This included: 

• Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) rose almost 3% to hit new highs of $71.53. 
• Korvest Ltd (ASX: KOV) climbed 1.5% to hit fresh highs of $17.07. 
• Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) rose nearly 4% to finish at $24.12. 

When ASX shares rise significantly in a short period, holders obviously enjoy quick profits. 

However it can make it difficult for prospective investors to pull the trigger due to fears of buying at the peak. 

Here is what was driving the strong performance for these ASX shares and what experts are anticipating in the next 12 months. 

Mineral Resources hits new highs 

Mineral Resources is a leading mining services company with a portfolio of mining operations across multiple commodities, including iron ore and lithium.

Its share price is now up almost 200% in the last year. 

Much of this growth has come on the back of improved lithium sentiment. 

After a brutal downturn that crushed lithium prices across 2024 and 2025, the market has started to anticipate a recovery in battery material demand as electric vehicle sales continue growing globally.

Because Mineral Resources owns significant lithium exposure through the Wodgina and Mt Marion operations, investors are increasingly viewing the company as a leveraged play on any improvement in lithium prices.

Additionally, the company recently delivered a strong quarterly update, with volumes across iron ore, lithium, and mining services all exceeding the broker's expectations.

However now sitting at just over $71 per share, it appears these ASX shares are fully valued. 

Ord Minnett recently placed a $67 price target on the stock, while Morgans recently placed fair value at $71. 

Korvest hits yearly highs

Korvest manufactures electrical and cable support systems, steel fabrication and provides associated metal treatment and galvanising services.

It is up an impressive 67% in the last 12 months. 

It has benefited during this span from optimism around Australia's infrastructure, mining, and energy-transition spending cycle.

However, in a similar vein to Mineral Resources, experts see limited further upside. 

Analysts forecasts are hovering around $17.30, right around its current share price. 

Sims could be a buy

Sims is a global leader in metal and electronics recycling. The company provides a crucial circular economy service that reduces the need for new metals and electronics.

Its share price hit fresh yearly highs yesterday, and is now up 61% in the last year. 

As Mark Verhoeven reported last week, it could be poised to benefit from rising demand for recycled metals driven by EVs, renewable energy infrastructure, and data centre growth.

Recent results show strong earnings momentum, with higher profits and improving margins across its key recycling and lifecycle services businesses, particularly in North America. This suggests both cyclical recovery and better operational execution.

Looking ahead, growth is supported by continued demand for non-ferrous metals, expansion in US recycling operations, and strong tailwinds from IT asset disposal linked to AI-driven data centre expansion.

The post Are these ASX shares a buy, hold or sell after hitting fresh 52-week highs? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The market is limping towards the finish line after an interest rate rise seriously dampened the 'vibe' this week.

ASX All Ords shares are down 2.1% since Monday.

Earnings season officially began this week, and as the half-year (and some full-year) reports come in, dividends are being announced.

Next week, a small group of ASX shares will go ex-dividend.

That means they will start trading without the latest dividend attached.

On the ex-dividend date, it is very common for share prices to fall.

This happens because stocks are simply less valuable without their next dividends attached.

So, keep an eye out for sudden dips in some of your portfolio stocks over the next month or so.

Going ex-dividend will likely be the reason.

Why watch the ex-dividend date?

If you've researched an ASX share and are ready to buy, you might want to do so before the ex-dividend date to pick up some income.

Alternatively, you might prefer to wait until the ex-dividend date, when the stock price is likely to fall.

Either option presents an opportunity.

Here are several ASX shares going ex-dividend next week.

The biggest name is ASX All Ords heavyweight ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD), which makes sleep apnoea devices.

We also recap how much these companies will pay investors and when they will deposit the money into their accounts.

5 ASX shares about to go ex-dividend

Which companies are reporting next week?

The calendar is pretty busy next week.

On Monday, we'll hear from Argo Investments Ltd (ASX: ARG) and CAR Group Ltd (ASX: CAR).

Then on Tuesday, Amotiv Ltd (ASX: AOV), Arena REIT (ASX: ARF), and Region Group (ASX: RGN) will be up.

On Wednesday, investors will hear from Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL).

There will be strong interest in these earnings reports, given that both stocks have endured significant sell-offs over the past year.

We'll also hear from ASX gold miner, Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN).

Investors will be curious to see how one of the market's largest miners has leveraged the soaring gold price to maximise profits.

We'll also hear from AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL), James Hardie Industries Plc (ASX: JHX), and investment house SGH Ltd (ASX: SGH).

On Thursday, 3 ASX financial shares will be in the spotlight.

AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP), ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX), and Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) will release their earnings.

We'll also hear from Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG), Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME), and Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW).

On Friday, Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH) and Nick Scali Ltd (ASX: NCK) will be in the spotlight.

The post ASX shares going ex-dividend next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Korvest's share price was up around 1% at the time of writing, following the announcement of its half-year results, and building on a 36% increase over the past 12 months and an eye-catching 183% return over the past five years. It's a great return which crushes the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) over the same period.

What did Korvest report?

For the six months to December, Korvest delivered a clean, broad-based result:

• Revenue increased 18% to $60.3 million
• Net profit after tax rose 33% to $5.4 million
• Earnings per share climbed 32% to 46.1 cents
• Fully-franked interim dividend of 25 cents per share declared

The standout performer was the Industrial Products division (EzyStrut), where revenue grew around 19% year on year. Growth was driven by higher activity across major infrastructure projects as well as solid demand from smaller, day-to-day work, which supported improved margins.

The galvanising business recorded higher volumes than the prior corresponding period, although profitability was held back by elevated labour costs and higher zinc prices. Encouragingly, a large project that was delayed in the first half is now expected to be processed in the second half, improving plant utilisation.

What did management say?

Management struck a confident but measured tone.

Korvest enters the second half with a strong order book, with two additional major infrastructure projects set to commence. As a result, management expects second-half activity to exceed the first half, supported by higher volumes across both EzyStrut and galvanising.

Importantly, the company continued to invest heavily for the long term. Capital expenditure reached record levels, driven by the Kilburn site redevelopment, expansion of the in-house transport fleet, and the installation of a new galvanising kettle and burner management system. These upgrades are expected to improve efficiency, energy usage, and service capacity over time.

Foolish bottom line

The evidence suggests that Korvest is a well-run, niche industrial business benefiting from infrastructure spending, disciplined execution, and sensible reinvestment. The latest result shows earnings momentum remains intact, while dividends continue to flow.

The market's reaction today was modest, but the long-term share price tells the real story. For investors who value consistency over hype, Korvest continues to quietly get the job done.

The post This ASX small cap has quietly crushed the market and its latest result shows why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The reasons these companies are overlooked are manifold, but often it's a combination of them being too small, their shares being too illiquid for bigger buyers, and sometimes they just don't get out there and promote themselves all that well.

Despite this, there are some companies in the smaller ranges which deliver solid earnings and dividends, and which could fit nicely in a portfolio.

Profit upgrade boost shares

One which came across my radar just this week was CTI Logistics Ltd (ASX: CLX), which today has piled on an impressive 12.1% in share price gains to be trading at $2.13.

The increase, on low volume of 54,000 shares, followed the company updating its profit guidance for the year.

I'll excuse anyone who missed it as the press release went out past 5pm on a Monday, but the very brief missive made for good reading for investors.

The company, in a two paragraph statement, said pre-tax profit for the first half was expected to be up about 55% on the previous corresponding period.

The company went on to say:

The result has been driven in part by strong revenue growth in October and November with revenue for the half year expected to be up by 7% on the previous corresponding period. CTI's transport and logistics operations have benefited from increased demand across freight services as well as project work in Western Australia, coupled with increased efficiency and improved utilisation of our fleet.

Even after the company's share price jump to a 12-month high of $2.20 on Tuesday, based on historical dividend payouts, the company is delivering a healthy 5.3% yield, fully franked.

Another steady performer in the logistics sector is K&S Corporation Ltd (ASX: KSC), which is paying a 4.7% fully franked dividend.

