A number of ASX 200 shares are in the red on Tuesday because they are trading ex-dividend.

When a share trades ex-dividend, it means that the rights to an upcoming dividend are now settled.

In light of this, if you were to buy one of these ASX 200 shares today, the rights to the dividend would stay with the seller and not transfer to you.

As a result, a share price will tend to decline in line with the dividend payment to reflect this. After all, why should a buyer pay for something that they aren't going to receive?

Which ASX 200 shares are going ex-dividend?

The following five ASX 200 shares have gone ex-dividend on Tuesday:

Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV)

This fast-fashion jewellery retailer's shares have gone ex-dividend for its fully franked 38 cents per share interim dividend. This will be paid to eligible shareholders next month on 20 April.

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)

Last month, this gold mining giant released its half-year results and declared an 11 cents per share fully franked interim dividend. Eligible shareholders can now look forward to receiving this dividend in their bank accounts towards the end of the month on 29 March.

Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB)

This logistics solutions company will be paying its shareholders a fully franked interim 3.8 cents per share interim dividend next month on 13 April.

Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL)

When this healthcare company released its half-year results last month, it declared a fully franked interim dividend of 42 cents per share. This will be paid to eligible shareholders in a couple of weeks on 22 March.

Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA)

Finally, this fuel retailer's shares have gone ex-dividend today for its 13.3 cents per share fully franked final dividend. This is scheduled to be paid to eligible shareholders later this month on 24 March.

The post 5 ASX 200 shares trading ex-dividend today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) spent a third consecutive day in the red today, falling 0.4% to close at 7,285.4 points.

Meanwhile, the February earnings season continued. Today saw results released by Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN), Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL), Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR), and Blackmores Ltd (ASX: BKL), to name a few.

But none of those names belongs to today's worst-performing sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) led the market's tumble today, falling 1.6%.

Looking to the positive side of the market, the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) jumped 1.1%, helped by the Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC) share price. It gained 3% on the back of the company's 22% jump in profits.

But which ASX 200 share posted the index's biggest gain on Thursday? Let's take a look.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Today's best-performing ASX 200 stock was Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE). It gained 9% to close at $13 after the automotive retailing group posted record underlying profit and full-year dividends.

These shares made today's biggest gains:

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

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

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

Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV)

The Lovisa share price is up 4% to $24.85. This morning, in response to its half-year results from yesterday, analysts at Morgans retained their add rating with an improved price target of $29.00. the broker notes that "LOV reported NPAT of $50.5m (pre-AASB 16), 1% higher than our forecast."

Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL)

The Medibank share price is up 6% to $3.27. This follows the release of the health insurer's half-year results. The company reported a 1.3% increase in revenue to $3.63 billion and a 6.7% lift in underlying net profit after tax to $227 million. This allowed Medibank to increase its fully franked interim dividend by 3.2% to 6.3 cents per share.

Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB)

The Qube share price is up 9% to $3.25. Investors have been buying this logistics solutions company's shares following the release of its half-year results. Qube reported a 23% increase in underlying revenue to $1.5 billion and a 41% jump in net profit after tax to $125 million. This was driven by continuing high volumes across most of Qube's core markets, as well as the full period contribution from prior acquisitions and growth capex.

Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ)

The Smartgroup share price is up 8% to $6.13. This morning, this salary packaging and fleet management company released its full-year results and reported a 1% increase in revenue to $225 million but a 12% decline in net profits after tax before amortisation to $61 million. The latter was at the high end of its guidance range.

The post Why Lovisa, Medibank, Qube, and Smartgroup shares are charging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares, all together, are down 0.3% today.

The benchmark index is under some selling pressure following a 0.3% loss overnight on the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) and a slightly smaller retrace by the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) as investors eye another potential interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.

But that's not stopping these three ASX 200 shares from racing higher today following some strong earnings updates.

Earnings, profits and dividends all higher

Up first, we have logistics solutions provider, Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB).

The ASX 200 share closed yesterday trading for $2.99. Shares are currently trading for $3.25, up 8.5%. That puts the Qube share price up more than 15% so far in 2023.

Investors are bidding up the share price after the company reported some very strong half-year results for the six months ending 31 December, along with a positive growth outlook for the full year.

The company saw a 23% year on year increase in underlying revenue to $1.50 billion.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased 31% to $145 million. And net profits after tax (NPAT) increased by 41% to $125 million.

The Qube board rewarded shareholders with a 3.75 cents per share interim dividend, fully franked. That's up 25% from the interim dividend paid out in 1H FY22.

