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If you like to invest in growth shares, then you’re in luck. The Australian share market is home to a number of companies growing their earnings at a solid rate.

Two ASX growth shares that could be worth a closer look are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)

The first ASX growth share to look at is this pizza chain operator.

Domino’s recently released its half year results and smashed the market’s expectations.

For the six months ended 31 December, the company reported a 16.5% increase in total global food sales to $1.84 billion. This was driven by a combination of strong same store sales growth and the opening of 131 new stores. The latter was quite an achievement during the pandemic.

But perhaps best of all was the operating leverage it achieved. This led to Domino’s reporting a sizeable 32.8% increase in underlying net profit after tax to $96.2 million.

Looking ahead, the company is confident its strong form will continue in the second half. In fact, management expects an even stronger performance during the half.

Macquarie is positive on the company. It recently reaffirmed its outperform rating and lifted its price target to $120.20.

Nuix Limited (ASX: NXL)

Another ASX growth share to look at is Nuix. It is a leading provider of investigative analytics and intelligence software.

Its Discover, Workstation, and Investigate platforms have been used in a number of important investigations. This includes the Panama Papers and the Banking Royal Commission. Current users include AIG, Airbus, Amazon, BDO, HSBC, Samsung, and Unilever.

The Nuix share price has fallen very heavily in recent weeks due to the tech sell off and a surprise underperformance during the first half. While the underperformance was disappointing, management has reiterated its full year guidance and appears confident it will achieve it. This could make the recent selloff a buying opportunity for patient investors.

One broker that thinks this is the case is Morgan Stanley. It currently has an overweight rating and $10.75 price target on the company’s shares.

More reading

• The JobKeeper payment is ending. So what will happen next?
• 2 excellent ASX shares to buy and hold today
• ASX tech correction? 10 of the worst-hit shares
• Why AVZ, Legend Mining, Nuix, & Vocus shares are surging higher
• 2 ASX shares at 52-week lows: Are they bargain buys?

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Nuix Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Dominos Pizza Enterprises Limited and Nuix Pty 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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Respected fund manager Wilson Asset Management (WAM) has recently identified two ASX shares that it owns in its portfolio.

WAM operates several listed investment companies (LICs). Two of those LICs are WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM) and WAM Research Limited (ASX: WAX).

There’s also one called WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) which looks at the larger businesses on the ASX.

WAM says WAM Leaders actively invests in the highest quality Australian companies.

The WAM Leaders portfolio has delivered gross returns (that’s before fees, expenses and taxes) of 14.1% per annum since inception in May 2016, which is superior to the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index average return of 8.9%.

These are the two ASX shares that WAM outlined in its most recent monthly update, which were two of the largest contributors of performance for the month:

Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ)

WAM Leaders said that it has been positive on Bank of Queensland due to the industry-wide tailwinds such as lower funding costs and the potential for a loan growth surprise, coupled with an undemanding valuation compared to the big four banks of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ).

During February, BOQ announced the acquisition of ME Bank for approximately $1.3 billion, which is being funded by the regional bank with a capital raising.

WAM said that this is a transformative acquisition for the ASX share and will increase the number of Bank of Queensland customers by around 50%. BOQ will become the sixth largest lender in Australia, being behind only the big four ASX banks and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG).

The fund manager expects that Bank of Queensland will be able to achieve good scale benefits from lower wholesale funding costs as well as significant cost synergy benefits.

Oil Search Limited (ASX: OSH)

Oil Search is one of the largest oil businesses on the ASX.

The fund manager said that oil and demand imbalances intensified in February with ‘OPEC+’ maintaining discipline while demand continues to recover towards pre-COVID-19 levels. OPEC+ includes countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Nigeria, Russia, Mexico, Kazakhstan and Bahrain.

WAM Leaders said that it expects the oil price rally will be supported by investors repositioning for a reflationary environment, with oil offering the characteristics of a real asset, benefiting from a stimulus-driven recovery and demonstrating a powerful hedge against inflation shocks.

The fund manager concluded about the ASX share:

As a pure play oil and liquid natural gas exploration company, Oil Search has the highest leverage to changes in the oil price across our investable universe. Other upcoming catalysts for Oil Search include progressing key growth projects in Alaska and Papua New Guinea towards a financial investment decision, and the sell down of equity in Alaska over 2021.

