The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has ended the trading week on a positive note. At the closing bell, the ASX 200 was sitting at 7,406.6 points, up 0.5% for the day.

So let’s dig a little deeper into today’s trading and see which ASX 200 shares are topping the charts in terms of raw trading volume.

The 3 heaviest traded ASX 200 shares this Friday

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

ASX 200 lithium produer Pilbara is our first share to check out today. Pilbara has seen a hefty 16.18 million of its shares swap hands.

However, it’s not entirely clear why we are seeing this elevated trading volume here. Not only is there no major news out of the company today, but the Pilbara share price did not do anything too remarkable this Friday.

It closed at $2.05, flat for the day. However, it did rise to $2.10 at one point, as well as dipping as low as $2.03. It may be this volatility that has sparked an elevated level of trading for this company.

Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC)

ASX 200 aluminium producer Alumina is our next share to check out. Alumina has seen a healthy 16.56 million of its shares change hands this Friday.

With no major news or announcements out of the company, we can probably put this high volume down to Alumina’s very robust day on the ASX.

Alumina shares finished up a very pleasing 5.85% to $2.17 a share. This is likely due to the soaring price of aluminium on the commodities market in recent weeks and months. And it’s this massive share price surge that is probably the cause of Alumina’s high trading volume today.

South32 Ltd (ASX :S32)

And last, and most, by trading volume, we have diversified ASX 200 miner South32. This miner has seen a sizeable 28.79 million of its shares find new owners today. Again, there is no major news out of South32 today.

However, like Alumina, the South32 share price had a rager, ending the day 5.88% higher to $3.42 a share. South32 also produces aluminium and alumina, so it’s broadly benefitting from the same tailwinds as Alumina today. As such, it’s no real surprise that we see so many S32 shares flying around the ASX boards this Friday.

The post Here are the 3 heaviest traded ASX 200 shares this Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Why the South32 (ASX:S32) share price is leaping 5% today
• The ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price is down 4% in a month. Here’s why.
• 2 excellent ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) mining shares that could be buys
• 2 ASX 200 shares that could be buys for growth

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. 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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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) climbed higher after its steep fall yesterday. The benchmark index closed 0.50% higher to 7,406.6 points. The Aussie index was buoyed by a strong performance among miners, closely accompanied by energy shares.

However, the question is: which shares from the top 200 delivered the most green on the ASX today? Here are the ten stocks that delivered the biggest gains:

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Nickel Mines Ltd (ASX: NIC) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the mining company surged 8.54% after successfully completing its issuance of US$150 million worth of senior unsecured notes. It was the company’s best day on the market in over 4 months. Find out more about Nickel Mines here.

The next best performing ASX share out of the top 200 today was Alumina Ltd (ASX: S32). The mining company’s shares gained 6.34% to $2.18. This move came as aluminium prices hit a 13-year high. Uncover the latest Alumina information here.

Today’s top 10 biggest gains were made in these ASX 200 shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Nickel Mines Ltd (ASX: NIC)	$1.08	8.54%
Alumina Ltd (ASX: AWC)	$2.18	6.34%
South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)	$3.42	5.88%
Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)	$53.15	5.56%
IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)	$9.59	4.47%
Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)	$7.10	4.41%
Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU)	$10.03	4.26%
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)	$3.05	3.74%
CSR Ltd (ASX: CSR)	$5.68	3.65%
Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG)	$4.475	3.11%

Our top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making the biggest 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 200 shares on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why the Nickel Mines (ASX:NIC) share price is leaping 8% on Friday
• The ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price is down 4% in a month. Here’s why.
• 2 ASX 200 shares that could be buys for growth
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• ASX 200 sinks, BHP and CBA fall

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of CSR Limited and Lynas 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 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 Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price has been among the worst performers on the ASX 200 in 2021.

Since the start of the year, the artificial intelligence data services provider’s shares are down a disappointing 61% to $9.95

This compares to a gain of 11% by the ASX 200 index.

Is the Appen share price a bargain buy?

Despite the weakness in the Appen share price in 2021, the team at Bell Potter don’t believe investors should be rushing in to invest.

According to a recent note, the broker has maintained its hold rating and cut its price target to $11.50.

Based on the current Appen share price, this price target implies potential upside of 15% over the next 12 months.

What did the broker say?

Bell Potter was disappointed with Appen’s performance in the first half of FY 2021 and notes that it has downgraded its full year guidance. Though, it acknowledges that the latter reflects management’s decision to invest in its newly acquired Quadrant business.

The broker commented: “Appen downgraded its 2021 guidance from underlying b/w US$83-90m to b/w US$81- 88m. The downgrade was driven by “planned investment in Quadrant”. The company also added it expects the result to be at the low end of the range due to “ad-related project impacts”. Year-to-date revenue plus orders in hand at August was c.US$360m which suggests full year revenue around US$455m based on the 2020 ratio.”

In light of this, the broker has downgraded its earnings estimates.

It said: “We have downgraded our underlying EBITDA forecasts by 4%, 5% and 7% in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The downgrades have been driven by modest reductions in our revenue forecasts (i.e. 1-2%) and reductions in our underlying EBITDA margin forecasts.”

And while the broker is now forecasting underlying EBITDA of US$80.9m in 2021, which is at the low end of Appen’s guidance range, it does have a few concerns that this will be met. The broker notes that this estimate assumes a “strong 2H2021 underlying EBITDA result of US$53.2m (vs US$27.7m in 1H2021).”

As a result, Bell Potter doesn’t appear to believe the risk/reward on offer with the Appen share price is sufficient to invest at present.

The post Is the Appen (ASX:APX) share price in the buy zone? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How have ASX technology shares performed during the August 2021 earnings season?
• 2 highly rated ASX growth shares to buy
• ASX 200 flat, Aussie Broadband shares halted, Openpay rises
• Why Appen, BlueScope, Fortescue, & Marley Spoon shares are dropping
• ASX 200 midday update: BHP & Fortescue fall, Flight Centre storms higher

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 Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Appen 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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In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is back on form and on course to end the week on a positive note. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.4% to 7,399.4 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping:

Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY)

The Cleanaway share price is down just over 1% to $2.70. Today’s decline is attributable to the waste management company’s shares going ex-dividend this morning for its final dividend of 2.4 cents per share. This dividend will be paid to eligible shareholders on 5 October.

IRESS Ltd (ASX: IRE)

The IRESS share price has fallen 2.5% to $13.65. This morning the financial technology company provided an update on the EQT takeover approach. According to the release, due diligence is taking longer than expected. As a result, the company has agreed to grant an additional 10 days of exclusivity to EQT to complete its diligence and for an agreement to be finalised.

Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX: OBL)

The Omni Bridgeway share price is down a further 5% to $3.78. Investors have been selling the litigation funder’s shares this week following an update on the Brisbane Flood class action. Unfortunately for Omni Bridgeway, the Supreme Court of New South Wales Court of Appeal has found the remaining defendant, Seqwater, not liable.

Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV)

The Polynovo share price has dropped 5% to $1.92. This medical device company’s shares have come under pressure today after it announced the resignation of its Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Anthony Kaye. The COO is returning to biotherapeutics giant CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) in a more senior position.

The post Why Cleanaway, IRESS, Omni Bridgeway, & Polynovo shares are dropping appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Which ASX 300 shares are leading the way as the top movers on Friday?
• The Polynovo (ASX:PNV) share price is down 10% in a month to a 52-week low. Here’s why.
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Why Afterpay, CBA, Omni Bridgeway, & South32 shares tumbled lower today
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Tech shares fall, Fortescue upgraded

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 POLYNOVO FPO. 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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From time to time, it can be worthwhile reviewing insider transactions. This time we pop the hood on the big four bank shares of the ASX 200 to see whether insiders have been buying or selling.

The past month has been mixed for the share prices of Australia’s big four banks. However, sometimes the broader market can be mispricing a company in comparison to its fundamentals.

An indication of this can be the sentiment insiders have towards the share price. After all, these are the people that get to see all the inner workings of the business day-in and day-out.

On that note, let’s see what transactions have been taking place inside the ASX 200 big four banks.

Are insiders buying up ASX 200 bank shares?

Australia and New Zealand Banking Grp Ltd (ASX: ANZ)

Starting off with the least eventful of the bunch, there have been no insiders buying or selling ANZ shares in the last month. This is despite a 4.6% fall in its share price during the 30-day period. In fact, the big four banking constituent has not released any pertinent announcements in the last month either.

The last insider transaction that occurred in ANZ shares was on 1 June 2021. On this day, chief information officer Michael Bullock sold $384,722 worth of shares.

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)

Next on the list, is the third biggest bank share on the ASX 200, NAB — or should we say ‘JAB‘ today, in keeping with its temporary renaming? The NAB share price has fared well over the past month, rising around 5%.

