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There are some interest ASX shares out there that currently offer relatively high dividend yields at the current prices.

Income might be harder to come by in the current environment with how low the official interests are right now. Just look at how low the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) rate is – it’s almost 0%.

But these two businesses could provide a useful income boost:

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

This real estate investment trust (REIT) is an ASX share that looks to provide investors with a distribution payout ratio of operating earnings of 100%. That has the effect of producing a higher yield (compared to if the payout ratio was lower).

It’s invested in a number of different commercial real estate sectors including long WALE retail, office, industrials and logistics, social infrastructure and agri-logistics. It has a property portfolio WALE of 13.8 years and an occupancy rate of 97.7%. The overall value of the portfolio is $5.3 billion with a weighted average rent review of 2.3%.

The ASX share recently announced that it has entered into agreements to acquire 50% interests in three modern, long WALE suburban office properties and one modern life sciences property.

Those acquisitions include the Services Australia building in Tuggeranong, ACT, for $153 million, the ATO building in Box Hill, Victoria, for $115 million, the Red Cross building in Alexandria, NSW, for $79.5 million and the ATO building in Albury, NSW, for $42.5 million. These acquisitions come with a WALE of 9.2 years and WARR of 3.6% per annum.

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT upgraded its operating earnings per share (EPS) guidance to 29.2 cents per security, which would be growth of 3.2% over FY20 and would equate to a distribution yield of 6%. Management expect FY22 operating EPS to grow by at least 2.75%.

It’s currently rated as a buy by the brokers at Citi.

Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH)

Adairs is one of the largest retailers in the country of homewares and furnishings products.

The business is pursuing an array of different growth avenues. It’s looking to grow its online sales to customers by investing in its digital capabilities. This is producing results with Adairs FY21 half-year online sales increasing 95.2% and Mocka online sales rising 44.4% to $28 million. Total online sales were $90.2 million, representing 37.1% of group sales.

Adairs is also focused on margin improvement at all levels of the business. This is helping grow the bottom line significantly. HY21 saw sales rise 34.8%, the gross margin improved 500 basis points, underlying group earning before interest and tax (EBIT) rose 166.2% to $60.2 million and statutory net profit jumped 233.4%.

In the half-year, Adairs generated EPS of 25.9 cents. This allowed it to fund an interim dividend of 13 cents per share to shareholders.

Adairs is looking to open a new national distribution centre and open larger stores to grow margins and profit further.

At the current Adairs share price, it offers a projected grossed-up dividend yield of 7.9% for FY21, according to Commsec.

The post Got cash to invest for dividends? Here are 2 ASX shares that could be buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Got money to invest for dividends? Here are 2 ASX shares that could be buys
• 2 ASX 200 dividend shares that could offer good income
• 2 ASX shares with BIG dividend yields
• Why the Charter Hall REIT (ASX:CLW) share price is frozen
• 2 ASX dividend shares to buy with yields above 5%

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

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The market is running out of puff but these ASX shares may have more things to worry about after they got downgraded by to brokers.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) slipped 0.1% into the red during lunch time trade after gaining 0.2% this morning.

ASX financial shares are leading the sell-off but the Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY) share price is also underperforming.

Overstretched valuation for this ASX share triggers downgrade

The Cleanaway share price fell 2.9% in the last hour of trade to $2.66 after Credit Suisse downgraded the waste management company to “underperform” from “neutral”.

The broker’s sell call comes after the shares recently hit its highest level since 2008. The market has gotten excited about Cleanway’s move to acquire Suez’s Sydney operations.

The deal looks set to go though as Cleanaway does not own any putrescible landfills in Sydney, noted the broker.

Getting cleaned out

However, Credit Suisse believes market expectations for the Cleanaway share price is set too high.

“Cleanaway recently guided to A$10-15mn lower EBITDA contribution from its New Chum landfill in FY22 due to planned lower volumes to avoid triggering end-of-life rehabilitation costs, before it secures a height extension,” said the broker.