Which brings us to…

ASX 200 share leaps 8% on full-year results

Also charging higher today is employee management services provider Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ).

Smartgroup shares closed yesterday trading for $5.69. Shares are currently changing hands for $6.14 apiece, up 7.9%. That sees shares up more than 20% so far in 2023.

This comes following the release of the company's full-year results.

Investors look to be bidding up the ASX 200 share with the report that net profits after tax and amortisation (NPATA) came in at the top end of guidance. Full-year NPATA was $61 million, though that was down 12% from 2021.

Revenue, meanwhile, increased by 1% for the full year to $225 million.

Operating EBITDA came in at $93 million, down 9% year on year, which Smartgroup attributed to continuing car supply constraints and higher operating costs. Its EBITDA margin came in at 42% for the year.

Citing the company's strong cash flow conversion, the board declared a final fully franked dividend of 15 cents per share and a special dividend of 14 cents per share, also fully franked.

This sees the ASX 200 share paying out a total of 46 cents per share in dividends for 2022, representing a trailing yield of 7.5%.

And finally…

ASX 200 gambling share in the spotlight

The Lottery Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLC) is also setting the bar high today.

The ASX 200 gambling company's shares closed yesterday trading for $4.86. Shares are currently trading for $5.15, up 5.9%. The Lottery Corporation's share price is now up more than 14% in 2023.

The ASX 200 share reported its own strong half-year results this morning.

Highlights included revenue of $1.92 billion, up 7.7% from 1H FY22. EBITDA leapt 15.8% to $409 million.

The company also declared its maiden interim dividend of 8 cents per share, along with a special dividend of 1 cents per share, both fully franked.

Lottery Corporation's separation from Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) remains on track.

The post 3 ASX 200 shares flying on strong earnings updates appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

One fund manager has chosen five ASX shares that could help investors profit through an uncertain environment in 2023.

SG Hiscock portfolio manager Hamish Tagdell shared his stock picks this week in the Australian Financial Review.

Amid a backdrop of soaring inflation and rising interest rates, Tagdell made the following comments about his thesis for these shares:

One of our greatest learnings through COVID and the last number of years is understanding the difference between uncertainty and risk. Uncertainty means change, which also brings about ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and opportunity.

So let's take a look at which shares he believes could deliver solid returns in the future.

Fundie buys up ASX energy shares

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) was one of Tagdell's top picks. The world's possibly lengthy transition from fossil fuels to renewables was cited as a catalyst for hydrocarbons such as gas, which Woodside produces in spades.

Tagdell said:

We've liked it [Woodside] for a while because we think gas is an important transition fuel in the decarbonisation debate. We think being able to do the energy transition in a reliable way is important.

Earlier this year, Wilsons equity strategist Rob Crookston mirrored Tagdell's sentiment that natural gas will become a key commodity in the coming decades. Crookston stated that gas will end up replacing coal as the second most important energy material by 2030.

Bullish on Woodside and BHP Merger

Tagdell noted the strength of Woodside after it merged its oil and gas business with BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) earlier this year.

BHP itself also earned a spot in Tagdell's portfolio as one of his prominent holdings.

My Fool colleague Tristian noted that the merger confers several benefits that the fundie could be feeling bullish about. One of these benefits included unlocking a possible US$400 million in operational synergies.

Another part of this strength comes from his view that gas will continue to be in hot demand and that it has room for additional growth potential, as Tagdell noted:

Woodside has a strong position, post the BHP deal – it's very well capitalised. In terms of balance sheet, it's got good growth options through Scarborough and the West Australian developments it's looking at. And that's in a world where I think there's clearly an increased demand for gas.

Tagdell deepened his position of investing in natural gas producers and cited another ASX energy share as a top portfolio pick: Cooper Energy Ltd (ASX: COE).

What else is the fundie buying?

Tagdell praised Chorus Ltd (ASX: CNU), saying it laid the foundation to generate a healthy amount of free cash flow, some of which could be diverted back to shareholders in the form of bigger dividends. He also believes that Chorus's shares can be fetched at a discount as they are presently undervalued.

These comments come amid Chorus's strong performance in FY22. Its top and bottom lines expanded, and it issued a final unfranked dividend of 35 cents per share.

Tagdell said:

[Chorus is] moving from investment to operating mode, and we expect a strong increase in free cash flow. That should enable them to start paying attractive dividends and on our valuation it's trading on an eight to nine per cent free cash flow yield, or an EV to EBITDA multiple about eight times at the moment.

Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) was the fund manager's final pick. He cited Qube's undervalued share price and future growth prospects as being strong reasons why the share was added to his portfolios.

