Sharesight20 February top 20 trades on ASX & NZX

Welcome to the February 2018 edition of the Sharesight20 monthly trading snapshot (click here for last month’s Sharesight20), where we look at the top 20 trades on both the ASX and NZX markets among the Sharesight userbase during the current month and dig a little deeper into the news behind these movements.

Let’s dive into February’s top trades.

Sharesight20ASX February Snapshot

February means reporting season on the ASX, with over 200 companies announcing results during the month. Results were generally positive and made up the majority of company news during the period. A2 Milk Limited continued to be heavily traded by the Sharesight userbase, claiming the top spot on both our ASX and NZX charts in February.

A2 Milk Company Limited (ASX: A2M)

• A2 Milk struck a deal with New Zealand’s dairy giant Fonterra “where Fonterra farmers will supply A1 protein-free milk to A2M and develop herds, sell A2M's fresh milk into the New Zealand market and assist A2M into new international markets where Fonterra has existing operations”
• Announced a $NZ98.5 million ($92 million) December half profit

BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP)

• Announced after-tax profit drop of 37%, blaming US corporate tax cuts
• ExxonMobil and BHP withdrew Bass Strait oil assets from sale 20 months after announcing plans to offload the assets, after oil prices rebound
• Debate continued over restructure attempts by activist shareholder Elliott Funds to ‘unwind’ the dual UK/Australia listing structure

Telstra (ASX: TLS)

• First half profit down 6% to $1.7 billion
• iPhone users were impacted by an iMessage/SMS outage on Feb 21
• Will launch LTE-Broadcast (LTE-B) technology with AFL streaming app in 2018
• Announced plans for 5G broadband rollout starting in 2019, with an expected footprint of 1 million homes and businesses (over time)

Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA)

• Rejected the bulk of AUSTRAC money laundering allegations
• Announced support for Samsung pay for Mastercard paywave card holders
• Banned customers from using credit cards to buy Bitcoin (or other cryptocurrencies)

Flight Centre Travel Group (ASX: FLT)

• Revenue up 5.4% to $1.37 billion
• Net profit after tax up 37.2%
• ‘Transformation strategy’ announced in 2017 to grow transaction value by 7% each year appears to be ‘on track’
• Colette Garnsey OAM, formerly core brand director of Just Group, was appointed to the Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) board of directors as a non-executive director on Feb 7

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

• Profit up 280% on a 1.4% increase in traffic
• Trump tax cuts improved results
• Transurban will make a bid for a 51% stake in Sydney’s Westconnex toll road but indicated they will not overpay, possibly losing to more aggressive rival bids

CIMIC Group (ASX: CIM)

• CIMIC, which is building the early stages of WestConnex, is another possible bidder for the Westconnex toll road
• Annual profit up 21%, bullish on expectations for 2018
• CIMIC Group subsidiary UGL awarded $170m tailed bend solar farm project

Sharesight20NZX February Snapshot

On the NZX in February, A2 Milk (NZX: A2M) continues to hold the attention of the Sharesight userbase. Investors continue to trade heavily in market-tracking ETFs on the NZX, in particular the NZ Top 50 Fund (NZX: FNZ) and US 500 Fund (NZX: USF) -- both in the top 3 most traded shares in consecutive months.

Fletcher Building (NZX: FBU)

• Fletcher Building announced half-year loss of $322 million
• Sir Ralph Norris quit as chairman of Fletcher Building after announcing the half yearly loss

Air New Zealand Limited (NZX: AIR)

• Announced they expect fiscal 2018 earnings before tax to exceed 2017 results
• Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission granted Air New Zealand rival Qantas permission to extend their global alliance with Emirates another 5 years despite competition concerns

Auckland International Airport Limited (NZX: AIA)

• Reported its half year to December 31 2017 results -- Income up almost 7% -- Total passengers up 6.4%
• Released details for “long anticipated’ second runway first approved 16 years ago

Spark New Zealand (NZX: SPK)

• Announced first-half profit fell 3.4% to $172 million
• Revenue, however, was up 1.6% to $1.822 billion
• Spark managing director Simon Moutter downplayed suggestions the firm will move to buy Vocus New Zealand

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Important Disclaimer. We do not provide tax or investment advice. The buying of shares can be complex and varies by country. You should seek tax and investment advice specific to your situation before acting on any of the information in this article.

FURTHER READING

• Blog -– Get weekly Sharesight20 ASX & NZX trading snapshots
• Blog –- How much money can Sharesight save you?
• Blog –- 7 reasons why Sharesight is better than a spreadsheet