It appears brokers and insiders are on the same page for this one. According to a recent note, Goldman Sachs has a buy rating on the bank with a $30.62 price target. Meanwhile,

NAB non-executive director Kathryn Fagg has also been bullish. On 17 August 2021, the non-exec bought $19,972 worth of shares via an on-market purchase.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

From buying to selling — one Westpac insider has recently cashed out a large chunk of shares in this ASX 200 bank. However, this time it is contrarian to some analysts’ perspectives. According to the team at Citi, the outlook for Westpac is improving with strong economic growth ahead. As a result, the broker holds a buy rating on the bank share with a $30.00 price target.

Regardless, non-executive director Margie Seale sold $321,440 worth of Westpac shares on 1 September 2021. According to the notice, Seale still retains approximately $268,150 worth of shares at the current price.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)

Last but not least, the biggest of the ASX 200 big four bank shares, Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Unfortunately for shareholders, it has experienced the worst month of the bunch. Shares in the $179 billion behemoth have fallen more than 6% in the past 30 days. However, you wouldn’t think it looking at the insider transactions during the period.

Precisely four non-executive directors bought shares in CBA on 18 August 2021. Those involved included Genevieve Bell, Anne Templeman-Jones, Robert Whitfield, and Mary Padbury. Collectively, the four purchased a total of $82,119 worth of shares.

The post A look at insider buying among ASX 200 big four bank shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These ASX 200 dividend shares are about to dish out $40bn to shareholders
• What’s moving the CBA (ASX:CBA) share price this week
• 2 of the best ASX share ideas according to this leading broker
• The ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price is down 4% in a month. Here’s why.
• Own NAB (ASX:NAB) shares? Now you own JAB shares

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of Commonwealth Bank of Australia. 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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Shareholders of some of the biggest ASX 200 companies are about to get their slice of a record $40 billion payout pie as dividend season hits the ASX.

According to AMP Capital’s head of investment strategy and economics, Dr Shane Oliver, the profits of listed companies collectively increased by almost 50% in the financial year 2021.

Three in every four ASX companies reported increased profits.

Miners and banks were among the major winners for FY21. In turn, many ASX 200 banks and miners will hand much of their extra income to shareholders, as will some other top-performing ASX 200 dividend shares.

In fact, Dr Oliver said ASX companies will pay out a combined $40 billion worth of dividends as a result of FY21 earnings – a new record for the ASX. Additionally, more than $20 billion has been put towards buybacks, adding value to shareholders’ portfolios.

So, if you’re a shareholder of these companies, you’re likely in for a good payout soon.

These ASX 200 dividend shares raised their payouts in FY21

These ASX 200 shares boosted their FY21 dividends.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)

CBA’s final dividend for FY21 is fully franked at $2. That’s $1.02 more than that of FY20 and sees CBA’s full-year dividends reach $3.50 per share.

Additionally, the bank is conducting a $6 billion share buyback, taking 3.5% of its shares off the market.

CBA shareholders will receive their dividend deposits on 29 September.

CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

CSL boosted its FY21 dividends by 10% compared to FY20. Its final dividend is US$1.18 per share, bringing its total FY21 dividends up to US$2.22 per share.

CSL’s dividend payment date is set for 30 September.

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG)

This ASX 200 share elected to pay out a massive 80% of its FY21 net profit after tax to shareholders, with a fully franked final dividend worth $2.11 per share. That means the miner is giving out a total of $3.58 per share in FY21 – 103% more than it did in FY20.  

Fortescue’s dividend payment date is 30 September.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

Wesfarmers’ fully franked final dividend for FY21 came to 90 cents per share. This brought its full-year dividends to $1.78, which is 17% more than it gave its shareholders in FY20 (discounting FY20’s special dividend).

The conglomerate will pay its final dividend on 7 October.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

BHP saw its profits increase 88% for FY21. As a result, it is handing its shareholders a fully franked final dividend worth $2.71 per share. That brings its full-year dividend to approximately $3.70 per share.

As The Motley Fool Australia reported last month, BHP paid a full-year dividend of $1.75 per share in FY20.

BHP’s dividend payments date is 21 September.

The post These ASX 200 dividend shares are about to dish out $40bn to shareholders appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• A look at insider buying among ASX 200 big four bank shares
• What’s moving the CBA (ASX:CBA) share price this week
• 2 of the best ASX share ideas according to this leading broker
• How is the CSL (ASX:CSL) share price performing against its sector in 2021?
• Could falling iron ore prices be good for the Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price?