Over the last 12 months or so, I think [Qube] delivered 25 per cent underlying earnings growth and is expected to post strong earnings growth into 2023.

And that's a result of its privileged asset position. We think it's underappreciated at the moment, trading on an attractive valuation with attractive growth over the next 12 to 18 months.

The post The difference between uncertainty and risk': 5 ASX shares this fundie is backing for 2023 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Today saw the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) break its four-day winning streak following an earnings shocker on Wall Street last night. Australia's share market barometer — the benchmark index — slipped 0.87% lower to 6,785.7 points.

Leading the market lower on the final day of trade this week were the big names of the materials sector. Of those, Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) and Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN) were the worst hit, both taking more than 6% worth of skin off their noses amid tumbling iron ore prices.

Similarly, the tech section of the ASX 200 tripped over and went for a roll lower. Investors looked to sell down their holdings in various tech companies after US tech stalwarts Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) and Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) were dealt disastrous blows to their valuations.

With all of those negative vibes, let's take a refreshing glance at the portion of the ASX that rocked it today.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Finishing the week in style, the Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) share price took out the top spot as the best-performing share in the ASX 200. This follows the release of the logistic services company's FY23 trading update and outlook yesterday.

Meanwhile, it appeared to be a positive day for the 'groups' of the ASX on Friday — many of which operate in the real estate sector.

Today's biggest gains were made by these shares:

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

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

It's been an eventful week for ASX dividend investors, and not just because of the wipeout we saw on Wednesday.

Numerous companies in the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) have seen their shares turn ex-dividend this week. And many others have started delivering dividend payments to shareholders' accounts.

On Monday, two more ASX 300 shares will be taking away entitlements to their upcoming dividend payments. 

In other words, investors will need to hold shares in these companies by the time the market closes today in order to be eligible to receive their latest dividends.

Let's check out these two ASX 300 shares going ex-dividend on Monday.

Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB)

Today will be the final day to get your hands on the latest dividend from this ASX 300 logistics company.

Qube recently handed in its FY22 results, declaring a final ordinary dividend of 3.3 cents along with a special dividend of 0.7 cents. These dividends are fully franked and will be paid on 18 October.

Qube's special dividend was fuelled by the $1.7 billion sale of its interests in the Moorebank Logistics Park, along with the company's positive earnings outlook.

In FY22, Qube achieved solid revenue and earnings growth through both organic and acquisitive avenues. Underlying revenue leapt 27% to $2.6 billion while underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) jumped 30% to $186 million.

These results were helped by higher volumes across most of the company's core markets, including containers, grain, steel, most mining bulk commodities, and general cargo.

Across the financial year, Qube declared total dividends of 7 cents, fully franked, up 17% from 6 cents in FY21.

The company also returned a further $400 million to shareholders through an off-market share buyback. 

Based on current prices, Qube shares are spinning up a trailing dividend yield of 2.5%. With the benefit of franking credits, this yield bumps up to 3.5%.

Service Stream Limited (ASX: SSM)

Service Stream is the other ASX 300 share going ex-dividend on Monday. 

The network services business released its FY22 results last month, resuming dividend payments by declaring a fully franked final dividend of 1 cent. It will be paid on 5 October.

In what Service Stream described as a "transformational year", the company delivered total revenue of $1.6 billion, up 95%, amidst a challenging operating environment.

While undoubtedly eye-catching at first glance, this near-doubling in revenue was driven by the acquisition of Lendlease Services. 

Last year, Lendlease Group (ASX: LLC) sold its services business to Service Stream for $310 million. The acquisition was completed on 1 November 2021, so Service Stream's FY22 results include 8 months' contribution from the deal.

Excluding Lendlease Services, Service Stream grew its legacy revenue by 3% across the year to $827 million.

Across the group, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) from operations lifted 14% to $91 million. However, adjusted NPAT went backwards, falling 19% to $31 million.

Nonetheless, the ASX 300 share said its strong post-acquisition operating and cash flow results supported a resumption in dividends.

Prior to this, the last time Service Stream paid a dividend was in the first half of FY21. 

Service Stream shares are currently sitting on a trailing dividend yield of 1.3%, which grosses up to 1.9% including franking credits.

The post These ASX 300 shares are trading ex-dividend on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Ask A Fund Manager

The Motley Fool chats with the best in the industry so that you can get an insight into how the professionals think. In this edition, SG Hiscock portfolio manager Hamish Tadgell explains why he'd currently buy three particular ASX shares.

