Iron ore prices boost profits as ASX earnings season gets underway
Fortescue announced a monster interim dividend for shareholders
2 min
ASX earnings season is well underway, with hundreds of Australia’s biggest publicly–listed companies reporting their latest financial results to the market. This week, the country’s three biggest miners, BHP, Fortescue and Rio Tinto released their figures. All three companies benefitted from stronger iron ore prices, however weaker prices for other commodities put a drag on earnings for diversified operators, BHP and Rio Tinto, while iron ore pure-play Fortescue delivered a turbocharged profit.
Let’s review the key points of each company’s report.
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)
BHP released its half-year figures for FY24 on Tuesday. The company reported a 6 percent revenue increase to US$27.2 billion. Its underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) lifted 5 percent to US$13.9 billion but profit after tax spiralled by 86 percent to US$927 million.
BHP said higher iron ore and copper prices along with production from mines acquired under the Oz Minerals takeover in May 2023 boosted revenue. But its profit was impacted by a US$2.5 billion impairment of the carrying value of its West Australian nickel business and a US$3.2 billion provision for reparations and compensation relating to the Brazil dam disaster in 2015. The BHP share price fell 1.54 percent on Tuesday, and is down a further 2.57 percent since. BHP closed yesterday at $44.30.
BHP shares will pay a fully franked interim dividend of 72 US cents per share, which is 20 percent lower than last year.
Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG)
Fortescue released its results yesterday, reporting a 21% revenue bump to US$9.5 billion for1H FY24. Underlying EBITDA came in 36% higher at US$5.9 billion and net profit after tax was up 41 percent to US$3.3 billion.
Higher iron ore prices turbocharged Fortescue’s revenue during the period. The company delivered its second–highest number of shipments for a first half ever, including first shipment from the new Iron Bridge project. The Fortescue share price lifted 1.73 percent yesterday to $27.83per share.
Fortescue shares will pay a fully franked interim dividend of AU$1.08 per share, up 44 percent on last year.
Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO)
Rio Tinto reports on a different financial year cycle to the other two majors, and released its full-year earnings for FY23 yesterday. Revenue fell 3 percent over the year to US$54 billion. Rio’s underlying EBITDA was 9 percent lower at US$23.8 billion and profit after tax declined 19 percent to US$10 billion.
The company said its iron ore division delivered increased revenue and EBITDA due to higher commodity prices, however, this was offset by higher costs and weaker prices for copper, aluminium, diamonds and other minerals due to lower global demand amid increased supply. The Rio Tinto share price fell 0.96 percent yesterday to $124.36 per share.
Rio Tinto shares will pay a fully franked final dividend of US$2.58 per share for 2H FY23, up 14 percent.
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Fourth-quarter revenue climbed 24% to 110.61 billion yuan, equivalent to $15.30 billion, but missed estimates.
Fourth-quarter revenue climbed 24% to 110.61 billion yuan, equivalent to $15.30 billion, but missed estimates.
2 minThe Chinese owner of bargain app Temu reported slower quarterly profit and revenue growth, capping a turbulent year for the e-commerce giant as it faced stiff competition at home, geopolitical tensions abroad and U.S. tariff uncertainties.
PDD Holdings on Thursday said fourth-quarter revenue climbed 24% to 110.61 billion yuan, equivalent to $15.30 billion, missing a Visible Alpha estimate of 117.83 billion yuan. It was the slowest pace of growth since the first quarter of 2022.
Net profit rose 18% from a year earlier to 27.45 billion yuan, topping analysts’ expectations of 27.00 billion yuan. However, the growth was slower than the 61% rise in the third quarter and the more than twofold increase a year earlier.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to prioritize investments in the platform ecosystem as the cornerstone of our long-term value creation strategy,” said Jun Liu, PDD’s vice president of finance.
Jefferies analysts in a note said PDD’s top-line miss was due to slower-than-expected revenue growth from transaction services, while revenue from online marketing services and others was in line with consensus.
The easing momentum contrasted sharply with the stunning growth rates the company delivered in past years. PDD last year repeatedly warned of a slowdown, pointing to intensifying competition and external challenges.
Pinduoduo, the company’s discount platform in China, has grown rapidly since it launched nearly a decade ago, taking market share from e-commerce stalwarts Alibaba and JD.com . Its sister platform Temu burst onto the international scene in 2022 and swiftly gained attention in the U.S., attracting customers with low prices.
However, Temu has also encountered regulatory scrutiny as it expands overseas. U.S. President Trump in February delayed his plan to end a provision for China imports that lets platforms avoid paying import duties and customs inspections on low-value packages, offering the likes of Temu a brief reprieve.
For the full year, PDD’s total revenue rose 59% to 393.84 billion yuan and net profit climbed 87% to 60.03 billion yuan.
Last month, rival Alibaba posted its fastest pace of revenue growth since late 2023, with revenue for the latest quarter rising 7.6% to 280 billion yuan. Online retailer JD.com earlier this month nearly tripled its quarterly net profit as revenue climbed 13% to 346.99 billion yuan.
U.S.-listed PDD was recently 6.5% lower in premarket trading after the results.
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