The Australian economy may have been exhibiting strong growth today, but sadly that hasn't been the case for the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO), which has declined by almost 1% to 5329 points.
Today's declines are largely attributable to the energy sector, which posted a decline of over 3% in response to softer oil prices.
Across the market as a whole, these four shares stood out with strong declines. Here's why:
3P Learning Ltd (ASX: 3PL) shareholders look away now. Its share price has plummeted around 29% to 76.5 cents today following the release of a trading update to the market. The cloud-based education software provider's update revealed that full year revenue growth is now expected to fall in the range of 7% to 9% year-on-year. It was up by 25% in its half-year results, so there appears to have been a real drop in momentum in the last few months.
3PL Learning's share price has now plunged by 62% so far in 2016.
Henderson Group plc (ASX: HGG) shares have declined by almost 4% to $5.27 on the back of concerns that a Brexit might be on the cards. An exit vote had been looking reasonably unlikely until credible polling agencies overnight suggested voters may be leaning towards an exit from the European Union. There is a great deal of concern over the ramifications of a Brexit vote on British and European financial markets. As Henderson and BT Investment Management Ltd (ASX: BTT) have large exposure to these markets, it is no surprise to see them head lower today.
Henderson's share price is down by around 16% year-to-date.
Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS) shares have fallen around 5% to $1.95 today despite there being no news out of the company. There could be an element of profit taking going on after such strong gains in the last three months. Alternatively, reports that UBS believes ALDI is starting to appeal to more wealthy white-collar shoppers could be making some investors nervous. Metcash is expected to report its full year results in just under two weeks. This should give us an indication of how the company is holding up against the ALDI onslaught.
Metcash shares are still up by around 35% in the last 12 months despite today's decline.
Sundance Energy Australia Ltd (ASX: SEA) shares have dropped 21% to 13 cents today following the announcement of an $80 million capital raising. The onshore oil and gas company raised capital with a placement of 615.4 million shares at 13 cents a piece. For this reason it comes as little surprise to see the share price drop in line with the placement price. Management revealed that proceeds from this placement will be used to accelerate development, provide working capital to target bolt-on acquisitions and for transaction costs.
Sundance Energy shares have now lost 88% of their value in the last two years.
