The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) spent another day in the green on Thursday, gaining 0.13% to close at 7,511.6 points.

It follows the United States Federal Reserves' decision to bump interest rates another 0.25% to 4.75%, seemingly marking a slowdown in hikes.

Staying overseas, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) led Wall Street overnight, rising 2%.

It likely comes as no surprise then that the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) outperformed all other sectors today, rising 3.1%.

On the other hand, the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was the worst performer, falling 0.9% amid tumbling oil prices. Brent crude oil slumped 3.1% overnight while the US Nymex crude dropped 3.1% to US$76.41 a barrel.

But which ASX 200 shares posted the biggest gains of all on Thursday? Let's take a look.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Today's top-performing ASX 200 share was tech giant Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1). Its share price gained 11% today amid a notable tech rally.

These shares made today's biggest gains:

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.

Australian home values are falling at their fastest rate since the global financial crisis, so will ASX property shares go down with them?

According to CoreLogic data, home prices fell 5.3% in 2022. Back in 2008, they dropped 6.4%. (These numbers combine all types of residential properties — houses, townhouses, and apartments).

The price declines in 2022 were greatest in Sydney (down 12.1%) and Melbourne (down 8.1%).

But what happened to ASX property shares?

If home values drop, will ASX property shares fall too?

Let's take a look at what happened to ASX property shares or real estate investment trust (REITs) in 2022.

Real estate is one of the 11 sectors of the ASX. Over 2022, the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) fell 24%. This compares to a 5.5% drop in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

As seen here, individual results among the REITs varied substantially.

This is the top 10 ASX property shares by market capitalisation:

Why did ASX property shares fall in 2022?

The important thing for investors to note is that the bulk of REITs are either not associated with the residential housing market, or have only limited exposure.

Most of them hold portfolios comprising retail property, offices, and industrial property such as warehouses and shopping centres. There are exceptions, of course, like apartment developer Mirvac Group.

However, in a climate of rising interest rates, ASX REITs with substantial debt or leveraging will be affected. Why this occurs is obvious — interest costs are rising, while property values are falling.

The REIT companies that build property have also been subject to the rising costs of inputs like timber due to inflation and ongoing global supply chain disruptions.

ASX property shares can also be affected by falling land values in a market downturn. This reduces the value of the assets on their books.

But remember, most of these REITs are not holding property with the aim to sell it and distribute capital gains to shareholders. REITs are traditionally much more of a yield play than a growth play.

And therein lies an opportunity with REIT shares for investors today.

REITs are reliable dividend payers

ASX property shares tend to involve commercial property, and average tenancies are much longer term than residential leases. Traditionally, rental returns are steadier, hence distributions are relatively stable.

REIT yields are presently higher because share prices fell so much in 2022.

One of the highest dividend payers among ASX property shares is the Centuria Office REIT (ASX: COF). Its share price dropped 35% last year and it is $1.60 today. That gives it a trailing dividend yield of 9.5%.

There are also ASX property shares that aim to deliver more share price growth than yield. Goodman Group is a great example.

Over the past five years, the Goodman share price has risen by 150%. That includes the 25% decline in 2022. So, that's an average annual share price gain of 30% per year. A residential property could never match that. Goodman is forecasting an 11% growth in earnings per share (EPS) for FY23.

Should I buy property or shares?

Whether ASX shares or property is a better investment is an age-old debate among investors that will rage on forever. Ideally, a bit of both is the way to go because it provides investment diversification.

But if you had to choose one, ASX shares might be more appealing for several reasons.

The scale of initial investment is probably the biggest drawcard of shares. ASX shares investing allows you to start with lower funds, so you can use savings instead of borrowings to get started. They're certainly less hassle, and there are no holding costs (outside of the interest on any margin loan you get to invest).

But the capital gain you'll get from ASX property shares is likely to be smaller. Over the past five years, the A-REIT index has risen by only 7%.

So, investors who choose shares over bricks-and-mortar property might pick a few ASX growth shares for capital gains and some ASX dividend shares (perhaps including property shares) for reliable income.

The post House prices are tanking. Will ASX property shares go down with them? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fell on Tuesday, posting its third – albeit small – decline of 2023. The index ended the day 0.03% lower at 7,386.3 points.

It was a mixed session across the market, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) leading the way.

The sector gained 1.8%, led by shares in supermarket operators Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL), Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), and Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS).

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) weighed heaviest, falling 1.2% as the Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) share price dumped 2.1%.

The company announced the consortium looking to snap it up has requested more time to complete due diligence.

Mining shares also suffered today, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) falling 1.1%.

So, after considering all that, let's take a look at the 10 shares taking out the top spots on the ASX 200 on Tuesday.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Today's top-performing ASX 200 share was battery materials and technology provider Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX). The stock leapt 5.5% to close at $1.92 despite the company's silence.

These shares made today's biggest gains:

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.

Investors were busy last month, with S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy shares being a key focus in November.

Sharesies is an online broker platform, and each month it produces a report detailing the most popular picks.

Of course, this is just the data from one broker, so readers should keep that in mind.

From the report, we learned that there was twice as much buying volume as selling volume. For Sharesies, this has been consistent for the last six months.

It also noted that an increase in the strength of the Australian dollar, relative to the United States dollar, "may have been a driver behind and uptick in US investments buying relative to other markets".

November's most purchased by value

According to Sharesies, there were two ASX lithium shares and two ASX coal shares in the top five most bought, by value.

The most popular investment was Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA).

In second place was New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC).

The fourth most popular investment was Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO).

In fifth place was Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC).

To complete the list, in third place was property business Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC).

With energy being a key theme in 2022, perhaps it's unsurprising that old and new ASX 200 energy shares are getting investor attention going into the end of the year.

What's going on with these ASX energy shares?

Firstly we'll look at what's going on with the ASX coal shares.

After Russian invaded Ukraine, there were a number of knock-on effects. One was a rise in energy prices as some countries looked to find alternative sources of energy.

This sent the coal price soaring, and while it's not at a 52-week high, it's still very high. And this means both New Hope and Whitehaven are generating large profits.

With profits jumping higher, both companies are paying much larger dividends. They also launched share buybacks, aimed at boosting shareholder returns.

For the ASX lithium shares, they are making operational progress amid strong demand for lithium.

Sayona Mining said in its update that the restart of the company's North American Lithium (NAL) operation is getting closer, as 98% of procurement activities are now complete and permitting activities are 96% finished. Operations are on track to be restarted in the first quarter of 2023.

For Core Lithium, it held its annual general meeting (AGM) last month. The business has started transporting 'spodumene direct shopping ore' (DSO) product from its Finniss lithium mine near Darwin in the Northern Territory. Crushing of the lithium ore commenced on 9 November 2022 and loading onto a ship at Darwin Port was expected to start at the end of November.

It will be interesting to see if December is another solid month of interest for ASX 200 energy shares.

The post Here are the old and new energy ASX 200 shares that investors were buying last month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had another shocker today, notching up its third loss in a row for the week. The index finished up at 7,175.5 points, down 0.75% for the day. Since Monday, the ASX 200 has already lost a nasty 2%.

These losses were led by ASX 200 energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) ended up falling by a nasty 2.42%, led by Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) falling by almost 3.7%. Leading coal miner Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) was down by 2.59%.  

This was induced by sharp falls in energy and commodity prices. Oil is now back under US$80 a barrel, with WTI crude down 3.48% to US$74.25 a barrel on the latest numbers.

Meanwhile, the best-performing sector today was utilities, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) rising 0.97%. In total, only three of the ASX 200's 11 sectors were in the green today.

Countdown to the top 10 ASX 200 shares on Thursday

Our top-performing ASX 200 share today was Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN), which finished the session up a healthy 13.11% at $6.30 a share. This came after the miner indicated that it has uncovered some new copper and nickel reserves at its Julimar Project in Western Australia.

Here are the top ten shares from this Thursday's trading session:

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

Ask A Fund Manager

The Motley Fool chats with the best in the industry so that you can get an insight into how the professionals think. In this edition, Tribeca Investment Partners portfolio manager Simon Brown reveals the two shares he'd snap up now at a 40% discount.

Cut or keep?

The Motley Fool: Let's examine three ASX shares that have been devastated this year and see if you think each of these fallen stars is now a bargain to pick up or if you'd stay away.

The first one is Life360 Inc (ASX: 360), which has dropped almost 40% in the past 12 months. What do you think?

Simon Brown: Yeah, similar to comments that I made with relation to NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT), in terms of a high growth business where discount rates went up, cost of money increased, and you've seen a reasonably violent de-rating. 

It probably doesn't help that it hadn't been necessarily profitable. It is investing for growth and spending quite a bit of money — and those growth rates are very high. So as an investor, if they can continue to invest money to generate those rates of growth, you've got to be reasonably happy.

But you've seen names within the sector that have held up far better. Some of those larger growth names haven't come off nearly as much as Life360 has, and there's probably a bit of a difference there that those ones have reasonable levels of cash generation and profits.

I guess there was a misstep somewhere. It was with the acquisition of Tile, which probably hasn't performed to expectations that were laid out when they made the acquisition. That's baked into the share price as it is now. But it also puts pressure on the business to look to make that acquisition work. 

And they've got a program coming up where they're going to bundle Tiles for new subscribers to incentivise customers to sign up to their membership plans. So that's looking to be rolled out in calendar year 2023. We think that should be an opportunity to continue to monetise their user base and potentially lift the level of profitability.

They just raised money, you might have seen in the press just recently. Given that they've got that trajectory towards cash positive later in calendar year 2023, they thought it was prudent to raise some money just to make sure if economic impacts in the US or the like had an impact on growth. 

So that's a name we've been on record as saying we've been quite supportive of throughout its journey since COVID, when they were able to demonstrate they were quite resilient in a downturn. It's a name that we've really, really liked and we are supportive of what that business is doing.

MF: Do you still hold it?

SB: Yes, we do.

MF: Fantastic. Next one is Dusk Group Ltd (ASX: DSK), which has fallen about 40% this year. What do you reckon about that one?

SB: Consumer discretionary has been a challenging area to get a huge amount of confidence, in terms of investment. 

I think that the most recent update was strong — ahead of where analyst expectations are. But I guess that there's a couple of things. It is a little bit challenging to get a true read on the rate of growth given that we had the Delta lockdowns last year, in that first quarter of FY22. So the run rate comparisons are hard to get an underlying feeling of the true rate of growth, given that the prior comparable period was very depressed.

Secondly, given the level of inflation that's been coming through, particularly for domestic retailers such as Dusk, who import a lot of their products that they sell, there has been a lot of price inflation. That is clouding the ability to see the true underlying volume of sales. We suspect that's probably weaker than the nominal sales that are being recorded. 

If you are coming into a period where that rate of inflation is slowing, the higher rates are pressuring consumers and they're more thoughtful about what they're buying, it potentially puts pressure on some of these retailers. They'll be forced back into some degree of discounting and it could prove problematic for margins.

