Best and worst stocks on the ASX today

ASX adds just 0.1% as investors sit on the sidelines

Mike King

Mike King is a Fool.com.au Investment Analyst and Writer. He caught the investing bug more than a decade ago, at a time when the U.S. had invaded Iraq and fear reigned in the markets. His initial success as the markets took off encouraged his passion and thirst for knowledge. With 13 years behind him at one of Australia's largest domestic banks, Mike's passion for stocks led him to join a boutique funds management firm, where he stayed for four years. A seven-year stint in equity research at one of the largest investment banks in the world followed that, giving Mike a thirst to pursue his passion further. Mike holds a Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment and a Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning. His passion is to help retail investors invest better, and that passion was one of his primary reasons for joining The Motley Fool Australia in late 2011. Mike has written thousands of articles since joining, including for Fairfax Media, Yahoo!7, Ninemsn and has also appeared on ABC's The Business. You can see all of Mikes' holdings here

Published July 16, 2013 4:42 pm AEST

The S&P / ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has had a lack lustre day rising just 0.1% to finish at 4,986. Our market followed the lead of overseas markets, much like it did yesterday, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 adding 0.1% overnight.

Here are the top five best performing stocks in the index.

Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) climbed 7.3% to $1.03 after the uranium miner posted record production in the 2013 financial year.
Envestra (ASX:ENV) added 6.1% to end at $1.13, after receiving a takeover bid from APA Group.
Wotif.com Holdings (ASX:WTF) rose 3.3% to $5.05.
Toll Holdings (ASX:TOL) ended up 3% at $5.52.
Ausdrill Limited (ASX:ASL) also rose 3%, to finish at $1.05.

These stocks were the losers on the day.

Perseus Mining (ASX:PRU) lost 22%, after the gold miner missed its own guidance for the past six months.
McMillan Shakespeare (ASX:MMS) fell 14.7% to $15.36, before the company went into a trading halt. It seems that the changes to fringe benefits tax announced today will have "a material effect" on the company's business.
Car retailer, Automotive Holdings (ASX:AHE) fell 7.6% to $3.43.
Magellan Financial Group (ASX:MFG) lost 6.7% to $11.95.
Treasury Wine Estates (ASX:TWE) ended down 6.1% at $4.79.

In the market for high yielding ASX shares? Get "3 Stocks for the Great Dividend Boom" in our special FREE report. Click here now to find out the names, stock symbols, and full research for our three favourite income ideas, all completely free!

More reading

Motley Fool writer/analyst Mike King doesn't own shares in any companies mentioned.

Automatic Renewal

By taking up this offer, you will also be enrolled in our auto-renewal program, which is our way of making your ongoing subscription easier by ensuring uninterrupted service. Don't worry, though – you're not locked in, and can cancel your auto-renewal at any time before each 'anniversary' date without question or penalty.