Although it is turning out to be a pretty disappointing day for ASX shares today, we mustn't forget that the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a top month last month. Over October, the ASX 200 gained a healthy 6%. But sadly, the same can't be said for Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) shares.
Coles had a fairly miserable month of October. The ASX 200 grocery giant started the month at $16.43 a share. But the Coles share price ended up at $16.33 by the end. That's a slide of 0.61%, and an unhappy underperformance of the markets of 5.39%.
So why were Coles shares so shunned over October? The supermarket operator seemed to miss out on all of that goodwill from investors.
Well, one of the primary catalysts appeared to be the first quarter update that Coles delivered late into the month.
The company reported a 1.3% increase in group sales over the three months to September 30. Supermarket sales rose by 1.6% and express sales by 8.4%. However, liquor sales declined by 4.3%.
As we covered at the time, some investors were expecting more, so the markets seemed disappointed with these numbers.
Coles' management also flagged that the company is "not immune to the inflationary cost pressures", so that probably didn't help investors' confidence either. That was despite the company banking price inflation of 7.1% compared to 4.3% in the previous quarter.
The release of this update saw the Coles share price drop around 3% on the day, ensuring that Coles shares stayed in the red for October.
So what now for Coles shares?
After this disappointing month, many investors might be wondering what's next for the Coles share price?
Well, at least one expert is still bullish on the company.
As my Fool colleague James reported last week, ASX broker Morgans is one expert eyeing off Coles at the current levels. The broker has recently put out an add rating on the company, complete with a 12-month share price target of $19.50.
If realised, that would give investors an upside of more than 20% from the current level. Here's some of what Morgans had to say:
Trading on 20.6x FY23F PE [price-to-earnings ratio) and 4.0% yield, we continue to see COL as offering good value with the company's solid balance sheet and defensive characteristics putting it in a good position to navigate through a weaker economic environment. The unwinding of local shopping should also help further market share gains.
Morgans is also expecting the company to keep raising its dividend. It anticipates dividend payments of 64 cents per share for FY 2023 and 66 cents per share for FY 2024.
No doubt investors will be overjoyed to hear this optimistic tone from this ASX broker. But we'll have to wait and see what the next 12 months have in store for Coles shares.