K&S actually advised last month that its profits would fall in the first half, with underlying profit before tax expected to be between $15.3 million and $16.3 million, compared with the same period last year when profit came in at $23.4 million.

Leverage to data centres a bonus

The final company, and one which I own myself, is galvaniser and EzyStrut manufacturer, Korvest Ltd (ASX: KOV), which is currently trading on a 5.34% fully franked dividend yield.

Korvest shares are currently changing hands for $13.90, but broker Euroz Hartleys in October put a price target of $14.60 on the stock, saying the company's expansion plans and leverage to data centre builds put it in good stead.

Euroz Hartleys initiated coverage on Korvest in October with a buy recommendation, with the following reasons put forward to have confidence in the Adelaide-based company.

We expect Korvest to continue compounding growth steadily through our forecast as they service increasing demand and pursue additional market share upon completion of their facility expansion in the short term. Major project awards provide upgrade potential to our base case estimates.

Korvest was valued at $166.1 million at the close of trade on Monday.

The post Three under the radar small caps I like for their dividend yields appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Looking back, the main reason I didn't buy in was that I thought the company was fully priced.

How long can a company continue to deliver double-digit returns, I thought. It turns out, they can do it for quite a long time.

According to data I sourced from my broker on Thursday, the company has delivered total shareholder returns of 23.9% over 10 years and 51.5% over the past year. Not too shabby at all.

So, back to my original qualms – surely this means the shares might be near the top of their range?

According to a new research report from Euroz Hartleys, that's not the case.

Well-placed industrial supplier

Taking a step back, what does Korvest do? In short, they provide galvanising services, as well as supplying cable and pipe supports to major infrastructure projects through their EzyStrut division.  

So they're fairly well aligned to growth in industrial projects, and as Euroz Hartleys analyst Oliver Porter points out, the growth in data centres, renewable energy projects, and infrastructure in general also works in their favour.

To feed this demand, the company is embarking on its first major facility upgrade in "decades", Mr Porter's report says, which is scheduled for completion in late calendar year 2026.

He goes on to say:

The project will increase manufacturing footprint by approximately 80%, positioning Korvest to capture additional market share and support future growth. Alongside the expansion, a series of operational optimisation initiatives are underway, aimed at driving margin improvement over time.

Mr Porter says the company is currently trading at around 12 times forward earnings, which he sees as a discount.

At about 12x FY27 price to earnings, investors are gaining exposure to a well-capitalised, high-yield, market-leading infrastructure supplier – trading on a multiple that implies limited growth potential despite a clear pathway for earnings growth.

The company's balance sheet was also solid, with the company holding $13 million in cash and no debt.

Euroz Hartleys has initiated coverage on Korvest with a buy recommendation, with the following reasons put forward to have confidence in the Adelaide-based company.

We expect Korvest to continue compounding growth steadily through our forecast as they service increasing demand and pursue additional market share upon completion of their facility expansion in the short term. Major project awards provide upgrade potential to our base case estimates.

How much are the shares worth?

So what value does Euroz Hartleys put on the stock? Mr Porter has calculated a price target of $14.60 for Korvest shares compared with the current price of $13.19, implying a return of 10.7% should they hit this level.

However, the company also pays dividends, with the broker forecasting a dividend yield of 5.2% this financial year and 5.4% next year.

I'm certainly still holding given the tailwinds this modestly-sized company has, and a bit of new broker interest surely can't hurt either.

The post Broker Euroz Hartleys thinks you should join me in owning this small cap industrial stock appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Earnings season is well underway, and ASX companies are preparing to pay out millions in dividends to investors soon.

Next week, a bunch of ASX shares will go ex-dividend.

That means they will commence trading without the upcoming dividend attached from a specified date.

If you're interested in buying any of these ASX shares and picking up that next payment, you'll need to do it before the 'ex-div' date.

Of course, here at The Fool we do not recommend buying ASX shares just to get the next dividend payment.

Our market experts say the decision to buy should be more thoughtful than that, and based on fundamental analysis.

It's important to know that a stock's share price will typically fall on the ex-dividend date.

That's simply because the dividend is no longer attached, which makes the stock less valuable.

Here are a number of ASX shares going ex-dividend next week, and how much these companies intend to pay to investors and when.

8 ASX shares about to go ex-dividend

Are dividends lower than usual?

If you're getting the feeling that dividend yields are lower than usual, your instincts are right.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is one of the highest-yielding share markets in the world, with long-run average annual dividends of 4% to 4.5% per annum.

As we reported earlier today, this has changed.

Betashares says the trailing cash dividend yield of the ASX 200 has dropped to 3.34% per year.

This is largely because the miners are paying lower dividend yields due to weakened commodity prices.

Additionally, the banks are paying lower dividend yields following strong share price growth between late 2023 and 2025.

Betashares senior investment strategist, Cameron Gleeson, says:

Australia's reputation as a high dividend-market rests heavily on the shoulders of the big banks and miners.

Recently, this dependence has started to threaten the sustainability of the overall market dividend yield.

Over the last two years, dividends at an index level have been falling as the earnings yield has taken a hit.

The post 8 ASX shares going ex-dividend next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the Korvest share price is up 8.93% to $6.10. Earlier on Friday, the share price rose as high as $6.35, which was 13.4% above yesterday's closing price.

What did Korvest announce to the ASX?

In its release, Korvest advised that unprecedented levels of large project work along with favourable market conditions has led to a strong start for FY22.

Korvest highlighted the company's strong performance in their June 2021 annual report but gave no earnings guidance.

The pull forward of major project supply means that Korvest now expects first-half profit before tax will exceed $8 million.

The guidance includes the previously disclosed $0.5 million profit on sale of the Power Step and Titan Technologies.

By comparison, the company achieved a net profit after tax for the prior corresponding period of $2.835 million.

The accelerated delivery of significant project work is estimated to lead to an earlier than scheduled completion. Without winning new infrastructure contracts, the first-half performance is likely to taper off in the second half of FY22.

Korvest notes that the guidance assumes there is no adverse effect from COVID-19 on the construction industry.

While the current economic climate is unpredictable, Korvest is hopeful that major projects will continue to be supplied throughout FY22.

Quick take on Korvest

Founded in 1970, Korvest provides supplies cable and pipe supports, industrial access and safety systems, fastening solutions, and galvanising services.

Korvest is headquartered in South Australia but has sales offices across Australia and in New Zealand.

Korvest share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Korvest shares have travelled almost 40% higher, with the year-to-date up about 20%. The Korvest share price today is sitting towards the upper end of its 52-week range of $3.91 to $6.65.

Based on today's share price, Korvest presides a market capitalisation of roughly $69.88 million. Korvest has approximately 11.45 million shares outstanding.

The post Why did the Korvest (ASX:KOV) share price jump 13% on Friday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

It requires an investigation into dividend stability, the underlying performance of the company and a judgement over any potential trade off between capital growth and high yield. If you're investing in high yield shares, you also need to consider whether your strategy is a short term trade to harvest income, or a longer term approach designed to lock in higher returns. 

Here's a closer look at 3 high yield shares that will all go ex-dividend this week.

JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH)

JB Hi-FI's share price spiked on 10 February on the back of an impressive H1 earnings report, pushing hard against headwinds in the retail sector. It announced net profit after tax (NPAT) increase of 6.6% to a record $170.6 million. This spike was followed by a 7% decline in share price over the past week to close at $41.40 on Monday.

The company's dividend will be 99 cents per share (cps), a yield of 2.4% on Monday's closing share price. So an investment of $1,000 at this price would produce a dividend of approximately $23.76. As JB Hi-Fi's shares are fully franked this also carries a tax credit of 42.4 cps. The company pays an interim and final dividend, which has averaged 3.2% over the past 12 months with the rising share price and 6.2% in FY2019.

JB Hi-Fi share price has endured a recent drop, however the company has delivered persistent strong results. Therefore, dividend investors may want to look deeper into this high yield share. JB Hi-Fi goes ex-dividend on Thursday 20 February.

