The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has come under pressure on Wednesday. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down 0.2% to 7,336.2 points.

Four ASX shares that aren't letting that hold them back today are listed below. Here's why they are charging higher:

Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB)

The Hub24 share price is up almost 11% to $29.87. Investors have been buying this investment platform provider's shares following the release of its half-year results. For the six months ended 31 December, Hub24 reported an 87% increase in net profit after tax to $26.6 million.

Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG)

The Johns Lyng share price is up over 15% to $6.47. This morning, the integrated building services company released its half-year results and reported a 63% increase in first-half EBITDA. This strong half has led to the company upgrading its revenue and EBITDA forecasts for the full year.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)

The Judo Capital share price is up 5% to $1.52. This has been driven by the business lending company's half year results, which revealed a 322% increase in pre-tax profits to $53.2 million. This was underpinned by a 23% increase in gross loans and advances and a 72 basis points increase in its underlying net interest margin to 3.56%.

Magnis Energy Technologies Ltd (ASX: MNS)

The Magnis share price has jumped 8% to 43.7 cents. This morning, this lithium-ion battery technology and materials company revealed that it has entered into a binding offtake agreement with electric vehicle giant Tesla for the supply of anode active materials (AAM) from February 2025. Tesla will purchase a minimum 17,500 tonnes per annum (tpa) with the option to buy up to 35,000 tpa for a minimum three-year term at a fixed price.

The post Why Hub24, Johns Lyng, Judo Capital, and Magnis shares are charging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) might be down in the dumps today, but shares in these constituent companies are soaring higher after they posted first-half earnings.

Right now, the index is 0.46% lower at 7.317.6 points.

2 ASX 300 shares jumping on first-half earnings

First up, shares in Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) are leaping higher today after the ASX 300 bank revealed a 322% increase in pre-tax profits for the first half, coming in at $53.2 million compared to $12.6 million in the prior period.

The stock reached an intraday high of $1.60 on Tuesday – an 11.1% gain.

The small-to-medium businesses-focused lender also revealed a 3.56% underlying net interest margin – a 72 basis points improvement.

Meanwhile, its gross loans and advances lifted 23% to $7.5 billion and its net interest income soared 69% to $163 million.

Judo CEO and co-founder Joseph Healy dubbed the outcome "another black belt result", continuing:

We remain on track to achieve our FY23 guidance and our key business metrics at scale.

With a low ratio of customers per banker, we understand our customers in a way that other banks simply can't replicate. This provides our business with a strategic hedge that will enable our business to continue growing regardless of the operating environment.

Joining the bank share in the green is ASX 300 mining services group Perenti Ltd (ASX: PRN). Its share price peaked at $1.225 today – a 7.9% gain.

The company posted $1.4 billion of revenue for the first half of financial year 2023 – a 20.6% year-on-year increase.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) also lifted 39% to $281.2 million and net profit after tax (NPAT) rose 75% to $61 million.

Perenti upgraded its full-year guidance on the back of the strong half. It now expects to post between $2.8 billion and$2.9 billion of revenue and between $250 million and $265 million of earnings before interest and tax for financial year 2023.

The post 2 ASX 300 shares making big gains on results announcements appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

While there will inevitably be some results that disappoint the market, history shows us that there are plenty that positively surprise.

Goldman Sachs has been busy analysing the month ahead and has named 10 buy rated ASX stocks that it believes could deliver stronger than expected updates.

Which ASX stocks could surprise?

The 10 ASX stocks that Goldman Sachs is tipping to positively surprise are as follows:

• Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)
• Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)
• Data#3 Limited (ASX: DTL)
• Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV)
• Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)
• Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)
• QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)
• Qualitas Ltd (ASX: QAL)
• Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS)
• Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

Financials

In respect to QBE, the broker has a buy rating and $16.67 price target on this insurance giant's shares. Goldman believes that "COR guidance & underlying insurance margins for FY23 likely to surprise to the upside."

Judo Capital is another ASX 200 that could surprise thanks to its strong customer deposits growth. Goldman highlights that "JDO continues to grow materially above system levels on customer deposits (10x in the month of Nov-22). Overall, this would translate into an additional tailwind to NIM." The broker has a buy rating and $1.70 price target on the bank's shares.

Goldman has a buy rating and $3.45 price target on Qualitas' shares. It is tipping a strong result from the investment company thanks to "developers and asset owners look to alternative financiers."

