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The Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB) share price has enjoyed a bumper week, rising an incredible 18%.

Today alone, the allogeneic cellular medicines company’s shares finished up 6.4% at $2.16.

With no news out of Mesoblast since earlier this month, we take a look into some recent announcements.

How has Mesoblast been performing?

Investors have been snapping up Mesoblast shares since they hit a 52-week low of $1.70 last week.

The price drop came after the company released its third quarter update, in which it revealed a fall in revenue to US$1.9 million. This was down 84% on the prior corresponding period, although that was mainly due to significant one-off milestone revenue a year earlier.

One area in its quarterly scorecard that may concern investors came from its increasing expenses, particularly management and administration costs. Staff expenses came in at $8.1 million compared with $5.7 million during the same period last year.

Mesoblast reported a loss after tax of US$26.5 million for the quarter, compared with a loss of $15.3 million during Q3 FY20.

To absorb growing costs and significant losses, the company successfully completed a private placement, raising US$110 million. Management noted the proceeds will be used to provide financial strength for operational and regulatory initiatives across multiple products.

Despite the poor result, a possible catalyst for the strong gains made by Mesoblast shares in the last 5 trading days is a recent bullish broker note.

Australian investment firm Bell Potter issued a price target of $4.70 for Mesoblast following its Q3 FY21 report. While it may have cut its outlook by 7.8% from its original note, this represents an upside of an astonishing 118% on today’s share price.

Mesoblast share price summary

In the past 12 months, Mesoblast shares have disappointed investors. The company’s share price is down by more than 40% since this time last year, and by 4% year-to-date.

It’s worth noting that, despite this week’s strong gain, Mesoblast shares are some way off their 52-week high of $5.70.

On valuation grounds, Mesoblast has a market capitalisation of around $1.4 billion, with approximately 648 million shares outstanding.

The post The Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) share price has rocketed 18% this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX hits 7,300 points for the first time
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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP) share price lifted 3.2% higher on Thursday to close at $4.86 per share before paring back some of those gains to close out the week at $4.79. Thursday’s closing price helped the Aussie real estate investment trust (REIT) close at a new 52-week high in good news for shareholders.

Let’s take a look at what’s been happening for one of the biggest REITs in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

The week that was for the Stockland share price

Thursday was a good day for Stockland and many of the other Aussie REITs. Shares in Mirvac Group (ASX: MGR) and Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) climbed 1.7% and 2.3%, respectively. But all eyes were on the Stockland share price as it jumped 3.2% to close at a new 52-week high.

Property and tech helped the benchmark Aussie index close above 7,300 points on Thursday. Stockland was chief amongst the market leaders as investors picked their favourites ahead of the release of US inflation data on Thursday night.

Those broader market gains continued on Friday, but the same can’t be said for the Stockland share price. Shares in the Aussie REIT have retreated today, closing down 1.44%, but are still up 3.68% in the last month.

US inflation spikes

As we now know, US inflation numbers have climbed to the highest rate since 2008 in the latest data release. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, headline inflation climbed to an annual rate of 5% in May, up from 4.2% in April and at the highest level since the GFC.

Anticipation of those numbers was one big factor driving markets on Thursday, but there was also some movement in bond markets, which could be having a broader impact.

Bond yields edged lower on Thursday as the tug-of-war between central banks and fixed income investors continues. Lower yields are less attractive to investors from a return perspective which can help other potential strong dividend shares such as REITs.

A fall in yields could also indicate borrowing prices will remain at their record lows for a little longer, which is good news for leveraged companies like the REITs.

The Stockland share price has been a beneficiary of bullish investors in the last week or so. That means the Aussie REIT has closed out the week in the green, despite a soft day of trade today.

The post What moved the Stockland (ASX:SGP) share price this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 a fantastic beast, and this week these 3 ASX shares managed to tame it.

And it likely wasn’t an easy feat. While the ASX 200 managed to finish the week in the green, it did so by the skin of its teeth. Since Monday’s open, the ASX 200 has gained just 0.13%.

Let’s take a look at the 3 companies leading the ASX 200 pack this week.

ASX 200’s biggest winners of the week

Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE) ­– up 19.93%

Much of this week’s gains came to the Iress share price through sheer speculation amid rumours of a big buyer on the hunt – although, it did release genuine news today.

The software company jumped on the brakes when a rumour emerged that investment bank Barrenjoey was looking to buy Iress shares on behalf of a financial sponsor client. The story was published by the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday morning.

Within the hour Iress had released a statement denying the rumour.

Still, the ‘news’ excited the market enough for the Iress share price to close 16.8% higher that day.

Today, Iress announced it has implemented several changes to accelerate its growth trajectory and create greater shareholder value.

The seemingly positive news saw the Iress share price close 1.7% lower than yesterday.

Despite today’s losses, the Iriss share price is sitting pretty at $12.57, having finished last week at just $10.44.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) ­– up 19.55%

This ASX 200 leader got to into the top 3 without releasing any price sensitive news.

However, the price is coal has been experiencing an astronomical tailwind lately. So much so, that China is pushing back against it by capping the price it’s willing to pay for the commodity.

The Whitehaven Coal share price hit several 52-week highs this week, with yet another being met today.

Currently, one share in Whitehaven will set an investor back $2.11.

Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB) – up 18.03%

Mesoblast has made the list of the ASX 200’s best performers despite also not releasing any news this week.

As The Motley Fool Australia’s Scott Phillips told Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd‘s (ASX: NEC) 9 News on Wednesday, Mesoblast’s share price has been driven by positive broker notes this week.

The week’s final broker note on Mesoblast came from Bell Potter, which put a price target of $4.70 on Mesoblast’s shares. That’s 118% more than Mesoblast’s current share price.

Additionally, Mesoblast shares were nearing their lowest point of the last 12-months earlier this week, perhaps spurring some bargain-bin investing.

The Mesoblast share price finished the week at $2.16.

The post These 3 shares were the biggest gainers of the ASX 200 this week 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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Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares have been in the red all day. The CBA share price is down 0.6% in the final hour of trading, at $101.21 per share.

That’s 1.3% lower than last Friday when the CBA share price closed at a new record high of $102.52.

Finance levels rising, share buyback expectations

With interest rates still near all-time lows and the Australian economy picking up speed, the bank reported a 21% leap in equipment and machinery financing in May year-on-year.

According to CBA executive general manager, business lending, Clare Morgan:

The construction industry in particular, has benefited from multiple government stimulus packages, including record investments in public infrastructure projects and the Homebuilder grant. We’re also seeing strong demand for vehicle financing and machinery, particularly in the food manufacturing and agriculture sectors.

The CBA share price may also be in for a lift if WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) portfolio manager Matthew Haupt has it right on expectations for share buybacks.

Haupt is bullish overall on the big banks. He believes they’ll start returning a trove of excess capital to investors in the next 3-6 months.

On CBA shares specifically, he expects we’ll see an off-market share buyback with “a large franking component… National Australia Bank, I think, will do smaller, bite-sized buybacks over the next few years.”

How did the CBA share price move this week?

With no rally in the final moments today, the CBA share price has closed lower on 4 of the 5 trading days this week. Thursday, 10 June, was the only day the bank’s shares gained, closing the day up 0.76%.

Still, the CBA share price is only a touch off its all-time highs. It remains up more than 50% over the past 12 months, far outpacing the 23% gains posted by the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over that same time.

The post What happened with the CBA (ASX:CBA) share price this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Bernd Struben 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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Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares were duking it out with some of the best-performing S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining stocks today. The Pilbara Minerals share price was lighting up the boards with a green gain of 2.2% by Friday’s close.

What’s pushed the Pilbara Minerals’ share price higher?

Despite the performance, there are no announcements from the company today. However, it appears the resource sector more broadly is enjoying a day of strong performance.

Potentially, investors are buying up ASX 200 resource shares after the United States released its consumer price index (CPI) figures for May. The data showed CPI to have increased by 5% compared to the same time last year – the biggest surge in inflation in nearly 13 years.

Hence, investors might be loading up with the shares that tend to outperform technology and growth shares during inflationary periods, according to Perennial Value Management portfolio manager Dan Bosscher.

Recent Pilbara Minerals news

It’s no secret that the Pilbara share price has benefitted from strong lithium demand. Lithium prices have continued to trend higher, with carbonate and hydroxide prices pushing more than 50% off November 2020 lows.

Electrifying the Pilbara share price further, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) recently announced that the electric vehicle maker plans to spend $1 billion or more in Australian minerals.

Tesla chair Robyn Denholm spoke at the Minerals Council of Australia event in Canberra:

At the heart of everything we do in our quest to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy is the lithium-ion battery – one of the most important technologies of the century.

Further adding:

Tesla’s mission is to accelerate our transition to sustainable energy. There is a global transition to sustainable energy underway and this presents a huge opportunity for Australia.

Pilbara Minerals also announced in early May that it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Calix Ltd (ASX: CXL) to develop a “midstream” lithium chemicals refinery.

The post The Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) share price delivered green today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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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Shares in OM Holdings Limited (ASX: OMH) are gaining today after news the company has released the prospectus for its secondary listing in Malaysia. Near the close of trade, the OM Holdings share price was trading at 85 cents, 3.03% higher than yesterday’s closing price.

