Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

The company unveiled its financial report for the year ending March 31, telling investors its full-year operating revenue had risen 6% to $208M. This was underpinned by an 11% rise in product sales and royalties across all territories, along with $0.7 million worth of income from licensing.

Group revenue was boosted by sales growth in the Australian and New Zealand markets, up 17% and 10% respectively. In Australia, this increase was offset by the one-off factors of destocking and interruptions to demand for Maxigesic IV.

In Oz, the operating profit was also in good shape, with an increase of 65%.

With this variable considered in the medium term, AFT has now set the goal of reaching $300M in revenue by the end of the 2027 fiscal year.

Earnings for the year were in a slightly weaker position, with EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) falling 20% to $20.9M while operating profit fell 27% to $17.6 million – in line with guidance released at the half year – and net profit after tax was down 23% to $12M.

AFT co-founder and managing director Dr Hartley Atkinson said the company had already achieved multiple goals during the 2025 fiscal year.

“Aside from continued strong growth in our core Australasian businesses, we have significantly advanced strategy to extend our reach across multiple geographies and added to our research and development pipeline,” AFT’s boss explained.

Highlights included launching Maxigesic tablets in the U.S., the launch of a proprietary antiseptic cream in mainland China, and the completion of multiple licensing agreements around the world, including Maxigesic IV in China and Brazil, Mr Atkinson flagged.

“These efforts have come at the cost of short-term earnings growth, but we are convinced they will deliver growth in long-term shareholder value.”

More market news

Trims: An RBA cut was locked. Beijing’s identical chop spotlights larger macro forces

Meet GeoGeorge: The HotCopper poster so accurate he got hired as an analyst

Mr Atkinson added: “In a credit to our out-licensing activities, we were identified as the only company in the world last year to secure two licensing agreements into China, the world’s second largest pharma market.”

AFP shares have been trading at $2.55.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about AFT Pharmaceuticals and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

The company will be seeking a new CEO and managing director after Steve Donohue said he would be stepping down.

The company – whose network includes Dan Murphy’s, BWS and ALH Hotels – said its NPAT (net profit after tax) was $298 million in the first six months to December 2024, registering a fall of 15.1%.

Operating earnings before interest and taxes were down 6.6% at $634M. This excluded the impact of the company’s One Endeavour Technology program. And Endeavour’s dividend per share had fallen to 12.5cps, from 14.3c in the first half of fiscal year 2024.

The retail sales figure for the period was $5.5 billion – a fall of 1.5% – and operating earnings (EBIT) in retail were also in the red, 11.6% down at $397M. Hotel sales were 3.3% higher at $1.1 billion, and operating EBIT for hotels was 3.4% higher, at $274M.

The $200M ‘One Endeavour’ program was kicked off in 2023 and is set to last three years, seeking to harness technology to target efficiencies across the company.

Endeavour has been trading at $4.49.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Endeavour Group and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Coles’ EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) was $2.04 billion for the half year to December 2024, while its underlying profit from continuing operations (excluding significant items) was $666 million.

The supermarket giant also declared an interim dividend (fully franked) of 37 cents per share.

More specifically, Coles said its supermarket sales revenue had increased by 4.3% during the period, while its liquor sales revenue pushed up slightly higher, by 0.8%.

Group CEO Leah Weckert said the business continued to perform strongly within the context of higher cost-of-living realities.

“We have had a strong focus on value, fresh quality and availability which has supported volume-led growth in supermarkets during the half,” she said.

“Pleasingly, we saw improving customer experience metrics during the period, reinforcingthe importance of delivering affordability and a great shopping experience whilst customers continue to face cost of living pressures.

“We made good progress on our Simplify and Save to Invest target, delivering $157 million in cost savings, allowing us to offset continued cost inflation and invest in our customer proposition, whilst delivering returns for the many Australians who are shareholders.”

