The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended 0.5% higher today to 5,391.1 points, with some shares jumping higher to help the index go higher.
Today the Australian government outlined different steps for the country to get back to normal. If it goes well then Australia would be far ahead of many other countries and it could be a boost for the ASX 200.
Here are some of the ASX 200 highlights:
Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)
One of Australia's biggest financial businesses reported its FY20 full year result today.
The one positive from the result was that assets under management (AUM) increased by 10% to $606.9 billion.
FY20 net profit dropped 8% to $2.73 billion largely because of credit and impairments of $1.04 billion primarily related to the potential economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. FY20 earnings per share (EPS) was $7.91, down 10%.
The Macquarie board declared a final dividend of $1.80 per share, amounting to a full year dividend of $4.30 – down 25% from last year.
The ASX 200 investment bank's share price went up 5.7%.
REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)
The owner of realestate.com.au reported its March 2020 quarter today which saw revenue rise 1% to $199.8 million, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 8% to $119.6 million but free cash flow dropped 20% to $66.7 million.
In April the company said that national residential listings were down 33%, Sydney residential listings were down 18% and Melbourne residential listings were down 27%.
REA Group also said that it strengthened its liquidity position by entering into an additional $149 million loan facility. It also arranged a $20 million overdraft facility with NAB.
The REA Group share price went up 7.7% today and it was one of the best performers within the ASX 200.
Strong movers
There were some strong movers within the ASX 200 today with Australia getting closer to opening up.
The AP Eagers Ltd (ASX: APE) share price went up almost 10%.
The Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price rose by 9.3%.
The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price went up 8.1%.
The Pendal Group Ltd (ASX: PDL) share price grew by 7.5%.
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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited and Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and REA Group Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.
