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If you’re looking for some growth shares to add to your portfolio, then you might want to look at the ones below.

Here’s what you need to know about these highly rated ASX growth shares:

Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)

The first ASX growth to look at is Afterpay. This leading buy now pay later (BNPL) focused payments company has been growing at a rapid rate over the last few years. This is thanks to the increasing popularity of the BNPL payment method and its successful international expansion.

The good news is that it still has a very long runway for growth in both existing and new markets. The former includes a $5 trillion opportunity in the United States which is being supported by the launch of its pay anywhere solution. Whereas the latter includes its recent expansion into Europe and its Asia plans.

In addition to this, the upcoming launch of its Money by Afterpay app is expected to be a big boost to its ANZ business. In fact, analysts at Morgan Stanley believe it could help Afterpay double its revenue in Australia.

Overall, the broker believes the company is well-positioned for growth. As a result, this week the broker retained its overweight rating and $145.00 price target on its shares.

TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE)

Another ASX growth share to look at is TechnologyOne. It is Australia’s largest enterprise software company, providing a global software as a service (SaaS) ERP solution.

Management notes that this integrated enterprise SaaS solution is available on any device, anywhere and anytime and is easy to use. At the last count, over 1,200 leading corporations, government agencies, local councils and universities were powered by its software.

TechnologyOne has been growing its recurring revenues at a strong rate in recent years thanks to the success of this SaaS offering. However, its growth is still only get started. Management is targeting annualised recurring revenue (ARR) of over $500 million by FY 2026. This is more than double its current ARR of $233 million.

Morgans is bullish on the company and believes it could achieve its ARR targets. As a result, the broker has put an add rating and $10.00 price target on its shares.

The post Why analysts rate Afterpay (ASX:APT) and this ASX growth share as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• ASX 200 drops, ANZ up and Afterpay rises

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 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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The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price will be one to watch on Thursday.

This follows the release of an announcement after the market close.

Why is the Rio Tinto share price on watch?

Investors may want to keep an eye on the Rio Tinto share price tomorrow following the release of an update on its Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) operation in South Africa.

South Africa has been battling riots this month following the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry.

According to today’s update, the RBM operation has been forced to shut one of its four furnaces due to the depletion of available feedstock at the plant. The company advised that this is the result of mining operations being halted following an escalation in the security situation at the operations which significantly hampered the mine’s ability to operate safely.

The four furnaces at RBM are dependent on a stockpile of feedstock, which is being steadily depleted. However, the decision to shut one furnace will reduce the call on the stockpile and limit the long-term impacts of a shutdown on the RBM’s furnaces.

Nevertheless, management notes that it declared Force Majeure on its customer contracts at RBM on 30 June 2021.

“Major impact”

Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive of Minerals, Sinead Kaufman, said: “Shutting a furnace has a major impact on the business and broader community and it not a decision we have taken lightly.”

“However, we will not put production ahead of the safety of our people and there are still fundamental criteria that must be met before we can resume operations in a sustainable manner.”

“We continue to work with national and provincial governments as well as community structures to find a lasting solution to the current situation so that operations can resume as soon as it is possible to safely do so,” she added.

What’s next?

The release explains that RBM will regularly reassess the situation to make further decisions on any potential restart or the shutting of the other furnaces. This will depend on when the safety and security position improves.

Until then, all operations at RBM remain halted until further notice.

The post Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price on watch following South Africa update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The 2 best shares to hang your hat on: fund managers
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX shakes off lockdowns to rise higher
• Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price on watch after broker upgrade
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

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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ASX real estate shares with a dominant focus on providing office space have weathered the past week well. Surprisingly well, some might say.

COVID-19 cases continue to rise across much of Australia, with New South Wales reporting 110 new infections today.

The new wave of the pandemic has now sent more than half of Australia’s population into lockdown. Including my own home state of South Australia. That hasn’t impacted my own work life much, as I’ve long worked from a home office.

But many thousands of others across Australia have been barred from returning to their office space until further notice. We’ll look at how that’s impacted the price of 4 office focused ASX real estate shares below.

But first…

COVID spreading at work

As msn.com reports, almost 10% of New South Wales COVID cases in the new outbreak (15 June through to 19 July) caught the virus at their work place.

According to NSW health authorities, 123 people have contracted COVID at work:

[A] spokesperson for NSW Health said it was “expected there will be additional direct workplace transmission events reported from within the cases in the outbreak to date.”