Coles also announced that its chairman James Graham would be retiring, with Peter Allen appointed as chairman-elect, set to replace Mr Graham from 1 May 2025.

Coles shares jumped after the news, and at 15:58 AEDT, they were trading at $20.35 – a rise of 3.33% since the market opened.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Coles and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The company’s revenue for the period was also higher – by 9% – coming in at $12.13B, and while Qantas did not announce of pay any dividends during this period, the board said it would announce a base dividend of $250 million, paid out on the basis of an interim dividend of 16.5 cents per share (cps).

Growth in international operations meant that Qantas had a strong half year for passenger revenue, which grew 9%, while loyalty programs also continued to perform strongly.

A key focus for Qantas during the half year period was the upgrading of its fleet: with 16 aircraft delivered, including 6 new A321LRs, 2 new A320neos, 3 new A220-300s, 2 mid-life A319-100s and 3 mid-life Q400s.

Also added were 3 E190s brought online through Qantas’ wet lease arrangements with Alliance Airlines.

CEO Vanessa Hudson said these and other changes would provide a strong foundation going forward.

“Having a strong business means we can invest in our customers and our people, including our largest ever fleet renewal and cabin overhaul programs,” she said.

“Qantas and Jetstar made travel possible for more Australians, carrying 28 million customers, with around one third of Jetstar customers travelling for under $100 at a time of ongoing cost of living pressures.”

Qantas traded higher after this news, and by 16:23 AEDT, they were trading at $9.42 – a rise of 5.96% since the market opened.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Qantas and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The company produced 6.85 million ounces of gold during 2024 – representing a rise of 23% compared to the previous year. Contributing to this was a 14% increase in gold production in the fourth quarter of the year – to 1,899 thousand ounces.

This was mainly based on stronger production metrics at Peñasquito, Boddington, and Lihir and the non-managed joint venture at Nevada Gold Mines.

However, Newmont also pared back expectations for 2025, with gold production tipped to reach only 5.9 million ounces.

President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Palmer said the annual data indicated the company’s resilience.

“2024 was a transformational year for Newmont, as we focused on the integration of the Newcrest portfolio, divestment of our non-core assets, and transitioning the business onto a stable operating and investment platform,” he said.

“We have deliberately streamlined Newmont into the world’s best collection of Tier 1 gold assets, with a strong foundation of operational and financial performance.

“Our record fourth quarter gave a glimpse into the promising potential of the business and allowed Newmont to deliver record operating cash flows.”

Newmont reported a fourth quarter dividend of $0.25.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was also up, registering a 119% leap for $307.6M (from $140.2M in the half year to 31 December 2023).

Directors have recommended but not paid a dividend of 3 cents per share (cps).

The spike in revenue had been supported by both higher gold prices and improved mill grades at Mt Magnet, with 143,032 ounces of gold being sold overall for the period at an average realised gold price of A$3,541 per ounce.

Production from Mt Magnet and Edna May production centres – both in WA – totalled 147,755 ounces of gold during the half-year period, at an All-in Sustaining Cost (AISC) of A$1,699 per ounce.

Ramelius said its guidance for the 2025 fiscal year remained between 270,000 and 300,000 ounces at an AISC of A$1,500 – 1,700 per ounce.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Ramelius and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

In the half year to December 2024, IAG recorded a net profit after tax (NPAT) of $778 million, up from $407 million in 1H FY24.

This included an insurance profit of $957 million – up 55.9% from $614 million.

Managing director and CEO Nick Hawkins said the results showed this half had been a particularly good period for the insurer. “Today’s result was delivered in a period of favourable weather and benefited from a $200 million release from the COVID Business Interruption provision,” he explained.

“Our results reflect the volatility of our sector and the fact we’re often subject to factors outside our control – the good years help us weather the bad and be well positioned to pay future customer claims.

“We continue to focus on customers as we help keep communities safe and support thoseexperiencing cost of living pressures. Storms, floods, and the L.A. fires are a stark reminder of the need to be a well-prepared nation.”

