Tag: Motley Fool

  • AstraZeneca vaccine approved for use in Australia, CSL (ASX:CSL) share price up

    covid vaccine stocks represented by row of vials labelled covid vaccine

    The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price climbed 2% today after the AstraZeneca – Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use in Australia.

    According to reporting by the Australian Financial Review, the provisional approval will mean that adults who are 18 or older will be able to take two doses of the drug, between four to twelve weeks apart.

    The Australian federal government has ordered almost 54 million doses of the vaccine, with CSL to start manufacturing within the country from the end of next month. CSL has been tasked with manufacturing 50 million doses. 

    One of the main benefits of the Oxford University – AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is that it can be held in normal refrigerators. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine needs to be stored at -70C.

    Some of the first Australians to receive the vaccine will be border workers, health workers involved in the fight against COVID-19, and people who are involved in aged care settings.

    What is CSL’s involvement in the COVID-19 vaccine?

    In regards to the COVID-19 vaccine, CSL announced back in September 2020 that it had signed an agreement with the Australian federal government.

    CSL will manufacture the COVID-19 vaccine from its Australian facilities, as well as manufacturing the company’s vital core therapies.

    The Australian government has provided funding to support CSL’s readiness to manufacture the Oxford University – AstraZeneca vaccine, which has expanded Australia’s on-shore vaccine manufacturing capabilities.

    The funding is being used to establish at-risk components required to produce the commercial manufacture of the recombinant vector-based COVID-19 vaccine, including funding for specialised equipment, recruitment training and redeployment of personnel and retooling and reconfiguration of existing manufacturing facilities to ‘good manufacturing practice’ standards.

    At the time of the announcement of the deal with the federal government, CSL CEO and managing director Paul Perreault said:

    “Acknowledging that CSL is the only company in Australia with manufacturing facilities capable of producing this vaccine, we thank the Australian government for their support, ensuring Australia has access to onshore COVID-19 vaccine production and supply. Our facilities will require modifications in order to fulfil the compliance requirements for working with vector-based vaccines, as well as the addition of skilled personnel and further capital investment.”

    Mr Perreault also spoke of the company’s prior involvement in manufacturing vaccines: “CSL’s history is linked with a commitment to Australia’s public health needs. In 1918 we produced a vaccine for the Spanish influenza pandemic, in 2009 we developed a vaccine for the swine flu pandemic, and now we are incredibly proud to use our skills, technology and facilities to help ensure Australia – and the world – can access a COVID-19 vaccine.”

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    Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. 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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  • Brambles (ASX:BXB) share price on watch after solid first half and guidance upgrade

    ASX share price on watch represented by man peering closely at computer screen

    The Brambles Limited (ASX: BXB) share price will be one to watch on Wednesday morning.

    This follows the release of the supply chain logistics company’s half year results after the market close.

    How did Brambles perform in the first half?

    Brambles was a positive performer during the first half of FY 2021.

    Management advised that COVID-19 and Brexit impacted the operating environment, driving elevated levels of demand for pallets. However, changes in consumer demand patterns and higher input costs resulted in operating cost increases.

    According to the release, for the six months ended 31 December, Brambles reported a 7% increase in sales revenue to US$2,565.5 million. This was driven by strong volume growth and price realisation in the global Pallet businesses and the contribution from the commencement of a large Australian RPC contract. This offset COVID-19 related declines in Automotive and Kegstar businesses.

    In respect to earnings, underlying operating profit increased 7% to US$465 million and profit after tax lifted 6% to US$295.2 million.

    Also growing was the company’s operating cash flow, which came in US$321.8 million higher at US$423.6 million. Management advised that this reflected higher earnings, a disciplined approach to capital expenditure, and some timing benefits in the first half of FY 2021.

    This allowed the Brambles board to declare a 10 U.S. cents per share interim dividend. This represents a payout ratio of 50%, which is in line with Brambles’ dividend policy to payout between 45% and 60% of underlying profit after finance costs and tax.

    Management commentary

    Brambles CEO, Graham Chipchase, was pleased with the half.

    He commented: “We experienced elevated levels of demand in our key pallet businesses in the first half, as retailers raised inventories to accommodate increased levels of at-home consumption and to provide greater contingency against changes in consumer demand. There was also a noticeable shift within the consumer staples segment towards established, household brands which drove stronger volume growth with our largest customers.”

