Tag: Motley Fool

Are you looking for retirement portfolio options? If you are, then you may want to look at the low risk, high quality ASX shares listed below.

Here’s why these shares could be top options for retirees:

Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)

The first ASX share that could be worth considering for a retirement portfolio is Rural Funds. It owns a collection of high quality agricultural properties such as such as orchards, vineyards, water entitlements, cropping, and cattle farms.

With the world’s population continuing to increase, Australia has become the food bowl of Asia in recent years. In light of this, demand for its properties looks set to remain strong long into the future. And with the company building annual increases into its rental contracts, this means Rural Funds is well-placed to grow its dividend by its target rate of 4% each year.

Management has guided to an 11.73 cents per share distribution in FY 2023 and Bell Potter is expecting an increase to 12.7 cents per share in FY 2024. Based on the latest Rural Funds share price of $2.43, this represents yields of 4.8% and 5.2%, respectively.

Bell Potter also sees value in the company’s shares after a spot of weakness. It commented:

The current discount to adjusted NAV reflects what historically would be considered an attractive entry point and we upgrade our rating.

The broker has a buy rating and $2.75 price target on its shares.

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

Another ASX share that could be a good option for a retirement portfolio is this leading toll road operator. Transurban owns a portfolio of roads in Australia and North America, as well as a significant project pipeline that could support its growth in the coming years.

It could be a top pick in the current environment due to its positive exposure to inflation. In fact, it is for this reason that Citi recently upgraded the company’s shares. It commented:

With concerns around inflation being more sticky and higher for longer, we believe investors are likely to remain attracted to companies providing protection to rising inflation. We see TCL as being particularly attractive given ~70% of toll revenue is linked to inflation, downside protection to traffic even if we enter a recessionary period (given exposure to urban roads), and inorganic upside from the current and future development pipeline.

Citi has a buy rating and $15.70 price target on its shares.

In addition, the broker is forecasting dividends per share of 53 cents in FY 2023 and then 56 cents in FY 2024. Based on the current Transurban share price of $13.79, this will mean yields of 3.8% and 4.1%, respectively.

The post 2 low risk, high quality ASX shares to buy for a retirement portfolio: analysts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• How to invest $10,000 this year to create ‘safe’ passive income
• Buy South32 and this ASX dividend share: experts
• My ASX shares fell 15% last year. Here’s what I’m doing now
• Why I think these 3 ASX 200 dividend shares are top buys for retirement
• Boost your passive income with these ASX dividend shares: brokers

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 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/amqMP2L

The Bass Oil Ltd (ASX: BAS) share price has skyrocketed over the past two days, more than doubling in value and hitting a new 52-week high despite no news from the company.

The junior oil and gas company’s share price hit an intraday peak of 23 cents today. That’s 110% higher than its closing price of 11 cents on Wednesday.

The ASX energy share closed the session on Friday at 19 cents, up 18.75% for the day and 77% for the two days.

What’s powering this ASX energy share into the stratosphere?

Yesterday’s price rise was enough to catch the eye of ASX regulators, which issued a price query.

It noted that the ASX energy share’s price had risen from 10.5 cents at the close on Wednesday to a high of 18.2 cents on Thursday. The ASX also noted a significant increase in the volume of shares traded.

Bass Oil responded today, noting “recent media coverage of the deep coal gas potential in the Company’s 100% owned PEL 182 permit that was released to the ASX on 16 November 2022“.

The permit is located in the Cooper Basin of South Australia, where Bass Oil owns a majority interest in eight permits.

Bass Oil explained that oil and gas behemoth Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) was exploring the same deep coal potential in an adjacent permit called Beanbush 3H.

That permit is present within Bass Oil’s PEL 182 permit.

Yesterday, Santos commented on the progress with its permit in its fourth-quarter report:

The Beanbush 3H ST3 Deep Coal well was successfully side-tracked and a 600-metre horizontal lateral was drilled above the target coal formation. Eight stimulation stages were successfully executed.