Expectations aren't particularly lofty for the space, but given how leveraged they are with cost bases very much skewed towards wages and rent, both of which are escalating reasonably strongly, it doesn't take a huge amount of disappointment at that sales level to translate into meaningful movements in profit.

So yeah, we're on the sidelines there, just waiting for the interest rate rises that started in March to flow through into consumers. You tend to start to see the impacts around nine months after the first rate rise. We are watching very closely there as to how much of an impact we see on consumers and how that will relate to future earnings for companies like Dusk.

MF: Fair enough. The last one, which has also plunged about 40% this year is HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC).

SB: That's the old HomeCo. It's a property funds management business. They've got two listed REITs — HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (ASX: HDN) and the Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT (ASX: HCW) — so they're an alternative asset manager. 

We think David Di Pilla's done a good job there to date. We're a big fan of the funds management model in property. You've obviously got some very successful examples of that model in Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC) and Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI). 

[HMC Capital] emanated out of small caps that we've invested in previously, that have done very well for our fund. We identified HomeCo as a name that was coming off a smaller base. They had lower levels of invested assets, meaning that as they looked to grow via acquisition, those acquisitions can have a more meaningful impact on growth. 

So that's a name that we quite like. They continue to accumulate properties and start new funds. 

Look, there has been a property cycle within REIT to some degree. You've had interest rates going up, which should flow through to lower property values via an increase in cap rates there. There's been a degree of value destruction across that REIT space, where a number of the names are trading at fairly steep discounts to their last reported net tangible assets.

You'd argue there's a degree of devaluation in their properties already imputed in the share price. And we think once rates plateau and start to come back down — as they inevitably will as economic growth slows — there's probably an opportunity for the space, including HMC, to pick up a tailwind there. And do better given the underperformance of the whole space over the last 12 months.

The post 40% sale! 2 cheap ASX shares to buy for a better 2023: fundie appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

For more than a decade, investors became rich from ASX growth shares — but all that changed almost overnight late last year.

As the very infectious Omicron variant of COVID-19 struck the world in November, share markets turned against growth, and haven't really looked back since.

In such an environment, The Motley Fool has certainly noticed a big change in attention towards dividend shares.

The logic among investors seems to be that if capital growth is so anaemic, you might as well grab some income to make up for it.

However, the team at Wilsons had a stark warning for dividend hunters.

"However, high yield stocks have proven to underperform the market on a long-term view," its recent memo to clients read.

"We therefore believe a dividend strategy cannot solely rely on high yielding stocks to be successful."

The checklist for quality ASX dividend shares

For Wilsons analysts, it's imperative to search for businesses that grow dividends over time. That might mean sacrificing some yield now.

"We think selecting a dividend strategy by its initial yield is a poor choice because the growth of the dividend over time ultimately determines the income payouts in future years."

Also, a high current dividend yield tells nothing about the business performance or its outlook.

"Therefore, we think it is also paramount to consider companies based on their competitive positioning and industry backdrop, their earnings quality, and their long-term growth outlook."

Considering this, the team screened the S&P/ASX 100 [XTO] (ASX: XTO) for businesses that met the following criteria:

• Financial year 2025 dividend yield greater than 2%
• Positive or flat three-year forecast dividend per share compound annual growth rate
• Balance between growth and yield
• Predictable earnings supported by "relatively defensive demand" through economic cycles
• Decent moat or industry outlook
• No iron ore miners, which Wilsons believes to be in structural decline 

Using this screen, the team came up with 22 ASX shares that are providing 2023 financial year yields above 3%:

• Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)
• Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ)
• Scentre Group (ASX: SCG)
• APA Group (ASX: APA)
• Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG)
• National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)
• Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD)
• Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)
• Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)
• Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS)
• Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN)
• Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)
• Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL)
• Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)
• Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)
• Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC)
• Carsales.Com Ltd (ASX: CAR)
• Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE)
• ALS Ltd (ASX: ALQ)
• Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX: SDF)
• Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)
• Seek Limited (ASX: SEK)

"Overall, we think it is worth taking a holistic view of total return when considering a dividend strategy," read the memo. 

"Investors should adopt a total return approach when selecting stocks for their portfolios by thinking long-term and understanding that earnings growth will support long-term dividend income."

The post 22 high-yield ASX dividend shares Wilsons is targeting appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Ask A Fund Manager

The Motley Fool chats with the best in the industry so that you can get an insight into how the professionals think. In this edition, Auscap Asset Management portfolio manager Tim Carleton gives his thoughts on three ASX shares that are deeply in the red this year.

Cut or keep?

The Motley Fool: Now let's take a look at three ASX shares that have fallen off the cliff recently, to see what you would do with them.

First is 4WD accessories maker ARB Corporation Limited (ASX: ARB), which has seen its share price halve so far this year.

Tim Carleton: This is one stock that we are looking to add to. We own it in the portfolio that we'd certainly be interested in adding to the exposure. A very, very high quality business. 

You're right, they manufacture and distribute 4WD accessories. They've had a few transitory issues lately, but they still have a significant runway for growth overseas. So we're mindful of elevated demand through COVID, but there are lots of opportunities for them to grow revenue and earnings through organic expansion. And at the moment you've seen the multiple pull right back. So we would be looking to add to that exposure at the right point.

MF: How about Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC), which has almost halved in 2022?

TC: If you own it, it's probably worth continuing to hold. 

I mean, its issue is that it's facing macroeconomic pressure in the form of higher interest rates. So higher interest rates are negative for capitalisation rates. 

[Charter Hall]'s a fund manager primarily in the real estate space and real estate fund managers have had this wonderful tailwind for a long time now of declining interest rates. And as interest rates fell, the relative attraction of the yields offered by REITs increased, which led to people bidding up those asset prices. As a result, capitalisation rates, which [are] the rates used to value property trusts, were declining.

