Reporting season continues amid a background of geopolitical tensions and economic turbulence.

Morgans analyst Andrew Tang has been monitoring all the financial reports and regularly declaring his favourites to buy.

Here are the latest seven ASX shares he likes:

Explosive growth while the rest of the world struggles

Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) has been a darling on the ASX, rising 51% over the past 12 months when most other non-mining stocks have been in the red.

But the results just announced still exceeded Morgans' expectations.

"Lovisa reported net profit after tax [NPAT] of $50.5 million (pre-AASB 16) — 1% higher than our forecast," Tang wrote on the Morgans blog.

"Sales growth was 45%, driven by store rollout and +12.5% like-for-like sales growth."

The current growth is at breakneck pace.

"Lovisa opened a net of 86 new stores in 1H23, more than in all of FY22."

Tang's team is recommending a buy for Lovisa shares and has upgraded future earnings expectations for the company.

'Momentum in the business is strong'

Meanwhile, Superloop Ltd (ASX: SLC) exceeded Morgans' expectations for earnings but slightly missed for net profit after tax.

But the stock is a buy, with the broadband provider heading in the right direction.

"Momentum in the business is strong with Superloop delivering 28% YoY organic revenue growth and EBITDA lifting more due to positive leverage," said Tang.

"Underlying EBITDA was up 89% YoY and operating cash flow conversion was impressive at 103%."

Healthcare goods distributor EBOS Group Ltd (ASX: EBO) enjoyed "a record 1H23 result", showing off "double-digit gross order receipts and EBITDA growth through acquisitions and organically".

According to Tang, the company has successfully navigated through "an operationally challenging environment with supply chain issues and cost pressures".

"EBOS continues to be a leader and hold strong market positions in both healthcare and animal care operating segments," he said.

"We have upgraded our EPS forecast by ~1% in FY24/25."

Energy sector still in demand in 2023

While Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR)'s wasn't mind-blowing by any means, the result left the "valuation in its dust", according to Tang.

"Even the lower-than-expected 1H23 result with EBITDAX of US$176 million puts Karoon on an EBITDAX multiple of just ~2.0x, a sector low," he said.

"Karoon maintaining FY23 unit cost and production guidance highlights the bulk of earnings are skewed to 2H23."

Also in the energy sector, Tang noted Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) posted "record profits and cash flow, upsized shareholder returns and developments across several key assets". 

"On balance, a steady 2H22 result, falling just short of consensus expectations. Strong final dividend of 15.1 US cents, vs Morgans' [forecast] 14.3 US cents."

Both these energy players are a buy right now for the Morgans team.

'Remarkably strong' businesses

Insurance claims repairer Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG) posted a "remarkably strong" half-yearly result due to "unprecedented" amount of work from catastrophic (CAT) weather events.

"EBITDA of $59.4 million — 15% above our forecast of $51.7 million — was up 63% vs pcp," said Tang.

"Underlying NPAT of $25.9 million was 10% above our forecast and up 82% vs pcp. FY23 guidance was upgraded by ~5.5% on a headline basis."

The stock is a buy, with more catalysts to come for the business.

"We maintain our positive view on JLG, and continue to see it well placed to benefit from ongoing elevated claims activity, further market share gains across its four key growth pillars in Australia, US and New Zealand, and ongoing market consolidation via M&A."

Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI) is not a name often heard of, but Morgans likes the investor of pubs.

Tang noted that its dividend guidance was maintained after the latest result, which indicates "an implied distribution yield of +5%". 

"The portfolio is valued at $1.25 billion, weighted average lease expiry +10 years, and hotel occupancy 100%."

The net tangible asset was recalculated to $4.06, which is far above the current stock price.

"HPI's focus remains on portfolio quality via the refurbishment program (well progressed), as well as potential asset divestments."

The post 7 more ideas for buying ASX shares this reporting season: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The market has taken a turn for the worst today, with the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) following its more recognisable peers into the red. But some ASX 300 shares are bucking the trend to not only record gains on Tuesday, but to surpass their highest point in more than a year.

