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This has been a very eventful week so far with many S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) companies holding AGMs and releasing Q1 results at the same time. Nonetheless, there are several potentially contentious meetings still to be held this week. Some of these relate to companies that have received a lot of press coverage recently, while others concern businesses impacted particularly hard by the pandemic. Here are a few of the highlights to watch out for over the remainder of the week. 

ASX 200 events on Thursday 22 October

At 7.30am on Thursday, ASX 200 company AMP Limited (ASX: AMP) will provide its Q3 update. On 2 September, AMP announced it was undertaking a portfolio review as it regularly received unsolicited offers for its assets and businesses. As a result, it has been rumoured that Vicinity Centres (ASX: VCX) has declared an interest in the company’s real estate portfolio.  Moreover, the company has flagged mass job cuts to try to bring costs under control. 

At 10.00am, Crown Resorts Ltd (ASX: CWN) will be holding its AGM. At present, Crown is enmeshed in an inquiry to determine whether it is fit to hold a license for the Barangaroo casino. Consequently, AUSTRAC has become involved recently, declaring it has “serious concerns” over money laundering, which has led to an investigation that could take up to two years. Moreover, the company’s largest institutional investor, Perpetual Limited (ASX: PPT), has voted to oppose the re-election of three directors.

In conclusion, the company chair, Helen Coonan, has said the Barangaroo casino will open its doors before the inquiry determines whether Crown can hold a casino license. All of these issues are likely to play out in the company’s AGM.

At 11.00am, ASX 200 mall operator Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) will hold its AGM. Scentre is often one of the highest volume large cap shares traded on the ASX. Meanwhile, lockdowns, social distancing, and the government’s code of conduct for commercial tenancies have had a significant impact on this company. Nevertheless, in August the company declared it had been able to collect 86% of rent payments. Indeed, the AGM and Q1 results will likely provide an insight into the degree of improvement in the mall business sector.

At 11.30am, National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) will publish its Q3 business confidence survey. The survey provides an overview of business confidence and business conditions. The company’s 2Q report highlighted the difficult conditions resulting from lockdown restrictions faced by Australian business .

End of the week, Friday 23 October

At 11.00am on Friday, ASX 200 airline Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) will hold its AGM. Qantas has been one of the high profile casualties of the pandemic. In recent weeks, the company decided to end international joint ventures, place its super jumbos into storage, and resume trans Tasman flights. The Q1 results will provide an insight into how much the company has been able to mobilise on domestic routes.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• CSL (ASX:CSL) share price and 2 other ASX stocks among latest broker “buy” ideas
• The ASX 200 slid 0.72% lower today
• Is the ASX 200 trading too high right now?
• Here’s why the Perpetual (ASX:PPT) share price is falling today

Motley Fool contributor Daryl Mather has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Crown Resorts Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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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I think there are a number of exciting, quality small cap ASX shares that I’d be happy to buy with $3,000 right now.

Smaller businesses have the potential to generate much stronger earnings growth over the medium-term because they’re starting from a smaller base.

Here are some of the most exciting (and non-tech) ASX small cap shares that I’d buy with $3,000.

City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX)

City Chic is one of the most promising ASX retail shares in my opinion. It’s a seller of clothes, footwear and accessories for plus-size women.

The company has been growing internationally very well over the past few years, organically as well as through acquisitions. City Chic reported that in FY20 it achieved sales revenue growth of 31% to $194.5 million with comparable sales growth of 0.4%. Not bad during a global pandemic.

The small cap ASX share saw its percentage of online sales increase to 65% of total sales (up from 44% in FY19). Online sales surged 113.5% compared to FY19.

Plenty of retailers on the ASX are focused on Australian (and New Zealand) sales. In FY20 the clothes retailer saw 42% of its global sales come from the northern hemisphere (up from 20% in FY19). It’s a global retailer with sales in Europe and North America.

I think the acquisitions are smart and could lead to attractive synergies and market share growth in FY21.

At the current City Chic share price it’s trading at 20x FY23’s estimated earnings.

Australian Ethical Investment Limited (ASX: AEF)

Australian Ethical is a fund manager that aims to give investors exposure to ‘ethical’ investments by excluding a number of industries like coal and so on. It also likes to invest in businesses which are making a positive impact on the world.

