The market may be a sea of red on Tuesday, but that hasn't stopped one ASX All Ords share from shooting higher.

In afternoon trade, the PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price is up 20% to $1.12.

Why is this ASX All Ords share shooting higher?

Investors have been buying this ASX All Ords share in response to the release of a promising announcement.

According to the release, the technology investment company has entered into a series of conditional transactions to acquire a material interest in PowerPlus Energy.

PowerPlus Energy is Australia's largest privately owned lithium battery manufacturer. It specialises in supplying reliable, long-lasting modular battery storage solutions for on-grid and off-grid homes and businesses.

Management notes that the strategic acquisition complements its key business, commercial and operational strategies, and is synergistic with its other investments. This includes its investment in Li-S Energy Ltd (ASX: LIS).

If all conditions are met, PPK will initially pay $1.8 million to acquire a 33% interest in PowerPlus Energy under a share purchase agreement. It also has a clear fixed price pathway to increase its interest up to 75% within two years for an additional $2.8 million.

Management commentary

PPK's Chairman, Robin Levison, was pleased with the news. He commented:

PPK has been assessing a variety of opportunities in the energy market as we believe the world continues to shift towards renewable energy, and that energy storage will play a crucial role in ensuring a reliable and efficient energy system. We see the PowerPlus Energy acquisition as a key step in supporting this shift.

PowerPlus Energy's founder, Bradley Paton, echoed this. He added:

We are excited by the opportunity for PowerPlus Energy to join the PPK Group of companies, which will help drive growth pathways in our business. This growth will also provide upside opportunities to our Australian suppliers, both to grow their businesses and innovate with us.

The post Guess which ASX All Ords share is rocketing 20% on lithium battery news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is in the green today, lifting 0.72%, but these shares are defying its gains. They're each trading lower on the back of their companies' latest earnings being released.

Let's take a look at how these three ASX All Ordinaries companies performed in financial year 2022 (FY22).

Atomos Ltd (ASX: AMS)

The Atomos share price is plummeting 16% to trade at 24 cents after the company dropped its earnings for FY22. That's despite the manufacturer and distributor of video equipment posting record revenue for the period.

That's right, Atomos brought in $82 million of revenue in FY22, a 4.3% improvement on that of the prior corresponding period (pcp).

However, its net profit after tax (NPAT) tumbled 243% to a $6 million loss and its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 115% to a $1.2 million loss.

The company's results were weighed down by several one-off expenses. But it expects the momentum experienced in the final quarter will continue into FY23.

PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK)

The PPK share price is also suffering on the back of the company's full-year earnings. It's falling 0.9% right now to trade at $1.62.

That's despite the company's revenue doubling in FY22, lifting to $1.6 million. Its loss also came in at half that of FY21, improving to reach ($2.5 million).

However, the company declined to pay a final dividend for the second year in a row, bringing its full-year payout to 2.81 cents per share. That's down from FY21's total dividends of 3.5 cents.

Commentary on some of the company's segments might also be weighing the stock down today.

CogState Limited (ASX: CGS)

Finally, ASX All Ordinaries share CogState is plunging 5.6% to trade at $1.60. Its fall has come on the back of full-year results released by the cognition-focused technology company.

The share price dip is despite the company posting around US$45 million of revenue for the period, a 37.6% increase on that of the pcp.

It also brought in US$13 million of EBITDA – a 127.8% lift, and $7.5 million of NPAT – a 43.7% improvement.

The post 3 ASX All Ordinaries shares being sold off following FY22 results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The end of the financial year is fast approaching, which means two things: it's time to start getting your personal taxes in order and ASX shares may see some extra selling pressure.

The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has weathered a 0.8% decline since the beginning of the month. Though, a subset of companies inside the index might receive more punishment this month.

Commonly, investors that are ready to call it quits on an underperforming investment begin to action their sell orders in June as the end of the financial year draws near. As you might imagine, this can momentarily depress the performance of ASX shares.

In particular, companies that have already experienced significant falls in the financial period tend to have a greater chance of landing on the chopping block.

In light of this, here are nine companies that might be subjected to increased selling this month.

ASX All Ords shares that could be tax time targets

One common market adage is, "sell in May and go away." Though, this isn't such a feasible approach for long-term investors. Additionally, the share market isn't predictable enough to confine it to such simple rules. If it were, we'd all be timing the market perfectly — and, we know that isn't the reality.

However, it is always helpful to mentally be readied for potential short-term share price weakness. Furthermore, if these are companies shareholders believe are winners over the long-term, any downside this month could serve as a buying opportunity.

Below is a list of ASX All Ords shares that have experienced the greatest falls during the financial year. Based on the above-mentioned logic, these companies could be in the sights of investors looking to make use of capital losses:

From the above table, we can see that buy now, pay later (BNPL) companies fell out of favour during this time. ASX All Ords shares such as Sezzle and Zip have both been incinerated, tumbling more than 90% since 1 July 2021.

Meanwhile, other ASX shares that could experience further selling this month include former standouts. Companies like Cettire, Pointsbet, and Dubber were all stellar performers in FY21. Unfortunately, this financial year has seen their respective share prices turn and retreat.

A previous version of this article mistakenly included Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH), which has since been removed given YTD share price falls were attributable to The Lottery Corp Ltd (ASX: TLC) demerger.

The post 9 ASX All Ords shares that could be stung by tax-loss selling appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price is looking ripe for the taking to one Australian fund manager.