Right now, the ASX 300 is down 1.94%. That's comparable to the falls recorded by both the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) on Tuesday.

So, which ASX 300 shares are reaching long-forgotten highs today, and what's inspiring them to trade in the green? Let's take a look.

3 ASX 300 shares hitting new 52-week highs

Irongate Group (ASX: IAP)

The Irongate share price hit a new all-time high of $1.94 in intraday trade on Tuesday.

Interestingly, there's been no news from the real estate investment trust (REIT) to explain its buoyancy.

However, the company is currently in the throws of a takeover proposal from a partnership involving Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC).

The proposal – which has been given the thumbs up from Irongate's board ­– will see the ASX 300 company's shareholders receiving $1.90 of cash per share they own.

Shareholders will also be eligible for Irongate's upcoming dividend up to the value of 4.67 cents per share.

Eclipx Group Ltd (ASX: ECX)

Fleet lease and management services provider, Eclipx is also in the green today.

In fact, the ASX 300 stock surged 2.8% to trade at $2.88 at its intraday high – the highest it's been since 2018.

There's been no news from the company lately. Though, its share price has gained nearly 34% year to date.

Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI)

Finally, rounding out the ASX 300 shares reaching new 52-week highs on Tuesday is Hotel Property Investments.

The REIT's stock rose to $4.05 – a new all-time high ­– despite the broader market trading in the red today.

The last time the ASX heard news from the company was in February when it released its results for the first half of financial year 2022.

The post 3 ASX 300 shares defying the carnage to reach new 52-week highs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is tracked lower today and now sits less than 1% in the red at 7,356 points at market close. After clawing back gains over the previous week, the All Ords is still down more than 2% for the month.

But one All Ords share is overtaking the pack in 2022 and is currently well on the way to nudging past its record highs.

Shares in Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI) are surging higher in 2022 and are now sitting almost 3% in the green since trading restarted on January 4.

Why is the HPI share price soaring higher?

The company posted a robust set of interim results last month that saw funds from operations (FFO) printed at $19.5 million for the period ending 31 December 2021.

This meant the group affirmed its FY22 distribution per share (DPS) guidance of 20.5 cents per share, signifying a 6% gain year on year.

Net tangible assets (NTA) also climbed by 16% to $3.82 following an active half for the company after it raised capital to finance transactions for two pubs.

The $36 million raised plus an additional $69 million injected into the portfolio via capital expenditures was surely a sign of this activity.

HPI also offloaded two property assets for approximately $30 million which equated to an 'exit yield' of roughly 5%, which was reinvested into other sections of the portfolio.

Not only that, but the S&P/ASX 200 Real Estate Index (ASX: XRE) is one of the best performing sectors this past week, having climbed 3%, after faltering hard in January.

The upside has analysts at JP Morgan noticing the stock, particularly after the group's most recent earnings results.

The broker is overweight on HPI shares and values the company at $4 per share in a recent note to clients. It reckons the group's enormous portfolio and income stream are attractive points in the debate.

"HPI owns a ~$1.2bn portfolio of 56 properties located predominantly in QLD. HPI has a~11-year WALE with minimal near-term expiry risk", the firm said.

"We like HPI for its defensive income stream and long WALE and believe its book cap rate is too high given the security of its income and high fixed growth (lower of 4% pa or 2x CPI)".

According to Bloomberg, 60% of brokers have HPI as a buy right now, whereas just 1 broker each have it as a hold and sell.

HPI share price snapshot

In the last 12 months this All Ords share has climbed more than 30% and has continued another 3% gain this year to date.

Over the past month, shares have climbed 8% and HPI is now in the green across all major timeframes.

The post This ASX All Ords share is bucking the sell-off to near all-time highs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI) share price is slightly lower this morning despite the company's announcement regarding new pub acquisitions.

The real estate investment company is trading 0.63% lower at $3.16 after the announcement it has expanded its property portfolio.

Investments update

Hotel Property Investments shares are on the slide today despite the company's latest update.

In a statement to the ASX this morning, Hotel Property Investments advised it has acquired six Queensland assets.

