Investors to get $9b dividend bonanza

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 31-Mar-16

Australian companies are expected to pay shareholders around $A19bn in interim dividends during March and April 2016. Fund managers estimate that almost $A9bn worth of dividends will be paid in the final week of March, including some $A3.4bn worth of dividends from the Commonwealth Bank. Meanwhile, CommSec’s Craig James warns that the current dividend payout ratio of 106.3 per cent of profits is not sustainable. Many shareholders are expected to reinvest their dividends in equities, particularly given the low returns from assets such as bonds.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, COMMONWEALTH SECURITIES LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, PLATYPUS ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Junior miners ripe for picking, says Lanstead

Original article by Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 30-Mar-16

British fund manager Lanstead Investors aims to invest about $A300m in Australian-listed stocks over the next several years. Its portfolio currently comprises about $A50m worth of Australian shares, and co-founder Greg Kofford is bullish about local resources groups. He believes that smaller resources companies in particular offer good value at present. Lanstead director Andrew Sparke notes that lack of access to capital has forced many smaller miners to shelve quality projects.

CORPORATES
LANSTEAD INVESTORS PTY LTD, WESTERN MINING NETWORK LIMITED – ASX WMN, CARBINE TUNGSTEN LIMITED – ASX CNQ, MUSTANG RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MUS, LITHIUM AUSTRALIA NL – ASX LIT, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Dividend lure keeps capex hungry

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 30-Mar-16

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 boasts a dividend yield of 4.98 per cent at present, and it is tipped to be 4.66 per cent for the 2016 calendar year. Yield-hungry investors continue to shun bonds in favour of equities, and Citigroup has suggested that this focus on yield is deterring companies from increasing their capital expenditure. Australian companies anticipate capex of $A124bn in 2015-16, and $A82.6bn in 2016-17.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UBS GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Deutsche tips value stocks to outperform

Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 15-Mar-16

Australian equities with high price-earnings ratios have significantly outperformed the broader sharemarket in the last several years. However, Deutsche Bank says investors should consider buying into value stocks, forecasting that they are set to deliver the best returns. Deutsche Bank favours stocks such as Boral, Harvey Norman, Flight Centre Travel Group and AGL Energy.

CORPORATES
DEUTSCHE BANK AG, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED – ASX FLT, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, FORAGER FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, RAMSAY HEALTH CARE LIMITED – ASX RHC

Investors advised to widen stocks horizons

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 4-Mar-16

The Australian sharemarket has shed five per cent so far in 2016, with the market volatility adversely affecting exchange-traded funds in particular. However, experts say investors who use an active investment strategy can diversify their portfolios by gaining exposure to passive investment options such as exchange-traded funds. The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF has delivered the best performance among such funds in the year-to-date.

CORPORATES
MARKET VECTORS GOLD MINERS ETF – ASX GDX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 300 INDEX, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, BETASHARES CAPITAL LIMITED, ISHARES INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BETASHARES AUSTRALIAN EQUITIES STRONGBEARHEDGEFUND – ASX BBO, MARKET VECTORS CHINAMC A-SHARE ETF – ASX CET, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, PROTEGE FUNDS LLC, VANGUARD S&P 500 ADMIRAL INDEX FUND

Millionaires roll shrinks by 5000

Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 15-Feb-16

Data from Investment Trends shows that Australia boasted 440,000 individuals whose investable assets topped $A1m at the end of October 2015. This compares with 445,000 in 2014, while the combined assets of the nation’s millionaires has fallen from $A1.57trn to $A1.55trn. Investment Trends’ Irene Guiamatsia notes that property and direct ownership of shares accounts for two-thirds of the investment portfolios of most high net worth individuals.

CORPORATES
INVESTMENT TRENDS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Sevior digs resources again but wary of BHP

Original article by Matthew Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 10-Feb-16

Cash holdings account for some $A1bn worth of the $A5bn-plus investment portfolio of Airlie Funds Management at present. Founder John Sevior is keen to return to the equities market when valuations fall further, and Airlie could potentially be fully invested again by the end of 2016. Sevior intends to gain exposure to resources stocks, having shunned the sector since 2012, but he has ruled out buying BHP Billiton’s shares unless its progressive dividend policy is scrapped.

CORPORATES
AIRLIE FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, DULUXGROUP LIMITED – ASX DLX, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, HENDERSON GLOBAL INVESTORS LIMITED, HENDERSON GROUP PLC – ASX HGG, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, PERPETUAL INVESTMENTS

Resources sector delivers top stock picks for the bold

Original article by Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 29-Jan-16

Credit Suisse has identified Kula Gold as the Australian-listed stock that it expects to perform the best in 2016, forecasting a return of 362 per cent. This based on an analysis of 180 stocks. The other five stocks that Credit Suisse expects to achieve the highest returns for the calendar year are Altona Mining, WorleyParsons, Whitehaven Coal, Bradken and Senex Energy. Meanwhile, Brambles and Evolution Mining are among the stocks that are tipped to underperform.

CORPORATES
CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, KULA GOLD LIMITED – ASX KGD, ALTONA MINING LIMITED – ASX AOH, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, BRADKEN LIMITED – ASX BKN, SENEX ENERGY LIMITED – ASX SXY, BRAMBLES LIMITED – ASX BXB, EVOLUTION MINING LIMITED – ASX EVN, PACIFIC ROAD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FRANKLIN TEMPLETON ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, PACIFIC EQUITY PARTNERS PTY LTD, BAIN CAPITAL LLC

Future Fund shifts to 20pc cash weighting as global risks grow

Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 18 : 28-Jan-16

The Australian Government’s Future Fund reduced its investment portfolio’s equities holdings from 39 per cent to 31 per cent in 2015. The fund has in turn lifted its exposure to cash holdings to around 20 per cent, or $A24.4bn. CEO David Neal says the fund has taken into account the high-risk global environment and the low yields that currently prevail. The fund posted a return of 8.4 per cent for calendar 2015, although its return for the second half was one per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, CHANT WEST FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD

AFIC hunts for quality mid-cap investments

Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 21-Jan-16

The Australian Foundation Investment Company has posted a 2015-16 interim profit of $A145.5m, which is 10.3 per cent higher than previously. The listed investment company’s revenue was 7.2 per cent higher at $A156.6m, although its investment portfolio generated a loss of 1.3 per cent for the half-year. The group has reduced its exposure to large banks and retailers, and increased its holdings of stocks such as Qube Holdings, Suncorp Group and Treasury Wine Estates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FOUNDATION INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AFI, QUBE HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX QUB, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, CHALLENGER LIMITED – ASX CGF, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MAINFREIGHT LIMITED, INTEGRAL DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED – ASX IDX, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 ACCUMULATION INDEX, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD