Tag: Motley Fool

  • Cochlear (ASX:COH) share price edges higher to break 52-week record

    four excited doctors with their hands in the air

    The Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH) share price has delivered a stellar performance so far in 2021.

    Since the start of the year, the hearing solution company’s shares have continued on their upwards trajectory, gaining almost 30%.

    However, today Cochlear shares reached an important milestone, breaking a new 52-week high of $244.62.

    With no news released to the ASX today, let’s take a look at Cochlear’s most recent price-sensitive announcement.

    What’s been pushing the Cochlear share price higher?

    Investors have been buying up Cochlear shares over the last 6 months following the company’s positive February half-year results.

    For the 6-month period, Cochlear reported sales revenue of $742.8 million, down 4% against the first half of FY20’s result. While this may appear disappointing, when looking closer, surgeries recovered towards the second quarter following the easing of COVID-19 shutdowns.

    Sales revenue dropped 8% in the first quarter, but rebounded to edge 8% higher in the following 3 months (Q2 FY21). Cochlear attributed the performance to varying degrees of growth across established versus emerging international markets. The United States, Japan, South Korea, and China recorded robust sales, while India and Brazil struggled with volumes.

    On the bottom line, the company posted an underlying net profit of $125.3 million, falling 6% against a COVID-free first-half period (H1 FY20). The result was driven by a solid recovery in sales revenue and lower operating expenses due to material COVID-related savings.

    Cochlear is projecting it will achieve FY21 underlying net profit between $225 million and $245 million. This is a 46% to 59% increase on last year’s FY20 result.

    The company noted that the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, and rapid return of surgeries, is a positive sign for its resilient business.

    Broker update

    After reporting its first-half results, a number of brokers rated the company with varying price points. Investment firm, Macquarie raised its price target for Cochlear by 1.7% to $245.00. Morgan Stanley followed suit to also increase its rating by 6.1% to $227.00. The most recent broker note came from Credit Suisse in late May, which initiated a price of $225.00 for the hearing solutions company.

    At today’s market close, the Cochlear share price had slightly retreated from its 52-week high to $243.46, up 0.58% for the day.

    The post Cochlear (ASX:COH) share price edges higher to break 52-week record appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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    The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Cochlear Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 2 high quality ASX shares for retirees

    letter blocks spelling out the word retire

    When you’re young and first start investing you might focus on growth shares that provide you with the potential for outsized returns. After all, if your investments don’t work out as planned, you have time on your side to recover from your losses.

    But as you enter retirement, it may be prudent to limit your exposure to these type of investments and focus on those that offer income and capital preservation. With that in mind, here are a couple of ASX shares that retirees might want to take a look at. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    BWP Trust (ASX: BWP)

    The first option for retirees to look at is BWP Trust. It is the largest owner of Bunnings Warehouse sites in Australia with a portfolio of 68 stores leased to the hardware giant. BWP has been a strong performer during the pandemic thanks to the quality of its tenancies. With Bunnings reporting stellar sales growth, BWP has been able to collect rent as normal.

    In light of this, the company intends to pay a full year distribution of ~18.3 cents per share in FY 2021. Based on the current BWP share price of $4.30, this equates to an attractive 4.25% dividend yield.

    National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR)

    National Storage is a leading self-storage focused real estate investment trust. It is one of the largest self-storage operators in the ANZ region with a network of over 200 centres. But it doesn’t plan to stop there. The company continues to see room to expand its network in the future via its development projects and growth through acquisition strategy. In fact, the company is in the process of raising $325 million to strengthen its balance sheet and replenish its investment capacity.

    This should support solid income and distribution growth over the next decade, especially given the booming housing market. This traditionally results in growing demand for its services as people move homes or downsize. For now, analysts at Ord Minnett are forecasting dividends of 8.2 cents per share in FY 2021 and then 8.6 cents per share in FY 2022. Based on the latest National Storage share price of $2.03, this will mean yields of 4% and 4.2%, respectively.

