Author: roymorgansocial

Netflix adds another 400,000 Australians in June – now up over 1.42 million

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Jul-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 1.42 million Australians aged 14+ in 559,000 homes had a Netflix subscription in June 2015. The survey also shows that 8.4 per cent of households with fixed broadband have a Netflix subscription. However, 16.8 per cent of households with fixed broadband through iiNet (or one of its standalone subsidiaries) have Netflix, compared with 11.7 per cent of Optus’s fixed broadband customers and 5.2 per cent of Telstra’s fixed broadband customers. Meanwhile, 9.6 per cent of homes with an NBN connection use Netflix.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, IINET LIMITED – ASX IIN, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, INTERNODE SYSTEMS PTY LTD, WESTNET PTY LTD, ADAM INTERNET PTY LTD, M2 GROUP LIMITED – ASX MTU, DODO INTERNET PTY LTD, IPRIMUS, APPLE INCORPORATED, FETCHTV PTY LTD, CHROMECAST

Mirrabooka forks out 7c a share special dividend

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Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 14-Jul-15

Mirrabooka Investments has reported a 2014-15 profit of $A7.1m, compared with $A7.8m previously. The listed investment company has posted a return of 6.8 per cent for the financial year, and a five-year return of 15.5 per cent. Stocks in its portfolio that performed well in 2014-15 include Toll Holdings, Ansell, Nufarm and Blackmores. Shareholders will receive a final dividend of $A0.065 per share, plus a special dividend of $A0.07 per share.

CORPORATES
MIRRABOOKA INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX MIR, TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED, ANSELL LIMITED – ASX ANN, NUFARM LIMITED – ASX NUF, BLACKMORES LIMITED – ASX BKL, LIFESTYLE COMMUNITIES LIMITED – ASX LIC, COVER-MORE GROUP LIMITED – ASX CVO, ISELECT LIMITED – ASX ISU, VEDA GROUP LIMITED – ASX VED, AMA GROUP LIMITED – ASX AMA, SIMS METAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX SGM, JAPAN POST COMPANY LIMITED, CITADEL GROUP, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX MIDCAP 50 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX SMALL ORDINARIES GROSS ACCUMULATION INDEX

Payments linked to union

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 14-Jul-15

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Corruption & Governance has heard allegations of bribery involving the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU). A Canberra-based contractor claims that he made cash payments in excess of $A135,000 to a former union organiser, Halafihi Kivalu, in return for securing work on a residential project. He was told that the CFMEU would shut down the site if he failed to make further payments. A second contractor has also claimed to have made cash payments to Kivalu.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CLASS 1 FORM PTY LTD

BHP, Rio investors not tempted by rising yield

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Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 14-Jul-15

The share prices of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have fallen sharply in the last 12 months, although they continue to offer strong dividend yields. However, institutional investors such as the Australian Foundation Investment Company and Argo Investments are not capitalising on the rising yield to increase their shareholdings. Michelle Lopez of Aberdeen Asset Management says a key issue for investors is whether BHP can sustain its progressive dividend policy.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIAN FOUNDATION INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AFI, ARGO INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX ARG, ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Business confidence steadies in June – but for how long?

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Jul-15

A Roy Morgan Business Single Source survey has found that Australian business confidence rose slightly to 114.8 in June 2015, compared with 114.7 in May. While business confidence is now at its highest level since January (114.9), it remains below the five-year average of 117.2 and well below the peak of 136.3 in October 2013. Although business confidence remained steady in June, there was some deterioration in the outlook for how businesses feel regarding their own financial position over the next 12 months, as well as increasing concern that Australia will be facing economic difficulties over the next five years.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

LNG price pain to be laid bare

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 14-Jul-15

Nik Burns of UBS expects Woodside Petroleum’s revenue for the June 2015 quarter to be 36 per cent lower than the March quarter. Meanwhile, revenue at Oil Search is tipped to be 35 per cent lower, as the downturn in the crude oil price begins to impact on LNG producers. Meanwhile, Adrian Prendergast of Morgans Financial expects Woodside’s dividend yield to fall from seven per cent to 3.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, MORGANS FINANCIAL LIMITED, APACHE CORPORATION, GLADSTONE LNG PTY LTD, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY, PLATTS

Aldi in great shape for Coles, Woolies battle

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 14 : 14-Jul-15

Woolworths continues to have the highest pre-tax profit margin among Australian grocery retailers, at 7.1 per cent. However, Aldi boasted a profit margin of 5.2 per cent in 2013, according to its submission to a Senate tax inquiry. This compares with a profit margin of just 4.3 per cent for Coles. Craig Woolford of Citigroup believes that Aldi will gain more market share at the expense of its two main rivals, while Craig Young of Nikko Asset Management doubts that Aldi will pursue a grocery price war.

CORPORATES
ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, NIKKO ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Melbourne may ‘outpace’ Sydney prices

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Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 14-Jul-15

A report from property valuation firm Propell suggests that house prices in Sydney and Melbourne will rise by 10 per cent and eight per cent respectively during the next 12 months. However, the firm notes that there is the potential for stronger house prices in Melbourne than in Sydney, as house price growth in the latter city may be moderating. Meanwhile, Propell forecasts five per cent growth in Sydney apartment prices and just one per cent growth in Melbourne.

CORPORATES
PROPELL NATIONAL VALUERS PTY LTD, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RP DATA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD

ALP support crumbles as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten fronts Royal Commission into Unions

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 13-Jul-15

A multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention has found that support for Australia’s ruling Liberal-National Coalition on a two-party preferred basis has risen by 2.5 per cent to 49 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 4-5 and 11-12 July 2015, also shows that the Coalition’s primary vote has risen by 2.5 per cent to 41.5 per cent, while the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has fallen by eight points to 90.5 points. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan notes that support for the Australian Labor Party has fallen after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten fronted the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption to answer questions about his conduct while at the Australian Workers Union immediately before his election to Federal Parliament in 2007.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, CLEANEVENT PTY LTD, INSTITUTE FOR PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

CBA, ANZ tipped to lead $28b in capital raisings

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Original article by Clancy Yeates, James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 14-Jul-15

Shares in Australia’s four major banks fell on 13 July 2015, after the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) indicated that they will need to lift their capital by 200 basis points. However, APRA does not think it necessary for the banks to have sufficient capital to rank them in the top quartile globally. Jarrod Martin of Credit Suisse estimates that the banks will need to raise about $A28bn of additional capital to comply with APRA’s recommendation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION