Over the last month the NAB share price has fallen by 4%, though it had fallen below $27 a couple of weeks ago.

What do brokers think of NAB?

Brokers had been positive on the big four ASX banks for quite a while. NAB shares have risen by 47% over the last 12 months, showing that the market appeared to agree.

However, after the strong run, brokers are reducing their expectations for the next 12 months.

For example, a few weeks ago the broker Credit Suisse reduced its rating on the bank from a buy to hold/neutral. Credit Suisse thinks the positive direction that the bank is heading in is now reflected in the valuation.

Credit Suisse’s price target for NAB is $28.50, suggesting a slight increase over the next 12 months. Based on the broker’s numbers, the NAB share price is valued at more than 14x FY22’s estimated earnings with a forward grossed-up dividend yield of 6.9%.

However, the broker Ord Minnett still rates NAB as a buy, thinking it can increase its revenue. Interestingly, Ord Minnett thinks that NAB shares are valued at 15x FY23’s estimated earnings.

How good was the NAB result in reporting season?

NAB said that in the third quarter of FY21, it generated $1.65 billion of statutory net profit. The bank also made $1.7 billion of cash earnings. The cash earnings represented growth of 10.3% year on year.

At the time, the bank said that it was pleasing that it was seeing strong momentum across its business. In Australia, housing lending rose 2% and small and medium business lending grew by 4.3%, both outpacing the overall lending market in recent months. In New Zealand, its business also saw growth of lending of 2.7%. NAB attributed this growth to the decisions and investments it’s making, which are having a positive impact on the business and for customers.

Management said it’s focused on where and how it will grow. Growth can be an important factor that impacts the NAB share price.

NAB noted it has exited MLC Wealth and that the acquisitions of 86 400 and Citigroup’s Australian consumer business will help accelerate its growth strategy.

Citigroup acquisition

The big four bank is going to pay Citigroup a cash amount for the net assets of the consumer business, plus a premium of $250 million. It was expecting to pay approximately $1.2 billion for the business, which implies a multiple of 8x time Citigroup consumer business pro forma net profit after tax (NPAT) of $145 million for the 12 months to June 2021.

NAB said this deal will bring scale and deep expertise in unsecured lending, particularly credit cards, which it believes is still an important way for customers to make payments and manage their cashflows.

The NAB share price has risen 2% since announcing this acquisition.

The post Is the NAB (ASX:NAB) share price a buy? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• What happened for the NAB (ASX:NAB) share price in the FY22 first quarter?
• ASX 200 bank shares fall flat amid flurry of new regulations
• 3 ASX shares protected from rising inflation and interest rates
• Why the ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price has lagged the ASX 200

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 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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On Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gave back its morning gains and dropped into the red. The benchmark index fell 0.6% to 7,206.5 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to rise

The Australian share market looks set to rise on Thursday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 10 points or 0.15% higher this morning. This follows a mildly positive night of trade on Wall Street, which late on sees the Dow Jones up 0.05%, the S&P 500 up 0.15%, and the Nasdaq trading 0.2% higher.

Oil prices fall

Energy shares including Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could come under pressure after oil prices pulled back. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 2.35% to US$77.09 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has fallen 2.1% to US$80.79 a barrel. News that US stockpiles have increased put pressure on oil prices.

Gold price falls

Gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL) could have a positive day after the gold price pushed higher. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.2% to US$1,765 an ounce. A slight retreat in US bond yields boosted the safe haven asset.

Dividends being paid

Today is payday for shareholders of a number of ASX 200 shares. Among the companies paying their latest dividends are Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG), InvoCare Limited (ASX: IVC), South32 Ltd (ASX: S32), Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL), and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).

NAB shares rated as buys

The National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) share price could be in the buy zone according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. In response to APRA’s targeted serviceability restrictions, the broker has retained its conviction buy rating and $30.62 price target on the banking giant’s shares.

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Wednesday
• Technology shares lead the battle to lift the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Top broker names 2 of the best ASX shares to buy in October
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: A2 Milk class action, tech shares rebound

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 Super Retail Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Super Retail Group Limited and Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended InvoCare 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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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished lower despite a positive start to the session. The benchmark index dipped 0.58% to 7,206.5 points.

In the morning, the tech sector was holding the index up in the green. However, the broader market’s negative sentiment spilled over into the technology shares, erasing a considerable chunk of the gains on display earlier in the day.