Retail

Breville could deliver a stronger than expected half year and full year result in FY 2023. This is due to Goldman's belief that "the secular trend of coffee consumption upgrade will continue globally and that BRG will stand to benefit structurally as a leader in this upgrade." The broker has a buy rating and $23.50 price target on its shares.

Goldman believes the market is being "too negative on near-term revenue" of Temple & Webster. It has a conviction buy rating and $7.60 price target on the online furniture retailer's shares.

The broker also believes that Endeavour finished the half better than the market was expecting. It feels this "suggests that trading in 1H23 is likely to offer positive surprise vs. consensus." Goldman has a buy rating and $7.80 price target on the drinks company's shares.

Tech and telco

Goldman expects Data#3 to deliver "continued strong top-line growth from digital transformation projects delayed through COVID." The broker also expects operating leverage to flow through as the ASX tech stock's business scales. It has a buy rating and $9.20 price target on Data#3 shares.

Telco giant Telstra has been named as a positive surprise candidate. This is due to "top line momentum more than offsetting the higher costs." Goldman has a buy rating and $4.60 price target on Telstra's shares.

Travel

Goldman Sachs is feeling positive about Corporate Travel Management's prospects in the first half and full year. As a result, it has put a buy rating and $20.30 price target on this ASX travel stock. Goldman expects "upside surprise in both 1H23 earnings vs. the Street as well as outlook statements."

Finally, Qantas, which Goldman has a conviction buy rating and $8.20 price target on, has been tipped to have finished the first half strongly. It notes that "US airlines' 4Q results also reflected strength in pricing in the current environment, with American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines unit revenue averaging +19% vs. pre-covid level in the quarter."

The post 10 ASX stocks to buy before they report this earnings season: Goldman appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

It's only human nature to be buoyed by ASX shares that have risen and scared of those that have fallen.

But stocks themselves don't have any memory.

They don't care whether they have been soaring or plunging. All that matters is where it will go from now.

Santa might only bring presents to nice girls and boys, but naughty shares can still be handsomely rewarded if the underlying business performs well.

With this in mind, the team at Celeste Funds Management this week named two stocks it holds that gained spectacularly in November and one that bitterly disappointed.

But all three, the analysts hope, are set to reach lofty heights.

'Asset quality remains solid'

Small business bank Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) saw its share price climb a tidy 18.4% in November.

The Celeste team, in a memo to clients, attributed this to "strong" briefing at its annual general meeting in late October.

"The update confirmed Judo appear[s] to be on track to reach their at-scale metrics, with the loan book growing to $6.8 billion."

Despite an excellent November, the Judo share price is still more than 39% down year to date.

The prospect of an economic slowdown or a recession does not concern Celeste analysts.

"Judo's asset quality remains solid with no material uptick in arrears and the company remains well-capitalised with a 19.5% CET1 ratio, well in excess of the major banks benchmark of circa 10.5%."

The bank also revealed new appointments to the deputy executive officer and chief financial officer positions.

Opening new stores

Furniture merchant Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK) enjoyed a 12.2% rise in value last month.

Again, Celeste analysts tracked this back to an AGM update, which apparently "alleviated market concerns around short-term consumer demand".

"Group revenue for the four months to October was 74% above the prior year while written sales orders were 55% above the prior year," the memo read.

"Ongoing Plush synergy capture saw group gross margins expand to 61.3% from 59.5% in June 2022, resulting in expected 1H23 net profit of between $56 million and $59 million, [which is] a 57% to 66% increase on the prior year."

Similar to Judo, one good month still leaves Nick Scali shares a long way from breaking even in 2022. The stock is more than 29% lower than where it started the year.

The Celeste team sees a viable growth plan in the Nick Scali business.

"Management intends to continue their store rollout strategy, aiming to open at least six new stores across the group in FY23."

Focus on the long-term growth

Infomedia Limited (ASX: IFM) makes software for the vehicle parts and services sector.

Unfortunately, its share price plummeted a painful 10.2% over November.

Again, the AGM was to blame, with the company downgrading its revenue guidance at the event.

"Infomedia noted that the range would be $127 million to $132 million, down from previous expectations of $131 to $139 million," read the Celeste memo.

"The slippage has been driven by a slowdown in ecommerce transactions, in part, an unwind of the previous year's covid driven spike."

But the Celeste analysts were not worried about that. They were focused on what the future would bring.

