Latest news with #ASX
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Findi's (ASX:FND) investors will be pleased with their incredible 943% return over the last three years
Generally speaking, investors are inspired to be stock pickers by the potential to find the big winners. Not every pick can be a winner, but when you pick the right stock, you can win big. One bright shining star stock has been Findi Limited (ASX:FND), which is 943% higher than three years ago. It's even up 9.2% in the last week. Anyone who held for that rewarding ride would probably be keen to talk about it. So let's assess the underlying fundamentals over the last 3 years and see if they've moved in lock-step with shareholder returns. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. Given that Findi didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally hope to see good revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth. Findi's revenue trended up 41% each year over three years. That's well above most pre-profit companies. In light of this attractive revenue growth, it seems somewhat appropriate that the share price has been rocketing, boasting a gain of 118% per year, over the same period. It's always tempting to take profits after a share price gain like that, but high-growth companies like Findi can sometimes sustain strong growth for many years. In fact, it might be time to put it on your watchlist, if you're not already familiar with the stock. You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. If you are thinking of buying or selling Findi stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts. Findi shareholders are down 11% for the year, but the market itself is up 14%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 39%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Even so, be aware that Findi is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us... There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Australian exchanges. — Investing narratives with Fair Values A case for TSXV:USA to reach USD $5.00 - $9.00 (CAD $7.30–$12.29) by 2029. By Agricola – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: CA$12.29 · 0.9% Overvalued DLocal's Future Growth Fueled by 35% Revenue and Profit Margin Boosts By WynnLevi – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: $195.39 · 0.9% Overvalued Historically Cheap, but the Margin of Safety Is Still Thin By Mandelman – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: SEK232.58 · 0.1% Overvalued View more featured narratives — Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
Sky News AU
5 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Horror new details revealed after multi-millionaire CEO allegedly killed by teen while Brisbane house party took place
Shock new details have been revealed after 58-year-old CEO Greg Josephson was allegedly fatally stabbed at a house party in Brisbane. Mr Josephson, the co-founder of the popular Universal Store clothing chain, was allegedly murdered when an altercation occurred at a party involving 30 young teens which took place downstairs in a $5.4 million mansion in Clayfield. Mr Josephson was found critically injured on the top floor of his palatial property shortly after 8pm on Thursday and later died. The teen was then arrested at 8:15pm in a nearby street after calling triple-0. He was later charged with one count of domestic violence murder. New CCTV vision obtained by 7News allegedly showed the teen riffling through bins behind a café in Ascot about 8pm, shortly before he turned himself to authorities. Multiple investigators and the dog squad were later seen carrying out searches at the Ascot café on Friday afternoon. Detectives claimed Mr Josephson had been on the floor for hours, while over 30 teenagers partied downstairs unaware that the horrific crime had taken place. The children at the party had their phones confiscated and were taken to the police station to be interrogated about the incident. Neighbours who spoke to said partygoers were frantically attempting to leave the house and that the party was so quiet they did not realise anyone was home. 'They were just like 'we want to go home, and we're not allowed to leave'," the neighbour said, adding that the children were 'devastated.' Police said the scene was 'chaotic' and 'confronting' and that the children were visibly shaken. 'We are still establishing the timeline of what has happened at this address. There were about 30 young people here,' Inspector Jane Healy said. Detective Acting Superintendent Craig Williams also confirmed on Friday that police had located the household implement allegedly used to commit the murder and that no other persons of interest had been taken into custody. 'It's very early days and understanding exactly why it has occurred and what has happened, the investigation is still under way,' Supt Williams said. Mr Josephson co-founded the popular youth focussed clothing brand Universal Store with his brother Michael in 1999 and sold the business to a wealthy private equity firm in 2018 with the deal reportedly worth over $100 million. Over the next two decades the company expanded to 53 stores nationwide and raked in an annual turnover of $244 million in 2024. It holds a market cap of around $570 million on the ASX. Mr Josephson also worked as a leasing executive for Westfield, Jones Lang LaSalle and Lend Lease and since 2018 was serving as chief executive of Josephson Holdings Pty while keeping a relatively low public profile. The sprawling north Brisbane property along with the neighbouring lot was listed for sale on the market earlier this month, after Mr Josephson and his wife Tamra purchased the home in 2016 for $1.91 million. The three-storey home boasts six bedrooms, six bathrooms, an outdoor pavilion, an alfresco dining area, and a pool, and was listed for expressions of interest on May 15. The property also recently featured in a Courier Mail article, where Mr Josephson talked up renovations he and his wife had made in 2022, stating the makeover made the estate feel like a 'five-star-resort.' 