However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the ten stocks that rose to the occasion:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the Australian coal producer jumped 7.9% amid the rising fears of an energy shortage across China and Europe. Find out more about Yancoal Australia here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Virgin Money UK PLC (ASX: VUK). The financial services company rallied 3.31% despite no new announcements. Uncover the latest Virgin Money UK details here.

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

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL)	$3.96	7.90%
Virgin Money UK PLC (ASX: VUK)	$3.75	3.31%
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)	$3.56	3.19%
Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC)	$2.67	3.09%
Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)	$117.10	3.08%
Platinum Asset Management Ltd (ASX: PTM)	$3.41	3.02%
Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE)	$14.82	2.56%
Contact Energy Ltd (ASX: CEN)	$8.05	2.55%
QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)	$11.78	2.44%
Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)	$7.435	2.41%

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

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Wednesday
• Which ASX shares are leading the way in the ASX 300 today?
• Technology shares lead the battle to lift the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: A2 Milk class action, tech shares rebound
• The Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price surges on resource upgrade

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. 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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Another day, another revelation in the China Evergrande Group saga. The precariously perched Chinese property developer is believed to be sitting on a debt pile of A$408 billion.

This makes Evergrande the most indebted real estate company in the world — a record you don’t want if you can’t afford the repayments. Unfortunately, that is exactly the case.

In the latest development, ABC News has reported the company once again failed to make good on a $282 million payment to bondholders. This follows multiple other failures to make payments on its debts over the past week.

Additionally, the concerns for further economic fallout have heightened as other sizeable property developers miss their payment deadlines.

Reining in debt comes at a cost

The China government is adamant it is aiming to tighten the belt on rising debt and the speculative property market. As such, fears have escalated that Beijing may stick to its guns and avoid bailing out the company and its creditors.

This would send a definitive message on the risks of operating at high debt levels and providing capital to such businesses.

How much debt? Well, according to Simply Wall St, the property developer’s debt to equity ratio was 139% at the end of June 2021. This figure is based on the company’s debt reaching A$122 billion though this has skyrocketed beyond $400 billion in the past few months.

Typically, more than 40% debt to equity would be considered high in the financial world.

At the same time, Evergrande is reported to only have around $19 billion of cash and short-term investments on its balance sheet. Yet, even with this reported amount of cash, it seems the company is failing to meet its debt obligations.

As a result, investors are fearing a collapse of Evergrande could spill over to global financial markets. At this point, economists believe Beijing has the resources to contain any potential impact.

Joining Evergrande in defaulting

Potentially most worrying, Evergrande is not the only property developer skipping its debt paydays. Another company, Fantasia Holdings Group, listed on the Hong Kong exchange, announced a missed payment on Tuesday.

Reports indicate Fantasia was due to repay a $206 million bond on Monday but was unable to fulfil its debt obligation. A release from the company after entering a trading halt stated, “management will assess the potential impact of the financial condition and cash position of the group under the circumstances”.

Commenting on the news, S&P Global Ratings issued a statement stating:

Fantasia’s missed payment highlights its strained liquidity, despite its reported sufficient cash on hand.

Fuelling Evergrande fears, a multitude of other Hong Kong-listed property developers followed suit yesterday, entering trading halts of their own.

The post What’s happening with the Evergrande crisis today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Tech stocks on the nose, energy rises, online retail grows. Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News
• Why is the Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) share price falling today?
• Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price flat despite resource upgrade and quarterly update
• Why is the Altech Chemicals (ASX:ATC) share price soaring 22% today?

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Motley Fool Australia Chief Investment Officer Scott Phillips joined Nine’s Late News on Tuesday night to discuss the big recent fall in technology stocks, a bounce for energy stocks on the back of a higher oil price, and online grows by 15% despite falling retail sales.

The post Tech stocks on the nose, energy rises, online retail grows. Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) share price falling today?
• Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price flat despite resource upgrade and quarterly update
• Why is the Altech Chemicals (ASX:ATC) share price soaring 22% today?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Wednesday
• Endeavour (ASX:EDV) share price struggles amid hotels leadership resignation

Motley Fool contributor Scott Phillips 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 Predictive Discovery Ltd (ASX: PDI) share price is sliding 11% into the red today and is now trading at 23.5 cents.