“Workplaces are a key setting where people are exposed to others outside their households, often for prolonged periods, and can transmit the virus.”

And this, from the Australian Financial Review:

NSW authorities are pleading with employers to allow workers to work from home… Employers were warned new $10,000 fines for forcing people into the office would come into effect from Wednesday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that, “The two biggest risks to getting or transmitting COVID are workplaces or the household. We cannot stress that enough.”

Now that’s not all office space we’re talking about here. Some of the infected workers are undoubtedly employed in other work settings deemed essential, such as grocery stores, servos and medical facilities.

But still, office focused ASX real estate shares have held up remarkably well in the face of new lockdowns.

How have these ASX real estate shares performed?

For the purposes of this article, we’ll look at 4 ASX real estate shares with a strong focus on the office market. Namely:

• Centuria Office REIT (ASX: COF) is an Australia based pure play office real estate investment trust (REIT).
• Dexus Property Group (ASX: DXS) makes much of its earnings from rental income received from its directly-owned Australian property portfolio. That portfolio is weighted towards the CBD office markets along the eastern seaboard.
• Australian Unity Office Fund (ASX: AOF) invests in Australian office property and related assets.
• Victory Offices Ltd (ASX: VOL) provides serviced office packages and co-working spaces.

And as a benchmark we’ll use the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

Over the past month the All Ords is down 0.02% and the index has lost 0.64% over the past 5 trading days.

So how have our ASX real estate shares held up in comparison?

The Centuria Office REIT share price has gained 5.56% over the past month and it’s down 0.80% over the past 5 days. That handily beats the All Ords over the month and is closely aligned for the 5 days.

The Dexus share price is down 4.33% over the month, but it’s up 1.99% in the last 5 trading days. So below the benchmark over the month, but beating it in 5 days.

The Australian Unity Office share price trails the All Ords in both timeframes, down 7.14% over the past month and down 1.27% over the last 5 days.

Lastly, the Victory Offices share price, while down 5.56% over the last month, is up 6.25% in the past 5 days.

Foolish takeaway

Though the results are mixed, clearly these office focused ASX real estate shares haven’t taken a beating from new stay at home orders sweeping Australia.

That could be because all 4 of the above ASX real estate shares are still trading well below their 21 February 2020 levels, the day the viral market meltdown commenced.

The Centuria share price remains down 24% since then, the Dexus share price is down 21%, the Australian Unity Office share price is down 22%, and the Victory Offices share price is down a painful 88%.

Perhaps after the panic selling in February and March 2020, investors are now looking beyond the renewed short and possible mid-term setbacks of rolling lockdowns to the eventual return of office work and the long-term potential value of these ASX real estate shares’ underlying assets.

The post Office focused ASX real estate shares appear unfazed by new COVID wave appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Dexus (ASX:DXS) share price dips despite positive update

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 Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price has gained 2.23% since the beginning of this week, despite no price sensitive news being released by the company.

However, Woolworths has announced it’s providing $4 million of funding to small business accelerator Seedlab Australia. Seedlab will help small producers grow their businesses to get ready for retail distribution.

The Woolworths share price finished today’s session trading for $38.93. That’s 1.12% higher than its previous close and its highest closing price of all time.

Let’s take a closer look at the latest news from Woolworths.

Woolworths funds small business

On Monday, Woolworths announced that it will be supporting 700 small businesses over the next 2 years.

The news didn’t noticeably affect the Woolworths share price.

Seedlab will focus on start-ups making products in high-growth categories. These categories include artisan foods, health and wellness products, and sustainable products.

Seedlab’s founder Dr Hazel MacTavish-West commented on the injection of $4 million:

We’re thrilled to partner with Woolworths to launch Seedlab Australia and support emerging businesses with the knowledge they need to build distribution and reach their goals. 

It’s wonderful to see Australia’s largest supermarket invest in the industry pipeline to create opportunities for Australian food and drink businesses through our program.

Woolworths’ director of buying Paul Harker also commented:

Investing in small businesses is crucial to a thriving Australian food and manufacturing industry…

Seedlab Australia will support pioneering businesses to grow and navigate what it takes to be retail ready and help us bring innovative new locally-made products to our customers. 

Seedlab’s support will come at no cost to small businesses. It will offer owners live and online learning, advice, and chances to network.

Woolworths share price snapshot

This week’s gains have added to the solid performance of the Woolworths share price.

Shares in Woolworths have gained 12% year to date. They have also gained 12.4% since this time last year.

