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The Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG) share price will be in the spotlight on Monday morning. This comes as the iron ore miner released its full-year results for the FY21 financial year.

After the end of last week’s market close, Fortescue shares finished Friday at $20.00 apiece.

Fortescue share price on watch on record result

The Fortescue share price could be on the move after the company delivered another robust result for the 12 months ending 30 June 2021. Here are some of the key highlights:

• Total revenue of US$22.3 billion, up 74% (FY20 US$12.8 billion);
• Underlying earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) of US$16.4 billion, up 96% (FY20 US$8.4 billion);
• Net profit after tax (NPAT) of US$10.3 billion, up 117% (FY20 US$4.7 billion);
• Earnings Per Share (EPS) of US$3.35, up 117% (FY20 US$1.54 per share); and
• Final fully-franked dividend lifted to $2.11 per share, bringing the total dividend for FY21 to $3.58 per share, up 103% (FY20 $1.76 per share).

What happened in FY21 for Fortescue?

Fortescue recorded its highest-ever annual shipments of 182.2 million tonnes of iron ore, exceeding the prior guidance and underpinning the overall result. Earnings and operating cash flow also surpassed previous targets, reflecting an outstanding performance across the supply chain and strong customer demand.

In addition, disciplined cost management led to the company achieving industry-leading C1 costs of US$13.93 per wet metric tonne. Coupled with the average revenue of US$135 per dry metric tonne, up 72% on FY20, Fortescue collected bumper profits.

The delivery of its newest mining operation at Eliwana saw first ore through the processing facility in December 2020. Since then, operations have significantly ramped up to produce an annualised rate of 30 million tonnes of ore.

The company signalled its intention to become a worldwide leader in the battle against global warming, establishing Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). It aims to advance a global green hydrogen and renewable energy portfolio to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

What did management say?

Fortescue CEO Elizabeth Gaines commented on the milestone accomplishment, saying:

Guided by our unique culture and values, the Fortescue family has delivered a second consecutive year of record performance, with shipments, earnings and operating cashflow surpassing any year in Fortescue’s history.

Through the Iron Bridge Magnetite project and Fortescue Future Industries, we are investing in the growth of our iron ore operations, as well as pursuing ambitious global opportunities in renewable energy and green industries.

What’s the outlook for Fortescue?

Looking ahead, Fortescue provided guidance for FY22, stating the following:

• Iron ore shipments in the range of 180 million tonnes to 185 million tonnes;
• C1 costs between US$15.00 to US$15.50 per wet metric tonne (based on assumed average exchange rate of AUD: USD 0.75); and
• Capital expenditure (excluding FFI) of US$2.8 billion to US$3.2 billion.

Ms Gaines briefly touched on Fortescue outlook, adding:

We have seen a strong start to FY22 and through operational excellence, sustained focus on productivity and disciplined approach to capital allocation, we will continue to deliver benefits to all our stakeholders.

The post Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price on watch following 117% NPAT increase appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: A mixed bag of earnings dominates ASX
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• The Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price fell 11.5% last time the company reported
• Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price tumbles in August, analysts see further declines in iron ore
• August hasn’t been a great month for the Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price

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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A number of ASX shares were on form last week and pushed higher. Some even pushed high enough to reach 52-week highs or better.

Among the companies hitting new highs last week are the two listed below. Here’s what drove their shares higher over the period:

Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL)

The Blackmores share price climbed to a 52-week high of $98.92 on Friday. Investors were buying the health supplements company’s shares following the release of its full year results last week. For the 12 months ended 30 June, Blackmores reported a 1.3% increase in revenue to $575.9 million and a 51.7% jump in underlying net profit after tax to $25.4 million. And while no guidance was given for the year ahead, management revealed that the outlook for its international and China segments remains positive with strong sales momentum early in FY 2022.

Can the Blackmores share price climb higher from here? One broker that sees modest upside is Credit Suisse. In response to its results, the broker upgraded Blackmores’ shares to a buy rating with a $100.00 price target.

Life360 Inc (ASX 360)

The Life360 share price hit a record high of $9.50 last week. This was driven by the release of a half year result that revealed a 36% increase in annualised monthly revenue (AMR) to US$105.9 million. This was driven by a 28% lift in its global monthly active user (MAU) base to 32.3 million and a 19% jump in global paying circles to 1 million. Management also confirmed that it expects its AMR to hit US$120 million to US$125 million by December 2021.

