Tag: Motley Fool

The Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) share price has reset its 52-week low five times this month.

Talk about being dragged along the bottom, right?

The Lynas share price has been on a downward spiral since the first week of February.

It’s been a rough time for shareholders — but also a buy-the-dip opportunity for true believers.

The ASX rare earths stock tumbled to $6.25 per share yesterday. Lynas is currently trading for $6.53 per share, up 1.48% on Friday so far.

Since the close on 1 February, the Lynas share price has fallen by 33%.

Let’s take a look at what’s going on.

What’s putting a dampener on the Lynas share price?

Well, the hits have just kept on coming for this ASX rare earths stock.

In early February, the company’s Malaysian licence was renewed but not with the conditions it wanted. So, Lynas has begun an appeal process which is still ongoing today.

Then on 27 February, the company reported its 1H FY23 results, revealing a 32% cost increase.

A few days later, electric vehicle (EV) giant Telsa Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) announced its next-generation EVs will use a permanent magnet motor without rare earths components.

Typically, EVs use a magnet with a rare earths alloy mix of neodymium, iron, and boron (NdFeB).

This prompted a sell-off on ASX rare earths stocks. The Lynas share price dropped by 6.8% on the news.

Many experts said this was an overreaction.

Among them were specialist critical minerals research and advisory firm Adamas Intelligence.

Adamas said its research showed Tesla only accounts for 2% to 3% of global NdFeB demand.

Broker tips 25% upside from here

According to reporting in The Australian, Citi has commenced coverage on Lynas with a buy rating.

The broker has a 12-month share price target of $8.20 on Lynas.

This implies a 25.5% potential upside for investors who buy Lynas shares today.

The post The Lynas share price has clocked five 52-week lows this month. Broker tips 25% upside appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ‘Top quality’: Expert picks 2 ASX 200 shares to buy at a nice discount
• Lynas share price resets 52-week low twice in one week
• Tesla-induced sell-off of ASX rare earths shares like Lynas overblown: experts
• Lynas share price rebounds on $200m Japanese Government investment
• Lynas Rare Earths has plunged 20% in a month: Is it a buy?

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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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The Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price is having a relatively positive finish to the week.

In early afternoon trade, the struggling ASX 300 tech share is up 0.6% to $2.62.

This means the Appen share price is now up a sizeable 16% since the start of the month.

What’s driving this beaten down ASX 300 tech share higher?

Investors appear to have been buying this ASX 300 tech share this month thanks to the release of an announcement at the end of February.

Appen revealed the launch of three new products that it is hoping will help it benefit from the rise of ChatGPT. It is the artificial intelligence (AI) powered natural language processing tool taking the world by storm.

The first product is called Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback. It tackles the risks of bias and hallucinations in large language models. A hallucination is a confident response by an AI that shouldn’t be justified by its training data.

The second is Document Intelligence, which enables clients to extract key insights from their unstructured documents.

And the third and final new product is Automated LP Labelling. It leverages generative Al capabilities and zero/few shots learning techniques to speed up data annotation.

Should you invest?

As promising as these products may be, the team at Bell Potter believes investors should sit this one out for the time being.

This week, the broker has downgraded the ASX 300 tech share to a sell rating with a price target of $2.25. This implies potential downside of 14% for the Appen share price over the next 12 months.

Bell Potter’s main concern is the lack of visibility on Appen’s future earnings. It commented:

The SELL is based on valuation but the other key issue we have is the lack of visibility due to the relatively low level of recurring revenue and uncertainty over customer spend. The risk to our downgrade is the company comes out with positive news or developments when the results of a strategic review are released in May.

But in our view there is no quick fix to the lack of visibility and/or relatively low level of recurring revenue due to the purchase order nature of the business so any change will take time and this is what we have already allowed for in our forecasts.

The post Guess which beaten-up ASX 300 tech share is up 16% this month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ‘Still waiting for it to ‘appen’: Broker gives its verdict on the Appen share price
• Why Appen, Downer, Fortescue, and Invocare shares are crashing today
• Appen share price crashes on US$239m FY22 loss

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 Appen. 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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The Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price was a big beneficiary of rocketing oil prices into the first half of 2022.

On 8 June last year, Brent crude oil topped US$123 per barrel.

By 10 June, the Woodside share price was up 59% for the year.

As you’d expect, shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) oil and gas company have since come under some pressure as the oil price retraced, particularly over the past weeks.

On 6 March 2023, Brent was fetching US$86.18 per barrel.

Yesterday that same barrel was trading for US$72.78, down 15.5%.

With energy prices tanking, the Woodside share price dropped 17.4% from 7 March through to yesterday’s close.