In September, PPK shares became the focus of the market as one of its joint ventures, Li-S Energy Ltd (ASX: LIS), got set for its market debut. The listing of the lithium-sulphur battery tech company garnered an oversubscribed initial public offering (IPO). In turn, investors began to bid up the PPK Group share price in anticipation of a blockbuster Li-S Energy listing.

However, with PPK retaining ~45% ownership of the battery tech company, the euphoria has since gradually faded.

Despite this, the team at EGP Capital is still bullish on PPK Group. Let's take a closer look at why this fund's sentiment isn't waning.

Why this fund sees value in ASX-listed PPK Group

After roughly a 33% retracement in the PPK Group share price since the end of August, EGP Capital's weighting toward the company in its Concentrated Value Fund has fallen from 15% to 7.8%. Correspondingly, the diversified business has shifted from the fund's largest holding to its third-largest holding.

It was a positive month of returns for the fund, outpacing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) by 1.3%. Although, there were 2 companies that weighed on the fund's monthly returns. One of these companies was ASX-listed PPK Group, falling nearly 15% throughout October.

Undeterred by PPK's poor monthly performance, EGP Capital chief investment officer Tony Hansen outlined the fund's stance on the billion-dollar business. In EGP's October report, Hansen explained:

In simple terms, I think there was enormous interest in the LIS IPO and particularly large institutional money managers that wanted exposure to LIS realised that because the IPO was so oversubscribed, they would not get it by participating in the IPO.

What I suspect they then did was to buy PPK as a proxy for LIS (given it would own almost half of the business post listing). This buying then reversed after LIS listed as these institutions sold their PPK on market to purchase the LIS they really wanted to own.

The fund believes that such an approach, if true, demonstrates flawed thinking by these institutions. The reason for this is that ASX-listed PPK Group offers numerous opportunities outside of Li-S Energy. As such, EGP Capital considers PPK to be worth much more than Li-S Energy.

Another take

EGP Capital is not alone in liking what PPK Group has to offer. In an article published last month, we covered 4 ASX shares that chief investment officer and founder of Regal Investment Fund (ASX: RF1) Phil King likes in the battery and lithium space.

That list included PPK Group alongside other high-profile names in the industry. The fundie highlighted the significant research and development progress made by PPK and its subsidiary Li-S Energy.

Finally, despite the recent weakness, the PPK Group share price has returned 104.5% on the ASX since the beginning of the year.

The post Here's why this fund manager thinks PPK (ASX:PPK) is a great buying opportunity appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

ASX shares in the renewables and green metals space have been big winners this year as investors flock into the theme of environmental, social and governance (or ESG) investing.

As reported by Livewire, chief investment officer and founder of Regal Investment Fund (ASX: RF1) Phil King spoke at the company's investor briefing last week. At the event, King highlighted two major themes he reckons are worthy of backing: a mining bull market and the rising interest in green metals, especially batteries.

King and the team at Regal pointed to four ASX shares playing to these themes that the company currently holds. These include S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) constituents through to newly listed initial public offerings (IPOs).

4 ASX shares for renewables exposure

1. Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN)

The Chalice share price has boomed an extraordinary 2,500% since the company began its extensive drilling program at its Julimar Nickel-Copper-Platinum Group Element (PGE) project in Western Australia.

Chalice believes it's positioned to emerge as a "world-class, strategic deposit of critical, 'green metals' in a world-class jurisdiction" that is "highly leveraged to battery and hydrogen technology adoption", according to its Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum 2021 presentation.

The team at Regal share the same view, saying:

… we believe [Chalice] has discovered a new tier-one green metals province, remarkably, only 60 kilometres east of Perth, which has the potential to become the most significant polymetallic discovery in Australia.

2. Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)

Up until last week, the Novonix share price had managed to boom 450% year to date.

Regal described the company as one that is "engaged in a diverse range of battery-related technologies and is a global leader in producing high-quality synthetic graphite for battery anodes".

3. PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK)

The PPK share price has fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, losing more than a third in value since mid-September.

The trending PPK share price came to a grinding halt when the company announced a joint venture to manufacture anti-viral and anti-bacterial face masks on 23 September.

Whilst PPK's diversified business is spread across batteries, ballistic armour, dental products and mining technology, Regal pointed out that:

[PPK] has made significant progress this year in research and development. PPK's subsidiary Li-S Energy … is developing lithium-sulphur batteries … a competing technology to the well accepted lithium-ion batteries.

4. Li-S Energy Ltd (ASX: LIS)

Li-S Energy made its ASX debut on 28 September, surging as high as $3.05 on open compared to its listing price of just 85 cents.

The company is a spin-off of PPK Group, attempting to disrupt the battery market with a more efficient, safer, faster-charging and environmentally friendly lithium-sulphur battery.

The post Bullish on lithium and batteries? 4 ASX shares this fund manager loves appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price is deep in negative territory today. This comes despite the group announcing a seemingly positive update to the ASX.

At the time of writing, the technology and mining equipment company's shares are down 6.4% to $13.75, having earlier been as low as $13.40. It's worth noting the PPK share price is now down more than 20% over the last week, and 30% in a month.

PPK signs collaboration agreement

In today's statement, PPK advised its subsidiary White Graphene has entered into a research and development collaboration agreement with Sun Metals.

Established in 2018, Sun Metals is the operator of Queensland's biggest zinc refinery. The company produces a special high grade of zinc metals and exports them throughout Korea, Australia, and the United States.

Sun Metals is an Australian subsidiary of Korea Zinc, the largest zinc, lead, and silver producer in the world.