Hottest ASX shares

The Motley Fool: So having said the investment environment has permanently changed in 2022, what are the three best stock buys right now?

Hamish Tadgell: We're bottom-up investors at the end of the day. Our three best ideas coming out of reporting season would be, one, Cooper Energy Ltd (ASX: COE). 

It's an east coast gas producer, well positioned I think to participate in the current structural shortfall in east coast gas, and particularly in Victoria and the energy transition to a lower carbon economy. 

It's had a difficult couple of years with the commissioning of a gas plant — the sole gas plant — which AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) operated for them down in Gippsland. [It] has seen the company not meet its production targets, but we think that's turning the corner. Recently they've taken control of that gas plant. [Cooper] bought it off AGL, and ramping up production, and there's a series of catalysts that we see over the coming 12 months, which I think positions that company very well for a strong re-rating.

MF: For an energy company, the share price hasn't lit the world on fire this year, has it? But that gives it upside?

HT: The backdrop is incredibly attractive. The thematic is incredibly attractive. Now east coast gas prices 12 months ago were probably at $6 to $8. They're now $10 to $15, and we don't see them coming back in a hurry. 

More to the point, we think that Cooper's going to have a lot more gas to sell over the next 12 months than they did the last 12 months as a result of fixing some of the plant problems that they've had.

MF: Your second ASX share to buy?

HT: The second one would be Chorus Ltd (ASX: CNU), which is the NBN equivalent, if you like, in New Zealand. It's a virtual monopoly operating the New Zealand fibre network. It's got some 88% or close to 90% of the fibre market in New Zealand. 

It's clearly benefiting from the strong continuing demand for data and streaming, which was only reconfirmed through COVID and with people working from home and watching more Netflix Inc and all those sorts of things — the demand has been increasing for those services. 

More importantly, the stock's moving from building out the network and the pretty high CapEx over the last four or five years, to [now] becoming an operating asset.

So the CapEx hump, if you like, dropped significantly this year, and we see very strong free cash flow for this stock starting to emerge over this year and the next number of years — and a growing dividend. 

When you look at it, it's trading on a free cash flow yield of 8% to 9% on nine times EV to EBITDA. Look at some similar assets. This is a social infrastructure asset, a high-quality asset. Unity Group, which was recently bought by private equity, sold around 20 times EV to EBITDA. And then I look at something like Transurban Group (ASX: TCL), which again, is a high-quality social infrastructure asset, perhaps a little less regulatory risk, but it trades on 23.5 times. 

[Chorus] trading on nine… looks incredibly cheap to us for what I think will be a very strong, free cash flow and good dividend growing stock over the next number of years.

MF: And your last pick?

HT: I'd say Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB). It's Australia's largest integrated provider of import, export logistics. And these are highly strategic assets with very strong, sustainable, competitive advantage, long-term contracts and importantly, pricing power, which I think will be increasingly important in the inflationary environment we're in. 

It's proved actually to be a remarkably resilient business over the last 12 months. Its results just last month just showed that despite COVID, inflation, extreme weather events, supply chain disruption, labour issues, and China lockdowns, it's still produced very resilient earnings and growth. 

And more to the point, with the company having recently sold, over the last 12 months, sold out of Moorebank. So it was developing a big industrial park up in New South Wales, and a lot of people were concerned that it was really a property play and they'd overstretched their balance sheet a bit, and concerned about the debt levels. Well, they sold that, returned quite a bit of that capital to shareholders, but also paid down quite a bit of their debt. 

We see them incredibly well positioned to continue to grow over the next couple of years. At the end of the day, Australia is an island — it's dependent upon imports and exports, and this company's the largest provider of those services. And we think it's an incredibly well-managed business, very well diversified, and it's got some good strong growth prospects over the next few years.

MF: It also gives out a dividend, doesn't it?

HT: Yeah, it does. It's not a high dividend — it's probably only 2% or 3% yield, but it's really a growth stock. 

It's, in our mind, a GDP+ type business. The diversification… it's in every part of the economy: retail, mining, agriculture, you think about anything basically that comes in or goes out of Australia, they handle it. So it's a real proxy for the economy, but also [has] been a very good allocator of capital over time and made some very good bolt-on acquisitions.

The post 'Incredibly cheap': Fundie reveals 3 ASX shares he'd buy right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

Other market favourites to move on reporting today included:

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

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

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

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

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

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

Our top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

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

The Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) share price is gathering steam on Thursday after the logistics company handed in its full-year FY22 results.

The Qube share price opened 4.1% higher this morning and has continued to gain ground, up 6.1% at the time of writing.