That was pushing up valuations. That was a very, very powerful tailwind for fund managers such as Charter Hall. 

We're now probably in the opposite environment. So what was a tailwind is probably a headwind. But I think that has been reflected in the multiple. It's currently trading on about 12 times, or a little over 12 times, earnings. A lot of their assets under management, I think, [are] reasonably sticky. So that's not a particularly large multiple for the quality of the business. 

If you didn't have a position, it's probably a little bit more difficult because, like I said, you are most likely facing some headwinds over the coming years as capitalisation rates head north and therefore valuations come down, which makes it harder to generate performance fees — harder to accumulate further assets in that sort of environment than the one we just experienced for the last decade.

MF: Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG) shares have plunged 43% so far this year. What are your thoughts?

TC: Breville is, again, one that we would look to add to at the right time. 

The market is concerned about pullback in appliance expenditure, and we think rightly so, and that's across the globe. And obviously, these guys operate in many, many different markets or have a presence in many markets around the world. But once this washes through, this business should still have plenty of organic growth as they can expand into new geographies. 

They're creating products all the time. They spend a considerable amount of money on research and development each year. That means that they're always at the forefront of products in their space that are very, very highly regarded by consumers. 

And that is their competitive advantage, right? Their competitive advantage is having products that consumers want. And it lets them earn a well above-average return on their capital, in selling those products. 

So to the extent that we get an opportunity at an attractive price, and we're probably not too far off that at the moment, we will certainly be looking to add to our Breville exposure.

The post Loser or bargain? Fundie's verdict on 3 popular ASX shares that have nosedived appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Here's why brokers think investors ought to buy them next week:

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ)

According to a note out Citi, its analysts have retained their buy rating and $29.00 price target on this banking giant's shares. Citi is feeling positive about the banking sector thanks to rising rates and the unprecedented levels of excess liquidity. Its analysts are expecting this to underpin strong returns and drive a meaningful increase in net interest margins. The ANZ share price ended the week at $23.55.

Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC)

A note out of Goldman Sachs reveals that its analysts have initiated coverage on this property company with a buy rating and $16.50 price target. The broker made the move largely on valuation grounds. It highlights that Charter Hall trades at 11x EBITDA compared to its five-year average of 15x EBITDA. The broker also notes that its shares are trading at a sizeable discount to both the ASX 200 and ASX 200 REITs index and sees scope for that to change. The Charter Hall share price was fetching $12.32 at Friday's close.

Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN)

Analysts at UBS have retained their buy rating and $83.00 price target on this mining and mining services company's shares. According to the note, UBS has been busy looking at what could happen if Mineral Resources decided to demerge its lithium operations and list them on Wall Street. The broker suspects that the business could command a 6x FY 2024 EBITDA multiple, which it estimates would give it a valuation of A$17 billion. This is notably more than the company's entire market capitalisation of A$13 billion, which includes more than just its lithium operations. The Mineral Resources share price ended the week at $66.39.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This week, we bid farewell to winter… and another tumultuous ASX earnings season. So now, looking ahead to the brighter days of spring, hopefully the stock market can also deliver some healthy new growth.

Armed with a barrow full of info on which listed companies have been flourishing and floundering, we asked our Foolish contributors to let us know which ASX shares they reckon are worth planting some cash in right now.

Here's what the team came up with:

8 best ASX shares for September 2022 (smallest to largest)

• DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO), $88.67 million
• Airtasker Ltd (ASX: ART), $184.92 million
• Alcidion Group Ltd (ASX: ALC), $196.55 million
• Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV), $2.31 billion
• Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO), $2.39 billion
• Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC), $7.78 billion
• South32 Ltd (ASX: S32), $19.21 billion
• CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), $141.57 billion 

(Market capitalisations as of 31 August 2022)

Why our Foolish writers love these ASX shares

DroneShield Ltd

What it does: DroneShield specialises in designing and developing products to detect and disable threats from unmanned drones.

By Aaron Teboneras: The DroneShield share price sank by more than 19% on Wednesday, and I believe the stock is now trading at a bargain.

The substantial fall came on the heels of DroneShield's half-year results, which were released after market close on Tuesday. In its release, the company advised it had achieved revenue of $3.6 million, down 6% on the prior period ($3.9 million was delivered in the second half of 2021).

However, taking a closer look at some other key metrics, the company recorded cash receipts of $5.2 million in the first half of 2022. This represents a growth of 21% when compared to the $4.3 million recognised in the second half of 2021.

DroneShield said the difference between the revenue and cash receipts received in H1 2022 related to payments received in advance.

The counter-drone market is growing rapidly with a forecast total addressable market of around $5.9 billion by 2026.

In its 2022 second-quarter update, DroneShield also noted the highly favourable macro environment arising from the Russian war in Ukraine, with both sides demonstrating extensive use of small drones.

With this in mind, defence budgets globally, including that of the Australian Government, have been rapidly increasing.

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras owns shares in DroneShield Ltd.

Airtasker Ltd

What it does: Airtasker operates an online local services platform that helps people who want a task completed connect with those who want to do the work. Furniture assembly, removalist services, website design, handyman services and photography are just some examples of the categories on offer.

By Tristan Harrison: I'm looking for compelling ASX growth shares that are attractively valued.

The Airtasker share price has dropped by around 50% in 2022, but the company is generating solid double-digit growth. In FY22, its gross marketplace volume rose 23.8% to $189.6 million, while revenue increased 18.4% to $31.5 million.