OM Holdings is a manganese ore and ferroalloy producer. It operates a manganese asset in Australia and a smelting facility in Malaysia, and also has assets in South Africa, China, and Singapore.

OM Holdings’ new listing

Today, OM Holdings announced it will list on Malaysia’s Bursa Securities Malaysia Berhad (Bersa Securities), with a “tentative” listing date of 22 June..

The company said the new listing would not involve new shares, but rather all shareholders would be able to transfer OM Holdings shares between the 2 exchanges.

OM Holdings executive chair and CEO Low Ngee Tong, along with the company’s other notable shareholders, will transfer at least 10 million of their own shares from the ASX to Bursa Securities on the day of listing. The 10 million shares represent 1.35% of Om Holdings’ issued shares.

The ASX will continue to be the company’s primary listing. The new listing will see OM Holdings become the first ASX-listed company to be dual-listed in Malaysia.

Commentary from management

Low Ngee Tong commented on the company’s secondary listing:

Through the secondary listing, we aim to broaden our investor reach and widen our investor base, and potentially increase the liquidity of our shares through separate trading platforms. It will enable us to tap into additional platforms for future fundraising and provide us with the flexibility to access different equity markets to raise funds.

We may potentially undertake fundraising from the Malaysian capital markets after the secondary listing and channel the funds towards expanding our Sarawak Plant.

OM Holdings share price snapshot

It’s been a good year on the ASX for the OM Holdings share price so far. Currently, shares in the company are up 54% year to date. They have also gained 112% since this time last year.

The company has a market capitalisation of around $609 million, with approximately 736 million shares outstanding.

The post OM Holdings (ASX:OMH) share price up on news of a second listing 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on track to finish the week on a great note today. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is up a solid 0.18% to 7,315 points. Let’s instead have a look at 3 of the most actively traded ASX 200 shares this Friday:

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares today

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

The ASX’s biggest telco is one of the most traded ASX 200 shares today, with a substantial 12.75 million shares changing hands so far today. This is understandable, as Telstra has actually made a new 52-week high today, hitting $3.61 just before midday. A new 52-week high (especially of a blue-chip like Telstra) is an exciting event for many investors and certainly has the potential to give investors a reason to trade. Telstra shares are currently trading at $3.60, up 0.7% for the day.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

ASX 200 lithium miner Pilbara is also feeling the love on the ASX today. At the time of writing, a hefty 14.05 million shares have traded today. Pilbara shares have been having a great week this week up almost 7%, and today is proving no different, with Pilbara up a healthy 2.67% to $1.42 a share. That’s despite no real news or announcements of the company today (or this week in fact).

AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)

AMP is one of the most traded ASX 200 share on the market today, with 14.77 million shares bought and sold. The famous wealth manager has had a slightly volatile day today, falling more than 2% shortly after market open, but subsequently regaining these losses later in trading today. At the time of writing, AMP shares are up 1.66% to $1.22 a share.

As we covered earlier today, there was some news out of the company this morning. AMP has gazetted the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the AMP Capital business. This will be State Street Global Advisors’ Shawn Johnson. Judging by the share price performance this morning, investors weren’t initially sure what to make of this news, so that might be why we see such a large number of AMP shares swapping hands today.

The post Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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If you hadn’t noticed, the share price of US-based payments company Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL) is outperforming the Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price year-to-date (YTD). While Sezzle now holds a higher share price than its Australian peer, it remains the underdog of the two.

So, how has the now $952 million company managed to pull greater returns for investors than Zip?

A little Zip share price history lesson

Earlier in the year the entire buy now pay later sector was bustling. Most of the ASX-listed shares with exposure to the instalment sector experienced a sugar rush between mid-January and mid-February. The momentum brought on by a wave of high growth figures from the companies.

At that point in time, Zip diverged and was substantially outperforming Sezzle. On 16 February 2021, the year-to-date returns for Zip and Sezzle were 149% and 90% respectively.

However, the payments sector suffered a hammering in the following months as investors cycled to more ‘value’ orientated stocks.

More recently, the Zip share price has plateaued – steadily bouncing between $6.70 and $7.40. During this time, Sezzle has really begun to outshine its Aussie rival.

Recent Sezzle activity

The big shift in performance between the two companies occurred on Thursday last week. That’s when Sezzle resumed trading following the announcement of a 3-year agreement with US-based retailing giant Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT).

Under the agreement, Sezzle’s product will be used in-store and across Target’s digital platforms, providing guests with access to interest-free payment plans for purchases made at Target.