IAG’s interim dividend was set at 12cps – a rise of 20% from 1H24’s 10cps.

IAG has been trading at $8.92.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Insurance Australia Group and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

SWM’s group revenue for the period came in at $727 million, down 6% on H1 FY24, recording the same percentage loss in total TV advertising revenue, with a soft market and major sporting events to blame for the latter.

Mentioned in particular were major one-off sporting events such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup – broadcast on Seven during the first half of FY24 – and the Olympic Games on Nine this half.

However, there was some good news, with Seven’s total TV audiences increasing by 1.5% with strong growth in broadcast video on demand – up 43%, offsetting a modest decline in linear broadcasting, which was down 1.8%.

Managing director and CEO Jeff Howard explained that TV advertising was a standout factor to watch in the results.

“Seven West Media’s H1 FY25 results reflect the ongoing soft total TV advertising market and the impact of major one-off sporting events,” he said.

“Mitigating the full impact of these revenue headwinds was an increase in our total TV revenue share to 41.5% (up 0.5 points) and the benefits of our year-on-year operating cost savings initiates.

“Seven’s total TV audiences are up 1.5% year on year, excluding one-off sporting events.

“Our content strategy successfully mitigated the Olympic Games’ impact in thefirst quarter and the launch of 7plus Sport commencing with the AFL Grand Final drovea step change in audiences as the first half progressed.”

SWM has been trading at 16.5 cents.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Seven West Media and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

The project’s new capex is now $474 million, including $154 million already spent on mine site infrastructure.

According to the annual report to shareholders, Yangibana – located in WA’s upper Gascoyne region – is now moving into the stage of construction of a beneficiation plant, with the first concentrate to be produced by 2026.

Construction of the project in general was 32% complete as on June 30, with much of this dedicated to non-process infrastructure and long-lead equipment for the plant, and deliveries of the latter continued, including flotation cells and storage silos.

Other aspects of construction during the period included the building of a 298-bed accommodation camp, a 1.8 kilometre airstrip, four water bores, telecommunications towers and over 20 kilometres of site access roads.

In its report, Hastings claimed that expenses going forward were expected to be lower, since payments had already been made for long lead equipment packages.

Other achievements included the signing of a $210 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with GR Engineering Services in August, a site visit for investors, and the release of a maiden niobium resource at Yangibana, which came in at 6.7 million tonnes at 2,305 parts per million (ppm) for 15,501 tonnes Nb2O5 (niobium pentoxide).

The total reserves for the project – reported in January 2023 – were 20.93 million tonnes at 0.90% TREO (total rare earth oxides) for 188.135 tonnes.

Crucially in July, Hastings also announced that producer of rare earths permanent magnets JL Mag Rare-Earth Co – through a Hong Kong based subsidiary – had become a strategic investor, taking on 9.8% interest in the company.

Hastings chairman Charles Lew said the company had moved closer to its end goals with Yangibana throughout the year.

“Throughout this period, we have made considerable strides in advancing our flagship Yangibana Rare Earths and Niobium Project, bringing us ever closer to production,” he said.

“Along the way, we have made some exciting discoveries, forged key partnerships, driven down capital costs and laid a strong foundation for the future.

“We also launched our new Vision and Values where our people developed our culturestrategy, outlining behaviours critical towards achieving our vision to become Australia’s next rare earth producer.”

At 13:40 AEST, Hastings’ share price was 29 cents – a rise of 3.57% since the market opened.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Hastings and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The conglomerate often known as Soul Patts – which also runs TPG Telecom and Pengana Capital – said its total dividend for FY2024 was up 9.2% at 95cps (cents per share), from 87 cps in the prior corresponding period.

Managing director and CEO Todd Barlow said the company had successfully ticked off three key goals: increasing cash generation, growing its portfolio and managing investment risk, during FY2024.