Navigator Global Investments (ASX: NGI)

Navigator is the mid cap Australian holding company for US-based Lighthouse Investment Partners, LLC. It is a funds manager with a good track record of success. The company's share price has risen 11% in the week since February 10 to close at $3.55 per share on Monday.

Navigator's dividend will be 12.6 cps, which is a yield of 3.5% on Monday's closing price. So an investment of $1,000 would produce a dividend of $35.53. The Navigator dividend is not franked, so there are no tax credits associated with this payment. 

Navigator pays an interim dividend and a final dividend with an average dividend yield over the past 12 months of 7.1%. Its history over the past 5 years shows that its share price decays a little after the ex-dividend date but quickly recovers. Navigator goes ex-dividend on 19 February.

Korvest Limited (ASX: KOR)

Korvest is an interesting small cap manufacturing company with a grab bag of industrial products,  including hot dip galvanising, sheet metal fabrication, manufacture of support systems and fittings, and a range of other services and products.

Korvest's dividend will be 15 cps, which is a yield of 3.3% on Monday's share price of $4.60. Therefore, an investment of $1,000 at Korvest's Monday share price close would produce a dividend of $32.55. The 100% franking provides investors with a tax credit of 6.4 cps. Korvest goes ex-dividend on 20 February.

The Korvest share price has dipped slightly after each ex-dividend date over the past 5 years but regained value relatively quickly. However, the company's share price is currently at a 5 year high after being in the doldrums for the past 4 years.

Foolish takeaway

Knowledgeable dividend investors are always on the lookout for opportunities to purchase high yield shares at a reasonable price. For instance, your dividend strategy may be to purchase before the ex-dividend date to capture the income. Or it may be to purchase at a reduced share price after ex-dividend locking in a better return in the next round of dividend payments. 

The post JB Hi-Fi and 2 other high yield ASX shares to buy this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Global equities have been buoyed by good corporate earnings and growing confidence in the US economy, and that's enough to prompt futures traders to bet on a 0.7% rise in the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) this morning. The index made similar gains on Wednesday.

Resource stocks are well placed to lead the charge as a 1.7% jump in the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil price to $US48.79 a barrel should light a fire under Santos Ltd (ASX:STO) and Oil Search Limited (ASX: OSH).

Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) should also enjoy a good day after three brokers upgraded their recommendation on the stock following the release of its quarterly result yesterday.

But it's the iron ore miners like Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) and Atlas Iron Limited (AGO) that are likely to dominate attention as the price of the steel-making ingredient surged 4.6% to $US55.89 a tonne.

Iron ore's recent bounce of 25% puts it in a technical bull market, which is defined as a 20% or more gain from the last trough.

But don't think it's smooth sailing for iron ore from here. I think the party won't last as an impending oversupply of the raw material is likely to force the price down to below $US50 a tonne before year end. I suspect the right time to be bargain hunting iron ore miners – outside of industry giants BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) – is in early 2016.

There's plenty of earnings news for investors to chew on today as well. Consumer and industrial goods supplier GUD Holdings Limited (ASX: GUD) is expected to release its full year result.

Uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia Limited (ASX: ERA), UK-focused fund manager Henderson Group plc (ASX: HGG) and construction and engineering products supplier Korvest Limited (ASX: KOV) are also expected to announce their half year result. We will bring you more detailed analysis on the results later today.

Meanwhile, you can expect quarterly updates from oil & gas junior AWE Limited (ASX: AWE) and gold miner OceanaGold Corporation (ASX: OGC), while aged care facilities operator Estia Health Ltd (ASX: EHE) will be in the spotlight after it announced the acquisition of four aged care facilities in Victoria that are expected to generate a return on capital employed of 27.5%.

Other companies that will also be in focus include QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) on news that credit rating agency Fitch has upgraded the outlook of the insurer to "stable" from "negative", shopping centre developer Scentre Group Ltd (ASX: SCG) after The Australian reported that it is planning to develop malls in Perth, and laboratory testing services group ALS Ltd (ASX: ALQ) as it holds its annual general meeting in Brisbane.

The post Morning market movers: 14 stocks to watch appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.