Sezzle’s share price was catapulted 22.7% higher on the news. Meanwhile, the Zip share price only gained 4.4% on the same day.

As of today, the Zip is up 31% YTD, but the recent excitement surrounding Sezzle’s latest agreement has pushed its YTD return to 49%.

Foolish takeaway

ASX share prices tend to eb and flow with announcements. The fact is when it comes to short-term moves in the market, it is heavily driven by emotion.

The fact that Sezzle has announced an exciting new agreement recently, whilst Zip hasn’t provided a price-sensitive update since late May, might be feeding into the variance between these two ASX shares’ recent performance.

However, the market is emotional until it’s proven – then it becomes fact. Whether Sezzle’s recent update means it will outperform Zip’s growth remains unknown until a later date.

The post Why is Sezzle outperforming the Zip (ASX:Z1P) share price so far in 2021 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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’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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With so many growth shares to choose from on the Australian share market, it can be hard to decide which ones to buy over others.

To help narrow things down, I have picked out three ASX growth shares that could be top options for investors today. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

The first ASX growth share to look at is this gaming technology company. It recently released its half year results which revealed an 18.4% increase in net profit over the prior corresponding period to $362.2 million. This was driven by improving rates of profitability in both the land-based and digital markets and further market share gains. Positively, it looks well-placed for more of the same in the coming years thanks to its industry-leading poker machines and its growing digital business. The latter is generating significant recurring revenues.

Citi is positive on Aristocrat Leisure. Its analysts currently have a buy rating and $46.60 price target on its shares.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Another growth share to look closely at is Megaport. It is a software-based elastic connectivity company providing businesses with a platform that offers customers interconnectivity and flexibility between other networks and cloud providers connected to the platform. Thanks to the quality of its service and the ongoing shift to the cloud, Megaport has been growing its recurring revenues at a solid rate in recent years. Positively, this has continued in FY 2021. It recently released its third quarter update and revealed an 8% quarter on quarter increase in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) to $6.8 million.

UBS is a fan of Megaport. The broker currently has a buy rating and $17.10 price target on its shares.

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

A final ASX growth share to look at is Temple & Webster. It is Australia’s leading online furniture and homewares retailer. It was already growing at a rapid rate prior to the pandemic, but went into overdrive during the crisis. This was due to the accelerating shift to online shopping. Pleasingly, online furniture shopping is still in its infancy in comparison to other areas of the retail market. This bodes well for the future, particularly given Temple & Webster’s leadership position.

Credit Suisse recently initiated coverage on the company with an outperform rating and $12.54 price target.

The post 3 exciting ASX growth shares rated as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 MEGAPORT FPO and Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO and Temple & Webster Group 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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The Archer Materials Ltd (ASX: AXE) share price is in positive territory today following an update on its semiconductor chip testing.

During late afternoon trade, the advanced material company’s shares are selling for 74.5 cents, up 2.05%.

What did Archer announce to the ASX?

Archer shares are set to finish the week higher after the company provided investors with a positive announcement.

In today’s release, Archer advised it has progressed its biochip development by establishing testing and measurement for semiconductor chips themselves. This follows a previous update in which the company achieved the ability to analyse the individual materials in the components of the biochip.

The latest development marks a significant checkpoint passed in Archer’s pursuit for commercialising its biochip technology. The global semiconductor industry is one of the most important drivers of the global economy, with use in almost all technological applications.

Recently, the company expanded its access to institutional deep tech infrastructure to analyse and distinguish the material properties of its devices. This is an important step as after assembly, the chip assesses operational performance.

Access to deep tech infrastructure allows Archer to build its chip technologies, including a graphene-based biochip for point-of-care medical diagnostics.

In addition, the company is working on advanced chips in the same semiconductor fabrication environment. This supports the company’s efforts in building a qubit processor chip that can operate at room temperature and integrate into modern electronics.

Current quantum computing technologies are limited because they use qubit processors that can only operate at low temperatures and difficult to integrate into today’s applications.

Archer CEO, Dr Mohammad Choucair touched on the company’s latest chip development, saying:

The establishment of in-house semiconductor chip testing and measurement is a key operational requirement that is necessary to build our technology.

This will allow the Company to meet a number of milestones in the development of multiple chip types, including its biochip and also quantum computing chip.

About the Archer share price

Archer shares have gained more than 20% over the past 12 months, with year-to-date share price performance sitting above 40%.

On valuation grounds, Archer has a market capitalisation of roughly $169 million, with about 226 million shares on issue.

The post Here’s why the Archer (ASX:AXE) share price is climbing today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here’s why the Archer Materials (ASX:AXE) share price is up 5% today

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

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