Qube share price lifts as profit soars 

Here are the key takeaways from Qube's report for the 12 months ended 30 June:

• Underlying revenue came in at $2.6 billion – up 27% compared to the prior corresponding period (pcp) of FY21
• Underlying earnings before interest, tax, and amortisation (EBITA) leapt 21% on the pcp to $221.1 million
• Underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) jumped 30% on the pcp to $185.7 million
• A fully franked final ordinary dividend of 3.3 cents was declared
• The board also declared a fully franked special dividend of 0.7 cents 

Qube reported underlying results to more accurately reflect the continuing operations of the business.

During the year, the company discontinued its property division and finalised the sale of its interests in the Moorebank Logistics Park (MLP).

Qube's special dividend was fuelled by this $1.7 billion sale, along with the company's positive earnings outlook.

The dividends declared today take the full-year total to a record 7 cents per share, fully franked. This puts Qube shares on a trailing dividend yield of 2.4%.

What else happened in FY22?

Qube achieved solid revenue and earnings growth in FY22 through organic growth in its operating division, margin improvement in the Patrick business, and the contribution from acquisitions.

The strong result also reflects higher volumes across most of the company's core markets, including containers, grain, steel, most mining bulk commodities, and general cargo.

Despite slightly reduced volumes, Patrick Terminals delivered NPAT growth of 32% as the business benefited from operational efficiency initiatives. Qube holds a 50% interest in the container terminals business.

During the year, Qube also completed a $400 million off-market share buyback. Shareholders cheered this decision at the time, sending the Qube share price higher.

What did management say?

Commenting on the results, Managing Director Paul Digney was upbeat, saying:

In FY22, the strength across most of our core markets including containers, grain, steel, most mining bulk commodities, energy and general cargo enabled Qube to deliver strong earnings growth despite weakness in certain markets and continued cost and operational impacts from COVID-19.

It also demonstrates Qube's ability to effectively mitigate cost pressures through scale, operational performance, and productivity initiatives, as well as through contractual mechanisms.

What's next?

Looking ahead, the Qube share price will be supported by management's expectations of continued strong growth in underlying revenue and earnings in its operating division.

Management is also anticipating strong growth in underlying earnings for Patrick. This will be driven by modest market growth, stable market share, and improved margins.

Encouragingly, Qube doesn't expect cost inflation to materially impact its earnings. The company is able to recover higher costs through a combination of contractual protections, rate adjustments, and productivity improvement.

Qube share price snapshot

Despite today's rise, the Qube share price has fallen 10% since the start of 2022. Zooming out further, the Qube share price has retreated 6% over the last 12 months.

For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has backpedalled 7% this year. And it's down 6% compared to this time last year.

The post Qube share price bounces 6% as dividend delights appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bounced back for most of Friday before plunging into the red, weighed down by energy shares. The index was 0.43% lower at 6,539.90 points as of the final close of the week.   

The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) fell more than 3.3% today, weighed down by oil prices.

Global oil prices fell between 1.2% and 3.7% on Thursday as the OPEC+ confirmed it would increase output in August as much as previously announced amid supply concerns. The fall saw oil prices recording their first monthly decline in 2022.

ASX 200 materials shares also underperformed on the back of lower base metal prices, after the price of copper recorded its worst quarter since 2011.

But it wasn't all dire today. Real estate and industrials bolstered the market, with the sectors each gaining more than 1%.

All in all, eight of the ASX 200's 11 sectors ended Friday's session in the green.

But which ASX share bested the rest to take out the crown of today's top performer? Read on to find out.

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

The best performing share of the 200 largest ASX shares by market capitalisation on Friday might surprise market watchers.

It was none other than Air New Zealand Limited (ASX: AIZ). The airline has taken off nearly 7% on Friday to trade at 53.5 cents. Find out what Air New Zealand has been up to, here.

Its performance was shadowed by that of Latitude Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: LFS). Learn more about Latitude here.

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

Data as at 3:59pm 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, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bolted upwards in the morning before strength moderated in the afternoon following worse than expected economic data out of China. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.25% higher at 7,093 points.

Despite the market getting a dose of concerning data from China, most ASX shares pushed onwards and upwards today. The biggest winners could be found in the tech and industrial sectors, with investors willing to bring back the bidding pressure.

At the other end of the market, the healthcare sector was the straggler at the back of the pack. A handful of healthcare shares had a green glimmer, though CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) weighed the sector down.

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, Brambles Ltd (ASX: BXB) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the pooling solutions company spiked 11.22% after confirming it is in early takeover talks with CVC Capital that could value Brambles at more than $20 billion. Find out more about Brambles here.