The post Woolworths (ASX:WOW) share price rises amid $4m start-up support appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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 Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL) share price has been a strong performer over the last couple of weeks.

During this time, the health supplements company’s shares have gained 9%.

Can the Blackmores share price go higher?

Unfortunately, one leading broker doesn’t believe the Blackmores share price can go higher. In fact, the broker believes its shares are severely overvalued at the current level.

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have retained their sell rating and $55.50 price target on its shares.

Based on the current Blackmores share price of $76.94, this implies potential downside of 28% over the next 12 months.

What did Citi say?

Citi is bearish on Blackmores due to its belief that its key ANZ business will underperform over the medium term.

This is due partly to elevated competition, a softer than expected recovery in the pharmacy channel, a subdued flu season, and delays with the vaccine rollout. Citi also has concerns over supply chain issues and a direct to consumer (DTC) focus.

Citi commented: “We see ANZ, which we estimate represents over half of Blackmores FY21e EBIT, continuing to underperform over the short to medium term. Our concerns are i) competition remains elevated, ii) the pharmacy channel could take longer to recover due to a slower than expected vaccination program, iii) the CY21 cold and flu season could remain subdued due to Covid restrictions and health concerns limiting social interactions, iv) supply chain pressures may be leading to out-of-stocks and v) increasing focus on digital and DTC could increase channel conflict.”

Is anyone more positive?

One broker that is a touch more positive is Credit Suisse. It currently has a neutral rating and $77.00 price target on its shares. This is broadly in line with where the Blackmores share price trades today.

Though, Credit Suisse acknowledges that recent takeover speculation means there is upside risk to its price target.

The post The Blackmores (ASX:BKL) share price is up 9% in two weeks: Can it go higher? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 midday update: Afterpay & Zip sink, Orocobre rises on broker upgrade

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 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 Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price has added 1.68% on Wednesday to $14.55, near to breakeven for the week.

The resurgence of COVID-19 cases and emerging Delta variant, both in Australia and globally, has weighed in on sentiment for airline and travel shares this week.

A sharp sell-off on Monday night saw high-profile American airline shares such as Boeing, United Airlines and American Airlines slide between 4% and 5.5%.

This led to the Flight Centre share price briefly sliding to a six-month low of $14.13 on Tuesday.

Many states, including Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, have imposed various lockdown measures. So what’s going with the Flight Centre share price?

A light at the end of the tunnel?

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released its July monetary policy meeting minutes on Tuesday, with the board saying:

As vaccinations had increased and hospitalisations remained at low levels, population mobility had recovered considerably in many countries, including in the North Atlantic, where stringent restrictions that had been in place earlier in the year had been relaxed.

This relaxation of containment measures had expanded opportunities for the consumption of discretionary services, including contact-intensive activities such as dining out and domestic air travel. There had been a tentative restart to international tourism in some countries, particularly within Europe.

The RBA noted that the “Australian economy was transitioning from recovery to expansion”. This is despite many major cities entering lockdown in the last week or two.

“As observed following earlier lockdowns, spending was expected to rebound when containment measures were eased.”

Flight Centre share price struggles to hold intraday highs

The Flight Centre share price was 3.21% higher around lunch time, hitting an intraday high of $14.79.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t hold onto these gains, closing 1.68% higher at $14.55.

Interestingly, the US Global Jets exchange-traded fund (ETF) rallied 5.05% on Tuesday night.

The ETF is an index of global companies including airlines, manufacturers, airports and terminal services.

The ETF has a small allocation (1.85%) in ASX-listed air travel shares.

The post The Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price is up today, despite lockdowns appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• What happened on the US stock market overnight and how could it impact ASX shares?
• Here’s why the Flight Centre (ASX: FLT) share price is down 5% in the last week
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• Fund manager sees Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price as ‘golden’ opportunity
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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 recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Lithium Australia NL (ASX: LIT) share price advanced today following the company’s admission into the Global Battery Alliance.

At market close, the Lithium Australia shares price is fetching for 12 cents, up 6.36%. In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is sitting at 7,595 points, 0.9% higher.

Lithium Australia enters Global Battery Alliance club

Investors are driving Lithium Australia shares higher after the company announced it has advanced its ESG strategy. The term ESG refers to the environmental, social & corporate governance (ESG) which sets a standard for a company’s operations.