The gold explorer’s shares have fallen despite there being no market-sensitive information from the company and after closing yesterday 13% higher at 26 cents.

Let’s take a close look at what might be fuelling this pullback in the Predictive Discovery share price.

What’s up with the Predictive Discovery share price today?

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of what might be behind today’s downward moves in Predictive’s share price.

However, yesterday the company advised it is set to hold an investor presentation on recent updates at its Bankan gold project in the West African nation of Guinea.

Predictive is riding a wave of momentum at this site of late, including an updated mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 3.65 million ounces for the gold project.

Predictive Discovery managing director Paul Roberts will lead a 30-minute presentation covering the site, its planned exploration activities and plans for technical studies.

Investors appeared to have enjoyed the news with a flurry of buying activity lifting Predictive’s share price yesterday.

However, these gains haven’t rolled over into today and the Predictive Discovery share price has corrected towards its levels of 30 September.

Taking a step back and looking at the wider picture, Predictive Discovery shares were trading relatively flat in the 3 months until 21 September, after which they began to march northwards.

This came after high-grade gold discoveries at its Bankan project that were announced a week earlier. This was followed by positive drill results and another mineral resource update from the site at month’s end.

Despite the update, Predictive’s shares took a backward step before being scooped up by investors at 22 cents apiece on 1 October. They climbed to new 52-week highs yesterday.

Again, the day after yesterday’s announcement, the company’s share price has taken another backward step.

In the absence of any price-sensitive news today, it’s difficult to pinpoint what is causing the selloff in Predictive Discovery’s shares today

Suffice to say, it’s been a fairly bumpy road for Predictive Discovery shareholders the past few days.

Predictive Discovery share price snapshot

The Predictive Discovery share price has delivered outsized returns this year to date and has climbed 268% into the green.

That’s well ahead of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)’s return of 25% in the past year.

The post Why is the Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) share price falling today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) share price rockets 13% following investor update
• Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) share price surges 23% on resources update
• Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) share price zooms 21% on drill results
• Why the Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) share price is rocketing 9%

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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Gains for the Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price were quick to fade this morning, opening 5.33% higher to an intraday high of $1.975 before sliding to breakeven territory.

This is despite an upbeat announcement this morning regarding an upgrade in ore reserves and a September quarterly update later in the afternoon.

Short-lived rally for the Pilbara Minerals share price

The Pilbara Minerals share price quickly ran out of steam this morning, hitting an intraday high of $1.975 right after the morning bell before fading to lows of $1.86 by 11 am.

Despite investors selling on the news, the announcement itself highlighted a positive 54% increase in total proved and probable ore reserve tonnes following the discovery of new pegmatite domains together with the integration of the Ngungaju resource.

Pilbara Minerals announced its plans to restart Ngungaju operations back in June this year.

The project was previously owned by Altura Mining Limited (ASX: AJM), which Pilbara Minerals acquired in October last year for $175 million.

The company estimates that restart costs will be around $39 million and the project should ramp up to 1800,000 to 200,000 dry metric tonnes (dmt) by mid 2022.

Pilbara Minerals announced another price-sensitive piece of news in the afternoon, that being a September quarter production and sales update.

The announcement failed to drive any further upside to the Pilbara Minerals share price.

Within the announcement, the company reported September quarter production of 85,759 dmt of spodumene concentrate compared to 77,162 dmt in the June quarter.

Spodumene concentrate shipment figures stood at 91,549 dmt, a slight decrease compared to June quarter shipments of 95,972. But exceeded its prior guidance of 77,000 to 90,000 dmt.

Pilbara Minerals reported a quarter-end cash balance of $137.3 million, which included $36.2 million in irrevocable bank letters of credit for shipments completed up to 30 September.

In addition to production and shipment figures, the company advised that its joint venture with South Korean steel-making company POSCO was “well advanced”.

Pilbara Minerals said that a final investment decision is expected towards the end of October.

The joint venture features the development and operation of a 40,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) downstream lithium chemical conversion facility in South Korea.

The post Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price flat despite resource upgrade and quarterly update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Wednesday
• The Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price surges on resource upgrade
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Tuesday
• Why is the Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price down 10% in a week?
• Here are the 3 most active ASX 200 shares this Friday

Motley Fool contributor Kerry Sun 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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