The purchase price for the properties totals $32.7 million, and comprises the following:

• Surf Air Hotel – $10.45 million – Settled May 2021;
• Commonwealth Hotel, Clermont – $3.06 million – Contracted to settle June 2021;
• Grand Hotel, Clermont – $2.78 million – Contracted to settle June 2021;
• Capella Hotel, Capella – $3.34 million – Contracted to settle June 2021;
• Commonwealth Hotel, Roma – $9.78 million – Contracted to settle June 2021; and
• White Bull Tavern, Roma – $3.25 million – Contracted to settle June 2021.

The company tapped into its existing debt facilities to fund the acquisitions.

Hotel Property Investments also stated the weighted average yield of the new acquisitions is 7.75%. The properties have been leased to hospitality and venue management group Australian Venue Company.

The lease agreement has an initial term of 20 years from the acquisition date.

Hotel Property Investment CEO Don Smith touched on the procurement, saying:

The acquisition of these assets demonstrates HPI's strong relationship with AVC and our ability to transact efficiently to the benefit of all parties.

Hotel Property Investments share price snapshot

Over the last 12 months, Hotel Property Investment shares have travelled in circles. The company's share price is posting a yearly gain of around 18% but is down almost 3% on year-to-date performance.

On today's price, Hotel Property Investments commands a market capitalisation of roughly $555 million, with approximately 174 million shares outstanding.

The post What's with the Hotel Property Investments (ASX:HPI) share price today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

There are some industries that may never recover from the COVID-19 global pandemic. What are you supposed to think about the shares in those industries?

It's clear that some shares are going to see a long-term boost to user numbers and growth, such as Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH) and Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN).

But what about some of the industries that are seeing the opposite? A huge drop off of activity, perhaps a permanent shift in the mindset of their customers?

Travel is one industry that many never recover from COVID-19

Australia has virtually blocked international travel because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. I think the travel industry may never be able to fully recover from COVID-19. Particularly if there are permanent costs and screenings of passengers. I'm somewhat confident that domestic travel will be available sooner rather than later. But international travel and tourism could be limited for some time.

How long will it take Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD) to see most of its international volume to come back? The physical retail network of Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) may never be the same again. When will Air New Zealand Limited (ASX: AIZ) be able to report good passenger numbers again?

I do think that Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) and Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) could be some of the strongest ASX travel performers due to Australia's good infection position, the need for flights to travel to most parts of Australia and the desire of people to travel.

Physical retail stores

Forcing everyone to stay at home for a few weeks may have caused a fundamental shift in people's mindsets about shopping. Online shopping can be very convenient. You don't have to drive all that way, find a car park spot and so on. I think the physical retail store industry may never recover from COVID-19. We're already hearing some shares like Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH) and Premier Investments Ltd (ASX: PMV) report huge online growth, and those shoppers may stay online. Retailers reliant on their physical stores could struggle. 

There are some shares that have been doing eCommerce very well such as City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX).

Property trusts in general

The knock-on effects of COVID-19 will be very interesting for property. Some commercial property bulls are claiming that social distancing will require businesses to rent twice as much space so all employees can be appropriately separate. I'm not so sure that will happen.

I think this period is going to kickstart a longer-term shift to a lot of workers working at home. Imagine the costs that could be saved if businesses can downsize or completely leave their expensive CBD building.

It's also an interesting question for shopping centres and hotels. Almost the entire real estate investment trust (REIT) industry may never recover from COVID-19.

There are some interesting questions for REITs like Scentre Group (ASX: SCG), Vicinity Centres (ASX: VCX), Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI) and DEXUS Property Group (ASX: DXS). They all still have significant value, I'm not not sure they'll command the same premium as before. 

But I do believe that REITs like Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) and Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF) still have promising futures.

Foolish takeaway

There are industries out there that will fully recover from COVID-19. Those shares could be cheap, but you have to consider each idea carefully.

The post 3 industries that may never recover from COVID-19 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Over the last few trading days a number of popular income shares have revealed the dividends they expect to pay to shareholders in the near future.

Here is what you need to know:

Aventus Group (ASX: AVN)

This large format retail centre operator has declared its distribution for the quarter ending December 31. It will be paying 4.26 cents per unit on February 20 and will trade ex-distribution on December 30. Annualised, this equates to a 6.1% yield.