“We interpret this to mean that management thinks FY22 consensus forecasts are too high.”

Credit Suisse lowered its FY22 EBITDA forecast by 4% to $570 million. This is due to lower contribution from New Chum and a slower than expected post-COVID-19 recovery.

As a result, the broker’s 12-month price target on the Cleanaway share price falls by 10 cents to $2.40 a share.

ASX mining share’s golden run hit by downgrade

Another that may have run ahead of fundamentals is the Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price.

Morgans reckons now is the time to lock in profits as it downgraded the iron ore producer to “reduce” from “hold”.

It’s bearish outlook for the Fortescue share price is partly driven by the belief that the iron ore price has past its prime – at least for now.

Rising cost as iron ore price peaks

The broker also believes that cost inflation is a particular problem for miners that operate in the Pilbara.

Fortescue could be hit harder than most too. Not are its mines in the Pilbara, but it is currently undertaking a massive expansion project called Iron Bridge.

How much is the Fortescue share price worth?

“After a remarkable run, and hefty shareholder returns, we see the risk/reward balance for FMG finally skewed to the downside,” said Morgans.

“A mass-scale low-grade pure iron ore producer, and fledgling energy aspirant, we see FMG as being particularly sensitive to a maturing iron ore cycle.”

The Fortescue share price surrendered strong early gains to trade 1% in the red at $22.73 ahead of the market close.

Morgan’s 12-month price target on Fortescue is $18.70 a share.

The post These ASX shares just got hit with a broker downgrade today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Brendon Lau owns shares of Fortescue Metals Group. 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 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 Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE) share price is falling after the company released an update on its clinical pipeline. In afternoon trade, shares in Recce Pharmaceuticals are trading 0.46% lower at $1.08.

The update announced delays to the company’s overseas COVID-19 animal studies.

Let’s take a closer at today’s news.

Recce’s clinical pipeline update

COVID-19 studies

According to Recce, overseas studies testing the efficacy of its RECCE 529 on animals infected with COVID-19 variants has been delayed.

RECCE 529 is a synthetic anti-infective which has, to date, been studied as a treatment for COVID-19.

Some of the studies testing the ability of RECCE 529 to treat COVID-19 variants are experiencing delays, as labs struggle to infect ferrets with the variants.

Despite this, the company believes it will have data on the effectiveness of RECCE 529 against the UK and South African COVID-19 strains by the fourth quarter of 2021.

Meanwhile, Reece’s other synthetic anti-infective which has proven to be promising against COVID-19, R327, has shown more encouraging results. It has moved to the second stage of its Australian study, with results due late this year.

Burns trial

Also underway is a human clinical trial using R327 to treat burns. The eight-month trial is being conducted at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, Western Australia.

Recce expects data from the burns trial to be available in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Intravenous trial

R327 is also being injected intravenously in the first phase of a human clinical trial.

According to Recce, so far, injecting R327 intravenously has been found effective in treating sepsis, kidney infections, and urinary tract infections.

The first trial will see healthy patients dosed with R327 in August 2021. Recce expects interim data from the intravenous trial late this year. Full results are likely to be available mid-2022.

Helicobacter pylori pre-clinical studies

Finally, Recce Pharmaceuticals updated the market on its oral compound (RECCE 435) designed to fight helicobacter pylori infections.

The company is currently testing RECCE 435 on mice, and expects results from the pre-clinical study in mid-2022. Recce hopes the results will lead to a clinical study next year.

Recce share price snapshot

The Recce Pharmaceuticals share price has been bobbing along on the ASX so far this year. The most notable peaks were $1.26 and $1.19 in mid-April and early May respectively.

Currently, the Recce Pharmaceuticals share price is up by around 3% year to date. It has gained 32% since this time last year.

The company has a market capitalisation of around $185 million, with approximately 173 million shares outstanding.