    The post 2 high quality ASX shares for retirees appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    These Dividend Stocks Could Be Your Next Cash Kings (FREE REPORT)

    Motley Fool Australia’s Dividend experts recently released a brand-new FREE report revealing 3 dividend stocks with JUICY franked dividends that could keep paying you meaty dividends for years to come.

    Our team of investors think these 3 dividend stocks should be a ‘must consider’ for any savvy dividend investor. But more importantly, could potentially make Australian investors a heap of passive income.

    Don’t miss out! Simply click the link below to grab your free copy and discover these 3 high conviction stocks now.

    Returns As of 15th February 2021

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    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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  • Could investing in the ASX 300 be better than the ASX 200?

    man looking at his phone and comparing investments

    By far the most popular and tracked index covering Australian shares is the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). Sure, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is older. But the ASX 200 seems to have overtaken the All Ords in terms of what ASX investors usually take a peek at when they want to know what’s going on with the share market.

    And fair enough too. Everyone knows the major constituents of both indexes, such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) and Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW). But you’d be hard-pressed to find an Aussie (perhaps even an investor) that could name 5 companies outside the ASX 200.

    Most ASX index exchange-traded funds (ETFs) accordingly track the ASX 200 .These include the iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: IOZ), the SPDR S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: STW) and the BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200).

    But there is a glaring exception. The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) shuns the ASX 200 in favour of the S&P/ASX 300 (ASX: XKO). This index is just like it sounds – instead of covering the top 200 ASX shares by market capitalisation, it throws on an extra 100 smaller ASX companies on the bottom.

    This Vanguard ETF also happens to be the most popular (by fund size) ETF on the ASX. So how does the ASX 300 measure up against the ASX 200?

    ASX 200 vs ASX 300 – is bigger always better?

    Let’s look at some performance figures.

    So according to Vanguard, The VAS ETF has returned 28.78% over the past 12 months (to May 31, 2021). It has also averaged a 10.1% per annum return over the past 3 years, 10.16% over the past 5 and 8.64% over the past 10.

    To compare this performance to an ASX 200 ETF, let’s take the iShares IOZ ETF. According to this fund’s provider BlackRock, IOZ has returned 28.12% over the past 12 months (also to 31 May). Again, that’s including fees and expenses (0.09% per annum this time), and also assuming all dividend distributions were reinvested. Over the past 3 years, this EFT managed an average of 9.82%. Over the past 5, it was 9.97%, and 8.55% for the past 10.

    So the ASX 300 appears to have a slight edge when just looking at historical performance. However, keep in mind that the future is uncertain and that these past numbers do not indicate future returns.

    We can say that ASX investors who chose the ASX 300 VAS ETF to invest in have done marginally better than those going for the ASX 200 IOZ fund over the past decade. In saying that though, there really wasn’t much in it though.

    The post Could investing in the ASX 300 be better than the ASX 200? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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    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 Telstra Corporation Limited and Woolworths 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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  • 2 fantastic ASX 50 shares rated as buys

    investor looking excited at rising asx 200 share price on laptop

    The S&P/ASX 50 index is home to 50 of the largest listed companies on the Australian share market.

    This means the index is home to many of the highest quality and most well-known companies that the ANZ region has to offer. While there are a number of quality options, two that could be standouts are listed below. Here’s why they are rated as buys:

    NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

    NEXTDC is a leading data centre operator with a portfolio of nine world-class centres in key locations across the country. It may also be adding to this network in the near future after announcing provisional plans to expand into both Singapore and Tokyo.

    While this expansion could provide NEXTDC with a huge runway for growth in the future, its long term prospects in Australia are also very positive. Thanks to the structural shift to the cloud, demand for data centre capacity is growing quickly and underpinning strong revenue and earnings growth.

    For example, during the first half of FY 2021, NEXTDC posted a 27% increase in data centre services revenue to a record $121.6 million and a 29% increase in EBITDA to $65.7 million. This was driven by a 33% lift in contracted utilisation to 71MW, a 16% lift in customers, and a 16% rise in interconnections.