Airtasker also reported that, excluding research and development (R&D) costs, it made positive earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $1.3 million at the 'Australian marketplace and head office operations' EBITDA level.

I'm also excited by the company's international potential. In the United States, in the FY22 fourth quarter, the number of posted tasks grew 49% quarter-on-quarter.

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison does not own shares in Airtasker Ltd.

Alcidion Group Ltd

What it does: Alcidion provides software solutions to the healthcare industry to improve patient outcomes. The company's flagship product is known as Miya Precision, which incorporates everything from bed management to patient monitoring.

By Mitchell Lawler: Alcidion released its full-year FY22 report earlier this week, showing a continuation of the company's tremendous growth momentum.

For the 12 months, the software provider achieved record revenue of $34.4 million, an increase of 33% from the year prior. Notably, the time frame included one entire half's worth of contribution from Alcidion's Silverlink acquisition.

Ultimately, the two most promising indicators for me from the recent results are the company's lessening dependence on revenue from Australia and New Zealand, reducing geographic risk, and the further improvement in recurring revenue composition, which reached around 68%.

The current valuation could be attractive if management continues to deliver on geographic and client expansion at this pace.

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler does not own shares in Alcidion Group Ltd.

Lovisa Holdings Ltd

What it does: Jewellery and accessories retailer Lovisa is a staple in many shopping centres around Australia and the world. In addition to its extensive network of brick-and-mortar stores, Lovisa operates a successful e-commerce business.

By Brooke Cooper: Last financial year was a ripper for Lovisa. Its revenue surged 59%, it posted a $59.9 million profit and entered four new markets. It also more than doubled its final dividend to 37 cents per share.

And it's not expected to slow down soon. Morgans analyst Andrew Tang dubbed the company's earnings a "goldmine", saying:

"What was even more remarkable than the result itself was the phenomenal scale of [Lovisa's] ambition.

"The momentum of growth is expected to increase in FY23, and the addition of further new markets … appears more than likely. In our opinion, it won't stop there."

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper does not own shares in Lovisa Holdings Ltd.

Core Lithium Ltd

What it does: Core Lithium is a resource explorer with a key focus on lithium. Its Finniss Lithium Project, located just south of Darwin Port in the Northern Territory, is under development.

By Bernd Struben: Core Lithium has been a stellar performer over almost any longer-term time frame you choose. Shares reached an all-time high of $1.62 on 15 August. At the time of publication, Core Lithium shares are up by around 122% in 2022 and 288% over 12 months. But I don't think the ship's sailed on the good times just yet.

In July, Core Lithium reported that its Finniss construction was progressing on track to export the first lithium by the end of 2022. This comes in an environment where lithium demand and prices are soaring amid the global shift to EVs and battery grid storage.

UBS recently upgraded its lithium price forecasts by 37%. UBS expects global demand for the critical battery metal to rocket 700% by 2030.

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben does not own shares in Core Lithium Ltd.

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd

What it does: Lynas has expertise in integrating rare earths metals from mine to metal. It has a portfolio of assets concentrated in the exploration and production of rare earths.

By Zach Bristow: China currently supplies around 80% of the world's rare earths. But recently, growing geopolitical tensions have highlighted the world's need to diversify its supply chain. According to its website, Lynas "holds a unique position as the only significant producer of scale of separated rare earths outside of China".

It also has a considerable first-mover advantage over its ASX competitors. I believe this places the company in a prime position to capitalise on industry tailwinds that could see demand for Australian rare earths soar in the coming few years. This optimism was echoed in research from Jevons Global in a recent note. 

Lynas shares are also rated as a buy by four out of seven brokers, with a consensus price target of $9.89 per share, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. At the time of writing, Lynas trades on a 14.4x trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio and presents with a 3.5% free cash flow yield and 6.7% earnings yield. 

The Lynas share price closed Wednesday's session around 3% higher at $8.88.

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow does not own shares in Lynas Rare Earths Ltd.

South32 Ltd

What it does: South32 is a diversified mining company with extensive global operations in base metals such as lead, aluminium, copper, zinc, and nickel.

By Sebastian Bowen: ASX 200 mining company South32 could well be worth a look this September, even though the company has already had quite a stellar run in 2022 thus far. South32's earnings last month contained a bumper 362% increase in annual dividends to 22.7 US cents per share. That's in addition to the special dividends worth another 3 US cents.

But ASX broker Morgans reckons the shares could climb to $5.50 over the next 12 months, which would give investors around 30% upside from today's price of $4.15. The broker also expects the company to deliver even higher dividends for FY23. As such, I believe South32 shares are well worth considering as we enter spring.

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen does not own shares in South32 Ltd.

CSL Limited

What it does: CSL is a global biotechnology company that develops and delivers innovative therapies and vaccines that save lives, protect public health, and help people with life-threatening medical conditions to live full lives.

By James Mickleboro: I think CSL shares could be a quality option for investors in September.

The last couple of years have been tough for the company due to COVID-19 impacting plasma collections. Since plasma is a key ingredient in CSL's therapies, the lack of supply meant the company was paying over the odds to donors, putting pressure on margins.

The good news is that plasma collections are now at pre-COVID levels. And with its new collection technology expected to result in greater yields, CSL's margins look likely to start improving again in the near term.

Combined with strong demand for its immunoglobulins, the acquisition of Vifor Pharma, and new product launches on the horizon, I believe the future looks very bright for the company.

The CSL share price closed Wednesday at $293.54, down by around 5% over the past year.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro does not own shares in CSL Limited.

The post Top ASX shares to buy in September 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) lifted once more on Thursday as earnings season heated for many of the market's favourite shares. The index closed 0.71% higher at 7,048.10 points on Thursday.