What’s next for the Woodside share price?

There are a range of factors that will impact the performance and returns Woodside offers to investors.

But clearly, the price of oil has a big influence. You need look no further than today’s market action to see what I mean.

At the time of writing, Brent crude is trading for US$74.73, according to Bloomberg data. That’s up 2.7% overnight.

As for the Woodside share price? It’s up 1.42% in late morning trade to $31.53 per share.

So what can ASX 200 energy investors expect next?

Digging into oil price forecasts, here’s what I wrote yesterday:

For investors with a medium-term horizon of at least a year or so, I believe both the Santos and Woodside share prices will trade significantly higher inside the next 12 months than where they’re at today.

Well, we didn’t have to wait nearly that long!

Buy the dip and bargain hunters snapping up shares this morning have been rewarded for wading in.

And I believe there could be significantly more gains ahead for the Woodside share price before the end of the year.

What do the experts say?

A number of prominent analysts have forecast a sharp increase in oil prices over the latter half of 2023.

Citing a dearth of new investments in exploration and production, analysts at Goldman Sachs forecast crude oil will be trading back at US$100 per barrel.

 â€œThe commodity super cycle is a sequence of price spikes with each high higher, and each low higher,” Goldman Sachs analyst Jeff Currie said in February.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) also believe oil prices will move higher in H2, fuelled by increasing demand from China as the nation continues to reopen.

CBA mining and energy analyst Vivek Dhar isn’t quite as bullish as Goldman’s analysts but still expects the Brent oil price will increase to US$88 per barrel in the latter half of 2023.

“We see deficit risks rising in H2 2023, as global oil supply growth, driven mainly by US, Norway and Brazil, fails to keep up with global oil demand growth,” he said.

How has the ASX 200 oil stock been performing?

As you can see in the graph below, the Woodside share price has struggled so far in 2023, down 11%. Over the past 12 months, the ASX 200 energy stock has gained 4%.

The post With oil below $75 per barrel, what’s next for the Woodside share price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• ASX 200 oil stocks are tanking. Is now the time to buy?
• Why Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, BHP, IPH, and Woodside shares are dropping
• Why is the Woodside share price sinking today?
• Why 29Metals, Eagers Automotive, Northern Star, and Woodside shares are dropping today

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 has been bedlam across bank shares following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. However, pressure on the AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) share price has caused headaches for shareholders even prior to the current calamity.

In the early moments of Friday trade, shares in the banking and wealth management company are inching ahead. The banking sector is breathing a collective sigh of relief today as financials bounce back amid ongoing support from central banks.

The AMP share price is joining in on the fun, lifting 0.26% to 98.25 cents apiece on Friday. Yet, the beaten-up bank is still trading 24% below where it was at the end of last year.

Does AMP have what it takes to claw its way back?

Looking on the bright side

Making investment decisions on the share price alone is hardly ever a wise move. It usually pays to take a much deeper look at the business itself to gain an understanding of which direction the ship is facing before ramping up your engines up to 100%.

At first glance, AMP’s revenue and earnings over the past five years mightn’t look pretty. However, it is important to keep in mind the company is in the middle of simplifying the business and getting back to its roots — banking and wealth management. This means selling off operations and reducing revenue in the process.

In its FY22 full-year result, the company reported an 18.8% improvement in total variable costs. This could be considered a solid step in the right direction. Yet, the market crushed the AMP share price in response to it missing the consensus forecast for earnings.

Furthermore, income-orientated shareholders would be chuffed to see AMP dividends resuming after three years on ice. A payment of 2.5 cents per share, franked at 20%, was announced alongside its recent results.

Pains for the AMP share price

While the management team is making inroads in leaning out the business, there is still more to be done. For instance, the sale of AMP Capital to Dexus is lingering without finalisation as outflows from the shopping fund tally up.

According to reports, a total of $600 million in outflows have now been incurred by the fund. As per the update on 1 March, the capital business is being sold for $225 million. When AMP can wipe its hands clean from this operation is still a little unclear.

Additionally, AMP will still face considerable challenges once it has finished refining the company. The banking environment is currently on shaky ground, and fears around the impact of increased competition for mortgages on the bottom line are circulating.

Analysts at UBS remain unconvinced the AMP share price currently represents value. Holding a sell rating, the team believes the cost base is above where it needs to be.

The post AMP shares: Keep calm and carry on or cash out? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• 6 ASX 200 directors buying up their company shares in the past week
• AMP shares drop then pop amid ex-dividend and delay of $225 million sale
• Why is the AMP share price sinking today?
• These ASX 200 shares were crushed in February

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

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The S&P/ASX 300 index may be trading notably lower than its recent highs, but that hasn’t stopped a couple of shares on the index from climbing to record highs today.

The two ASX 300 shares that have reached these milestones are listed below. Here’s what you need to know:

Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure Ltd (ASX: DBI)

The Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure share price climbed to a record high of $2.65 this morning.

As you can see below, this meant that the ASX 300 Australian infrastructure company’s shares had risen over 30% since this time last year.

Investors have been scrambling to buy shares thanks to its ownership of the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT), which provides terminal infrastructure and services for producers and consumers of Australian coal. Robust demand for Australian coal has underpinned strong earnings and big dividends.

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU)

The Neuren Pharmaceuticals share price has continued its impressive run and hit a record high of $13.33 on Friday.

This means the ASX 300 biotech company’s shares are up almost 200% since this time last year, as you can see on the chart below.

The catalyst for this has been news this week that the company’s treatment for Rett’s Syndrome has been granted US FDA approval. This is the first and only approved treatment for the rare genetic neurological and developmental disorder that affects the way the brain develops.

With its commercial launch coming soon, it may not be long until the company starts generating meaningful revenue. This is thanks to its deal with partner Acadia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACAD), which includes royalties of up to 15% of net sales above US$750 million and sales milestone payments of up to US$350 million on total sales above US$1 billion in a calendar year.

The post 2 ASX 300 shares cracking record highs on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why Atlantic Lithium, Life360, Neuren, and Whitehaven Coal shares are charging higher
• This ASX 300 healthcare stock is up 48% in 3 days. Broker says buy
• Why Kingsgate, Neuren, Newcrest, and Pushpay shares are rising today
• Why Neuren, Northern Star, Race Oncology, and Westgold shares are storming higher
• Guess which ASX All Ords stock is rocketing 27% on a new FDA approval

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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The Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) share price has dipped into the red in early morning trade, down 0.3%.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) financial services stock, Australia’s biggest health insurer, closed yesterday trading for $3.26. Shares are currently swapping hands for $3.25.

This comes after more than $5.3 million worth of shares have already changed hands this morning following news of a $31 million joint venture.

What’s happening with the joint venture?

The Medibank share price is edging lower amid news that the company has entered into a 50/50 joint venture with Aurora Healthcare, known as iMH, that will establish three mental-health hospitals.

iMH will initially invest $31 million into the three hospitals delivering 153 new mental health beds along with out-of-hospital support services like telehealth in home and community settings.

Aurora Healthcare is providing two hospitals in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Deakin Private Hospital and Hirondelle Private hospital. iMH will invest in a new 56-bed mental health facility. That will be developed in Alexandria, New South Wales.

The joint venture’s acquisition of Deakin Private Hospital and Hirondelle Private hospital has been completed. The investment for the new facility in Alexandria is in the pipeline.

Executive commentary

Commenting on the development, Aurora Healthcare Australia CEO Julia Strickland-Bellamy, said:

The model will address the clear unmet demand in the community. In our network alone, the wait list for outpatient psychiatry has been at around six months over the past two years.

Providing people with treatment options beyond what has historically been solely hospital-centric care will help to support greater access, choice and flexibility.

Addressing the issue that the health insurer might influence a patient’s decisions, Strickland-Bellamy said, “It’s ultimately about the most appropriate treatment pathway for each individual patient, regardless of their private health insurer. All decisions about their suitability for the model will be made by the patient alongside their doctor and the hospital’s clinical team.”

Medibank group executive and CEO of Amplar Health Andrew Wilson said, “Integrating inpatient and out-of-hospital care helps patients access support when and where they need it.”

Wilson added:

It shouldn’t have to be one or the other. Many patients would benefit from the iMH model, which is designed around their individual needs and circumstances under the direction of their treating psychiatrist.

Deakin Private Hospital will open in the coming months, while Hirondelle Private Hospital is expected to open later this year.

Medibank share price snapshot

As you can see in the chart below, the Medibank share price has had a good run in 2023, up 10% since the closing bell on 30 December.

The post Medibank share price edges lower amid $31 million joint venture news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 2 leading ASX 200 shares to buy that could keep outperforming in 2023: fund manager
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Tuesday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Passive income watch: 4 ASX 200 shares that announced boosted dividends this week
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

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 has been a better day of trade for ASX 200 bank shares on Friday.

In morning trade, all of the big four banks are on course to end the week on a positive note.

Here’s the state of play currently:

• The ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price is up 1%
• The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is up almost 1%
• The National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) share price is up 1.5%
• The Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price is up 1%

The key driver of this has been a stunning gain by the Credit Suisse share price overnight.