In today’s statement to the ASX, Lithium Australia advised it has joined the Global Battery Alliance. This brings together leading entities in the battery value chain such as manufacturers, governments, international organisations, NGO’s and academics. All of which are committed to actively reducing emissions, and providing sustainable development for lithium batteries.

Lithium Australia will directly benefit from becoming a member, as it aims to achieve its own ESG objectives. This includes accelerating the deployment of batteries worldwide while lowering the environmental impact and negating barriers to a circular battery economy.

Becoming a start-up member of Global Battery Alliance allows participation in group meetings and engaging in specific workstreams.

The organisation notes, “By 2030, batteries could enable 30% of the required reductions in carbon emissions in the transport and power sectors and provide 600 million people with access to electricity, as well as create 10 million safe and sustainable jobs around the world. To realise this potential, the battery value chain will have to expand by 19 times over the next decade.”

“Action is needed in the supply chain to establish sustainable market conditions and accelerate battery deployment in support of this vision.”

Management commentary

Lithium Australia managing director, Adrian Griffin commented:

The Company’s admission to the GBA is testament to the ESG values upon which it has built its business model. Both the Company and the GBA have a core objective: that of creating an ethical, sustainable and circular battery economy.

Pleasingly, Lithium Australia owns 90% of Envirostream Australia, which is the country’s only mixed-battery recycler. The subsidiary will benefit directly from the membership, having access to experts and major industry participants in battery recycling globally.

In addition, Lithium Australia’s 100% owned VSPC will also gain an advantage as a producer of advanced cathode powders for lithium-ion batteries.

About the Lithium Australia share price

Over the last 12 months, Lithium Australia shares have jumped by more than 120%, and are up almost 80% year-to-date. The Lithium Australia share price has moved sideways since March 2021, however.

Lithium Australia presides a market capitalisation of roughly $107 million, with approximately 911 million shares on its registry.

The post Lithium Australia (ASX:LIT) share price powers 6% on new membership appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Lithium Australia (ASX:LIT) share price gains 9% on cathode powder win
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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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 Peak Resources Ltd. (ASX: PEK) share price was placed in a trading halt at the commencement of trade today.

Prior to the announcement, Peak shares finished yesterday 2% in the red from the previous close at 9.1 cents.

Let’s take a look at what the announcement entails.

A quick recall on Peak Resources

Peak Resources is in the business of exploration and evaluation of mineral licences.

Its primary focus is on the production of rare earth elements. These are used in the production of low-carbon technology, like electric vehicles and wind turbines.

Peak’s focus on rare earths is concentrated in a project located in southern Tanzania.

At the time of writing, Peak has a market capitalisation of $148 million.

What did Peak announce today?

ASX Ltd confirmed Peak’s request for a trading halt in an announcement this morning. It stated:

Unless the ASX decides otherwise, the [Peak Resources] securities will remain in trading halt until the earlier of the commencement of normal trading on Friday, 23 July 2021, or when the announcement is released to the market”.

Peak stated its request for the trading halt stems from an update on the special mining licence at its Ngualla Rare Earth project in Tanzania.

The Ngualla project is based on one of the largest and highest grade undeveloped neodymium praseodymium (NdPr) deposits in the world.

Peak has held ongoing discussions with the Tanzanian Minister for minerals as to the progress of its special mining application over the past 18 months.

From the release, investors can expect movement in this story over the next two days.

Regarding the project, Peak Resources managing director, Bardin Davis stated in a report from Mining Technology on 14 July:

It [Ngualla] has ore reserves with a grade of 4.8% that support an initial mine life of 26 years. The intention is to produce a high grade concentrate at Ngualla with a rare earth oxide grade of around 45%, which will then be shipped to our Teesside Rare Earth Refinery in the UK.

Today’s pause marks the fourth trading halt for the company in the last 18 months. At least two of these halts are directly related to developments in the Ngualla story.

As mentioned by ASX, investors can expect the halt to remain until this Friday at the latest.

Peak Resources share price snapshot

The Peak Resources share price has posted a year to date return of 36%, extending the previous 12 month’s return of 314%.

These returns have outpaced the S&P / ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)’s return of ~20% over the previous year.

The post Why is the Peak Resources (ASX:PEK) share price halted today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• What a Wednesday! Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) share price hits new all-time high
• Here are 3 top trading ASX 200 shares this Wednesday
• Why Altium, Beach, Domino’s, & Piedmont Lithium are tumbling lower
• Should you buy BHP (ASX:BHP) shares for its dividend in July?
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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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having a great day so far this Wednesday. The ASX 200 is currently up a hefty 0.9% to 7,317 points. Happy hump day! One ASX 200 blue chip share is doing even better though. That would be the giant industrial conglomerate Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES). At the time of writing, the Wesfarmers share price is up a very healthy 2.66% to $61.47 a share.