S&P/ASX 200 Real Estate Index (ASX: XRE) shares took off today, driving the sector 2.2% higher.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) surged 1.6% with Paladin Energy in the lead, lifting 11.5% alongside many of its uranium-focused peers.

Woolworths Group Limited (ASX: WOW) shares drove the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s tumble. The sector slumped 1.6% today as Woolies fell 3.2% on a $1.5 billion full-year profit.

Other market favourites to move on reporting today included:

• Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) – fell 4.6% as the company returned to profit in the final quarter
• Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) – gained 7% as losses deepened, and the company announced a $400 million buyback
• Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) – slipped 2% after posting a $1 billion loss

At the end of Thursday's session, nine of the ASX 200's 11 sectors were trading higher. But which stock outperformed all others? Keep reading to find out.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Thursday's top performing ASX 200 share was none other than Paladin Energy. Find out why the uranium company was rocketing today here.

It was followed by Insignia Financial Ltd after the financial services provider posted its earnings for financial year 2022.

Today's biggest gains were made by these ASX shares:

Our top 10 ASX 200 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.

The property company's shares have just closed the session up over 6% to $13.36 following the release of its full year results.

Charter Hall share price higher on strong FY 2022 results

• Record operating earnings of $542.8 million
• Operating earnings per share (OEPS) up 89.5% to 115.6 cents per share
• Statutory profit after tax of $911.1 million
• Distributions up 4.1% to 40.1 cents per share
• Outlook: Distribution guidance of 6% growth in FY 2023

What happened in FY 2022?

For the 12 months ended 30 June, Charter Hall reported record operating earnings of $542.8 million. This was an increase of 90.2% over the prior corresponding period.

While this strong profit was driven by growth across the business, the key driver was its fund management operations.

Fund management EBITDA grew a whopping 170.1% to $552.2 million in FY 2022 thanks to a 456.9% in transaction and performance revenue. This reflects fund outperformance and transaction activity.

Management commentary

Charter Hall's managing director and CEO, David Harrison, was pleased with the record result. He said:

FY22 delivered a record year of earnings for Charter Hall and earnings growth. The business continues to execute on its strategy of partnering with tenants and investors to drive mutually beneficial outcomes. Our strong investor and tenant customer feedback evidences the customer centric approach to partnering we continue to prosecute.

Further, our ability to execute complex privatisations provides additional deployment opportunities that are not readily replicated. Our development pipeline has grown to $16 billion, with strong growth in pre-leased projects continuing to provide develop to core enhanced returns for our investors. Our focus on partnering, execution, deployment and co-investment alongside fund investors drives growth for securityholders.

Outlook

Also potentially boosting the Charter Hall share price today was the company's outlook.

While the company is guiding to a softer OEPS result, it still expects one that is materially higher than what was recorded in FY 2021.

Based on no material adverse change in current market conditions, Charter Hall's FY 2023 earnings guidance is for post-tax OEPS of no less than 90 cent per share.

This is expected to underpin distribution per share growth of 6% over FY 2022.

The post Charter Hall share price storms 6% higher on record FY22 result appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Earnings season truly kicked off among S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares today with many of the market's favourites releasing results. The index ended the day 0.45% higher at 7,064.30 points.

If you missed out on any of the excitement today, never fear. There'll be plenty more over the rest of the month.

The S&P/ASX 200 Real Estate Index (ASX: XRE) led the way on Monday, gaining 1.95%, itself led by GPT Group (ASX: GPT) following the company's half-year earnings.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) recorded the biggest fall, slumping 0.8%. It was weighed down by the Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) share price after the company released its financial year 2022 earnings amid lower oil prices.

The Brent crude price fell by 1.5% to US$98.15 a barrel on Friday. It outperformed the US Nymex crude oil price, which dropped 2.4% to US$92.09 a barrel.

The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) also underperformed today, dipping 0.2% amid – you guessed it – a notable constituent's earnings. This time it was the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) share price that slumped on the release of full year results while Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) stock also tugged at the index despite the company's silence.

But it was a broadly productive day on the ASX 200. Nine of the index's 11 sectors ended the day in the green.

But which ASX 200 share outperformed all others? Keep reading to find out.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Monday's best performing ASX 200 stock was none other than lithium developer Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO). The stock took off on the back of an update on exploration activities.

Find out more about what Core Lithium has been up to here.

Today's biggest gains were made by these ASX shares:

Our top 10 ASX 200 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.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended a strong week's trade on a high, driven upwards by real estate shares. The index was up 0.81% at 6,945.20 points at Friday's close.

That sees the benchmark 2.26% higher than it was this time last week and at its highest point since 10 June.

The S&P/ASX 200 Real Estate Index (ASX: XRE) led the session today, closing 3% higher after starting the week on a slow foot.

Other top performing sectors included the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) – up 2.5% and 1.3% respectively.

Their gains followed a strong session on Wall Street overnight. The S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) lifted 1.2% in Thursday's session while the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) and the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) both rose 1%.

Iron ore futures and gold futures also lifted overnight, although Singapore iron ore futures reportedly tumbled today.

Of the ASX 200's 11 sectors, 10 were trading in the green at the end of today's session. But which shares delivered the biggest gains? Keep reading to find out.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

The best performing ASX 200 share on Friday was gold miner St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM). The stock leapt 10% on Friday amid the rising price of gold. Find out more about what St Barbara has been up to lately here.

Today's biggest gains were made by these ASX 200 shares:

Our top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays 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.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended Monday's session in the red, weighed down by tech shares. At market close, the index was 0.02% lower at 6,789.9 points.

The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) dumped 1.5% following Friday's poor performance on Wall Street.

The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (NASDAQ: .IXIC) slumped 1.9% on Friday's session overseas while the S&P 500 (SP: .INX) fell 0.9% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJX: .DJI) recorded an 0.4% slip.

Telecommunication and healthcare shares also suffered today, with their sectors slipping 1.2% and 1%, respectively.

Looking into the green, though, utilities and materials outperformed. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) lifted 1% following a slight uptick in base metal prices, as well as iron ore futures and gold futures.

All in all, four of the ASX 200's 11 sectors were recording gains at the closing bell.

So, which ASX 200 shares outperformed all others on Monday? Let's take a look.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Today's top performing ASX 200 share was Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG). The stock bounced back from its recent lousy performance to post a 6% gain today. Find out more about what the insurer has been up to here.

Today's biggest gains were made by these ASX 200 shares:

Our top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays 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.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares tumbled towards the week's end today, with the materials sector leading the downturn. The index closed 0.68% lower at 6,605.60 points.

It followed a rough session on Wall Street overnight. The S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) slumped 0.3% in Thursday's session overseas while the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) fell 0.46%. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQ: .IXIC) posted a slight gain of 0.03%.

The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) plunged more than 3% on Friday, driven lower by commodity prices and quarterly earnings from Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO).  

Most base metals fell overnight. The price of nickel led the fall, slipping 8.3%, while gold futures fell 1.7% to US$1,705.80. Iron ore futures also disappointed, posting a 4.8% tumble to US$104.96.

Today wasn't all dire, however. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) recorded a gain of around 1%.

At the end of today's session, five of the ASX 200's 11 sectors were in the green.

So, which ASX shares defied the downturn to post the biggest gains on Friday? Read on to find out.

Top 10 ASX shares countdown

The best performing share of the ASX's 200 biggest companies by market capitalisation was none other than Genesis Energy Ltd (ASX: GNE).

The ASX-listed New Zealand electricity generator's shares lifted around 4% on Friday. Take a look at what the company's been up to here.

Today's top 10 biggest gains were made by these ASX shares:

Data as at 4.30pm AEST.

Our top 10 ASX shares today countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.

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

These popular S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are climbing today despite no news coming from each of the companies.

While the market is recovering lost ground, investors might be buying up these ASX shares before trading ex-dividend next week.

The ex-dividend date is when investors must have purchased a company's shares beforehand to be eligible for the upcoming dividend. If an investor buys the shares on or after this date, the dividend will go to the seller.

Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC) shares will trade ex-dividend next Wednesday.

Despite not reporting any financial performance since its half year results, the integrated property company announced its latest dividend distribution.

The board declared a 44.94% franked interim dividend of 20.47 cents per security. This will be paid to eligible shareholders on 31 August.

This brings the total distribution per security for the half year ending 30 June 2022 to 40.13 cents per security.

When comparing to the FY21 distribution of 37.86 cents per security, this represents a 6% increase.

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL) shares are also set to trade without the rights next Wednesday.

The toll road operator advised it is paying out 26 cents per stapled security for the six months ending 30 June 2022.

The 8.34% franked dividend will be distributed to eligible shareholders on 23 August.

This takes the total FY22 distribution to 41 cents per stapled security, of which 2 cents is fully franked.

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) shares are going to trade ex-dividend on Wednesday 28 June.

The integrated commercial and industrial property group is scheduled to reward its shareholders with a 15 cents per stapled security dividend.

Unlike the above two, the Goodman dividend is unfranked which means shareholders won't receive any tax credits for this.

Payment is expected to be on 25 August.

The post Here's 3 popular ASX shares that are trading ex-dividend next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Top broker UBS has reduced its price targets on Australian real estate investment trusts (REITs) by an average of 15% but also says it's time to buy a couple of the biggest names.

The ASX Australian REIT (A-REIT) sector includes Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC), Charter Hall Retail REIT (ASX: CQR), Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW), Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP), Goodman Group (ASX: GMG), Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP), and BWP Trust (ASX: BWP).

Which ASX property shares does UBS like?

According to reporting in The Australian, UBS has raised its rating on Centuria Industrial to a buy. This follows a 30.5% fall in the Centuria Industrial share price year to date.

The broker also gives ASX investors the green light on Charter Hall Group. UBS reckons it's time to buy Charter Hall shares, which have dropped in price by 47.5% in 2022.

The UBS team has also raised its rating to neutral on BWP Trust shares. The A-REIT stock has lost 7.8% in value in 2022.

And finally, UBS has expressed some pessimism about Shopping Centres Australasia Property Group Ltd (ASX: SCP) shares. The team has lowered its rating to neutral. The Shopping Centres Australasia share price is down 10% this year so far.

A-REITs underperform in 2022

The news report notes "material sector underperformance" for ASX property shares this year.

The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) has lost 25% in 2022, underperforming the broader benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) which has fallen 14%. But it's better than the ASX tech sector, with the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) down 40%.

UBS analyst Grant McCasker said: "As extraordinary policy settings normalise and inflation emerges, markets are increasingly pricing in negative outcomes [including] a potential recession or stagflation."

Rising interest rates to hurt A-REIT profits

McCasker thinks A-REITs will lose profits over the next three years due to rising interest rates.

The article said McCasker has reduced his forecasts for sector earnings over FY23 to FY26 by 5%.

The loss in earnings will be "marginally offset by inflation-linked leases; FY23 asset devaluations of
about 8 per cent for real estate fund managers; and a more severe residential downturn", the article said.