Sun Metals produces around 450,000 tonnes per annum of 98% sulphuric acid at its Townsville refinery. The production and handling of this volume of sulphuric acid creates significant challenges. Pumps among other equipment often need to be replaced within months of installation.

Both companies will work together to create new composite protective coatings using boron nitride nanosheets (white graphene). These coatings are being developed to protect the interior surfaces of sulphuric acid pumps and other equipment. As such, this will expand the lifespan while operating in extremely difficult conditions.

Under the terms of the agreement, White Graphene will retain ownership of all intellectual property rights developed during the project.

There will be a full-scale testing stage on sulphuric acid pumps installed at the production facility at Sun Metals' refinery.

PPK share price summary

Over the last 12 months, PPK shares have posted a gain of around 260%. They are also up 130% year to date. The PPK share price is hovering in the middle of its 52-week range of $3.70 and $21.95.

Based on today's price, PPK commands a market capitalisation of roughly $1.2 billion and has approximately 89.3 million shares outstanding.

The post PPK (ASX:PPK) share price sinks 6% amid collaboration agreement appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) is falling wayside today, continuing its disappointing run from yesterday's 1.45% loss.

At the time of writing, the ASX 300 is hovering 1.42% lower to 7,146.1 points. This means that the index is now down by more than 4% in a month.

The weak investor sentiment across the market has led to a number of shares in the red. However, let's first take a look at the biggest gainers on Wednesday.

St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)

The St Barbara share price is roaring 7.09% higher to $1.36 despite no news out of the gold miner today.

Its shares are lifting after the spot price of gold rebounded to US$1,736.07 a tonne at the time of writing. Although the price of the yellow metal has improved 0.15% today, it's still down 4.4% in September.

Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN)

Another mover today amid the weakened ASX market is the Evolution share price, up 5.39% to $3.52.

The gold mining company is also on the receiving end of the spot price of gold picking up.

Further, analysts at Morgan Stanley raised their rating on Evolution shares to "equal weight" from the previous "underweight" outlook. The broker, however, cut the price target by 5.1% to $3.70 apiece.

Based on the current share price, this implies an upside of around 5% on Morgan Stanley's assessment.

Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)

The Novonix share price is also pushing ahead, up 3.86% to $7.00.

Investors appear to be bullish on the lithium company's future prospects as the sector heats up. It is worth noting that the company's shares were earlier a smidgen off their all-time high of $7.11. That price was reached on Monday.

Novonix shares have accelerated by almost 500% since the start of the year.

Which ASX 300 companies are heading south?

Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI)

The Pinnacle share price is down a heavy 7.82% to $16.51.

Investors are selling the company's shares despite the investment company not releasing any market sensitive announcements since its results in early August.

A catalyst for the fall can be attributed to the company's shares zooming to an all-time high of $18.60 last Friday. It appears investors have decided to take profit off the table following the broader ASX market slump.

PPK Group Ltd (ASX: PPK)

Also being weighed down by investors today is the PPK share price, down 5.59% to $16.77.

The boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) company spun off its recently listed battery technology company, Li-S Energy (ASX: LIS).

Over the last 5 trading days, PPK shares have lost close to 15%.

The post Which ASX 300 shares are leading the way mid-week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price rewarded investors handsomely during August. While the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) pulled a paltry 1.9% in the month, PPK soared an astonishing 49.9%.

Much of this gain could be put down to the excitement surrounding the anticipated listing of Li-S Energy Ltd (ASX: LIS). Speaking of which, the lithium-sulphur battery tech company made its debut yesterday, exploding 174% in value. The rampant share price surge benefits PPK, with the company retaining a 45.4% shareholding.

Although much of the excitement took place yesterday, one Australian fund manager remains extremely bullish on PPK's prospects.

Let's take a closer look.

A big bet on ASX-listed PPK

In its August fund update, EGP Capital gave its investors a rundown on the latest for its Concentrated Value Fund. This fund is focused on Australian listed companies with the ambition of outperforming the Aussie index by 3% to 5% on an annual basis.

It was unsurprisingly a solid month for the fund, delivering a return of 6.7%. One of its biggest contributors was the PPK share price. Being the fund's largest holding, investors benefitted from the enthusiasm behind the listing of Li-S Energy.

At the end of August, PPK constituted 15% of the fund's overall holdings — this is nearly double its second-largest holding, United Overseas Australia Limited (ASX: UOS), at 8.8%.

Despite the miraculous returns thus far, EGP Capital holds a deeply positive sentiment towards ASX-listed PPK. As detailed in its monthly report, the fund believes the prospective market opportunity for the Li-Sulphur batteries is immense. In fact, founder and chief investment officer Tony Hansen stated:

I shall be surprised if the stock ever trades below $1 per share (the IPO price is 85c). Executed properly, this is a multi (multi)-billion-dollar opportunity.

One day in and Li-S Energy is sitting well above $2, let alone the $1 zone that Hansen mentions.

Massive market potential

In addition to this, the fund spoke highly of another PPK investment, White Graphene. The company released a table outlining some of its developmental projects.

From this, EGP Capital points out several large market opportunities for the application of White Graphene's boron nitride nanosheets. These include:

• Concrete floor coating: estimated US$1.8 billion annual global market by 2027
• Wood coating: estimated US$12.3 billion annual global market by 2027
• Paint: estimated US$218 billion annual global market by 2028
• Fibreglass: estimated US$25.5 billion annual global market by 2028
• Faux leather: estimated US$57 billion annual global market by 2028
• Ammunition: estimated US$28.4 billion annual global market by 2028
• Wires and cables: estimated US$273.7 billion annual global market by 2028

Based on PPK's final report for FY21, the company owns 59.8% of White Graphene.

