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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is back on form on Wednesday. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is up 0.3% to 7,804.5 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are falling:

29Metals Ltd (ASX: 29M)

The 29Metals share price is down a further 9.5% to 36.2 cents. Investors have been hitting the sell button this week after the copper miner announced the suspension of operations at Capricorn Copper. This follows an extended period of rainfall between late January and mid-March, which resulted in a steady accumulation of water in regulated structures on site. These levels are similar to those following the March 2023 extreme weather event that hit the company very hard.

Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN)

The Brainchip share price is down 3% to 32 cents. This has been driven by news that the semiconductor company is raising more funds through its put option agreement with LDA Capital. This appears to be an indication that the company doesn’t expect to generate any meaningful revenue in the near future.

Platinum Asset Management Ltd (ASX: PTM)

The Platinum share price is down 21% to $1.03. Investors have been selling this fund manager’s shares after it announced a large fund outflow. Platinum expects to receive partial redemptions of at least $1.4 billion from its institutional and wholesale business over the coming month. It also warned that one large client is indicating that it intends to rebalance its exposure away from benchmark agnostic global equity managers.

Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV)

The Premier Investments share price is down 3% to $31.03. This morning, analysts at Goldman Sachs responded to the retail giant’s half-year results by retaining their sell rating with an improved price target of $25.10. Commenting on plans to divest Smiggle and Peter Alexander, the broker said: ” Scenario analysis of Smiggle/PA global opportunities suggests A$22.7-A$31.9/sh valuation rage vs our TP of A$25.1/sh.”

The post Why 29Metals, Brainchip, Platinum, and Premier Investments shares are falling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Brainchip share price sinking over 7% today?
• Why is this ASX 300 stock crashing 23% today?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why did this ASX All Ords stock just crash 36%?
• These 5 ASX 200 shares just hit new 52-week highs

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Premier Investments. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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If you own Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) shares you’ve got two things to celebrate as I pen this.

First, shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fast food pizza retailer are in the green during the Wednesday lunch hour. Shares are up 0.1%, trading for $42.83 apiece.

Second, today is the day the company pays its interim dividend.

Domino’s shares traded ex-dividend on 26 February. Meaning you’ll have had to own the stock at market close on Friday, 23 February to bank today’s passive income payout.

Domino’s shares are paying out today

Domino’s reported its half-year results on 21 February.

On the plus side of the ledger, the company reported same-store sales growth of 1.3% over the six months. And network sales increased 8.8% year on year to $2.14 billion.

However, with net profit after tax declining by 13% to $62 million, management reduced the interim dividend by 18.4% from the prior year, declaring an unfranked interim dividend of 55.5 cents per share.

Commenting on the company’s performance on the day, Domino’s CEO Don Meij said, “Today’s results show we are rebuilding, and the sales initiatives we have applied in Australia/New Zealand are getting traction in some of our international markets.”

ASX 200 investors appeared pleased with the company’s growth outlook and strong start to the new half. Domino’s shares closed up 2.3% on the day.

As for that passive income, management said the interim dividend will be subject to Domino’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRP). And it will be fully underwritten.

Atop the interim dividend, Domino’s also paid out a final dividend of 42.6 cents per share on 28 September.

That brings the full-year dividend payout to 98.1 cents per share.

At the current share price, this sees Domino’s trading on an unfranked trailing yield of 2.3%.

The post Own Domino’s shares? Today is pay day! appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 3 ASX shares to buy in 2024 and hold for the next 10 years
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• Can the Domino’s share price ever get back to $161?
• A once-in-a-decade chance to get rich buying ASX growth stocks?
• Buy Domino’s shares for a 50% return and attractive dividend yield

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The rising cost of living is taking its pound of flesh from the hip pockets of Aussies. Inflation is a pernicious beast. This is especially true if those hard-earned dollars are left in cash. I’d fight the costly scourge by finding quality ASX shares to buy instead.