"More relevant was the announcement that Infomedia data offerings continue to see double-digit revenue growth," read the memo.

"The new CEO is seeking to address the legacy cost base while at the same time driving the sales discussion and negotiations towards the higher level management at the major global auto players."

The Infomedia share price is down 28.8% year to date.

The post Naughty or nice? Buy 3 ASX shares heading in opposite directions, says fund appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have avoided the selloff are listed below. Here's why they are charging higher:

Computershare Limited (ASX: CPU)

The Computershare share price is up 3% to $25.68. This is despite there being no news out of the stock transfer and mortgage services company. However, given how it is positively leveraged to rising interest rates, investors may be snapping up shares on the belief that rates will go higher than initially thought.

Critical Resources Ltd (ASX: CRR)

The Critical Resources share price is up a further 5% to 8 cents. This lithium explorer's shares have been on fire this week thanks to the release of a positive update on the 100% owned Mavis Lake Lithium Project. According to the release, assay results have returned the highest grade lithium results in the company's history.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)

The Judo Capital share price is up over 2% to $1.19. This morning the business bank successfully priced its inaugural public senior unsecured benchmark bond issuance. Judo has issued a three-year fixed rate note priced at 265 basis points over the three-year swap rate. Management notes that the senior unsecured transaction represents another important milestone against the execution of Judo's comprehensive funding strategy.

Platinum Asset Management Ltd (ASX: PTM)

The Platinum share price is up 2% to $1.68. This follows news that the fund manager is extending its share buyback for up to 10% of its issued share capital for another 12 months. The fund manager intends to buy shares should its board determine that the Platinum share price is trading at a significant discount to its underlying value.

The post Why Computershare, Critical Resources, Judo Capital, and Platinum shares are charging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) is up 0.61% today, making a modest gain.

However, as the earnings season continues, some companies that are part of this index are far exceeding the average as they report their FY22 results.

Here are three ASX financial shares that are rallying today.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)

The Judo Capital share price is up 7.13% to $1.31 at the time of writing. Earlier today, the shares reached a high of $1.335.

Judo Capital stated it exceeded forecasts for many of its key financial metrics in its FY22 results.

Its statutory net loss after tax was $7.7 million, beating its forecast of a $10.2 million loss. In FY21, it recorded a statutory net profit of $28.7 million.

Its net interest income also grew significantly during the reporting period, rising to $169.8 million, or a 101% increase.

The SME lending specialist also grew its lending portfolio to $6.1 billion. It forecasted a $6 billion growth in the prior period.

Judo Capital gave guidance for FY23, noting that gross loans and advances should reach approximately $9 billion. The company expects to benefit from rising interest rates in the near future.

No dividend was declared.

MA Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MAF)

The MA Financial share price is up 1.48% today. Shares in the ASX financial services group are trading for $6.19 each at the moment. Earlier, they reached an intraday high of $6.27 each.

MA Financial reported its 1H FY22 results this morning, noting strong top line and bottom line growth year over year (yoy).

Underlying revenue increased 54% to $146.2 million while underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) grew 64% to $49.6 million. Its underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) grew 58% to $28.1 million.

MA Financial gave guidance for 2H FY22, noting that it expects earnings per share (EPS) growth of 30% to 40% from FY21. The company's strong outlook is supported by its growth momentum, expected pipeline of fund inflows from clients, and its strong cash balance of $113 million to support strategy execution.

The company will pay a six-cent interim dividend per share for the reporting period. This is up 20% on the five cents paid in the prior corresponding period.

Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL)

The Insignia Financial share price is up 11.2% today. Shares in the ASX financial services company are trading for $3.53 at the time of writing. At the market open, the share price was $3.29.

Insignia Financial announced its full-year results for FY22 this morning. It reported notable increases in its gross margin and underlying earnings. Gross margin increased 102.8% to $1.48 billion, while EBITDA increased 71.9% to $388.5 million. Underlying profit after tax (UNPAT) surged to $244 million.

A fully franked dividend of 11.8 cents per share was announced for a payout ratio of 66% of UNPAT. The dividend has a record date of 8 September and a payment date of 29 September.

The company also announced its outlook for FY23, stating that gross margin is expected to contract between 1.5 to 2.5 basis points due to platform repricing and its product mix. However, the company's EBITDA margin is expected to be in line with results observed in FY22 at 11 basis points.