Now what?

Finally, the fund addressed the risk posed to investors with the fund holding such a large position in PPK.

In Hansen's words, "The management of each business needs to be careful about ensuring their investors are properly kept appraised of the prospects of each business. This is incredibly hard to do with prospectively world-changing technologies."

As a result, the fund accepts increased volatility but expects strong upside potential for PPK on the ASX.

The post Why PPK (ASX:PPK) and Li-S Energy are this fund's largest positions appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price is taking off this morning as Li-S Energy Limited (ASX: LIS) gears up to make its long-awaited ASX debut.

After numerous delays, PPK's spin-off is finally ready to hit the market this morning.

Li-S Energy's Initial Public Offering (IPO) will begin at 11 am this morning.

At the time of writing, the PPK share price is $19.73, 10.47% higher than its previous close.

Let's take a closer look at PPK's journey to today.

Li-S Energy to debut on the ASX

The PPK share price is gaining this morning as the market awaits its battery technology spin-off's ASX debut.

Li-S Energy is a joint venture between PPK, PPK's subsidiary BNNT Technology, and Deakin University.

Li-S Energy produces lithium batteries using lithium-sulphur chemistry, incorporating boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) into battery components to improve capacity and stability.

The company believes lithium-sulphur is the future of lithium-ion batteries. It says the technology is able to produce 5 times more energy density than traditional lithium-ion batteries and can produce similar results with one third of the weight. It also notes lithium-sulphur batteries are cheaper and less of a fire risk.

Under its prospectus, investors could get shares in Li-S Energy for 85 cents apiece. That gives it an expected market capitalisation of around $544 million.

Li-S Energy's IPO was originally meant to happen in late August but was pushed back while awaiting approval from the ASX. Conditional approval to debut was granted in mid-September before it was finally given approval to list last week.

The PPK share price gained 9% on the back of the IPO's conditional approval but fell 1.8% on its definitive authorisation.

After today's float, PPK will be Li-S Energy's largest shareholder, owning 45.4% of its stock. Another 13% of Li-S Energy's shares will be owned by Deakin University, with BNNT Technology holding 4.7%.

So far, Li-S Energy's IPO has raised $34 million. It is listing with $52.9 million of cash that it will use to pursue commercial, research, and development initiatives.

PPK share price snapshot

2021 has been a good year so far for the PPK share price.

It has gained 229% since the start of this year. It is also 399% higher than it was this time last year.

The post The PPK (ASX:PPK) share price soars 10% amid Li-S Energy's IPO appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Shares in PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) are up and down in morning trade today. This comes after the boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) company announced a joint venture to manufacture anti-viral and anti-bacterial face masks.

At the time of writing, the PPK share price is down 0.6% trading at $19.92, after touching a high of $20.6 near the open.

PPK eyes new revenue stream

In today's statement, PPK advised it has teamed up with Xefco to form a new company called Survivon.

Founded in 2018, Xefco uses advanced manufacturing methods to create textile technologies with additional functional benefits. In particular, the group focuses on antiviral technology.

The newly-formed business will immediately start local production of anti-viral and antibacterial face masks using Xefco's ground-breaking technology. PPK advised it has purchased a mask factory in Brisbane and has orders already in hand. Up to 5 million masks can be produced each month.

The company said the medical-grade face masks would contain an ultra-thin coating of 99.95% pure copper developed by Xefco and Deakin University.

An independent study by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity revealed positive results in May. It showed that the new treated textiles were able to inactivate the virus associated with COVID-19 by 97.79% in 5 minutes, and 99.95% in 15 minutes.

PPK and Xefco will each own 47.6% of Survivon with the remaining balance held by senior manager, Matthew Bailey.

Under the terms of the partnership, PPK will contribute $4.5 million in cash on completion in exchange for its equity, less the transfer of PPK's recently acquired business, Mask Innovation to Survivon for approximately $1.6 million.

The cash will be used as ordinary working capital for the new business.

Management commentary

PPK executive chair Robin Levison commented:

The chance to combine the manufacturing assets of PPK's Mask Innovation business with leading science developed by Xefco in conjunction with Deakin University represents a tremendous commercialisation opportunity with global application.

It is also an incredibly timely one and yields a likelihood of making a very practical and immediate difference in combating one of the great healthcare issues of our time.

About the PPK share price

Over the last 12 months, the PPK share price has accelerated, gaining around 420% since this time last year. Year-to-date, its shares have advanced 240%.

PPK presides a market capitalisation of roughly $1.78 billion, and has 89.29 million shares on its books.

The post PPK (ASX:PPK) share price wobbles on joint venture news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price rose to a record high during late afternoon trade. This comes as the company announced an update in relation to the proposed listing of Li-S Energy Limited (LiS).

At the closing bell, PPK shares finished the day up 9.45% to $21.89. This was just shy of its all-time high of $21.92 reached earlier on.

What did PPK announce?

Investors are fighting to get a hold of PPK shares following the company's latest approval.

According to the release, PPK advised its 48.5% owned subsidiary LiS has received conditional listing approval from ASX. One of the remaining conditions is receipt by LiS of the remaining escrow deeds for particular classes of existing securities.

A common step in connection with a new listing on the ASX, which requires the securities to be placed into escrow for either 12 or 24 months.

LiS is seeking to launch a $34 million initial public offering to commercialise a new generation of high-performance batteries. Approximately 40 million shares are expected to be issued at a price of 85 cents apiece.