What happened to the Credit Suisse share price?

The Credit Suisse share price rocketed 19% higher on the Swiss stock exchange overnight after it announced a major funding package to shore up its finances.

According to the release, the struggling bank is borrowing up to CHF 50 billion (A$81 billion) from the Swiss National Bank (SNB) under a covered loan facility and short-term liquidity facility. These are fully collateralised by high quality assets.

Credit Suisse CEO, Ulrich Koerner, appears confident that it is onwards and upwards now. He said:

These measures demonstrate decisive action to strengthen Credit Suisse as we continue our strategic transformation to deliver value to our clients and other stakeholders. We thank the SNB and FINMA as we execute our strategic transformation. My team and I are resolved to move forward rapidly to deliver a simpler and more focused bank built around client needs.

This news seems to have eased investor nerves in the sector and given ASX 200 bank shares like Commonwealth Bank a boost this morning.

The post ASX 200 bank stocks lift after Credit Suisse share price soars 19% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• The CBA share price is on a rollercoaster today. Is Credit Suisse to blame?
• ASX 200 bank shares are deep in the red on Thursday. Here’s why
• Is now the time to be bold and snap up cheap ASX 200 dividend shares?
• How much would I need to invest in ASX income shares to earn $500 a month?
• Are NAB shares a buy following the SVB-induced dip?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Westpac Banking. 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 Westpac Banking. 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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Last month was reporting season. Now it’s ex-dividend time for numerous S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares over the next week.

Going ex-dividend means that investors that buy shares on the ex-dividend date aren’t entitled to that recently-declared dividend.

So, if investors are interested in getting the dividend then they need to invest before that date.

With that in mind, let’s have a look at some of those incoming ex-dividend dates.

Carsales.Com Ltd (ASX: CAR)

Last month the automobile classifieds business announced that it would pay a dividend of 28.5 cents per share.

The ex-dividend date for this dividend is 17 March 2023, meaning today. Investors will need to wait another six months for the next dividend from this ASX 200 share.

The payment date for this dividend is 18 April 2023.

Credit Corp Group Limited (ASX: CCP)

In February, the debt-collecting business revealed that it was going to pay a dividend per share of 23 cents.

The ex-dividend date is 21 March 2023, which is next Tuesday. That means that investors have until 20 March 2023 to buy shares.

The payment date for this dividend is 31 March 2023.

Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

In mid-February, Cochlear reported that its latest interim dividend was $1.55 per share.

The ex-dividend date for the upcoming dividend is 21 March 2023 as well, which is next Tuesday. Investors have until 20 March 2023 to buy stock of this ASX 200 share as well.

Cochlear’s interim dividend will be paid on 14 April 2023.

Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB)

The financial technology business decided to bump up its dividend to 14 cents per share.

Hub24’s ex-dividend date is 20 March 2023, which is Monday. That means investors only have today to snap up shares if they want to receive that dividend.

The ASX 200 share is going to pay its dividend on 18 April 2023.

Reece Ltd (ASX: REH)

Bathroom supplier Reece announced that its interim dividend was going to be 8 cents per share.

Reece’s ex-dividend date is 21 March 2023, which is Tuesday. Investors will have up to the end of trading on 20 March 2023 to invest in this ASX 200 share if they want the dividend.

The payment date for the ASX 200 share’s dividend is 5 April 2023.

SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK)

Employment website operator SEEK is planning to pay a dividend of 24 cents per share.

SEEK’s ex-dividend date is 22 March 2023, which is next Wednesday. That means investors have until 21 March 2023 to invest if they want to receive the dividend.

The ASX 200 share’s payment date is 5 April 2023.

The post 6 ASX 200 shares with ex-dividend dates in the next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• The one ASX share we’re holding onto for dear life: experts
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Top ASX 200 tech shares to buy right now: Morgans
• Why is the Carsales share price sinking 7% today?
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Cochlear and Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Carsales.com, Cochlear, and Seek. 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 Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) share price is on course to end the week on a very positive note.

In morning trade, the location technology company’s shares are up 7% to $5.19.

This follows the release of the company’s full-year results.

Life360 share price higher on results

• Total revenue up 103% to US$228.3 million
• Monthly active users up 36.9% to 48.6 million
• Gross profit up 65.3% to US$148.6 million
• Operating expenses up 100% to US$243 million
• Adjusted EBITDA loss of US$40.1 million
• Cash of US$90.4 million
• Outlook: Positive adjusted EBITDA from Q2 of FY 2023

What happened in FY 2023?