I like that it’s benefiting from two key trends. The first is that it’s exposed to superannuation because it’s a superannuation provider. In the first quarter of FY21 it saw $100 million of net inflows for the quarter to super. Mandatory super contributions will help Australian Ethical’s funds under management (FUM) grow steadily over the coming years. It also offers managed funds which is seeing net inflows.

The small cap ASX share is also benefiting from the growth of some investors wanting to be invested in ethical businesses that are doing good for the country or even the world.

With Australian Ethical’s FUM growing by 6.5% in the first quarter alone, I think it has plenty of growth potential. Lowering management fees could help attract more FUM and members over the coming years. The FY20 result was solid with revenue and underlying profit growing by 15%.

BWX Ltd (ASX: BWX)

Natural beauty is another industry that is seeing growth. Beauty as a whole is/was doing well, but natural beauty is growing at a faster pace.

BWX is a business that owns a variety of natural beauty brands. It owns Sukin (which grew revenue by 55% in FY20), which is a large, global brand which is expanding nicely in the northern hemisphere.

The small cap ASX share also owns two US-based brands called Andalou Naturals (which grew revenue by 10% in FY20) and Mineral Fusion (which grew revenue by 16% in FY20) which are growing strongly in the US and are now looking to expand internationally.

Nourished Life is a website that sells a variety of products. It saw revenue growth of 15% in FY20, though revenue grew by 26% in the second half of the year.

There is a lot of things to like about BWX. It’s also looking to build a new manufacturing hub that will hopefully help the business lower costs, improve efficiencies and help BWX become a bigger business. It’s growing profit margins and this will help it become more profitable.

In FY21 it has guided that both revenue and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) can grow by at least 10%.

At the current BWX share price it’s valued at 21x FY23’s estimated earnings.

More reading

• 4 ASX shares to buy for a rare Christmas surprise
• Is it time to go all in on ASX shares?
• Why I’d buy Australian Ethical (ASX:AEF) shares this week
• Where I’d invest $10,000 in ASX shares for growth
• 3 top small cap ASX shares to buy right now

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 Australian Ethical Investment Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BWX Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Australian Ethical Investment Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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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Later today eligible Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN) shareholders will be paid the insurance and banking giant’s final 10 cents per share fully franked dividend.

While many shareholders will use this for income or take advantage of its dividend reinvestment plan, others may wish to invest the funds back into the share market.

Here’s where I would invest these dividends:

a2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

Investors that are interested in putting these funds into a growth share could consider a2 Milk Company. It is a New Zealand-based infant formula and fresh milk company with a focus on A2-only products. Strong demand for its products from the China market and the expansion of its fresh milk footprint have underpinned very strong earnings growth over the last few years.

And while the pandemic is going to stifle its growth this year, I expect it to accelerate again in FY 2022 once market conditions return to normal. Especially given its modest market share in China, its growing distribution in the country, and its sizeable cash balance. The latter gives the company the option of boosting its growth through acquisitions in the future.

Vitalharvest Freehold Trust (ASX: VTH)

If you’re looking for more dividends, then you might want to take a look at Vitalharvest. It is an owner of agricultural property assets which have exposure to the nutritious and healthy food trend. Its assets comprise four berry properties and three citrus properties. Some of which are leased to horticulture giant Costa Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: CGC).

Due to the quality of its portfolio, I believe the company is well-placed to grow its income and distribution at a solid rate over the 2020s. For now, based on the current Vitalharvest share price, I estimate that it offers investors a very generous forward ~6% distribution yield.

More reading

• 3 ASX shares to hold forever
• 3 brilliant ASX growth shares to buy
• 10 must-buy ASX shares to snap up before it’s too late
• My top 5 ASX growth shares to buy right now
• Investing $1,000 in these 3 ASX shares could be a very smart move

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended A2 Milk and COSTA GRP FPO. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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 probability of a rate cut by the Reserve Bank next month just keeps getting higher.

According to the latest cash rate futures, the market is now pricing in an 82% probability of a cut to zero at the November meeting.

While the market doesn’t always get it right, it does seem almost inevitable that one is coming.

But don’t worry if you’re an income investor, because there are plenty of dividend shares offering generous dividend yields that smash those on offer with term deposits and savings accounts.

Two ASX dividend shares that I would buy are listed below:

BWP Trust (ASX: BWP)

BWP is the largest owner of Bunnings properties in the Australian market. It currently has 68 warehouses leased to the home improvement giant, which makes up the vast majority of its rental income. This has proven to be a very good thing in 2020. At a time when many retailers have been deferring rental payments because of the pandemic, BWP was able to collect its rent largely as normal. 

So much so, in FY 2020 the company reported a 1% increase in profit before gains on investment properties to $117.1 million. Impressively, including property gains, BWP’s profit was up 24.4% to $210.6 million. The latter reflects the strength of its Bunnings tenancies. I’m confident there will be more of the same in FY 2021 and expect a distribution of 18.3 cents per share to be paid. Based on the current BWP share price, this works out to be an attractive 4.45% yield.

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

A second ASX dividend share to buy is Coles. I think the supermarket giant would be a top option due to its strong market position, positive growth prospects, and defensive qualities. The latter was on display in FY 2020 when Coles delivered an impressive full year result. It achieved sales growth of 6.9% to $37.4 billion and net profit after tax growth of 7.1% to $951 million.

Thanks to its strong start to FY 2021, I feel Coles is in a position to deliver another solid result this year. And with the company aiming to pay upwards of 90% of its earnings back to shareholders, I expect another generous dividend payment. Which, based on the current Coles share price, I estimate offers a forward fully franked ~3.5% dividend yield.

More reading

• 3 things to tell someone who has never invested in ASX shares
• How I’d position my ASX share portfolio for the next market crash
• 4 ASX shares to buy for a rare Christmas surprise
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Promises of easy money push ASX 200 to post-crash high
• 3 core holdings for a $100,000 ASX portfolio

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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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I think there are certain group of ASX income shares that are worth being in every dividend-seeker’s portfolio.

There were a couple of names that I nearly included like Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF) and WAM Microcap Limited (ASX: WMI). However, their share prices have run hard over the past six months, so there may be some other names that I’d want to buy first.

It’s very hard to make any money from keeping cash in the bank at the moment. But I don’t think ASX blue chips are the safest place to generate income. I think these ASX income shares are worth buying for dividends:

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)

I think Soul Patts is the best ASX dividend share in Australia. It has been listed since 1903. 

It has a diversified portfolio of different assets because it’s an investment house. It can invest anywhere and shift its portfolio to other growing areas over time. Some of the ASX shares that it owns a sizeable chunk of include: TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API), New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC), Clover Corporation Limited (ASX: CLV), Bki Investment Co Ltd (ASX: BKI), Milton Corporation Limited (ASX: MLT), Palla Pharma Ltd (ASX: PAL) and Tuas Ltd (ASX: TUA).

The ASX income share also owns plenty of unlisted businesses in various sectors like swimming schools, resources, agriculture and financial services.

It receives a strong level of investment income from its portfolio each year. After paying for expenses, Soul Patts then pays out some of the remaining net cashflow as a growing dividend.

Soul Patts has actually increased its dividend every year since 2000 (including through the worst of COVID-19) which is the best record on the ASX. I like the defensive nature of Soul Patts, but it has also managed to outperform the index in the short-term and the long-term.

At the current Soul Patts share price it offers a grossed-up dividend yield of 3.3%.

Future Generation Investment Company Ltd (ASX: FGX)

Future Generation is another quality ASX income share.

It’s a listed investment company (LIC) which has investments across around 20 top fund managers that invest in ASX shares – those managers work for free so that Future Generation can donate 1% of its net assets to youth charities each year. There are no management fees or performance fees when it comes to Future Generation.

Its gross portfolio has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 All Ordinaries Accumulation Index over the past month, six months, twelve months, three years, five years and since inception in September 2014. Over the past year Future Generation’s portfolio has outperformed by more than 10%.

The ASX income share can use its investment gains to pay a steadily-growing dividend, which it has done since 2015.

At the current Future Generation share price it offers a trailing grossed-up dividend yield of 6.3%.

Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

Brickworks is primarily known as a building products business in Australia. It sells a variety of products like bricks, paving, masonry, roofing and precast.