Today’s monthly inflation print shows rising costs have stripped 3.4% of our purchasing power when annualised. The number was below expectations of 3.5%. However, it is still above the 2% to 3% target band set by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Fortunately, my top income-focused investments all pay a dividend yield greater than this, leaving capital appreciating as the cream on top.

ASX shares I’d buy to generate income

An attractive trait of ASX dividend shares is their ability to provide money without selling the investment. A portion of company profits gets paid out while the invested capital keeps chugging along untouched — providing for the present and (hopefully) the future.

It’s an appealing proposition. However, it’s important to prioritise the company’s quality, not just those (at times) sugary dividends. High yields can be sweet… but sometimes they can lack substance.

That’s why I’d select the following three companies as quality, dividend-paying ASX shares to buy.

Sticky income source: Raise your hand if you’ve moved house, thrown some things into a storage unit, and long forgotten about it. Like a gym membership, the hassle of sorting out the matter can feel more costly than the ongoing fee — leading to months, sometimes years, of payments through sheer laziness.

Indeed, storage can be a beautiful business — simple and often predictable. That’s why I’d choose National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR), one of the largest self-storage providers in Australia and New Zealand, for added income.

Currently, the company offers a dividend yield of 4.6%, outpacing inflation by 1.2%. A $10,000 investment in National Storage a year ago would have paid $460 in 12 months.

Low-cost business: The next ASX share to buy on my list for income is a low-cost business. As I see it, the less money spent on operations, the more dividends can be paid to shareholders. Hence, resource royalty company Deterra Royalties Ltd (ASX: DRR) is a hard one to skip, in my opinion.

Collecting royalties paid on BHP’s Mining Area C iron ore mine, Deterra raked in $251.8 million in revenue over the last year. Nearly 67% of that revenue translated to net profits after tax (NPAT), with 100% of those earnings paid out in dividends.

Today, Deterra’s dividend yield is 6.3%, surpassing inflation by 2.9%. A $10,000 investment in Deterra Royalties a year ago would have amounted to $630 in 12 months.

Inflation-protected revenue: What about an ASX share to buy that can raise its revenue alongside inflation?

A decent dividend yield now is good, but if the company cannot increase the price of its products or services with inflation, those dividends could soon dwindle. That’s why NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF) makes my top three.

Health insurance prices are going up across all providers. Many Australians who pay for health insurance consider it a necessity, cutting back elsewhere if needed to maintain coverage. This helps NIB to grow profits and dividends in line with (or above) inflation.

The dividend yield on NIB shares is 3.9%, a smaller 0.5% above the current inflation rate. A $10,000 investment in NIB a year ago would have paid out $390 worth of income.

The post 3 top income-focused ASX shares to buy before April appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Buy these ASX dividend stocks for an income boost
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• Analysts name 2 ASX income shares to buy with 6%+ dividend yields
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Selling your investment property due to land tax hikes? 5 ASX shares I’d buy with the proceeds

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended NIB Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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After opening in the red, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finally struggled into the green by late morning today.

At 11:30am AEST on Wednesday, the benchmark Aussie index was up a fraction of a percent at 7,783.8 points.

That’s when the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published the latest Australian inflation data, covering the month of February.

And the ASX 200 marched to 7,809.0 points in the minutes that followed, up 0.4%.

Here’s what’s happening on Australia’s inflation front.

ASX 200 lifts on ABS inflation data

Forecasts were mixed on what to expect from today’s inflation print, with consensus estimates coming in at a 3.5% annual rate.

But as we can see by the boosted sentiment on the ASX 200, those consensus expectations proved a little on the high side.

According to the latest data from the ABS, the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicator increased 3.4% in the 12 months to February.

That’s close to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s 2% to 3% target range. A range ASX 200 investors are keeping a close eye on amid hopes for interest rate cuts in 2024.

However, while inflation has come off the boil, it is proving sticky at these still elevated levels.

“Annual inflation was unchanged in February and has been 3.4% for three consecutive months,” said Michelle Marquardt, ABS head of prices statistics.

