Daily FNArena News - Australia

Harvey Norman’s Australian franchise has returned to positive sales growth since September, yet brokers remain cautious ahead of the all-important Christmas trading period.

A slowing Australian housing market has made brokers cautious about Brickworks, although the company has signalled an expansion strategy in the buoyant US market.

Is newly-listed Coles the way to access the defensive grocery industry or will under-investment in labour and ranges put pressure on earnings margins?

Brokers consider Fisher & Paykel Healthcare is overvalued, as litigation and competitive headwinds buffet the business.

Consistent with industry data, Automotive Holdings has signalled a slowdown in new car sales in the first four months of FY19.

Removing discount-driven promotional activity at the end of FY18 has had a positive impact on footwear retailer Accent.

Wodgina, the hard rock lithium project, has found the global spotlight as Mineral Resources announces a JV proposal from Albemarle.

FNArena’s Monitor keeps track of corporate earnings result releases, including broker views, ratings and target price changes and beat/miss assessments.

While life sciences margins surprised to the upside in the first half, brokers are unsure whether ALS Ltd can sustain these comfortably over the longer term.

TechnologyOne is confident in the outlook for FY19, expecting robust growth in annualised recurring revenue and profit.