Four ASX shares that are rising more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are climbing:

Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS)

The EOS share price is up 7% to $9.52. Investors have been buying this defence and space company's shares after a major sell-off on Tuesday. That sell-off was triggered by news that the company's CEO, Dr Andreas Schwer, was given approval to sell 2.5 million EOS shares on-market following the exercise of options that were granted under a long-term incentive plan. Some investors may believe the selling was an overreaction, especially after its CEO committed to retain a shareholding well above the minimum levels required under its recently announced shareholding policy.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price is up 5.5% to 69.2 cents. This is despite the financial services company revealing that the Takeovers Panel made a declaration of unacceptable circumstances. It said: "[T]he Panel considered that the following statements in Humm's 17 December 2025 announcement of the conditional, non-binding indicative offer from Credit Corp Group Limited (Credit Corp) to acquire control of Humm (Credit Corp Proposal) were misleading and contrary to an efficient, competitive and informed market." The Panel advised that it is still considering whether it should make final orders.

New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC)

The New Hope share price is up 6% to $5.27. This may have been driven by a broker note out of Bell Potter this morning. In response to its half-year results, Bell Potter has upgraded the coal miner's shares to a hold rating with a $4.50 price target. It said: "We upgrade to a Hold recommendation and apply a 5% premium to our sum of the parts valuation with energy security concerns exacerbated by recent geopolitical issues. NHC's low-cost operations will continue to underpin margins through the coal price cycle, funding capital expenditure commitments and supporting shareholder returns."

Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM)

The Sims share price is up 8% to $20.37. This morning, this global leader in metal recycling and the provision of circular solutions for technology released a trading update. Sims revealed that it expects FY 2026 underlying EBIT to be in the range of $350 million to $400 million. This will be at least double the underlying EBIT of $174.9 million that the company reported in FY 2025.

The post Why EOS, Humm, New Hope, and Sims shares are storming higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Shares in the diversified financial services company closed on Monday trading for 68.5 cents apiece, down 3.52%.

For some context, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) closed the day up 0.27%.

That loss sees Humm shares down 0.72% since this time last year.

Though those losses will have been greatly eased by the two fully-franked dividends the ASX All Ords share paid out over the past 12 months. Humm shares currently trade on a fully-franked trailing dividend yield of 3.28%

Following Humm's half-year results release (H1 FY 2026) last Wednesday, the team at Ord Minnett reiterated their buy rating on Humm shares, forecasting a much more profitable year ahead for stockholders.

What did Humm report?

For the six months to 31 December, Humm reported statutory profit (after tax) of $13.9 million, up 13% from the prior half year (H2 FY 2025). Assets under management of $5.4 billion were down 1.9%.

The ASX All Ords share declared a fully-franked interim dividend of 1.5 cents per share. At Monday's closing price, that represents a pending yield of 2.2%.

If you'd like to bank that passive income payout, you'll need to own shares by market close this Wednesday. Humm shares trade ex-dividend on Thursday, 19 February.

Commenting on the half-year results, Humm CEO Angelo Demasi said:

1H26 demonstrates disciplined execution, stable net interest income and net interest margin through the cycle. Credit quality remains robust, supported by ongoing enhancements to origination scorecards and a continued focus on higher‑quality assets.

Why Ord Minnett is bullish on this ASX All Ords share

Commenting on Humm's half-year results, Ord Minnett noted:

Humm Group's 1H26 was a slight miss at the reported line, however this was skewed by a number of 'one-off' charges – when we focus on the Net operating income line, it delivered a 1% beat against our forecasts.

And Ord Minnett was pleased with the net interest margin Humm managed to achieve.

According to the broker:

Whilst were slightly softer, net interest margin of ~5.5% was a pleasant surprise. The business is clearly in a transformation phase (with investments being made in the humm loan product, the transformation) – once completed, these should put HUM in a stronger footing to deliver growth.

Connecting the dots, Ord Minnett said, "With the stock trading on only 8.9x PE [price to earnings ratio] for FY26, we retain our buy rating on valuation grounds."

Ord Minnett has a price target of 87 cents per share for the ASX All Ords share. That represents a potential upside of 27% from Monday's closing price.

The post Why this buy-rated ASX All Ords share is tipped to surge 31% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Over the past 52 weeks, the Australian financial technology company's shares have zig-zagged anywhere between $1.08 and $4.93 a piece. At the time of writing, Zip shares are down 5.78% for the day, at $2.61 a piece. That means the share price is already down 22.09% for the year to date.

Zip has posted strong financial results over the past few quarters, and the business has robust growth plans for 2026. 

The fintech company is expected to post its FY26 half-year results in February, at which point investors will find out if the company is still on track. Good news could push the share price higher over a short period of time. But, with a business model closely tied to high credit risk and volatile consumer spending, volatility and unpredictability could well continue throughout 2026.

Here's another lesser-known ASX fintech share that I think could be an interesting buy for investors right now.

I'd buy Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM) shares instead

Humm shares are 1.33% higher at 76 cents per share at the time of writing on Wednesday afternoon. For the year to date, the shares have climbed 5.56% and they're now 26.67% higher over the year.

The Australian fintech business is a diversified finance provider that offers buy now, pay later (BNPL) products, credit cards, and finance to small to medium-sized businesses.

The business has been in the spotlight recently after fielding a takeover from Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP). The company said Credit Corp was offering 77 cents in cash per Humm Group share, but if that offer was unsuccessful, Credit Corp would then launch an off-market takeover at 72 cents per share, "conditional upon Credit Corp achieving acceptances for 50.1% of Humm Group's shares". The bid is only a proposal at this stage.

It looks like investors are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what'll happen next.

What do analysts think of the stock?

It looks like analysts are very bullish on Humm shares over the next 12 months. TradingView data shows an analyst consensus for a strong buy rating. The maximum upside is tipped to be 87 cents this year, which implies a potential 15.23% upside at the time of writing.

Unlike the headwinds facing Zip shares right now, it looks like Humm could enjoy some decent tailwinds this year.

The post Forget Zip shares, I'd buy this fintech stock instead appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are dropping:

Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS)

The EOS share price is down 7% to $10.24. This appears to have been driven by profit taking from some investors following strong gains by the defence and space company's shares. In fact, despite today's pullback, EOS shares are up 60% over the past month. The announcement of major new contract wins has been behind this. On a 12-month basis, the company's shares are up a staggering 750%.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price is down 2% to 72.5 cents. This morning, the financial services company's board strongly recommended that shareholders vote against resolutions proposed at an extraordinary general meeting to remove three current directors. It named a number of reasons why. One is: "Replacing the current Board would jeopardise the strategy delivering measurable results, including a ~118% total shareholder return, since mid-2022." Another reason is: "The Convenors' ill-conceived and simplistic 'plan' threatens Humm's capital strength, lender relationships and growth prospects. In contrast, your Board's disciplined approach prioritises sustainable value creation."

Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX: PNR)

The Pantoro Gold share price is down 2% to $5.27. This appears to have been driven by the release of drilling results from the gold miner's 100%-owned Norseman Gold Project this morning. Pantoro Gold's managing director, Paul Cmrlec, said: "These high-grade results from Daisy South support the development of an additional open pit to be mined at the same time as the Gladstone Everlasting Open Pit, located just 900 metres to the west. Mining the pits simultaneously is expected to improve fleet efficiency and extend the open pit life of the Gladstone Everlasting Mining Centre."

Robex Resources (ASX: RXR)

The Robex Resources share price is down 3% to $6.69. This is despite the gold miner announcing that Superior Court of Quebec has approved its merger with Predictive Discovery Ltd (ASX: PDI). Closing of the transaction remains subject to the satisfaction of the remaining closing conditions. This includes the receipt of the consents of the Governments of Guinea and Mali. But if all goes to plan, the transaction is expected to complete later in the first quarter of 2026.

The post Why EOS, Humm, Pantoro Gold, and Robex shares are dropping today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are rising:

Cedar Woods Properties Ltd (ASX: CWP)

The Cedar Woods share price is up 10% to $8.81. Investors have been buying the property developer's shares after it upgraded its guidance for FY 2026 again. After upgrading its profit growth guidance to 15% (from 10%) in October, Cedar Woods has now lifted its guidance to at least 20% growth for FY 2026. It said: "Supply shortfalls, low unemployment and government support for homebuyers continue to provide tailwinds for the sector. Recent commentary around interest rates is not currently deterring buyers, with the national housing supply shortfall expected to continue to support sales volumes and pricing."

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price is up 11% to 73.5 cents. This follows news that debt collector Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP) has made an offer to acquire the commercial lender. Credit Corp said: "Credit Corp confirms that it submitted a confidential, conditional, non-binding indicative proposal on 19 November 2025 seeking access to due diligence information, which has not yet been provided." Investors appear to believe this won't be the end of the matter.

Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR)

The Star Entertainment share price is up 9.5% to 11.5 cents. This morning, this casino and resorts operator announced major changes to its leadership for a second day in a row. On Tuesday, Star moved Bruce Mathieson Jnr into the executive chair role following the exit of Steve McCann as CEO. However, Mathieson Jnr has now been moved to the CEO role, with Soo Kim joining as the company's chair following a board meeting yesterday.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)

The Zip share price is up 3% to $3.03. This may have been driven by a bullish broker note out of Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) this morning. According to the note, the broker has retained its outperform rating and $4.85 price target on Zip's shares. It said: "Outperform. We forecast Zip to continue to deliver rapid growth supported by increased product adoption, expansion of merchant network, increased customer engagement and digital product innovation. Catalysts: We expect ZIP to deliver attractive TTV growth and NTM in the guidance range, with potential upside risk to earnings."

The post Why Cedar Woods, Humm, Star, and Zip shares are storming higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Both companies made statements to the ASX on Wednesday admitting that early-stage talks were underway.

Humm Group said in its statement that on November 19, the company "received a confidential, conditional, non-binding indicative proposal from Credit Corp to acquire 100% of the shares in the company''.

Confidential talks underway on ASX takeover bid

Humm Group said it had been in discussions with Credit Corp since the proposal was launched.

The company said Credit Corp was offering 77 cents in cash per Humm Group share, but if that offer was unsuccessful, Credit Corp would then launch an off-market takeover at 72 cents per share, "conditional upon Credit Corp achieving acceptances for 50.1% of Humm Group's shares''.

Humm Group added:

The Humm Group board, with the assistance of its financial and legal advisers, is carefully evaluating Credit Corp's proposal. Directors are committed to acting in the best interests of all Humm Group shareholders and are open to supporting a proposal that they believe represents appropriate value for shareholders. The board is prepared to work constructively with Credit Corp to see if a proposal can be developed that it is prepared to recommend for consideration by the shareholders.

The Humm Group board said it had told Credit Corp it was willing to engage on the proposal and had offered to provide the opportunity for it to conduct due diligence, with discussions ongoing about a suitable non-disclosure agreement to cover those talks.

No formal bid at this stage

The board added that the proposal was at this stage "non-binding and incomplete", and that "Credit Corp has expressly stated that the proposal does not constitute a proposal to make a takeover bid for the purposes of the Corporations Act''.

Humm Group shares shot 9.1% higher after the proposal was made public, trading at 72 cents. The company's shares have traded as high as 78 cents over the past year and as low as 43 cents.

Credit Corp shares on Wednesday were 1.3% lower at $13.76.

Humm Group said in the same statement that it had received a section 203D notice seeking to remove three of the company's directors from the board, although a resolution to call a meeting to move such a motion had not been filed.

Humm Group was valued at $330 million at the close of trade on Tuesday, while Credit Corp was valued at $948.9 million.

