wesfarmers

A higher net interest margin drove a 10 per cent increase in CBA’s net profit after tax, while Wesfarmers benefited from a strong performance by Kmart Group and the chemicals division. But with much of the upside for these companies already priced in, investors should be clear about valuations before buying in.

ASX trades off high, retail sales higher, Wesfarmers flags tough comparables   The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) finished at an all-time high, adding 0.6% on Thursday as the energy sector continued to rally. The energy sector was 3.3% higher along with utilities, up 2% again, whilst consumer discretionary was the only detractor, falling 1.1%. Worley Ltd (ASX: WOR), which…

Wesfarmers (ASX: WES) – Dubbed one of the big sectoral “COVID winners,” consumer staples stocks had an easy path through the pandemic and its forced lockdowns. While businesses across the country were forced to shut up shop, grocery chains, supermarkets and a few essential retailers were given the all-clear to remain open, but with conditions….

Tough finish to the week, Cochlear (ASX:COH) rallies despite taking a hit, QBE Insurance (ASX:QBE) reports billion dollar loss The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) dropped 1.3% on Friday, sending the benchmark to a 0.2% loss for the week despite a strong series of company reports. Friday’s weakness was driven by the energy sector, which fell 3.6% and mining, -2.4%,…

ASX finishes flat, CSL (ASX:CSL), Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) delivers again, Fortescue (ASX:FMG) delivers record dividend The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished flat for the day, but with growing dispersion in underlying company performance. Treasury Wine (ASX:TWE) lead the way, jumping 17.5%, but it was healthcare company CSL (ASX:CSL) that contributed most with the consumer discretionary (+0.6%) and the healthcare (+2.0%) the few winners. Unemployment…

Charter Hall Group (ASX:CHC) delivered one of the surprises of earnings season last week, once again exhibiting the importance of quality when it comes to investments in property. Quality, as they say, comes down to your definition and in our view it is about the tenant, not necessarily the underling asset. With the property sector…

Market flat for the week, positive lead from the US, manufacturing recovering The ASX 200 finished 0.2% lower for the week, down just 0.1% on Friday, despite a strong US lead. Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX:SUN) was the highlight, beating expectations despite reporting a 33% fall in profit and finishing up 11% for the day. Over…

Retailers at all-time highs, market to open strongly as tech rally continues The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) fell another 0.8% today, as weaker than expected earnings result and more pessimistic view from the US Federal Reserve impacted sentiment. Most weakness came from the healthcare and financial sectors, representing a substantial portion of the market, however, the…

This week we take a look at Wesfarmers who is a key beneficiary from the Work From Home trend during COVID-19 lockdowns.   WES is a diversified conglomerate with operations across retail department stores, home improvement, office supplies, resources, chemicals, energy and industrial products. Primarily though, the company is a consumer-facing business due to its…