Can the Life360 share price go even higher? Last week Bell Potter retained its buy rating and put a $10.75 price target on its shares. This price target implies further potential upside of ~15% over the next 12 months.

The post Why these ASX shares just hit 52-week highs or better appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: A mixed bag of earnings dominates ASX
• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Blackmores (ASX:BKL) share price surges 7% to new 52-week high
• Why Ardent Leisure, Blackmores, Clinuvel, & Qube shares are surging 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 Life360, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Blackmores 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 Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd. (ASX: DMP) share price has been on fire in August. Shares in the pizza franchise are surging 27.3% higher this month to $148.50 per share at Friday’s close.

Here’s what’s boosting the company’s value higher in the last month.

Why the Domino’s share price is up 27% in August

The only price-sensitive ASX announcement from Domino’s this month was the release of its full-year results.

If you missed it, some of the key highlights from the 18 August Domino’s results are below:

• Network sales increased 15% on the prior corresponding period (pcp) to $3.7 billion
• Online sales up 21.5% on pcp to $2.9 billion
• Net profit after tax up 29% on pcp to $188.2 million
• Earnings per share (EPS) up 29% on pcp to 217.6 cents
• Final dividend of 85.1 cents, translating to a 173.5 cent full-year dividend

The Domino’s share price jumped higher following the release of their results earlier this month. It’s been good news for shareholders in the weeks since, with the pizza franchise’s shares now up 27% in August.

Those strong gains have come despite broad lockdowns across Australia, particularly Sydney and Melbourne. However, this is not a new phenomenon for Domino’s.

When the COVID-19 restrictions were first introduced in March 2020 and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) slumped lower, the Domino’s share price bucked the trend.

While the pizza company’s shares did fall 25% lower, that pales in comparison to the losses amongst some of its ASX 200 peers.

One key factor was Domino’s ability to shift to an online strategy and maintain some sales momentum while much of the economy was put into hibernation.

In fact, Domino’s value has surged 214% higher since 20 March last year to its current $12.9 billion market capitalisation.

It looks like investors are expecting more of the same amid the current restrictions given the recent gains.

The post Why the Domino’s (ASX:DMP) share price is up 27% in August appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• NIB and Ampol share prices fall, new record for Domino’s. Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News
• 2 ASX shares shining this results season
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell next week
• 3 of the best ASX results from week three of reporting season
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

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

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The Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN) share price will be on watch this morning after the financial group’s latest capital raising announcement.

Suncorp share price in focus after unveiling $350 million capital raising

Suncorp this morning launched an offer of Capital Notes 4 as it seeks to raise $350 million. The Notes will trade on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the ticker SUNPI from 24 September 2021.

The Capital Notes 4 will have a face value of $100 with a minimum investment of $5,000 and in multiples of 10 (i.e. $1,000) after that. The Suncorp share price will be one to watch in early trade after the company unveiled its latest capital raising plans to the market.

Capital Notes such as these are a more flexible way for companies like Suncorp to raise funds.

They represent more of a hybrid instrument with a mix of bond and equity-like features. Capital Notes can help lower the cost of capital and provide flexibility in the financial group’s capital structure.

The Capital Notes 4 will have fully franked distributions paid quarterly, similar to a dividend, at a rate of the 3-month Bank Bill Rate (BBSW) plus a 2.90% to 3.10% per annum margin (more like a bond coupon).

The Suncorp share price will be on the radar today after a solid month in August. Shares in the Aussie financial group are up 7.5% in the past month ahead of Monday’s open.

What else is moving Suncorp right now?

Much of those gains came on Monday 9 August following Suncorp’s latest full-year result. The Suncorp share price jumped 7.8% higher after the company unveiled strong profit growth and a $250 million share buyback scheme.

Some of the key takeaways from the result included:

• Revenue down 4% on the prior corresponding period (pcp) to $14.2 billion.
• Cash earnings up 42% on the pcp to $1.1 billion.
• Net profit after tax up 13% on the pcp to $1.0 billion.
• Final dividend per share of 40 cents and special dividend of 8 cents.

The Suncorp share price charged higher following the announcement as the company announced a focus on sustainable return on equity.

The post Suncorp (ASX:SUN) share price on watch amid $350m capital raising appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How does the IAG (ASX:IAG) earnings result compare to Suncorp?
• 2 high yield ASX dividend shares named as buys
• Why Baby Bunting, Galan Lithium, Suncorp, & Vulcan shares are sinking
• 2 quality ASX shares for a retirement portfolio
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall 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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During a COVID-ravaged 2021 financial year, Wilson Asset Management portfolio managers reckon the secret to buying ASX shares was picking the stayers.

“Investing in companies that could push through temporary pain to drive top-line growth was key for the WAM Microcap Ltd (ASX: WMI) team,” said Oscar Oberg, Catriona Burns and Matthew Haupt in a memo to clients.

“While the equity market has rallied significantly since the lows of mid-2020, we continue to focus on companies we believe will benefit from a reopening of borders and lockdowns lifting in the medium to long term.”

The WAM Microcap shares themselves have gained more than 32% in the past 12 months, affirming this investment strategy. 

The other secret is to remember there are more than 2,000 companies listed on the ASX. 

This means there are plenty outside the usual large-cap suspects that don’t receive much publicity.

According to the Wilson trio, a cornucopia of initial public offerings meant that they found plenty of those gems.

“Many companies were overlooked or under-researched by investors, creating mispricing opportunities,” said the fund managers.

“These conditions were favourable for our investment process of finding undervalued growth companies with strong fundamentals and a catalyst for a share price re-rating.”

Oberg, Burns and Haupt named 2 ASX shares that WAM Microcap holds that fit the bill:

Plenty of hairy legs after lockdown

Hair removal salon network Silk Laser Australia Ltd (ASX: SLA) only listed on the ASX in December. The Wilson team was impressed with its first full year result.

“Silk Laser Australia beat its FY2021 forecast and upgraded its guidance,” the memo read.

“The company recorded year-on-year revenue growth of 82% and a 129% increase in online sales as digital expansion drove sales growth.”

In June, Silk Laser raised $20 million via new shares to acquire businesses both in Australia and New Zealand to grow its network.

“The deal is set to close in September and we expect it will give Silk Laser Australia a stronger market share on the Australian east coast market with a scaled entry into Victoria and New Zealand.”

Silk Laser shares are up more than 8.3% this year, although its current price of $3.90 is well down on its high of $5.30.

ASX shares for the ‘global video boom’

Video hardware and software maker Atomos Ltd (ASX: AMS) is seeing “rapid adoption” of its ProRes RAW video compression protocol.

“Atomos announced record revenue of $78.6 million for FY2021,” said the Wilson portfolio managers.

“The company also launched several new products during the financial year, including hardware devices and software applications which supported the company’s revenue growth.”

The Wilson team were not the only ones to like what they saw. Atomos shares have rocketed almost 34% since the results a fortnight ago.

Oberg, Burns and Haupt reckon the pandemic has triggered “a global video boom”.

“We remain positive on Atomos as the company continues to find a solid market base for growth, with new products and services already in the making.”

The post 2 small-cap ASX shares pushing through lockdown pain appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Bigtincan, Lovisa, SILK, & WiseTech shares are charging higher
• SILK Laser (ASX:SLA) share price rockets 20% after beating FY21 guidance
• Atomos (ASX:AMS) share price soars 16% on FY21 earnings
• Wilson Asset Management believes these 2 leading small cap ASX shares are a buy

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo 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 Atomos Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended SILK Laser Australia Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Atomos Ltd and SILK Laser Australia 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 Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) share price will be on watch today.

This follows the release of the electronic design software company’s full year results.

Altium share price on watch after strong second half

• Revenue (including TASKING) up 1% to US$191.1 million compared to guidance of US$190 million to US$195 million
• Revenue from continuing operations up 6% to US$180.2 million
• Operating expenses rose 12% to US$120.2 million
• Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) from continuing operations down 3% to US$60 million
• Profit before tax down 7% to US$47.7 million
• Profit after tax up 79% to US$35.3 million on lower tax rate
• Full year dividend of 40 Australian cents, up 3% year on year
• Cash balance of US$191.5 million

What happened in FY 2021 for Altium?

For the 12 months ended 30 June, Altium delivered a 1% increase in revenue to US$191.1 million or a 6% lift to US$180.2 million excluding the divested TASKING business. The latter reflects a 2% increase in its Board and Systems revenue to US$150.9 million, a 42% jump in Octopart revenue to US$27 million, and a 7% decline in Manufacturing revenue to US$2.4 million.

The majority of its growth was achieved in the second half, with continuing business revenue increasing 16% during the half compared to the prior corresponding period. Management believes this bodes well for FY 2022, which itself could bode well for the Altium share price today.