    “Operationally, COVID-19 related changes in network dynamics and customer demand patterns resulted in additional pallet collection and repair costs, with wage inflation in most regions increasing plant costs further. Our focus on optimising the use of our existing asset pool to service elevated levels of demand also contributed to higher plant and transport costs in the period and limited our investment in new pallets.”

    Outlook

    The good news for shareholders, and the Brambles share price tomorrow, is that management has upgraded its FY 2021 guidance following its solid first half.

    It now expects full year sales revenue growth of 4% to 6% in constant currency with improving profit margins. This is expected to lead to underlying profit growth of 5% to 7% in constant currency.

    Mr Chipchase added: “The strong first-half result has allowed us to upgrade our FY21 sales revenue and earnings guidance. We remain committed to delivering Group Underlying Profit leverage and expect US margins to improve by approximately one percentage point, with the US automation programme on track for completion by the end of the fiscal year.”

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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 1300 Smiles (ASX:ONT) share price sank today despite results

    asx shares falling lower represented by investor wearing paper bag on head with sad face

    The 1300 Smiles Limited (ASX: ONT) share price fell into negative territory before closing today, despite what appeared to be solid results from the dental facility operator. After today’s performance, 1300 Smiles share price is sitting at $7.05, down 2.35% for the day.

    So, what has investors grinning and grimacing from the company’s half-year results today?

    Profitability worth smiling about

    Investors may have been put off by the minuscule 1.2% growth in revenue for 1300 Smiles. However, this figure represents the statutory revenue for the period which takes into account various accounting considerations. The company also provides ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) revenue, which reflects the total amount of money paid by patients for services. This figure increased by 8% to $34.8 million for the half.

    The managing director’s letter highlighted online booking as a significant contributor to boosting revenue and cost control during the period. Notably, such online bookings for patient appointments grew by 79% to 2,199 over the last year. Online appointments accounted for an average of 11.53% of total appointments over the past 13 months.

    The company delivered a net profit after tax (NPAT) of $5.9 million, which is an increase of 35% on the prior corresponding period. Consequently, 1300 Smiles also is increasing its interim dividend by 9% to 14.5 cents. The high profitability level has set a record for the company in terms of its earnings per share (EPS) attributable to shareholders of 25 cents.

    Keeping the balance sheet clean

    During the half, 1300 Smiles experienced a 42% increase in cash inflows from operating activities. This increased cash allowed the company to reduce debt levels by 30%, down to $10.5 million from $15 million.

    Significant cash outflows in investing activities include the company acquiring a third dental practice in Bundaberg to expand its footprint.

    Furthermore, the company ended the half with just over $5.2 million in cash and cash equivalents. Based on the interim dividend of 14.5 cents and the company’s 21.31 million shares outstanding, nearly $3.1 million will be paid out on 18 March.

    1300 Smiles share price snapshot

    Despite the impacts of COVID-19 throughout the last year on physical forms of business, the 1300 Smiles share price managed to climb 12.1% in this time. That’s certainly something shareholders can smile about. For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has fallen nearly 3% over the last year. 

    At the close of today, the company’s market capitalisation is $171 million.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended 1300SMILES 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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  • Here’s why the BHP (ASX:BHP) share price is closing in on its record high

    shares valuation higher upgrade, growth shares

    The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price was a positive performer on Tuesday.

    The mining giant’s shares rose almost 3% to close the day at $47.00.

    This leaves the BHP share price trading within touching distance of its record high of $47.54.

    Why did the BHP share price push higher today?

    Investors were buying BHP shares on Tuesday following the release of a solid half year result. For a deeper dive into its result, you can read about it here.

    For the six months ended 31 December, the mining giant posted a 15% increase in revenue to US$25.64 billion and a 21% jump in underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to US$14.7 billion. The latter was driven by a 3-percentage point expansion in its operating margin to 59%.

    The Big Australian also reported strong growth in its free cash flow and its dividend.

    BHP’s free cash flow increased 39% over the prior corresponding period to US$5.2 billion. This allowed the BHP board to increase its interim dividend by 55% to a fully franked US$1.01 per share (~A$1.30 per share).

    How does this compare to expectations?

    According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, BHP’s underlying EBITDA was 1% ahead of its forecast.

    It notes that this was driven by EBITDA beats from oil and copper, which offset softer than expected iron ore and coal earnings.

    Also coming in ahead of its expectations was BHP’s dividend. The broker was only expecting an 82 U.S. cents per share interim dividend, compared to its actual interim dividend of US$1.01 per share.