The results from the well are being incorporated into Deep Coal appraisal plans.

What does this mean for Bass Oil?

Santos’ success obviously bodes well for Bass Oil’s prospects with its own permit in the same area.

In its November statement, Bass Oil said it had found “a significant prospective new gas resource … following an independent geological assessment”. The assessor gave a best estimate of 21 TCF of gas and 845 million barrels of condensate/oil in place.

At the time, Bass Oil managing director Tino Guglielmo said:

At a time when the domestic gas market continues to face huge challenges meeting demand, this new potential gas resource represents a credible material contributer of gas to the domestic market.

The ASX energy share concluded its response to the ASX price query by saying it “continues to plan and develop its strategy to progress the commercialisation of the deep coal resource in the PEL 182 permit”.

Bass Oil said it would provide updates to the market when appropriate.

What else is happening with Bass Oil?

The company released an operations update last week detailing a 30% increase in field production to 96 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in December at its sites in the Cooper Basin.

This followed the completion of a wireline program in November.

Total daily oil production averaged 366 bopd throughout December, up 2.5%. Sales reaped more than A$700,000 net.

Total production across its permits in December was 2,967 barrels, with 1,589 sold. The company achieved an average realised oil price of A$120.26 per barrel.

On its website, Bass Oil describes itself as “building towards a substantial onshore Australian and Indonesian oil & gas business with a clear focus on expanding production in the Cooper Basin and in South Sumatra”.

The board and management of Bass Oil hold more than 10% of the ASX energy share’s issued capital.

The post Guess which ASX energy share has exploded 110% in 2 days? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Santos share price falls on Q4 update and FY23 guidance downgrade
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Buy these ASX 200 dividend shares when the market reopens: analysts

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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/TaVx3lN

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended this week strong, gaining 0.23% on Friday to close at 7,452.2 points – its highest close since April 2022. That marks a 1.69% week-on-week improvement.

Its gains today came despite yet another disappointing session for New York-listed shares overnight. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) and the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) both slipped 0.8% on Thursday’s session, while the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) tumbled 1%.

That didn’t stop the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) from posting a 1.4% gain. The sector rose alongside oil prices, which also jumped as much as 1.4% overnight.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) lifted 0.9%, driven by lithium and coal stocks.

On the other hand, the S&P/ASX 200 Communications Index (ASX: XTJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) slumped 0.9% and 0.5% respectively.

Let’s dive into the ten ASX 200 shares that ended the week with the biggest gains.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

The Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price outperformed all its peers on Friday, gaining 13% to close at $4.55.

Its gains followed the release of the lithium favourite’s latest quarterly update, in which it saw production increase 10% on that of the prior period.

These shares made today’s biggest gains:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)	$4.55	13.18%
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)	$9.48	6.16%
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ltd (ASX: FPH)	$24.32	4.87%
Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA)	$0.255	4.08%
De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG)	$1.57	3.97%
Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC)	$1.085	3.83%
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)	$0.76	3.4%
Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR)	$2.16	3.35%
Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN)	$2.18	3.32%
Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM)	$4.80	3.23%

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now
• Why Fisher & Paykel, Pilbara Minerals, Resolute, and Whitehaven Coal are storming higher
• 3 ASX 200 shares leaping more than 5% on strong earnings updates
• ‘In harvest mode’: Why the Pilbara Minerals share price is rocketing 8% higher today

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/wbLqg5h

The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) closed in the green today, up 0.23%.

Among the index’s biggest movers and shakers on Friday were the following three companies that all released earnings results today.

Let’s take a look at the detail.

Yancoal Ltd (ASX: YAL)

The ASX coal share was up 4.57% at $6.64 at today’s close of trade. The ASX All Ordinaries share opened at $6.33 following the company’s release of its quarterly activities report after the market close yesterday. This was an 0.3% fall on yesterday’s closing price.