    Macquarie is a fan of NEXTDC. It currently has an outperform rating and $13.95 price target on its shares.

    Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

    Xero is a leading cloud-based business and accounting software provider. Its platform provides businesses and their advisors with a solution that offers deep cloud accounting functionality and an ecosystem of over 800 third-party app partners.

    Demand for its platform has been growing strongly over the last few years. This is being driven by the ongoing shift to cloud accounting solutions and its international expansion.

    The good news is that its growth doesn’t appear likely to end any time soon. For example, in FY 2021, Xero reported operating revenue of NZ$848.8 million. This represents just 1.9% of its total addressable market which is estimated to be worth NZ$45 billion at present.

    Goldman Sachs is positive on Xero and believes it is well-positioned for long term growth. This is due to the quality of its offering, the ongoing shift to cloud-based solutions, its global market opportunity, and burgeoning app ecosystem. Goldman has a buy rating and $153.00 price target on its shares.

    The post 2 fantastic ASX 50 shares rated as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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    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 Xero. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Xero. 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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  • Investors warn ASX 200 boards to stamp out sexual harassment

    woman sitting at desk holding hand up in stop motion

    Stock investors have put ASX 200 company boards on notice to reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in workplaces.

    An Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) study released Thursday showed just 19% of S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) companies accepted that the board has primary accountability for fighting sexual harassment.

    The research, commissioned by investor advocacy group Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), also showed just 19% of surveyed companies require directors to receive training on good governance and sexual harassment.

    The shocking findings come after a rough 12 months among ASX 200 companies for their cultural response to sexual misbehaviour allegations.

    AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) infamously lost 2 board members over its handling of accusations against Boe Pahari, who was promoted to AMP Capital boss despite the cloud.

    In September, QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) suddenly sacked its chief executive after a complaint from a female employee.

    Transparency was also a concern coming out of the study. Less than one-third of ASX 200 companies comply with ASX Corporate Governance Principles by reporting sexual harassment incidents to the market.

    And 14% of them don’t ever report to any external party.

    Companies that ignore harassment risk long-term damage

    Harassment incidents are obviously traumatic for those involved. 

    But there is also a massive cost to the company and its shareholders, according to ACSI chief Louise Davidson.

    “There is plenty of evidence over recent times that companies that fail to appropriately manage this issue do significant damage,” she said. 

    “Long term investors have an interest in ensuring the companies they invest in are well run, safe for their employees, and have culture that prevents and addresses workplace sexual harassment when it occurs.”

    Workplace sexual harassment cost the Australian economy an estimated $3.8 billion in 2018, said AHRC sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins.

    “Workplace sexual harassment causes immense social and economic harm.

    “I welcome ACSI’s initiative in commissioning this survey and report, and their recognition of the critical role that ASX 200 boards and executive management have in preventing and responding to workplace sexual harassment.”

    8 ways companies and shareholders can all improve

    The research identified 8 actions ASX 200 companies and investors could take to improve treatment of sexual harassment cases:

    • Ensure board has primary responsibility and accountability for harassment issues
    • Ensure companies have skills and experience to prevent and respond to incidents
    • Make gender equality a priority and set targets
    • Ensure systems and frameworks are in place to manage risks
    • Align appointment, expertise and performance management of CEO and executive team for leadership on sexual harassment issues
    • Report internally and externally
    • Investors should demand information on a company’s systems and processes
    • Investors should advocate for improved transparency on sexual harassment

    The post Investors warn ASX 200 boards to stamp out sexual harassment appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

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    Tony Yoo 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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  • New superannuation rules just passed the Senate. Here’s a breakdown

    man and woman discussing superannuation

    Fans of Australia’s superannuation retirement scheme often love to complain about governments ‘fiddling with the rules’ when it comes to super. It’s not a good day for those fans.

    The federal government announced a range of proposed changes to how superannuation works in the last federal budget, which was delivered last month. These changes have been subject to the usual massaging and tinkering that can be necessary for proposed laws to pass both houses of our Parliament. But today, we have news that the tinkering is over. We now have a new and imminent set of rules and regulations when it comes to super.