Another positive from the result is that Altium’s recurring revenue continues to increase as a percentage of its overall revenue. At the end of FY 2021, its recurring revenue was 65% of total revenue, up from 59% a year earlier. Management notes that this reflects strong Altium 365 adoption, with almost 13,000 monthly active users and over 6,000 monthly active accounts.

On the bottom line, the company reported a 7% decline in profit before tax to US$47.7 million. This was the result of its operating costs growing quicker than its sales. It profit after tax jumped 79% to US$35.3 million thanks to a lower tax rate.

What did management say?

Altium’s CEO, Aram Mirkazemi, was pleased with the year and particularly the company’s second half performance.

He said: “Altium delivered a strong second half performance to meet its full year revenue guidance. Our Octopart and China businesses both delivered very strong growth and momentum is rebuilding in our core PCB business. The accelerating adoption of our cloud platform Altium 365 is further strengthening our market position.”

“The rapid adoption of Altium 365 is delivering benefits to the Company and our customers on two fronts. First, Altium 365 enhances the value of our maintenance subscription to our customers and delivers SaaS-like subscription benefits to the Company, thereby reducing subscription churn for dominance. Second, the rapid adoption of Altium 365 is catching the attention of the industry and attracting strategic partners that could help us to accelerate our transformative vision to digitally connect electronic design to the broader engineering ecosystem,” added Mr Mirkazemi.

What’s next for Altium?

Possibly giving the Altium share price a lift today is management’s guidance for FY 2022.

Following its strong second half of FY 2021, management has lifted its revenue guidance for FY 2022 to growth of 16% to 20%. This represents revenue of US$209 million to US$217 million.

This is expected to be underpinned by ARR growth of 23% to 27% and achieved with an underlying EBITDA margin of 34% to 36%. The latter compares to FY 2021’s underlying EBITDA margin from continuing operations of 34.1%.

Mr Mirkazemi commented: “Our strong second half performance and our robust ARR growth support a positive outlook. As a result, we are upgrading our revenue expectations to 16-20% growth for fiscal 2022. We are returning back to our strong pre-COVID growth, which is even more significant when considering our business model transition and our move to the cloud.”

The Chief Executive also reiterated its longer term targets and remains confident in achieving it.

He said: “Our focus in fiscal 2022 will be to continue with our cloud adoption and to scale our high-end professional sales through strategic partnerships for significant TAM expansion within the PCB market. With growth coming back earlier than expected, and the rising popularity of Altium 365 driving strategic interest in Altium, our confidence in our US$500 million revenue target is high.”

Altium share price underperformance

The Altium share price has been underperforming in 2021. Since the start of the year, the company’s shares are up just 1%. This compares to a 12% gain by the ASX 200.

Shareholders will be hoping this result is the catalyst to getting the Altium share price heading in the right direction again.

The post Altium (ASX:ALU) share price on watch after hitting guidance and upgrading outlook appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• 3 fantastic ASX shares to buy in September
• 3 exciting ASX growth shares for smart investors
• 3 top ASX growth shares that could be buys
• The Altium (ASX:ALU) share price is up 20% over the past 6 months

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Altium. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Altium. 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) wrapped up another week of earnings season last week, which saw the ASX 200 shake off the malaise of the previous week to end higher. But only just. The ASX 200 managed a 0.37% rise for the week, finishing up at 7,488.3 points.

The ASX 200 was once again dominated by some blockbuster earnings reports last week. We saw big moves from some ASX 200 shares off the back of earnings. These included WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) and Blackmores Ltd (ASX: BKL). But we also saw some negative reactions from investors for companies ranging from Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) to A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) and Appen Ltd (ASX: APX).

Even though ASX blue chips like Wesfarmers and Woolies doled out massive dividend hikes and (in Wesfarmers’ case) a $2 billion capital return program, it wasn’t enough to stop investors worrying about these companies’ forecasts for a potentially difficult year ahead.

ASX banks and miners stage a recovery

Apart from the companies reporting, we saw a few steady moves from some of the ASX 200’s biggest blue-chip shares. The ASX banks all had a strong week after a meaningful pullback the week prior. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) was the major beneficiary, rising more than 2% last week. But both Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) both managed rises of just under 1%.

The ASX’s big iron ore miners in BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) also both staged muted recoveries after their shellacking over the previous week, due to a slight rebound in the iron ore price. As did ASX energy shares like Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL), backed by stabilising crude oil prices.

