News from AAP

Stocks to watch at open on Friday

Print This Post A A A

Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange at the open on Friday:

ANZ – ANZ BANKING GROUP – up 36 cents, or one per cent, at $34.98

CBA – COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – up $2.48, or 2.7 per cent, at $93.27

NAB – NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK – up 47 cents, or 1.3 per cent, at $36.97

WBC – WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – up 21 cents, or 0.6 per cent, at $36.44

All four big banks will pass on the latest Reserve Bank rate cut, while NAB’s first quarter profit rose six per cent to $1.65 billion.

DOW – DOWNER EDI – down four cents, or 0.9 per cent, at $4.45

Engineering group Downer EDI’s share price has fallen after the company blamed a mining downturn for a four per cent slide in first half profit.

FMG – FORTESCUE METALS GROUP – down seven cents, or 2.7 per cent, at $2.51

US fund management giant The Capital Group has taken a five per cent stake in the world’s fourth biggest iron ore miner Fortescue Metals.

FXL – FLEXIGROUP – up 45 cents, or 14.8 per cent, at $3.49

Financial services business FlexiGroup has reaffirmed its full year guidance after lifting its first half profit 11 per cent.

HVN – HARVEY NORMAN – up six cents, or 1.5 per cent, at $4.04

JBH – JB HI-FI – up 30 cents, or 1.7 per cent, at $17.60

MYR – MYER HOLDINGS – up 9.5 cents, or 5.6 per cent, at $1.785

Retail spending growth remained soft in December, as weak consumer confidence outweighed any boost from falling petrol prices.

REA – REA GROUP – up $1.97, or four per cent, at $51.28

The company behind Australia’s most popular property sales website has seen its underlying half year profit grow by more than a third following acquisitions in Asia and the US.

RIO – RIO TINTO – down 53 cents, or 0.9 per cent, at $60.20

Rio Tinto has shrugged off worries about the diving iron ore price, saying it looks forward to the other products it mines enjoying a boom.

TAH – TABCORP – in a trading halt at $4.71

Tabcorp shareholders will get an extra reward after a strong performance from the gaming giant’s wagering division helped lift first half profit by 64 per cent.