It also has a strong market presence in the north east of the US after three targeted acquisitions. It’s now the market leader in places like New York. I think Brickworks is well placed to benefit when the US construction industry returns to normal operations after COVID-19.

Brickworks also has two other assets. It owns around 40% of Soul Patts and it also has a 50% stake of an industrial property trust alongside Goodman Group (ASX: GMG). Goodman is a high quality operator of industrial estates, one of the best in the world. The trust will soon have Amazon as a key tenant at a large distribution warehouse that it’s constructing.  

The building products business hasn’t cut its dividend for over 40 years. That’s very reliable. It’s one of the main reasons why I think Brickworks is must-have ASX income share.

It’s the above two assets’ cashflow which completely fund Brickworks’ dividend, it doesn’t need the building products divisions to do well every single year to keep growing the dividend.

At the current Brickworks share price it offers a grossed-up dividend yield of 4.4%. I think that’s a good starting yield.

More reading

• Why the Soul Patts (ASX:SOL) share price is up 25% in 2 months
• Is it time to go all in on ASX shares?
• 2 ASX shares I plan to hold til I’m 100
• 2 ASX dividend shares raising their dividends like clockwork
• Why Brickworks, Flight Centre, Whitehaven, & Zip shares are dropping lower

Tristan Harrison owns shares of FUTURE GEN FPO, RURALFUNDS STAPLED, WAM MICRO FPO, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Clover Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks, RURALFUNDS STAPLED, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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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On Tuesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) followed the lead of U.S. markets and dropped lower. The benchmark index fell 0.7% to 6,184.6 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Wednesday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to edge higher.

It looks set to be a better day of trade for the ASX 200 on Wednesday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to open the day 2 points higher. This follows a strong night on Wall Street which in late trade sees the Dow Jones up 0.55%, the S&P 500 0.65% higher, and the Nasdaq climbing 0.5%. This follows comments by Nancy Pelosi that she is optimistic that a stimulus deal will be reached.

Oil prices rise.

Energy shares Oil Search Limited (ASX: OSH) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could be on the rise today after oil prices pushed higher. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 1.7% to US$41.51 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 0.8% to US$42.96 a barrel. Stimulus hopes gave oil prices a lift.

Annual general meetings.

The annual general meetings continue on Wednesday with both Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA) and Service Stream Limited (ASX: SSM) scheduled to hold their virtual meetings. Both the packaging company and the essential network services company could provide trading updates at their respective meetings.

Gold price higher.

Gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited (ASX: SAR) will be on watch after the gold price strengthened. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.15% to US$1,914.40 an ounce following a softening U.S. dollar and stimulus optimism.

CSL rated as a buy.

The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price still has further to run according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. According to a note, the broker has retained its buy rating and lifted its price target on the biotherapeutics company’s shares to $329.00. This follows the company’s R&D day on Tuesday. Overall, it was pleased with its update and has increased its valuation in response to the products under development.

More reading

• CSL (ASX:CSL) share price and 2 other ASX stocks among latest broker “buy” ideas
• The ASX 200 slid 0.72% lower today
• Oil Search (ASX:OSH) share price flat on Q3 FY20 update
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• Is the ASX 200 trading too high right now?

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Service Stream Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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 CSL Limited (ASX:CSL) share price may not have been a star performer in the post COVID‐19 bounce, but that could soon change.

Shares in the blood products developer dipped nearly 3% since March when the pandemic rattled markets.

It’s performance is roughly inline with the S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO), although UBS reckons it could soon outperform.

Shot in the arm for CSL share price

The catalyst is the upcoming flu season in the northern hemisphere. The broker believes this year’s season will be worse than normal.

“As at 9 October, 139mn flu vaccine doses had been distributed for the US flu season, up 9% vs. pcp [previous corresponding period],” said UBS.

“CSL noted at their FY20 result they had increased supply into the US of up to ~60mn doses for the 20/21 season (up from ~50mn in pcp, i.e. +20%).”

Broker “buy” rating reaffirmed on positive outlook

It also looks like Europe and the UK are facing a colder than normal winter – perfect conditions for the flu.

The unpleasant experience from COVID-19 should also aid demand for flu jabs. People are more likely to get a shot while governments are increasing their health budgets to pay for flu and coronavirus vaccinations.

