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The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price has gone up more than 50% over the last year.

Indeed, it has actually risen by 51.5% over that 12 month period.

It has substantially outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over that same timeframe. The ASX 200 has gone up by around 23% in the last 12 months.

Recent results

Last year, at the end of October 2020, the big four ASX bank announced a FY20 result that was heavily impacted by the effects of COVID-19 on the economy.

ANZ reported statutory profit after tax of $3.58 billion, down 40%. Continuing cash profit was down 42% to $3.76 billion.

The big bank said in that FY20 reported that its total provision charge was up 244% to $2.74 billion.

ANZ’s board decided to reduce the annual dividend by $1 per share to $0.60 per share.

At the time, the big bank said that it wasn’t going to wait for the next event to happen. ANZ said it was well placed to respond to the opportunities that were emerging as a result of accelerated structural shifts in the economy.

The ANZ share price has risen 45% since the release of the full year result.

But the latest result was actually the FY21 half-year result.

ANZ compared the first half of FY21 against the last six months of FY20. Statutory profit after tax rose 45% to $2.94 billion, whilst continuing cash profit increased 28% to $2.99 billion. However, profit before credit impairment, tax and significant items dropped 4%.

The HY21 result saw a total provision net release of $491 million. Despite ongoing uncertainty, the collective provision release is a result of the improving economic outlook over the course of the half, as well as some loan volume reductions. The bank explained that home loan and small business customers have behaved prudently by building savings buffers through the half.

The major bank doubled its half-year dividend to $0.70 per share.

ANZ CEO Shayne Elliot said:

ANZ is in a strong position both financially and operationally. We are well capitalised and our disciplined approach to costs over many years has us well placed to invest in opportunities to grow our business in targeted segments. The work to digitise core processes and platforms at pace and this will be more visible to customers towards the end of the year.

Is the ANZ share price worth looking at?

One of the latest broker ratings on ANZ shares came from Morgans. It has a price target of $34.50, which suggests a potential rise of the share price of more than 20% over the next 12 months (if Morgans is right).

The broker thinks that ANZ is good value with a good balance sheet and improving costs.

Morgans thinks that ANZ shares are priced at 11x FY22’s estimated earnings with a projected FY22 grossed-up dividend yield of 8.4%.

The post It has been a big past year for the ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• These 3 ASX 200 shares were the most heavily traded today
• ASX 200 drops, Audinate booms, Humm falls
• The ASX shares with the most to lose from a delayed COVID reopening
• ASX 200 midday update: Afterpay & CBA sink, Viva Energy jumps

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

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was out of form last week and ended the period 35.3 points or 0.5% lower at 7,273.3 points.

Although a good number of shares dropped lower last week, some managed to defy the odds and push higher. Here’s why these were the best performing ASX 200 shares over the five days:

Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD)

The Sydney Airport share price was the best performer on the ASX 200 last week with a 33% gain. The airport operator’s shares took off early in the week after it received an $8.25 cash per share takeover offer from a consortium of infrastructure investors. This offer represents a 42% premium to its last close price at the time. Sydney Airport continues to assess the offer but notes that it has been made during a global pandemic, which has deeply affected the aviation industry and the Sydney Airport share price.

Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG)

The Resolute Mining share price was some way behind as the next best performer with a gain of 13.9%. This was despite there being no news out of the gold miner and it being a relatively subdued week for the rest of the gold industry. Though, with its shares down by around 50% since this time last year, some investors may believe they were in the bargain bin.

Perenti Global Ltd (ASX: PRN)

The Perenti Global share price was on form and charged 13.2% higher last week. This follows a couple of positive announcements last week for the engineering company. One of those was that its Barminco business has finalised a $280 million four-year contract with Panoramic Resources Limited (ASX: PAN). The contract is for development and production works at the Savannah Nickel Project in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

The A2 Milk share price was back on form and jumped 10.4% over the five days. Last week the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office issued its consent to the infant formula company’s proposed acquisition of a 75% interest in Mataura Valley Milk. Management expects the acquisition of the dairy nutrition business to provide A2 Milk with the opportunity to participate in nutritional products manufacturing and give it supplier and geographic diversification. It also expects the deal to strengthen its relationship with key partners in China.

The post These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These 3 ASX 200 shares were the most heavily traded today
• ASX 200 drops, Audinate booms, Humm falls
• The ASX shares with the most to lose from a delayed COVID reopening
• Here’s why the Perenti (ASX:PRN) share price is travelling higher today
• Why A2 Milk and Bega shares are looking so tasty now: analyst

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 recommended A2 Milk. 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 delivered some outsized returns to patient shareholders over the 2021 financial year (FY21). At least, these top 5 ASX real estate shares certainly did.

From 1 July 2020 through to 30 June 2021 the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) gained 25%.

The index is unlikely to achieve that kind of performance during ordinary times. But these pandemic days are far from ordinary, with shares rebounding from their early 2020 viral selloff through much of FY21.

So too, we witnessed with the best performing ASX real estate shares. They continued their strong recovery through the financial year just past, far outpacing the returns from the All Ords.

So, without further ado…

Sunland Group Limited (ASX: SDG)

Topping the list of best performing ASX real estate shares in FY21 is Sunland Group. Over the financial year, the Sunland share price soared 109.4%, more than 4 times the gains delivered by the All Ords.

20 October was a standout day for Sunland. After the company reported it intended to sell some of its non-core assets and return the proceeds to shareholders, the Sunland share price closed the day up a phenomenal 47%.

Headquartered in Queensland, the property development and construction group listed on the ASX in February 1995.

Sunland closed the financial year trading at $2.45. With some 136.9 million shares, that gave Sunland a market cap of $319.8 million. The company (at current prices) pays a 6.3% dividend yield, 100% franked.

Home Consortium Ltd (ASX: HMC)

The second best performing ASX real estate share on the All Ords is Home Consortium, with a share price gain of 81.3% in FY21.

The internally managed property group is focused on ownership, development and management.

Shareholders have been rewarded by some strategic acquisitions over the year. That includes $133 million of new real estate assets acquired in May to help launch HealthCo, its pending real estate investment trust (REIT).

Home Consortium closed FY21 trading at $5.44 per share. With just over 290 million shares outstanding, that gave it a market cap of $1.6 billion. The REIT pays a dividend yield of 2.4%, fully franked.

Lifestyle Communities Limited (ASX: LIC)

Making the list at number 3 is Lifestyle Communities, with shares closing the financial year up 69.7%.

As the name suggests, the company develops and manages independent living communities for senior citizens. It’s also involved in lifestyle homes with sports and entertainment facilities.

Lifestyle Communities had been trading on the ASX since December 1998. It finished FY21 at $5.61 per share, giving it a market cap of $1.6 billion. The company pays a slender dividend of 0.4%, 100% franked.

Arena REIT (ASX: ARF)

Moving on to the fourth best performing ASX real estate share in the financial year just past, we have Arena REIT. Arena’s share price gained 62.2% over the 12 months.

The REIT listed on the ASX in June 2013 and mostly invests in childcare, healthcare and government tenanted properties.

Arena closed the year at $3.60 per share. With roughly 343.6 million shares outstanding, that gave it a market cap of $1.3 billion.

Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI)

Rounding off the list of top ASX real estate shares to hold in FY21 is Centuria Capital, with a share price gain of 57.5%.

The real estate funds manager has $16.8 billion of assets under management spanning the office, industrial and healthcare sectors across Australia and New Zealand. Commencing next week, on 16 July, Centuria will be included in the ASX 200.

Centuria closed the year at $2.76 per share, with a market cap of $2.3 billion. The company pays a 3.5% dividend yield, 38% franked.

The post The 5 best ASX real estate shares of the 2021 financial year unmasked appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why the Centuria (ASX:CNI) share price is pushing higher today
• 2 excellent ASX shares that could be buys for a retirement portfolio
• The Centuria Capital (ASX:CNI) share price reaches new all-time high
• Why AVITA, Cettire, Lifestyle Communities, & SEEK are storming higher
• These ASX insiders are buying up more shares in their companies

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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Looking for a blue chip ASX 200 share or two for your portfolio? Listed below are three that have been given buy ratings recently.

Here’s what you need to know about them:

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)

The first blue chip ASX 200 share to look at is Goodman Group. It is a leading integrated commercial and industrial property company with a portfolio of warehouses, large scale logistics facilities, and business and office parks. Management notes that it continues to experience strong demand for its properties, which is being driven by increased intensification of use, long-term supply chain requirements, tight supply in urban infill locations and the quality of its assets. In addition, the company has $9.6 billion of development work in progress, which are expected to underpin further solid income growth over the coming years.

Morgan Stanley is a fan of Goodman. It recently put an overweight rating and $23.00 price target on its shares.

REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

Another blue chip ASX 200 share to consider is REA. It is the leading player in real estate listings in the Australian market. This puts it in a fantastic position to benefit from the current housing market boom. In addition to this, cost cutting, new revenue streams, price increases, and acquisitions look set to give its sales and earnings a boost. The latter includes the recent acquisition of Mortgage Choice, which is expected to allow REA Group to capture a slice of the mortgage broking market in the coming years.

Goldman Sachs is very bullish on REA Group. It recent retained its buy rating and lifted its price target to a lofty $198.00.

SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK)

SEEK could be a blue chip ASX 200 share to consider. Over the last decade the job listings giant has carved out a dominant position in the ANZ market. So much so, it has a significant lead over its nearest rival, putting it in a great position to benefit from Australia’s strong economic recovery from the pandemic.

Macquarie recently upgraded the company’s shares to an outperform rating with a $40.00 price target. With unemployment levels tipped to reduce materially over the next few years, it expects job ad volumes to rise strongly.

The post 3 blue chip ASX 200 shares named as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why Zip (ASX:Z1P) and this ASX growth share could be buys
• Top broker tips REA Group (ASX:REA) share price to hit $198
• 3 blue chip shares that smashed the ASX 200 index in FY21
• ASX 200 drops, Zip rises, Cettire up
• Why the SEEK (ASX:SEK) share price just hit a record high

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of SEEK 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 recommended REA Group Limited and SEEK 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) looks set to end the trading week on a decidedly low note. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is down a very hefty 1.22% to 7,252 points.

But rather than dwell on that depressing note, let’s instead check out some of the ASX 200 shares that were being the most heavily traded on the share market today:

3 of the most heavily traded ASX 200 shares today

Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV)

One of the ASX 200’s newest companies, Endeavour is certainly making some waves with its trading volume today. At the time of writing, a relatively large 17.59 million Endeavour shares have swapped hands so far.

That’s despite no major news or announcements out of Endeavour this Friday, and a relatively flat share price performance. Currently, the Endeavour share price is dead flat, sitting at $6.23 a share. In saying that, Endeavour has managed to largely avoid the market malaise of the broader ASX 200. So perhaps that is spurring trading volumes today.

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Telstra is another ASX 200 share that is making moves today. So far, a substantial 17.10 million Telstra shares have changed owners today. Much like Endeavour, the Telstra share price is also dead flat at the time of writing, sitting at $3.75 a share. There is also no major news or announcements from this telco. Telstra is a large company by market capitalisation, but one with a relatively low share price. This tends to support high trading volumes on average.

It’s also worth noting that the Telstra share price did dip during intra-day trading, falling as low as $3.70 (more than 1%) before recovering back to its current level. Perhaps it’s this movement that has accentuated Telstra’s trading volumes.

Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF)

Challenger is our ASX 200 winner today in terms of trading volume, with 17.61 million Challenger shares having found a new home so far this Friday.

On Wednesday, we saw the Challenger share price jump a massive 14% on news that a couple of US companies have banded together to acquire a 15% stake in the company.

Over yesterday and today, we have seen the company retreat from the high point it reached early on Wednesday trading, including a 2.2% drop so far today. It’s probably these events that are still fuelling higher than average trading volumes of this ASX 200 annuities provider.

The post These 3 ASX 200 shares were the most heavily traded today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 drops, Audinate booms, Humm falls
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• ASX 200 midday update: Afterpay & CBA sink, Viva Energy jumps
• The Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price is now up 24% so far in 2021
• Can the ASX 200 hit 8,000 points by the end of the year?

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Challenger Limited and Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL) share price is in free fall today. At the close of trade, shares in the US-based Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider ended at $8.96 – down 8.38%. It’s not the only tech-focused company having a rough day on the market.

Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) is down 5% and Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) is 3.1% lower. The S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) lost 2.38% of its value over the day. In fact, the entire market wasn’t so hot today. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended the day down 0.93%.

Let’s take a closer look.

Why Sezzle was a fizzle

Australian markets tend to follow on from developments in the US. As Motley Fool’s own Scott Phillip’s says “When America sneezes, Australia catches a cold.”

As you can gather, shares in America fell overnight. By close of trade, the tech heavy NASDAQ Composite fell 0.72%. Not as steep as our tech sectors fall, to be sure.

The Sezzle share price has been quite volatile over the last month. It’s reached a high of $9.59 and a low of $8.01 in that time. A 20% range in a very short space of time.

Sezzle share price snapshot

While Sezzle shares are in the red today, they’ve been in the green since the beginning of the year – and greatly so. Its shares are up 43% since the first trading day of this year, an impressive return on investment.

Sezzle has a market capitalisation of $928 million.

The post The Sezzle (ASX:SZL) share price plummeted 8% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Got Sezzle (ASX:SZL) shares? What’s in store for FY22?
• Here are the top 3 performing ASX BNPL shares of FY21 – and they’re not Afterpay
• Sezzle (ASX:SZL) share price jumps 5.2% during intraday trade
• BNPL provider Sezzle (ASX:SZL) partners with US media giant
• The Sezzle (ASX:SZL) share price has lifted 15% this week

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Sezzle Inc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sezzle Inc. 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 Silk Logistics Ltd (ASX: SLH) share price has shot up 25% in afternoon trading, after successfully completing its initial public offering (IPO) at a valuation of just over $181 million.

Silk Logistics shares were exchanging hands at $2.50 apiece at the close of trade today. Let’s take a quick look at what went down in today’s session.

Who is Silk Logistics?

Formed in 2014, Silk Logistics is a Melbourne-based company operating in the domain of supply chains.

The company aims to align itself with recession-resistant sectors, such as specialised retail, light industrial, or food.

In its prospectus, the company says its business model is based on the concept of ‘port to door’.

This involves collecting goods from a shipping port on behalf of the customer and distributing these to any specified location from its own central warehouses.

Silk’s value proposition, however, is its technology that tracks a delivery through a “single visibility layer”, permitting several freight streams to a single hauler, and reducing errors.

From its website, the company states:

SCL provides three distinct services across two primary divisions: our Port Logistics division provides wharf cartage services, whilst our Contract Logistics Division offers warehousing and distribution services. SCL’s long-standing blue-chip customer base spans several key industries, including FMCG, light industrial, food, specialised retail, and containerised agriculture. 

What happened to Silk’s share price after IPO?

An IPO is much like the new and used car markets. First, shares are first sold on the primary market (the new car) and then afterwards are sold to investors on the secondary market (used car market).

The company’s shares were initially priced at $2 per share in the primary market.

From the IPO, the company successfully raised $70 million dollars, and its shares entered the secondary market just after 12pm at a price of $2.20 per share.

Immediately following, the Silk Logistics share price soared to an intraday high of $2.49 in afternoon trading.

Foolish takeaway

Silk Logistics completed its IPO today, meaning it is now listed on the ASX as a publicly-traded company.

At the current market price, the company has a market capitalisation of $189.4 million.

The post Silk Logistics (ASX:SLH) share price surges 25% after IPO appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 drops, Audinate booms, Humm falls
• These 5 ASX lithium shares energised investor portfolios in FY21
• The ASX shares with the most to lose from a delayed COVID reopening
• Here are 4 reasons why the Vanguard Australian Shares Index EFT (ASX:VAS) is the most popular ASX ETF
• Myer (ASX:MYR) share price jumps 7% as investor calls its lawyers

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) fell by around 0.9% today to 7,273 points.

Here are some of the highlights from the ASX:

Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8)

The Audinate share price went up around 6.7% today after the business released a trading update.

Audinate announced that it generated US$25 million of revenue in FY21, up 23% from the US$20.4 million in FY20.

The company said that there was a strong finish to the year with the final quarter up 74% on the last quarter of FY20. In Australian dollar terms, FY21 saw $33.4 million of revenue, up from $30.3 million in the prior year.

Audinate also said there are uncertainties in the global supply of chips and electronic components continues to be a near-term risk for both Audiante and its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers. The business said it continued to meet customer demand for chips and modules over the past few months despite the minor impacts from a COVID-related shut-down of its contractor’s plant in Malaysia and some under-delivery of raw material from suppliers.

The company explained that increasing component lead times and requests by chip manufacturers for demand visibility for up to 12 months out have resulted in a record backlog of committed sales orders for FY22.

Audinate co-founder and CEO Aidan Williams said:

The recent launch of the first Dante video products manufactured by our customers was another substantial milestone and market feedback has been encouraging.

The business said that the Dante video products have been met with a positive initial response from customers.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price fell around 3% today.