The post Fintech Humm Group is fielding a takeover offer at a 16% premium appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are falling:

Aeris Resources Ltd (ASX: AIS)

The Aeris Resources share price is down over 12% to 45.5 cents. This morning, this copper miner announced that has received firm commitments to raise $80 million via an institutional placement. These funds are being raised at a discount of 45 cents per share. Commenting on the capital raising, Aeris' executive chair, Andre Labuschagne, said: "This inbound-led placement received strong support from high-quality institutional investors, both in Australia and offshore. The capital raise allows us to deleverage our balance sheet and accelerate exploration and growth initiatives across the group."

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm Group share price is down 12% to 58.5 cents. This follows the release of the lender's quarterly update. Humm revealed that new loan origination volumes were down 14% to $845 million during the quarter. This was driven by double-digit declines in both commercial and consumer volumes. Management advised that this reflects subdued demand, increased competitive pricing pressure, and a strategic decision to originate higher credit quality assets.

Mayne Pharma Group Ltd (ASX: MYX)

The Mayne Pharma share price is down 32% to $4.19. This has been driven by news that the pharmaceuticals company's proposed takeover could be on the brink of collapsing. This follows a letter from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). It advised that its "preliminary view is that the Proposed Acquisition would be contrary to the national interest, on the grounds that it would negatively impact the Australian economy and community." Mayne Pharma notes that the letter also states that the Treasurer is considering whether he should make orders prohibiting the acquisition.

Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX: SDF)

The Steadfast share price is down 9.5% to $5.61. This follows news that the insurance broker network operator's CEO is stepping aside following a workplace complaint. It stated: "Robert Kelly AM, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer has chosen to stand aside on a temporary basis to enable an external investigation to progress into a workplace complaint made against him." The company has appointed Tim Mathieson, CEO Australasian Broking, to the role of acting CEO, effective immediately.

The post Why Aeris Resources, Humm, Mayne Pharma, and Steadfast shares are sinking today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In afternoon trade today, shares in the diversified financial services company are flat, trading for 64.5 cents apiece.

For some context, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is down 0.7% at this same time.

That puts the Humm share price up 50.0% in just three months.

Taking a step back, Humm shares remain down 19.4% since this time last year. Though that doesn't include the 2.1 cents a share in fully franked dividends the ASX All Ords financial share has paid out over this time.

At the current share price, that sees Humm stock trading on a fully franked trailing dividend yield of 3.3%.

Looking to the year ahead, Ord Minnett expects Humm to outperform.

Here's why.

ASX All Ords financial share looks 'cheap'

Humm reported its FY 2025 earnings results on 28 August.

Investors responded by sending the Humm Group share price to close up 3.3% on the day.

Commenting on the ASX All Ords financial share's FY 2025 performance, Ord Minnett said:

HUM's recent financial result was highlighted by ~10% growth in assets under management over the 12 months, a relatively strong performance given the challenges in the SME [small and medium enterprises] and consumer sectors.

2H25 volumes were down ~5% vs 1H25 and NIM [net interest margin] in 2H25 was down 10bps to ~5.4%, however further cost optimisation was achieved in 2H25 (CTI [cost to income ratio] decreased to 51%, from 52.4% in 1H25).

The broker concluded, "The stock is trading on a 5.6x Cash EPS [earnings per share] FY26 and ~0.64x P/Book [price to book] and remains cheap, in our view."

Ord Minnett has a buy recommendation on the ASX All Ords financial share with a target price of 81.0 cents a share. That represents a potential upside of 25.6% from current levels. And it doesn't include those upcoming dividends.

A word from Humm's CEO

Commenting on Humm's FY 2025 results on the day those were released, CEO Angelo Demasi said, "Our focus through FY25 on customers, brokers and merchants, profitable growth, and technology transformation has delivered a full year cash profit after tax … of $52.9 million."

He added that the ASX All Ords financial share's FY 2025 performance "was underpinned by 10% growth in assets under management to a record $5.5 billion and a stable Net Interest Margin of 5.4%, down just 10bps on the prior period."

On the cost front, Demasi said, "Operating expenses were down 6% reflecting management's ongoing commitment to cost reduction."

The post Top broker expects this ASX All Ords financial share to surge 26%. Here's why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

One is involved in aviation services. Another in financial services. And the third is focused on fast food. And they've gained anywhere from 18% to more than 29% since the closing bell rang last Friday.

Which outperforming companies am I talking about?

Read on!

ASX All Ords shares smashing the benchmark this week

The first ASX All Ords share making investors very happy this week is Alliance Aviation Services Ltd (ASX: AQZ).

Shares in the aviation services company closed last Friday trading for $2.17. At the time of writing, shares are changing hands for $2.57 apiece. This sees the Alliance Aviation share price up 18.4% for the week.

A lot of those gains are coming in today, with shares up 14.2% in intraday trade.

Investors have been piling into the stock following this morning's announcement that the company has entered into a binding agreement to sell its Embraer E190-E1 inventory to United States-based AVIAN Inventory Management for US$32.5 million.

"This strategic partnership puts Alliance in an industry leading position to support its expanding E190 operations with increased efficiency, improved fleet reliability, and strengthened service delivery for its diverse customer base," Alliance managing director Scott McMillan said.

Which brings us to the second ASX All Ords share rocketing higher this week, Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM).

Shares in the financial services company closed last week, trading for 44 cents, and are currently changing hands for 56 cents apiece. This puts the Humm share price up an impressive 27.3% since last Friday's close.

Humm shares grabbed investor interest after the company reported that it had received a non-binding indicative acquisition offer from The Abercrombie Group Pty Ltd.

The indicative offer would see Abercrombie acquire all of Humm's shares for a cash price of 58 cents each, which is almost 32% above last week's closing price.

Leading the pack

The top-performing ASX All Ords share for the week making my list today is Collins Foods Ltd (ASX: CKF).