It’s also worth pointing out the impressive week that ASX travel shares enjoyed. Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) seemed to give the entire sector a boost when it announced it’s planning on resuming international flights by December this year. That’s despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis most of the country (as well as New Zealand) is currently facing, as cases of the Delta variant continue to vex New South Wales and Victoria in particular.

How did the markets end the week?

Decently, but nothing to write home about. Monday saw the ASX 200 start things off on a positive note with a gain of 0.39%. Tuesday and Wednesday backed this up, with additional gains of 0.17% and 0.38%, respectively.

But a more pessimistic Thursday and Friday saw the ASX 200 give up some of its mid-week gains. Thursday saw the ASX 200 retreat by 0.54%, which was augmented by a more feeble 0.04% sell-off on Friday.

Overall, the ASX 200 started the week at 7,460.9 points and finished up at 7,488.3 points – a rise of 0.37%

Meanwhile, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) managed a decent week too. The All Ords started the week at 7,725.1 points but ended up at 7,760.1 points – a rise of 0.45%. 

Which ASX 200 shares were the biggest winners and losers?

It’s time for our Foolish answer to the old gossip pages, where we check out the ASX 200’s biggest winners and poorest losers of the week.  So put the kettle on as we, as always, start with the losers:

Worst ASX 200 losers	% loss for the week
Austal Limited (ASX: ASB)	(19.4%)
NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF)	(16.7%)
Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)	(16.1%)
Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX: LNK)	(15.6%)

As you can see, our ASX 200 wooden spooner last week was shipbuilding company Austal, with a nasty 19.4% drop over the week that was. As you might expect at this time of year, this seems to be a reaction to the company’s FY21 earnings report, which Austal dropped on Tuesday. With revenues and earnings both down by double digits, it’s not hard to see what spooked investors here, even if net profits were up.

Next, we had private health insurer NIB. Again, we seem to have NIB’s FY21 earnings to blame here. The insurer reported increases in both revenue and net profits, but this seemed to fall short of investors’ expectations.

Kogan was yet another victim of its own earnings report, which the e-commerce company announced on Tuesday too. Although revenues jumped a healthy 56.8% for Kogan, investors were not too impressed, it seems, by the company’s diminutive reported net profit after tax of $3.5 million.

And finally, we had Link Administration, which… also reported earnings last week. Investors were hitting the sell button after the company divulged that its revenues shrank by 6% last financial year, which accompanied an 18% fall in net profits.

Now with the losers out of the way, let’s take a look at the winning ASX 200 shares from last week:

Best ASX 200 gainers	% gain for the week
WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC)	29.3%
Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL)	28.4%
Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CUV)	25.8%
Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)	22.9%

As is evident, we had a big week for ASX 200 winners last week. Topping the pile was ASX 200 tech and WAAAX share WiseTech Global. WiseTech lit the ASX on fire when it reported its own FY21 earnings on Wednesday. The company bulldozed expectations across the board, with a 63% leap in earnings, a doubling of its net profits after tax and some bullish guidance for FY2022. Investors reacted accordingly.

As mentioned earlier, vitamin purveyor Blackmores also smashed expectations with its earnings report, which was delivered on Thursday. Although revenues were ‘only’ up by 1.3%, net profits after tax came in at a robust $25.4 million, up 51.7% on last year’s numbers.

Pharma company Clinuvel also impressed with its earnings, which included a 43% jump in revenues.

And Flight Centre also got a major boost with its own report. That was despite this ASX travel share reporting an underlying loss of $364 million for the financial year just gone.

A wrap of the ASX 200 blue-chip shares

Before we go, here is a look at how the ASX 200’s blue-chip shares are faring as we prepare for the final week  of August earnings:

