In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has followed Wall Street's lead and is pushing higher. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.3% to 8,197.4 points.
Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are falling:
Aurizon Holdings Ltd (ASX: AZJ)
The Aurizon share price is down almost 3% to $3.16. This has been driven by the rail freight operator's shares going ex-dividend this morning. Last month, the company released its half year results and reported a 14% decline in net profit after tax to $205 million. This forced the Aurizon board to cut its dividend by 5% to 9.2 cents per share. This is now scheduled to be paid to eligible shareholders later this month on 26 March.
Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN)
The Brainchip share price is down a further 2.5% to 20.5 cents. Investors have been selling off this struggling semiconductor company's shares after it announced that it was looking at delisting from the ASX. After disappointing for countless years and failing to generate any meaningful revenue, Brainchip is looking to relist in the United States. Brainchip also announced another capital call notice. This will see LDA Capital sell up to 40 million new Brainchip shares to raise funds for the company.
Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6)
The Clarity Pharmaceuticals share price is down 21% to $2.80. This appears to have been in response to the pharmaceutical company's half year results, which were released just before the market close on Friday. For the six months ended 31 December, Clarity posted a $23.6 million loss after tax. This is up from a $17.2 million loss a year earlier. Management notes that this reflects an increase in research and development expenditure, which was up $8.9 million to $28.6 million due to an increase in clinical trial activities. Nevertheless, Clarity remains well funded with $111.2 million in cash and term deposits, together with the FY 2024 R&D Tax Incentive receivable of $11 million.
Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)
The Domino's Pizza share price is down almost 4% to $27.23. This also appears to have been caused by its shares going ex-dividend this morning. Last week, the pizza chain operator released its half year results and posted a 6.7% decline in EBIT to $100.6 million. But despite its weaker earnings, the Domino's board elected to maintain its unfranked interim dividend at 55.5 cents per share. This will be paid to eligible shareholders in around a month on 2 April.