    According to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) today, the government’s Your Future, Your Super legislative package has just passed the Senate. The government was able to get One Nation and independent senators on board with a 34-30 vote in the Senate.  This means it will almost certainly become the law of the land very shortly.

    So what’s in these new rules and regs that we ought to know about?

    New superannuation rules for Aussie workers

    The bill’s flagship change (and that has seemingly attracted the most controversy) is a ‘stapling’ mechanism. Presently, an employee can be automatically enrolled in a workplace’s default superannuation fund. This process can potentially repeat for every new job said employee moves on to. No longer. This reform will require a worker’s first super fund to automatically ‘follow’ them when they change jobs. The workers can still choose to change out their superannuation fund if they wish.

    The government says this is designed to reduce the prevalence of multiple super accounts for workers. This stapling mechanism will come into effect on 1 November this year. The Labor opposition has said that this stapling might risk locking Aussie workers into underperforming funds. But the government clearly thinks the potential benefits outweigh these risks.

    Other measures in this super package include a super fund annual performance test. As well as a public ranking system of super funds to be run by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). It also includes a requirement for super funds to act in the “best financial interests” of their members’ funds for all expenditures.

    Other measures that were proposed by the government have been knocked back following the Senate negotiations. Most prominently was a regulation that would have allowed the government authority to prohibit investments by super funds that the government judged were against the national interest. That didn’t make the final cut.

    With these new rules, it might be a good time to check your own super fund, and make sure everything is going to plan!

    The post New superannuation rules just passed the Senate. Here’s a breakdown appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    These Dividend Stocks Could Be Your Next Cash Kings (FREE REPORT)

    Motley Fool Australia’s Dividend experts recently released a brand-new FREE report revealing 3 dividend stocks with JUICY franked dividends that could keep paying you meaty dividends for years to come.

    Our team of investors think these 3 dividend stocks should be a ‘must consider’ for any savvy dividend investor. But more importantly, could potentially make Australian investors a heap of passive income.

    Don’t miss out! Simply click the link below to grab your free copy and discover these 3 high conviction stocks now.

    Returns As of 15th February 2021

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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. 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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  • World Bank won’t support El Salvador’s Bitcoin ambitions

    piles of bitcoins on top of each other

    The World Bank has reportedly refused to help El Salvador instate Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) as a legal tender.

    The South American country committed to instate the cryptocurrency as legal tender last week.

    World Bank’s refusal

    According to reporting by Reuters, the World Bank has declined El Salvador’s requests for assistance on implementing the cryptocurrency as legal tender due to environmental concerns and transparency issues.

    Bitcoin has recently been plagued with environmental concerns. The same concerns saw Telsa Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) drop the coin as a payment option last month.

    The cryptocurrency relies on the process of Bitcoin mining to verify transactions. As Bitcoin mining is extremely complicated, miners use supercomputers to do much of the hard work.

    These super computers use a huge amount of energy and often rely on electricity from burning coal.

    Additionally, Bitcoin can be used anonymously, although not as anonymously as cash. Still, this can hinder financial transparency.

    The World Bank isn’t the only international financial organisation concerned with the country’s newest currency.

    IMF communication department director Gerry Rice told a press conference last week that the IMF has concerns about El Salvador’s adoption of the cryptocurrency as legal tender. He said:

    [The] adoption of bitcoin as legal tender raises a number of macroeconomic, financial and legal issues that require very careful analysis. So we are following developments closely and will continue our consultations with the authorities.

    El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly voted in favour of recognising the cryptocurrency as legal tender on 10 June.

    The nation’s president, Nayib Bukele, said the cryptocurrency’s adoption will give Salvadorians more financial freedoms and allow them to dodge fees when receiving remittances from family members living abroad.

    Bitcoin price

    Currently, a single Bitcoin is worth $50,790.43. The cryptocurrency’s price has fallen 3.8% over the last 24 hours.

    It has gained 5.6% since El Salvador recognised the cryptocurrency as legal tender.

    The post World Bank won’t support El Salvador’s Bitcoin ambitions appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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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. owns shares of and has recommended Bitcoin. 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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  • ELMO (ASX: ELO) share price has taken a beating, down 35% in 12 months

    A man is connected via his laptop or smart phone using cloud tech, indicating share price movement for ASX tech shares

    ELMO Software Ltd (ASX: ELO) has been a popular tech stock for investors over the years. But it’s been a different story in the last 12 months with the Elmo share price taking a beating, down 35%.

    ELMO is a cloud-based human resources and payroll software company that provides businesses in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom with a unified platform that streamlines a range of everyday processes.

    Let’s take a closer look at what might be affecting the ELMO share price.

    Why the drop?

    We can turn to share price dilution as one possible explanation for the decline. In May 2020, the company announced it was planning to raise $70 million through an institutional placement, and a further $20 million through a share purchase plan offered to existing shareholders.

    As typical with capital raising, these shares are usually offered at a discount, putting downward pressure on a company’s share price. This is possibly what happened to the ELMO share price after it dropped from its May high.

    In addition, ELMO declared in its FY20 report that it made $50.1 million in revenue. All good, except the expectation for its previous guidance was between $50 million and $52 million.   

    Also in May, the Australian Financial Review reported that James Dougherty from Lennox Partners believed that ELMO operated in a very competitive part of the market, and although revenue had been growing organically, cash flow losses were growing steadily every year.

    More recent results

    ELMO’s first-half FY21 results were more encouraging. Total revenues came in at $30.6 million for the half, an increase of almost 30% over first-half FY20. Annualised recurring revenue was $74.2 million, an uplift of 43%, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation expenses (EBITDA) was close to breakeven at -$0.8 million.

    Last month, Elmo announced its FY21 guidance. The company projected its annualised recurring revenue (ARR) to come in at $83 million to $85 million. The market appeared to be disappointed as this result was within the mid-range of the previous $81.5 million to $88.5 million indicated.

    Similarly, revenue was set to increase between $68 million to $70 million. Previously, the company had revenue set at $65 million to $71 million for FY21. 

    So according to the FY21 update, ELO upgraded revenues by 1% ($65m – $71m upgrade $68m – $70m) and downgraded ARR by 1% ($81m – $88m upgrade $83m – $85m). 

    Brokers say heaps of growth left

    It seems that brokers like ELMO’s recent acquisitions of complementary businesses Breathe and Webexpenses.

    One such broker is Shaw and Partners, which maintained a buy on the stock after attending ELMO’s recent FY21 virtual investor technology day. The day was based around demonstrating ELMO’s recently acquired Webexpenses product. 

    The broker’s takeaways from the conference were that Webexpenses has continued to grow in the UK, and despite the recent start, it was already making sales in Australia and New Zealand. The broker was also buoyed by the Breathe hard launch which remains on track for July in ANZ. Shaw and Partners’ price target is $8.85.

    Morgan Stanley also stands by the company, in May, it retained its overweight rating and $9.70 price target on its shares.   

    Foolish takeaway

    The ELMO share price has lost almost 35% over the past year. The company’s shares hit a 52-week high of $7.86 last June. At the time of writing, shares in the company are down 1.24% trading at $4.78.  

    The good news is that brokers are still bullish on the stock and, according to their price targets, believe there are great margins to be made on the current ELMO share price.

    The post ELMO (ASX: ELO) share price has taken a beating, down 35% in 12 months appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Frank Tzimas has no position in the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Elmo Software. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Elmo Software. 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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  • What pandemic? Unemployment is now below pre-COVID levels at 5.1%

    line of workers in a manufacturing factory with tablets in their hands

    Cast your mind back to early 2020 (if you can bear it).

    In the weeks following the pandemic outbreak, there were grave fears about unemployment in Australia. With a severe (albeit in hindsight, short-lived) recession looming, economic commentators were warning us to prepare for unemployment levels not seen in decades.

