FMG share price in focus
Fortescue Ltd is an iron ore production and exploration company started by the well-known Australian polymath Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest. The company was founded in 2003 and has assets across the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Fortescue’s main operation is iron ore production, shipping more than 190 million tonnes annually. However, Fortescue has also been ramping up exploration activities for materials like copper, rare earths, and lithium. This exploration covers countries including Australia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Kazakhstan.
This is all part of Fortescue’s long-term strategy to take advantage of the shift to renewable energy. Demand for copper, lithium, and other rare earths are expected to skyrocket with increasing battery and electric vehicle production and Fortescue intends to fill that demand.
CSL shares
Previously a government body, CSL is today a publicly-listed global biotechnology company that develops and delivers innovative medicines that save lives, protect public health, and help people with life-threatening medical conditions live full lives.
The company is divided into three core business units: CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus and CSL Vifor. Behring, acquired in 2004, manufactures and distributes blood plasma products. Seqirus is responsible for making flu-related products and performs pandemic-related services for governments. Finally, Vifor makes products for iron deficiency and nephrology (renal/kidney care).
CSL has developed a strong reputation with Australian investors over many decades as being a reliable company and a consistent dividend payer. With the continual rise in healthcare costs and the consistent historical performance, interest in CSL shares remains high today.
FMG share price valuation
One way to have a ‘fast read’ of where the FMG share price is could be to study something like dividend yield over time. This can give us a sense of the stability of the company and whether they can consistently pay out a percentage of profits.
Remember, the dividend yield is basically the ‘cash flow’ to a shareholder, but it can fluctuate year-to-year or between payments. Currently, Fortescue Ltd shares have a dividend yield of around 10.60%, compared to its 5-year average of 10.52%. In other words, FMG shares are trading higher than their historical average dividend yield. Be careful how you interpret this information though – it could mean that dividends are growing, or it could mean the share price is falling, or both. In the case of FMG, the annual report shows last year’s dividend was greater than the 3-year average, so the dividend has been growing.
CSL is offering a historical dividend yield of around 1.40%, which compares to its 5-year average of 1.50%. This is just one of many ways you could put a value on CSL shares. The Rask websites offer free online investing courses, created by analysts explaining valuation methods like Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and Dividend Discount Models (DDM). They even include free valuation spreadsheets which can help you learn how to value a company like FMG or CSL.