UBS reiterated its “buy” recommendation on CSL with a 12-month price target of $346 a share.

Unlocking value key to buy recommendation

The Downer EDI Limited (ASX: DOW) share price is another that could outperform in the near-term. Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) believes a potential sale of Downer’s mining division will fetch a better than expected price.

The broker’s optimism is based on Cimic Group Ltd’s (ASX: CIM) divestment of Thiess. The transaction ascribes the business with an enterprise value of $4.3 billion, or 8.1 times forecast pre-tax profit.

If the same multiple was applied to Downer’s unwanted asset, the mining business could fetch up to $713 million. This compares to the net asset value of $599 million for the business that is recorded in Downer’s FY20 accounts.

Macquarie is keeping its “outperform” recommendation on the stock with a 12-month price target of $5.29 a share.

Strong September quarter supports broker’s “buy” call

Meanwhile, Citigroup repeated its “buy” recommendation on the South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) share price after the miner released its quarterly report.

South32 posted record hydrate production at Worsley Alumina. It also remains on track to increase alumina production to nameplate capacity in FY21.

Overall, Citi described the quarterly as a strong report with management sticking to its production forecasts for the current financial year.

South32 also restarted its on-market share buyback as its net cash position increased by US$70 million to US$368 million in the quarter.

Citi’s 12-month price target on the stock is $2.60 a share.

More reading

• The ASX 200 slid 0.72% lower today
• Is the ASX 200 trading too high right now?
• 3 things to tell someone who has never invested in ASX shares
• ASX 200 down 0.2%: Afterpay rockets on Westpac deal, Zip climbs, BHP’s Q1 update
• CSL (ASX:CSL) share price edges lower on annual R&D update

Brendon Lau owns shares of CSL Ltd., Macquarie Group Limited, and South32 Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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 Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) share price has rocketed up by 24.5% today as interest continues to grow in this ASX technology share. Weebit is a developer of next generation memory technology for the global semiconductor industry. According to the company, it is pioneering a new technology in this field.

Weebit Nano argues that flash memory is not keeping up in the embedded market. This is where memory is combined with other elements on the same chip. Moreover, the company proposes this new technology as a better replacement.

What moved the Weebit share price?

The Weebit share price was on fire today with the company recently announcing positive progress in the development of its new resistive random-access-memory (ReRAM) product. This is a technology Weebit states is the equivalent of 1000 times faster than and requires around 1000 times lower power than flash memory. 

According to Weebit, some estimates of the flash memory market place it at over US$60 billion. It also maintains that the world’s storage requirements are doubling every two years. This is due to the increasing use of pictures and videos at a growing rate as well as the uptake of new, big-data and artificial intelligence applications.

Weebit recently announced it completed the stabilisation process for its ReRAM product, sending the Weebit share price up 17% on that day alone. This is a phase to verify that the production process is repeatable and consistent. In addition, the optimised integration showed excellent wafer-to-wafer reproducibility for various programming conditions, which means that different memory cells in different areas of a wafer and across different wafers in the batch present the same behaviour.

Management commentary

Coby Hanoch, CEO of Weebit Nano, said:

The successful completion of the stabilisation process follows four years of extensive research and development by the joint Weebit and Leti engineering teams, which has created a unique and highly competitive ReRAM technology. Our close collaboration with Leti will continue, as we constantly strive to improve and further optimise the technical parameters of our silicon oxide ReRAM.

In parallel to completing the stabilisation process which has reinforced the capabilities of our technology, we are moving closer to commercialisation, engaging in discussions with a production partner and working towards transferring our IP and achieving technology qualification in the partner’s fab.

Weebit company performance

Investor interest in the company’s technology and progress has been building over the 2020 calendar year. In year-to-date trading, the Weebit share price has rocketed up by nearly 198%. Indeed, it has blasted upwards by nearly 50% in the past 5 days alone. 

More reading

• Weebit Nano (ASX:WBT) share price rockets 17% up today. Here’s why.

Motley Fool contributor Daryl Mather has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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 BOD Australia Ltd (ASX: BDA) share price was shooting higher as the company launched its CBD (cannabidiol) product in the Netherlands. By the market’s close, the BOD share price was trading 7.69% higher at 56 cents.