The post 3 ASX 300 financial shares climbing on earnings updates appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The jury's still out on the outlook for the big four ASX banks, but there's one alternative ASX share that might be looking too cheap to ignore, according to a leading broker.

The bank share in question is the Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) share price. It jumped 2.3% to $1.33 in morning trade after Citigroup reiterated its buy call ahead of Judo's results.

This could explain why the alternative bank share is outperforming the big boys at the time of writing.

The ASX bank share that got the chop

The National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares are relatively flat. The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares have dipped into the red.

But the outperformance of the Judo share price may not be that surprising. The shares have tumbled over 40% the past year, which is worse than its larger counterparts.

Citigroup reckons the underperformance is unjustified and it said:

At time of listing in October 2021, we expect few would have foreseen an acceleration in business credit growth from ~5% to ~13%; nor would many have forecast a cash rate of 1.85% at the time of result.

Despite the dramatic shift in the macro, we expect JDO to deliver on financial expectations set at the time of IPO.

What to expect in Judo's full year results

The broker is forecasting cash earnings of around $8 million. It also noted that data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) shows Judo may have hit its goal of building a $6 billion loan book as of 30 June 2022.

But results are backward looking. What will be key is management's outlook during these volatile times.

Some of the things Citi is paying close attention to is Judo's forward-looking statements on SME credit. Investors also will be keen to hear about Judo's ability to fund growth and protect its net interest margin (NIM). This is an issue for all ASX bank shares because of rising interest rates and bond yields.

The higher rates and predictions of a slowing economy will also make credit quality another sensitive area. Loan defaults could rise materially if conditions worsen.

What is the Judo share price worth?

Citigroup added:

With little earnings currently, the long-term premise for JDO is its ability to reach medium term targets at scale.

After a solid 12 months of executing on plan, JDO management will need to articulate how it can maintain its medium term aspirations in a deteriorating macro environment.

But delivering to expectations may be all that's needed for the Judo share price to rebound. After all, there is arguably little good news in its shares at current levels – not when it's trading on around 1 times book value.

Citi's 12-month price target on the Judo share price is $1.90. This implies a 40% plus upside for the alternative ASX bank share. Judo will hand in its FY22 earnings report card on 25 August.

The post Is this ASX bank share a better buy than the big four banks? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Wednesday was a rough day for many S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares as the index was weighed down by the energy and materials sectors. The ASX 200 was 0.52% lower at 6,594.50 points at market close.

A disastrous day for oil prices weighed on the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) today. It was 5.8% lower at the end of the session.

The Brent crude oil price plunged 9.5% to US$102.77 a barrel overnight while the US Nymex crude price tumbled 8.2% to US$99.50 a barrel. Their weakness came on the back of fears of a global recession, further lockdowns in China, and a higher US dollar.

Base metal prices also slipped as most Australians slept. Nickel was the only major metal to come out in the green, gaining 0.6%. Meanwhile, iron ore futures lifted around 3.5% to US$113.42 a tonne.

Likely as a result, the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slumped around 5% today.

But it was far from dire across the board. Eight of the ASX 200's 11 sectors were in the green come market close, led by the tech sector.

The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) rose more than 3% on Wednesday amid falling government bond yields.

Now, let's get to the reason we're all here: Here are the stocks that outperformed all others today.

Top 10 ASX shares countdown

The top performer among the ASX's 200 biggest stocks by market capitalisation on Wednesday was the Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price. The company's shares lifted around 7% today.

Coming in next best was Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP). The stock leapt close to 7% today amid positive responses to news the company will start to charge a service fee on deliveries, reports my Fool colleague James.

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

Data as at 3:59 pm 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.

Today marked a day of relief for those invested in S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares. The index took its multi-session gain to a new level on Monday, finishing the session 1.93% higher at 6,705.80 points.

Impressively, all 11 ASX 200 sectors closed in the green today.

The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) made an afternoon dash to top the board, lifting 2.7% to do so.

The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) also outperformed, gaining 2.5%. That followed a strong Friday's trade on Wall Street in which the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 3.34%.

ASX 200 energy shares also surged higher, likely on the back of higher oil prices. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) ended the day up 2.4%.

Finally, the S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) came in as the market's worst performing sector. Though, it still rose 1% today.

While the broader market was returning a notable gain on Monday, individual stocks were busy launching even higher. Let's take a look at today's top performers.