The next best performing ASX share across the market today was Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB). The logistics company's share price strengthened by 5.76% today after announcing the completion of its $400 million share buyback program. Uncover the latest Qube 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.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is continuing to claw back ground as we open for another trading week so far this Monday. After the heavy selloff of most of last week, the ASX 200 is continuing to build on the momentum of last Friday's session and is currently up another 0.3% to just under 7,100 points at the time of writing.

But let's dive a little deeper into these share market moves and take a look at the ASX 200 shares currently at the top of the market's trading volume charts, according to investing.com.

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Monday

Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB)

Infrastructure and logistics company Qube is our first ASX 200 share to check out today. So far this Monday, a solid 14.77 million Qube shares have been bounced around the ASX boards. This comes after a major announcement from the company this morning.

According to an ASX release put out before market open, Qube has just completed its $400 million off-market share buyback program. The program was so popular that the company had to scale it back. Perhaps in response to this announcement, Qube shares are rocketing almost 6% today and are now going for $2.94 each. It's probably this combination that we can thank for this elevated trading volume we see.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

ASX 200 lithium stock Pilbara is our next cab off the rank today. As it currently stands, a hefty 17.01 million Pilbara shares have traded hands on the markets this Monday. There's no news out of Pilbara so far today, or indeed over May thus far. In saying that, Pilbarra shares are continuing to surge higher. They are up another 4.86% so far today to $2.59 at the present time. It's this sharp appreciation that has probably sparked these higher levels of trading.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

Paladin Energy is our final and most traded share of the day right now. This Monday has seen a sizeable 21.27 million of this ASX 200 uranium company's shares bought and sold thus far. Again, we have no news out of Paladin. But we have had some significant volatility today. Paladin shares initially rocketed after open, rising as high as 70 cents. However, sentiment seems to have cooled somewhat, and the company is now back in the red, going for 66 cents right now, down 0.75% for the day. It's this whipsawing that has probably gotten Paladin to where it is on this list.

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

Four ASX shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are charging higher:

Brambles Limited (ASX: BXB)

The Brambles share price is up 11% to $11.59. This follows news that the logistics solutions company is having takeover talks with private equity giant CVC Partners. However, the company has stressed that it hasn't received a proposal yet. Brambles also warned that there is no certainty that the discussions will lead to a binding proposal being received.

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)

The Core Lithium share price is up 3% to $1.18. Investors have been buying this lithium developer's shares following a strong night for lithium shares on Wall Street on Friday. For example, lithium giants Albemarle, Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), and Livent Corp rose 7%, 9.5%, and 12.5%, respectively, during Friday's session.

Infomedia Limited (ASX: IFM)

The Infomedia share price has jumped 28% to $1.64. This has been driven by the news that the automotive industry software company has received a takeover offer. According to the release, the TA Consortium has offered $1.70 cash per share. This represents a 32.8% premium to the Infomedia share price prior to its trading halt.

Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB)

The Qube share price is up 6% to $2.95. This morning the logistics company announced the completion of its off-market share buyback. Qube has bought back $400 million of shares at $2.59 per share. This represents 154 million shares, which equates to 8% of its shares outstanding. The buyback price comprises a capital component of $1.61 per share and a dividend component of 98 cents per share.

The post Why Brambles, Core Lithium, Infomedia, and Qube shares are charging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Friday and end the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to rebound

The Australian share market looks set to end the week on a positive note following a solid night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 39 points or 0.5% higher this morning. In the US, the Dow Jones rose 0.25%, the S&P 500 was up 0.4%, and the Nasdaq edged ever so slightly higher.

Oil prices rise

Energy producers including Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could have a decent finish to the week after oil prices pushed higher. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.75% to US$96.98 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 0.3% to US$101.34 a barrel. Further sanctions on Russian oil boosted prices.

Iron ore price falls

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) shares could have a subdued finish to the week after the iron ore price pulled back. According to Metal Bulletin, the spot benchmark iron ore price dropped 3.2% to US$155.05 a tonne.

Dividends being paid

A number of ASX 200 shares will be paying their latest dividends on Friday. This includes funerals company InvoCare Limited (ASX: IVC), administration services company Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX: LNK), logistics infrastructure company Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB), and logistics solutions platform provider WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC).

Gold price rises

Gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) and St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) could have a decent finish to the week after the gold price pushed higher. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.6% to US$1,934.7 an ounce. Traders were buying gold as an inflation hedge.

