The Director's Commentary of the ASX.
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Banking company, Westpac (ASX:WBC) reported:
$4,001m Net profit, up 22% on 1H22 11.3% ROE, up 205 bps on 1H22 70c Dividend per share, fully franked up 15% on 1H22
Gotta love the extra $1 million sneaking in.
Software company, RocketBoots (ASX:ROC):
has finalised an agreement with ASB Bank Limited (ASB) to deploy its Beehive software in New Zealand.
The new deal represents:
approximately 15% of RocketBoots' FY22 revenue.
Online learning company, OpenLearning (ASX:OLL):
announce[ed] the launch of its new generative Al-powered course authoring tools
AI this, ChatGPT that.
When will companies start to add “GPT” to their names?
I opened my Guzman y Gomez app today, to find that the Chicken Mini Meal has gone up to $13, from $12.
Once the clear winner of lunch-time rush hour value, the $13 née $12 née $10 Chicken Mini Meal has once again been a victim of inflation.
The Chicken Mini Meal started life at $10:
For $10 you get a mini chicken burrito or bowl, small fries and a small drink.
Unreal value!
But then the pandemic caused the meal to rocket to $12.
Alas, we welcome in the new era of $13 Chicken Mini Meals.
The Guzman Index of Inflation, is putting the rate at 7.7%.
The ABS puts 12-month inflation at 7.0% to the March 2023 Quarter.
Hyper-inflation when?
Carrie LaFrenz and Sam Buckingham-Jones for the Australian Financial Review:
[Amazon] Prime subscription price will move from $6.99 to $9.99 a month (a 42 per cent increase) or from $59 to $79 a year (33 per cent).
Funnily enough I moved my Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Prime subscription from monthly to yearly yesterday. A fortunute turn of events locking in the cheaper pricing for another year.
You still have time:
for new Prime members, the price change will go into effect on May 24 and for current members from June 28.
Airline company, Qantas Group (ASX:QAN):
has today announced Vanessa Hudson will become the next CEO and Managing Director, taking over from Alan Joyce when he retires in November 2023.
Who is Vanessa?
Ms. Hudson is currently the Group’s Chief Financial Officer
No details on salary yet, but hopefully not as much as old mate Joyce.
It’s a busy couple days for Qantas Chair, Richard Goyder, who named a new CEO for the AFL yesterday — another over due CEO change.
SaaS learning company, OpenLearning (ASX:OLL):
has recieved a notification from […] ECA Investments […] to acquire Alchemy [Tribridge Sapphire’s] 13.58% shareholding in OpenLearning
ECA is already a major shareholder:
currently hold[ing] 19.9% of the Voting power in OpenLearning.
Alchemy first became a strategic investor in November 2021 at 9.3 cents per share.
OLL opened today at 2.7 cents.
Oops.
Energy company, Viva Energy (ASX:VEA):
[has] completed the acquisition of the Coles Express Convenience Retailing business
Viva paid Coles Group (ASX:COL):
$300 million
And is funding it from cash.
Given Viva’s announced acquisition of OTR Group, I wonder how long the Coles Express brand will stick around.
Georgie Moore, reporting for the Australian Financial Review:
AGL Energy has shut its Liddell coal power station, ending fossil fuel generation from the site for the first time in more than 50 years.
Bye.
Airline company, Air New Zealand (ASX:AIZ) & (NZX:AIZ):
now expects earnings […] to be in the range of $510 million to $560 million.
The revision is up from:
prior guidance range of $450 million to $530 million.
Why?
… strong levels of demand on both the domestic and international networks.
And:
US dollar jet fuel prices have also declined …
Nice.