The company reported an average realised price of A$422 per tonne of coal during the December quarter. The full-year average was A$378 per tonne, up 168% from 2021. The company increased its cash holdings by $1.5 billion and had a balance of $2.7 billion as of 31 December.

Yancoal CEO David Moult said:

Yancoal enters 2023 primed to begin an operational recovery program following two years of unprecedented disruptions. The timeline to full recovery depends, in part, on external factors such as wet weather and workforce availability. The intention is to restore productivity and efficiency, leading to improved production rates in successive periods.

Supply side constraints and global energy market uncertainty lifted international thermal coal prices to record levels in 2022. The supply side recovery is likely to occur gradually, and structural imbalances should persist in the international market.

We anticipate international thermal coal prices to remain well supported in 2023.

The Yancoal share price is up 127% over the past 12 months.

City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX)

The City Chic share price closed Friday trading 7.69% lower at 66 cents. The ASX All Ordinaries share opened at 67 cents following the pre-open release of a trading update for 1H FY23. This was a 6.3% fall on yesterday’s closing price.

City Chic reported preliminary and unaudited global sales revenue figures of $168.6 million for the six months. This is 8% down on the prior corresponding period (pcp) but up 38% on FY21.

There was an underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) loss of between $2.5 million and $4 million over the half. The fashion retailer has an inventory worth about $163 million, which is ahead of target. It has net debt of $12.9 million with an amended debt facility.

The company said it was experiencing a higher cost of doing business. Consumer demand “continued to be volatile” during the half, with promotions required to stimulate sales, thereby reducing margins.

City Chic CEO Phil Ryan said:

… we continue to focus on cost management and with the support of our lender have amended our debt facility in line with our changing business needs. We remain extremely confident in executing on our strategies and returning to profitable growth as these cyclical headwinds unwind.

The City Chic share price is down 87% over the past 12 months.

Australian Ethical Investment Ltd (ASX: AEF)

The Australian Ethical Investment share price was down 2.6%, trading at $4.50 at today’s market close.

The ASX All Ordinaries share opened at $4.59 after the company released its quarterly funds under management (FUM) report before the bell. This was 0.65% lower than yesterday’s closing price.

Australian Ethical Investment reported positive net inflows of $160 million for the quarter. This was mainly from superannuation funds, with fewer investors currently putting money into managed funds.

As of 31 December 2022, Australian Ethical Investment had $8.37 billion in FUM, up 35% from 30 June 2022. The Christian Super successor fund transfer (SFT) added $1.93 billion to the fund during the quarter.

Investment performance for the quarter was $110 million.

The Australian Ethical Investment share price is down 58% over the past 12 months.

The post ASX All Ordinaries shares on the move following earnings updates appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Guess which beaten-up ASX 300 share this Aussie billionaire is buying up big
• 3 ASX All Ords shares I’m watching like a hawk in January
• What’s the forecast for the coal price in 2023?
• 2 ASX 300 retail shares to buy right now, and one to avoid: Macquarie
• Is China about to reignite ASX 200 coal shares?

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 positions in and has recommended Australian Ethical Investment. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Australian Ethical Investment. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/NpGB3d1

There are a lot of options for growth investors to choose from on the Australian share market.

To narrow things down, I have picked out two ASX growth shares that experts are tipping as buys.

Here are three reasons to buy these ASX shares:

Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

Morgans believes that this gaming technology company is a growth share to buy right now.

Its analysts have an add rating and $43.00 price target on its shares.

The broker is positive on the company due to its strong long term organic growth potential, its capital light business model, and its strong balance sheet. The latter is supporting its expansion into real money gaming (RMG).