“Our strategy of long-term commitment to building value, strength in conviction when making investment decisions, and unconstrained mandate to invest where we can extract the highest quality returns, continues to deliver for our shareholders,” he said.

Soul Patts’ net cash flow was up 10.3% to $468 million, as a result of growing cash generation from private equity, emerging companies and credit portfolios within the conglomerate’s umbrella.

Meanwhile, Brickworks Ltd (ASX:BKW) said its statutory profit in the 2024 fiscal year had slumped 130% to a loss of $119 million, mainly influenced by property sales and non-cash property revaluations, with these registering a loss of $231 million during the year.

Also significant was the impact of non-cash building products, which fell by $135 million (post-tax) during FY2024.

The company’s full year dividend was 67 cents fully franked, up 3%.

Chairman Robert Milner said economic headwinds around the world were having an impact on Brickworks’ bottom line.

“The significant property devaluation was reported in the first half, and reflects capitalisation rate expansion across the industry, in response to higher interest rates,” he said.

“Pleasingly, conditions have stabilised across the property industry over the past six months, as many central banks around the world begin to pivot towards expansionary monetary policy.

“The Building Products impairment was recorded in the second half, and primarily relates to Austral Masonry and Brickworks North America. Both of these businesses have been impacted over the past six months by a deterioration in building activity across key markets.”

It appears that Brickworks’ results were not as problematic to investors as they appeared on the surface, with the company’s stock rising on Thursday. At 13:45 AEST, Brickworks shares were trading at $28.61 – a rise of 7.56% since the market opened, while Washington H Soul Pattinson & Company was $34.20 – a rise of 0.68%.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Bricksworks and Washington H Soul Pattinson & Company and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

In its half year figures for the 2024 fiscal year, sales had increased 7% to $687.2 million (from $640.2 million the previous year). This then flowed on to store EBITDA, which was up 21% to $94.6 million, and net profit, which rose by a whopping 473% to $12.6 million (from $2.2 million).

RBD said the increase in sales had been largely based on changes to products and menus across the major brands, as well as digital channels, greater focus on marketing and considered pricing of items.

While sales in New Zealand and Hawaii remained strong, performances in other regions in which it operates – including Australia and California – were lagging, with this being put down to ‘consumer pressures’.

In its report to the market, RBD added that ‘While inflationary pressures and staff shortages have eased, consumer spending remains under pressure across all regions, in particular in Australia and California’.

RBD has been trading at $3.21.

The company – which has stores in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malaysia and Croatia – also saw sales revenues drop to $8.86 billion from $9.19 billion in FY23 Harvey Norman, underlining buyer caution.

Inflationary pressures were also noted in its reading for operating expenses, which were up 1.5% to $25.01 million, with new store openings also mentioned as a factor.

However, chairman Harvey Norman appeared enthused about one sector which is likely to gain focus in the coming months: AI-enabled computer products, around which the company had developed a marketing strategy.

“We are excited about the recent Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) product cycle and are committed to investing in digital initiatives and the necessary technologicalupgrades to our infrastructure,” he said.

“These investments will assist both our franchisees and company-operated stores in promoting Gen-AI-enabled products to mainstream consumers.

“Our omni-channel strategy, bolstered by our strong brand and extensive geographical reach, will empower franchisees and company-operated stores to leverage the emerging AI PC market, which will drive sales growth as additional AI-PC products come onto the market.”

Harvey Norman kept its final dividend payout at 12 cents per share for FY24.

The company’s shares fell on the financial results, and by 11:31 AEST, were trading at $4.66: a drop of 4.81% since the market opened.

Wesfarmers – which owns Bunnings, Kmart, Officeworks, among other segments – said its statutory net profit had grown 3.7 per cent in the 2024 fiscal year to a figure of $2.56 billion compared to the same time last year.

Its revenue had also seen a slight increase of 1.5% to $44.19 billion in FY24 – largely on-target with expectations – and its dividend was raised to $1.98 fully franked, on the basis of this growth.

In terms of the separate sectors, Bunnings’ revenues had grown in FY24 by 2.3% to $18.97 billion, Kmart was up 4.4% to $11.11 billion, Officeworks was also higher by 2.3% for $3.43 billion, Wesfarmers Chemicals Energy and Fertilisers (CEF) had fallen by 16.9% to $2.75 billion, Industrial and Safety was up 1.5% to $2.02 billion, Wesfarmers Health had risen 5.9% to $5.62 billion, and Catch revenues had fallen 35.9% to $227 million.

Meanwhile, Southern Cross Media – which owns more than 99 radio stations under the brands Triple M and Hit, and broadcasts 96 free to air TV signals across regional Australia – said its revenue had dropped 1% to $499.4 million for the year, down 1% on FY23, while underlying EBITDA had also fallen by 14% to $66.2 million.

Underlying NPAT for the media group had also taken a hit – being 49% down at $11.2 million (from $21.9 million in FY23).

In addition to this, Southern Cross had cancelled its final dividend for the year, and said it was in active negotiations for the sale of its ‘non-core’ television assets.

Finally, Qantas said its statutory profit after tax had fallen 28.3% in FY24 to $1.25 billion (from $1.74 billion in FY23), despite a rise of 10.7% in revenue and other income to $21.94 billion during the same period.

Qantas did not declare or paid any dividends during the fiscal year 2024, although it said statutory earns per share were at 75.9 cents on June 30 2024, down from 96 cents the previous year.

The airliner also said profits were likely to be weak in the future, based on softening demand for travel following previous peaks.

Qantas shares fell 1.74% on the news (to $6.21) at 11:14 AEST. At the same time, Wesfarmers shares were down 3.13% (to $74.78), while Southern Cross Media shares traded higher by 1.89% (to 54 cents).

FMG’s underlying EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) came in at US$10.7 billion – a 7% rise from FY23 – reflecting iron ore shipments of 191.6 million tonnes (Mt) during the same period.

The company also reported a net profit after tax (NPAT) of US$5.7 billion, plus earnings per share of US$1.85 (A$2.82).

Chief Executive Officer Dino Otranto said FY24 had been a year of achievements for FMG.

“The team has delivered another year of outstanding performance contributing to the third highest earnings in Fortescue’s history and free cash flow of US$5.1 billion,” he said.

“We celebrated a number of significant milestones including first ore from the Flying Fish and Hall Hub deposits as well as the commissioning of our gaseous and liquid hydrogen plant which is the largest of its kind on a mine site in Australia.

“We will use the hydrogen from this plant for our Green Metal Project, which we commenced works on earlier this month.

“Reflecting our ongoing commitment to delivering shareholder returns, the Board has declared a fully franked final dividend of A$0.89 per share, bringing total dividends declared for FY24 to A$1.97 per share. This represents a 70 per cent payout of net profit after tax.”

FMG shares rose half a percent on the news. At 10:48 AEST, they were trading at $18.72, a rise of 0.48% since the market opened.

Zip Co’s group cash EBTDA (earnings Before tax, depreciation and amortisation) for the 2024 fiscal year was $69.0 million: a rise of 243.2% from the previous year, while its revenue had risen 28.2% to $868.0 million.

Zip Americas was an underlying factor in this success, reporting record earnings of $77.2 million: increase of 420% compared to the 2023 fiscal year. Revenues were also higher – by 45.6% – coming in at another record figure of $450.6 million.

This performance was underpinned by continued support from existing customers in higher margin channels as well as optimisation across product and underwriting.

However, the Australia and New Zealand sector also delivered solid results, with EBITDA up 137.4% to $33 million, and revenue also increasing by 13.5% to $417.4 million, although the company acknowledged headwinds from increased interest costs and macro framework.