But wait, there’s more. Earlier today, Wesfarmers managed to hit $61.70 a share. That’s a new 52-week, and all-time high for the company.

Wesfarmers shares are now up 19.65% year to date in 2021 so far, as well as 31.4% over the past 12 months.

What a Wednesday for Wesfarmers!

So why are Wesfarmers shares trading so well today? Well, it isn’t to do with anything that’s come out from the company itself. But there have been a number of recent developments that may be fuelling this fire.

Lithium is hot property on the ASX at the present time. Lithium shares like Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) have had an incredible year of performance. But Wesfarmers has exposure to this space too. Last Friday, it announced that it had received ministerial approval for its Mt Holland lithium project, the last major impediment to the project coming online. This is one reason which might be feeding into Wesfarmers shares today.

Investors also seem to be charmed by the recent announcement that Wesfarmers is attempting to acquire Priceline Pharmacy-owner Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API). Since that announcement on 12 July, Wesfarmers shares are up almost 6%.

Finally, the recent expansion of COVID-induced lockdowns across the country has concentrated attention back on both ‘pandemic winners’ and ‘pandemic losers’. Wesfarmers managed to put itself firmly in the former basket last year, when its Officeworks and Bunnings retail chains experienced strong sales growth during lockdowns. It’s possible investors are remembering this fact, now that lockdowns are unfortunately back with us.

It’s possible that a combination of these factors is what has pushed the Wesfarmers share price to its new all-time high today.

Are Wesfarmers shares still buy at all-time highs?

Wesfarmers is well regarded in the ASX community for its decades of impressive performance. But will the good times continue to roll at these new share price heights?

One broker who doesn’t think there’s too much upside left in the tank is Citi. As my Fool colleague James revealed earlier this week, Citi currently has a ‘sell’ rating on Wesfarmers shares, with a 12-month share price target of $45 a share. He revealed that Citi was pretty blasé about the API acquisition, and expects Wesfarmers will need to continue to make acquisitions to “boost its post-pandemic growth”.

The post What a Wednesday! Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) share price hits new all-time high appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Lockdowns hurt, ASX falls, Wesfarmers climbs, and the Aussie set to fall? Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News
• Why the Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) share price just hit a new all-time high
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX shakes off lockdowns to rise higher
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell next week
• Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) share price not hampered by news of class action

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 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having a top day on the markets today. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is up a healthy 0.95% to 7,320 points. But let’s dig into some of the top trading ASX 200 shares today in terms of trading volume.

3 top trading ASX 200 shares on Wednesday

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

Zip Co is our first ASX 200 share to check out today. So far this Wednesday, 8.25 million Zip shares have traded hands. That’s despite no official major news or announcements out of the company today.

Saying that, the Zip share price is currently up a market-beating 2.63% today to $7.60 a share. We have also seen some volatility in the Zip share price with a high of $7.59 and a low of $7.41 just today. It’s probably a combination of these factors that have resulted in such a large trading volume for Zip shares.

Boral Limited (ASX: BLD)

ASX 200 construction materials company Boral is another share that’s moving around the market this Wednesday. So far today, 16.45 million Boral shares have swapped hands.

Again, there has been no major news or announcements. But Boral has been recently embroiled in a takeover saga with Seven Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: SVW). Seven has now amassed more than 50% of all Boral shares, so this might still be adding to trading volumes today.

Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH)

ASX energy share Oil Search is once again the most traded ASX 200 share on the markets today, with a substantial 17.26 million shares finding new homes. After rising around 6% yesterday, Oil Search is up another 3.85% today.

This is probably an ongoing response to the revelation yesterday that fellow energy company Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) has proposed a merger between the two companies. This would see Oil Search shareholders receive 0.589 in Santos shares for every Oil Search share held.

Oil Search rejected this advancement but with all of these impressive gains, perhaps investors seem to think more offers right be coming their way.

The post Here are 3 top trading ASX 200 shares this Wednesday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Top broker delivers verdict on Santos (ASX:STO) merger with Oil Search (ASX:OSH)
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• Why Credit Corp, Oil Search, Pilbara Minerals, & PointsBet are charging higher
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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. owns shares of and has recommended 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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