The biggest factors driving ongoing price pressures in February were housing, up 4.6%; food and non-alcoholic beverages, up 3.6%; alcohol and tobacco, up 6.1%; and insurance and financial services, up 8.4%.

Renters are doing it particularly tough, with rents up by 7.6% for the year, an increase from 7.4% in January.

As for underlying inflation – which excludes things like petrol, holiday travel, and fruit and vegetables from CPI headline inflation – the 12-month increase to February was 3.9%, down from 4.1% in January.

“Annual inflation excluding volatile items has continued to slow over the last 14 months from a high of 7.2% in December 2022,” Marquardt said.

And despite the hordes of big-spending Swifties, holiday travel and accommodation prices fell 1.3% in the 12 months to February.

“Although Taylor Swift performances saw hotel prices rise in Sydney and Melbourne, elsewhere accommodation and airfare prices fell in February due to the end of the peak travel during the January school holiday period.” Marquardt said.

Having set several new all-time highs this year despite high interest rates and sticky inflation, the ASX 200 is up 11% over the past six months.

The post Why ASX 200 investors are celebrating today’s Aussie inflation print appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
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• Where should I invest in ASX shares when the stock market is at an all-time high?

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

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It can be a good idea for investors to keep an eye on which shares have experienced meaningful insider buying.

This is because insider buying is often regarded as a bullish signal, as few people know a company and its intrinsic value better than its own directors.

So, if they are buying shares on-market, it suggests that they are confident in the direction the company is heading and feel its shares are good value.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at an ASX 200 dividend stock that insiders have been buying up big this month.

Which ASX 200 dividend stock are insiders buying?

The stock in question is coal miner New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC).

According to a change of director’s interests notice, the company’s chair, Robert Millner AO, and non-executive director, Tom Millner, have topped up their collective holding.

The notice reveals that 100,000 shares were bought through an on-market trade on 22 March.

The Millners paid an average of $4.6924 per share, which equates to a total consideration of $469,240.

This boosted Tom Millner’s holding to 21,153 direct shares and 5,853,215 indirect shares, and Robert Millner’s holding to 279,559 direct shares and 5,943,215 million indirect shares.

What dividends would those 100,000 shares generate?

As one of the more generous dividend payers on the Australian share market, the shares that these insiders have bought are likely to provide them with some bumper dividends.

For example, according to a note out of Morgans from last week, its analysts are forecasting dividends per share of 35 cents in FY 2024 and 34 cents in FY 2025.

So, with the ASX 200 dividend stock currently trading at $4.36, this means 8% and 7.8% dividend yields, respectively.

It also means that those 100,000 shares would yield $35,000 and $34,000 in dividend payments over the next couple of years if Morgans is accurate with its estimates.

The post The 8% yield ASX 200 dividend stock insiders are buying up big appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• These 5 high-quality companies are now paying a better income than CBA shares
• How these ASX 200 energy shares could unexpectedly burn brighter
• Top ASX shares to buy instead of a term deposit in March 2024
• ASX energy shares losing charge amid fresh warnings of gas supply shortfalls
• Could this development out of China reignite ASX 200 coal shares?

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

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As we covered just this morning, it’s a big week on the ASX for almost every dividend investor. And that includes owners of Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) shares.

This week will see dividends from the likes of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) doled out to grateful shareholders. But quite possibly the largest shareholder payment will flow to the owners of Ampol shares.

Last month, Ampol delivered its latest half-year results for the six months ending 31 December. Investors were cheering Ampol’s record fuel sales, to be sure. But it was what the company announced in the dividend department that really got chins a-wagging.

Ampol announced a record final dividend of $1.20 a share, fully franked. But it didn’t end there. The company also revealed a special dividend payment on top of that (also fully franked), worth an additional 60 cents per share.

That takes Ampol’s payout to a whopping $1.80 per share, which is easily the highest payout shareholders have ever enjoyed from the fuel refiner, distributor and retailer.

It certainly beats out last year’s final and special dividends, which were worth a combined $1.55 per share. The interim dividend investors received in September last year was worth just 95 cents per share, fully franked.