The company uses Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNT) technology, which allows lithium-sulphur batteries to hold a significantly higher energy capacity than existing lithium-ion batteries.

Li-S holds key patents covering the function of BNNT to create large scale manufacturing of lithium-sulphur batteries.

Over the coming years, Li-S plans to finalise the design and scale up production of the new batteries. Such applications include charging an electric vehicle after 1,000 kilometres of driving, off-grid solar/battery street lighting and more.

Post the capital raising, PPK will increase its stake in LiS to a 50.12% direct and indirect holding.

PPK share price summary

It has been 12 months for PPK investors, watching their wealth grow over 430% in the period. Year-to-date has also been just as impressive, accelerating to gains by more than 275%.

Based on today's price, PPK commands a market capitalisation of roughly $1.93 billion and has around 89 million shares outstanding.

The post PPK (ASX:PPK) share price storms 9% higher to an all-time high appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) is heavily down today following yesterday's losses.

At the time of writing, the ASX 300 has fallen 1.07% to 7,433 points. This means that the index has erased all of this month's gains so far.

Let's take a look at which ASX companies are leading the charge today.

Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)

The Novonix share price is again topping the charts, surging another 7.37% to $5.83 during early afternoon trade.

Despite no news coming out of the lithium company, investors appear to be bullish on its future prospects. 

It's worth noting that Novonix shares hit an all-time high of $6.10 before some profit-taking took hold. The company's share price has gained almost 80% in the past month.

PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK)

Another big mover on the ASX 300 is the PPK share price, up 5.06% to $20.96.

The technology and mining equipment company also hasn't reported anything new since its preliminary full-year results on 31 August.

However, just last week, S&P Dow Jones announced changes in the S&P/ASX Indices. As such, PPK will be officially included in the ASX 300 Index prior to the market open on September 20.

The company's shares hit a record high of $21 today.

Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL)

The Vulcan share price is pushing 4.39% higher to $14.98 following continued interest in the battery materials sector.

The company's shares are being added to the ASX 300 Index. This enables fund managers to include Vulcan shares when investing in the S&P/ASX Indices.

And the biggest fallers?

Virgin Money UK PLC (ASX: VUK)

The worst performer on the ASX 300 today is the Virgin Money UK share price, down 6.52% to $3.655.

While no market sensitive news has been officially released by the company on the ASX, a news report from Business Wire has shed some light.

According to the publication, United States-based Global Payments has formed a strategic alliance with Virgin Money UK. The partnership agreement aims to redefine the future of digital commerce with the launch of a new connected payment offering.

Despite the positive announcement, Virgin Money UK shares are continuing to be under pressure from investors, falling four consecutive days.

Australian Strategic Materials Ltd (ASX: ASM)

Lastly, Australian Strategic Materials shares have crashed 5.05% to $11.85 on Thursday.

The rare earth elements company's shares have soared close to 50% over the past month. It seems investors are selling for a profit following the sharp rise of Australian Strategic Materials shares during August.

The post Which ASX 300 shares are making headlines on Thursday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

While a large number of ASX All Ordinaries shares were on form over the period, some recorded particularly strong gains.

Which were the best performing ASX All Ordinaries shares in August?

The best performer on the ASX All Ordinaries last month by some distance was the Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX) share price with a gain of 75%. This was driven by news that US energy giant Phillips 66 has entered into an agreement to acquire a 16% stake in Novonix. Phillips 66 notes that the investment will expand its presence in the battery supply chain. It will also help advance Novonix's production of synthetic graphite for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

The next best performing ASX All Ordinaries share was WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) with a 57% gain. The logistics solutions company's shares surged higher after reporting an 18% increase in revenue to $507.5 million and a 63% jump in EBITDA to $206.7 million in FY 2021. The latter was well ahead of its EBITDA guidance of $165 million to $190 million. Looking ahead, management is expecting further strong growth in FY 2022. It has provided guidance for EBITDA growth of 26% to 38%.

Which other shares performed strongly?

Another ASX All Ordinaries share that caught the eye in August was Ardent Leisure Group Ltd (ASX: ALG). Its shares rose 52.5% over the month, with the majority of this gain coming following the release of its full year results. The Dreamworld and Main Event operator reported a 165.6% increase in EBITDA to $67.3 million for FY 2021 thanks to a strong second half. Pleasingly, management advised that it is optimistic that this positive momentum will continue into FY 2022.

Finally, the PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price was another highlight on the All Ordinaries with a gain of 49.9% in August. This was despite the investment company experiencing delays in its plans to spin off lithium-sulphur chemistry battery creator Li-S Energy via an IPO. Li-S Energy is expected to list at 85 cents per share, giving it a market capitalisation of around $544 million.

The post These were the best ASX All Ordinaries performers in August appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price has been soaring lately despite unresolved issues with its spin-off of Li-S Energy.

PPK originally planned to have lithium-sulphur chemistry battery creator, Li-S Energy, off its hands and onto the ASX yesterday. However, it has been faced with a number of delays.

Despite the drama, PPK's shares have gained 52.09% since this time last month, including today's 6.65% increase. Right now, shares in the investment group are trading for $20.06 apiece.

Let's take a closer look at Li-S Energy's initial public offering (IPO).

Li-S Energy struggles to list

The PPK share price is outperforming despite setbacks facing Li-S Energy's listing.

PPK, along with Deakin University, founded Li-S Energy in 2019. Now, PPK is listing Li-S Energy on the ASX, under the ticker LIS.

When the company announced the spin-off, the PPK share price gained 1%.

Under Li-S Energy's prospectus, investors were offered shares in the company for 85 cents apiece. That gives Li-S Energy an expected market capitalisation of around $544 million.