DEXUS Property Group (ASX: DXS)

This property group has announced a 27 cents per unit distribution for the six months ending December 31. This is consistent with the previous corresponding period and equates to a 4.5% annual yield. Its units go ex-distribution on December 30. It will then be paid to shareholders on February 28.

Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI)

This hotel-focused investment company expects to pay a distribution of 10.3 cents per stapled security for the half year ending December 31. This is expected to be paid to shareholders on March 2. This means its units provide a trailing 6.3% distribution yield.

National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR)

This leading self-storage operator has just declared a 4.7 cents per unit interim distribution. This brings its distributions to 9.8 cents per unit over the last 12 months, which equates to a 5% distribution yield. On December 30 its units will trade ex-distribution. After which, it will be paid to eligible shareholders on February 28.

Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP)

This diversified property company has announced an estimated distribution for the six months to December 31 of 13.5 cents per security. This puts it on course to deliver on its forecast full year distribution of 27.6 cents per security for the 12 months to June 30 2020. This means its shares provide a forward 5.8% distribution yield.

Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD)

This airport operator has declared a 19.5 cents per share dividend for the first half of FY 2020. This brings Sydney Airport's dividends for the last 12 months to 39 cents per share, which equates to a 4.4% dividend yield. It also trades ex-dividend on December 30, before being paid on February 14.

The post These 6 ASX income shares have just declared their latest dividends appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

But with so much choice it can be hard to decide which ones to buy. To narrow things down I've picked out three dividend shares that brokers have just named as buys:

Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI)

Analysts at Deutsche Bank have initiated coverage on the hotel owner and landlord with a buy rating and $3.44 price target after Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Australian Venue Co formed a joint venture which related to the vast majority of its portfolio. Deutsche appears to believe the joint venture is a positive and sees value in Hotel Property Investments' gaming and liquor license. The company's shares currently offer a trailing 6% dividend.

Scentre Group (ASX: SCG)

A note out of Goldman Sachs reveals that its analysts have a buy rating and $4.71 price target on the shares of the Westfield shopping centre operator. According to the note, the broker believes that the market has priced in a sharp reduction in the carrying values of Scentre's mall portfolio. However, it believes this has left it materially undervalued, both in absolute terms and relative to its industry peers. So with its shares trading at 0.89x NTA and offering an estimated forward 5.7% dividend yield, Goldman believes Scentre's shares are in the buy zone today.

Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR)

According to a note out of Credit Suisse, its analysts have upgraded this casino and resort operator's shares to an outperform rating from neutral and lifted the price target on them to $5.50. With Star Entertainment's shares down 20% over the last 12 months, Credit Suisse believes its shares are cheap and expects investor sentiment to improve in the near future and lead to a re-rating. The broker expects Star Entertainment to pay a dividend of 21 cents per share in FY 2019 and then 22 cents in FY 2020. This works out to be a 4.8% and 5% yield, respectively, based on its current share price.

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

Not all shares are in favour right now, though. The three shares listed below have just been given the unwanted sell rating. Here's why these leading brokers are bearish on them:

Adelaide Brighton Ltd (ASX: ABC)

According to a note out of UBS, it has retained its sell rating and cut the price target on this building products company's shares to $4.20 after its surprise profit downgrade at the end of last week. The broker cut its price target after Adelaide Brighton reduced its first half profit guidance to between $188 million and $195 million from between $200 million and $210 million. The broker had previously warned that the company's exposure to residential building activity could lead to a decline in residential cement volumes.

Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ)

Analysts at Morgan Stanley have retained their underweight rating and $9.50 price target on this regional bank's shares after it advised that it has terminated the sale of its St Andrew's Insurance business to Freedom Insurance Group (ASX: FIG). According to the note, the broker suspected that there was a risk this could happen. It now appears concerned that any potential capital management initiatives in the near future may be on hold unless the business can be successfully offloaded to someone else.

Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI)

A note out of Goldman Sachs reveals that its analysts have retained their sell rating and cut the price target on this property investment company's shares to $2.92. According to the note, although the Hotel Property Investments share price is down 4% year to date and is underperforming the ASX200 A-REIT index, Goldman believes there is further downside to come due to its limited earnings growth potential through to FY 2021. In addition to this, the broker doesn't believe it deserves to trade at a 15% premium to its reported NTA. As a comparison, its A-REIT peers trade at a 4% premium.

The post Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

It can often be hard to decide what to invest in, but I always bring it back to focusing on my own goal: To invest to develop a growing stream of dividends.

With this in mind, here's 3 businesses which look attractive at current prices.

Ramsay Health Care Limited Fully Paid Ord. Shrs (ASX: RHC)

Ramsay shares have fallen 20% from their highs earlier in the year. The market is clearly concerned with the (slight) lowering of guidance and the subdued outlook for the next year or two. But even though the growth rate has slowed, the long term outlook for Ramsay is still bright.

It's set to benefit from an ageing population globally, and a huge increase in demand for hospital beds and operating theatres.

Shares currently trade on a gross dividend yield of 3.7%.

Spark Infrastructure Group (ASX: SKI)

Spark owns regulated utility assets, focusing on electricity networks. The company has interests in multiple networks across three states, including Victoria Power Networks, SA Power Network, and TransGrid.

Looking to the future, through its TransGrid business, Spark is investing in renewable projects, with 8 complete and 4 currently under construction.

The company has a strong and reliable cashflow which is inflation protected, and this gives Spark the ability to be a good dividend payer. In fact, the distribution has grown every year since 2011 and is forecast to increase another 4.9% this year.

Shares currently trade on a distribution yield of 7%.

Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI)

This real estate investment trust (REIT) owns a portfolio of 44 pubs and hotel venues across Queensland and South Australia, worth around $700m. These are leased predominantly to Coles and the portfolio has a 100% occupancy rate.

Gearing is 39.4% and the weighted average rental increase across the portfolio is 3.6%. This helps underpin modest growth in distributions going forward. Hotel Property Investments also looks to add value to any underutilised land on the properties it holds, while also looking to acquire new pub assets which meet its investment criteria.

The main risk here is the concentration of assets in the hotel sector and that Coles may decide not to renew its leases as they expire. Shares currently trade on a yield of 6.3%.

The post 3 quality dividend shares I like right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

As long as the business can grow its earnings faster than inflation, happy days. Your dividend income, of course, will follow the company's earnings.

On that note, here's two shares which look appealing at the moment…

Hotel Property Investments Ltd (ASX: HPI)

HPI is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) which owns a portfolio of 43 pubs and hotel venues across Queensland and South Australia, leased predominantly to Coles. The tenancies are long term in nature and come with contracted rental increases.

HPI currently has an occupancy rate of 100% and gearing of approximately 38%. The weighted average rental increase across the portfolio going forward is 3.6%, which underpins future distribution growth.

The business has produced a total shareholder return of roughly 15% per annum for the last 3 years with a strong level of income paid. Shares currently trade on a distribution yield of 6.2%.

A blue-chip tenant with contracted increases makes this an attractive proposition. On the downside, the share price is trading at a premium to NTA (net asset value per-share) of about 15%.

Spark Infrastructure Group (ASX: SKI)

Spark invests in regulated utility assets, focusing on electricity networks. The company has interests in multiple networks, namely Victoria Power Networks and SA Power Network.

Because in essence Spark is a regulated monopoly, the company has very predictable cashflows. And from that, it can pay regular and reliable distributions to shareholders, which remains a core focus of the business.

Performance has been solid with a total return to investors over the last 10 years of 13.1% per annum. Shares in Spark currently trade on a yield of 6.5%, and over the last 5 years the distribution has increased by 7.7% per annum.

Foolish takeaway

Both of these businesses produce strong and reliable cashflow. And the assets they own should continue to generate increasing amounts of earnings for many years to come, which will allow them to pay larger distributions to shareholders.  For more ideas on businesses with increasing dividends, check out the report below.

The post Why these 2 top-performing income shares are on my radar appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.