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

It was a tough competition to take out the crown of today's best performing ASX share. Of the top 200 ASX shares by market capitalisation, only 23 were in the red at the time of writing.

But the Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) share price managed to best the rest. The ASX 200 share gained 13% today as it and many of its lithium peers continued to recover from last week's carnage. Find out more about Core Lithium here.

The next best performer was none other than fellow ASX lithium share, Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR) – posting an 8.7% increase. Find out more about Liontown Resources here.

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

Data as at 3:55pm 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.

ASX bank shares have been popping onto investor radars this year amid a dawning era of rising interest rates.

With inflation running hot across most of the Western world, central banks have begun to ratchet up their official rates. The US Federal Reserve recently lifted rates by 0.50%, with numerous more rate hikes expected over the coming year as the latest US inflation numbers remain above 8%.

Last week, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) boosted the official cash rate for the first time in more than a decade. The rate went from a historic low of 0.10% to the current 0.35%. RBA governor Philip Lowe flagged that more rate rises are expected to bring down Australia's own fast-rising inflation level.

While higher interest rates will throw up headwinds for many companies, particularly growth stocks priced with far future earnings in mind, they can actually benefit ASX bank shares. That's because higher rates can see the banks increase their lending margins.

But which ASX bank share is best placed to capitalise on higher rates?

For some insight into that question, we turn to Kate Howitt, portfolio manager of Fidelity's Australian Opportunities Fund (courtesy of the Australian Financial Review).

The ASX bank share best set for rising rates

Howitt believes the ASX bank share investors should consider in an environment of rising interest rates is Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO).

According to Howitt:

Newly listed Judo Bank provides the most direct leverage to rising rates. Its funding costs are anchored by the RBA's fixed-rate Term Funding Facility, whilst its interest income automatically expands with rate rises. That will provide a significant boost to the bank's margins, on top of the bank's strong growth in lending.

As an added bonus, since Judo operates in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector rather than the highly competitive mortgage sector, its rates-driven upside is less likely to be competed away.

How has Judo been performing?

After struggling for much of the year, the Judo share price has strongly outperformed the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) over the past few days. That strength is likely linked to two recent reports by Judo, indicating its loan book grew 4.1% in the March quarter and that it expects to achieve or beat all of its prospectus metrics for FY22.

The Judo share price closed on Thursday at $1.72, a gain of 5.85%. It is now up 10.6% since Monday's close, while the All Ords has lost 2.5% over that same time.

The post The ASX bank share with 'most direct leverage to rising rates': fundie appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are rising:

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)

The CBA share price is up almost 1% to $102.31. This follows the release of the banking giant's third-quarter update. For the three months ended 31 March, compared to the quarterly average during the first half, CBA reported a 1% decline in operating income to $6,103 million and flat cash earnings of $2,400 million. The latter was 9% ahead of the analyst consensus estimate.

Incannex Healthcare Ltd (ASX: IHL)

The Incannex Healthcare share price is up 11% to 40.5 cents. This morning the medicinal cannabis focused pharmaceutical company announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire APIRx Pharmaceuticals. Based in the United States, APIRx is a leading pharmaceutical company specialising in cannabinoid active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)

The Judo Capital share price is up 7% to $1.74. This follows a positive reaction to the bank's investor day update from a number of brokers. One of those brokers was Macquarie, which upgraded Judo Capital's shares to an outperform rating with an improved price target of $2.15. Its analysts believe the company is well-placed to deliver above system growth over the coming years.

Orica Ltd (ASX: ORI)

The Orica share price is up 6% to $16.65. Investors have been buying this commercial explosives company's shares following the release of its half-year results. Orica reported a 25% increase in revenue to $3,277 million. And while it posted a net loss after tax of $85 million, this was driven partly by a large tax expense. Underlying earnings before interest and tax was up 58% to $245 million.

The post Why CBA, Incannex, Judo Capital, and Orica shares are rising appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Today is yet another rough day for the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO), but not all the shares among its ranks are in the red.

Right now, the benchmark index is trading 0.11% lower than at Tuesday's close and 2.5% lower than at the end of last week.

Let's take a look at the stocks defying the downturn to record notable gains on Wednesday.

3 ASX All Ordinaries shares outperforming today

Lifestyle Communities Limited (ASX: LIC)

The Lifestyle Communities share price is one of the All Ordinaries Index's best performers on Wednesday. Its share price is currently boasting a 11.13% gain, trading at $13.48.