'We love the fact it's six bedroom and there's just so much space, with all these breakout areas that you can enjoy. My wife and I can go and sit by our fireplace in the parents retreat and the kids can head to the casual downstairs area on the ground floor," he said. 'We were looking for a big family home and this was in very original condition. We're sad to sell but we're relocating to Noosa where we have a house and business interests. But we're proud that we went all out to create a once in a lifetime forever home, and that's what's on offer for someone now.' The well-known entrepreneur also owned a $13.9m Noosa Reef Hotel, a group of cottages in Cooran worth $3.5m, a Noosa hinterland estate purchased for $5m in 2020 and $6.5m worth of properties on Eumundi Noosa Rd, Doonan. Magistrate Megan Power ordered the defence to provide evidence no later than August 22, with the case adjourned to September 2 while the boy remained in custody after being refused bail. Under Queensland's new "adult time adult crime laws", the teenager could face life behind bars if found guilty.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
There Are Reasons To Feel Uneasy About Champion Iron's (ASX:CIA) Returns On Capital
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. Although, when we looked at Champion Iron (ASX:CIA), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Champion Iron: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.12 = CA$321m ÷ (CA$3.0b - CA$359m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025). Therefore, Champion Iron has an ROCE of 12%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Metals and Mining industry average of 8.2% it's much better. Check out our latest analysis for Champion Iron In the above chart we have measured Champion Iron's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Champion Iron . On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Champion Iron doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 12% from 42% five years ago. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line. In summary, Champion Iron is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 78% over the last five years. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward. If you want to know some of the risks facing Champion Iron we've found 4 warning signs (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here. If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
This Simble Solutions Insider Increased Their Holding In The Last Year
Looking at Simble Solutions Limited's (ASX:SIS ) insider transactions over the last year, we can see that insiders were net buyers. That is, there were more number of shares purchased by insiders than there were sold. While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. The insider Amarandhar Kotha made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$191k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.0043 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being AU$0.004). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Amarandhar Kotha was the only individual insider to buy during the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! Check out our latest analysis for Simble Solutions Simble Solutions is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying. Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that Simble Solutions insiders own 30% of the company, worth about AU$1.3m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment. The fact that there have been no Simble Solutions insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders own shares in Simble Solutions and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. While conducting our analysis, we found that Simble Solutions has 5 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore them. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Cassy's teary farewell to passengers went viral. Now her airline is back in the game
It was a memorable moment at the start of the pandemic. In late March 2020, Cassy Appleton, Virgin Australia crew supervisor, delivered a pre-landing safety message to passengers that she appended with a farewell speech for the airline's international operation. Choking back tears, Appleton thanked customers and praised colleagues. Epitomising the fear of the widening COVID-19 pandemic, Appleton's speech quickly went viral. For Virgin Australia, the unknowns at the time were arguably more profound. Within weeks of the speech, the company – once a domestic competitor for Qantas, the only one – would be in voluntary administration, delisted from the ASX, later sold to US-based private equity group Bain Capital. On Tuesday, Virgin, reorganised, under new management, backed now by a Middle Eastern aviation behemoth, took the leap and returned to the Australian Securities Exchange, a viable, listed competitor to Qantas. Virgin has come full circle, in the process facing down reluctant regulators, unions and global uncertainty spurred by US President Donald Trump's trade wars – as well as hot wars in the Middle East. 'We're very proud of the product and service that we put out there,' chief executive Dave Emerson said. 