Humm announced that it has potential historic exposure to Forum Finance through the decommissioned FlexiGroup managed services business.

The business explained that between 2016 and 2018, FlexiGroup’s decommissioned managed services business provided equipment finance to a number of vendor programs in the Australian market.

After recent investigations into Forum Finance Pty Ltd, Humm Group said it has done a review of historical records within the FlexiGroup managed services division, which was decommissioned in 2018.

Records indicate that the FlexiGroup managed services division generated business linked to Forum Finance between 2016 and 2018.

However, following the shutdown of FlexiGroup managed services, the majority of these assets were sold to a third party and transferred off the Humm Group balance sheet in 2018.

At this stage, it has not confirmed if the assets are fraudulent, but simply that they are associated with Forum Finance. Investigations are ongoing.

After an initial review, Humm has estimated that the maximum historical exposure to Forum Finance including receivables on-sold to be $12 after tax.

Abacus Property Group (ASX: ABP)

ASX 200 property business Abacus announced that it has seen valuation gains across its investment portfolio. The Abacus share price went up 0.3%. 

It said that 40 of its investment properties, or 34% of the group’s portfolio by number, have been valued externally as at 30 June 2021.

The ASX 200 share’s preliminary valuations have resulted in a total estimated increase of $140 million, being a 4.5% increase.

These valuations are expected to increase the pro forma net tangible assets (NTA) by around $0.17 per security to $3.43, an increase of 5.2% on the 31 December 2020 NTA.

Self storage saw the largest change in valuation, with a 10% increase in valuation.

The post ASX 200 drops, Audinate booms, Humm falls appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The ASX shares with the most to lose from a delayed COVID reopening
• Why Humm, Premier Investments, Western Areas, & Zip shares are sinking
• Why Althea, Audinate, Perenti, & Viva Energy shares are pushing higher
• ASX 200 midday update: Afterpay & CBA sink, Viva Energy jumps
• Why the Humm (ASX:HUM) share price is falling on Friday

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AUDINATEGL FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AUDINATEGL FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Humm 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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As electric vehicle (EV) sales continue to grow across the globe, the demand for lithium proceeds to expand. Correspondingly, ASX-listed lithium shares have benefitted from the thematic, riding the wave to new heights.

We have taken the liberty of collating the best-performing lithium shares of FY21. This could shine some light on which companies are taking full advantage of the emerging green trend.

The pool of candidates is contained to constituents of the top 500 largest companies on the ASX – also known as the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

On that note, let’s pull the curtain on these highflyers.

Best performing Lithium shares of FY21

AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: AVZ)

AVZ Minerals is the first company making the list this year. It is also the smallest among the best performers, with a market capitalisation of $549 million. The company is a lithium-focused mineral explorer holding a 60% interest in the Manono Project, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In addition to rising lithium prices, the company’s shares benefitted from two notable catalysts during the financial period. The first being an operational update for the Manono Project in October last year. In the update, AVZ revealed that some of the previously classified waste rock may be reported as mineable ore. The second catalyst involved the announcement of the company’s first lithium offtake agreement.

Shares in the ASX company have since jostled around between 14 cents and 23 cents. However, that shouldn’t dampen the 196% return for AVZ Minerals shareholders during the last financial year.

Galaxy Resources Limited (ASX: GXY)

The next entrant to the top performers is Galaxy Resources. This lithium producer has operations in Western Australia, Chile, and Quebec Canada. Unlike AVZ, Galaxy is already producing lithium concentrate – selling 150,630 dry metric tonnes in its 2020 full year.

Currently, Galaxy is working towards a merger with fellow lithium producer, Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE). Both companies have agreed on the proposed $4 billion merger of equals. From there, the Supreme Court of Western Australia has made orders for Galaxy to convene a meeting for shareholders to vote on the proposal.

The Galaxy Resources share price soared 359% in FY21, putting this ASX lithium share at number 4 on the list. Yet, Macquarie thinks the returns could get even sweeter from here, with a 12-month price target of $4.70 on Galaxy.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Pilbara Minerals is Orocobre’s bigger competitor with approximately 30% more annual revenue in the 2020 calendar year.

As of December 2020, the company’s trailing 12-month revenue was $105.5 million, an increase of 59.4% from December 2019. Additionally, the company’s strategy and outlook announcement on 11 May showed plans to further increase production. In January, Pilbara Minerals reported record shipments of spodumene concentrate during the December quarter, setting the pace for 2021.

