In late morning trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has given back its earlier gains and dropped lower. At the time of writing the benchmark index is down 0.5% to 5,817.1 points.
Four shares which haven't let that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are racing higher:
The Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price is up 3.5% to $30.48. This appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Macquarie this morning. According to the note, the broker has commenced coverage on the artificial intelligence company with an outperform rating and $38.00 price target. Macquarie believes that Appen's Relevance segment is well placed for strong long term growth.
The Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) share price has jumped 11% to $2.81. This follows an announcement by the healthcare company this morning which revealed that it has agreed to sell its medical centres to BGH Capital. Healius has agreed a fee of $500 million with the private equity firm. Completion of the transaction is expected to occur before the end of 2020. It remains subject to a number of conditions including approval by the Foreign Investment Review Board.
The IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) share price is up 2% to $16.66. Investors have been buying the student placement and language testing company's shares after analysts at Morgan Stanley retained their overweight rating and $17.50 price target. It appears confident in its long term outlook despite the difficult trading conditions it is currently experiencing.
The Propel Funeral Partners Ltd (ASX: PFP) share price is up 3% to $2.97 after the funeral company released a trading update. According to the release, Propel experienced an 8% increase in its average revenue per funeral metric during the month of May. This follows the easing of social distancing limits. As a result, the company is on track for another record year and expects revenue of $110 million and operating earnings of $32 million in FY 2020.
