In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to end the week with a small decline. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down slightly to 8,519.3 points.
Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are charging higher:
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Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)
The Domino's share price is up almost 22% to $35.99. This follows the release of an upbeat trading update and the first outcomes of a detailed operational and financial review. The latter is aiming to create a simpler and better Domino's. Among the outcomes announced today is a plan to close 172 stores in Japan. These closures are expected to generate $10 million to $12 million annualised EBIT uplift while incurring one-off restructuring costs of $61.8 million. It is also worth noting that as one of the most shorted ASX shares, it is possible that a short squeeze is taking place today amid the good news.
Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK)
The Nick Scali share price is up 13% to $18.37. Investors have been buying the furniture retailer's shares following the release of its half year results. While the company posted a 22.8% decline in underlying net profit to $33.2 million, this was ahead of expectations. Also going down well with investors was the announcement of a 30 cents per share fully franked interim dividend.
REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA)
The REA Group share price is up over 2% to $260.45. This has been driven by a positive reaction from brokers to yesterday's half year results. One of those brokers is Bell Potter, which has retained its buy rating on the property listings company's shares with an improved price target of $281.00 (from $258.00). Commenting on its buy recommendation, Bell Potter said: "We cautiously maintain our Buy rec. flagging potential volatility in the near term. Our TP is increased on rolling fwd our model to 100% FY26. REA's strong cash flow profile allows for sustained platform reinvestment to target double-digit yield growth through the cycle, including a next-gen listing platform to drive CX and higher quality leads to vendors."
Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG)
The Sigma share price is up 5.5% to $2.99. This morning, this pharmacy chain operator and wholesale distributor released an update on its FY 2025 earnings guidance. It advised that it has upgraded its full year normalised EBIT guidance to $64 million to $70 million. This is up from its previous guidance of $50 million to $60 million. Management commented: "The upgrade follows improved operational performance, including the strong execution of the new Chemist Warehouse supply contract that commenced on 1 July 2024, demonstrating our ability to efficiently absorb volume growth."