The latest monthly CoreLogic report revealed national home values fell for the first time since September 2020 last month. The national fall — which was only 0.1% — was led by Sydney and Melbourne.

These two markets began to cool earlier in the year. Home values are down 0.9% and 0.6% respectively.

The post Why ASX-listed property shares could be on the chopping block appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

While no-one can know what share prices are going to do, particularly in the shorter-term, it's possible to search for good value investments that could do well over the longer-term.

Experts like to analyse ASX shares and aim to identify the ones that could deliver good returns. It's up to investors to decide if they agree with the optimism (or negativity).

Sometimes brokers get it wrong, but here are two ASX shares that they rate as having sizeable upside.

Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC)

Charter Hall is one of the largest property managers in Australia. It looks after more than $60 billion in properties, and has a property development pipeline worth $13.2 billion.

It also recently extended its funds management business into another asset class, with the 50% acquisition of the $18.2 billion equities fund manager Paradice Investment Management. Paradice invests on behalf of wholesale and retail investors across domestic and global listed equities.

Credit Suisse currently rates Charter Hall as a buy with a price target of $16.71. That implies a possible rise of more than 30%.

Looking at the projection for FY23, Credit Suisse thinks that the Charter Hall share price is valued at 14x FY23's estimated earnings, with a predicted distribution yield of 4.9%.

One of the latest moves by the ASX share is, as part of a partnership, to buy the ASX property business Irongate Group (ASX: IAP). Although interest rates are rising, Credit Suisse's judgements are taking that into account with Charter Hall.

Pacific Smiles Group Ltd (ASX: PSQ)

This company owns and operates the Pacific Smiles Dental Care Centres and the nib Dental Care Centres which are located throughout Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

Pacific Smiles said it was "committed to delivering outstanding patient care and customer service through a growing network of quality dental centres which provide practitioners, patients, private health insurers and other third-party funders with services and care."

With a plan to expand its portfolio steadily, Pacific Smiles says it's on track to open between 15 to 20 new centres in FY22. By the end of May, it expected to have 125 centres, as well as six centres in the HBF Dental network.

Pacific Smiles recently said that in the financial year to date to April 2022, total patient fees of $183.8 million were down 8.2%. Comparable patient fees from dentist centres that have been operating for more than 12 months were down 12.4%.

But, total patient fees for the period of February 2022 to April 2022 were only down 3.1% year on year.

Morgan Stanley has a price target of $3 on the company. That implies a possible rise of more than 100% for the dental business. One of the main positives for the broker is the expansion of the network.

The post 2 great ASX shares to buy in June 2022: experts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC) share price took off this morning after the company released its earnings for the first half of financial year 2022.

At the time of writing, the Charter Hall share price is $16.35, 2.32% higher than its previous close.

However, that's a far cry from the stock's intra-day high of $17.10 – representing a 7% gain.

Charter Hall share price surges as profits almost triple

• Revenue of $566.1 million – a 127% increase on that of the first half of financial year 2021
• Statutory profit after tax of $517.8 million – 198% more than the prior period's $173.2 million profit
• Operating earnings of $263.9 million – a 104% increase
• Operating earnings per share (EPS) of 56.6 cents
• As previously announced, the company will pay an interim dividend and distribution totalling 19.66 cents per share on 28 February

As of the end of the first half, Charter Hall boasted $79.5 billion of funds under management, with $61.3 billion of property funds under management.

That represents $27.2 billion – or 52% – funds under management growth for the period.

Additionally, the company's property investments grew by 18% ­– or $432 million – to $2.85 billion, delivering a 25.5% return.

Its portfolio occupancy ended the period at 97.4% and its weighted average lease expiry was 8.6 years.

Meanwhile, the Charter Hall Property Trust Group brought in $18.4 million of revenue – up from $3.3 million – and a statutory profit after tax of $307.5 million – up from 104.7 million.

During the half, Charter Hall underwent $6.8 billion of transaction activity, made up of more than 60 transactions with 18 active funds and partnerships. It also completed more than $11 billion of sale and leaseback transitions.

What else happened in the half?

Charter Hall's development pipeline grew 50% to $13.2 billion over the last 6 months. Over the last 12 months, its development completions totalled $1.2 billion.

It completed $1.3 billion of sustainable finance transitions last half and is on track to power all operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025.

It also created a new partnership with Paradice Investment Management, investing in 50% of the entity's shares.

The company's managing director and CEO, David Harrison noted the partnership boasts good growth opportunities.

What did management say?

Harrison commented on the company's earnings for the half, saying:

The current period has seen us experience strong inflows across our strategies, with $2.8 billion of gross equity allotted. We've also successfully deployed $5.4 billion in acquisitions across 18 funds and partnerships, a record 6-month period.

Importantly, our development pipeline continues to grow and now stands at $13.2 billion, providing valuable opportunities to deploy our investment capacity into new product.

With investment capacity of $6.7 billion across the platform, continued strong demand from capital partners to deploy equity, a growing development pipeline and significant retained earnings, we continue to see a strong pathway of growth for the group.

What's next?

Charter Hall updated its financial year 2022 guidance today.

Previously, it aimed to provide post-tax operating EPS growth of at least 105 cents.

Today, it changed that outlook to post-tax EPS of no less than 112 cents.

Its distribution per share guidance of 6% growth has remained the same.

Charter Hall share price snapshot

2022 has proven rough on the Charter Hall share price.

It is currently 21% lower than it was at the start of this year. Though, it's still 34% higher than it was this time last year.

The post 'Record 6-month period': Charter Hall (ASX:CHC) share price launches 7% on half-year results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.