Morgans commented:

We have three key reasons for being positive on ALL. They are: (1) long-term organic growth potential. ALL is better capitalised than many of its competitors and has what we regard as a strong platform to continue investment in design and development in both its land-based gaming and digital businesses; (2) strong cash conversion and ROCE. ALL is a capital-light business despite its ongoing investment in Gaming Operations capex and working capital. It has a high level of cash conversion and ROCE and (3) strong platform for investment. ALL has funding capacity for organic and inorganic investment in online RMG, even after the recent buyback. Its current available liquidity is $3.8bn.

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

Goldman Sachs feels that this online furniture and homewares retailer could be a top option for investors.

Its analysts have a buy rating and $7.55 price target on its shares.

The broker believes that Temple & Webster is well-placed for strong long term earnings growth for three key reasons. These are market share gains, its leadership position in a retail category that is in the early stages of shifting online, and its focus on costs. It commented:

Our Buy thesis is predicated on the following key drivers: (1) we believe TPW is well positioned in the upcoming cycle to continue to grow market share, despite a weaker macro environment; (2) in our view TPW is best placed to be a winner in a category that favours scale players, requires a specialised approach to e-commerce, and has higher barriers to entry vs. other retail categories; and (3) greater focus on costs is a sensible strategy to balance near-term profitability with growth.

The post 3 reasons to buy these top ASX growth shares: experts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Here are 2 excellent ASX growth shares to buy now: experts
• Morgans names 2 of the best ASX 100 shares to buy now
• Waiting for ASX shares to bottom? Why you could miss out on a stock market rally
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

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 Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/m9bYJWN

I’m writing this from Tamworth, where my young bloke and I are taking in a few days of a school holiday road trip for the Country Music Festival.

We saw Troy Cassar-Daley play yesterday, The Bushwackers at lunchtime, and we’re off to John Williamson tonight and Colin Buchanan tomorrow.

I haven’t seen any numbers, but the place has been packed. And, as ever, the drive itself was wonderful.

Of course, business and investing is never far from my mind.

More changes mooted for Super

This week, we’ve seen more mooted changes to Superannuation.

Yes, more.

This time, the potential changes do seem reasonable – to legislate a ‘single purpose’ test to make sure Super isn’t misused, and to limit the size of Super funds, with apparently some 10,000+ funds having balances of more than $5m.

Super is a wonderful system to both relieve pressure on the pension system, and to improve standards of living in retirement.

But it’s too easily seen as a honeypot by pollies and vested interests, and the ‘single purpose’ legislation should hopefully reduce that risk.

And while more is better than less when it comes to Super, the cost to the Federal Budget of multi-million dollar Super balances, taxed at remarkably generous rates, is too high a price to pay. ‘Enough’ is important. But over that level, I think fairness dictates that people with very high balances contribute more.

(And, yet again, we’ve seen an OpEd from former MPs Tim Wilson and Jason Falinski, continuing their argument for undermining Super to use for housing – something that would all-but hollow out the enormous benefits of Superannuation. Yes, we have housing problems, but Super isn’t the answer. I’ve still never seen them explain why there are no other solutions to that problem…)

Retail sales surge

I’ve written already this week about a strong set of retail results, after a bumper Christmas. DJs was the latest to add to that, though in its case, the sales growth was strongest earlier in the company’s first half.

It’s a reminder that, even as we emerge from the worst of COVID, the year-on-year comparisons are still impacted by the ebbs and flows of the economy this time last year (largely the impacts of the Delta and Omicron waves).

So be careful what you read, and make sure you take those impacts into account. We’re more than halfway through the 2023 financial year, and 2019 remains the last ‘clean’ year, from which to make comparisons.

We’ve been doing just that, recently, comparing retailer share prices to their 2019 earnings bases (and applying a conservative ‘business as usual’ growth rate since then).

The good news is that there appears to be some good value still in this sector, despite some of the share price gains over the past couple of weeks.

Beware the ‘honeymoon’

Many savers will be excited to see the banks finally pumping up their interest rates for deposits.

Many home-buyers will be encouraged by getting some money from the plethora of ‘cashback’ mortgages being offered.