'We provide strong competition and great value and service for Australian consumers'. Yet, the timing of Virgin's IPO only became a certainty a few months ago, after a number of conditions fell into place: the new chief executive, restored investor interest, the support of its largest union, the backing of stakeholder Qatar, Virgin's new strategy to be a simpler, more focused airline, and, ironically, the strength of Qantas' share price helping showcase domestic appetite for aviation stocks. Emerson took the role of chief executive in March, the same month the government approved Qatar Airways to take a share of Virgin and to participate in the 'wet-lease' agreement that allowed the Doha-based airline to increase the number of flights from Australia by 28 a week. The government had denied Qatar Airways' application for additional flights in 2023, citing elusive reasons of 'national interest'. Transport Minister Catherine King's inability to explain the basis of the government's rationale prompted a Senate inquiry which examined Qantas' potential influence on the government's ruling. Speaking this week before Virgin listed, Emerson reflected: '[It] was pretty difficult for us to go to market when there was uncertainty about whether that deal would be approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board. I think that that was the key trigger of us then being able to start to market the company.' Virgin's reliance on the government's approval of Qatar's participation was ironic, given the government's unwillingness to bail Virgin out during its 2020 fall. It was out of this dark period for aviation that Qantas laid off 1800 staff illegally, creating the industry backdrop from which Virgin would rise. 'It's a brutal industry, and Qantas has been a brutal player in that industry,' said Emily McMillan, national assistant secretary of the Transport Workers Union, which is the largest representative of Virgin employees. Loading The union was relieved when Virgin ended speculation and said its chief customer and digital officer, Paul Jones, who had earlier been involved in Qantas' industrial relations, would not replace outgoing boss Jayne Hrdlicka as chief executive. TWU's McMillan said: 'We're pleased that Virgin have made key choices in these last five years as they've navigated through this process to work with its workforce in a different way.' Ruling out Jones, who replaced Emerson as Virgin's chief commercial officer, paved the way for Emerson – one of the least known personalities in Australian aviation – to be named chief of the airline. Emerson was part of the Bain Capital team looking over the restructuring of the troubled airline that the US private equity group took control of in 2020. Father of four sons, a sometime reader of sci-fi (John Scalzi and Martha Wells) and author Michael Lewis, and a somewhat reluctant pickleball player, Emerson brought years of experience in aviation consulting from Bain & Company, where his predecessor Jayne Hrdlicka had once worked. Loading As the pandemic hit, Emerson and his wife had already been looking for an overseas posting. He said he had just dropped his youngest son off at university, before heading to the plane to come to Australia, a place that is the 'opposite of a hardship posting'. However, given the time, Emerson's first impression of the country was limited to the walls of a Marriott hotel room where he stayed upon COVID quarantine. Bain had named Reunion Capital as the independent adviser in 2023, which then appointed Goldman Sachs, UBS and Barrenjoey as book builders of the deal. Emerson's appointment in March signalled the start of the IPO process. Once Bain decided to launch, brokers and investors moved quickly to secure significant volumes of investor demand. On his first day on the job, Emerson met investors, as well as staff in Brisbane and Sydney, going on a tour of Virgin's front-line staff that would take him to Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide. Importantly, he met the union. 'We met with Dave Emerson on the first day of his job,' said TWU's McMillan, 'which we thought was a really positive sign of working collaboratively with the workforce.' Loading Emerson was to simplify the business, pivoting away from the complexity that helped expose it to loss before 2020. The plan was also to be focused on areas where Virgin could compete effectively. 'We want to win in the segment of the market that we've chosen to serve, the value segment,' Emerson said. That didn't mean unlimited, unchecked competition against larger rival Qantas, which helped drive Virgin towards unsustainable debt levels before 2020. Rather, Virgin would compete for premium leisure, small and medium business customers and value-minded corporate customers. 'We have a lot of respect for Qantas,' said Emerson, who notes that Qantas does a good job serving its core customer segments. 'That's one of the reasons that we chose the business model that, we thought, was built around segments that aren't as well served in their existing ... model.' Qatar Airways' participation would help. Virgin operates a simplified fleet of 100 mostly 737s domestically and in overseas destinations such as Fiji, Bali and Vanuatu. Under the 'wet-lease agreement' with Qatar, Virgin could 'carefully re-enter' long-haul travel while sidestepping the complex planning and operations it demands. (Under the deal, Qatar will provide the planes and crew for flights sold by Virgin.) From Qatar, Virgin gets commissions on flights sold, more users of its Velocity loyalty program, and, with more people flying into Australia, more traffic into Virgin's domestic lines. That's all good as long as international travel holds up, which is no certainty in a time of war in the Middle East and Donald Trump's on-again, off-again tariff announcements. Emerson said: 'The way our partnership with Qatar is structured, our economics are focused on the domestic business, and their economics are focused on the long-haul business. So even if demand didn't meet expectations, we wouldn't expect it to have a material effect'. Perceptions around the rebuilt airline mattered too. This meant convincing future investors that Virgin had changed since its days of damaging price wars with Qantas. Going into administration had wiped out the value of Virgin debt securities listed on the ASX. There was a bit of a 'hurdle to overcome how this is a different business now', said one person involved in the IPO, who described it as the 'first challenge' in taking the deal to market. But the outlook for aviation since the end of lockdowns had transformed. Demand for travel appeared limitless. Investors were highly attracted to the industry structure and saw Virgin 'with strong and stable market share and an ability to increase margins over the next couple of years'. Emerson's jammed up meeting schedule ahead of the IPO – banks, unions and company staff – left little time for interviews. Given the restrictions around what can be said before a company lists, and his sudden appointment as chief executive, there was often little Emerson could say. The air of mystery contributed to the sense of anticipation about the reception a relisted Virgin would get from the public. Loading On a recent visit to Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine, a sampling of Virgin passengers voiced sentiments that were uncannily close to Virgin's identified target market. While a number of passengers' stories began with pledges to never fly Qantas again, business travellers this masthead spoke to were generally happy with Virgin. One said Virgin appeared more 'inventive' while Qantas was 'stale'. Another bristled at Qantas' welcome-to-country announcements. Andrew Mills, who months ago spent 30 hours trying to get back to Australia from New Zealand after a Qantas cancellation, said: 'I made the decision to fly only with Virgin, and it's been pretty promising to date. 'I would say 95 per cent of the flights that I've been on since then have been on time and able to allow me to get to my destination as expected.' In fact, in May, Virgin's on-time arrivals reached 84.8 per cent while Qantas' stood at 82.5 per cent, according to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics. One person with knowledge of the deal said Bain had done a 'pretty good job' of turning Virgin around, by finding a part of the market that avoids costly clashes with Qantas. Virgin 'should probably be able to earn increasing margins over time' by not, for example, competing directly for most international routes. Still, the aviation business is not an easy one to succeed at. There are high fixed costs, such as the price of maintaining fleets of jets, or fuel prices. Ticket prices are influenced not just by demand but costs which themselves are vulnerable to outside factors such as those on display this week between Iran and Israel. Chief executive of Moomoo Securities Australia Michael McCarthy said the fact that the prospectus offered no guidance after June 2025 was a 'possible red flag' from Virgin. 'If the people who run this business believe the future for Virgin is so uncertain that they cannot estimate even the next 12 months' earnings, how are investors supposed to make a decision?' In this way, the path of rival Qantas' stock functioned as a proxy for sentiment for the Australian aviation sector, including Virgin. Qantas' stock rose from about $5.78 a share on August 5, to more than $10.27 on June 20, on growing optimism for the outlook for aviation. Virgin was priced at a discount to Qantas, $2.90 a share, with the understanding that Virgin, while a competitor, remained the junior player. As June 24 approached, unwelcome clouds gathered. While markets had largely priced in the Middle East conflict, Iran and Israel began lobbing missiles at each in earnest only a week before. On Monday morning (AEST), Qatar, the home of Qatar Airways, closed its airspace in response to Iranian missile attacks, the very hub of the airline Virgin was now linked to. Emerson said the geopolitical tensions 'underscore' the advantages of being a 90 per cent domestic Australian airline. The local market had been incredibly resilient and, historically, demand had ridden right through geopolitical shocks, he said. Loading Still, Emerson has been peppered by questions about how the Middle East tensions would affect the IPO. Speaking before the stock relisted, Emerson noted: 'There's always the ability to amend the schedule down [the number of wet lease flights with Qatar] if we jointly decide that's in our interest. There's nothing in the agreement that requires us to fly all these flights forever.' When the day came, the sentiment was mixed. Headlines from the Middle East couldn't be worse, but the ASX 200 rallied on expectations that peace would prevail and oil prices fell. The Virgin IPO would be a test of the feeling around the Australian aviation industry. Was the glass half-full, or half-empty? A steady outlook or turbulence ahead? Share listed at $2.90 noon on the ASX. Then they rose. Virgin ticked up by days end to $3.23. They closed down at 2.2 per cent on Friday to $3.18. Loading A person with knowledge of the deal, said Bain was successful in part because it wasn't 'trying to sell too much' of the stock. 'They kept the shares scarce and the price was compelling.' Virgin also had a 'very clear competitor' in the form of Qantas, which also reassured investors looking to understand the metrics of the smaller airline's performance. Virgin's successful launch also signalled a market 'very open to IPOs now' which is, as one investor said, 'a relatively new thing'. Bain Capital veteran and Virgin director Mike Murphy rated the IPO the 'most complex Bain has ever done in Australia and among the most complex that even global Bain has done'. He thinks future competition with Qantas will be 'rational' but 'the Australian aviation market is extremely competitive and it is closely watched by the ACCC'. Even former Virgin chief executive Paul Scurrah called it 'a proud day for the team to see what we envisaged during the [2020] sale process come to fruition'. Asked if the IPO was the biggest undertaking of his career, Emerson said working with the team at Virgin had been 'the capstone of what has been 30 years in aviation, and I couldn't be more proud and excited about it'. One Virgin crew member with more than a decade's experience with the company noted that aviation was an 'inherently unstable industry'. Remembering back to 2020, when his former colleague Cassy Appleton posted her farewell video before Virgin essentially stopped flying, he said those videos were almost 'a form of grief'. Having said that, Virgin appeared much sounder on the day than the decade earlier when he began working for the company. 'To be completely honest,' he said, 'it is kind of surprising that we've gone from point A to point B and become relatively stable and quite profitable in such a short space of time.'