    Another positive was its lower than expected net debt. Goldman notes that BHP’s net debt was US$11.8 billion at the end of December. This compares to the broker’s estimate of US$12.8 billion.

    Is the BHP share price in the buy zone?

    Goldman Sachs still sees a little bit of upside left in the BHP share price. It currently has a buy rating and $47.80 price target.

    Though, this price target could change in the coming days once the broker has had time to fully digest the result. Stay tuned for that.

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  • Why the Incannex Healthcare (ASX:IHL) share price is up 15% today

    increase in asx medical software share price represented by doctor making excited hands up gesture

    The Incannex Healthcare Limited (ASX: IHL) share price has hit a 5-year high at 29 cents during early trade. The shares have since retreated back to 26 cents, up 18%.

    All the excitement comes after the company released an announcement this morning pertaining to an ongoing research program.

    Positive results prompting further research

    Incannex Healthcare is a pharmaceutical development company utilising medicinal cannabis and psychedelics to generate treatments for a range of disorders and diseases. In today’s update, Incannex discussed the positive results of using its proprietary anti-inflammatory IHL-675A in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

    The company’s IHL-675A treatment is a combination of cannabidiol ‘CBD’ and hydroxychloroquine ‘HCQ’. As stated in the announcement, the pre-clinical in-vivo (in animal) study showed positive results when used to treat a mouse with a form of inflammatory bowel disease.

    Furthermore, this result extends the possibilities of inflammatory treatments from the existing target indications shown for asthma, bronchitis, SAARDS, and COPD. Incannex accordingly highlighted the potential for IHL-675A to become a multi-use medication. The company has initiated its fifth research program following the promising results.

    Where to from here for Incannex?

    Incannex plans to now expand discussions with research organisations and regulators to press forward with clinical studies and a regulatory strategy. The company expects the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new drug application pathway will be an available avenue for the inflammatory bowel disease indication.

    According to the numbers supplied in the report, the IBD market is expected to reach US$22.4 billion by 2026. This will provide a large opportunity for any developments in the space.

    Incannex share price snapshot

    The Incannex share price has outperformed the market over the last year, netting shareholders a return of 324%. Most of those returns came about after September when the share price broke out above 7 cents. 

    Including today’s gains, the pharmaceutical developer now has a market capitalisation of $230 million.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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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  • Bendigo Bank (ASX:BEN) share price touches 12-month high

    Two happy people use their hands as binoculars, indicating a positive ASX share price or on watch

    The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) share price closed its trading day at $11.28 this afternoon. That’s a 6.82% gain for the session and a fresh 12-month high.

    Let’s look at the bank’s half-year results released yesterday and see what might have sent the Bendigo Bank share price sailing higher.

    Bendigo Bank share price soars after strong results

    In its announcement for the half-year ending 31 December 2020, Bendigo reported a 67.3% statuary net profit gain of $243.9 million. Total income growth popped 3.3% to $849 million, and cash earnings were up 1.9%, coming in at $219.7 million.

    Management said growth in the bank’s lending portfolios and increased hedging revenue drove these achievements. 

    Operating expenses dropped 3.1% during the period to $571.4 million, and Bendigo reiterated its focus on achieving “sustainable cost reductions across the business”.

    The bank’s board declared a fully franked dividend of 28 cents per share. This comprises 4.5 cents per share relating to the final deferred dividend for FY20, and 23.5 cents per share relating to the FY21 interim dividend.

    Looking ahead

    Sharing her insight about the outlook for the Bendigo Bank share price over the coming months, CEO and managing director Marnie Baker said:

    With business confidence and consumer sentiment up, an ongoing low-rate environment, a growing housing market, an improving jobs market, continued growth in regional Australia, and our customers showing remarkable resilience and adaptability, we are buoyed by the outlook.

    However, we always take a long-term view, and we remain mindful of the global and local impacts of the pandemic, international trade sentiment, decisions on government support measures and the ongoing reality of natural disasters and climate change.

    Looking ahead, supported by our growth and transformation strategy, we continue to target above system residential lending and further growth in small business and agribusiness sectors, whilst reducing our cost base, and maintaining a strong and resilient balance sheet.

    The Bendigo Bank share price has risen 65% over the past 6-month period.