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

Block Inc (ASX: SQ2)

The Block share price is up 9% to $184.25. At one stage today, the payments giant's shares jumped 11% to reach their highest level since listing on the Australian share market. It also meant that Block's shares were up a whopping 60% in less than a month. This follows a strong night of trade for its NYSE shares on Friday night.

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)

The Core Lithium share price is up 8% to $1.22. A number of lithium shares are hurtling higher today amid bullish sentiment in the sector. Core Lithium, which recently signed a supply agreement with Tesla, saw its shares hit a record high this morning.

Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR)

The Liontown share price is up 6% to $1.76. This morning the lithium developer advised that it has received all assays from the recently completed drilling campaign at the Buldania Lithium Project in Western Australia. Liontown revealed that results included shallow extensions to the Anna deposit as well as regional geochemical/geological targets within the Northwest prospect.

Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB)

The Qube share price is up almost 1.5% to $3.05. Investors have been buying this logistics facilities company's shares after it announced a $400 million off market share buyback. Qube decided to undertake a share buyback following a strong performance during the first half and the completion of the Moorebank Logistics Park transaction.

The post Why Block, Core Lithium, Liontown, and Qube shares are rising appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Here's what is happening on the ASX 200 today:

Hamish Douglass resigns as Magellan director

The Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) share price is trading lower today. This follows news that the embattled fund manager's founder, Hamish Douglass, has resigned as a director with immediate effect. Douglass took indefinite leave from the role as Chairman last month following a period of intense pressure and focus on both his professional and personal life.

Block share price reaches ASX high

The tech sector has been performing positively on Monday with the Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) share price the highlight. Its shares jumped 11% in morning trade to reach their highest level since listing on the Australian share market. This latest gain means the Block share price is now up over 60% in less than a month. The S&P ASX All Technology index is up 1.9% at the time of writing.

Qube announces $400m share buyback

The Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) share price is rising today after the logistics facilities company announced a $400 million off market share buyback. Qube decided to buy back shares following a strong performance during the first half and the completion of the Moorebank Logistics Park transaction.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers

The best performer on the ASX 200 index on Monday has been the Block share price with a gain of almost 9%. This follows a strong rise by its US listed shares on Friday night. The worst performer has been the Atlas Arteria Group (ASX: ALX) share price with a 4% decline on no news. The toll road operator's shares trade ex-dividend tomorrow but some shareholders aren't sticking around to qualify for its final dividend.

The post ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Hamish Douglass resigns from Magellan, Block jumps appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In morning trade, the logistics facilities company's shares are up 3% to $3.10.

Why is the Qube share price rising today?

The catalyst for the rise in the Qube share price today has been the release of a positive announcement this morning.

According to the release, following a strong performance in the first half of FY 2022 and the completion of the Moorebank Logistics Park transaction, Qube will return up to $400 million of capital to shareholders over the remainder of FY 2022.

The company will do this via an off-market buyback program conducted via a tender process that aims to complete in May.

Management commentary

Qube's Managing Director, Paul Digney, said "The completion of the sale of Moorebank Logistics Park, coupled with Qube's strong financial performance in achieving record underlying earnings (NPATA) in FY21 and H1 FY22, have contributed to a strong capital position, allowing us to announce this off-market Buy-Back."

Qube's Chairman, Allan Davies, revealed that the buyback program was judged to be the best way to return funds to shareholders.

He explained: "The Board has carefully considered how best to return capital to shareholders and we believe that the off-market Buy-Back announced today is the most effective method to return significant value to all our shareholders and optimise our capital structure at this time."

"It enables a higher number of Qube shares to be bought back in a shorter timeframe and it reduces our share count faster than an on-market buy-back of Qube shares. In turn, a lower capital base and share count supports Qube's future earnings per share and dividends per share, all things being equal," Davies added.

What's next?

Qube advised that it will repurchase shares under the buyback at a discount of between 5% and 14% to the volume weighted average price (VWAP) of the Qube share price for the five trading days up to and including the closing date of 13 May.

The buyback price will comprise a capital component of $1.61 per share and a fully franked deemed dividend equal to the buyback price less the $1.61 per share.

The post Qube (ASX:QUB) share price rises amid $400m off-market buyback appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

A portfolio manager has shed light on reasons to hold selective ASX shares amid the COVID-19 reopening and rising interest rates.

The fundie is holding Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL), Corporate Travel Management (ASX: CTD), Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY), and Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB).

Let's take a look at why this expert is interested in these shares.

Why are these ASX shares beneficial?