Shares in the KFC and Taco Bell restaurant operator closed last week at $7.22 and are currently trading for $9.32 each. That puts the Collins Foods share price up 29.1% over the week.

Most of those gains were delivered on Tuesday, when shares closed up 17.4% on the heels of the company's full-year FY 2025 results.

Highlights included a 2.1% year-on-year increase in revenue (from continuing operations), which reached a record of $1.52 billion.

Investors also reacted positively to the outlook for FY 2026, with Collins Foods forecasting underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) growth in the low to mid-teens for the 2026 financial year.

The post 3 ASX All Ords shares smashing the benchmark this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

ASX small-cap shares represent young and growing companies with a market capitalisation of between a few hundred million and $2 billion.

Some analysts think the short-term future looks bright for small-caps after central banks around the world began cutting interest rates in 2024.

Indeed, the ASX small-cap shares index has lifted 6.5% in the past six months alone.

Small-caps tend to carry a fair bit of debt to fund their growth. So, rate cuts are especially beneficial to these young companies because they lower their cost of debt.

Economists expect the Reserve Bank of Australia to start cutting rates in February or May.

Meantime, here are three ASX small-cap shares catching the eye of professional brokers this week.

3 ASX small-cap shares tipped for growth

Humm Group Limited (ASX: HUM)

Shaw and Partners has commenced coverage of diversified non-bank financial services provider Humm with a buy rating and a 12-month target price of $1.

Humm is trading at 70 cents per share, down 2.11% on Thursday.

In a note published on asx.com.au, Shaw and Partners said its target price reflected an "undemanding" price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 5.2x its FY27 earnings per share (EPS) projection. 

The broker said:

Humm is currently trading at very attractive value – reflecting a PE of 4.0x FY26 and 3.3x FY27 EPS.

We consider that HUM has double-digit growth to FY27 as it emerges from its restructuring phase and enhances its core operations of commercial asset lending and unsecured consumer finance.

Shaw and Partners said Humm emerged from the pandemic era in good financial shape.

It has a "more focussed strategy, streamlined costs and [is] led by a new CEO".

The broker added:

The loan book is in solid shape with net credit losses in FY24 down to historic lows (1.8% of average net receivables.) Net interest margin also stabilised in FY24 at 5.5%. 

The broker said non-banks were continuing to take market share away from the major banks in the small-to-medium business lending arena.

Humm recently suspended buy now, pay later (BNPL) products in Australia that had become unprofitable amid higher interest rates, inflation, and new regulation.

The broker thinks the Australian business may achieve profitability in FY25.

Humm AU provides consumer finance for larger ticket consumer purchases such as home solar, hearing aids, dentistry, veterinary services.

Its lending products are distributed through merchants and practitioners.

FY25 will benefit from Humm AU's new, credit-regulated product, that can generate returns because it can charge interest and does not depend solely on consumer/merchant fees.

Humm AU has right sized its cost structure and credit quality ahead of FY25. 

Shaw and Partners predicts Humm's international business may break-even in FY25.

The broker said: "HUM's Ireland business is currently profitable, but Canada has been slower to ramp."

This ASX small-cap share has risen 42% in the year to date.

Strickland Metals Ltd (ASX: STK)

With a market cap of $196.5 million, Strickland Metals is technically an ASX micro-cap share, not a small-cap.

East Coast Research has recently initiated coverage on Strickland Metals with a 12-month target price of 28.2 cents. Strickland Metals is trading at 8.8 cents per share, down 1.12% on Thursday.

East Coast Research describes Strickland as 'a low-risk and high-potential' ASX gold mining share.

Analysts at the research company say:

STK is a developing gold and base metals exploration company with an inferred resource base of ~5.7Moz AuEq across the highly prospective and favourable mining jurisdictions of Serbia and Western Australia.

The company owns 100% of its assets, the flagship being the Rogozna project (Serbia) and the Yandal project (WA).

The regional geological settings enhance the attractiveness of STK as an investment opportunity.

Strickland's Rogozna Project in Serbia is located in a Tier-1 active mining and exploration jurisdiction.

The project spans 184 square kilometres and contains several unexplored prospects.

The reseach house notes:

The JORC-compliant inferred resources are derived from just two of the four drilled deposits.

The region's multiple mineralisation systems suggest significant resource upgrade potential.

Recent highgrade deposit hits (best Au-deposit hit by a junior ASX-listed miner in ~two years) indicate a strong probability of doubling the resource base.

Additionally, the region's well-developed infrastructure, the availability of a skilled workforce, and lower corporate tax rates (around 15%) further support investment in STK.

Strickland sold its Millrose Gold project to Australia's biggest listed gold miner, Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) in 2023.

East Coast Research says the deal strengthened Strickland's balance sheet, enabling more aggressive spending on exploration activities.

According to a note published on asx.com.au, Canaccord Genuity has also just commenced coverage on this ASX micro-cap share.

It has a speculative buy rating on the stock with a 12-month price target of 16 cents.

Strickland Metals shares are down 12% in the year to date.

Betmakers Technology Group Ltd (ASX: BET)

Ord Minnett has begun coverage on this ASX technology stock with a speculative buy rating.

Betmakers has a market cap of $107 million. So, it is also an ASX micro-cap share rather than a small-cap.

The broker has given Betmakers a 12-month price target of 16 cents. The Betmakers share price is currently 11 cents, down 2.73% today and up 34% in the year to date.

In a new note published on asx.com.au, Ord Minnett says:

Over the past ~2 years, EBT has right-sized its cosdt base (from $92m to a <$60m guide), while we expect revenue growth will return from 2H25.

The company is also guiding to positive OCF from 3Q24 (we model 2Q25).

On this basis, and given the company trades on just ~1.4x FY26 EV/rev, we see now as an interesting entry point on a risk/reward basis.

The broker said its 'speculative' buy rating was due to some balance sheet concerns.