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    Motley Fool contributor Gretchen Kennedy owns shares of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited. 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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  • Why the Farm Pride (ASX:FRM) share price is up 28% today

    Five stacked building blocks with green arrows, indicating rising inflation or share prices

    The Farm Pride Foods Ltd (ASX: FRM) share price is surging higher today. This comes after the company announced an update in regards to its business operations following the Avian Influenza outbreak.

    During the late afternoon trade, shares in the vertically integrated egg producer are up 28.2% to 25 cents.

    What did Farm Pride announce?

    According to its release, Farm Pride advised that it has received a Revocation of Quarantine Notice from Agriculture Victoria. The notice was in regards to its 2 previously affected sites. This follows the confirmed Avian Influenza outbreak that occurred in August last year at two of its farms.

    The issued notice will be welcoming news for the company as the closure of both farms saw it lose 33% of its productive hen flock.

    On being granted approval, Farm Pride has sought to quickly restock the two sites to their maximum capacity. The company will focus on cage-free and free-range egg production.

    In addition to the positive news, Farm Pride stated that it conducted a strategic review of all operations soon after the outbreak.

    To improve its margins and recover from the financial fallout, Farm Pride determined that its farm in Pittsworth, Queensland will be sold off. It noted that it does not consider the farm to be a core asset and important to its long-term strategy. As a result, Farm Pride launched an open market expression of interest (EOI) process. This was facilitated by CBRE Brisbane late last year.

    More recently, an unconditional contract has been entered with Hall & McLean Pty Ltd to purchase the farm and its associated assets. The sale of the farm has been agreed to an amount of $3.1 million excluding expenses. Settlement is expected to occur sometime in the middle of March.

    Farm Pride will allocate the funds to its working capital to support business development, capital expenditure, and to reduce debt.

    Furthermore, the company revealed it will seek to take extra measures to shore up its balance sheet, and strengthen its working capital.

    About the Farm Pride share price

    Despite today’s meteoric rise, the Farm Pride share price has been a poor performer. In particular, over the last 12 months, falling 18%.

    The company’s shares hit a multi-year low of 15 cents in March, before moving on a rollercoaster ride.

    Based on the current share price, Farm Pride has a market capitalisation of around $13 million.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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

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    Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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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  • Why the Redflow (ASX:RFX) share price rocketed 39% higher today

    A young man pointing up looking amazed, indicating a surging share price movement for an ASX company

    The Redflow Ltd (ASX: RFX) share price was among the best performers on the Australian share market today.

    The energy storage company’s shares jumped as much as 39% to a 52-week high of 10 cents at one stage.

    The Redflow share price ultimately ended the day 35% higher at 9.7 cents.

    Why did the Redflow share price rocket higher?

    Investors were fighting so hard to get hold of the company’s shares this morning that it received a speeding ticket from the ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX).

    And just like Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) said when it received its own speeding ticket today, Redflow advised that it was “not aware of any information concerning it that has not been announced to the market which, if known by some in the market, could explain the recent trading in its securities.”

    As with Zip, the company pointed to a recent announcement as a possible reason for the strong rise in the Redflow share price.

    What was the announcement?

    Redflow told the Australian Stock Exchange operator that its announcement on 11 February 2021 was positively received at the time.

    That announcement revealed that it has partnered with telco giant Optus to deploy Redflow batteries as part of the Australian Government’s Mobile Network Hardening Program.

    The Australian Government announced the $13.2 million program last December to enable Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), Optus, and TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG) to extend the battery backup at 467 mobile phone towers for a minimum of 12 hours. This is in recognition that most power outages occur during emergencies.

    Last week, Optus installed its first Redflow battery system under the Government’s program at a black spot site in Lexton, Victoria. The telco is now planning to deploy Redflow batteries in at least 56 black spot sites as part of the program. Optus has also used Redflow batteries in the environmentally sensitive Daintree Forest in Queensland since 2019.

    Redflow’s Managing Director and CEO, Tim Harris, believes Redflow’s battery design was ideally suited for the Mobile Network Resiliency Program.

    He commented: “Redflow’s solution is suited to warm climates, has lower fire risk than other battery chemistries, is easily integrated with existing batteries, has an energy-saving standby power mode and carries strong environmental credentials. Redflow batteries will play an important role in improving the resiliency of networks, particularly in bushfire-prone areas.”

    Following today’s gain, the Redflow share price is up a whopping 273% since the start of the year.