ASX 200 company	Last share price	Trailing P/E ratio	Trailing Dividend Yield	52-week high	52-week low
CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)	$311.06	43.36	0.99%	$320.42	$242
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)	$101.54	21.57	3.45%	$109.03	$62.64
Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)	$25.99	22.24	3.42%	$27.12	$16
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ)	$28.32	17.16	3.71%	$29.64	$16.40
National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)	$27.64	21.21	3.26%	$27.84	$16.56
Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)	$165.60	20.08	2.84%	$166.66	$118.36
Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG)	$20	7.04	12.35%	$26.58	$15.62
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)	$44.70	14.54	9.16%	$54.55	$33.73
Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO)	$109.70	6.91	8.27%	$137.33	$90.04
Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM)	$24.53	12.53	3.14%	$33.32	$23.08
Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL)	$20.28	39.36	2.86%	$27.60	$16.80
Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)	$3.86	24.72	4.15%	$4.02	$2.66
Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)	$40.96	36.56	2.47%	$44.06	$35.96
Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)	$62.20	37.51	2.65%	$67.20	$43.50
Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)	$17.89	23.76	3.41%	$19.04	$15.28
Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)	$14.08	–	2.59%	$15.64	$12.36
Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD)	$7.90	–	–	$8.04	$5.34
Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)	$130.35	–	–	$160.05	$70.06

And finally, here is the lay of the land for some leading market indicators:

• S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) at 7,488.3 points.
• All Ordinaries Index (XAO) at 7,760.1 points.
• Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) at 35,455.8 points after rising 0.69% on Friday night (our time).
• Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) going for US$48,423 per coin.
• Gold (spot) swapping hands for US$1,818 per troy ounce.
• Iron ore asking US$157.63 per tonne.
• Crude oil (Brent) trading at US$72.70 per barrel.
• Australian dollar buying 73.14 US cents.
• 10-year Australian Government bonds yielding 1.19% per annum.

That’s all folks. See you next week!

The post ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: A mixed bag of earnings dominates ASX appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• How has the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price performed against the banking sector in August?
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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of A2 Milk, National Australia Bank Limited, Newcrest Mining Limited, and Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Appen Ltd, Austal Limited, CSL Ltd., Kogan.com ltd, Link Administration Holdings Ltd, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Appen Ltd, Blackmores Limited, COLESGROUP DEF SET, Kogan.com ltd, Macquarie Group Limited, Telstra Corporation Limited, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, Link Administration Holdings Ltd, and NIB Holdings Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Reporting season is informative for ASX share investors, but it can get overwhelming.

There is information overload. And reported results sometimes have no correlation to stock price, as the market will buy and sell according to what the future prospects are.

And that’s before the spectre of the coronavirus‘ Delta variant hanging over everyone’s heads right now.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, and associated lockdowns, have impacted some businesses very positively, but been less kind on others,” said Montgomery Investment Management chief investment officer Roger Montgomery.

“These impacts are coming to light in the current FY21 reporting season.”

The complexity of this situation can mean it can be helpful to see which ASX shares a professional liked after their financial reporting.

Here are 2 stocks that Montgomery liked coming out of the August frenzy.

Redbubble is not just a lockdown winner

Online art merchandise marketplace Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL) won over many investors last year as consumers turned to e-commerce for homewares and gifts. Its shares multiplied 14 times from the March 2020 trough to January 2021.

But this year has been a different story, as investors saw it as a loser in the post-COVID reopening economy.

Despite a massive rally after its results earlier this month, the stock is still down about 30% for the year.

“The stock initially fell and then closed higher last Thursday producing a near-40% range on extremely high turnover,” said Montgomery on the company blog.

“We currently believe Redbubble will prove to be a high-quality company provided it can convert the long-term prospects for its ‘flywheel’ into its potential economics.”

Redbubble’s financials slightly missed analyst forecasts, but Montgomery likes the network effect starting to take hold in its ecosystem.

“Repeat purchases grew by 67%, outpacing first purchase growth of 52%. When combined with transactions per customer rising from 1.1 times to almost 1.2 times, it suggests the platform is becoming established,” he said.

“Indeed, the rising customer base is attracting more suppliers to the platform with artist growth of 54% to 728,000 artists.”

He added that the network effect is a “powerful” driver of sustainable competitive advantage, which helps “entrench high returns on equity”.

ASX share that offers growth and defence

Vehicle accessories and parts provider Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP) reported outstanding results after virus-weary Australians turned to their cars for commuting and recreation.

“Bapcor reported FY21 NPAT [net profit after tax] growth of 47% from 20% revenue growth and 39% EBIT [earnings before interest and tax] growth,” said Montgomery.

“Trade revenue rose 15.5% and Trade EBITDA rose 19%… Wholesale was 26.8% higher at the revenue line and EBITDA rose 42.2%. Finally, retail rose 26% and retail EBITDA rose 20%.”

Despite this, Bapcor shares are down almost 10% this month and 5.9% for the year.

The business is currently taking a battering from the Sydney and Melbourne lockdowns.