The Australian micro-cap has been on an impressive run as of late, gaining 75% so far this year.

What BOD does

BOD is a vertically integrated (loosely meaning it does everything itself) distributor of plant-based natural health supplements and beauty solutions. BOD partnered with Australian vitamin giant Swisse in July last year.

The company has a cannabis business and is developing a range of over the counter and therapeutic products based on certified cannabis extracts.

Product launch

The BOD share price was flying today as the company announced it has launched its four new CBD products in the Netherlands. The products were released under recognised Australian vitamin and skincare brand Swisse Wellness.

The CBD products are in soft, gel-cap form and are designed to target specific need states including immune function and joint mobility.

The entry into the Netherlands marks the third major market entry for BOD consumer CBD products. The cannabis producer currently has sales channels established in Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Furthermore, BOD is planning more expansion into the European market which is estimated to be worth upwards of 450 million euros.

CEO of the company, Jo Patterson, was pleased as she said:

Together with H&H, we have now collaboratively launched Swisse-products into three major markets in a very short space of time and the Company is confident that our highquality CBD products will be well received by consumers to address a range of mainstream need states.

What now for the BOD share price?

The BOD share price rose almost 8% today on the back of the impressive announcement. However, according to the release, there could be more news in store for holders of the cannabis company’s shares.

This is because BOD also disclosed it is now focused on progressing its United States market entry, with the first binding purchase orders for products expected later this quarter.

More reading

• Why the Weebit (ASX:WBT) share price soared 24% Tuesday
• Centuria Capital (ASX:CNI) delivering on FY21 strategy
• Zip (ASX:Z1P) announces major payments expansion with Tap & Zip
• Apiam (ASX:AHX) share price soars 12% on strong Q1 update
• McPherson’s (ASX:MCP) share price on watch on Wednesday after Q1 update

Motley Fool contributor Daniel Ewing has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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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Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI) reported solid FY20 results in August, despite exposure to bushfires, floods and the impacts of COVID-19. Today it released its annual report demonstrating it was starting to deliver on its FY21 strategy. Centuria is a real estate funds management company that provides listed and unlisted investment options. During FY20, the company increased its assets under management (AUM) by an impressive 52% over FY19. It also managed to increase operating net profits after tax by 16.6%.

Highlights of FY20 results

One of the most significant points highlighted in Centuria’s FY20 results was the growth in the company’s AUM. This was partially due to the company’s acquisition of Augusta Capital Limited of New Zealand. Other asset acquisitions were in industrial and office properties. These included two Arnott’s distribution centre assets, and a Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) data centre on a buy and leaseback arrangement.  

Australia’s largest pure play listed office real estate investment trust (REIT) is the Centuria Office REIT (ASX: COF). During FY20, this fund expanded its portfolio with $637 million of acquisitions. In addition, government and ASX listed tenants provided approximately 80% of the portfolio’s income, supporting the FY20 results.

Likewise, the Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP) is Australia’s largest domestic, pure play listed industrial REIT. This fund expanded its portfolio with over $300 million of acquisitions in FY20. Approximately 52% of the portfolio’s income is from tenants directly linked to the production, packaging and distribution of consumer staples.

What’s next?

Centuria has set about commencing the new financial year strongly. Notable FY21 activity to date includes $0.7 billion in real estate acquisitions, launch of the Centuria Healthcare Property Fund, and the launch of the Augusta Property Fund with $55 million in seed assets. In addition, the company has provided FY21 operating earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 10.50 to 11.50 cents per share (cps) and distribution guidance of 8.50 cps. Centuria retains a strong operating balance sheet with cash on hand of $149.5 million as at 30 June 2020, some of which has since been used for the takeover bid for Augusta Capital Limited.

Joint CEO’s John McBain and Jason Huljich commented:

Additionally, we have implemented technology to future proof our business. We recently launched our “VISION 2020” property management and finance software platform providing an integrated solution that will provide efficiency and scalability for the future.

Centuria share price performance

The Centuria share price is up 4.95% in year-to-date trading, and is currently trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 19.17 on today’s earnings report. It has a current trailing 12-months dividend yield of 4.21%.  

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Motley Fool contributor Daryl Mather owns shares of Centuria Office REIT. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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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