Group CEO and Managing Director Cynthia Scott said the 2024 fiscal year had been a strong one for Zip.

“The team successfully delivered four quarters of profitability, achieving Cash EBTDA of $69.0 million for the year, an improvement of $117.0 million on FY23,” she said.

“This result was driven by Zip’s particularly strong performance in the US with record cash EBTDA, TTV and revenue, and the ANZ business delivering a record cash EBTDA result of $33.0 million underpinned by continued margin expansion.

“During the year, Zip launched a new product in Australia, Zip Plus and piloted a new‘Pay-in-8′ product in the US, reinforcing Zip’s commitment to innovating and creating greatproducts and experiences for customers and merchants.”

She added that Zip had taken various steps throughout the year to boost and simplify its balance sheet, had eliminated the company’s remaining note liabilities, repaid all corporate debt – through an institutional equity placement in July – and successfully refinanced $2.4 billion worth of funding.

At 12:47 AEST, shares in Zip were trading at $2.10, a fall of 7.49% since the market opened.

PLS said its statutory profit after tax had fallen 89% to $257 million in FY24, down from $2.39 billion the previous year, while revenue had also registered a fall of 69% (to $1.3 billion in FY24).

EBITDA came in at $538 million – an 84% fall, which Pilbara blamed specifically on ‘lower realised prices’ which were ‘partially offset by lower total costs and higher sales volumes’.

Production data for the year was strong, rising 17% to 725.3 kilotonnes in FY24, up from 620.1 kilotonnes in FY23.

A negative trend in the price of lithium has dominated the market recently, with the metal falling to CNY 75,000 per tonne in August, its lowest position in more than three years.

Managing Director and CEO Dale Henderson emphasised the company’s expansion activities, and said it was still performing well, given the state of the lithium market.

“Pilbara Minerals delivered a strong set of results in the 2024 financial year, reinforcing our position as a global leader in lithium production through the disciplined execution of our strategic plan,” he said.

“The successful completion of the P680 primary rejection facility was a significant milestone, enabling record production and sales.

“The operating performance of this facility also demonstrated scale unit cost benefits that can be expected to be further improved upon with completion of the upcoming P1000Project.

“Beyond this current expansion, the P2000 project pre-feasibility study was completed offering a potential further growth step in production for the future.

“Our strategic objective to enter lithium chemical manufacturing progressed as planned, with production commencing at the POSCO Pilbara Minerals’ JV chemical plant in South Korea.”

He added that Pilbara had also progressed a joint study with Ganfeng for a potential new downstream joint venture, as part of a wider growth strategy, and had secured commitments for a $1 billion debt facility to further the company’s financial flexibility.

At 13:08 AEST, PLS shares were trading flat at $2.98 after an earlier fall after the market opened.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank (ASX:BEN) has seen its share price drop nearly 2% as it reported that cash earnings in the 2024 fiscal year had come in at $562 million – a fall of 2.6% from the figure of $576.9 the previous year.

Net profit had risen however, in FY24 to $545 million: a rise of 9.7% from $497 million in FY23.

The bank’s dividend was 63 cents – 2 cents higher from the previous year.

CEO Marnie Baker said she had been pleased with the year’s performance by BEN, which had registered a 3.4% rise in customer deposits, an increase of 2.6% in total lending for the 2024 fiscal year, with growth in residential lending volumes (up 6.4%) and agribusiness lending growing by 7.4%, with a focus particularly on Western Australia and Queensland.

At 12:15 AEST, BEN shares were $12.18: a fall of 1.81% since the market opened.

At the same time, shares in Tyro Payments Ltd (ASX:TYR) were $1.12: a rise of 14.29% since the market opened, as the payment solutions company told investors it had had a good year, with NPAT growing fourfold to $25.7 million, up from $6 million in FY23, while its earnings figure (EBITDA) had increased 31.6% year-on-year to $55.7 million, with an EBITDA margin of 26.4%.

