To The Moon

As of the close on Friday, $S&P/ASX 200(XJO.AU)$ closed at 8,310.40 on Friday, up 0.20% in the past 5 days.

1. $STAR ENTERTAINMENT GRP LTD/T(SGR.AU)$ +27.27%

• Star shares rose a lot on Tuesday. Star Entertainment’s major Macau-based investor has increased his stake in the company for a second time in a week, with the mystery businessman now owning almost 7 per cent of the struggling casino operator.

• Star owns casinos in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, but has been under serious financial strain over the past 12 months as high-rollers stay away and the company contends with big debts and fines. Some brokers expect Star, which said last week that it only had $79 million in the bank after spending $100 million in the three months to December 31, will be hit with fines of more than $300 million for money laundering failures.

2. $INGENIA COMMUNITIES GROUP(INA.AU)$ +14.53%

• Ingenia Communities Group, a leading owner of seniors-focused communities, has raised its FY25 guidance on the back of strong performance in the first half.

• The group is now forecasting FY25 EBIT between $162m and $165m, marking a growth of 20–23% on FY24, an increase from the previous target of $148m to $155m. Underlying EPS guidance has also been raised to 29.0–30.0 cents, up from the prior 24.4–25.6 cents.

• CEO John Carfi commented: “Simplifying our operations, driving efficiency, and improving returns—particularly from our development activities—are starting to show tangible results.”

3. $LIONTOWN RESOURCES LTD(LTR.AU)$ +14.41%

• Lithium miners advanced on the AU as Morgans analysts pointed to stabilising prices and expectations of a market recovery this year.

• Morgans analysts see China's long-term dominance in the lithium market as benefiting Australian spodumene producers such as Pilbara Minerals and Mineral Resources, which have offtake agreements with reputable Chinese battery makers.

• They noted that lithium prices have remained largely stable since the end of September, ranging between US$800 ($1,292) and US$890 per tonne of spodumene concentrate, compared to lows of US$730 per tonne in August.

• Current spot prices are higher than prices achieved in September, the analysts said, yet lithium equities have been sold off during the period. Morgans has an 'add' rating on Pilbara and a 'hold' rating on Liontown.

4. $TABCORP HOLDINGS LTD(TAH.AU)$ +13.27%

• STabcorp Holdings has appointed experienced wagering executive Michael Fitzsimons as the company’s new chief wagering officer. 

• The appointment comes as part of Tabcorp’s evolved executive leadership team structure, which was announced last month. “Michael Fitzsimons is one of the world’s most sought after wagering executives and brings extensive global sports betting experience to Tabcorp,” said Tabcorp managing director and CEO elect Gillon McLachlan. “He has a deep knowledge of international sports betting, trading and tote. 

• Shares in Tabcorp Holdings Ltd gained 5.93 per cent on the news to close at AU$0.625 per share in Sydney Thursday.

5. $LOVISA HOLDINGS LTD(LOV.AU)$ +12.53%

• The Lovisa share price is up 7.5% to $29.26 on Friday. This has been driven by a broker note out of Morgan Stanley this week. According to the note, the broker has upgraded this fashion jewellery company's shares to an overweight rating with a $33.25 price target.

• This implies potential upside of almost 14% even after today's gains. The broker believes that the company's store growth could surprise to the upside in FY 2025 and FY 2026, which would be good news for its share price.