But both groups should be very, very careful.

On the deposits front, some of those higher rates are just honeymoon rates for a few months before they then fall, in some cases precipitously.

When it comes to cashback mortgages, banks are presumably hoping that a little cash in the hand might make us less likely to focus on the interest rate. I wouldn’t call it a bribe, exactly, but…

Or maybe they’re just being kind? No? I don’t think so, either.

On one hand, banks are entitled to do whatever they want (within the law) to attract customers. On the other… well, they might just realise that we don’t change banks as often as we should.

And don’t get me started on those products that sell themselves as akin to bank deposits (with higher yields on offer). If it looks too good to be true…

So be careful.

Quick takes

Overblown: Most investors and commentators will congratulate companies for making the tough decisions to lay off staff when necessary (even as they sympathise with those workers). But few ask how those same companies were allowed to become so bloated that they could sack so many without adversely impacting operations. The better company is the one that didn’t over-hire in the first place.

Underappreciated: This one is just a reminder. Remember how, maybe 12 or 15 months ago, people were saying rates would never rise again, and could never get to 3% or more? Yep, we know how that ended — so far, at least. Things can move faster and further than you expect, in both directions. The more certain someone is, the more wary we should be.

Fascinating: This isn’t new to anyone who looks at news with a critical eye, but I googled ‘unemployment news’ when the numbers came out this week. From the same set of headlines, our major mastheads and news outlets managed 5 or 6 different takes. None was factually wrong, but each was different. “Jobs lost”. “Unemployment steady”. “Record low”. “Vacant jobs crisis”. My advice: Read widely, and critically. Challenge your own preconceptions and biases.

Where I’ve been looking: As I mentioned, above, the team and I have been spending some time looking deeper into the complex recent retail history to see what we can find. And we’ve been looking at property managers, too, to see if there’s a similar theme. No conclusions, yet, but worth a look.

Quote: “But what are we gonna do for the world today?” – The World Today, by 40-time Golden Guitar winner, Troy Cassar-Daley

Fool on!

The post Four years, and still not back to normal appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Will AMP shares regain their dividend sparkle in 2023?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now
• Could the coal price cap hold BHP shares hostage?
• Telstra share price is ‘undervalued’ right now: broker

Motley Fool contributor Scott Phillips 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/IH5eXLs

AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) shares were once an S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dividends favourite. But that was many years ago.

The last time investors saw a regular payout from the financial services stock was in March 2019.

Meanwhile, the AMP share price has tumbled 75% over the last five years to trade at $1.32 today.

At the same time, the ASX 200 has gained 21.5%.

But AMP is a vastly different company today than it was in 2019. In fact, it’s currently in the process of selling its funds management business and will return $1.1 billion to shareholders.

Does that mean the company is approaching its return to dividends? Let’s take a look.

Could 2023 be the year AMP shares regain a dividend?

Sadly, as patient as investors have been, they’re no closer to knowing when AMP’s next regular dividend will come.

Though, management says they’re working on it. Speaking at the company’s 2022 annual general meeting, chair Debra Hazelton said:

We acknowledge the disappointing shareholder experience – in terms of share price and a lack of dividends – reflecting a period of disruption in the financial services industry, and internally within AMP.

The company was scathed by 2018’s Financial Services Royal Commission, which left a notable reputational and financial dint.

In the aftermath, AMP launched a transformation program to improve its performance by increasing profits and reducing costs. And it appears to have made good progress.  

The company’s most recent full-year results saw a 53% increase in underlying after-tax profits, reaching $356 million. However, its statutory post-tax profits came in at a $252 million loss, down from a $177 million profit in the prior year.

Additionally, AMP plans to return to shareholders most of the proceeds from its sale of Collimate Capital. Having said that, the sale of Collimate Capital’s domestic real estate and infrastructure equity business might be up in the air if Chinese regulatory approval isn’t received by the end of February.