    What was even scarier was the prospect of a ‘scarred labour market’ – the result of sustained low job levels pushing retrenched workers into permanent retirement.

    Well, those fears appear to be well and truly behind us, judging by the latest labour and employment figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released this morning. The figures are for the month of May and make for some encouraging reading.

    According to the ABS, the unemployment rate fell substantially over May, dropping from April’s 5.5% to 5.1% for the month. That makes May the seventh consecutive month of falling unemployment.

    May’s numbers were the result of employment increasing by 115,000 jobs. This puts Australian employment 1% higher than where it was before the start of the pandemic.

    Female jobs increased by 69,000 over the month and are now 1.6% above where they were at the start of the pandemic. That’s looking good against an 0.5% increase in jobs for men at 46,000.

    Economy goes full steam ahead on jobs

    The head of labour statistics at the ABS, Bjorn Jarvis, said:

    The increase in female employment in May means that a higher percentage of women were in paid work than ever before – 58.8 per cent, 0.7 percentage points higher than the start of the pandemic. The difference was even greater for women aged 15 to 64, whose employment-to-population ratio in May was 1.5 percentage points above March 2020.

    Hours worked also rose over May, increasing by 1.4%. This means that the total hours worked was 2.9% higher than at the start of the pandemic.

    Labour force participation is also on the up, rising 0.3% to 66.2%, just a whisker below its all-time high of 66.3%, which we saw in March 2021.

    Underemployment (people who are working but want to work more) decreased 0.3% to 7.4%, the lowest level since 2014. It’s also 1.4% below where it was at the start of the pandemic.

    The post What pandemic? Unemployment is now below pre-COVID levels at 5.1% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of May 24th 2021

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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. 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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  • These ASX shares are growing their dividends at a solid rate

    piles of coins increasing in height with miniature piggy banks on top

    If you’re looking for dividend shares that could grow strongly in the future, then you might want to check out the ones listed below.

    While they may not offer the largest yields on the share market, they have the potential to grow materially over the 2020s. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP)

    Bapcor is the Asia Pacific’s leading provider of vehicle parts, accessories, equipment, service and solutions. It has a growing network of stores across the region under brands such as Autobarn, Burson Auto Parts and Midas.

    The company has been a very positive performer in recent years and has continued this strong form in FY 2021 thanks to strong demand for used cars. And with semiconductor shortages unlikely to be resolved any time soon, the supply of new vehicles looks set to remain tight for some time to come. This bodes well for its near term growth.

    Pleasingly, thanks to its strong market position and its international expansion plans, its longer term growth looks positive as well. This appears to have put Bapcor in a position to continue growing its dividend for the foreseeable future.

    Citi is positive on the company and currently has a buy rating and $9.50 price target on its shares.

    The broker is forecasting fully franked dividends of 19 cents per share in FY 2021 and then 22 cents per share in FY 2022. Based on the current Bapcor share price of $8.25, this will mean yields of 2.3% and 2.5%, respectively.

    Integral Diagnostics Ltd (ASX: IDX)

    Integral Diagnostics is a medical imaging service provider that operates from a total of 72 radiology clinics. This includes 26 comprehensive sites.

    As with Bapcor, Integral Diagnostics has been a solid performer in FY 2021. For example, during the first half of FY 2021, it reported a 29.5% increase in revenue to $170.7 million and a sizeable 61.1% jump in net profit after tax to $23.2 million.

    Goldman Sachs appears confident that it still has a long runway for growth. This is expected to lead to increasing dividend payments in the coming years.

    The broker is forecasting dividends per share of 11 cents in FY 2021, 14 cents in FY 2022, and 15 cents in FY 2023. Based on the latest Integral Diagnostics share price of $5.09, this will mean fully franked yields of 2.15%, 2.75%, and 2.95%, respectively.

    Goldman has a buy rating and $5.50 price target on the company’s shares.

    The post These ASX shares are growing their dividends at a solid rate appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Returns As of 15th February 2021

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    James Mickleboro does not own any shares 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 Bapcor. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Integral Diagnostics Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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