The post 3 ASX small-cap shares to buy now: brokers appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are dropping:

Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD)

The Ampol share price is down almost 2% to $29.04. This morning, the fuel retailer revealed that previously announced repairs to the Fluidised Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) regenerator during November are now complete. As a result, the FCCU is moving into the start up process and total production for 2024 is expected be approximately 5.2 billion litres. It also revealed that trading during the fourth quarter has been largely consistent with commentary provided previously.

Findi Ltd (ASX: FND)

The Findi share price is down 21% to $6.11. This follows the release of the India-focused digital payments and financial services provider's half year results. Findi reported a 6.6% increase in revenue to $33.9 million and a 2.4% lift in EBITDA to $12.9 million. And while management has reaffirmed its full year guidance, investors appear concerned that it may not be able to achieve it. Findi is guiding to full year revenue in the range of $80 million to $90 million and EBITDA in the range of $30 million to $35 million. Management expects new agreements to drive very strong second half growth.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm Group share price is down a further 3.5% to 65.7 cents. Investors have been selling this financial services company's shares since the release of its annual general meeting update. Management said: "Consumers and SME businesses in Australia and New Zealand continue to be affected by inflation and cost of living pressures, with geo-political pressures hanging over the global economy."

Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR)

The Star Entertainment share price is down 2.5% to 19 cents. This appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Macquarie today. According to the note, the broker has downgraded the casino and resorts operator's shares to an underperform rating with a reduced price target of 20 cents. This follows the release of the company's annual general meeting earlier this week. In response to the update, the broker believes that the near term could be challenging for Star Entertainment. Particularly given its precarious balance sheet and the tough operating conditions it is experiencing at present.

The post Why Ampol, Findi, Humm, and Star Entertainment shares are dropping today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are falling:

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ltd (ASX: FPH)

The Fisher & Paykel Healthcare share price is down 1.5% to $34.07. Investors have been selling the medical device company's shares following the release of its half year results. Although Fisher & Paykel Healthcare delivered very strong profit growth over the prior corresponding period, management only reaffirmed its guidance for the full year. It seems that the market was betting on the company upgrading its guidance for FY 2025.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm Group share price is down 17% to 64.5 cents. This follows the release of the financial services company's annual general meeting update. Investors appear to believe that a weak result is coming in FY 2025 based on what management is saying. It said: "Consumers and SME businesses in Australia and New Zealand continue to be affected by inflation and cost of living pressures, with geo-political pressures hanging over the global economy."

Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)

The Novonix share price is down a further 6.5% to 70.5 cents. This battery materials technology company's shares have come under pressure this week following the completion of its institutional placement. Novonix raised $44.4 million through a fully underwritten placement to institutional and sophisticated investors at an offer price of 60 cents per new share. This represented a sizeable discount of approximately 38% to the prevailing share price. Management said: "This funding will be used to achieve 3,000 tonnes per annum of production capacity at our Riverside facility in 2025 and enable continued access of our Department of Energy's Office of Manufacturing & Energy Supply Chains grant of up to US$100 million."

Webjet Group (ASX: WJL)

The Webjet share price is down 4% to 81 cents. This has been driven by news that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has commenced Federal Court proceedings against it. It is accusing Webjet of deceptive practices regarding airfare pricing and flight bookings. The ACCC said: "The statements included 'flights from $x' when the price quoted excluded Webjet's compulsory 'Webjet servicing fee' and 'booking price guarantee' fee which ranged from $34.90 to $54.90 per booking, depending on whether the flights were domestic, NZ/Pacific flights or other international flights."

The post Why Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Humm, Novonix, and Webjet shares are tumbling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The under pressure company in question is Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM).

Shares in the diversified financial services company closed yesterday at 77.5 cents. In earlier trade, shares were trading for 59.5 cents each, down 23.2%. At the time of writing, shares have recovered a touch, trading for 62.0 cents apiece, down 20.0%.

Despite that big sell down, as you can see in the chart below, shares have remained up 45% since this time last year. Humm shares also trade on a fully franked 3.4% trailing dividend yield.

Here's why investors are bidding down the ASX All Ords stock today.

ASX All Ords stock hammered amid AGM

The ASX All Ords share is taking a beating following the company's annual general meeting (AGM).

While the results in review for FY 2024 were broadly solid, investors look to be favouring their sell buttons amid some ongoing medium-term headwinds.

Likely giving investors the jitters, Humm chairman Andrew Abercrombie noted that:

Consumers and SME businesses in Australia and New Zealand continue to be affected by inflation and cost of living pressures, with geo-political pressures hanging over the global economy.

Despite these headwinds, he said the ASX All Ords stock continues to grow, "And our credit losses remain stable, with only small pockets of heightened credit concerns in the Victorian SME market."

Also raising medium-term concerns, Abercrombie said, "Over the last four months we have observed slowing growth in the commercial broker market as customers hold back on investment in anticipation of RBA rate cuts."

And passive income investors may be joining the exodus today after Abercrombie added:

Dividends are likely to be at the lower end of our policy in the short to medium term, as we deliver on strategic goals, with an equally important focus on strengthening our technology foundations with new investment for future growth.

On a positive note, he said, "The FY24 result, supported by a balance sheet with unrestricted cash position of $125.1 million as of 30 June 2024 augers well for the future."

Abercrombie noted that his own shareholding has increased to 26.65% in the last 12 months.

Humm CEO Stuart Grimshaw then took over the podium and also didn't hold back any punches.

"We need to execute and deliver and while we remain optimistic about the future, we are also realistic about the challenges we have to overcome," he said.

Also likely concerning shareholders is compression in the company's net interest margin (NIM).

"As the market has slowed, and volumes have reduced, we have seen competition that has negatively affected NIM in recent months," Grimshaw said.

And investors looking for guidance from the ASX All Ords stock were left wanting.

"We have been asked many times about providing guidance. We have determined not to do so in time of great change for the company, and in an uncertain economic environment," Grimshaw said.

