In early afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to end the week deep in the red. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 1.5% to 7,228.6 points.
Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are pushing higher:
Althea Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: AGH)
The Althea share price is up 3% to 36 cents. Investors have been buying the cannabis company's shares after it signed a manufacturing agreement with Delshen Therapeutics Corp. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of 48North Cannabis Corp, which is a Canadian cannabis licensed operator and brand marketer. According to the release, Althea's Peak Processing Solutions business will manufacture four products for 48North's Latitude brand with minimum order quantities of C$1.25 million.
Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8)
The Audinate share price has jumped 6.5% to $9.19. This follows the release of a full year update by the audio over IP networking solution provider. That update reveals that Audinate achieved revenue of US$25 million in FY 2021. This was an increase of 23% from the US$20.4 million it achieved a year earlier. Audinate's solid growth was driven partly by an extremely strong fourth quarter performance. During the three months ended 30 June, the company's revenue increased 74% over the prior corresponding period.
Perenti Global Ltd (ASX: PRN)
The Perenti share price is up almost 3% to 75.5 cents. The catalyst for this was an announcement that the engineering company's Barminco business has finalised a contract with Panoramic Resources Limited (ASX: PAN). The contract is for development and production works at the Savannah Nickel Project in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The finalised contract represents a value of approximately $280 million over a four-year term.
Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA)
The Viva Energy share price is up over 4% to $2.05. Investors have been buying the energy company's shares following the release of a first half update. According to the release, Viva Energy had a very strong first half thanks to sales growth from its non-aviation businesses. It expects first half operating earnings of $390 million to $410 million. This will be an increase of 34% over the pre-pandemic levels of FY 2019.