SG Hiscock High Conviction Fund portfolio manager Hamish Tadgell outlined why he favours certain "reopening trades" at this time. Speaking to the Australian Financial Review, Tadgell said:

We continue to favour selective reopening trades and higher cyclical exposure which not only stand to benefit as demand recovers from the pandemic but also as rates tighten.

Outlining his reasons for this outlook on specific shares, Tadgell said:

Aristocrat Leisure and Corporate Travel … have experienced COVID-19 headwinds, but [have] been able to emerge stronger through taking market share and actively participating in industry consolidation.

Aristocrat is an Australian gaming technology company operating in 90 countries with multiple product offerings including pokie machines and casino management systems.

Meantime, Corporate Travel Management is a travel company offering events, leisure, loyalty, and wholesale travel to the corporate sector.

Commenting on two other shares he would hold, Tadgell added:

Cleanaway and Qube Logistics are two other quality companies with market leadership, a strong competitive advantage, assets that [are] hard to replicate and should benefit as borders open and volumes in their respective sectors recover.

Cleanaway is a waste management company providing environmental solutions in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Qube is a logistics company operating in 130 locations including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea.

The Aristocrat share price finished 1.65% higher on Tuesday, while Corporate Travel slid 2.48%. Cleanaway closed the session 0.37% in the green today and Qube dropped 1.99%.

Share price recap

Aristocrat shares have gained 6% in the past year, while Corporate Travel Management is 7% higher.

Cleanaway has had a solid past 12 months, climbing nearly 19% although Qube has dropped more than 1% over that time.

For perspective, the  S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned 3.57% in the past year.

The post 4 ASX shares we're holding for both reopening and higher interest rates: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) share price edged slightly higher today following the release of the company's half-year financial results.

While the Qube share price closed at an increase of just 0.36% at $2.82, shares were trading at a high volume today.

To compare, the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) dropped 2.19%, and the broader All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) closed down 2.95%.

Let's dive in…

Qube share price up on rise in revenue

The Qube share price made gains today after the logistics provider reported the following highlights for the half-year (ending 31 December 2021):

• Revenue up 26.7% on the prior corresponding period (pcp) to $1.19 billion
• Earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation (EBITA) up 0.7% to $95.1 million
• Net profit after tax (NPAT) down 2.6% to $56.3 million
• Net profit after tax plus amortisation (NPATA) down 2.3% to $64.8 million
• Earnings per share (EPS) down 2.9% to $3.4 million
• Fully franked dividend of 3 cents per share.

These statutory earnings also account for discontinued operations — including its Moorebank Logistics Park (MLP) in South Western Sydney that was monetised in the middle of December. Qube said this monetisation of the site would realise "substantial value for shareholders".

Excluding discontinued operations, EBITA was $112.3 million.

Qube aims for continued growth

Looking at its underlying earnings (NPATA), Qube experienced a record 16.9% increase against the prior corresponding period. Underlying EBITA also rose 18.9% while underlying EPS was up 15.9%.

Despite facing COVID-19 challenges, the company attributed its earnings to "continued organic growth" and "acquisitions and growth capex (capital expenditure) completed in the prior and current periods".

Looking more closely at its operations, the company saw particular earnings growth at Patrick — "Australia's leading container terminal operator". This came "despite scheduling issues and industrial disputes".

Moving forward, Qube aims to see these earnings and EPS growth continue, should the climate of the wider market and COVID-19 challenges remain favourable.

As such, the company said its "strong balance sheet" would assist its "capital management initiatives of $400 million". These are aimed to start in the second half of the financial year.

Finally, the company revealed a 20% boost to its dividend, to 3 cents per share (fully franked). It will be paid to investors on 8 April.

What did management say?

Commenting on the results that helped edge the Qube share price into the green, managing director Paul Digney said:

This is a very strong result in the face of COVID uncertainty and the global supply chain disruptions. It demonstrates once again the robust and resilient nature of Qube's diversification strategy.

For more than a decade we have been building Qube to ensure diversification by asset, location and customer nationwide.

Qube is well placed to manage any emerging inflationary pressures including through contractual protections, ongoing productivity initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce costs, and pro-active engagement with customers to review their roaster logistics supply chain requirements.

Qube share price snapshot

Over the last 12 months, the Qube share price has dropped by nearly 9%. During that year, its shares saw a 52-week high price of $3.46 in September, following the company's announcement to acquire Newcastle Agri Terminal (NAT).

The Qube share price hit a 52-week low of $2.72 earlier this week.

The company has a market capitalisation of $5.39 billion.

The post Qube (ASX:QUB) share price rises on 'strong result' appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.