The post Recce (ASX:RCE) share price edges lower following study delays appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price is surging 8% higher today

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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Often the biggest risers and fallers of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dominate investors attention on any given day. But it’s also very interesting to look at the ASX 200 shares that are dominating trading volume. These most traded ASX shares can help us understand what is moving the markets, and sentiment, on any given day.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the ASX 200 shares that are swapping hands with the most volume today:

3 ASX 200 shares on the move today

Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY)

Cleanaway Waste is on the move today, with 7.25 million shares traded today at the time of writing. That’s probably the result of the Cleanaway share price falling a hefty 2.92% today to $2.66 a share. Since Cleanaway is a $5.5 billion ASX 200 company, a move of this size will inevitably result in some heavy trading activity.

There’s no obvious reason why Cleanaway is falling today though since no major news or announcements have come out of the company. Perhaps investors are in the mood for some profit-taking, seeing as Cleanaway is still up more than 21% over the past 2 months.

National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB)

NAB shares have also been thrown around today, with 8.28 million shares traded at the time of writing. This ASX 200 bank is not having an enjoyable day. NAB shares are down 2.96% to $26.70 after spending last week rising towards its 52-week high.

Unlike Cleanaway, we might know what’s going on here though. As we discussed earlier today, NAB has just revealed that it’s under investigation by AUSTRAC regarding alleged “potential serious and ongoing non-compliance” with anti-money laundering regulations. It’s no surprise that a development like that has sparked some heavy trading.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Pilbara Minerals is currently the most heavily traded ASX share in the ASX 200 Index. A whopping 13.9 million shares have swapped hands today so far. The Pilbara share price has bounced around today but is still up 2.44% currently to $1.34 a share – not too far off of its 52-week high of $1.47.

Like Cleanaway, there is no major news out today that may have sparked these volumes. However, there are many investors that are interested in lithium companies like Pilbara, considering the mineral’s role in electric vehicle batteries. In fact, Pilbara shares are now up more than 24% in just the past fortnight.

The post These 3 ASX 200 shares are on the move today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns shares of National Australia Bank 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 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 Globe Metals & Mining Limited (ASX: GBE) share price is up a staggering 207.69% to 12.5 cents at the time of writing. Globe shares closed at just 3.9 cents last week and opened at 5 cents this morning before having a rocket lit under them.

At one point during early afternoon trade, the company’s shares had rallied by almost 368% to 16.5 cents apiece before retreating to their current level.

What is this company?

Globe Metals & Minerals is an ASX resources company focused on resource exploration and development primarily in Africa. Its flagship project is the Kanyika Niobium Project in Malawi.

Globe Metals has been an ASX-listed company since June 2016. Until late last year, the company’s share price hadn’t really done anything remarkable. Globe shares spent a few years bumping along around 1 to 2 cents per share. But things turned around in October when Globe hit 3 cents per share and 4 cents by December.

Globe Metals shares were actually in a trading halt since Friday morning. At the time, the company said shares would resume trading on 8 June at the latest, pending an announcement. Well, we got the said announcement this morning.

So what’s going on with the Globe Metals & Mining share price today?

Globe released a statement around market open this morning. In this statement, the company informed investors the Malawi Government’s Mineral Resources Committee has reviewed Globe’s mining licence application for its Kanyika Niobium Project. The recommendation is for the grant of a mining licence.

According to Globe, this recommendation is a “critical and formal step” in obtaining a full license for its project. The company “now awaits receipt of the mining licence and subsequent execution of the Development Agreement with the Government of Malawi”.

Globe also told the markets it “is of the understanding that the licence will have a mining lease term of 25 years from the date of issue consistent with the Mines Act”.

Here’s some of what Globe’s managing director, Alistair Stephens, had to say on the news:

Globe has been working diligently and cooperatively with all stakeholders for many years to achieve grant of a  mining licence for the Kanyika Niobium Project. Formal approval from the Malawi Government’s Mineral Resources Committee to grant the Mining Licence is a significant step forward for the company’s goal of becoming a niobium producer. I am particularly pleased for the Globe team who have stayed the course despite many obstacles in recent times.