Gross profit was up 9.1% year-on-year to $210.8 million.

Tyro said its stronger profit performance was underpinned by a successful pricing transformation, with a rise of 21% in the volume of Health transactions, while integrated banking had also come out strongly, with a 27% increase in banking users as well as a 29.4% rise in banking gross profit.

Looking ahead, the company said it anticipated growth to continue despite the economic headwinds facing merchant customers, and suggested that gross profit for FY25 could be between $218 million and $226 million.

NIB Holdings Ltd (ASX:NHF) also had a bad day on markets, with shares being 15.34% down (at $6.16) since the market opened, despite reporting net profit of a whopping 67.4% in FY24 (for $181.6 million), while telling investors that group revenue was also higher, sitting at $3.3 billion in the 2024 fiscal year: a rise of 9.3% from FY23.

The company said its flagship Australian Residents Health Insurance business was a strong performer for the year, achieving its highest sales ever in FY24, attracting higher value, combined hospital and extras policies.

Despite an increase in cost-of-living pressures, policyholder growth had come in 2.5% – outperforming anticipated industry growth of 1.9%.

NIB’s full year dividend (fully franked) was 29 cents per share, compared to 28 cps in FY23.

Online beauty retailer Adore Beauty Group Ltd (ASX:ABY) was another company with a positive narrative for the market. Adore – which last month acquired Australian beauty brand iKOU, as well as appointing a new CEO – told investors that its NPAT for FY24 was $2,175,000, a turnaround from its net loss of $559,000 in FY23.

This sent the company’s shares up 4.99% at 12:28 AEST, to $1.16.

Earnings (EBITDA) had been in-line with guidance, at $4.8 million: this was 661% higher than in FY23, with a margin of 2.5%.

Adore was also pleased to announce its ability to build a strong customer base, with the sales for the fiscal year including a record 519,000 returning customers, up 5.8% on FY23, and accounting for 79% of product sales.

Poultry producer Inghams Group Ltd (ASX:ING) has seen its share price plunge by 19.77% (to$3.11) as it warned that core growth in poultry volumes for the following financial year (FY2025) would be 1% to 3% lower, due to phased introduction of the company’s new supply agreement with Woolworths, plus continuing cost-of-living pressures.

In terms of data for the 2024 fiscal year, Inghams said net profit (NPAT) had risen 68% to $101.5 million, while earnings (EBITDA) were up 12.6% to $471.1 million.

Dividends (fully franked) were declared at 20 cents per share, with this representing 37.9% on the prior comparable period, for a payout ratio of 73.1%.

Accent Group Ltd (ASX:AX1) – which owns Athletes Foot, Hype, UGG and Platypus Shoes – also saw a share price fall, by 14.7% (to $2.07), as it told investors that profits (NPAT) had dropped to $59.5 million in FY24, from $88.7 million the previous year.

Earnings had also fallen, with CEO Daniel Agostinelli citing a ‘more challenging consumer environment’.

Accent’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) was $110.4 million during the 2024 fiscal year, down from $138.8 million in FY23, although the company said this was in-line with guidance provided in July which had predicted an EBIT range of $109 million to $111 million.

The company’s (fully franked) final dividend was 4.5 cents per share, bringing dividends for the FY24 year to 13.0 cents per share (down from 17.5 cents per share in FY23).

However, there was some positive news for Mayne Pharma Group Ltd (ASX:MYX), whose shares were up 13.96% (to $4.49) on news that reported revenue for FY24 had risen 112% from the prior period to $388.4m.

All segments of the business showed rising revenues, with Women’s Health up 131% to $142.8 million, Dermatology up 207% to $174.9 million, and the International sector rising 9% to $70.7 million.

Mayne’s underlying earnings (EBITDA) had also grown by $118.2 million compared to FY23, for a FY24 figure of $22.9 million, and predicted that this would continue to trend upwards.