Originally, PPK expected Li-S Energy's IPO to occur in late August. Specifically, yesterday.

However, despite excess demand for Li-S Energy's shares, there's still no word as to when we'll see it debut. PPK updated the market on the IPO last week, saying it's waiting on the ASX to provide its approval.

The investment company stated there are still a number of steps to complete before Li-S Energy can go public. It said:

It is expected that these steps will be dealt with and conditional listing approval provided shortly. At that time a revised timetable will be provided and a further announcement regarding such will be made.

So, it seems we should stop holding our breath for Li-S Energy's IPO for a moment. Though, the suspense seems to be good for the PPK share price.

PPK share price snapshot

The PPK share price has gained 234% year to date. It is also 370% higher than it was this time last year.

The post PPK (ASX:PPK) share price up 52% in a month despite Li-S Energy IPO hurdles appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) is in reverse today after reaching a record high of 7,625 points on Friday.

At the time of writing, the ASX 300 is trading around 7,592 points, down 0.39%.

Let's take a look at the biggest movers on the ASX 300 this Monday.

Who are the biggest gainers today?

PPK Group Ltd (ASX: PPK)

Despite no news being released, the best performer on the ASX 300 today is PPK Group. The technology and mining equipment company provided its last update on Thursday. PPK Group revealed its 60% owned subsidiary, White Graphene, is assembling its initial production module prior to commission for full-scale production.

At the time of writing, PPK Group shares are up 14.54% to $16.70. It's worth noting that the company's share price reached an all-time high of $16.97 during midday trade.

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

Next up, A2 Milk shares have catapulted higher following talks about the company being a potential takeover target. Speculation is rife about global food and beverage giant Nestle considering buying out the infant formula business.

Although, according to The Australian, an offer won't be made until after A2 Milk releases its full-year results later this month.

A2 Milk shares are currently rocketing 13.76% higher to $6.78 apiece.

Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR)

Coming in third place is emerging lithium producer Liontown Resources. The company's shares soared 5.76% to $1.01 earlier today before settling at 96.7 cents at the time of writing.

While Liontown hasn't provided any price-sensitive announcements since last Tuesday, it appears investors are reacting to a broker note released today.

According to Bell Potter, its analysts raised the 12-month price target for Liontown shares by an astonishing 118% to $1.33. This implies an upside of roughly 31% based on the current share price.

And the biggest fallers?

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN)

Heading south today is Bendigo and Adelaide Bank shares. The regional bank is down a sizeable 9.46% to $10.05.

This follows the company's release of its FY21 full-year results. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank reported a relatively solid year with cash earnings surging 52% over the prior corresponding period. However, it appears investors may be concerned about the company's net interest margin falling 7 basis points over the 12 months.

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

The last big mover for the day is Accent Group shares, down 9.4% to $2.41.

While the company hasn't provided the market with any price-sensitive news, a broker downgrade from Citi last week could be a catalyst.

The global investment house cut its rating of Accent shares to "sell" from neutral, with a reduction of 19% to $2.50 on its shares.

The post Who's starting the week off as the biggest mover on the ASX 300 today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price is falling today, subtracting yesterday's strong gains of 6.46%. This comes despite the technology and mining equipment company announcing a supply and distribution agreement today.

At market close, PPK shares are down 3.93% to $13.45. In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index(ASX: XAO) is up 1.3% to 7,760 points.

PPK expands market presence

A possible catalyst for the decline in PPK shares is that investors are taking profit off the table.

In the release, PPK revealed that its 51% owned subsidiary, BNNT Technology has entered into a non-exclusive supply and distribution agreement with Filgen Inc.

Founded in 2004, Japan-based Filgen is a leading specialist in the sale of science research equipment in the biotechnology market. The company distributes nanomaterials in Japan and has an extensive network of international clients.

The deal will see BNNT Technology supply Filgen with its Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNT) for entry into new international markets. This is expected to reach research and development centres as well as industries using nano-materials in complex manufacturing.

The BNNT product is by BNNT Technology employing Deakin University's patented technology. Both PPK and Deakin are joint venture partners in BNNT Technology, with the latter owning a 49% interest.

The agreement will last for a period of 12 months, which excludes marketing and the sale of BNNT in the lithium-sulphur batteries space. PPK's 48% owned subsidiary, Li-S Energy has exclusivity over those rights.

PPK Group previously noted that the significant potential of BNNT, however, the material could only be produced in small quantities. BNNT Technology is continuingly scaling up production efforts, recently adding a second 4 furnace module production unit. In addition, the company will install 2 new larger 6 furnace module production units.

It is assumed that the total BNNT production capacity will increase from 2 kilograms per week to 8 kilograms per week. Just as little as 2 years ago, only 1 kilo of BNNT could be produced per year.

Management commentary

PPK executive chair, Robin Levison commented:

This is a landmark deal for BNNTTL, being its first distribution agreement with an international company.

As a major shareholder in BNNTTL, PPK is highly cognisant of the potential for this relationship to broaden awareness of BNNTTL's unique high purity BNNT in international markets.

…There is potential to employ BNNT in a revolutionary manner as a component of multiple other commercial products beyond its existing applications in lithium-sulphur batteries, ballistic protection and metal alloys to name just a few of its current uses.

We expect partnering with Filgen will accelerate BNNTTL's penetration into new industries.

PPK share price snapshot

The PPK share price has shot up over the last year, moving around 340% higher for shareholders. Year-to-date performance stands at a gain of around 130%. 