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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 ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra 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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  • Bank of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) shares hit a 52-week high today

    Investor touching a screen with a smiley face icon on it, indicating a surging ASX share price

    The Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) share price touched a new 52-week high this morning. BOQ shares closed at $8.60 yesterday and opened at $8.59 this morning. Just after open, investors sent its shares up 1.2% to a new 52-week high of $8.78 a share.

    The market got cold feet soon after though, and Bank of Queensland shares are down 0.47% for the day at a share price of $8.55 at the time of writing. Even so, the company’s share price is now up a healthy 10.18% year to date.

    This is a significant move for the bank. Today’s rise means that the company was trading at a level higher than where it commanded this time last year, just before the coronavirus pandemic sent markets into a tailspin.

    Bank of Queensland shares are now up around 90% from the lows that we saw last May. Those lows were significant as well, since the $4.51 share price BoQ hit in mid-May was the lowest share price the company had seen since back in 1999. I guess investors took that Prince song a little too literally back then.

    So what could be behind today’s move to a new 52-week high?

    Bank of Queensland shares bump to new high

    Well, BoQ did announce a new non-executive director to the markets before yesterday’s open. The company told us that Mickie Rosen would assume the role of non-executive director, effective 4 March 2021. However, it’s unlikely that this announcement is behind today’s move.

    Instead, we can possibly put today’s move down to general positive sentiment over the entire ASX banking sector. Ever since the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced an extension of its quantitative easing (QE) program earlier in the month, ASX bank shares have been trending higher. Banks are quite leveraged to the overall levels of economic growth in the economy. Thus, a continuation of easy monetary policy from the RBA has been taken as good news for ASX bank shares.

    Further, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) reported its half-year results last week. Since then, investors have been rather taken with the ASX banks – perhaps an effect of CBA increasing its interim dividend to $1.50 a share.

    That’s up from the 98 cents per share final dividend that CBA paid out last year. After a drought of a year in terms of dividends in 2020, some enthusiasm over shareholder payouts climbing again is certainly understandable.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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

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

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 latest ASX shares upgraded by brokers to “buy” during the reporting season

    ASX share broker upgrade represented by upgrade button on computer keyboard

    The market hit a fresh one-year high during the profit reporting season, but the strong rise didn’t deter brokers from upgrading these ASX shares to “buy” today.

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) rose 0.5% ahead of the market close to 6,907 – its highest level since February 2020.

    Positive results from the unfolding reporting season are fuelling the bullish sentiment, but this isn’t the only reason the Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING) share price is jumping.

    Winner winner chicken dinner

    The Inghams share price added 3.2% to $3.60 at the time of writing after Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) upgraded it to “outperform” from “neutral”.

    Weak prices haven’t made as big a dent on the poultry supplier’s bottom line as this has been offset by a bounce in volume.

    Sales recovery prompts share upgrade

    “Industry feedback suggests that orders have improved post the initial COVID-19 shock,” said the broker.

    “Volumes have been strong in the Dec half (continuation of Sep Qtr) and pricing has been fairly stable. Feed costs are also coming down given the strong 2020/21 winter crop but won’t flow through to ING until 4Q21.”

    Strong sales figures posted by Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) are also a positive sign for Inghams.

    Macquarie’s 12-month price target on the Inghams share price is $3.78 a share.

    Bad news is in the price

    Meanwhile, the underperforming Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) share price is a buying opportunity, according to UBS.

    The printed circuit board design software developer recently posted a disappointing half year result but that didn’t stop UBS from lifting its rating to “buy” from “neutral”.

    Altium’s earnings missed consensus forecast and management warned that full year revenue and earnings will come in at the lower end of its guidance.

    Upgraded to “buy” for longer-term opportunity

    “We sit at the bottom end of both revenue and EBITDA guidance but believe the market reaction today suggests many see considerable risk to achieving this 2H skew,” said UBS. “We admit some risk but also see 2H tailwinds.”

    These tailwinds include pent-up demand for its offerings as business confidence rebounds from the COVID-19 impact, a return to normal pricing levels and positive currency tailwinds.

    “Our industry feedback continues to be supportive of ALU’s product leadership and upside from its long-term aspirations,” added the broker.

    “We believe ALU’s strong balance sheet position may allow it to capitalise on M&A opportunities medium-term.”

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    Brendon Lau owns shares of Macquarie Group Limited and Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Altium. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Altium, COLESGROUP DEF SET, and Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    The post The latest ASX shares upgraded by brokers to “buy” during the reporting season appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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