Clearly, investors are over the moon about the news, given the company has more than tripled in valuation just today. At the current share price, Globe Metals & Mining has a market capitalisation of $67.5 million.

The post ASX stock of the day: Globe Metals & Mining (ASX:GBE) shares up 200% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Clinuvel (ASX:CUV) share price lower despite positive update
• Why ASX agricultural shares are high on institutional investors’ radars
• Why the Growthpoint (ASX:GOZ) share price just smashed a 52-week record
• EML Payments (ASX:EML) share price jumps 5% on Q3 trading update
• Here’s why this ETF could be a top option for ASX investors

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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The Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CUV) share price is under pressure on Monday despite the release of a positive announcement.

The biopharmaceutical company’s shares are down 2.5% to $28.07 in afternoon trade.

Despite this, the Clinuvel share price is still up an impressive 23% since the start of the year.

What did Clinuvel announce?

This morning Clinuvel announced that its afamelanotide drug has been administered to a first patient diagnosed with an acute arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS).

The release explains that the patient was enrolled in a world’s first clinical trial (CUV801) after suffering an acute stroke and being admitted to a specialist neurological hospital in Australia to receive treatment.

Clinuvel advised that a total of six adult AIS patients will be evaluated in the Phase II CUV801 study, which is focusing on the safety and therapeutic potential of afamelanotide in patients who are ineligible for standard stroke therapy.

Clinuvel’s Clinical Operations Manager, Dr Pilar Bilbao, said: “The immediate aim in acute AIS treatment, is to bring back the patient’s neurological and muscular functions by improving the blood flow to the affected site of the brain. Our unambiguous aim is to develop a treatment for 70% to 80% of the stroke patients who currently have no alternative treatment.”

Why afamelanotide?

According to the release, scientific progress has demonstrated melanocortins, including afamelanotide, provide a positive effect on the central nervous system.

Afamelanotide is known to offer neuroprotection and act as a potent anti-oxidative hormone. The drug also possesses further therapeutic benefits, activating vessels, reducing fluid formation, protecting critical nerve and brain tissue, and restoring the blood brain barrier. The latter is a critical defence mechanism protecting the brain.

If successful, this could be a lucrative therapy for Clinuvel. The company notes that AIS accounts for approximately 85% of the 15 million strokes suffered worldwide each year. Despite its prevalence, treatment options are limited and in Europe, over 85% of AIS cases presenting to hospitals are not eligible for current standard of care treatment.

The post Clinuvel (ASX:CUV) share price lower despite positive update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why ASX agricultural shares are high on institutional investors’ radars
• Why the Growthpoint (ASX:GOZ) share price just smashed a 52-week record
• EML Payments (ASX:EML) share price jumps 5% on Q3 trading update
• Here’s why this ETF could be a top option for ASX investors
• How much is the BHP (ASX:BHP) dividend worth today?

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 has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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ASX agricultural shares are increasingly drawing the attention of institutional investors.

Among other factors, the big money is being drawn by Australia’s reputation for high-quality foods, its location near huge Southeast Asian populations, and the simple fact we produce a lot more than we consume.

And it doesn’t hurt ASX agricultural shares that total production is forecast to grow 8% year-on-year to almost $66 billion, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).

With a glance at past performance, 2020 was highly profitable for much of Australia’s farmland. As the Australian Financial Review notes:

The latest Australian Farmland Index, which tracks the performance of a $1 billion basket of premium assets, found that farmland planted to annual broadacre crops such as wheat and canola or used to graze cattle and sheep delivered a nearly 30 per cent total return in 2020.

Almonds, grapes, citrus and other crops requiring more water and labour are often strong performers. But this segment underperformed in 2020, with a 4.8% total return.

What the experts are saying

Jos Boeren is Stafford Capital Partners’ head of agriculture and food investments. Speaking of Aussie farmland, Boeren said (quoted by the AFR), “We are increasingly being contacted by institutional investors who are looking to invest significant capital into farmland and timberland.”