Hazelton continued in May:

At the conclusion of these activities, we will review our regular dividend policy. We intend to hold a strong capital position and balance sheet as we head into this period of global economic uncertainty.

So, long-suffering investors might not have to wait much longer to realise a dividend from AMP shares. Though, whether a payout will be declared in 2023 is hard to say.

The post Will AMP shares regain their dividend sparkle in 2023? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Why ASX shares could be much higher at the end of 2023
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Why did the AMP share price crumble 4% on Monday?

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/vJHA5Df

It’s been a rather busy day of trading to round out the week so far this Friday. At the time of writing, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up, but only just, having gained an anaemic 0.11% at just over 7,440 points 

But the ASX 200 has been in both positive and negative territory over the session so far, so who knows where we’ll end up.

So rather than trying to figure all of that out, let’s instead look at the shares currently topping the ASX 200’s share trading volume charts, according to investing.com.

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Friday

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)

First up this Friday is the ASX 200 lithium share Core Lithium. So far this session, a hefty 16.05 million Core Lithium shares have flown across the ASX boards. There’s been no major news out of Core Lithium this Friday. So this volume looks to be a result of the company’s volatile share price today.

Core Lithium is currently down by 1.43% at $1.04 a share. But, just like the ASX 200, this company has bounced around between positive and negative territory all day. This probably explains the high volumes we are seeing.

Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS)

Next up today we have another ASX 200 lithium producer in Pilbara Minerals. This Friday has seen a sizeable 30.22 million shares bought and sold on the markets thus far. This is almost certainly a consequence of PIlbara’s quarterly update coming out today.

As we covered earlier, it was a very positive update indeed, with sales volume, production and lithium prices all rising for the company. Investors have been climbing over themselves to get a hold of Pilbara shares, with the company up an extraordinary 9.1% to $4.38 a share.

Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR)

Our third, final and most traded ASX 200 share this Friday is yet another lithium stock in Liontown Resources. This session has seen a whopping 38.4 million shares finding a new ASX home so far. Liontown seems to be having quite a different day compared to Pilbara.

The company also released an update today. But this one revealed a cost blowout in the company’s Kathleen Valley Lithium Project. This is the second time the company has raised its cost estimates.

Investors have not reacted kindly, sending Liontown down a nasty 14% to $1.29 a share. No wonder so many shares have been flying around today.

The post Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now
• Why Fisher & Paykel, Pilbara Minerals, Resolute, and Whitehaven Coal are storming higher
• Why Alumina, Block, Liontown, and Nanosonics shares are dropping today
• 3 ASX 200 shares leaping more than 5% on strong earnings updates
• ‘In harvest mode’: Why the Pilbara Minerals share price is rocketing 8% higher today

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/85rDz6n

It has been a busy week for Australia’s top brokers after the holiday period. This has led to the release of a large number of broker notes.

Three broker buy ratings that you might want to know more about are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

Allkem Ltd (ASX: AKE)

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have retained their buy rating but trimmed their price target on this lithium miner’s shares to $17.30. This follows a solid quarterly update which revealed an impressive performance from the company’s Olaroz operation. The broker was also pleased to see the company guide to strong lithium pricing in the third quarter. The Allkem share price is trading at $12.69 on Friday.

Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR)

A note out of Morgan Stanley reveals that its analysts have retained their overweight rating and $13.00 price target on this computer hardware and software distributor’s shares. Ahead of earnings season, Morgan Stanley has been looking at the prospects of companies under coverage in the mid cap space. The good news is that the broker believes Dicker Data is well-placed to deliver on its estimates this year thanks to easing supply chain headwinds and strong momentum. The Dicker Data share price is fetching $10.96 this afternoon.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Analysts at Macquarie have retained their outperform rating and $7.50 price target on this lithium miner’s shares. This follows the release a strong second quarter update which revealed production and shipments ahead of the broker’s estimates. Macquarie was also pleased with its lithium price realisation and cost reductions. Combined, it notes that this has underpinned a big boost to its cash balance. The Pilbara Minerals share price is trading at $4.42 on Friday.