More reading

• Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG) is hungry for assets as its share price grows
• AMP (ASX:AMP) selling assets too cheaply warns Macquarie
• Bank of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) share price rises as it inks office deal with AMP (ASX:AMP)
• Why the Macquarie (ASX:MQG) share price just hit a record high
• Why the Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price is among the worst performers today

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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There are quite a few ASX dividend shares that brokers rate as buys at the moment.

Good dividend income is in high demand with how low interest rates are right now. Indeed, the official cash rate of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is almost at 0%.

ASX dividend shares could be the answer, but there are only a certain number that are worth buying according to those brokers.

Here are two of them:

Growthpoint Properties Australia Ltd (ASX: GOZ)

Broker Credit Suisse currently rates Growthpoint as a buy, with a share price target of $3.54 for the property business.

Growthpoint has a portfolio of 57 properties which is valued at more than $4 billion. Those buildings are either industrial or office properties. The overall portfolio has a weighted average capitalisation rate of 5.5%, with a weighted average lease expiry (WALE) of 6.2 years.

The ASX dividend share’s portfolio has an occupancy rate of 95%, up from 93% to 30 June 2020. Around 97% of the portfolio is leased to government, listed or large organisations. Some of those tenants include Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), Linfox, the Australian government, Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ), Samsung, Australian and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Country Road Group and Wesfarmers Ltd’s (ASX: WES) Bunnings.

Its net tangible assets (NTA) is $3.82, which means the last closing Growthpoint share price was at a 15% discount. It announced a buyback to buy up to 2.5% of its issued capital to benefit the funds from operations (FFO) and NTA per security.

In FY21 it’s expecting to generate FFO per security of 25.2 cents to 25.5 cents. Its FY21 distribution guidance is 20 cents, which is a FY21 yield of 6.1%.

Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH)

Adairs is a home furnishings ASX dividend share. It’s currently rated as a buy by Ord Minnett with a price target of $4.50.

The broker is attracted to Adairs by its e-commerce growth, improvements to its stores and the growing presence of Mocka.

Adairs reported strong double digit growth in the first half of FY21 with sales growth of 34.8% and like for like sales growth of 32.4%. Online sales jumped 163.2% to $90.2 million with COVID-19 impacts, representing 37% of group sales. The last twelve months of online sales amounted to $180.2 million, being 37% of total sales. It also has over 900,000 people in its membership programme.

The gross profit margin increased by 545 basis points to 66.1%, which helped underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) grow by 166% to $60.2 million. The EBIT margin almost doubled year on year to 24.8%.

Adairs has a number of initiatives to drive the business further. It’s investing in its digital channel. The ASX dividend share thinks that there’s a good opportunity for Mocka in Australia as brand awareness grows – it only has a small market share, for now.

Looking at its stores, it wants to make its stores bigger, which could increase the profit contribution from its stores by more than half.

It’s also building a new DHL-operated national distribution centre in Melbourne, which is expected to be operational in the first quarter of FY22. This will generate savings of $3.5 million per annum once fully operational.

In the first seven weeks of the second half FY21, it had grown total sales by 25%, with Adairs online sales growing by 65.9%. It expects to open one or two net new stores and upsize three or four stores across ANZ in the second half of FY21.

Ord Minnett thinks that Adairs will pay a dividend of $0.28 per share in FY21, translating to a grossed-up dividend yield of 10.9%.

More reading

• Will the ASX share e-commerce boom last?
• Why Adairs, Afterpay, IAG, & Livetiles shares are sinking
• 4 ASX retail shares that Morgans thinks are a ‘Buy’
• How Aldi plans to disrupt many ASX retail shares
• 3 ASX shares that doubled their profit in reporting season

Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends ADAIRS FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Wesfarmers Limited and Woolworths Limited. 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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Last week saw a number of broker notes hitting the wires once again. Three buy ratings that caught my eye are summarised below.

Here’s why brokers think investors ought to buy them next week:

CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have upgraded this biotech giant’s shares to a buy rating with a $310.00 price target. The broker made the move largely on valuation grounds after recent weakness in the CSL share price. Citi expects the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to support plasma collections in the coming months. In addition to this, it remains confident that demand for its core plasma-based products will be robust in the medium term. The CSL share price ended the week at $253.26.

Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE)

A note out of Credit Suisse reveals that its analysts have upgraded this financial technology company’s shares to an outperform rating with an $11.00 price target. According to the note, the broker believes that the Iress share price has dropped to a very attractive level. Especially given its defensive qualities and growth opportunities. In addition to this, it notes that its shares offer a generous dividend yield in this low interest rate environment. The Iress share price was fetching $9.53 at Friday’s close.

Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)

Analysts at Ord Minnett have upgraded this airline operator’s shares to a buy rating with a $6.00 price target. According to the note, the broker believes Qantas is well-placed to come out of the pandemic in a stronger position than when it entered it. And while dividends may be a couple of years away, it feels it is well worth sticking with the company. This is thanks to its balance sheet, cost cutting, and stronger market position. The Qantas share price was trading at $5.30 at the end of the week.

More reading

• The JobKeeper payment is ending. So what will happen next?
• 10 of the best ASX shares to buy in March
• Qantas (ASX:QAN) successfully trials COVID vaccine app in preparation of return to international travel
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy right now
• What this broker thinks about ASX travel shares after government’s stimulus package

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 CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended IRESS 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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With low interest rates likely to be here to stay for some time to come, it certainly is a hard time for income investors.

But don’t worry, because there are plenty of ASX dividend shares that can help you overcome low rates. Two that are highly rated are listed below:

Aventus Group (ASX: AVN)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is Aventus. It is the largest fully-integrated owner, manager, and developer of large format retail centres in Australia.

Aventus owns a portfolio of 20 centres with a diverse tenant base of 593 quality tenancies. From these tenancies, national retailers such as ALDI, Bunnings, and Officeworks represent ~87% of its total portfolio.

This, and their exposure to every day needs, has allowed Aventus to perform strongly during the pandemic. For example, during the first half of FY 2021 it reported a modest increase in revenue and a 43% lift in net profit to $103.4 million. The latter includes a $25.7 million increase in the net fair value of its property.

Goldman Sachs is a fan of the company. It currently has a buy rating and $3.04 price target on its shares. As well as liking the company due to its exposure to the household goods sector, it notes that its bulky goods homewares tenant base is a natural resistance to online sales penetration.

The broker estimates that it will pay a ~16.6 cents per share distribution this year. Based on the current Aventus share price, this represents a 5.9% yield.

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Another ASX dividend share to consider buying is Telstra. This telco giant’s outlook is improving greatly thanks to its T22 strategy, the arrival of 5G internet, and its plan to split into three separate businesses. The latter is expected to allow Telstra to take advantage of potential monetisation opportunities, unlocking value for shareholders.

Goldman Sachs is a fan of Telstra as well. It recently reiterated its buy rating and $4.00 price target on the company’s.

It also continues to forecast a 16 cents per share fully franked dividend for the foreseeable future. Based on the current Telstra share price, this will mean a generous 5.2% dividend yield.

More reading

• 2 ASX dividend shares with 5% fully franked yields
• 3 blue chip ASX shares with dividend yields over 5% today
• This ASX dividend share has a very generous 5.9% yield
• Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price and others caught in Greensill insolvency
• Is the Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price a top buy right now?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended AVENTUS RE UNIT. 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 JobKeeper payment is coming to a close. Everyone (including the ATO) is talking about what it will mean when the scheme officially stops.

After the federal government tried selling its half-price flight program to the Australian public yesterday, reality seems to have sunk in that the scheme is officially coming to an end. JobKeeper payments will conclude on 28 March 2021.

What does the ATO say about JobKeeper payments ending?

According to ABC News, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) believes it is owed hundreds of millions of dollars from companies who hustled the JobKeeper subsidy.

While some companies such as Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP), Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) have paid back JobKeeper funds that were not required, many others have not.

20 Australian companies promised to repay approximately $144 million to the ATO, however, only $20 million has been paid back so far.

According to ATO second commissioner Jeremy Hirschhorn, the misused JobKeeper payments were issued to companies based on revenue, opposed to whether the company is profitable or not.

Some recipients used JobKeeper payments to pay executive bonuses and raise dividends, with experts stating they believe this is the product of a poorly designed policy. While the ATO isn’t likely to admit an oversight, it’s clear that the program has run its course and it’s time for the next act.

Will the tourism and aviation support package save us?