PPK has a market capitalisation of close to $1.2 billion, with just a tad over 89 million shares on issue.

The post PPK Group (ASX:PPK) share price tumbles despite distribution agreement appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In saying that, it was coming off of a low base, considering how June 2020 was only a few months after the dramatic COVID-induced market crash that hit the ASX in February and March. Still, not a bad effort.

However, the ASX's older index, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO), fared even better than the ASX 200. It managed to put on a hefty 26.5% over FY2021. So let's take a look at some of the best All Ords winners from FY21.

5 top-performing All Ords shares in FY21

PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK)

Mining equipment company PPK Group was a great share to have owned in FY21. It started out the financial year at just $3.11 a share but finished up on Wednesday at $15.80. That's a very pleasing gain of 408%. PPK seemed to really kick into gear in investors minds back in May. That's when the company announced that one of its subsidiaries – Li-S Energy – had developed a new lithium-sulphur battery with nanotube technology. The shares reacted extremely positively to this news when it was announced, and haven't looked back since.

Pilbara Mierals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Pilbara is another top performing share from FY20. This ASX 200 lithium miner seemed to benefit from a triple tailwind in FY2021. Firstly, a rising lithium price helped Pilbara buff up its margins very nicely. Secondly, Pilbara also managed to increase its lithium production through the year, capitalising on those higher margins. And thirdly, ASX investors seemed to harbour rising excitement over any share in the lithium and electric battery space. Which of course, includes Pilbara. As such, this company rose from just over 23 cents a share at the start of FY21 to finish up the year to $1.44 – a gain of 480%.

Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN)

Another ASX miner, Chalice was another All Ords share that managed an enviable performance last financial year. Chalice is in the gold business. And investors can largely thank bullish developments at Chalice's largest mines and a rising gold price for its stellar performance in FY21. In particular, a potential discovery of nickel and copper at its Julimar project seems to have really upped the excitement over Chalice in the last financial year. If the company hadn't dropped around 15% of its value last month, its gains would have been even higher. Regardless, this company still gave investors a very healthy 657% gain in the 12 months to 30 June 2021, rising from roughly $1 a share to $7.42. Not much to complain about there!

Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR)

Yet another mining company, Liontown also joins the All Ords winners for FY21. Liontown shares started the financial year at just over 10 cents a share but ended up finishing at a much healthier 84 cents. That gain is worth 672% for any lucky investor who enjoyed it. Liontown is another ASX lithium miner, and so benefitted from many of the same tailwinds as Pilbara did. Its Kathleen Valley lithium project (containing one of the largest lithium deposits in the world) is set to come online by 2025. More specifically though, Liontown told investors in April that it has also managed to find a significant gold deposit in its Moora project as well.

Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU)

Finally, we get to the best performing ASX All Ords share for FY21, and it's none other than biotech company Imugene. Imugene started FY21 at just 3.1 cents a share. But by Wednesday, this company was worth 35.5 cents a share – a massive gain of 1,045% for the 12 months. This company could seemingly do no wrong in FY21. In April, it informed the markets that its gastric cancer clinical trials had gone well. Following this, May saw the announcement of further clinical trials for the treatment of cancerous tumours with oncolytic virus and cell therapy technology. Not surprisingly, most of Imugene's share price gains came over the last quarter of FY21.

The post Here are the 5 best performing ASX All Ords shares from FY21 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price is having a bumper day on Tuesday. This comes after the technology and mining equipment company announced a technological breakthrough.

At the time of writing, PPK Group shares are fetching $12.10 apiece, up 8.52% for the day. In earlier trade, the company's shares reached a new record high of $12.90 before partially retreating.

What's pushing PPK Group shares higher?

Investors are fighting to get a hold of PPK shares after the company announced an update regarding a revolutionary lithium-sulphur battery.

According to its release, PPK Group's 48%-owned subsidiary, Li-S Energy has developed a new lithium-sulphur battery using boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) technology. The scientific discovery was achieved along with its partner and fellow shareholder, Deakin University.

Previously, PPK Group highlighted the significant potential of BNNT however, the material could only be produced in small quantities. To help solve this problem, BNNT Technology, a 50% subsidiary of PPK Group used breakthrough Deakin University technology.

Since then, BNNT Technology yielded 5 kilos of BNNT across a 5-day period from a single production module. The result achieved above 95% purity. This signifies a strong advance in technology as just 2 years ago, only 1 kilo of BNNT per year could be produced.

PPK stated that lithium sulphur (Li-S) batteries are next-generation batteries with a significantly higher energy capacity than existing lithium-ion batteries. However, they have a severe limitation with lifetime performance, typically failing over very few charge and discharge cycles.

In response to this, Deakin's Nanotechnology research team has developed (BNNT) to improve the performance of Li-S batteries. So far, the material retains a high-energy capacity and avoids significant degradation on more than 450 charge/discharge cycles. The research team is looking at further increasing the product's cycle capacity.

Li-S has now lodged two key patents covering the function of BNNT and the technology within. According to PPK, covered by the new patents, Li-S has the commercial opportunity to create large-scale manufacturing of lithium-sulphur batteries.

Over the coming years, Li-S plans to finalise the design and scale-up production of the new batteries. Such applications include charging an electric vehicle after 1,000 kilometres of driving, off-grid solar/battery street lighting and more.

Li-S Energy and BNNT Technology are both joint ventures between Deakin and PPK Group. Li-S Energy recently completed a capital raise of $20 million to support the ongoing development of Deakin's technology.

