Iron ore miners had a strong session, with BHP rising 3.3 per cent to end the day at a record closing high $50.45 a share. Fortescue Metals rose 3.1 per cent to $25.42 and Rio Tinto gained 1.9 per cent to $128.88.
It was an upbeat session for the big travel stocks.
Flight Centre added 8.9 per cent to $17.79. The virus-battered travel giant aims to break even this year assuming that domestic borders open permanently and some low-risk international corridors are unlocked. It swung to a first-half $233 million loss compared with a $22 million profit in the year-earlier period.
Qantas Airways rose 1.8 per cent to $5.10. The airline sank to a $1.1 billion interim loss having reported a $445 million profit in the previous corresponding period. Revenue dived 75 per cent to $2.3 billion in the six months ended December 31. Qantas did not pay a dividend.
In the previous session, Helloworld told the market it will make a profit in the first-half of financial 2022, and that it was going to sustain cash losses of $1 million to $1.5 million a month for the next six months.
Link announced PEXAs decision to consider an IPO. PEXA, should it list, is expected to be worth $2.5 billion or more, making it one of the biggest contenders in the IPO pipeline The Australian Financial Reviews Street Talk column says. Link shares added 2.3 per cent to $4.84.
The biggest rout on the market was The A2 Milk Company whose interim net profit fell 35 per cent after suffering a 16 per cent decline in sales. Its key daigou channel remains shaky in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions and the ASX-traded shares plunged 16.2 per cent to $8.76. It also slashed its full year guidance.
And Service Stream, which reported after-market on Wednesday, suffered a 21.4 per cent loss to close the day at $1.34. The company forecast the second-half result to be approximately in-line with the first-half, which it described as subdued upon reporting a 18 per cent fall in revenue to $409.9 million and net profit down 40 per cent to $16.2 million.
Small business lender Prospa has concluded its loan deferral program because of the improving economic and trading conditions in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The stock declined 2.4 per cent to 91¢.
ASX debutant Liberty Financial reported a maiden result and upgraded its full-year guidance. Its interim net profit rose 12 per cent to $83 million, and underlying net profit climbed 58 per cent to $117.7 million for the half. It now expects full-year profit of more than $200 million, up from $165 million. Liberty shares rose 1.2 per cent to $8.20.
Life360 rallied 19 per cent to $4.70 and increased its revenue despite the challenging pandemic environment. Revenue rose 37 per cent to $US80.7 million ($102 million), at the upper end of its guidance range, but it still reported a $US16.3 million loss. Life360 expects full-year underlying EBITDA loss of no greater than $US15 million.
Silk Laser Clinics now expects sales of between $82 million to $86 million for the full-year, an upgrade on its prospectus forecast of $81 million. It floated at $3.45 and the stock on Thursday added 5.4 per cent to end the session at $4.53.