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended 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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The Centaurus Metals Limited (ASX: CTM) share price has jumped into the green during afternoon trade on Friday.

Centaurus shares are on the move as the company released a key announcement earlier and are now changing hands at $1.07 apiece, a 10% jump from the open.

Let’s investigate further.

What did Centaurus Metals announce?

Centaurus advised it had intercepted “significant zones of nickel sulphide mineralisation at (its) Tigre prospect”. This find highlights the “outstanding growth and upside potential” across the company’s Jaguar project, as per the release.

The drilling program revealed “significant percentages” of sulphide mineralisation of thicknesses “up to 10 metres” and over a strike length of “at least 700 metres”.

A diamond rig that was mobilised recently to the Tigre site has also intersected a 5.8 metre zone of “stringer and net textured” nickel sulphides.

Centaurus stated that success at its Tigre site has “increased the prospectivity of the dacite basement genesis contact” that extends towards its next drilling target.

As a result of this activity, the company now has “several diamond rigs on site” and another rig set to arrive in the next few weeks.

Drilling is therefore set to ramp up at the site over the coming periods.

What did management say?

Centaurus’ managing director Darren Gordon said on the results:

We have a pipeline of outstanding greenfields exploration prospects that we are now systematically testing with
the RC rig. All these targets are located within a 5km radius of the proposed Jaguar Project ROM pad and, as such, any new discoveries from the greenfields drilling have the potential to contribute to mine life extensions beyond the current 13 years.

Speaking on the upcoming activity, Gordon added:

We now have eight rigs on site with another rig to arrive in the coming weeks. This expanded drilling capacity will
allow us to continue aggressive work on both greenfields and resource drilling in conjunction with the development drilling required for project development activities. This multi-pronged approach sets us up for what should be a big second half of project growth at Jaguar.

Centaurus Metas share price snapshot

The Centaurus share price has climbed 31% into the green over the year to date. This extends the gain over the last 12 months to 124%.

These returns have outpaced the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)’s return of around 25% over the past year.

The post Centaurus Metals (ASX:CTM) jumps 12% on Greenfields nickel sulphide discovery appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Centaurus Metals, IGO, Novonix, Rhinomed shares are storming higher

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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The Nickel Mines Ltd (ASX: NIC) share price is set to end the week on a high note. This comes as the nickel producer is enjoying fresh multi-year highs on the spot price of nickel.

At the time of writing, Nickel Mine shares are up 8.04% to $1.075.

What’s happening with Nickel Mines?

The Nickel Mines share price is surging today following positive investor sentiment in the electric vehicle (EV) battery market.

Nickel is a key component in lithium-ion batteries, which are used in generating power for electric vehicles. Nickel is able to produce a lot more energy into batteries than using cobalt. The latter is considered a more expensive metal and has fewer purposes across industries.

On the back of rising interest in the sector, the price of nickel has accelerated to US$20.23 per kilo. The crucial metal has risen close to 30% in the last 6 months.

In other news, the company released an update yesterday in relation to the issuance of its $150 million senior unsecured notes.

Nickel Mines advised it has completed the issuance at an interest rate of 6.50% per annum, maturing on 1 April 2024.

The new notes are expected to be consolidated with the existing notes to form a US$325 million single series of notes. Funds from the issue of the new notes will be allocated towards working capital and general corporate purposes.

Nickel Mines executive director and chief financial officer Peter Nightingale commented:

While the company’s existing cash reserves and budgeted cash flows meet the US$210 million funding requirement to increase its ownership of the Angel Nickel Project, which will more than double the company’s nameplate nickel production capacity after commissioning in 2022, from 50% already owned to 80%, this tap allows the company to maintain a healthy treasury balance.

About the Nickel Mines share price

Over the last 12 months, Nickel Mines shares have pushed around 60% higher, but are down around 2% year-to-date. The company’s share price slumped in late April following a disappointing quarterly report and has moved sideways ever since.

Nickel Mines commands a market capitalisation of roughly $2.6 billion, with more than 2.5 billion shares on its registry.