The post This ASX All Ords stock just crashed 23%! Here's why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Meantime, Tamim Asset Management has issued a note on three ASX All Ords shares to buy.

The broker says these stocks offer ASX investors an opportunity to capitalise on sector trends as well as company-specific growth drivers.

In an article, Tamim says these three companies share common themes of "resilience and the potential for strong future performance".

Let's check them out.

3 ASX All Ords shares primed for growth

Humm Group (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price is 82 cents on Thursday, down 1.20% for the day and up 82% over the past 12 months.

Tamim said Humm had a difficult year but was showing signs of recovery.

The broker said the financial services company had positioned itself for future growth through cost-cutting measures and expansion of its commercial portfolio.

Tamim noted that Humm reported a normalised annual cash profit of $60.6 million, reflecting a 19% decrease from the prior year. This was largely due to the impact of rising interest rates, economic uncertainty and increased competition in the buy now, pay later sector.

Humm is expanding its commercial portfolio, which Tamim says has strong growth potential:

Humm could present an intriguing opportunity for investors who are willing to look beyond its recent challenges and focus on its long-term growth potential.

Praemium Ltd (ASX: PPS)

The Praemium share price is currently trading at 56.5 cents, down 1.74% today and up almost 1% over the past 12 months.

Tamim says Praemium's scalable business model, strong revenue growth, and product innovation make it a compelling investment opportunity in the technology arena.

The broker said Praemium delivered solid financial results for the year, with EBITDA of $21.5 million. This was driven by a particularly strong second-half performance. Tamim commented:

This growth was underpinned by Praemium's investment in capability, resilience, and IT security during the first half, which laid the groundwork for its subsequent financial success.

Tamim regards Praemium's acquisition of the OneView business from Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE) as a great strategic decision. The broker says it has enhanced the company's revenue, as well as its market profile.

The asset manager commented:

Looking ahead, Praemium's growth prospects appear strong. The company has identified a gap in the market for next-generation IDPs (Investment Data Platforms), which it is poised to address with its new offerings. This product innovation is expected to drive further revenue growth and expand Praemium's customer base to address the non custodial market for high net worth investors.

Australian Clinical Labs Ltd (ASX: ACL)

This ASX All Ords health care share is trading at $3.69, down 0.27% on Thursday and up 34% over the past 12 months.

Tamim noted a solid start to FY25 for Australian Clinical Labs, including improving margins.

It says the ASX All Ords share is undervalued and an attractive opportunity in the health care sector.

The broker noted the pathology provider's solid financial results despite a significant decline in COVID-related revenue. Underlying EBIT came in at $62.6 million, in line with the company's FY24 guidance.

The second half of the year was especially strong, with underlying EBIT growing to $39.1 million, representing an 11% margin.

The company's ability to drive margin expansion in the second half of the year reflects the success of its cost control measures and its focus on operational efficiency.

ACL has carried this positive momentum into FY25, with strong growth already evident in the early months of the fiscal year.

Tamim said Australian Clinical Labs had a strong balance sheet, and the ASX All Ords share's dividend yield remained attractive.

Looking ahead, ACL appears poised for a re-rating, particularly if it continues to deliver strong financial results in FY25 where we estimate it is highly likely to upgrade guidance at the AGM or first half result.

The post 3 ASX All Ords shares with 'potential for strong future performance' appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the ASX All Ords share is up 28% to 66.5 cents.

This follows the release of the diversified financial services company's FY 2024 results.

ASX All Ords share rockets on FY 2024 results

• Total receivables up 18% to $5 billion
• Net operating income up 1% to $311.1 million
• Net interest income up 2% to $251.4 million
• Cash profit after tax up 25% to $35.9 million
• Normalised cash profit down 19% to $60.6 million
• Fully franked final dividend of 1.25 cents per share

What happened during the year?

For the 12 months ended 30 June, the ASX All Ords share reported an 18% increase in receivables to $5 billion. This reflects a 26% jump in Commercial receivables to $3 billion and an 11% lift in Consumer Finance receivables to $2.0 billion.

This ultimately led to Humm reporting a 25% increase in cash profit after tax to $35.9 million. Management advised that this result was underpinned by net interest margin (NIM) stability, significant ongoing cost savings, historically low credit losses, and a strong balance sheet.

And while its normalised cash profit was down 19% to $60.6 million, this includes suspended products and other material items.

The Humm board declared a fully franked final dividend of 1.25 cents per share, bringing its full year dividend to 2 cents per share. This is flat on FY 2023's dividend.

Management commentary

The ASX All Ords share's CEO and managing director, Stuart Grimshaw, was pleased with the company's second half turnaround. He said:

Through 1H24 we refocused the business around our customers, executed strategic pricing initiatives and delivered cost efficiencies that allowed us to reinvest in growing the business. This resulted in a pleasing turnaround in 2H24 as we saw Normalised cash profit (after tax) increase 16% on the first half.

Contributing to the strong second half performance was NIM stabilisation as a result of improvements to gross yields and more stable base interest rates while net loss remained at historic lows as we continue to be prudent with our risk decisioning. Our Commercial business continues to demonstrate impressive operating leverage, with receivables growing by 26% with only a 4% increase in normalised operating costs.

Outlook

No firm guidance has been provided for FY 2025. However, management advised that it "will continue to drive profitable growth across its operations, as it grows and expands the Commercial and international businesses while continuing to rebuild the domestic Consumer business."

The post Why is this ASX All Ords share soaring 28% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are dropping:

Baby Bunting Group Ltd (ASX: BBN)

The Baby Bunting share price is down 12% to $1.65. Investors have been selling the baby products retailer's shares after it released its half-year results. Baby Bunting reported a 2.5% decline in sales to $248.5 million and a 31% decline in pro forma net profit after tax to $3.5 million. This led to the company cutting its dividend by a third to 1.8 cents per share.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price is down 21% to 55 cents. This follows the release of the financial services company's half-year results. Humm reported a 27% decline in normalised cash profit after tax to $28.1 million. The company's profits were hit by an interest expense increase of $61.7 million.

Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR)

The Liontown share price is down 7% to $1.17. Investors have been selling this lithium developer's shares on Tuesday after it was downgraded by analysts at Citi. In response to a recent rally, the broker has downgraded Liontown's shares to a sell rating with a $1.00 price target.

Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR)

The Star share price is down 22% to 43.5 cents. This follows news that the NSW Independent Casino Commission is launching another inquiry. The company explained: "The NICC has informed The Star that the purpose of the Inquiry is to assist the NICC in forming a view as to what, if any, action the NICC should take in respect of The Star Sydney Pty Ltd (The Star Sydney) prior to the end of the manager's appointment on 30 June 2024."

The post Why Baby Bunting, Humm, Liontown, and Star shares are sinking today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

ASX reporting season is like Christmas. It's exciting to unwrap the company report, but sometimes you really didn't want what's inside.

Investor reaction to a result can be as much about expectations as it is about the numbers themselves. For example, if the market is expecting a company to report a 10% profit rise and it only reports a 5% rise then that's seen as disappointing.

Let's briefly look at these three stocks.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm Group share price is currently down 24%.

In the ASX All Ords share's FY24 first half result, the financial services and instalment plan company reported that its total receivables rose by 23% to $4.65 billion, with commercial receivables up 39% to $2.7 billion. The 'normalised cash profit after tax' fell 27% to $28.1 million. Higher interest rates meant a bigger interest cost to the business. The commercial finance segment saw normalised cash profit increase 12% to $21.6 million.

The company was pleased to report it had executed another $7.5 million of further cost savings during the FY24 first half, bringing the total savings to $26.1 million since the cost-saving program started in HY23.

Humm reported a statutory net loss after tax of $6 million, compared to a net profit after tax of $7.5 million in HY23.

The business declared a fully franked interim dividend of 0.75 cents per share.

Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM)

The Sims share price is currently down by 9%.

In the FY24 first-half result, the metal recycling business reported that revenue rose 7.4% to $4.1 billion. Statutory earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) rose 0.2% to $163.8 million, but underlying EBIT sank 85.6% to $13.4 million. Statutory NPAT dropped 34.9% to $65.8 million.

The ASX All Ords share blamed the profit decline on lower metal trading margins and inflationary pressures, which was partly offset by "cost control measures". It disclosed that challenging market conditions were felt across all of its metal segments, though there was a varying performance between and within geographic regions.

In terms of the outlook, Sims is confident about the medium-term and long-term. Metal-intensive infrastructure spending continues to drive longer-term demand for scrap metal.

In the short term, the underlying EBIT is expected to improve in the second half of FY24 compared to the first half, including $25 million of cost reduction initiatives.

Sims said initiatives have been started to increase both domestic sales channels and unprocessed material in the USA. Demand for scrap metal in the USA is "expected to remain robust, supporting prices."

Baby Bunting Group Ltd (ASX: BBN)

The Baby Bunting share price is down 13%.

It reported in the FY24 first-half result that total sales dropped 2.5% to $248.5 million. The gross profit margin was flat, while the underlying cost of doing business (CODB) increased to 32.9% (up from 32.4%). New store running costs and higher wage costs led to the CODB worsening.

Statutory net profit after tax was flat at $2.7 million, the underlying net profit dropped 31% to $3.5 million. The interim dividend per share was cut by 33% to 1.8 cents.

Baby Bunting pointed to challenging economic conditions, though it saw an improvement in winning new customers, and it was disciplined with its inventory management. The ASX All Ords share said cost control delivered a "significant" year-over-year improvement with operating cash flow.

In terms of the trading update, between Boxing Day to 16 February 2024, total sales were down 1.4%, and online sales increased 14%. The rate of new customer acquisition was up 3.4%.

It said living pressures are still affecting customers and this is "unlikely to abate in the short-term with economising likely to continue."

The post 3 ASX All Ords shares crashing as much as 24% on results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

A number of ASX financial shares have tumbled deep into the red following the release of their respective results.

Here's a summary of what is happening today:

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price is down 8% to 45 cents. This morning, this ASX financial share revealed a 53% decline in cash net profit after tax to $24.1 million. This was driven by a poor performance from its consumer finance business, which went from a cash profit of $22.4 million in FY 2022 to a $10.9 million loss this financial year. This offset profit growth in the commercial finance business and overshadowed the announcement of a $10 million share buyback. A fully franked dividend of 1 cents per share was declared, bringing its FY 2023 dividend to 2 cents per share.

Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL)

The Insignia share price is down almost 11% to $2.60. This follows the release of the ASX financial share's full-year results. Insignia, previously known as IOOF, reported a 15% decline in underlying net profit after tax to $191 million. Management advised that its profits were impacted by lower average funds under management and administration and strategic repricing decisions. A final dividend of 9.3 cents was declared, which is down 21% from the prior corresponding period.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)

The Judo Capital share price has fallen 17% to $1.05. Investors have been selling this small business lender's shares despite it posting a sevenfold increase in FY 2023 profit before tax to $107.5 million. Also failing to appease the market was a 74 basis points increase in the ASX financial share's underlying net interest margin to 3.53%. In response to the result, Goldman Sachs commented: "We note that JDO's FY23 pre-tax profit came in at A$107.5 mn which was 0.7% higher than GSe but -2.6% lower than company compiled consensus (CCC) estimates." Concerns over margin headwinds and asset quality deterioration may also be weighing on its shares.

The post 3 ASX financial shares diving over 8% on earnings updates appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

There are 500 companies comprising the ASX All Ords shares index.

Of those, 110 are trading below their book value, and some of them are trading at fire sale prices.

Let us explain.

What is book value?

A company's book value reflects how much it is worth, according to its financial statements. 