Unfortunately for anyone just cottoning on to this news, eligibility for new investors for this dividend has now closed. As we warned last month, the ex-dividend date for these payouts came and went on 1 March.

But for eligible shareholders, dividend payday is today. So expect to see that chunky payout arrive in your bank accounts imminently.

Someone with $10,000 worth of Ampol shares today (around 254 shares) can expect to receive approximately $457 in dividend income when this shareholder payment gets cleared.

Ampol shares snapshot

Ampol shares have been excellent performers in recent months. The company may be down 0.88% so far this Wednesday to $39.41 a share. But year to date in 2024, the Ampol share price remains up a healthy 7.6%. That share price gain stretches to 32% over the past 12 months and to 50.4% over the last five years.

At the current Ampol share price, this ASX 200 energy stock has a market capitalisation of $9.4 billion, with a trailing dividend yield of 6.97% (including special dividends).

The post Own Ampol shares? Get ready for your monster dividend payment appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• $19 billion in ASX dividends is being paid out this week. Are you getting your share?
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• How has this ASX 200 energy stock just hit another new record high?
• This soaring ASX 200 oil stock is near all-time highs. Is it too late to buy?

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Telstra Group and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF) share price is down more than 1% after the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) share went ex-distribution.

This comes at a time when the ASX 300 is currently up 0.1%.

Ex-distribution date

Rural Funds pays a distribution every three months and the latest payment will soon be allocated to investors.

The ex-distribution date tells us when new investors miss out on the payment – there has to be a cut-off point for the upcoming payment.

For Rural Funds, today (27 March 2024) is the ex-distribution date. Anyone buying Rural Funds shares won’t receive the upcoming distribution of 2.93 cents per unit. So, investors aren’t getting as much short-term value today as yesterday.

At yesterday’s Rural Funds share price, the upcoming quarterly payment translates into a distribution yield of 1.4%.

When is the Rural Funds distribution being paid?

Rural Funds is planning to pay this quarterly distribution on 30 April 2024.

If investors want to receive more Rural Funds units rather than cash, they can take part in the distribution reinvestment plan (DRP). The DRP election date is Tuesday 2 April 2024, with 5 pm being the cut-off time.

What is the FY24 distribution yield?

In the recent FY24 first-half result, Rural Funds confirmed it’s planning to pay an annual distribution of 11.73 cents per unit, which is a current distribution yield of 5.7%.

This is mostly being paid for by an expected adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) – which is essentially net rental profit – of 11.2 cents per unit.

The business is investing in some farms, and converting a few to macadamia farms, which will hopefully lead to improved rental income.

Rural Funds share price snapshot

Despite everything that has happened over the past 12 months, the Rural Funds share price is virtually where it was a year ago.

The post Why is the Rural Funds share dropping today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Almost ready to retire? I’d buy cheap ASX dividend shares for income
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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Rural Funds Group. 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 positions in and has recommended Rural Funds Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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If you’re lucky enough to have $8,000 burning a hole in your pocket, then it could be worth looking at putting it to work in the share market.

After all, history shows that you could turn it into something significant over the long-term.

For example, based on an average total return of 10% per annum, a single $8,000 investment would turn into approximately $21,000 in 10 years.

And if you’re able to keep adding to your investments, you could really supercharge your returns thanks to the power of compounding.

Starting with an $8,000 investment and then adding $500 per month would grow to a massive $121,000 in 10 years, all else equal.

But where could be a good place to invest that first $8,000? Listed below are three ASX shares to consider:

Where to invest $8,000?

The first ASX share to look at putting some of the money into is ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD). It is the world’s leading sleep disorder treatment company with industry-leading hardware and software.

Citi is very bullish on its long-term outlook and has put a buy rating and $34.00 price target on its shares. This implies almost 15% upside for investors.

Where else could investors put their money to get good returns? Well, the team at Goldman Sachs sees plenty of value in Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) shares at current levels.

The broker has a conviction buy rating and $40.40 price target, which suggests potential upside of 23% for investors.