Notching up an incredible year, the Pilbara Minerals share price climbed 437% in FY21.

Piedmont Lithium Inc (ASX: PLL)

Next up is an ASX-listed lithium share that is based in the United States. Piedmont is on a mission to build a United States source of lithium hydroxide to power the electric vehicle transition. Currently, the company holds ownership of its North Carolina lithium project and Sayona in Quebec.

Initially, the ignition of the Piedmont share price excitement followed the company signing a sales agreement with Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) in September 2020. Then the company took a strategic investment in Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA). However, more recently Piedmont completed a scoping study which confirmed that its Carolina Lithium will be among the world’s biggest and lowest-cost producers of lithium hydroxide.

All of these announcements culminated together to deliver our first 10 bagger on the list. That’s right, the Piedmont share price returned 1,120% during the last financial return. Count yourself lucky if you managed to hold on for those astonishing gains.

Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL)

Finally, taking out the top spot is Vulcan Energy Resource. This ASX lithium share has gone from a tiny mineral explorer trading around 50 cents a year ago to a beastly $8.41 per share. Vulcan aims to become the world’s first lithium producer with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

The company’s shares were already riding the lithium boom throughout the tail-end of 2020. However, the share price went vertical in early January. At that point of time plenty of excitement circulated around a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) for its Zero Carbon Lithium Project in the Upper Rhine Valley of Germany.

Just how big have the gains been for shareholders? Wait for it… 1,275%.

The post These 5 ASX lithium shares energised investor portfolios in FY21 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are 3 of the ASX 200’s most heavily traded shares today
• Why Magellan, Origin, Piedmont Lithium, & WiseTech Global are dropping
• Why Nanosonics, Oil Search, Opthea, & Piedmont Lithium are tumbling
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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares in Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Piedmont Lithium Inc. and Tesla. 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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Renewed jitters about COVID-19 is rocking the market but there’s one ASX share that is particularly vulnerable to any delay in the economy reopening.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) slumped 1.2%. Not a good way to end the week but investors are worried about the economic recovery.

The Delta COVID mutation is creating a fresh headwind and you only need to look at Sydney to see why.

Europe is in no better shape and that’s dashing hopes that international borders could reopen sooner rather than later.

ASX shares exposed to a delayed COVID reopening

That spells trouble for ASX travel shares like the Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price and Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price.

Even the Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD) share price fell around 1.5% at the time of writing despite a takeover bid.

But there’s one ASX share that has even more to lose from the COVID reopening delay. This is the Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price, according to Morgan Stanley.

Webjet share price most at risk

“We expect the European summer to be severely affected by Covid in FY22, pushing recovery to FY23,” said the broker.

“The lost earnings also affect a balance sheet that has already experienced several rounds of repair at the expense of significant dilution.”

Like many other ASX shares, Webjet raised emergency capital during the initial COVID-19 outbreak last year.

Massive dilution to drown the Webjet share price recovery

However, unlike many others, Webjet issued a lot of convertible notes to get cash through the door. This is coming back to haunt shareholders as noteholders convert their holdings into Webjet shares.

Morgan Stanley reckons that the conversion will dilute the share base by more than three times! This in turn limits total shareholder returns for the Webjet share price.

Good news already priced in

“WEB’s market cap is at c. pre-Covid levels with two rounds of significant convertible note dilution to come. We think a significant rebound is being priced in,” said Morgan Stanley.

“WEB’s B2B business is heavily leveraged to the Northern Hemisphere summer, for which booking activity remains severely constrained – bookings were running at one-third of break-even levels in April and early May.”

Even the lockdown of interstate travel in Australia will limit the upside for the Webjet share price, noted the broker.

Buy, sell or hold the Webjet share price?

One would have thought that Morgan Stanley would slap a “sell” recommendation on Webjet in light of these issues. This is particularly so given that the Webjet share price is well above the broker’s $4.30 a share price target.

But Morgan Stanley reiterated its “equal-weigh” rating on Webjet because its shares are so volatile. Also, the COVID reopening is more a question of “when” and not “if”.

Given how difficult it is to time these things, shareholders could be kicking themselves if they dumped the Webjet share price now.

The post The ASX shares with the most to lose from a delayed COVID reopening appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Webjet. Connect with me on Twitter @brenlau.

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 Webjet Ltd. 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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