It's gaining amid news of insider buying. One of the company's directors, Nicola Roxon, snapped up 1,000 more Lifestyle Communities shares in an on-market trade valued at $12,050 yesterday.

Of course, insider buying tends to boost sentiment in listed companies as it seemingly shows those 'in the know' believe a stock is trading at a good price.

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

The Accent Group share price is also launching upwards on Wednesday, gaining 6.4% to trade at $1.37.

While there's been no price sensitive news out of the All Ordinaries stock, one of the richest Australians, Brett Blundy has upped his stake in the company.

Blundy resigned as a company director in 2020 before being reappointed in April 2022.

His investment firm BBRC World just splashed out on $6.3 million worth of Accent shares, bringing the firm's voting power in the company to 19%.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)

Finally, the Judo share price is besting many of its All Ordinaries peers to post a 2.85% gain on Wednesday afternoon. Right now, stock in the bank is swapping hands for $1.63 apiece.

It comes after the bank released its investor day presentation to the market. In the presentation Judo announced it expects to meet or beat its previously given guidance for this financial year.

The company also noted that it has positive leverage to rising interest rates and favourable current funding markets.

The post 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares having a stellar run on Wednesday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Judo shares closed yesterday at $1.58 and are currently trading for $1.67, up 5.6%.

The challenger bank listed in the ASX in November last year, with a focus on lending to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

Here's what's piquing ASX investor interest today.

What did the bank report?

The Judo share price is gaining following two price-sensitive announcements released in recent days.

First, on Friday, Judo updated the market on its loan book, as at 30 April. The bank reported a closing balance for gross loans and advances (GLAs) of $5.56 billion. That equates to lending growth of $220 million for April, up 4.1% from March.

Commenting on the result, Judo deputy CEO Chris Bayliss said, "We remain confident in achieving our prospectus forecast for GLA of $6.0 billion by 30 June 2022, underpinned by our current lending balance and our pipeline of approximately $1.1 billion."

Judo share price lifts amid investor day presentation

In this morning's release, the bank reported it is holding its inaugural investor day in Sydney today.

Among the core results. The bank said it expects to achieve or beat all of its prospectus metrics for the 2022 financial year.

In the current environment of rising inflation and interest rate hikes, investors may also be bidding up the Judo share price on its report that it has "significant positive leverage" to rising interest rates.

Addressing the investor day presentation, Judo's CEO and co-founder, Joseph Healy said:

We believe specialists beat generalists every time. Judo is a specialist SME bank which operates with risk management at its core…

Along with our lending growth, our team at Judo is also growing as we continue to attract talented bankers who want to be part of Judo as we scale towards becoming a world class SME business bank.

Bayliss added, "The outlook for ongoing cash rate increases provides a significant tailwind for our margins given our lending portfolio is largely floating-rate, while our funding costs are predominantly fixed."

Judo share price snapshot

It's been a rough year for the Judo share price. Despite today's boost, shares in the ASX bank remain down 22.9% since 4 January. That compares to a year-to-date loss of 8.2% posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

The post Why the Judo share price is defying the ASX selloff to charge 6% higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) share price is giving back all its gains made in the past few days. This comes despite the bank providing a positive update to the ASX in the hours before market open today.

At the time of writing, Judo shares are swapping hands at $1.672, down 2.22%.

What did Judo announce?

After a disappointing finish on Wall Street overnight, the All Ordinaries (ASX: XAO) is 1.61% lower to 7,760.2 points.

In turn, this has put selling pressure on the Judo share price throughout the day.

According to the company's release, its CEO and co-founder, Mr Joseph Healy purchased a parcel of Judo shares yesterday.

The transaction involves 581,000 Judo shares which were picked up via an on-market trade for $1.72 per share. This equates to a value of almost $1 million.

Following the transaction, Mr Healy now has a total holding of roughly 34.77 million Judo shares. This represents about 3.15% of the company's entire issued capital.

Judo noted that the share purchase was conducted during the trading window, and approved by the chair of the board.

It appears Mr Healy believes the company's shares are attractively valued, taking advantage of the recent share price weakness.

Earlier this month, the Judo share price hit an all-time low of $1.61 before rebounding slightly higher.

The company noted that Mr Healy is prohibited from selling these shares within three months of the purchase date.

Judo share price snapshot

Since listing on the ASX in November 2021, Judo shares have sunken by around 21%.

The company's share price has been moving along on a downhill trajectory, particularly since the start of 2022, down 22%.

Based on today's price, Judo commands a market capitalisation of roughly $1.84 billion.

The post This ASX 300 share is down 22% in 2022, and the CEO just bagged another $1 million worth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

With interest rates almost guaranteed to head upwards this year, multiple experts are emphasising profitability, or at least positive cash flow, as essential for investment.

"As interest rates rise, if you don't have any profit or cash flow coming through then your valuation is going to deteriorate very rapidly," Burman Invest chief investment officer Julia Lee told Switzer TV Investing this week.

"So it is important to back those more mature companies… that do have a stable growth outlook as well as profit coming in through the door."

On top of this, the team at Wilsons reckon small cap ASX shares are especially due for a revival.

"On a valuation basis, small cap PE ratio multiples have compressed almost 20% since the peak in 2020 and now sit in line with the 5-year average," read its memo to clients.

"This suggests Australian small caps are now approaching an oversold level."

So combining the need for cash flow and small-cap potential, Wilsons analysts named 5 ASX shares from its Australian Equity Focus List that are worth considering at the moment.

Small caps that are also profitable

All of Wilson's picks are currently profitable except for Telix, which is scheduled to head into the black in the 2024 financial year:

• Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI)
• Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT (ASX: HCW)
• Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)
• Silk Laser Australia Ltd (ASX: SLA)
• Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX)

Out of the group, the analysts rate Silk Laser and Telix as the highest conviction buys.

"Silk Laser offers laser hair removal and other non-surgical aesthetic products and services," read the Wilsons memo.

"Operational performance remains encouraging, leveraged to COVID reopening."

The team added that the stock price might be depressed due to "a perceived overhang" from private equity firm Advent International's shares recently coming out of escrow.

Wilsons isn't the only advisory firm bullish on the stock. Morgans investment advisor Jabin Hallihan also rated Laser Silk shares as a buy last week.

"The full-year outlook is for solid growth," he told The Bull.

"The company generated revenue of $182.5 million in the 2022 first half — an 18.5% increase on the prior corresponding period."

Telix, meanwhile, has just received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"We look for news flow on sales and revenue success beginning later this half," stated Wilsons.

"Large capital raising in 4Q21, with cash break-even still 12-24 months away."

The post 5 profitable small-cap ASX shares to buy right now: Wilsons appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Judo shares closed yesterday at $1.98 and are currently trading for $1.99.

The bank, focused on lending to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), is a newcomer to the ASX, listing on 1 November 2021.

Below we look at its financial results for the half year ending 31 December (1H FY22).

Judo share price up amid bullish guidance

• Pro forma profit before tax of $3 million, up from a loss of $700,000 in 1H FY21
• Gross loans and advances increased 37.8% year-on-year to $4.85 billion
• Net interest income of $73.5 million up 48.5% from the prior corresponding period
• Underlying net interest margin of 2.73%, up from 2.65% in 1H FY21

What else happened during the half year?

While Judo's pro forma profits for the half year handily beat the losses posted during 1H FY21, the bank reported a statutory net loss of $16.1 million. That compares to a statutory net profit of $1.9 million in the prior corresponding period.

Judo attributed that loss to one-off costs associated with its initial public offering (IPO).

The bank's underlying net interest margin of 2.73% came in above prospectus guidance of 2.69%.

Term deposits remained a key funding source during the half year, and the bank received an investment grade credit rating from S&P. It said this rating enabled it to access new forms of wholesale funding and "a broader universe of term deposit investors".

As at 31 December, Judo had drawn $2.9 billion from the RBA's Term Funding Facility. This is expected to continue to be beneficial to its fundings costs for the full 2022 financial year. Judo said it's "well positioned" to refinance the drawing before it expires in June 2024.

What did management say?

Commenting on the results, Judo's CEO, Joseph Healy said:

Judo has delivered a strong first half result underpinned by growth in our loan book together with an improvement in underlying margins…

We are confident that we have the right strategy in place with a clear aim of expanding the reach of our banking services so that more SMEs across Australia have access to a relationship bank that listens, understands, and boldly backs business.

What's next?

Looking ahead Healy said, "We are expecting 2022 to deliver the strongest business credit growth in 14 years."

He added that Judo is targeting a lending portfolio of $15 billion to $20 billion, with net interest margins of more than 3%. Judo is also targeting a return on equity in the "mid-teens" and a cost-to-income ratio in the range of 30%.

The company said it "is confident of achieving its prospectus FY22 GLA forecast of $6 billion and of modestly exceeding revenue and profit forecasts".

Judo share price snapshot

The Judo share price has struggled in the new year, down 8.1%. That compares to a year-to-date loss of 6.3% posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

The post Judo (ASX:JDO) share price lifts on bullish guidance appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) managed to eke out another green day after swinging violently to the downside following reports of action on the Ukraine-Russia border. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.16% higher at 7,296.2 points.

While the Aussie index might have ended higher, there were a few sectors hit hard today. The worst impact landed on the doorstep of the consumer discretionary sector, running 3.4% into the red. Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) was the anchor holding the sector down, revealing the first half being the most disrupted by COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Fortunately, the healthcare was the stitching holding the market together on Thursday. Another big performance from CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) bolstered the index.

However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the financial services company rallied 6.65% after reporting a 21% increase in normalised net profit before tax to $238 million in its half-year result. Find out more about Challenger here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO). The specialised small and medium business lender received a 5.69% boost in its share price despite there being no announcements released today. Uncover the latest Imugene details here.

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

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.

Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has further solidified its position above 7,000 points after going back-to-back with another green day. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 1.17% higher at 7,087.7 points.

More than three-quarters of ASX 200 shares produced gains today. Energy and materials led the charge, despite oil prices softening overnight. At the other end of the market, utilities and tech companies were unable to share in the optimism.

However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the iron ore producer moved 6.15% to the upside on strength across the resources sector. Find out more about Champion Iron here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO). The small and medium-sized focused bank gained an additional 5.91% despite there being no news from the company today. Uncover the latest Judo Capital Holdings details here.

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

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.

Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) rallied off the back of a strong showing on Wall Street last night. On top of this, the Reserve Bank of Australia decided to keep interest rates on hold. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.49% higher at 7,006 points.

It was a good day for investors on Tuesday with nearly all sectors finishing in the green. However, the materials sector broke the trend with its 1.2% decline today. Fortunately, the ground was more than made up by other performing sectors such as tech and utilities.

However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Pendal Group Ltd (ASX: PDL) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the global investment company jumped 7.28% despite there being no new announcements from the company. Find out more about Pendal Group here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO). The small and medium-sized focused bank pushed 6.56% higher, once again with no news being published by the company. Uncover the latest Judo Capital Holdings details here.

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

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.

Judo is one of the newest ASX shares on the share market. It only began publically-listed life exactly a week ago on 1 November. As my Fool colleague Mitchell noted at the time, this was a rather momentous occasion in ASX history. Judo became the first ASX bank in 3 decades to join the ASX boards.

It's charting an unusual course in the ASX banking sector. Judo aims to cater to the niche small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) business banking space. So don't expect residential mortgages, savings accounts or credit cards from this bank, at least in the traditional sense.

Last week, Judo underwent its initial public offering (IPO) at an offer price of $2.10 a share. As we covered at the time, midday of its first day saw Judo rise a healthy 2.86% to $2.1 a share. The next day saw this bank rise by another 5%, and by Wednesday Judo had hit $2.55 a share, a good 21% above its IPO price.

But the days following have seen Judo shares come back to earth. Its current share price of $2.29 is almost in the middle of its IPO price and its new high watermark.

Judo share price flat on Monday despite loan book growth

It appears that the ASX announcement Judo made this morning hasn't changed too many opinions on the company. This morning, Judo released its monthly loan book update. This showed that Judo now has $4.37 billion in gross loans and advances (GLAs) on its books, as of 31 October. That's up 5.3% over the $4.15 billion from 30 September, and a pleasing 24.1% above the $3.52 billion this bank had in GLAs on 30 June.

Additionally, Judo also offered up some guidance for this figure going forward. It stated that:

Judo's pro forma forecast for GLAs at the end of the FY22 period is $6.0 billion. Judo does not expect lending growth to be linear throughout the financial year, consistent with industry seasonality.

These statistics don't seem to have done too much for investors sentiment today though, seeing as the Judo share price remains flat at $2.29 a share. At this price, Judo Capital has a market capitalisation of $2.53 billion.

The post Judo (ASX:JDO) share price flat despite climbing loan book appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.