Although it started strongly, a surprise increase in Australian unemployment was enough to send the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) lower in afternoon trade. At present the index is 0.1% lower to 5,767 points.
Four shares which have acted as a drag on the market are listed below:
The Ainsworth Game Technology Limited (ASX: AGI) share price has fallen 4% to $1.82 today despite there being no news out of the gaming machine developer. Today's decline means its shares have fallen almost 14% year-to-date. A reasonably disappointing 4.3% drop in half-year profit in February appears to be the reason behind the sell-off.
The Eclipx Group Ltd (ASX: ECX) share price has dropped 4% to $3.86 today. Once again there was no news out of the company to explain today's move. But with its shares up 36% in the last 12 months and changing hands at 20x trailing earnings, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a touch of profit taking going on today.
The Estia Health Ltd (ASX: EHE) share price has tumbled 3.5% to $2.99. Although Estia Health delivered a strong first-half result, I'm reasonably sceptical that the company will deliver on its full-year guidance. For this reason I would suggest investors lock in their year-to-date return of around 15%. Rival aged care operator Regis Healthcare Ltd (ASX: REG) has also fallen by a similar amount today.
The Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR) share price is down 4.5% to $1.09 following the release of a mixed first-half result. Although half-year sales were down a touch following a weak second quarter, half-year profit rose 5.3% to $62.8 million. One bright spot was the performance of its online segment. Online sales rose 48% during the half.