The post Why the Nickel Mines (ASX:NIC) share price is leaping 8% on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Centaurus Metals (ASX:CTM) jumps 12% on Greenfields nickel sulphide discovery
• What’s moving the CBA (ASX:CBA) share price this week
• 2 of the best ASX share ideas according to this leading broker
• Why Centaurus Metals, IGO, Novonix, Rhinomed shares are storming higher
• The Domino’s (ASX:DMP) share price has hit another new 52-week high

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 Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is up 0.6% in late afternoon trading.

That’s largely in line with the 0.7% gain on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

The CBA share price has bounced between red and green this week, gaining on Monday and Wednesday, and falling yesterday and on Tuesday.

All up, shares in CommBank are down 1% for the week.

CommBank in the news this week

The CBA share price closed up 0.8% on Wednesday, ending the day at $102.92 per share despite a Federal Court decision against the bank.

The court ruled that Colonial First State Investments, a subsidiary of CommBank, misled and deceived its members at least 12,978 times.

The legal proceedings were brought on by The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

ASIC alleged that Colonial had instructed some members to keep using its FirstChoice Superannuation Trust from 2014-2016. That ran contrary to regulations stipulated by the Superannuation Industry Act that post-2012 all superannuation be paid into a MySuper product.

A penalty hearing will be held later this year.

CBA share price lifts as bank backs ESG commitments

In better news for CommBank on Wednesday, and perhaps helping boost CBA’s share price on the day, the bank reported that it’s acting as “a joint sustainability coordinator, bookrunner and lender” on 2 green loans for Walker Corporation’s commercial buildings.

The 2 buildings, located in Sydney and Melbourne, both have 6-star sustainability ratings for their leading energy efficiency and environmental standards.

Commenting on its involvement with the green loans, CBA’s group executive of institutional banking and markets, Andrew Hinchliff said:

Walker Corporation is to be commended for its commitment to developing best-in-class sustainable, energy-efficient urban infrastructure that will be used and enjoyed by current and future generations of Australians.

We see sustainable finance as a key tool in helping Australian businesses build our future economy, and we’re extremely proud to support Walker with this green loan that will help them further demonstrate their strong ESG commitments.

CBA share price snapshot

The CBA share price is up 21% this calendar year, compared to a gain of 11% posted by the ASX 200.

Over the past month, CBA’s shares have lost 5%.

The post What’s moving the CBA (ASX:CBA) share price this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Afterpay, CBA, Omni Bridgeway, & South32 shares tumbled lower today
• ASX 200 sinks, BHP and CBA fall
• Why is the ASX share market down today?
• The Macquarie (ASX:MQG) share price has gained 3 times that of CBA over 5 years
• CBA (ASX:CBA) share price too expensive, says expert

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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If you’re looking for a few new additions to your portfolio in September, then look no further.

Analysts at Morgans have picked out a number of ASX shares that they class as their best ideas for the month.

Below are two that the broker rates highly in September:

Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ)

Morgans’ top pick among the big banks is ANZ. It currently has an add rating and $34.50 price target on the company’s shares. The broker likes the bank due to its attractive valuation and its cost reduction plans.

It explained: “We believe ANZ is the most compelling of the major banks on a valuation basis. We expect ANZ to continue to focus on absolute cost reduction over the medium term. ANZ has de-risked its loan book over recent years – particularly its institutional loan book – such that the quality of its loan book has improved. While ANZ’s Australian home loan book has been growing below system over recent months, we expect a disciplined margin performance from ANZ.”

The ANZ share price is fetching $27.55 on Friday.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

Another ASX share that the broker rates highly in September is BHP. Morgans likes the Big Australian due to its diversification, strong balance sheet, and resilient dividend profile. However, although Morgans feels BHP is one the best share ideas this month, its analysts actually have a hold rating on them. Though, their price target of $45.90 is notably higher than where the mining giant’s shares trade.

Morgans commented: “We view BHP as relatively low risk given its superior diversification relative to its major global mining peers. The spread of BHP’s operations also supplies some defence against direct COVID-19 impact on earnings contributors. While there are more leveraged plays sensitive to a global recovery scenario, we see BHP as holding an attractive combination of upside sensitivity, balance sheet strength and resilient dividend profile.”

The BHP share price is currently trading at $41.26.

The post 2 of the best ASX share ideas according to this leading broker appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price is down 4% in a month. Here’s why.
• ASX 200 sinks, BHP and CBA fall
• Why BHP (ASX:BHP) shares have been getting these investors excited
• Leading broker reveals why these 10 big-name shares have been firing up its clients
• The BHP (ASX:BHP) share price is flat in 2021. But how much has the company contributed to the Australian economy?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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