Indeed, the number of funds seeking to invest in Aussie agriculture is rocketing. According to Colliers International’s head of agribusiness, Rawdon Briggs, “At present, there are approximately 43 food and agribusiness funds investing in all forms of agriculture compared
to only two in 2009.”

And the arrival of big money into the sector is helping increase efficiency and productive capacity in the market.

Jim McKay, Warakirri’s managing director said, “It’s one of the reasons why you are seeing a lot of interest from global pension funds in agriculture.”

2 leading ASX agricultural shares

There are a number of quality ASX agricultural shares investors can look into. For the purposes of this article, we’ll look at 2.

First up, Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF). The company is a real estate investment trust (REIT), which holds and leases agricultural property and equipment.

Rural Funds has a market cap of $867 million and pays a dividend yield of 4.4%, unfranked. Over the past 12 months, the Rural Funds share price has gained 26%, outpacing the 20% gains posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO). Year-to-date, Rural Funds’ shares have been under pressure, down 3%.

Select Harvests Limited (ASX: SHV) also has a place among the leading ASX agricultural shares. The company processes and distributes a range of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and natural health foods.

Select Harvests has a market cap of $699 million and pays a 2.2% dividend yield, fully franked. The Select Harvests share price is down 11% over the past 12 months. 2021 has been off to a stronger start for the ASX agricultural share, which is up more than 9% year-to-date.

The post Why ASX agricultural shares are high on institutional investors’ radars appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 reasons why Rural Funds (ASX:RFF) could be a really good ASX dividend share
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• Select Harvests (ASX:SHV) share price falls on plummeting profits

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended RURALFUNDS STAPLED. 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 Growthpoint Properties Australia Ltd (ASX: GOZ) share price is on the rise today. At the time of writing, shares in the real estate investment trust (REIT) are trading for $3.94 – up 1.03%. Earlier in the day, Growthpoint shares were trading as high as $4.11, smashing their 52-week record. For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index is currently down 0.16%.

The company’s price rise comes as it declared “significant valuation gains” across its property portfolio.

Let’s take a closer look at today’s announcement.

Why the Growthpoint share price is up

In a statement to the ASX, Growthpoint Properties said that 44 of its 55 properties have been reappraised and are now worth an extra $251 million, or a 7.7% increase. The REIT estimates this will add 33 cents per security in its tangible assets.

Growthpoint claims external evaluators reassessed both its industrial and office properties and found both were more valuable than previously thought. It says its industrial properties are now worth 10.9% more to $1.5 billion and its offices are worth 5.4% more to $1.94 billion. The weighted average capitalisation rate of its industrial properties fell to 5.2%.

Growthpoint stressed the valuations are subject to “finalisation and audit” and could be further changed, either positively or negatively. The new valuations also assume no material changes to market conditions before the end of the financial year. Investors, however, still seem to be keen on the REIT regardless, judging by the Growthpoint share price action today.

Management commentary

Timothy Collyer, Growthpoint Managing Director, said:

The preliminary results of Growthpoint’s external valuations indicate the largest six-month increase on a like-for-like basis in the Group’s history.

The significant uplift reflects the substantial re-rating that has occurred across the industrial sector, driven by continued strong domestic and offshore investors’ demand for industrial assets, as well as leasing success across both our office and industrial portfolios.

We remain focused on actively managing our assets to ensure we maximise the portfolio’s value for our Securityholders.

Growthpoint share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the Growthpoint share price has increased by 19.8%. During the COVID-19 market sell-off of March 2020, the company’s value haemorrhaged 44.8% in the space of just 19 days! Despite today’s unambiguously good news, the REIT’s securities have still not returned to their pre-pandemic prices. Growthpoint Properties has a market capitalisation of approximately $3 billion.

The post Why the Growthpoint (ASX:GOZ) share price just smashed a 52-week record appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Clinuvel (ASX:CUV) share price lower despite positive update
• Why ASX agricultural shares are high on institutional investors’ radars
• EML Payments (ASX:EML) share price jumps 5% on Q3 trading update
• Here’s why this ETF could be a top option for ASX investors
• How much is the BHP (ASX:BHP) dividend worth today?