While some businesses like Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) and Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) will benefit from the federal government’s follow up to JobKeeper, the new scheme isn’t pleasing everyone.

The Australian Financial Review reports that duty free retailers are not happy about being left out of the new funding package. Considering the current crux on international travel, being denied a dime of the $1.2 billion support package doesn’t sit well with some people in the industry.

Richard Goodman, who is the Managing Director of Heinemann Australia, said that sales are down 98%. He continued that without ongoing government support, such as the JobKeeper payment, cost decisions that may result in job cuts will have to be made.

The CEO of The Australian Retailers Association, Paul Zahra, commented:

“It’s good to see focused support for the tourism and aviation industry locally and the flow-on effects that will have for some retailers, but this [package] overlooks support for businesses severely impacted by international border closures.”

Foolish Takeaway

As a replacement to previous JobKeeper payments, the government is turning to the ravaged tourism and travel industries for its next approach.

Rating agencies are also paying attention to how the country is addressing its financial commitments as the coronavirus continues to leave its mark.

The JobKeeper payment is going to end, the next support package will take effect. Depending on how that goes, we’ll see where we land next.

More reading

• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell next week
• These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week
• Qantas (ASX:QAN) successfully trials COVID vaccine app in preparation of return to international travel
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy right now
• What this broker thinks about ASX travel shares after government’s stimulus package

Motley Fool contributor Gretchen Kennedy owns shares of Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Qantas Airways Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Dominos Pizza Enterprises Limited and Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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I’d bet everyone who has either invested in ASX shares, or wants to, has one goal in mind: making money. Or, to put it in a more palatable way, building wealth.

Everyone knows that it’s possible to build wealth using ASX shares and the share market (as well as lose it). But that’s where the commonalities end.

Some ‘investors’ like to bet big on penny stocks, trying to find that lottery ticket that will deliver a 1,000% return in a week.

Others like to invest only in dividend shares, enjoying the slowly-rising stream of passive income these can generate.

Some investors like to find fast-growing growth companies to hitch their wagon to. Others enjoy having a mix of growth and dividend shares.

There’s no right answer when it comes to the question of ‘how should I invest?’. Warren Buffett has built his wealth by steadily assembling a portfolio of other successful businesses under his own umbrella company Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B).

Berkshire is famous for investing in mature, quality companies like Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO) by buying and holding.

In contrast, Masayoshi Son, of Japan’s SoftBank, has built up his company by investing in fast-growing tech businesses. Businesses like Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER) and Doordash Inc (NASDAQ: DASH). Different paths, same result.

Successful investing has many doors

All successful investors have something in common: they have a goal and a method that works for them. And they stick to it.

This is something all investors might want to consider adopting.

There are some investors out there who just stick with dividend-paying shares. They know the companies that fund dividends, and what it takes for these companies to grow their dividends over time. It might make sense to them in a way that investing in other kinds of companies might not.

By contrast, other investors like finding companies that are in the early stages of their development but can go on to prove big winners. To these investors, dividend companies might seem boring.

Growth investors pride themselves on being able to sniff out a developing business that has the secret ingredients necessary for it to rapidly grow from a small company to a large one.

Finding the strategy that resonates with you, your personality, and your investing style is of utmost importance. Warren Buffett probably wouldn’t be any good at start-up tech investing, and Mr Son likely wouldn’t be adept at ‘Buffett-style’ buying and holding’.

Part of these investors’ genius is that they fully understand their investment strategies and they stick to them.

That’s something we can all aspire to do when attempting to become successful investors.

More reading

• Here’s why billionaire Warren Buffett’s net worth is surging
• Warren Buffett’s share portfolio revealed!
• Here’s why Warren Buffett prefers buybacks to dividends
• Warren Buffett just told us to stay away from this asset class
• 3 key takeaways from Warren Buffett’s latest letter to shareholders

Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Coca-Cola. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Uber Technologies and recommends the following options: short January 2023 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short March 2021 $225 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and long January 2023 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). 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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Once again, a large number of broker notes hit the wires last week. Some of these notes were positive and some were bearish.

Three sell ratings that caught my eye are summarised below. Here’s why top brokers think investors ought to sell these shares next week:

Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have retained their sell rating and $16.90 price target on this travel agent’s shares. While the broker believes that Flight Centre will benefit from the recently announced government stimulus program in the tourism sector, it isn’t enough for a change of rating. The broker suspects that some of the revenue generated by the stimulus will be offset by the end of JobKeeper. Looking ahead, the broker expects Flight Centre to make a loss this year and next year. The Flight Centre share price ended the week at $18.65.

Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

A note out of UBS reveals that its analysts have retained their sell rating but lifted their price target on this business and accounting platform provider’s shares to $79.50. According to the bote, the broker sees positives in its acquisition of workforce management platform Planday. It also notes that even after the deal, Xero will still have over NZ$1 billion of liquidity to consider other acquisitions. However, due to its current valuation, UBS isn’t in a rush to change its rating. The Xero share price was trading at $115.01 on Friday.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

Another note out of UBS reveals that its analysts have downgraded this buy now pay later provider’s shares to a sell rating with a $6.40 price target. According to the note, the broker was pleased with Zip’s first half performance and expects more of the same in the short term. Though, it does note that there are execution risks, particularly in the UK. In addition to this, the broker has concerns about rising bond yields. It notes that these could weigh on its valuation and also its funding. The Zip share price ended the week at $8.59.

More reading

• 10 of the best ASX shares to buy in March
• These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week
• What this broker thinks about ASX travel shares after government’s stimulus package
• Why Flight Centre, Northern Star, Southern Cross Media, & Treasury Wine are sinking
• ASX 200 up 0.95%: Afterpay rises, Westpac’s APRA update, Qantas upgraded

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 ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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There are a large number of quality shares on the ASX that could deliver strong returns over the next 12 months and beyond.

Ten that are highly rated are listed below. Here’s why investors might want to consider them this month:

Adore Beauty Group Limited (ASX: ABY)

Adore Beauty is Australia’s leading online beauty retailer. Like many ecommerce businesses, it has been growing very strongly during the pandemic. For example, the company recently reported half year revenue of $96.2 million and EBITDA of $5.2 million. This was up 85% and 188%, respectively, over the prior corresponding period. This result went down well with analysts at UBS. In response to its release, the broker put a buy rating and $6.20 price target on its shares. It appears confident its strong market position and growing active customer numbers will support more strong growth over the 2020s.

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

Altium is an electronic design software provider. It is best-known for its Altium Designer and Altium 365 platforms. These platforms are regarded as the best in the industry and are used by many of the world’s largest companies such as BAE Systems, Microsoft, and Tesla. Altium looks well-placed for growth over the next decade thanks to the internet of things and artificial intelligence booms. These are driving strong demand for electronic design software. One broker that likes what it sees here is UBS. Last month it upgraded Altium’s shares to a buy rating with a $34.00 price target.

Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

Appen is a leading developer of high-quality, human annotated datasets for machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Though its team of one million+ contractors, Appen prepares or creates the data for the machine learning models of some of the largest tech companies. These includes Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft. Late last month Ord Minnett upgraded its shares to a buy rating with a $24.75 price target.

CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

CSL is one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, comprising the CSL Behring and Seqirus businesses. Both are leaders in their respective fields – plasma therapies and vaccines. While plasma collection headwinds have been weighing on collections and investor sentiment this year, CSL appears well-placed for growth once conditions ease. Particularly given its lucrative R&D pipeline. Last week Citi upgraded its shares to a buy rating with a $310 price target.

Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

Kogan is one of Australia’s leading ecommerce companies. Like Adore Beauty, it has been growing very strongly thanks to the accelerating shift to online shopping caused by the pandemic. For example, during the first half of FY 2021, Kogan reported a 97.4% increase in gross sales to $638.2 million and a 250.2% lift in adjusted net profit after tax to $36.5 million. Analysts at Credit Suisse were impressed. The broker has put an outperform rating and $20.85 price target on its shares.

NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

NEXTDC is Australia’s leading data centre operator with a total of nine centres located across Australia. It has been experiencing very strong demand for capacity in its data centres thanks to the shift to the cloud. This led to NEXTDC reporting a 29% increase in EBITDA to $65.7 million for the first half of FY 2021. Pleasingly, more of the same is expected in the second half. In addition to this, the company is looking into expanding into Asia. This could provide it with a very long runway for growth. UBS is positive on the company. It has a buy rating and $15.40 price target on its shares.