For the 12 months ended 31 December, Life360 reported the doubling of its revenue to US$228.3 million. This was driven by a 77% jump in subscription revenue to US$153.3 million, a material contribution from hardware revenue of US$47.9 million, and a modest lift in other revenue to US$27.1 million.

Management also highlights that its revenue growth was supported by an increase in paying circles and 19% higher average revenue per paying circle (ARPPC). At the end of the period, the company had 48.6 million monthly active users and 1.5 million paying circles. This was an increase of 36.9% and 23%, respectively.

And while its gross profit grew slightly slower than revenue at 65.3% to US$148.6 million, this is still a growth rate that the majority of ASX listed companies would be envious of.

Management advised that this reflects its strong revenue growth, offset by lower gross margins on its hardware sales. Positively, subscription margins increased in FY 2022 by 60 basis points to 80%.

Outlook

Looking ahead, management is guiding to further strong growth in FY 2023.

It is forecasting core Life360 subscription revenue growth (excluding Tile and Jiobit) in excess of 50% and modest hardware revenue growth of 0% to 5%. The latter reflects the continuing current challenges in the category. Whereas the former will be supported by price increases, which have already boosted its ARPPC materially in January.

This is expected to lead to consolidated revenue of US$300 million to US$310 million, which represents total growth of 31.4% to 35.8%.

Importantly, the cash burn will soon be coming to an end. Management expects positive adjusted EBITDA and operating cash flow on a quarterly basis beginning with second quarter and for the full year.

Broker reaction

Goldman Sachs has been looking over the result and was pleased with what it saw. It commented:

The result was broadly in line with expectations, as pre guided in January. FY23 guidance came in line with our expectations with the key highlights (1) >50% core Life360 subscription revenue growth (vs +54% GSe); and (2) quantification of full-year EBITDA guidance, expected to be US$5-10mn (vs US$9mn GSe/consensus).

We believe investors will respond positively to Life360’s strong subscription growth outlook (the key long-term value driver), supported by tangible metrics including US ARPPC (Jan-23 US$138, +42% y/y), subscriber growth returning to the US in Jan-Feb (helping ease concerns on payer conversion), and pushing price rises through the Android back-book in 2Q23.

The post Life360 share price higher on 100% revenue surge appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Life360. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Life360. 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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The fund manager Wilson Asset Management (WAM) has recently identified some S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares that it owns (or owned) in one of its biggest portfolios.

WAM operates several listed investment companies (LICs), including WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM) and WAM Research Limited (ASX: WAX).

There’s also one called WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) that looks at the larger companies on the ASX, often referred to as ASX blue-chip shares.

WAM says WAM Leaders actively invests in the highest quality Australian companies. But does WAM have a good reputation for picking stocks?

The WAM Leaders portfolio has delivered gross returns (before fees, expenses, and taxes) of 14.8% per annum since its inception in May 2016. This compares to the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index’s average return of 8.8% over the same period.

These are two ASX 200 shares that the WAM Leaders investment team picked out.

Medibank Private Limited (ASX: MPL)

WAM Leaders revealed that it added Medibank Private shares to its portfolio late last year after the “cyber breach incident” and subsequent earnings guidance downgrade.

The large Australian private health insurer suffered from a share price decline. But, after the negative news flow “dissipated” and the share price still hadn’t recovered, the WAM Leaders team thought that the negative sentiment was “overdone”.

WAM noted that the result released in February 2023 was “strong”, with health insurance claims remaining “subdued” because the healthcare system is “capacity constrained” due to the lack of staff, while industry growth remains “buoyant”, driven by net migration and new participants domestically.

The fund manager also pointed out that the ASX 200 share noted its policyholder numbers had “stabilised” and the outlook has “improved for the year ahead.”

Brambles Limited (ASX: BXB)

The WAM investment team described Brambles as a business that specialises in the pooling of unit-load equipment. The ASX share has been in the WAM Leaders portfolio for over 12 months.

WAM said that Brambles’ half-year result in February was “strong”, which was driven by “significant pricing increases.”

Brambles is expecting its cash flow to remain in outflow this year. But, it upgraded its earnings guidance and noted cash flow pressures will “ease into next year as capital expenditure slows.”

The fund manager finished its bullish case on the ASX 200 share with the following:

Going forward, we expect profitability to be a key focus, with pricing increases in a tight market continuing while pallet efficiencies improve. The impact of pallet destocking as the economy slows should help bring more balance to the pallet market globally.

The post 2 leading ASX 200 shares to buy that could keep outperforming in 2023: fund manager appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Tuesday
• 6 ASX 200 shares trading ex-dividend today
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has 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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