It's calculated by subtracting the value of a company's liabilities from the value of its assets.

The price-to-book (P/B) ratio is the share price today divided by the book value per share.

You determine the book value per share by dividing the book value by the number of shares on issue. 

Say you've got an ASX All Ords company trading at $13 per share and its book value is $10. You divide 13 by 10 to get a P/B ratio of 1.3.

A P/B ratio of 1 indicates the ASX All Ords share is trading at fair value. Anything above 1 indicates the share is expensive in relation to its intrinsic worth. Below 1 indicates the share is relatively cheap.

Of course, many other factors determine the individual value of ASX All Ords shares.

Some of them are quantifiable, such as growing profits. Others are intangible, such as investor sentiment.

If ASX investors feel hopeful about a share, they will bid up the price. And vice versa.

As investors, we need to consider a range of factors to help us decide what we are happy to pay for the ASX All Ords shares we are interested in.

This is called fundamental analysis, which involves looking at a wide range of financial metrics to get a good overall picture of a company's health and its future prospects.  

But we all need a starting point for our research.

After all, among ASX All Ords shares, we've got 500 companies to choose from! So, we need to separate them out somehow to determine which ones deserve a detailed investigation.

How to identify ASX All Ords shares trading below book value

Screening programs are terrific tools for achieving this task. Using them is far less time-consuming than calculating the book value of scores of ASX All Ords shares manually.

They are available through most brokerage platforms, and are accessible for free on some investing websites, too.

You can enter a few data points into a screening program, like a P/B ratio under 1 to ensure you don't overpay for a share, or a market capitalisation above $2 billion if you want to avoid small-cap shares.

The screening program will then create a list of ASX All Ords shares that meet those criteria.

You can also find the book value for a share on your existing share trading platform.

Go to the share's information page and look for a tab or link to financial information. Some sites show historical data, so you can see how the book value of an ASX share has changed over time. Helpful!

A consistently rising book value is always a good sign.

Which ASX All Ords shares are trading at fire sale prices?

S&P Global Market Intelligence data shows there is a mixed bag of ASX All Ords shares trading below their book value today.

Dominating those 110 shares are real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other ASX property shares.

The absolute standout is Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield CDI (ASX: URW) with a P/B ratio of 0.374.

It's a European multinational commercial real estate company that specialises in shopping centres.

Here are other examples of ASX All Ords shares with a P/B ratio below 1 (from lowest to highest):

• Cromwell Property Group (ASX: CMW) shares (with a P/B ratio of 0.595)
• Centuria Office REIT (ASX: COF) shares (0.606)
• Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW) shares (0.693)
• GPT Group (ASX: GPT) shares (0.724)
• Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP) shares (0.744)
• Charter Hall Retail REIT (ASX: CQR) shares (0.758)
• HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (ASX: HDN) shares (0.779)
• Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) shares (0.786).

There are also several ASX financial shares, including ASX bank shares, trading below book value.

Examples include:

• Buy now, pay later share Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM) (0.353)
• Virgin Money UK CDI (ASX: VUK) shares (0.339)
• Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ) shares (0.614)
• Pepper Money Ltd (ASX: PPM) shares (0.727)
• Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) shares (0.734)
• AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) shares (0.798).

What do the experts say about these ASX All Ords shares?

Let's take a look at a few recent broker ratings on these ASX All Ords shares.

Ord Minnett upgraded its rating on AMP shares to 'accumulate' with a 12-month share price target of $1.35. The AMP share price is currently $1.10, implying a potential upside of 23%.

Citi has a buy rating and a $5 price target on the Charter Hall Long WALE REIT. The share is currently $4.25, so there's no huge upside expected in terms of growth. However, for dividend-focused investors, this share looks attractive, with Citi tipping dividend yields of 6.6% in FY23 and 6.85% in FY24.

UBS has a sell rating on Bendigo Bank shares with an $8 price target. This implies a 10% downside with the Bendigo Bank share price currently trading at $8.80.

Morgans has downgraded Bank of Queensland shares from an add rating to a hold rating. The team slashed their 12-month share price target on Bank of Queensland stock from $11 to $6.75. Ouch.

ASX All Ords shares are up 5.9% in the year to date and down 4% over the past 12 months.

The post Are these ASX All Ords shares ready to buy at fundamentally fire sale prices? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The buy now, pay later (BNPL) share is down 2.04% today to 48 cents. This is broadly in line with the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO), which is down 1.77% today.

But the performance of the stock and its index diverge significantly when we look at the past 12 months.

The ASX All Ordinaries stock has lost 40% of its value while the All Ords has dropped by just 3.2%.

While this has, no doubt, disappointed shareholders, founding director and chair Andrew Abercrombie appears to see an opportunity for some dollar-cost averaging.

Let's investigate.

Buying the dip on this ASX All Ordinaries stock?

A series of notices lodged with the ASX since the start of March reveal that Abercrombie made five on-market purchases of Humm shares through his super fund between 28 February and 7 March.

In total, Abercrombie spent just over $407,000 including brokerage fees purchasing 815,329 Humm shares.

This latest spending spree follows another that Abercrombie undertook in December when he made four other on-market purchases through this super fund.

The chair spent just over $174,000 on 319,453 shares that month.

He now holds almost 118.5 million shares in this ASX All Ordinaries stock.

Abercrombie isn't the only Humm director buying shares in recent times either.

This indicates to investors that the people running the BNPL business are very confident in its future.

How is the Humm business going?

In its 1H FY23 results, Humm reported a 20% increase in total volumes to $2 billion and a statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) of $7.5 million.

This was a vast improvement on the $168.3 million loss reported in 1H FY22.

The company said it had a strong balance sheet with $103 million in unrestricted cash.

The ASX All Ordinaries stock will pay a fully franked interim dividend of 1 cent per share on 11 April.

The post This ASX All Ordinaries stock is down 40% in a year, and the chair is buying up big appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.