Finally, another ASX share that could be a good option for investors is Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN).

Analysts at Morgans think that Australia’s flag carrier airline is severely undervalued at the current level. Last month the broker put an add rating and $6.75 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of 26% for investors over the next 12 months.

The post Where to invest $8,000 in April 2024 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Qantas or Telstra share price: Which will climb higher in 2024?
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Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group and ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The APM Human Services International Ltd (ASX: APM) share price has become an immovable object today as shares enter a trading halt.

Stationary at $1.63 apiece, the employment and health services provider’s shares are locked down until the company responds to the latest development in its pursuit by a private equity firm.

Currently, APM shares are up 29.4% for the year. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) — which APM is a member of — is up a meagre 2.2%.

Pulling the plug

CVC Asia Pacific is now walking away from acquiring APM after serving up a more generous bid on 28 February of $2.00 per share.

Details are sparse right now. All that was said in this morning’s trading halt request was APM had been advised, by way of letter, that it is ‘unable to proceed to finalise a transaction on terms consistent with their non-binding offer as disclosed to the ASX on 28 February 2024’.

This doesn’t give investors much insight into why CVC has chosen to walk back its takeover intentions. One would hope that APM will give clarity when it delivers its response to the decision. However, there is also a chance the private equity firm didn’t elaborate to APM either.

CVC outlined several conditions for its revised takeover bid in February. These included key APM personnel accepting most of the payment as shares. Furthermore, the deal was subject to due diligence and debt financing.

At this stage, it is unclear which of the above items (if any) were the stumbling block for the takeover.

What could it mean for the APM share price?

APM shareholders could be slightly worried about how the share price fares once trading resumes. For context, APM shares were hovering around 84 cents before rumours of an approach surfaced last month.

If the company’s shares were to head back to 84 cents it would represent a 48% fall from its current stature.

However, at that price, APM would trade on a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.5 times. Meanwhile, the average P/E ratio for the global professional services industry sits at 21.3 times earnings.

The post APM share price placed on ice as $1.8 billion deal goes dud appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended APM Human Services International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) share price is having a tough session.

In morning trade, the struggling semiconductor company’s shares were down as much as 7.5% to 30.5 cents.

They have since recovered a touch but remain down 6% at the time of writing.

What’s going on with the Brainchip share price?

This morning’s weakness has been driven by another capital call notice from Brainchip this morning.

Unlike most listed companies that raise funds though capital raisings, Brainchip has a put option agreement with a company called LDA Capital.

According to the release, the company has submitted a capital call notice to LDA Capital to subscribe for up to 40 million shares.

Under the Third Amendment of its Put Option Agreement, Brainchip is obligated to advance these shares to LDA no later than 31 March 2024.

The issue price for the shares will be 91.5% of the higher of the average daily volume weighted average price of shares over the pricing period and the undisclosed minimum price notified to LDA Capital by the company.

The pricing period for the Capital Call Notice will begin on 28 March 2024 and will end on the sooner of 7 June 2024 or when the shares have been fully subscribed by LDA Capital. The agreement also allows extensions to the pricing period upon request in the event unsold shares remain at the pricing period ending date.

Brainchip advised that as of the date of the capital call notice, available funding under the agreement amounts to $50.2 million. It is committed to drawing down a minimum of $12 million no later than 31 December 2024.

The company’s underfire CEO, Sean Hehir, commented:

The proceeds raised from the capital call will be used to solidify our go-to-market capabilities by augmenting our machine learning personnel and solution architects who are necessary to support accelerating market adoption of the Akida 2.0 IP offerings.

The company will also bolster the CTO function, enabling radical innovation required to bring large language models, multi-modal operation and other state of art AI to the edge and ensure we remain the industry leaders in hyper-efficient Edge AI.

Investors appear to believe this is an indication that meaningful revenue generation is still some way off (if at all).

The Brainchip share price is down 34% over the last 12 months.

The post Why is the Brainchip share price sinking over 7% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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