The post Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Why Fisher & Paykel, Pilbara Minerals, Resolute, and Whitehaven Coal are storming higher
• 3 ASX 200 shares leaping more than 5% on strong earnings updates
• ‘In harvest mode’: Why the Pilbara Minerals share price is rocketing 8% higher today
• My top predictions for ASX 200 mining shares in 2023

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Allkem. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Dicker Data. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Dicker Data. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/Q9TV206

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are up 0.2% today to $49.75 amid news that all NSW mines will be included in the temporary one-year scheme that caps the coal price at $125 per tonne.

Not only that, but most NSW mines will have to reserve 7% to 10% of their supply for domestic electricity generation. In recent years, BHP has sold almost all of its coal to foreign buyers.

The NSW Government announced the expanded plan yesterday as BHP released its December 2022 half-year activities report.

The update showed increased running costs at its coal mines due to inflation and inclement weather.

BHP has told the Australian Financial Review that in the case of its Mt Arthur Mine in the Hunter Valley, costs might soon exceed the cap.

How much is coal production costing BHP?

In its update released to the ASX yesterday, BHP said they had increased full-year unit cost guidance for BMA metallurgical coal and New South Wales Energy Coal (NSWEC).

Average costs were now between A$144 and A$151 per tonne for BMA and between A$121 and A$131 per tonne for NSWEC.

The report said:

Unit cost guidance for BMA has been increased to between US$100 and US$105 per tonne (at
guidance exchange rates) reflecting full year volumes tracking to the low end of production
guidance due to significant wet weather, inventory movements and inflationary pressures.

Unit cost guidance for NSWEC has been increased to between US$84 and US$91 per tonne
(at guidance exchange rates) reflecting production impacts from record wet weather,
inflationary pressures and price-linked logistics costs.

BHP also reported its average realised coal prices for the December 2022 half.

Thermal coal sold for A$511 per tonne, up from A$436 in the June 2022 half. Metallurgical coal sold for A$386 per tonne, substantially down from A$610 per tonne in the June 2022 half.

A BHP spokesman told the Financial Review:

Clearly there are a number of commercial and practical implications that would have to be managed under an extended direction, along with the potential long-term impacts on market dynamics and investment in more energy supply.

What will the price cap do to BHP shares?

In short, the cap will do nothing to BHP shares directly. What it will likely do is reduce BHP’s profits in its coal division — and of course, the market won’t like that if it eventuates.

At the moment, commodity prices are high, but BHP says costs are also rising substantially due to inflation and lost days of production due to weather.

We’ll see some numbers from BHP as to how its coal division is tracking now on 21 February when it releases its FY23 half-year results.

Why is the price cap being extended to all NSW mines?

As reported on smh.com.au, NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said the expansion levelled the playing field:

I know those currently providing coal for the local market will appreciate that companies enjoying super profits on the back of the war in Ukraine will now do their part for the domestic market.

These new arrangements will help even the playing field among coal producers.

In a statement, Stephen Galilee, CEO of the NSW Minerals Council, said:

Extending the policy to coal producers not currently involved in domestic coal supply is a radical change of approach that highlights how extremely rushed this policy process has been.

Forcing mines designed and approved for export to supply the domestic market will have significant impacts on existing supply chains and the transport system, pushing up costs and risks.

More broadly, the price cap policy undermines the reputation of NSW as an investment destination, and as trading partner and supplier to our critical export markets overseas.

The post Could the coal price cap hold BHP shares hostage? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• My top predictions for ASX 200 mining shares in 2023
• 2 December winners ready to rocket further in 2023: expert
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• BHP share price higher amid record first half iron ore production
• Should I buy BHP shares in 2023?

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in BHP 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 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/NXP7h12