Capitol told investors that its underlying NPAT (net profit after tax) for the 2024 fiscal year had increased by a quarter of a percent (25%) to $11 million compared to the previous year, while revenue had also grown for the same period, by 12% to $238 million.

In a year when Capitol had announced a proposed merger with Integral Diagnostics Limited (ASX:IDX) and opened new MRI comprehensive clinic at Sunshine Private Hospital in Victoria, the company said its final dividend for FY2024 would be declared in line with merger ratio (with this being 0.12849 of the FY2024 final dividend of IDX).

Meanwhile, Genesis Energy Ltd (ASX:GNE) posted a significant fall in profit during the 12-month period to June 2024.

In its full statutory accounts, Genesis said its net profit was down 33% to $131.1 million compared to $195.8 million in the previous fiscal year.

This was also reflected in the company’s EBITDAF (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, fair value movements of financial instruments, investment costs, realisations and impairments), which came in at $407.2 million in FY2024, a fall of 22% from the figure of $523.5 million in FY2023.

Genesis said its ‘strategy was on track despite a challenging year’ impacted by constraints in gas supply, low hydro and wind levels, and a 7-month outage at Huntly Unit 5.

Its total dividends per share for FY2024 were 14 cps, compared to 17.6 cps in FY2023, a fall of 21%.

An annual report was also out from casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX:SKC), who said that underlying group NPAT had fallen 7.2% TO NZ$123.2 million, reflecting lower earnings.

EBITDA was also down 8% to NZ$277.8 million, and CEO Jason Walbridge said the weaker figures overall were underpinned by cost-of-living pressures, a softer economy, and SkyCity’s requirement to respond to certain regulatory issues.

SkyCity previously announced that it would be closing gambling operations at its Auckland site for five days next month, and this was set to cost the company NZ$5 million in expected earnings for FY2025.

The decision was made as part of an agreement between management and the Secretary of Internal Affairs in order to avoid the temporary suspension of the company’s casino operator’s licence.

Underlying earnings per share were 16.2 cps for FY2024, a fall of 7.3% year on year.

Medibank Private Ltd (ASX:MPL) reported a strong suite of results today, with underlying NPAT coming in at $570.4 million for the 2024 fiscal year: a rise of 14.1% from the previous reporting period.

CEO David Koczkar said the priority for Medibank had been on keeping premiums low and providing support for customers, as reflected in a $305 million COVID give back, which brought total customer support to a record $1.46 billion during the period.

The company’s final ordinary dividend (fully franked) was 9.4 cps.

At 12:11 AEST, Medibank shares were down 1.5% at $3.88, SkyCity shares were down 2.41% at $1.42, shares in Genesis Energy had risen 0.48% to $2.08, and Capitol Health shares were 4.24% higher at 31 cents.

At 13:12 AEST, shares in the retirement village property group were trading at $5.45, a rise of 7.28% since the market opened.

In its report for FY2024, the company said its revenue was $472.3 million – a rise of 19.7% compared to the 2023 fiscal year, while EBIT (earnings before income and taxes) were $125.7 million, representing an increase of 17%.

Ingenia had expected earnings to show growth of between 10 and 15% for the 2024 fiscal year.

CEO and Managing Director, John Carfi said the numbers were underpinned by a solid and growing portfolio, plus positive responses to the company’s changes to drive security holder returns, although he warned that development returns for some projects remained below target.

“I have spent considerable time in this area of the business, and we are progressing a range of initiatives that will ensure we move towards targeted returns over the medium term, building development into the growth engine of this business,” he said.

“Our focus is to optimise returns on current and future projects with a critical lens on execution, efficiency and accountability.

“The diversity of projects across location and price points is a significant point of difference for Ingenia, and we have a clear view of our capital needs that are supported by growing cashflows, good debt capacity and ongoing portfolio refinement to support further investment as needed.”