Management commentary

PPK executive chair, Robin Levison commented:

For me personally, this is a really exciting moment for PPK. What we see here is a real-life tangible application of BNNT to facilitate a genuine technological breakthrough with global commercial potential. This new type of lithium sulphur battery demonstrates how the unique attributes of this truly amazing product can be realised in practice.

Li-S CEO Dr Lee Finniear went on to add:

We have achieved a significant innovation breakthrough with our Li-S battery technology at a time when the world is demanding better batteries and more efficient energy storage devices. The commercialisation journey for Li-S Energy Limited has begun and is on track to showcase this Australian company as a recognised leader in this exciting industry.

Lead Deakin researchers Alfred Deakin Professor Ying (Ian) Chen and Dr Baozhi Yu noted:

These results are the culmination of 10 years of research into the development of lithium sulphur batteries and how that is influenced by advanced nanomaterials. The belief and investment in the research program from Li-S Energy have now enabled us to bring our research toward a commercial reality.

PPK Group share price review

Over the last 12 months, the PPK Group share price jumped by more than 200%, with year-to-date performance above 100%. 

Based on valuation grounds, PPK Group commands a market capitalisation of roughly $1 billion, with approximately 89 million shares outstanding.

The post Why the PPK Group (ASX:PPK) share price hit a record high today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price is climbing high today. As of writing, shares in the technology and mining equipment company are trading for $8.47 – up 15.55%. By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 0.95%.

Today's massive price rise comes as the company made a major breakthrough in an exciting new technology.

Let's take a closer look at today's news.

PPK Group share price rockets

In a statement to the ASX, PPK Group advised it has had a positive development surrounding the "equipment design and production methods" of its "high purity" Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNT). The company says the result means it has been able to greatly expand its BNNT production capacity.

According to Deakin University (which is a 50/50 partner with PPK Group in the company that develops the technology), BNNTs are flexible fibres that are "100 times stronger than steel but as light as carbon fibre." The technology has the potential to be used in a range of industries, including "mining, medicine, and space travel."

In the statement, PPK Group says it and Deakin University have been able to triple production of BNNT.

"This means annual BNNT production capacity per module could be in the order of 50kg which is more than three times the original BNNT production estimate of 15kg p/a per module as previously reported," the company said. It also highlighted the fact the product still achieves 95% purity levels.

Due to the developments, the cost of production has increased from $700,000 to $850,000. However, this is a fraction of the increase in output. The company claims its subsidiary is "now the lowest cost pure BNNT producer in the world." The potential for greater margins is clearly enticing investors, judging by today's PPK Group share price action.

Management commentary

PPK Group executive chair Robert Levinson said:

Only 2 years ago when PPK acquired its 50% stake in BNNTTL, the company was producing only 3 grams per day (732 grams per year). The progress in developing Deakin's patented technology to now produce 50 kg per year from a single module with a total capital cost of $850,000AUD, is nothing short of amazing.

He added:

This achievement confirms that BNNT Technology Limited is well advanced in terms of producing BNNT in pure grade and in commercial quantities which places us in an excellent position to advance upstream applications in partnership with Deakin University.

PPK Group share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the PPK Group share price has increased by around 170%. Just over the past few days, the company saw sustained share price rises after receiving a $750,000 government grant and appointing a new executive to its senior management team.

PPK Group has a market capitalisation of $730.2 million.

The post Why the PPK Group (ASX:PPK) share price just hit an all-time high? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) share price is gaining traction in mid-morning trade after hitting an all-time high. The surge in the boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) producer's shares comes after the company announced two new appointments through its partly-owned subsidiary.

Boron nitride nanotubes are used in parts for high-temperature equipment such as underground vehicles and mining equipment.

During market open, PPK shares reached a record high of $7.43. However, after some profit-taking, the company's shares have slightly lowered to $7.38, up 1.1%.

New appointments

Investors are pushing PPK shares into new territory today after digesting the company's latest update.

According to this morning's release, PPK advised that its subsidiary, Li-S Energy Limited, has appointed a non-executive director and CEO.

PPK holds a 48.5% interest in Li-S Energy, which aims to revolutionise high-performance lithium sulphur battery technology.

The new addition of Ms. Hedy Cray as a non-executive director will see her bring significant experience to the board. Ms. Cray has an extensive background in industrial and employment law, equal opportunity, and workplace health and safety issues. Currently, she is a partner with Australian top-tier law firm, Clayton Utz, and is in charge of the Brisbane Workplace Relations Employment and Safety practice.

Hedy Cray also has experience in commercial and corporate strategy, risk management, corporate governance, acquisitions, company restructuring other fields.

Furthermore, Dr. Lee Finniear will head up the role of CEO for Li-S Energy. Finniear has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive within the industry. This also includes 5 years at the helm as CEO and managing director of a NASDAQ and ASX-listed company.

Dr. Finniear is recognised for delivering innovative IoT products to business and consumer markets. He served as vice president for an Asian Pacific telecommunications operator focused on automotive manufacturers and enterprise IoT solutions.

PPK executive chair, Robin Levison welcomed the new inclusions, saying:

I am very pleased with both appointments as Hedy brings Li-S Energy very broad commercial and corporate experience while Lee is a proven Chief Executive Officer with talent and qualifications well suited to growing the Li-S Energy business.

About the PPK share price

The PPK share price has increased over the last year, moving around 135% higher for shareholders. Year-to-date performance currently stands at a gain of around 26%. 

PPK has a market capitalisation of roughly $650 million, with just a tad over 89 million shares on issue.

The post Here's why the PPK (ASX:PPK) share price reached a record high today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.