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 EML Payments Ltd (ASX: EML) share price is surging this afternoon after providing a trading update for FY21 Q3.

At the time of writing, the payment solutions company’s shares are up 5.8% to $3.53.

What’s moving the EML Payments share price?

This afternoon the EML Payments share price has bounced off its lunchtime low of $3.34.

Today’s update marks the first peek into the company’s performance since the bombshell announcement that led to a 45.6% selloff on 19 May.

As a refresher, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) informed EML that it had concerns over the company’s PFS Card Services (Ireland) business in relation to Anti-Money Laundering/Counter Terrorism Financing compliance – something that’s quite relevant for several ASX-listed companies today.

Regulatory update

According to the release, EML responded to the CBI’s letter within the defined deadline. The company maintains a dialogue with the CBI and is providing responses, data, and access to EML’s teams.

However, shareholders have been left no better off as to knowing potential decisions and/or timeframes. Addressing the matter, EML Payments has established a project governance structure in Ireland. This includes a subcommittee consisting of board members, executives, and external regulatory consultants.

Furthermore, the company expects one-off legal and advisory fees to be less than $2 million in FY21. Unfortunately, there may be a delay in program launches due to regulatory events.

Third-quarter trading update

Shareholders are absorbing the company’s Q3 FY21 update, which contains the likely catalyst for this afternoon’s EML share price performance.

The company grew substantially across various metrics compared to the prior corresponding period for the 9 months to March 2021 (unaudited), including:

• Gross Debit Volume (GDV) increasing 52% to $14.9 billion
• Revenue increasing 65% to $143.5 million
• Earnings before interest tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increasing 62% to $43.8 million.

Further fuelling optimism, 368 deals were said to be in the pipeline, 56 of which are in the contract negotiation stage. The company estimates the GDV of its pipeline at maturity is $8.3 billion.

Lastly, EML’s acquisition of Sentenial and Nuapay is expected to reach a transaction close depending on approvals in early July to late August.

The post EML Payments (ASX:EML) share price jumps 5% on Q3 trading update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Fund managers ar buying EML Payments (ASX:EML) and this ASX share
• ASX 200 flat: Costa crashes & Fisher & Paykel Healthcare tumbles
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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of EML Payments. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended EML Payments. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended EML Payments. 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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There are a large number of exchange traded funds (ETFs) to choose from on the Australian share market.

One quality option for investors to consider is the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK).

What is the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF?

The BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF provides investors with access to the leading tech companies in the growing global cybersecurity sector

This sector certainly is a great place for investors to be right now, with the threat of cyber attacks on governments and businesses continuing to grow.

In fact, research by global giant Accenture reveals that ransomware events more than doubled in 2020.

It commented: “Established ransomware operators are upping their game as they continue to focus on new monetization opportunities. The Accenture Cyber Investigations and Forensic Response (CIFR) team observed a 160% year-on-year increase in ransomware events in 2020—with little signs of any slowdown in early 2021. To plan for resilience, organizations should focus on the business and operational risks presented by the threat across their unique value chain—and prioritize planning and defense efforts accordingly.”

In light of this growing threat, demand for cybersecurity services has been increasing at a rapid rate and looks set to continue doing so in the future. This should be good news for the 40 companies included in this ETF.

Which companies are included?

Among the 40 companies that you’ll be buying a slice of are both global cybersecurity giants and emerging players from a range of global locations.

These include Accenture, Cisco, Crowdstrike, Fortinet, Okta, Splunk, and VMware.

Over the last three years this group of companies have collectively smashed the market, leading to the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF generating an average total return of 18.8% per annum.

This compares to a 10.2% per annum average total return by the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over the same period.

The post Here’s why this ETF could be a top option for ASX investors appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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James Mickleboro does not own any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended BETA CYBER ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BETA CYBER ETF UNITS. 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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