Pushpay Holdings Group Ltd (ASX: PPH)

Pushpay is leading donor management and community engagement platform provider for the faith sector. It has also been a strong performer during the pandemic. This has been driven partly by the accelerating digitisation of the church. In fact, demand has been so strong, Pushpay is expecting to achieve full year operating earnings of US$56 million and US$60 million. This will be up 123% to 139% year on year. Goldman Sachs is a fan of the company. It has a conviction buy rating and $2.59 price target on its shares.

REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

REA Group is the dominant player in real estate listings in the Australian market. It looks well-placed for growth in the coming years thanks to the improving housing market, new revenue streams, cost cutting, price increases, and its international operations. Morgan Stanley is very positive on the company’s prospects. As a result, it has an overweight rating and lofty $175.00 price target on its shares.

ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

ResMed is a sleep treatment-focused medical device company. Thanks to its industry-leading products, growing software business, and the increasing awareness of sleep disorders, it has been growing at a strong rate for a good number of years. Pleasingly, it still has a significant market opportunity to grow into. Management estimates that there are ~1 billion people suffering from sleep apnoea worldwide, with only ~20% of these sufferers currently diagnosed. It also looks well-placed to benefit from the shift to home healthcare. Morgans is a fan of ResMed. It recently retained its add rating and put a price target of $30.09 on its shares.

Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

Xero is a provider of a cloud-based business and accounting solution to small and medium sized businesses. It has been growing strongly over the last few years and looks well-positioned to continue the trend in the years to come. This is thanks to its international expansion, acquisitions, the transition to the cloud, and its burgeoning app ecosystem. Goldman Sachs is very positive on the company. It has a buy rating and $157.00 price target on its shares. The broker believes Xero is capable of delivering strong revenue growth over multiple decades.

More reading

• 2 fantastic ASX shares with long runways for growth
• Will the ASX share e-commerce boom last?
• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• Why this ASX 200 tech share is leading the pack this week
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy right now

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 recommends Altium. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Appen Ltd, CSL Ltd., Kogan.com ltd, and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Kogan.com ltd, PUSHPAY FPO NZX, REA Group Limited, and ResMed Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post 10 of the best ASX shares to buy in March appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Fortunately, in this low interest rate environment, there are countless dividend shares for investors to choose from on the Australian share market.

But with so many to choose from, it can be hard to decide which ones to buy.

To narrow things down, I have picked out three ASX dividend shares that brokers think investors should buy:

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

According to a note out of Bell Potter, its analysts have a buy rating and $2.65 price target on this footwear retailer’s shares. The broker was impressed with Accent’s performance in the first half and appears confident more of the same is coming in the second half and beyond. In respect to dividends, Bell Potter is forecasting an 11.9 cents per share dividend in FY 2021 and then a 12.2 cents per share dividend in FY 2022. Based on the latest Accent share price of $2.34, this will mean fully franked 5.1% and 5.2% yields, respectively, over the next couple of years.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

A note out of Macquarie reveals that its analysts have an outperform rating and $55.00 price target on this mining giant’s shares. According to the note, the broker has upgraded its copper prices for the coming years to reflect an expected increase in demand for the base metal. This has led to Macquarie boosting its earnings and dividend forecasts. The broker has pencilled in fully franked dividends of ~$2.99 per share in FY 2021 and ~$2.74 per share in FY 2022. Based on the current BHP share price of $47.97, this represents generous yields of 6.2% and then 5.7%.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

Analysts at Citi have a buy rating and $26.00 price target on this banking giant’s shares. According to the note, the broker believes the banking sector could continue to outperform in the near term. This is partly thanks to rising bond yields causing investors to rotate into the sector. In addition to this, it sees value in Westpac’s shares at the current level, particularly given its balance sheet strength. Citi expects Westpac to pay fully franked $1.30 per share dividends in FY 2021 and FY 2022. Based on the latest Westpac share price of $24.45, this will mean an attractive 5.3% yield for investors.

More reading

• ASX 200 climbs, Westpac in the clear, Nine reveals a WIN-ning deal
• Morgans just added this ASX 200 share to its model portfolio
• ASX 200 up 0.95%: Afterpay rises, Westpac’s APRA update, Qantas upgraded
• Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price higher following APRA update
• 2 ASX dividend shares with 5% fully franked yields

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of Westpac Banking. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Accent Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

The post Leading brokers name 3 ASX dividend shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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