“Bapcor’s NSW trade business has copped a 20% hit and NSW retail is off 20 to 30%,” Montgomery said.

“An opening up pre-Christmas, however, could produce a mini-boom.”

Bapcor management was cautious about forecasts for the current financial year. But, according to Montgomery, the business is expecting 2022 financial year earnings to “at least” match the previous year.

“Our small caps team really likes Bapcor and believe it is a high-quality business with defensive business characteristics offering growth.”

The post 2 ASX shares I like from reporting season: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Miners drag ASX back to earth
• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• Why Adairs, Redbubble, Treasury Wine, & Western Areas are storming higher

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns shares of REDBUBBLE FPO. 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 Bapcor. 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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Looking for growth shares to buy? Then you might want to consider the two listed below.

Here’s why they have been tipped as growth shares to buy:

Hipages Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: HPG)

The first ASX growth share to look at is this leading Australian-based online platform and software as a service (SaaS) provider. Hipages’ increasingly popular platform connects consumers with trusted tradies to simplify home improvement. It was on form in FY 2021, reporting a 22% year on year jump to $55.8 million. This was ahead of its guidance for the year. It also reported a 27% increase in its monthly recurring revenue (MRR) to $5.2 million. This annualises to $62.4 million.

This went down well with analysts at Goldman Sachs. In response they have retained their buy rating and lifted their price target to $4.35. It notes that Hipages currently captures <1% of a total $97 billion tradie business spend, representing a meaningful opportunity for growth.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

A final ASX growth share to look at is Zip. This leading buy now pay later (BNPL) provider appears well-placed for growth over the 2020s due to its international expansion and the increasing popularity of the payment method with consumers and merchants. As well as having a $5 trillion market opportunity in the United States, the company has been expanding into the lucrative European and Asian markets through acquisitions. Combined, this gives Zip a significantly long runway for growth.

The team at Morgans remains very positive on Zip. In response to its recent full year results, the broker retained its add rating and lifted its price target to $8.87. This compares very favourably to the latest Zip share price of $6.90. Morgans continues to see longer term upside if Zip can execute on its ambitions of becoming a global payments player.

The post Why Zip (ASX:Z1P) and this fantastic ASX growth share could be buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Own Zip (ASX:Z1P) shares? Here’s what to look out for in FY22.
• How does Afterpay (ASX:APT) earnings result compare to Zip?
• Hipages (ASX:HPG) share price soars 6% on realised guidance
• 3 rapidly growing ASX tech shares to buy
• ASX 200 rises, WiseTech soars, Zip drops

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 Hipages Group Holdings Ltd. and ZIPCOLTD 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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If you’re looking for a way to beat low interest rates, then you may want to look at the Australian share market. This is because there are a large number of shares that pay generous dividends each year.

Two such ASX shares are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about these dividend shares:

BWP Trust (ASX: BWP)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is BWP Trust. It is the largest owner of Bunnings Warehouse sites in Australia with a portfolio of warehouses leased to the hardware giant.

Compared with most retail property companies, BWP has been a very positive performer during the pandemic. This has been driven largely by the quality of its tenancies. With Bunnings Warehouse reporting stellar sales growth again in FY 2021, BWP has been able to collect rent as normal. It has even seen the value of its properties increase strongly since COVID-19 hit Australia.

In light of this, the company was able to pay an 18.29 cents per unit distribution in FY 2021. It also advised that a similar distribution is expected in FY 2022. Based on the current BWP share price of $4.04, this equates to an attractive 4.5% dividend yield.

National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR)

Another dividend share to look at is National Storage. It is one of the ANZ region’s largest self-storage operators with a portfolio of over 210 centres.

National Storage recently released its full year results and revealed a 28% increase in underlying earnings to $86.5 million. This was driven by a combination of organic growth and the benefits of acquisitions. This allowed the company to pay a full year distribution of 8.2 cents per share.

Another strong year is expected in FY 2022, with management guiding to underlying earnings per share growth of at least 10%. It also notes that it has approximately $900 million of investment capacity to fuel its growth by acquisition strategy.

Based on the current National Storage share price of $2.28, if its distribution grows by 10% to 9.02 cents per share, it will mean a yield of 4%.

The post 2 top ASX dividend shares with attractive yields appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 top ASX 200 dividend shares with very attractive yields
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell next week
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• ASX 200 rises, BWP Trust falls, Genworth soars
• BWP (ASX:BWP) share price tumbles after FY 2021 results

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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